As we head into the fourth week of action in high school football around the SFV, the teams in the Valley Mission climb up the rankings after a strong week of results. Two members of the West Valley swap places on the power rankings, while an East Valley team makes its way back onto the list after a strong road victory. Here are the Valley Sports Telegram’s top ten list heading into Week Three action:

1. Birmingham Patriots (1-2) Last Week: #1
   It was a tough week losing on the road at Moorpark, but it is par for the course for the Pats to struggle early in the season with the difficulty of their schedule. They will have a much-deserved break this week before preparing for another Southern Section opponent in two weeks.
2. Kennedy Cougars (2-1) Lat Week: #2
   The Cougars bounced back from a tough defeat at San Pedro by taking down Canyon on the road. This team is as dangerous as they come, and they will be looking to take down crosstown rivals Granada this week.
3. Granada Hills Highlanders (1-2) Last Week: #3
   The Highlanders have had a tough stretch that will not get any easier against Kennedy this week. Taking home “Tina” would be a nice way to wrap up a three-game road stretch against some of the city’s top competition.
4. Panorama Pythons (3-0) Last Week: #7
   Panorama’s workman-like approach to the early part of the season has paid off with an unbeaten start. They will face their toughest test so far when El Camino pays a visit this week.
5. Taft Toreadors (3-0) Last Week: #8
   The upstart Toreadors’ offense is flying high with back-to-back 42-point performances. They will look to keep it rolling against a Verdugo Hills team that is still searching for its first win of the season.
6. San Fernando Tigers (3-0) Last Week: #9
   The Tigers have a three-headed monster in Melvin Pineda, Andrew Newchurch, and Julian Sarzo that has carried the squad to an undefeated start. The competition gets serious when they face Alemany this week.
7. Van Nuys Wolves (3-0) Last Week: #10
   The Wolves have had back-to-back excellent performances after winning by forfeit in Week Zero. They host Fulton this week, looking to finish unbeaten in their non-league slate before Valley Mission play begins.
8. El Camino Real Royals (1-2) Last Week: #4
   El Camino had a tough test on the road at Grace last week and nearly passed it. The Royals will not be happy to have slipped a few spots in the rankings. It is a safe bet they will be moving up if they can clip Panorama on the road this week.
9. Cleveland Cavaliers (1-2) Last Week: #5
   The Cavs also slipped a few spots in the rankings this week after a tough loss at home against Crespi. They will look to get back on track with a tough game on the road at Franklin this week.
10. Monroe Vikings (2-1) Last Week: NR
    The Vikings answered questions about their resiliency following up a tough loss on the road at Taft with a 46-point blowout on the road at Belmont. With every game they play, the Vikings are beginning to look like a real threat to challenge Noho and Arleta for the East Valley title this season.