SATURDAY

Cornerstone Christian (2-6, 0-5) vs. Holy Cross (5-3, 4-1) at Harlandale Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.

Austin Regents gave the Knights an early Christmas present Friday night. San Antonio Christian upset Regents, giving Holy Cross a chance to take second- place in TAPPS District 3-II heading into the final week of the season.

That should help keep the Knights focused in a contest against the district’s newest member.

Cornerstone Christian took a step up in competition this year, when it replaced Austin Dominic Savio in the district. The Warriors have struggled with the transition. They seem comparable to Victoria St. Joseph, whom Holy Cross defeated 35-0 last Friday.

The Warriors’ top performer has been back Elijah Salazar, who has rushed for 563 yards. Cornerstone has had difficulty mounting a consistent passing game.

Holy Cross’ 1-2 punch on the ground from Greg Scott and Cisco Flores, coupled with Flores’ passing ability should be a challenge for Cornerstone.

There should be ample opportunity for the Knights to work on whatever they need to in order to prepare for their showdown next Friday with district-leading Austin Hyde Park Baptist (9-0, 6-0) for a chance to defend their title. 2012 score: Holy Cross and Cornerstone Christian didn’t play last year.

Highlands (3-5, 1-3) vs. Edison (3-5, 1-3) at SAISD Sports Complex, 7 p.m.

The winner of this District 28-4A clash will be tied for fourth place with idle Burbank (2-3). The loser is going to need some help from other district teams if it’s going to make the playoffs in the final week of the season.

Highlands had the look of a lock to return to the postseason when the district season began. Then dynamic quarterback Jordan DeLuna went down with an injury. The Owls have adapted with Elijah Garces and junior John Cervantes trading snaps in DeLuna’s place and Quindon Boston stepping up as a featured back, but their big-play capabilities have been limited primarily to long runs.

Edison can relate. The Golden Bears lost standout running back Andres Aguilar to injury. Aguilar was the foundation and enabled quarterback Jonathan Hernandez to take shots downfield when the urge arose, instead of from necessity – which greatly improves your chances for success, and to avoid turnovers.

So there’s an offense over-reliant on the run meeting one that is imbalanced toward passing. Likely, it’ll come down to which defense fares best.

Highlands owns an 18-11 advantage in the series, which was annual between 1976 and 1996, then took a hiatus until last year. The Golden Bears won in 1997. 2012 score: Highlands 34, Edison 14.

Jefferson (0-8, 0-4) vs. Brennan (9-0, 5-0) at Farris Stadium, 7 p.m.

Jefferson’s quest for its first 2013 win may have to wait another week. Saturday’s opponent is playoff-bound Brennan, which will clinch at least a share of the District 28-4A championship with a win.

Not that the Bears need any motivation. They’re ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press state Class 4A rankings.

Jefferson had a bye last week, so it has had two weeks to prepare for Brennan. When the Mustangs last took the field, Oct. 18 in a 41-22 loss to Highlands, they played their best game to date. They were tied 14-14 at halftime.

Their best hope Friday is for a solid game from back Jesse Flores and continued improvement from quarterback Weston Redding. That could set the Mustangs up for their Tommy Bowl finale next Friday against Edison in good shape.

It’s worth noting that last year’s game, in addition to being the first in the series, was a battle for first place. 2012 score: Brennan 14, Jefferson 0.