UPDATED, 12:12 a.m.: Scores are piling up all over the section, so check the list below for updates. One note I want to make is that the Delano final was Porterville 23, Delano 14, not 33-14 as I said originally.
Let's take a look at the big results:

Stockdale 17, Liberty 3: This result further confirms what we already suspected, that the Mustangs have the best all-around team around. The defense was stifling, the offense was probably better than the final score indicates, and even the special teams contributed with Kyle Desimone's 87-yard kickoff return to open the second half and to open the gap on the scoreboard to 10-0. The Mustangs have Ridgeview next week, which could be a sneaky test, and then Frontier in Week 9. Otherwise, with a Clovis West loss tonight, Stockdale has its sights set on a No. 3 seed in the Central Section Division I playoffs. The health of back Malik Henderson, who left the game with a knee injury and didn't return, is key to any playoff run, though.

Frontier 27, Ridgeview 7: Solid, solid victory for the Titans, who are holding up their end of the bargain for that showdown with Stockdale. Frontier has Highland and South between it and the Mustangs, and with a defense like it showed tonight, getting to 8-0 won't be a problem. Ridgeview back Tyler Dogins was held to 15 rushing yards (on 24 attempts!) and 71 passing yards, and Frontier had three interceptions of Dogins and Joe Ceja combined.

East 48, Foothill 42, 4OT: The Blades are 3-0 in the SEYL. Let that sink in for a while and compare it with your preseason expectations. Pretty good stuff for East High. Things will get tougher, but they can savor victory in the game of the night. A late TD with four minutes left sent the game to overtime, and after each team scored a touchdown in the first three OTs, East got a stop and Joe Pearson found Akilli Holley for a 25-yard touchdown and the win.

Centennial 48, South 6: No Cody Kessler, no problem for Centennial this week. The Golden Hawks might have found a blueprint for success even when Kessler does come back — start with the run, then go to the pass. Myren Moore rushed for 200 yards as Centennial built a 35-0 lead by halftime. Let's not forget that CHS is good enough to challenge Frontier late in the season and make some noise in the D-I playoffs.

Bakersfield 42, Garces 16: The Rams hung around for a half, but Bakersfield did what it does when things are going well — that is, make a bunch of big plays and bury an opponent in a hurry. Smooth sailing, most likely, for the Drillers now to get to 8-2 and rest up for the playoffs.

Wasco 34, Bakersfield Christian 6: The pecking order in the SSL is clear, as far as who the haves are and who the have-nots are. The first haves showdown comes next week in Wasco, when the Tigers welcome Taft to town. Lots of rushing in that one, with the Wildcats' Cody Shirreffs (141 yards in a 65-6 pummeling of Arvin) and Wasco's Quentin Cheatham (a season-low (!) 142 yards in this one.)

Porterville 23, Delano 14: The dream of a 7-0 showdown with Tulare Union comes to an end for the Tigers, who were close late but threw a crucial interception that was returned for a touchdown and a victory by the Panthers. The loss probably relegates Delano to third in the East Yosemite League and seriously wounds its chances of getting a high Division III seed.

UPDATED, 10:41 p.m.: Score stayed the same here, with Stockdale hanging on for a 17-3 victory. Great performance by Stockdale's defense, and the offense had enough grit to separate the Mustangs on the scoreboard.
Elsewhere, the newsworthy result I've seen is that Delano is undefeated no more. The Tigers' magic ran out in Porterville, where the Panthers won 33-14. Wasco cruised past Bakersfield Christian, and last I heard, Bakersfield and Frontier had two-possession leads early in the fourth quarter. I'll head back to the office now and get some finals to you ASAP.

UPDATED, 9:39 p.m.: A third-down chance with a man open deep for Liberty, but Dillon Meadows underthrew the ball and Kyle Desimone came away with a pick and a return all the way out to the 47. They call this kid the closer for a reason, and that probably will effectively end this one.
BHS scored in the third quarter at Garces and leads 28-16 late in the quarter.

UPDATED, 9:31 p.m.: One more Liberty mistake will cost it dearly. Zach Vasquez muffed a fair catch on that punt, and instead of getting the ball with a chance to tie, the Pats give it back to Stockdale, which promptly pounces and scored in four plays, the last a 4-yard Eddie Gutierrez dive play for a touchdown. 17-3 with 9:40 left, and Liberty is really up against it now. Stockdale is showing its toughness tonight.

UPDATED, 9:15 p.m.: The Mustangs stiffen, but Cameron Carroll nails a 30-yard field goal that makes it a one-possession game again. Liberty could have used the TD there, but considering a few minutes ago Stockdale was poised to take a 17-0 lead, I think the Pats have to gladly take 10-3 at this point. Three minutes left, third quarter.

UPDATED, 9:12 p.m.: Got some more local scores that I've posted below.
Here, Liberty looks like a completely different team after that fumble. With some life in their line and their runs, Liberty has driven down inside the Stockdale 20 on its best drive of the day by far. Still plenty of time left, with 3:16 to go in the third quarter.

