FRIDAY

Burbank (3-4, 2-1) vs. Edison (2-4, 0-2) at Wheatley Heights Sports Complex, 7:30 p.m.

Burbank is aiming for its first on-field win since 2006 in the series, which dates back to a playoff meeting in 1959.

The Bulldogs also are looking to get back on their feet after falling 69-0 to first-place Brennan last Friday. Prior to that game, they had a two-game winning streak.

Edison has run a similar course lately, losing to Brackenridge 34-7 last Friday and Brennan in their previous game. The Golden Bears finished the non-district season with two-game winning streak.

For Burbank, the key is to re-establish the running game behind senior quarterback Daniel Tello, who ran for 244 yards in his debut against Jefferson. Tru Bradford, Damien Gusme and Marcos Luna also will be counted on in that regard.

That would free up Luna and Jeremy Sanchez for receptions.

Defensively, the Bulldogs will need to continue their bend-but-not break ways and maybe force some turnovers, as they did against Highlands. Edison has a capable offense, having scored 40 points Sept. 20 against Sam Houston.

Offensively, the mission for Edison is the same as last week: to re-establish its running attack behind senior Andres Aguilar. Francisco Gomez had a big receiving day against Brackenridge with 86 reception yards. The Golden Bears also will need quarterback Jonathan Hernandez to get back on target.

Edison’s defense shut out Pearsall and gave up 12 points to Sam Houston in its last two non-district games. The Golden Bears will need that level of performance against a Burbank team that can score quickly.

Edison leads the series 29-11 and has won the last six games, although Burbank won on the field in 2008 and later had to forfeit the win. 2012 score: Edison 36, Burbank 13.

East Central (3-3, 1-0) at Southwest (3-3, 1-0), 7:30 p.m.

Both teams re-asserted themselves last Friday in the first week of the District 28-5A season.

Southwest overpowered South San in the second half to break open a close game and win 36-20. East Central won a squeaker 31-28 over Corpus Christi Carroll.

Southwest is shooting for its first win in the series since 2007after an impressive win over the Bobcats.   However, the impact of losing senior Bryan Donnell to a leg injury against South San is difficult to measure. In addition to getting the tough yards on offense, the senior also was a force defensively and handled the Dragons’ punting chores.

The Dragons still will have a strong running game with Nathaniel Scott, who gained 204 yards against South San in his first action of the season, and  Reilly Riggs. Quarterback Bowen Crisp can play off the running threat and find Cody Johnson and his other receivers for big gains.

Southwest’s defense played well against South San, shutting down the Bobcats’ running game and holding them to one touchdown after halftime.

East Central’s margin of victory against Carroll might have been a bit misleading. The Tigers scored two touchdowns in the last 2:33.

The Hornets received a strong performance from back Johnathan Jackson (102 yards, 3 touchdowns), restoring a 1-2 punch with Javion Polk. Justin Upshaw-Mendoza completed a 95-yard pass play to electrifying Wanya Ward for a touchdown in his first action as East Central’s quarterback.

Against Southwest, the Hornets will need to attempt more than six passes to keep Southwest’s defense honest.

Defensively, East Central made a stand last week, limiting Carroll to 233 total yards.

If the Hornets can move the ball consistently against Southwest’s defense, this should be a close game.

East Central leads the series 13-7. The Dragons’ last win was in 2007. 2012 score: East Central 52, Southwest 21.

Highlands (2-4, 0-2) vs. Jefferson (0-7, 0-3) at SAISD Sports Complex, 7:30 p.m.

The key for Highlands is whether junior quarterback Jordan DeLuna is able to return from an injury, following the Owls’ bye week.

Highlands has lost its last three games, including two in which DeLuna didn’t play. Without the more than 200 passing yards he supplied, this game looks like a toss-up.

