Vista Murrieta, Murrieta Valley and Murrieta Mesa all open Big West League play Thursday, Oct. 1, and Friday, Oct. 2. Each program enters league action with a 2-3 overall record.

Vista Murrieta hosts nationally ranked Corona Centennial at 7 p.m. Thursday. Murrieta Valley travels to Chaparral at the same time. Murrieta Mesa visits Norco at 7 p.m. Friday.

Vista Murrieta vs. Centennial, Thursday

The Broncos closed nonleague play with back-to-back wins, beating Beaumont 31-21 on Sept. 18 and Oceanside El Camino 24-21 on Sept. 25, according to LA Times scores. Head coach C. Candaele's squad carries that streak into a matchup with a Centennial team ranked No. 6 in California and No. 20 nationally by MaxPreps.

Centennial (2-3) lost 35-32 to De La Salle on Saturday, Sept. 26. Head coach Matt Logan is 309-67 since taking over in 1997, Sports Illustrated reported.

The Huskies feature Hawaii-bound quarterback Jaden Jefferson and USC-bound receiver Quentin Hale. Through four games, Jefferson had thrown for 852 yards and five touchdowns while adding 277 rushing yards and three scores. Hale had 22 catches for 388 yards and three touchdowns over that span.

Murrieta Valley at Chaparral, Thursday

The Nighthawks head to Temecula after a 42-13 loss to San Clemente on Sept. 25. Quarterback Ty Isaia returned from injury in Week 4 and threw a touchdown pass and ran in another score in a 41-13 win over Roosevelt, the Press-Enterprise reported. Receiver Kayden Borden has been the Nighthawks' leading pass-catcher, and linebacker Nash Bradlee Goade is averaging nine tackles per game.

Murrieta Valley also has sophomore quarterback Buck Bachmeier available. The youngest of four Bachmeier brothers to play for the Nighthawks, Buck threw a 69-yard game-winning touchdown to Borden with three seconds left in a 43-38 win over Cajon on Sept. 5, according to Sports Illustrated.

After that game, Bachmeier told Sports Illustrated: "… Kayden's a dog, so I was just looking for him over there. I just ended up airing it out. He made a great play after the catch …"

Chaparral (2-3) is ranked No. 34 in California by MaxPreps. The Pumas lost 54-41 to Mountain Ridge of Utah in their most recent game but beat Rancho Cucamonga 20-15 on Sept. 11. Quarterback Caden Sterba and UCLA-bound receiver Kiko Farinas lead the offense under head coach Andrew Ramer.

Murrieta Mesa at Norco, Friday

Norco (4-1) is the only opponent with a winning record among the three matchups. The Cougars scored at least 49 points in each of their four wins before a 34-0 shutout loss at Santa Margarita on Sept. 18, according to MaxPreps.

Through four games, quarterback Julian Medina had completed 85 percent of his passes for 1,275 yards and 15 touchdowns, and running back Lee White had 428 rushing yards and seven scores, the Press-Enterprise reported.

Murrieta Mesa head coach J. Evangelist's squad is ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS) Division 6 by MaxPreps. Nathan Cruz leads the rushing attack with 279 yards, and Kian Hendricks tops the receiving corps with 334 yards.

What's ahead

Vista Murrieta hosts Murrieta Mesa on Friday, Oct. 9. Murrieta Valley hosts Centennial the same night. Murrieta Mesa visits Chaparral on Friday, Oct. 16.