A Look at Today’s Key matchups

It’s reunion time for quarterbacks Aaron Fredette of El Camino Real and Sean Atkins of San Fernando. They sat next to each other in fourth grade and played kickball during recess. The

versatile Fredette is coming off a 309-yard passing performance and has helped take pressure off tailback Quincy Wright, who has been slowed by a foot injury. Atkins is at his best running

the option play for the Tigers. He’ll face a quick, aggressive defense that is allowing just 149.5 yards per game, tops among City Section teams in the region. San Fernando has given up 46

and 45 points in losses to Grant and Birmingham.

A week ago, these teams were looking forward to this Valley Pac-8 Conference showdown. Surprise, surprise. The Vikings and Lancers were stunned in conference openers last week, leaving it

wide open. Monroe lost George Garcia, the leading scorer among area City teams, to an ankle injury on the opening kickoff against North Hollywood and he might not play tonight. Running mate

Vinny Walker, the area’s second leading City rusher with 634 yards and eight touchdowns, will have to rely on Andy Newchurch to fill the void in the Vikings’ double-wing offense. Grant,

which was surprised by Canoga Park, 14-13, last week, has heady quarterback Lawrence Monroy, who has completed 55% of his passes for 458 yards and four touchdowns. David Smith has 10

touchdowns averaging 6.1 yards per carry for the Lancers.

After averaging more than 35 points for three games, Royal lost to Westlake, 43-16. Royal has rushed for 1,037 yards, more 300 better than any Marmonte League rival. Steve Sheehan, who has

524 yards in 74 carries, and Bryant Phipps, with 455 yards in 37 carries, are a formidable one-two punch. The Highlanders have allowed 716 yards passing, most in the Marmonte League and must

face Agoura’s Ryan McCann, who has completed 47 of 91 passes for 570 yards and five touchdowns. Chris Poling has rushed for 506 yards and eight touchdowns in 65 carries for the Chargers.

Two of the best defenses around hook up in a battle of traditional football powerhouses. The Cubs have given up 214.3 yards per game and only 29 points. Hart has given up 201.5 yards a game,

only 21 points and has two shutouts. On offense, the teams differ greatly. Loyola relies on a power running attack, with Stephen Faulk at 361 yards and Wesley Willard with 240. The Cubs

have gained 834 of their 1143 yards on the ground. Quarterback Chris Peterson averages just over 10 passes per game, his longest completion for 31 yards. Hart’s run-and-shoot offense has

been relatively tame this year. David Neill has completed 50.9% of his passes for 807 yards. Jerry Owens five touchdown receptions and averages 16.8 yards per catch. Hart beat Loyola last

season, 24-10. It was the only loss for the Cubs, who went to the Southern Section Division I championship. In the first meeting between the schools in 1995, Loyola defeated Hart, 27-23.

Few running backs mean as much to their teams as Matt Gregory. He leads the region with 113 carries and has gained 514 yards for the Cowboys, who are looking to snap a two-game losing streak

before starting league play next week against defending Foothill champion Hart. Palmdale’s Grant Livermont is averaging more than 24 yards per completion and Jason Anderson, who has 293

yards, is averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Palmdale, favored to win the Golden League title, has intercepted eight passes and had 10 players score. The Falcons beat Canyon, 40-12, last season

in the teams’ first meeting since Canyon left the Golden League after the 1991 season.

St. Bonaventure, defending Southern Section Division X champion, has won the last two games in the series by a combined score of 66-22, including a 39-12 rout last season. Sophomore Chris

Lombardo, who has completed 64% of his passes for 568 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions for the Seraphs. Jesse Kirk has rushed for 685 yards and eight touchdowns and is

averaging 8.3 yards per carry in his first season as a starter. The Wolverines have moved the ball but sputtered near the goal line. Justin Logan has rushed for 488 yards and five

touchdowns. Alex Holmes, a tight end and linebacker, is crucial to Harvard-Westlake’s success.

Valley Pac-8 Conference--At 7:30 p.m., North Hollywood at Canoga Park, Van Nuys at Reseda. Northwest Valley Conference--At 7 p.m., Kennedy at Chatsworth, Granada Hills at Birmingham.

Marmonte League--At 7 p.m., Camarillo at Newbury Park, Channel Islands at Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley at Westlake. Nonleague--At 7:30 p.m., Moorpark at Oak Park, St. Monica at Calabasas,

Crescenta Valley at Burroughs. 8-man--At 7 p.m., Buckley vs. Riverside Bethel Christian at Sherman Indian. At 7:30 p.m., Windward at Lancaster Bethel Christian.