California High School Football Games of the Week: Sept. 19-21

Week 5 of the California high school football season will get underway in the coming days, and another round of ranked games are set to kick off.

Five matchups between teams in the On3 Massey Ratings California top 25, in addition to a pair of games featuring some of the best in Arizona, are on the docket.

Below are the key matchups to watch across the state of California this weekend:

The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.

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#14 Junipero Serra Gardena vs. #16 Oaks Christian — Thursday, Sept. 19
Both Junipero Serra Gardena (2-1) and Oaks Christian (2-2) will look for their first ranked victory of the season on Thursday night in Westlake Village. The No. 14 Cavaliers are on a two-game winning streak following a tight 27-21 win over Long Beach Poly at the beginning of the month. Both of the Lions’ losses have come at the hands of top-10 programs, most recently a 20-point defeat to No. 7 Santa Margarita Catholic. The On3 Massey Ratings predict a 27-21 win for Gardena.

Basha (Ariz.) vs. #3 Mission Viejo (Calif.) — Friday, Sept. 20
No. 3 Mission Viejo (4-0) has emerged as the clear No. 3 team in the state of California this season behind a quartet of impressive outings on both offense and defense. The Diablos have outscored opponents 185-20 thus far. Star junior wideout Vance Spafford already has six touchdown receptions. Basha (3-0) will head to the Golden State as the No. 2 team in Arizona following a booming start to the season on offense. The Bears won their last game 50-0. The On3 Massey Ratings predict Mission Viejo to win 40-21.

#5 Centennial (Calif.) vs. Liberty (Ariz.) — Saturday, Sept. 21
Centennial (2-2) looks to be back on track after an 0-2 start that was propelled in-part by an injury to star quarterback and Texas A&M commit Husan Longstreet. The Huskies have rallied for back-to-back wins over top-five teams in Utah and will now head to Peoria and take a swing at the top-ranked program in Arizona. Liberty (3-0) has quietly been in the national top 25 all season thus far and has dominated the early in-state competition, opening the year with back-to-back shutouts. The Massey Ratings are backing the road team, predicting a 37-34 upset win for Centennial.

#6 Orange Lutheran (Calif.) vs. #10 Sierra Canyon (Calif.) — Saturday, Sept. 21
A pair of top-10 programs in California will throw down this weekend when Orange Lutheran (3-1) heads to Chatsworth to take on Sierra Canyon (2-2). The Lancers felt defeat for the first time last week, as national powerhouse Bishop Gorman put up 55 points for a convincing win in Las Vegas. Despite the loss, Lutheran still holds as a top-40 team in the country. Both of Sierra Canyon’s losses have come to top-five teams in the state, though the Trailblazers gave No. 2 St. John Bosco a run for its money in a 10-point loss last time out. With both teams looking to avoid losing streaks, the Massey Ratings predict Sierra Canyon to hold serve at home and win 34-26.

#11 Los Alamitos vs. #18 Clovis North — Saturday, Sept. 21
Los Alamitos (3-1) rebounded nicely from its loss to Mililani (Hi.) by picking up a 22-point win on the road over St. Paul last week. The Griffins have hovered around the top 10 for the entire season thus far and are after their first ranked win of the season this weekend. Clovis North (3-1) was unable to hang with No. 4 J Serra Catholic, but otherwise has been a surprise in 2024. The Broncos are coming off of a 52-13 victory over Central Valley Christian. The Massey Ratings predict a 38-21 victory for Los Alamitos.