FRIDAY

Burbank (1-1) vs. Harlandale (2-0) at Harlandale Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.

Burbank faces a tough challenge as it tries to sustain the momentum from its win over Pearsall last Friday. Harlandale, No. 29 in the TexasHSFootball.com statewide Class 4A rankings, has won the last nine games in the series and boasts a powerful offense, like Week O opponent Hays.

and predictably tough in its opener last week and should be a handful for the Voks.

Harlandale quarterback Brandon Ramon is averaging more than 200 passing yards. James Mendoza is his favorite target, but five Indians have made receptions in the first two games. Running back Nick Martinez is averaging more than 100 rushing yards.

Burbank quarterback Jeremy Sanchez is emerging as a run-pass threat. Marcos Luna averages 31 yards a catch. Burbank scored on three plays of 48 yards or more against Pearsall. Harlandale will want to curb those big plays, but is fully capable of winning a shootout. 2012 score: Harlandale 42, Burbank 21.

Edison (0-3) at Pearsall (0-3), 7:30 p.m.

Poor Pearsall. After being the victim as Memorial then Burbank ended long losing streaks, the Bulldogs now face the prospect of being on the losing end of Edison’s first 2013 victory.

Edison showed improvement in a 37-28 loss to Carrizo Springs last Friday and the Golden Bears should be ready to claim their first win. Jonathon Hernandez compiled 273 yards of total offense. Andres Aguilar ran for more than 100 for the second-straight week. Burbank limited Pearsall to 214 total yards in a 34-6 win. You can bet Edison’s defense is aiming to rise to or better those standards Friday in Pearsall. 2012 score: Edison 41, Pearsall 0.

Holy Cross (1-1) at Navarro (2-0), 7:30 p.m.

After an impressive opening win over Central Catholic, Holy Cross absorbed a setback against Antonian in a 42-19 loss last Friday. The Knights will need to step up their performance again this week. Navarro beat Antonian 27-21 in its opener. Quarterback Cisco Flores ran for 107 yards and passed for 150, but Holy Cross wasn’t able to run the ball consistently against Antonian, as it had against Central Catholic. Greg Kelly has been a reliable target, with 221 reception yards in two games.

Holy Cross will look for better efforts on defense and special teams after giving up touchdowns on a punt return, an interception return and three offensive plays of more than 20 yards. Class 3A Navarro is averaging more than 350 rushing yards per game, led by senior Luke Jaroszewski (171.5 average). The Panthers defeated Holy Cross’ district rival San Antonio Christian 42-26 last Friday. 2012 score: Navarro 68, Holy Cross 7.

Kennedy (1-0) vs. Jefferson (0-2) at Wheatley Heights Sports Complex, 7:30 p.m.

Kennedy won its opener by a wide margin, 27-7 over Crystal City, then took a break from competition last week. Against former district rival, Jefferson the young Rockets should get a good idea of where they stand and how much that bye week helped.

Jefferson showed improvement despite the margin of its 53-29 loss to Pleasanton last week.  In his second start, Weston Redding completed 50 percent of his passes but only mustered 55 yards through the air. The Mustangs gained more than four times as many yards compared to their opener, but gave up 428 yards to Pleasanton. Defensive improvement will be a key as Jefferson seeks its first victory.

Kennedy was in control throughout its win over Crystal City but totaled 206 yards. The Rockets defense limited the Javelinas to 190. Interceptions by Fabian Flores and Tomas Garcia inflated the margin of victory.  The offense, led by receiver Isaiah Garcia, needs a better performance to beat Jefferson. In the “what to watch” department, whether Blade Alvarado or sophomore Eric Lira earns the quarterback job tops the list for Kennedy. 2012 score: Kennedy 28, Jefferson 26 (OT).

McCollum (2-0) vs. Highlands (1-1) at SAISD Sports Complex, 7:30 p.m.

This is one of the most intriguing matchups of the weekend.

Defense has been McCollum’s best and most consistent area this year. The Cowboys have allowed five points and 154 total yards in two games this year.

They will be challenged by Highlands senior quarterback Jordan DeLuna, who threw for 312 yards last Saturday in a 45-28 loss to Uvalde. Xavier Long has been his favorite target. D’Quan Todd emerged as an offensive weapon, both running and receiving against the Coyotes.

McCollum needs to get its running game back on track. After rushing for 228 in their opening 35-0 win over Jefferson, the Cowboys only ran for 75 in a 14-5 win over South San last Friday. Quarterback Ralph Vidal is playing well in his second year as a starter.

Highlands needs to shore up its defense regardless, but this could be a classic clash of wills. The Owls will want a shootout while McCollum hopes to control the ball. 2012 score: Highlands 55, McCollum 26.

Memorial (1-1) at Lytle (2-0), 7:30 p.m.

Lytle has barely had to break a sweat in winning its first two games. The Pirates are averaging more than 430 yards of total offense and 47 points per game, while allowing 13.5 a game. Nathan Medrano is Lytle’s leading rusher while Cody Stephens has passed for more than 170 yards a game. Memorial is coming off a 57-14 loss to Fredericksburg. Manases Cano returned from an injury and scored the Minutemen’s only touchdown on a 68-yard run. Memorial’s offense was limited to 95 yards by the Battlin’ Billies while the defense gave up 403 yards. The Minutemen will need to be at their best to stay with Lytle.2012 score: Lytle 54, Memorial 23.

