Here is a look at the top games involving Inland high school football teams on Friday, Oct. 3.
Sites and times of games are subject to change.
FRIDAY’S TOP GAMES
BASELINE LEAGUE
Rancho Cucamonga (1-4) at Damien (5-0), 7 p.m.
IE Varsity: Rancho Cucamonga is far better than its record indicates. Three of those losses (to Murrieta Valley, Orange Lutheran and Chaparral) were by a combined 17 points. Jacob Chambers has passed for 801 yards and five touchdowns. James Strong III leads the ground attack with 419 yards and four touchdowns. Damien, the defending league champion, beat the Cougars 34-31 in last year’s regular-season finale. Isaiah Arriaza has passed for 1,491 yards and 14 touchdowns. Malachi McFarland has rushed for 464 yards and scored a team-high six touchdowns. Linebacker Declan Becher leads the Spartans’ defense with 33 tackles and 5 1/2 sacks.
Prediction: Damien
Upland (1-4) at Chino Hills (3-2), 7 p.m.
IE Varsity: Upland looks to improve on last year’s fourth-place finish in league. Lequand Jackson has passed for 757 yards and six touchdowns, while Jerome Smith has caught 22 passes for 381 yards. Linebacker Joseph Gholar leads the Highlanders’ defense with 30 tackles. Chino Hills placed second in league and beat Upland 17-12 last season. Alex Medyn has passed for 668 yards and five touchdowns, and added four scores on the ground. Jacob Jimenez leads the Huskies’ ground attack with 540 yards and five touchdowns. Linebacker Noah Curtain averages 9.6 tackles per game to lead the defense.
Prediction: Chino Hills
BIG WEST CONFERENCE-NORTH DIVISION
Vista Murrieta (5-0) at Chaparral (2-3), 7 p.m.
IE Varsity: Vista Murrieta cruised to a 38-12 win over El Camino for the program’s first 5-0 start since the 2021 spring season. Bryson Beaver has thrown for 1,084 yards and 11 touchdowns, and receivers Tyler Caldwell and Cash Bryant each have four touchdown catches. Sean McCullough, the team’s leading receiver last season, has returned from injury and made his 2025 debut last week. Linebacker Brennan Martinez leads the Broncos on defense with 46 tackles. Chaparral is coming off a 36-21 loss to Mission Viejo. Dane Weber has passed for 1,508 yards and 16 touchdowns and added five more scores on the ground. Trevor Schneider leads the Pumas’ ground attack with 535 yards and four touchdowns. Defensive lineman Kameron Payne has four sacks and 12 quarterback pressures this season.
Prediction: Vista Murrieta
Murrieta Valley (4-1) at Norco (5-0), 7 p.m.
IE Varsity: Murrieta Valley capped its nonleague schedule last week with a 26-14 victory at San Clemente. Ty Isaia and Daniel Mielke II have combined to throw for 1,078 yards and 12 touchdowns, and Jeremiah Watson leads the ground attack for the Nighthawks with 682 yards and eight touchdowns. Derrick Johnson II has caught six touchdowns passes, and he intercepted a pair of passes in last week’s game. Norco’s 5-0 start is the program’s first since the 2021 spring campaign. Julian Medina has passed for 1,487 yards and 17 touchdowns, while Blake Wong has hauled in 42 balls for 768 yards and 11 touchdowns. Linebacker Tony Gonzalez leads the Cougars on defense with 42 tackles and three interceptions.
Prediction: Murrieta Valley
BIG WEST CONFERENCE-SOUTH DIVISION
Santiago (4-1) at King (3-2), 7 p.m.
IE Varsity: Santiago already has doubled last year’s win total and the 4-1 start is the program’s best in seven years. Clayton Plewe has passed for 1,323 yards and nine touchdown and added six scores on the ground. Ryan Wilson leads the Sharks with 24 catches for 509 yards and six touchdowns. Edge rusher Max Eldridge has registered six sacks and forced two fumbles. King finished in a three-way tie for second place last season. Colton Zeen has thrown for 442 yards and also leads the Wolves with 429 yards and five scores on the ground. Defensive lineman Mark Cadena and linebacker Logan George have combined for 11 sacks.
Prediction: King
INLAND VALLEY LEAGUE
Citrus Hill (5-0) at Moreno Valley (4-1), 7 p.m.
IE Varsity: Citrus Hill has started a season 5-0 for the first time since 2019. John Guitron has passed for 1,056 yards and 10 touchdowns, and Kalen Stephens has caught 30 passes for 567 yards and six touchdown. The Hawks lost its defensive leader, middle linebacker Samuel Creech, to an injury in the season opener, but Luis Castaneda has stepped up to fill that spot. Moreno Valley is the league’s defending champion and looks to bounce back from last week’s 38-30 loss to Chaffey. Syree Matthews has passed for 650 yards and eight touchdowns and added 506 yards and seven scores on the ground. Linebackers Patrick Castillo and Cashawn Neal lead the Vikings’ defense with 44 tackles apiece.
Prediction: Moreno Valley
RIVER VALLEY LEAGUE
Patriot (4-1) at Ramona (5-0), 7 p.m.
IE Varsity: Patriot has won two straight games, including a 52-51 victory over Shadow Hills two weeks ago. Isaac Galiza leads a potent rushing attack for the Warriors with 729 yards and 13 touchdowns, and quarterback Nathan Villanueva has added 673 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Galiza also leads the defense with 46 tackles from his linebacker position. Ramona is the defending champion, and the Rams finished the nonleague schedule with a 5-0 record for the second straight season. Lorenzo Sims has rushed for 1,114 yards and 15 touchdowns, while Jesus Gonzalez has thrown for 555 yards and five touchdowns. Linebacker Luis Mena IV has recorded 45 tackles and a team-best 4 1/2 sacks.
Prediction: Ramona
SIERRA LEAGUE
Claremont (5-0) at Los Osos (2-3), 7 p.m.
IE Varsity: Claremont has started a season 5-0 for the first time in a decade. Brandon Coronado has passed for 1,196 yards and 14 touchdowns in four games, and receiver Doug Yegge and tight end Max Leeper have combined to catch 52 passes for 874 yards and nine touchdowns. Linebacker Luke Labbe leads the Wolfpack’s defense with 51 tackles. Los Osos knocked off Sultana 31-12 two weeks ago to snap a three-game losing skid. Isaiah Guerrero has passed for 799 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Jack Abbott has 23 catches for 355 yards and five touchdowns. Linebacker Jaxon Bailey has recorded 20 tackles and three sacks for the Grizzlies.
Prediction: Claremont
