City Section look ahead: Fairfax vs. Eagle Rock is battle of Open Division teams

In the City Section, head-to-head matchups always matter, so Friday’s Fairfax (2-0) at Eagle Rock (2-1) game will be important for seeding purposes come playoff time. Both figure to be in the Open Division.

Sophomore Shlomo Bass (6-4, 275) continues to be a valuable lineman for the Lions, who own wins over Dorsey and Sylmar. Eagle Rock has wins over South Gate and Bell while losing to San Pedro.

Narbonne (2-1) will get the chance to earn some respect for the City Section when it plays Orange Lutheran on Friday at Orange Coast College. The Gauchos got back star receiver Traeshon Holden, who figures to be a little more comfortable this week after making his debut against St. Paul. Quarterback Jack Garcia now has the best receiving corp in the City Section.

Canoga Park (3-0) continues to cruise through nonleague opponents and next up is Verdugo Hills at home. Quarterback David Gomez has completed 13 of 17 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns.

The annual battle for bragging rights in Granada Hills takes place on Friday, with Kennedy (2-0) playing at Granada Hills (0-3). The Golden Cougars are off to a fast start under first-year coach Troy Cassidy. This game is always intense. I remember the days when quarterback Tom Ramsey faced quarterback John Elway. Now that was special.

Reseda (2-1), continuing to prepare for a Sept. 27 Valley Mission League showdown with San Fernando, will play at Palisades. The Regents upgraded their schedule this season and are more than holding their own.

Gardena, off to a 3-0 start, plays host to Beverly Hills. Kwanta Pugh has scored seven touchdowns in three games.

San Fernando (3-0), coming off an impressive win over Franklin, faces Dorsey on the road. The Tigers’ young but improving offensive line could make the team a contender in the battle to be No. 2 behind Narbonne.

Banning (1-2) is hosting Westchester (3-0) in a matchup featuring the Marine League vs. the Western League. Julien Walker has passed for 452 yards and five touchdowns for the Comets filling in for recuperating quarterback Jeliun Carter.

Birmingham (1-2) continues its challenging nonleague schedule of playing all Southern Section teams by hosting St. Paul (2-1) on Friday.

Garfield (1-2) is at Crenshaw (1-1) in a battle between two schools seeking Open Division representation.