Final Score: Chatsworth Rolls Over Arleta, 28-12

Whenever an opposing football player amasses 456 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns in one game, including a 98-yard kick return, a 70-yard interception return and a 60-yard reception, you can bet he is going to receive some extra attention. So all eyes are going to be on Arleta’s Dejon Coleman tonight in a nonleague game at Chatsworth.

Kickoff is 7 p.m., and for the past week, the host Chancellors have been seeing Coleman in their sleep.

“We need to know where (Coleman) is on the field at all times,” Chatsworth coach Andrew Kim said. “He can hurt you running the ball and catching the ball … but we can’t focus on him solely because the quarterback (Mark Lemos) can run, too. Arleta will be a challenge because they’re balanced on offense.”

A year after reaching the City Section Division II final, tonight’s 7 p.m. matchup should give the Chancellors  a feel for how good they are. Chatsworth won the opener 38-7 over Panorama, but there are still a lot of new faces around – including Kim, a first-year coach who has replaced proven winner Jason Camp – because nearly every key starter from last season was a graduating senior.

Arleta has made it to the Division II semifinals or better three years in a row, and this year the Mustangs have been promoted to Division I.

“It should be a good game, a good challenge for us,” Chatsworth lineman Luke Coyle said. “They’re going to give our defense a run for our money.”

Arleta coach Danny Kelley calls Coleman “a man among boys.”

“It was one of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen,” Kelley said. “Every time he touched the football, he was a threat to score. He even had two touchdowns called back.”

Chatsworth’s Eric Waters wasn’t bad himself last week. He scored four touchdowns, rushing for 85 yards, catching a 64-yard pass, contributing five tackles and even returning an interception 35 yards.

The Chancellors also received a good opening performance from quarterback Cory Francies (6 of 12, 160 yards). along with free safety Steven Trirogoff (eight tackles, five unassisted).

SIERRA CANYON LOOKS TO STOP VILLAGE’S ABOUL-HOSN

Sierra Canyon is in a similar position, facing a running back who is coming off a huge performance, as the Trailblazers are preparing for Village Christian’s Amjed Aboul-Hosn, who rushed for 294 yards and five touchdowns last week, in an attractive small-schools showdown at 7 p.m. Saturday at Glendale High.

Last year, Aboul-Hosn rushed for more than 2,000 yards and scored 25 touchdowns to help Village Christian to the semifinals in the Mid-Valley Division – a bigger division than Sierra Canyon’s East Valley Division – so it’s not like Aboul-Hosn has been hiding.

“It should be a fun game. We’re looking forward to a great challenge, and I have complete confidence in my team,” Ellinghouse said. “I know we’re ready for the challenge.”

Sierra Canyon is without prized receiver/defensive back Julian Brooks, who has a knee injury.

BIG-TIME COACHES CHECKING OUT SMALL-SCHOOL TALENT

Jamie Dixon, head basketball coach at Pittsburgh University, was at Sierra Canyon on Thursday to see top basketball prospect Jahmel Taylor. Some of the other coaches who’ve been through are Oregon’s Dana Altman, USC’s Kevin O’Neil and UC Irvine’s Russell Turner.