Jefferson still is in search of its first victory, but it seems to be getting closer week-by-week. The Mustangs led 14-12 with little more than four minutes left last Thursday, but Lanier overtook them at that point with a four-yard touchdown from Joe Orta and a two-point conversion.

The Mustangs, who have lost their last two games by a combined 13 points, need a return to form from back Jesse Flores and more touches for receiver D’Andre Melton if they’re to pull out that first win.

Jefferson quarterback Weston Redding seems to be growing into the job and the Mustangs are getting good results in the running game when Brian Febus is under center.

Defensively, the Mustangs are making strides, too. That will need to continue as they allowed a 392-yard  total offense output to Lanier. If DeLuna is back, Jefferson must apply the pressure.

Highlands’ last game also was against Lanier, on Oct. 4. The Voks won 21-8.

If DeLuna and the deep threat he offers aren’t present for Highlands, the Owls will need to hit short passes and, especially, find a little more consistency in its running game.

Senior Elijah Garces, who has replaced DeLuna, provides leadership and was able to rush for 70 yards. Quindon Boston produced 89 rushing yards against Lanier, but 61 came on one touchdown run.

Defensively, Highlands has fallen into a bad pattern of allowing opponents to win on second-half touchdowns. By the same token, the Owls were scoreless after halftime in their last three games.

Highlands leads the series 26-12, although the Mustangs won a nail-biter last year. It ended a six-game winning streak for the Owls.2012 score: Jefferson 29, Highlands 28.

Harlandale (5-1, 2-1) vs. Memorial (3-3, 1-2) at Frank Mata Stadium, 7 p.m.

Harlandale got a wake-up call in its’ high-powered offense against Kennedy’s big play defense. The Indians aren’t likely to need another in the District 29-4A season.

Kennedy’s defense showed its district rival, Memorial, the way in its 31-21 win last Friday at Harlandale Memorial Stadium. The Rockets capitalized on rare interception by Harlandale quarterback Brandon Ramon,  held the Indians’ ground game to 110 yards and controlled the ball behind senior back Matthew Avalos.

That won’t work for Memorial, though. The Minutemen thrive on a balanced run-pass mixture.

They’ll need big plays from quarterback Alfred Ramos, receiver Manases Cano and back Raul Rangel. That was the formula in Memorial’s three wins.

The Minutemen lost 41-0 to Floresville last week for their second-straight loss. McCollum defeated them by a point Oct. 3.

Floresville gained 589 yards against a Memorial defense that had been solid during the non-district season. The Tigers produced a couple of big plays in the second half, but sustained drives have been a bigger concern for the Minutemen.

Harlandale back Nicholas Martinez will be on a mission this week. So, too, will an Indians defense that had allowed an average of 219 yards a game before Kennedy put up 343 yards of total offense. Harlandale had limited opponents to 12.3 points a game before the Rockets scored 31.

The key for Harlandale will be simply to get back to what it had done in the first five games of the season.

Harlandale leads the series 5-2. Prior to last year’s game, these teams hadn’t played since 1983, when Memorial won 7-0. 2012 score: Harlandale 49, Memorial 21.

Kennedy (4-2, 1-2) at Southside (0-6, 0-3), 7 p.m.

Kennedy’s playoff hopes got a needed shot of adrenaline last week with the 31-21 win over district favorite Harlandale. This week will be about sustaining the momentum.

Southside’s challenge, on the heels of a 48-0 loss to Medina Valley last Friday, will be in trying to limit Rockets back Matthew Avalos’ yardage. The Panthers only rushed for 148, but took to the air for an additional 212.

The Rockets may have finally settled on a quarterback, and look for sophomore Eric Lira to threw a little more often than usual against the Cardinals’ depleted secondary. Lira threw 16 times for 120 yards against the Indians.

Avlalos’ success is crucial to Kennedy’s passing game, and he’s coming off 176 yards.

Southside will need to re-establish its running threat with sophomores Timmy Rodriguez and Johnny Trevino. Medina Valley held the Cardinals to 28 yards on the ground.

