Week 1 High School Football Preview: Marina vs. Torrance

Where/When: 7 p.m. Thursday at Westminster High.

Key Tartars: Stats from 2016 – Sr. RB/SS Ethan Meyers (170 carries for 614 yards and three TDs; seven catches for 51 yards and one TD; 24 tackles); Jr. RB/FS Eric Suarez (44 carries for 471 yards and two TDs; 24 catches for 332 yards; 54 tackles, three tackles for a loss, one interception, one blocked FG); Sr. G/DT Tony Dacosta (eight carries for 27 yards and one TD; 54 tackles, four sacks, three tackles for a loss, one fumble recovery)

Key Vikings: Stats from 2016 – Sr. QB/DB Ian Green (97 of 204 passing for 1,496 yards, 15 TDs, and five INTs; 86 carries for 97 yards and three TDs); Sr. RB/SS Blaine Riederich (114 carries for 599 yards and five TDs, one game of 100-plus rushing yards; 24 catches for 238 yards and two TDs; 58 tackles, two sacks; one fumble recovery, one blocked FG); Sr. RB/SS Brandon Savea (six carries for 35 yards and one TD; 14 catches for 309 yards and three TDs; 24 tackles, one fumble recovery)

Breakdown: A lot of the weapons around Marina’s senior quarterback Ian Green graduated, leaving some to believe that the field would catch up to the Vikings (1-0) after their surprising four-win season a year ago. It pays to have experience at the quarterback position, though, and Green was able to engineer a fourth-quarter comeback against Dana Hills with touchdown passes to Blaine Riederich and Brandon Savea last week…As the Vikings look to continue their winning ways, a key matchup on Thursday night will be how the Marina defense handles Eric Suarez of Torrance (0-0). The junior running back averaged 10.7 yards per carry and 13.8 yards per reception in 2016…This is the second of three games at Marina’s home field of Westminster High to begin the season for the Vikings. Next week, Marina will complete that friendly portion of the schedule with a game against the rival Westminster Lions, which constitutes the “Battle at Boswell.” The Vikings beat the Lions, 24-20, last year.

Andrew.Turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner