The preseason CIF-Southern Section Northern Division rankings were dominated by Marmonte League teams, with just two ranked teams from the Foothill League.

Those two teams, Valencia and Canyon, will make their debuts next week.

This past week, the Foothill League went 3-1, with Saugus, Hart and Golden Valley making strides toward entering the poll.

Saugus defeated visiting Burroughs of Burbank 26-20 thanks to a drive that lasted more than nine minutes and stretched from late in the third quarter to midway through the fourth quarter.

Hart, meanwhile, earned a dominant 21-7 victory over El Camino Real, and Golden Valley snapped its 15-game losing streak with a 31-19 win over Simi Valley.

West Ranch was the only local team that didn’t win, falling 39-14 at Nordhoff of Ojai.

Some of the Marmonte League teams, meanwhile, kicked off last Friday — with mixed results.

Oaks Christian and Moorpark, the No. 4 and 5 teams in the preseason poll, both lost their openers, although the competition was tough.

The competition will be tough for No. 2 St. Bonaventure next week, when the Seraphs travel to face state power Long Beach Poly.

In an effort to keep the Santa Clarita Valley informed of the Northern Division competition, here’s a look at how the top 10 fared last week.

No. 1 Westlake
Westlake will open its season this Friday when it hosts Oxnard. The Warriors are the defending CIF-SS Northern Division champions and Oxnard was a Northern Division playoff team in 2009.

No. 2 St. Bonaventure
The Seraphs will open the 2010 season against Long Beach Poly on Friday. They are coming off a season in which they had to forfeit all 13 games they played because of an ineligible player. St. Bonaventure is in its first season in the Marmonte League after leaving the Channel League last season.

No. 3 Valencia
The defending Foothill League champions will open their season on Friday at home against Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, which lost to defending CIF State Division III champion Serra of Gardena 34-7 in week one.

No. 4 Oaks Christian
Oaks Christian made its debut as a member of the Marmonte League with a 20-17 loss to Alemany last Friday. Alemany kicker Martin Meza booted the game-winning field goal from 18 yards out with less than a minute to play. Oaks Christian quarterback Trevor Gretzky, the son of NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, was 15-of-21 for 184 yards through the air and scored an 18-yard rushing touchdown in his debut. The loss means the Lions are 0-1 and have a losing record for the first time in program history. Oaks Christian has this week off before visiting St. Bonaventure on Sept. 17.

No. 5 Moorpark
The 2009 Northern Division runners-up lost to Eastlake 24-21 in their opener on Friday. Moorpark, which was playing 21 new starters, lost on a field goal with nine seconds left. The Musketeers rallied back from a 21-7 deficit at halftime behind junior quarterback Grant Rohach, who was 19-of-29 for 182 yards and two touchdowns, and senior running back Tyler Peterson, who rushed 16 times for 120 yards. Moorpark doesn’t play again until it hosts Newbury Park on Sept. 16.

No. 6 Thousand Oaks
The lone ranked Marmonte League team to win its opener, Thousand Oaks hammered Hueneme 51-14 behind 137 yards rushing and three touchdowns from running back Rickey Minyard. The Lancers scored on their first five possessions and will travel to face Westlake on Sept. 16.

No. 7 Mira Costa
Mira Costa fell 10-7 to Loyola of Los Angeles and quarterback Jerry Neuheisel, the son of UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel. The Mustangs held Loyola to 83 total yards and had two touchdowns called back due to penalties. Their seven points came off a field goal and two safeties. Mira Costa rushed for 159 yards, led by J.R. Tavai’s 62 yards on the ground, and it will host Serra of Gardena on Sept. 16.

No. 8 Palmdale
The Falcons did not play last week and will host Hart this Friday.

No. 9 Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes opened with a 27-14 win over Esperanza of Anaheim, a game in which the Sea Kings jumped out to a 27-0 lead. Tailback Marc Sasso ran for 167 yards on 29 carries and scored three touchdowns for Palos Verdes, which will host Morningside this Friday.

No. 10 Canyon
The Cowboys will open the season this Saturday at home against Burroughs of Burbank, which lost to Saugus 26-20 on Friday.

Some information for this story was gathered from the Ventura County Star, the Orange County Register and Maxpreps.com.