Senior quarterback Jake Ramos completed seven passes for 73 yards to seven different receivers.

Southside leads the series 6-5. The Cardinals won in 2011. 2012 score: Kennedy 30, Southside 27.

Medina Valley (4-2, 2-1) vs. McCollum (3-3, 1-2) at Harlandale Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.

McCollum lost 41-24 last Friday to District 29-4A leader Uvalde, but its ability to match the Coyotes touchdown-for-touchdown until the endgame is cause for optimism entering this test against Medina Valley, a legitimate playoff contender.

A win here would be a big boost for the Cowboys’ playoff aspirations.

The Cowboys have been more effective running the ball recently as quarterback Ralph Vidal has taken on a greater share of the load. Sophomore back Mike Ramirez  has been solid, and also is a receiving threat coming out of the backfield.

The biggest development for the Cowboys was an eight-reception, 164-yard game from Jeff Valdez.

Defensively, McCollum gave up 504 total yards. It will need to step up effectiveness against the run. Uvalde ran for 411 yards.

Medina Valley made a statement in its 48-0 win over Memorial.

The Panthers haven’t skipped a beat with Bradley Griggs as their featured back in place of injured Nathan Stein. Panthers quarterback David Olvera has thrown for 337 yards in the last two games for the previously ground-oriented team.

Medina Valley has 7-2 advantage in the series. The Cowboys won 34-15 in 2011. 2012 score: Medina Valley 31, McCollum 20.

St. Anthony (2-4, 0-1) at Central Catholic (2-4, 0-1), 7 p.m.

Central Catholic fell behind early but finished strong in losing its TAPPS District 2-I opener 28-17 to Austin St. Michael’s last Friday.

The Buttons trailed 14-0, but scored 17 unanswered points before St. Michael’s notched the clinching touchdown.

Central Catholic outgained its opponent 353-302, but turnovers were a problem. Jacob Rodriguez and Jimin Suh complemented quarterback Joseph Nava’s running ability as the Buttons ran for 225 yards.

The Buttons defense will need to limit big plays from St. Anthony’s passing game.

St. Anthony lost its district opener 62-48 at Brownsville St. Joseph. Quarterback Michael Mayer threw for 289 yards, but the Yellowjackets committed a fatal seven turnovers. Mayer’s favorite target is Kevin Stone, who finished with 157 reception yards and three touchdowns. St. Joseph gained 571 yards. 2012 score: Central Catholic 49, St. Anthony 0.

South San (5-1, 1-0) vs. Steele (5-1, 1-0) at Robert Lehnhoff Stadium, Schertz, 7:30 p.m.

South San has made impressive progress since the beginning of the year, but this will be its biggest challenge.

Steele might not be quite as powerful as in the last couple of seasons, but still is formidable – not to mention one of the top teams in the San Antonio area.

The Knights are led by all-state back Justin Stockton (900 rushing yards), but quarterback L.G. Williams also is averaging more than 10 yards a carry. Williams has thrown for 716 yards with eight touchdowns and just one interception. Matthew Moen, D’Angelo Wallace and Jaylen Harris all have more than 200 reception yards.

Defensively, Steele gave up 46 points in its season-opening loss to Madison and more than 20 points four times, most recently in a 49-20 win over Corpus Christi King last Friday.

To move into that category, the Bobcats will have to cut down on the three turnovers they committed in a 36-20 loss to Southwest last Friday. South San also will need big performances from power  back Christian Morales and deep threat Juan Zamarripa (165 receiving yards against the Dragons).

Senior quarterback Darren Tinajero encountered some resistence in his second start, partly because he needed more time to throw.

Defensively, South San allowed just 48 total yards against Burbank and 211 against Central Catholic, but Southwest was able to run for 361 yards and control the line of scrimmage in the second half.

Last year’s game was the first in the series. 2012 score: Steele 63, South San 0.