Football games of the week — Week 8

THURSDAY NIGHT LIGHTS GAME

Foothill at Silverado — The Skyhawks knocked Foothill out of the playoffs in the first round last season, and don’t think the Falcons have forgotten.

Silverado, coming off a 7-4 season, must find replacements for quarterback Micah Weber and wideout Devion Clayton. Look for the Skyhawks to slow the game down with running back Keikiokalani Misipeka (526 yards rushing, 10 touchdowns).

Senior wideout Brandon Hargis, who caught 28 passes for 613 yards and six touchdowns, will be Foothill’s standout on offense.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Faith Lutheran at Cimarron-Memorial — Faith Lutheran coach Vernon Fox returns home to his alma mater.

Fox, a 1997 graduate of Cimarron who played eight seasons in the NFL, will lead his Crusaders into battle against the much-improved Spartans.

Faith Lutheran defeated the Spartans 48-6 last season, but probably will see a better game this time around.

If one thing is certain, Cimarron running back Tyree Riley and Faith Lutheran running back Christian Marshall will both see the ball … a lot.

Riley rushed 232 times last season, while Marshall took a handoff 168 times to lead their teams.

Desert Oasis at Sierra Vista — Desert Oasis has gone 6-1 against its “rival” since the school opened in 2008.

The Diamondbacks won 19-6 last season, but will have to break in a new head coach this season in Mike Ovens.

They will look to senior quarterback Brannon Flowers, who finished with 876 yards passing and 585 yards rushing a season ago, to ease the transition. Flowers is expected to see time at receiver this season.

Sierra Vista’s only win against Desert Oasis — a 34-14 victory — came on Sept. 5, 2014.

The Mountain Lions could get win No. 2 behind senior quarterback Oscar Aliaga (1,135 passing yards, 9 TDs).