UPDATED, 9:05 p.m.: After a Liberty three-and-out, Stockdale is back putting pressure on the Liberty D, and now the Mustangs are ripping off bigger chunks of yardage. Of course, Nic Shannon just left with another injury. It might not hurt Stockdale in this game with the way things are going, but they need those backs to compete for a Valley title, no doubt about that.
But here's the break Liberty needed desperately: On the end of a 15-yard run, Spenser Prince fumbled and Liberty's Rane Cravens, all the way from his defensive end spot, recovered the ball inside the Patriots 20. Second life for Liberty; now let's see if the Pats' offense can do anything with the chance.

UPDATED, 8:54 p.m.: Well, the second half is already more exciting than the first. And it's been one play. Kyle Desimone makes the game's first truly big play, going 87 yards on the opening kickoff for a touchdown and a 10-0 Stockdale lead. HUGE.
Meanwhile, Frontier scores again on Ridgeview, a 33-yard TD pass from Josh Legorreta to Jacob Adelman. 21-7 there.

UPDATED, 8:49 p.m.: About to start the second half here, and I'll end halftime with one more update: Garces scored at the end of the half against Bakersfield, and the Rams have closed to within 21-16. The Drillers will have a real gut-check in the second half there. Meanwhile, Frontier also having a difficult time, leading just 14-7 with a few minutes still to go in the second quarter.
Here, Stockdale will get the ball first in the second half.

UPDATED, 8:42 p.m.: Here are some halftime stats, and they aren't pretty: 

Stockdale: 90 total yards; Efren Venegas 3-8 passing for 40 yards. Spenser Prince 7 carries, 24 yards.
Liberty: 70 total yards; Dillon Meadows, 8 carries, 52 yards, 0-4 passing with an interception.

The other news is that apparently Malik Henderson was already playing on a torn ACL in that left knee. That's a problem if he hurt it worse, because Stockdale's offense lives off of having those three dimensions.

UPDATED, 8:33 p.m.: Both teams had a final chance in the half here, but both go three-and-out, and it's 3-0 at halftime. I'll be back with stats in a few minutes.
In the meantime, there are some updated scores below. Frontier is up 7-0 on Ridgeview early in the second quarter and driving for more, and Bakersfield has a 21-9 lead late in the first half against Garces. Interesting games there, with the underdogs hanging in for now.

UPDATED, 8:23 p.m.: Not a good situation here for Stockdale — Malik Henderson is down, and trainers are examining his left knee. The play didn't look bad, in fact there was no contact, but anyone who has blown out a knee can tell you there doesn't have to be.
Sigh of relief there — he's walking off under his own power. We'll see if he returns. Meanwhile it's third-and 9 for the Mustangs, still in a scoreless game, from their own 45. And Efren Venegas finds Spenser Prince with a bullet for a first down. There's no doubt this high-powered offense is having to work harder than normal.
But Venegas is showing off his arm, too. Henderson still hasn't returned, but fullback Eddie Guttierez is getting some carries, and Venegas sets up a first-and-goal with a 17-yard strike to Andrew Garcia. We'll see if the Mustangs can cash this one in. Nope. A holding call pushes third-and-goal to the 15, and Stockdale has to settle for a field-goal try. Tyler Schleicher gets a 31-yard try up and over a block and inside the right upright. Mustangs strike first, and they lead 3-0.

UPDATED, 8:07 p.m.: Liberty has done a fine job of moving the ball on the ground, but every time the Pats go to the air, something bad happens, either a sack or, lately, a tip and an interception. Max Goosen's pick sets up Stockdale with the ball inside the Liberty 20. This is the type of thing Liberty simply can't afford — it can hang with and even force Stockdale into mistakes when the Mustangs have it, but it can't lose field position this badly. That's what happened against Clovis West, and eventually the Liberty D wore down, too.
But that D isn't worn down yet. On third-and-goal from the 1, Liberty stuffs Malik Henderson for a loss and then drags down fullback Hank Hobson on the fourth-down play for a 6-yard loss. They had a similar stuff against Clovis West, but remember that the field position still lies in Stockdale's corner. 0-0, early second quarter.

UPDATED, 7:53 p.m.: First hat tip of the night goes to Liberty coach Tony Mills, who calls for a fake punt on fourth-and-10 on the game's first series. It pays off with a 31-yard run from punter/QB Dillon Meadows, and Liberty is set up at the Stockdale 49. However, a big play on a sweep by David Dolinar caused a loss of 8 on first down. Now on third-and-long, Meadows keeps and breaks a tackle at the first-down marker for another conversion. This offense has some pop, if it can avoid too many negative plays. And this is what I'm talking about. A ineligible receiver penalty and a sack force Liberty into fourth-and-long, and the pass falls incomplete. Stockdale takes over at its 28.

UPDATED, 7:08 p.m.: JV thriller: Liberty hits a field goal with 17 seconds left, then intercepts Stockdale on the goal line. 31-29 Patriots. Hope the varsity game lives up to that.