Lanier (0-2) at Pleasanton (2-0), 7:30 p.m.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. That must have been the philosophy Lanier’s schedulemaker used.

After facing high-powered offenses from Somerset and Harlandale the first two weeks, the Voks  face an undefeated Pleasanton team that has defeated two of their district rivals (Edison and Jefferson) by an average margin of 29 points.

The good news for Lanier, is that they improved in their 28-19 loss to Harlandale and showed that they’re capable of making this a close game. Harlandale generated 334 total yards to Lanier’s 310.

Lanier’s veteran quarterback Nick Garcia threw for 206 yards last week and the ground game has been solid with Stephen Veliz and Julian Castillo. Pleasanton manufactured 402 total yards in a 53-28 win over Jefferson last Friday. Four backs gained at least 50 yards, but Grant Jackson is the featured back. Quarterback Jacob Arevalo doesn’t throw often, but is efficient. 2012 score: Pleasanton 42, Lanier 7.

Lee (2-0) at Southwest (1-1), 7:30 p.m.

Southwest seemed to find some answers in a 48-27 win over Central Catholic last Friday. The offense produced just 14 points a week earlier at Laredo United, but ran for 297 yards and gained 410 total yards against the Buttons.

Reilly Riggs produced his first 100-plus-yard rushing game for a team who’s standout back Erin Mack transferred in the offseason. Veteran leader Brian Donnell and Jonathon Cruz also rushed for more than 50 as the Dragons used their usual bevy of backs. Junior quarterback Bowen Crisp completed five of eight throws for 113 yards.

The undefeated Volunteers operate out of the spread offense and quarterback Freedom Salas has thrown for an average of 175.5 yards with just one interception. The Dragons will try to build on a solid defensive effort against Central Catholic and prevent big plays. Chris Saucedo had three touchdown receptions in a 44-13 win over Holmes last Friday. 2012 score: Southwest 59, Lee 28.

Central Catholic (0-2) at Southside (0-2), 7:30 p.m.

Both teams are in search of a statement win, but a victory of any kind would be a step in the right direction for these young squads.

Both Josh Godfrey and  Joseph Nava saw action at quarterback last week against Southwest. Nava threw two touchdowns in the second half, as the Buttons outscored the Dragons 21-20. Central Catholic cut down on its turnovers from Game 1 against Holy Cross.

Southside also needed a half to get rolling in a 45-29 loss to Sam Houston. Sophomore quarterback Johnny Trevino has been impressive in spurts, but has struggled with interceptions. Without their two leading rushers from 2012, Southside has been developing Timmy Rodriguez as its main ballcarrier.

This could come down to which defense is the most consistent.2012 score: Southside 33, Central Cathoic 28.

South San (0-2) at Victoria West (1-1), 7:30 p.m.

South San’s defense has seemed to make tremendous strides since last year. We’ll know for sure after it faces Victoria West.

The Warriors have averaged more than 30 points a game offensively, but they’ve given up 35 in each of their two games. Quarterback Anthony Navarro is the heart of their offense with team-highs of 359 passing yards and 211 rushing yards.

Christian Morales has proven to be a reliable back for South San. Isaiah Gutierrez relieved Darren Tinajero at quarterback and completed 66.7 percent of his passes against  McCollum.

The Bobcats will need to avoid turnovers. They’ve committed eight thus far, to their opponents’ three. 2012 score: Victoria West 45, South San 25.

SATURDAY

Devine (1-1) vs. Sam Houston (1-1) at Wheatley Heights Sports Complex, 7 p.m.

These teams share a couple of common traits: they both have surprisingly balanced offenses and they’ve both defeated Southside by roughly the same score for their only victory to date.

Sam Houston defeated Southside 45-29 last Friday in sophomore lefty Raymonte Prime’s first start at quarterback. Erin Mack also rushed for more than 204 yards, so the Hurricanes have their explosiveness from two years ago back. That could give them the edge against a Devine squad that has discovered the forward pass this year with quarterback Eric Trogdon, who alternates with run-oriented Hunter DuBose. The Warhorses have an efficient, well-drilled offense, but are more likely to pop a big play on the ground than through the air.

Still, Sam Houston’s defense will need to continue to improve its play-to-play effectiveness after giving up 63 points to Brackenridge in its opener. 2012 score: Devine 40, Sam Houston 13.

Victoria East (0-2) vs. Brackenridge (1-1) at SAISD Sports Complex, 7 p.m.

Last year in Victoria, this was a shootout that went down to the end and prepared Brack for its District 28-4A schedule.

Based on early returns, the Eagles may again put up a lot of points on a Titans defense that has allowed 98 in two outings. Brackenridge may have the edge defensively, after shutting out Sam Houston in its opener. But the Eagles will need to bounce back from a 26-21 loss to Floresville in which the Tigers put up 356 yards.

Oklahoma State recruit Ramon Richards put up big numbers for the Eagles with 146 passing yards and 132 rushing yards, but Brack needs junior Trey Mathis to step up as its main ballcarrier.

Victoria East will have had nine days to work on its deficiencies after losing 38-12 at San Marcos. Back Lanken Williams is the key player for East. The Eagles will be out for revenge. 2012 score: Victoria East 39, Brackenridge 38.