Prep Football Games to Watch: Week Nine

Headlined by the annual Holy Bowl, here are five key games to keep an eye on tonight.

#3 St. Augustine Saints (5-2) at #4 Cathedral Catholic Dons (4-3)

The Dons are riding a four-game winning streak since suffering a week 4 loss to Helix. To keep the momentum going they must stop the visiting Saints and their explosive ground attack powered by Elijah Preston (1,213 yards & 13 TDs). The Dons had two weeks to prepare for the Holy Bowl, while the Saints are fresh off a 46-26 tune-up at Morse.

#1 Helix Highlanders (5-1) at #6 Valhalla Norsemen (6-1)

A six-game win streak and a first place tie in the Grossmont Hills League will be broken this Friday night when the top ranked Highlanders visit Rancho San Diego for an East County showdown with Valhalla, who they haven't loss to since 2010. The Norsemen are known for their high-powered defense, which will be put to the test by a productive Helix offense led by quarterback Michael Austin and speedy back Nate Stinson.

Oceanside Pirates (4-3) at Carlsbad Lancers (4-3)

Coming off two disappointing losses, the Pirates visit Carlsbad looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak since 2005. After an 0-2 start, the Lancers won four of their last five games, including wins over La Costa Canyon and Torrey Pines (who defeated Oceanside last week). Oceanside is 7-0-1 against Carlsbad since suffering a 28-0 loss against them in 2005.

Westview Wolverines (7-0) at La Costa Canyon Mavericks (5-2)

Fresh off a disappointing overtime loss to crosstown-rival Carlsbad, the Mavericks will look to bounce back by knocking Westview from the unbeaten ranks. Meanwhile, with three road games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Wolverines will try to add on to their best start in program history.

El Camino Wildcats (5-2) at Torrey Pines Falcons (2-5)

After snapping a four-game losing skid with a huge come-from-behind victory over Oceanside, the Falcons will look to make it two-in-a-row when they return home to host El Camino, their second straight opponent from the city of Oceanside. The Wildcats started the season 5-0, but have fell on hard times after dropping their last two games, the latest being a 38-0 setback to Vista.