No. 7 Valley Christian (5-2, 4-0) at No. 5 St. Ignatius (5-2, 3-1), 5 p.m.: After going 1-2 against nonleague opponents, Valley Christian has gotten hot in West Catholic Athletic League play. Victories over Mitty, Bellarmine, Riordan and Sacred Heart Cathedral have put Valley in a tie with St. Francis for first place with three games to play. The closing stretch won’t be easy for the San Jose school, starting Friday night in San Francisco against St. Ignatius. The Wildcats lost for the first time in WCAL play last week, squandering a 13-0 halftime advantage as St. Francis rallied for a 27-13 win. SI can stay in contention for a piece of the league crown with a win over Valley, which plays host to St. Francis next week. Running backs Marcel Leggett (752 yards, six TDs) and Ekiah McLemore (419 yards, six TDs) lead the Valley ground attack. SI’s Jarious Hogan has rushed for 595 yards and 10 TDs, and QB Soren Hummel has passed for 1,047 yards and six TDs. Calpreps’ computer picks SI to win, 19-12.

— Darren Sabedra

Sacred Heart Prep (3-4, 0-2) at No. 11 Wilcox (5-2, 2-0), 7 p.m.: This battle of Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division squads pits teams going in opposite directions. Wilcox has been resurgent lately, dominating Palo Alto 42-13 on the road and winning three games in a row overall, including its first two in league play. SHP has been up and down, picking up some nice wins over The King’s Academy and Hillsdale but losing its first two games in league play, most recently suffering a 42-10 home loss to Los Gatos. Kai Imahara, Brayden Rosa and Elijah Vallejo all rushed for more than 100 yards last week for Wilcox’s powerful ground attack, and Imahara added three touchdowns as well. Greg Gamitian is the featured back for Sacred Heart Prep, averaging 60.9 yards per game according to MaxPreps. Calpreps’ computer sees Wilcox winning this one, 38-7.

– Christian Babcock

Berean Christian (5-2, 1-0) at Mt. Diablo (5-2, 1-0), 7:30 p.m.: This game will be crucial in determining which team comes out on top in the Diablo Athletic League Mountain Division. Mt. Diablo is on a four-game winning streak, averaging more than 48 points in those games. Running back Jeremiah Owens and Antonio Campbell III form an effective duo in the backfield. Quarterback Michael Vasquez is a dual-threat QB who can make plays with his feet as well as through the air. Mt. Diablo was dominant in its last game against Concord, beating the Bears, 63-13. Berean Christian’s offense has been just as formidable, shown by the Eagles’ 52-6 blowout win over Ygnacio Valley last week. Quarterback Joshua Werner threw for 229 yards and five touchdowns in the win. BC has its own high-powered rushing attack, led by Damon Neu and Josh McCoy, who each found the end zone in last Friday’s win. Calpreps has Mt. Diablo winning, 38-26.

– Nathan Canilao

Moreau Catholic (5-3, 4-0) at No. 15 Bishop O’Dowd (5-2, 3-0), 7 p.m.: Expect a lot of points in this matchup. O’Dowd should be well rested coming off a bye week. The Dragons have won three straight since dropping back-to-back games to McClymonds and Cardinal Newman. O’Dowd’s offense runs through the trio of quarterback Devin Wilson, Washington-bound wide receiver Deji Ajose and running back Saliou Sow. The Dragons’ offense is versatile as they could chew clock with their running game or slice and dice defenses through the air. Moreau’s offense has a Big 3 of its own with quarterback Jeremiah Charles, wide receiver Jalen Arnold and running back Jayden Bryant. In the Mariners’ 37-33 win over San Leandro last week, Charles and Arnold connected on four passes for 93 yards. History is on O’Dowd’s side — the Dragons have won the past five games against Moreau dating to 2004 – most recently last season’s 57-20 blowout win in Hayward. Calpreps favors O’Dowd in this game, 41-24.

– Nathan Canilao

Half Moon Bay (6-1, 1-1) at San Mateo (6-1, 3-0), 7 p.m.: With the way these teams like to run the ball, don’t be surprised if this PAL Ocean Division showdown is over in less than two hours. Half Moon Bay is coming off a surprising 21-20 loss to Sequoia, but San Mateo shouldn’t take the Cougars lightly. Connor Heath and Adler Halterman form a dynamic, one-two punch in the backfield for HMB, and quarterback Dusty Dimas is quick on his feet and has a lively arm. On the other side, the Bearcats average 342 rushing yards per game, the most prolific runner being Emmanuel Fitzgerald and his 759 yards on the season. Cameron Palma has more than 500 rushing yards as the quarterback, and Jovani Hernandez Cruz and Logan Davis are also big-play threats on the ground. Hamilton Pitney has two interceptions this season for San Mateo. Calpreps has HMB winning, 22-21.

– Joseph Dycus

Saratoga (6-0-1, 5-0-1) at Jefferson (6-2, 6-0), 7 p.m.: Something has to give in this matchup of teams that are undefeated in PAL Lake Division play. Keion Ashjaee-Marshall’s 500-plus yards and eight rushing touchdowns lead the way for Saratoga, and Charlie Arman has almost 400 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns as an all-around playmaker. Sophomore Motekiai Pahulu leads the team with 67 tackles. Jefferson’s stellar year starts in the trenches. Coach Imani Stewart says that Bryant Martin, Henry Hernandez and Kymani Maumasi are the anchors of a physical offensive line. CalPreps has Jefferson winning, 27-21, in Daly City.

– Joseph Dycus