By Justin Vigil-Zuniga & Tyler Wainfeld  Signal Sports Writers  Three weeks remain of high school football in the Southern Section.  Playoff spots can be made official this week as wins become more critical than ever.  A win for Valencia or Hart, who fill face off in yet another league title game, will clinch a playoff seed for the victor.   Canyon and Santa Clarita Christian will take their byes while Trinity aims for its eighth straight win.  Here’s everything you need to know for week nine’s slate of football in the Santa Clarita Valley:  Valencia and Hart enter league title showdown  Valencia and Hart will mark the final battle between undefeated teams in the Foothill League. These two teams have produced some of the most exciting plays this season and nothing is expected to change on Friday.  Vikings running back Brian Bonner heads into week nine with at least three touchdowns in three straight matchups.   Hart allowed 5.47 yards per carry to Canyon running backs last week and will have its hands full trying to stop the slippery Bonner.  Valencia will have its fair share of problems to deal with all over the field. Hawks senior Zach Rogozik went well over 300 all-purpose yards with seven touchdowns in the win over Canyon.   Senior receiver Parker Maxwell remains a three-level threat on any play, regardless of who’s throwing him the ball. Maxwell added six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown against Canyon.   Hawks quarterback Nate Mata played well in Jacob Paisano’s absence. Mata went 11-for-15 with 244 passing yards, 2 TDs and one interception in his first varsity start at quarterback.  It is still unclear if Paisano returns for Friday but the way Hart is playing, league title or not, there is a ton of season and championships left to be taken.  Hart’s defense has been lights-out for the most part this season. The Hawks allowed just over 14 points per game in a four-game stretch before Canyon hammered in 40.  The Valencia defense has also looked strong but has been nearly perfect in the second halves of league outings. The Vikings have allowed just 13 points in the final two quarters of all of their Foothill League games with eight takeaways in that stretch.   Valencia got back on track last season after two straight losses to Hart but the Vikings will be looking for the first win over Hart at College of the Canyons since 2019.  Hawks and Vikings kick off on Friday at 7 p.m. at COC.  Signal Staff Picks:  Justin Vigil-Zuniga (8-4): Vikings defense wins thriller. 31-28.  Tyler Wainfeld (7-5): Valencia makes a title push. 48-42 Valencia.  West Ranch and Golden Valley looking for rebound  Both West Ranch (3-4, 1-2) and Golden Valley (5-2, 1-2) will be looking to jump back into the win column after being in games that got away from both teams last week.  The Wildcats were stunned after the Castaic Coyotes hung up 42 points on them and beat West Ranch for the first time in program history.  Castaic was powered by quarterback Khanai Langford and running back Monty Coleman. Langford totaled five touchdowns, three through the air and two on the ground, in his 247-yard day. Coleman reeled in one of those TDs while also adding 158 yards and another score in the run game.   West Ranch will have a similar threat with Golden Valley’s big line and senior Jamison Torres pounding the rock.  The line will also have to deal with Cats junior defensive end Max Piccolino, who pushed his season sack total to 10.5 in the loss to Castaic.  The Grizzlies defense will need to slow down West Ranch senior Luke DePerno, a week after allowing Valencia’s Brian Bonner five touchdowns. While Golden Valley did hold Bonner to a season-low 83 rushing yards, the team won’t be happy about the result and the amount of points that Bonner put on the board.  DePerno enters week nine on a three-game streak with over 160 rushing yards with 10 offensive touchdowns along the way.  Canyon and West Ranch kick off Friday at 7 p.m. at Canyon High School.  Signal Staff Picks:  Justin Vigil-Zuniga (8-4): West Ranch defense rebounds. 35-31 Cats.  Tyler Wainfeld (7-5): West Ranch bounces back. 34-28 West Ranch.  Castaic looking for more momentum against Saugus  While the league title may be up for grabs elsewhere on Friday, the race for third place and the final automatic playoff spot is also something to watch with just three weeks left in the regular season.  Five teams have one league win, including the Saugus Centurions (2-5, 1-2) and the Castaic Coyotes (3-5, 1-3) ahead of their matchup on Friday.  The Centurions are coming off their bye week and should be well-rested as they aim to look past their loss to West Ranch last time out.  Castaic played West Ranch last week and used a balanced offense to put away the Wildcats.  Splitting time under center for most of the year, junior Khanai Langford took nearly every snap for the Coyotes last week, throwing for 207 yards and three touchdowns. He now has 1,091 passing yards on the year, tossing 13 touchdowns against just three interceptions.  Also a threat to break out at any moment for Castaic is senior running back Monty Coleman, who has rushed for 784 yards and nine touchdowns. Senior Logan Mietzner has led all Coyotes with 31 catches for 387 yards and four touchdowns, while Coleman has added 21 catches for 315 yards and five scores.  Junior Rossie Cherry and sophomores Jesse Canaday and Isaiah Reid have each recorded 20 catches on the season.  Saugus has been led all year by junior quarterback Jake Nuttall, who has thrown for 1,566 yards and 12 touchdowns against three interceptions. He’s hit breakout sophomore Landon Lattimore 35 times for 728 yards and eight touchdowns, while seniors Rylan Connelly and Christian Lozano, as well as junior Degan Grant, have all shown flashes as receivers.  Junior Matt Long had a true breakout game at running back for the Centurions against Canyon a few weeks ago, rushing for 123 yards on just 10 carries, reaching the end zone twice.  Saugus’ ability to get the run game going could be a key for the Centurions to come out on top.  Friday’s game is set to kick off at 7 p.m. at Valencia High School.  Signal Staff Picks:  Justin Vigil-Zuniga (8-4): Castaic keeps it going in grinder. 24-21. Coyotes.  Tyler Wainfeld (7-5): Castaic’s prolific offense keeps rolling. 35-21 Castaic  Trinity’s homecoming game a battle for first place  What a difference a year can make.  This time last year, the Trinity Classical Academy Knights (7-0, 2-0) were facing a second consecutive winless season in league play. Heading into their matchup Saturday against the Temecula Prep Patriots (6-1, 2-0), the Knights have a chance to move into pole position for the Cottonwood League title.  It’s the first year that Trinity is taking part in the league after previously participating in the Mesquite League.  The Knights had to work last week to keep their undefeated season alive, coming back from a 19-14 deficit at the half to beat Santa Rosa Academy, 36-33. The Patriots escaped Riverside Prep with a 13-12 win in their first league game before blowing out Silver Valley last week in a shutout.  Both teams put up more than 30 points per game, though Trinity has been far more prolific, averaging more than 50 points per game.  Seniors Noah Visconti and John Carlson have been the keys to the Trinity offense thus far at quarterback and receiver, respectively, while a deep cast of receivers and a few running backs have pitched in for a potent Knights offense.  If the Knights are to be hopeful of winning, they’ll have to stop a pair of running backs who have combined for nearly 1,400 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground. The Patriots also have a freshman quarterback in J. Sauceda who has thrown for more than 500 yards and eight touchdowns.  Saturday’s homecoming game for Trinity is set to kick off at 6 p.m. at COC’s Cougar Stadium.  The post SCV Football: Week 9 preview  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.