The Chaminade football team had yet to name a starting quarterback as of Wednesday afternoon for its season opener Friday against Oaks Christian.
Junior Ari Sykes (6-3, 205) and sophomore Cameron Pooley (6-2, 190) have been battling for the position throughout fall training camp.
“It has been very competitive and both guys have pushed each other,” Chaminade coach David Machuca said on Wednesday. “There’s been days where Cam has looked a little bit better, then there’s been days when Ari’s looked a little bit better. We haven’t officially named the starter for Friday, but I’m excited about both of them playing.”
Between the two pocket passers and multiple running backs, Chaminade (0-0) will have the chance to test its offense against the big, skilled defensive front of Oaks Christian (0-0) in a 7 p.m. game on Friday at Chaminade.
The Lions are No. 2 in the Daily News rankings and the Eagles are No. 5.
Defensive end Hayden Lowe, a USC commit, leads the Lions’ pass rush. Christian Knoos (UC Davis) takes charge of the linebacking corps.
“We treat every practice like it’s a game,” Knoos said at Marmonte League media day in early August. “The coaches have to get in there and calm it down. We’re getting that fired up about it and we love it.”
The Lions will go up against a Chaminade offense that could look a lot different from last season when it was led by dual-threat quarterback Seth Shigg. The senior, who is an Army commit, transferred to Culver City ahead of this season.
Eagles receivers like senior Logan Carpenter have increased opportunities to make plays now that two tall pocket passers are at quarterback.
“They both have talent,” Carpenter said. “It keeps me on my toes. We both want to make them do as best as they can. It’s a pretty even battle, honestly, and it’s hard to tell. We’re rallying around and supporting both of them.”
Niles Davis, Marquis Jones and Jackson Tyler will split carries at running back. Ronnell Hewitt, who was previously at Birmingham and Westlake, is enrolled at the school but has not yet been cleared to play by the CIF-SS.
The Eagles’ defense will be tasked with stopping quarterback Axel Eason, who served as the backup on last season’s varsity team, three-star tight end Stevie Amar and four-star running back Deshonne Redeaux.
Carpenter will also team up with Washington State commit Ishmael Gibbs in the secondary on Friday night. The two are providing leadership on a team that has 13 returning players and is battle-tested after reaching the CIF Southern Section Division 3 semifinals last season.
“It’s an older team this year, so it’s definitely different,” Gibbs said. “Stopping the run is what we need to do. If we bring them to the passing side, we’ll beat them.”
OTHER TOP GAMES FRIDAY
Valencia (0-0) at Simi Valley (1-0), 7 p.m.
Simi Valley, the CIF Southern Section Division 6 champion last season, already has one win under its belt after traveling to Nevada last week and beating Spanish Springs 33-13. Senior quarterback Tagg Harrison threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Brice Hawkins rushed for 156 yards and two touchdowns.
Valencia brings a balanced offense into this game with quarterback Brady Bretthauer and running back Brian Bonner, who will be tough to contain due to his speed and athleticism.
Pioneers defensive back Seth Knight and defensive ends Michael Gage and Izak Simpson each had eight or more tackles in their season opener and Simpson had an additional two QB hurries and one sack.
Sierra Canyon (1-0) at JSerra (0-0), 7 p.m.
Sierra Canyon beat JSerra 9-7 in a season opener last season that was a defensive standoff. The Trailblazers, who are No. 1 in the Daily News rankings, will travel down to San Juan Capistrano this time for their second game of the season. Sierra Canyon beat Punahou 30-7 in Hawaii last week.
JSerra will debut a new quarterback in junior Ryan Hopkins, and he’ll be protected by an offensive line that includes senior tackle Jake Flores. He’ll go up against a pass rush that’s gained valuable experience and features defensive end Richard Wesley.
El Camino Real (0-0) at Kennedy (0-0), 7 p.m.
The Royals will have to wait another week to play a game on its brand-new field, but can still put on a good show against a tough Kennedy team. Javan Kaggwa and Kona Malig will play on both sides of the ball and Rafa Cortez is back at El Camino Real after playing at St. Genevieve last season.
Kennedy is trying to repeat as Valley Mission League champion behind dual-threat quarterback Diego Montes. Giovanni Nelson and Bentley Castro will be his top targets at receiver. The Golden Cougars will likely have a running back by committee and lean on Dylan Larson and Aidan Deoliveira.
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games start at 7 p.m. unless noted)
Agoura at Oak Park
Antelope Valley at Brentwood
Bosco Tech at Glendale
Calabasas at Oxnard
Canyon at Charter Oak
Eastside at Rowland
El Modena at Thousand Oaks
Grace at Santa Rosa Academy
Sierra Canyon at JSerra
Lancaster at Sultana
Millikan at Newbury Park
Notre Dame at Downey
Oaks Christian at Chaminade
Palmdale at Monrovia
Quartz Hill vs. Hart at College of Canyons
Rio Mesa at Moorpark
Royal at Fillmore
San Dimas vs. Burbank at Burroughs HS
San Marino at Heritage Christian
Saugus at Buena
St. Genevieve at Ganesha
Trinity Classical Academy at Vasquez
Valencia at Simi Valley
West Ranch vs. Oxnard Pacifica at Valencia HS
Westlake vs. Golden Valley at Canyon HS
Desert at Alemany
Gardena at Crespi
Harvard-Westlake at Cleveland
Highland at Liberty
Paraclete at Garces, 7:30 p.m.
Tehachapi at Burroughs, 7:30 p.m.
Viewpoint vs. California City at Calabasas HS
Village Christian at San Fernando
Taft at Eagle Rock
El Camino Real at Kennedy
Fulton at Canoga Park
Grant at Wilson
Hawkins at North Hollywood
Monroe at Chatsworth
Sun Valley Poly at Santee, 7:30 p.m.
Reseda at Jefferson, 6 p.m.
Roosevelt at Venice
Westchester at Arleta, 3:30 p.m.
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