VINCE LOPEZ, head football coach at Pacifica High. His Mariners will face Tustin Friday night in a battle for first in the Empire League (OC Tribune file photo).

We’re starting to get into some serious league showdowns in football and other fall sports locally.

On the gridiron, there are two especially interesting matchups. In the Empire League, Pacifica (4-3 overall but 2-0 in league) will take on Tustin (4-3, 2-0) on Friday in a clash of two of the league’s top teams. Cypress (7-0, 2-0) is the other.

The Mariners are led by freshman QB Darius Cowens (1218 yards passing 11 touchdowns) and senior running back Isaiah Blevens (1177 yards rushing, 17 TDs overall).

For Tustin, the go-to-guy is senior running back Matt Rodriguez (1171 yards rushing, 14 TDs).

The other top game is Western (6-1) at Ocean View (5-2) in a Pac-4 battle on Friday that opens league play. The Pioneers continue to have a formidable passing attack with Isiah Del Toro passing for 1,642 yards and 19 TDs, with much of those stats coming from tosses to brothers Cassius (425 yards receiving, eight TDs) and Caine Savage (882 yards receiving, nine touchdowns).

Here’s the schedule for high school football games this week for schools serving Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Stanton and Westminster.

Records shown below indicate overall mark, followed by league record. If there’s no league record, that means conference play hasn’t yet started.

As always, details such as time, day, etc. are subject to change without notice, so check with the school first. All games are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

Thursday

• Santiago (4-3, 2-0) at Bolsa Grande (1-6, 0-2)
• Loara (3-2, 1-1) at La Quinta (3-4, 2-0) at Monsoor Stadium.
• Estancia (2-5, 1-1) vs. Orange (6-1, 2-0) at Segerstrom High.

Friday

• Rancho Alamitos (4-3, 1-1) at Los Amigos (2-5, 0-2) at Monsoor Stadium.
• Edison (4-3, 1-1) at Huntington Beach (1-6, 0-2).
• Garden Grove (3-4) at Segerstrom (7-0)
• Westminster (1-6) at Marina (5-2).
• Western (6-1) at Ocean View (5-2).
• Pacifica (4-3, 2-0) vs. Tustin (4-3, 2-0) at Bolsa Stadium.
• Magnolia (4-3, 1-1) vs. Anaheim (3-4, 1-1) at Handel Stadium.

The latest rankings for local teams

Here are CIF-SS rankings for fall polls as concerns team in The Tribune’s coverage area. Also, our High Five, which again shows Edison at the top, and some traffic congestion below.

FOOTBALL

• Division 3: Edison is seventh.
• Division 8: Pacifica is 10th.
• Division 10: Orange is seventh; Western is eighth.
• Division 11: Marina is fourth.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

• Divisions 1 and 2: Huntington Beach is 14th.
• Division 7: Garden Grove is fourth, La Quinta is seventh, Loara is eighth, Bolsa Grande is 10th.
• Division 9: Santiago is fifth.

BOYS WATER POLO

• Divisions 1 & 2: Huntington Beach is fourth.
• Division 3: Edison received votes.
• Division 4: Pacifica is 10th.
• Division 6: Garden Grove received votes.
• Division 7: Magnolia and Westminster received votes.

GIRLS TENNIS

• Division 2: Edison received votes.
• Division 5: Western received votes.

Prep Sport Spotlight is posted on Tuesdays during the high school athletic year.