By Justin Vigil-Zuniga and Tyler Wainfeld   Signal Sports Writers  Week 10 of Foothill League football will feature two matchups of teams fighting for their playoff lives.  It’s do-or-die for three teams while Valencia can seal at least a share of its second consecutive league championship with a win on Friday.  All Santa Clarita Valley games are being held on Friday for just the third time this season in what looks like another competitive week of high school football.  Here’s everything you need to know for week 10:  Castaic needs big win to stay alive against title-looming Valencia  The Vikings have looked nearly unstoppable since starting Foothill League play.  Valencia has outscored its league opponents 217-70 in the past four weeks and has shown no signs of slowing down.   Castaic has been in all but one game through league play as the gritty Coyotes have just found ways to win or have fallen just short of victory.  Valencia will need to slow down Castaic senior Monty Coleman, who is hot off a 231-rushing-yard day in a win over West Ranch to mark the back’s second straight game of over 150 yards on the ground.  The Vikings have gotten similar numbers all season from junior back Brian Bonner, who pounded Hart last week with 223 rushing yards.   Valencia’s passing game continues to impress as junior quarterback Brady Bretthauer has now thrown 14 touchdowns to zero interceptions in league play. Bretthauer has thrived with a talented receiving corps led by senior Nick Seymour, who has totaled 753 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024.  A win for Castaic would give the team its second straight 3-3 finish in league and hopefully, in turn, the program’s first playoff seed.  The Vikings and Coyotes kick off on Friday at 7 p.m. at Valencia High School.  Signal Staff Picks:   Justin Vigil-Zuniga (10-5): Valencia brings it home. 35-28 Vikings.   Tyler Wainfeld (9-6): Vikings’ offense proves too much. 42-28 Valencia.  Golden Valley looking to clinch, hosts Saugus  The Golden Valley defense made a statement last week in the team’s 21-19 win over West Ranch.  The Grizzlies held the visiting Wildcats under 190 offensive yards and to just 18 passing yards. Senior Rico Lapid led the group with an interception and fumble recovery. Golden Valley has now finished six games with at least two takeaways and will look to keep the trend going come Friday against Saugus.  The Centurions enter the league bout on a two-game skid with seven turnovers during that streak.  Saugus is also coming off allowing over 220 yards on the ground to Castaic senior Monty Coleman. The Centurions will look to tighten the screws against a big Golden Valley offensive line that thrives on running the ball.  Grizzlies senior running back Jamison Torres punched in a pair of touchdowns to beat West Ranch but senior Donnavan Anson made a huge splash in the run game, adding 133 yards on 22 carries.  Saugus running back Ty Hall is also coming off his best game of the season. Hall racked up 122 rushing yards and one TD, his best outing on the ground by nearly 100 yards.  The Centurions need a win to stay alive in the playoff hunt while a win for the Grizzlies just about seals the deal on Golden Valley’s third playoff berth in four years.  Golden Valley hosts Saugus on Friday at 7 p.m. at Canyon High School.  Signal Staff Picks:   Justin Vigil-Zuniga (10-5): Golden Valley defense stifles another. 31-21 Golden Valley.  Tyler Wainfeld (9-6): Grizzlies hold strong on defense. 28-24 Golden Valley.  Canyon, West Ranch seek to end losing skids  Two teams seeking the third and final automatic playoff spot from the Foothill League will meet Friday night at College of the Canyons.  Both the Canyon Cowboys (3-5, 1-3) and the West Ranch Wildcats (3-5, 1-3) entered the season with postseason aspirations, and with two games left to play for each, those hopes are still alive.  West Ranch enters Friday’s contest on a two-game losing skid and just one win in its last five.  Senior Luke DePerno continued his impressive season for the Wildcats with two touchdowns in last week’s loss to Golden Valley, returning a kickoff 99 yards before adding a rushing touchdown later on. He now has 1,197 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns on the year, adding 167 yards and three touchdowns receiving.  Sophomore Blake Johnson has taken over quarterback duties for West Ranch in its past three games, throwing for 262 yards and two touchdowns against two interceptions.  The Cowboys are hoping to end their three-game losing streak after winning the previous two. They were in a shootout with Hart two weeks ago before the Hawks pulled away.  Senior quarterback Sebastian Martinez crossed the 1,000-yard mark in that game. He’s tossed eight touchdowns against six interceptions this year.  Seniors Evan Watts and Joshua Cambaliza have been the main deep threats, while juniors Joshua Wagner and Carson Soria have been facets of the passing game as well.  Juniors Semaj Richardson and Keyshawn Wooten have carried most of the load running the ball. The former has run for 433 yards and three touchdowns and the latter has 215 rushing yards and two touchdowns.  Friday’s game is set to kick off at 7 p.m. at COC’s Cougar Stadium.  Signal Staff Picks:   Justin Vigil-Zuniga (10-5): West Ranch finds a way. 24-21 Cats.  Tyler Wainfeld (9-6): Cowboys win the run game. 35-28 Canyon.  Trinity one win away from league title  Two teams stand in the way of an undefeated season for the Trinity Classical Academy Knights (8-0, 3-0).  First up is a Cottonwood League matchup against the Silver Valley Trojans (2-6, 1-2) on the road on Friday.  The Knights actually trailed in last week’s game against Temecula Prep, but ultimately prevailed, 40-7. A win this week would clinch at least a share of the league title for the Knights.  Trinity has outscored opponents 392-66 this year and 125-54 in league play.  Senior quarterback Noah Visconti has thrown for more than 2,000 yards this year, tossing 32 touchdowns against just three interceptions. His top receiver, senior John Carlson, has caught 12 touchdown passes, and he’s one off the team lead with 34 total receptions.  Senior Luke Backes has a team-high 35 catches for 455 yards and seven touchdowns. Sophomore Andrew Carlson, senior Adam Hirsch and freshman Aiden Visconti all have double-digit catches.  Junior Hudson Sweitzer leads the Knights with 282 rushing yards and is second with five touchdowns, just ahead of Aiden Visconti in both categories. John Carlson has 213 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.  Silver Valley has had a couple of different quarterbacks under center this year, one of whom, sophomore Marek Allen, has run for nearly 400 yards and passed for 150 yards, adding 130 receiving yards. Junior Noah Durrah has added 363 rushing yards.  The Trojans have been outscored 291-93 this year.  SCCS enters Heritage League title game vs. Faith Baptist  The Cardinals (5-2, 2-0) have their second straight Heritage League title in their sights. Standing with a similar view are the undefeated Faith Baptist Contenders (7-0, 3-0).  The Contenders enter the league championship game unscathed in Heritage play. Faith has blanked back-to-back league opponents, giving the team a total of four shutouts on the year.  Santa Clarita Christian enters week nine of eight-man football on a two-game win streak with just 20 points allowed in both contests combined.   Cards senior Eli Duhm had one of the most efficient outings you could ask for of a receiver, as he piled in 162 yards and four touchdowns on just five catches.   A win for either team gives the victor at least a share of the Heritage League crown. Faith will take an outright title home with a win while SCCS can clinch at least a share. A victory would also mark the Cardinals’ first road win of the season and couldn’t come at a better time for SCCS.  The game at Faith Baptist will also be a homecoming for Cardinals head coach Austin Fry, a Faith Baptist alumnus and former Contender linebacker, making his first return as an opposing coach.   SCCS and Faith Baptist kick off on Friday at 6:30 p.m.  The post SCV football: Week 10 preview  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.