UPDATED, 6:57 p.m.: Here at Liberty a little early, checking out the JV game. Stockdale just scored to cut Liberty's lead to 28-27, and the Mustangs convert a two-point conversion to go up 29-28 with 4:03 left. Boy, if the varsity game lives up to this, we're in for a heck of a night.
On another note, I ran into Stockdale baseball great (legend??) K.C. Hobson in the parking lot. He's done with his Gulf Coast League duties for the season and is back in town to watch his alma mater, and his little brother linebacker Hank, play some football. Hobson said he's doing well and already looking forward to next spring in the Blue Jays organization.
Be back in a few with game updates, Stockdale's deceptive offense against Liberty's ferocious D. Should be fun.

ORIGINAL POST: Thought I'd start the morning off with a question for everyone, one regarding the high school football story that ran in this morning's Californian.

As many of you probably know, the Central Seciton has a new league setup for high school sports in Kern County next year. Instead of the SEYL and SWYL breakdown, which is roughly geographical, we'll have three leagues: A so-called "power league," which includes Division I schools Centennial, Bakersfield, Liberty and Stockdale, plus potentially rising powers Frontier and Independence. Then you've got the "north of the 58 freeway" league with North, Garces, Highland, East and Foothill, and the "south of 58" league with Mira Monte, Golden Valley, South, West and Ridgeview.

Here's the question: What should they call them? Last time I checked, the Kern High School District hadn't gotten to the issue yet, which is a minor one but sort of a major one, considering its the name you'll hear on TV and see in the newspaper and say to one another thousands of times over the next couple of decades.

Liberty football and baseball coach Tony Mills said there were a few names tossed about for the power league at a recent SWYL baseball coaches meeting. Try these on for size:

South Valley Athletic Conference (SVAC)
South Athletic Conference 6 (SAC 6)
Big 6

Do any of those strike your fancy? Or do you have something better? What about the other two leagues? I'm all for being creative — there's no reason to keep with the geographical direction + Yosemite or Sequoia + League formula that the section has favored in the past.

That should keep us occupied until kickoff tonight. If you want to warm up for the actual Week 6 games, check out the list of games below, my predictions from earlier in the week, or the podcast Todd Camps and I hosted yesterday. I'll update this list throughout the night, plus have live updates from Stockdale at Liberty and a few other games.

Also remember that Fresno State plays host to San Jose State at 7 on Saturday night, and if you're not making the trip, never fear, because I am. Keep it here for a live blog of that game, with special emphasis on the nation's No. 2 rusher, West High product Ryan Mathews, and other Bakersfield natives.

(Central Section ranking in parentheses; all games 7:30 p.m. Friday unless noted)

Kern County scoreboard
(5) Stockdale 17, (6) Liberty 3
(7) Bakersfield 42, Garces 16
(11) Centennial 48, South 6
(12) Frontier 27, Ridgeview 7
(15) Tehachapi 28, Shafter 0
Wasco 34, Bakersfield Christian 6
Porterville 23, Delano 14
East 48, Foothill 42, 4OT
West 38, North 18
Golden Valley 28, Highland 13
Taft 65, Arvin 6
Independence 50, Tulare-Mission Oak 22
Mira Monte 36, Kennedy 6
Chavez 49, Porterville-Granite Hills 0
McFarland 39, Lemoore-Kings Christian 12
Barstow 28, Burroughs 21, OT
Kern Valley 55, California City 14
Frazier Mountain 49, Desert 28
Bishop 24, Rosamond 6
Boron 57, Yermo-Silver Valley 12
Maricopa 22, Shandon 12
Gilroy-Anchorpoint Christian 56, Lighthouse Christian 6 (Saturday)
Immanuel Christian 64, Lee Vining 40 (Saturday)

Other Central Section scores
(1) Fresno-Bullard 35, Clovis North 0
(2) Clovis-Buchanan 54, Madera 21
(10) Fresno-Central 24, (3) Clovis West 3
(4) Tulare Union 50, Visalia-Redwood 19
(8) Fresno-Edison 46, Reedley 0
(9) Fresno-San Joaquin Memorial 48, Fresno 6
(13) Visalia-El Diamante 30, Lemoore 14
(14) Kingsburg 14, Dinuba 0
Fresno-Hoover 34, Sanger 18
Clovis East 31, Clovis 0
Fresno-Washington Union 49, Tollhouse-Sierra 7
Caruthers 28, Lindsay 21
Visalia-Central Valley Christian 21, Chowchilla 20
Hanford 26, Visalia-Golden West 6
Visalia-Mt. Whitney 41, Hanford West 26
Porterville-Monache 24, Tulare Western 7
Kerman 22, Dos Palos 13
Exeter 26, Reedley-Immanuel 17
SLO-Mission Prep 28, Laton 6
Selma 34, Coalinga 28
Madera Ranchos-Liberty 20, Oakhurst-Yosemite 10
Cambria-Coast Union 24, Avenal 8
Farmersville 6, Orange Cove 3
Fowler 21, Parlier 19
Fresno-Sunnyside 15, Madera South 7
Corcoran 39, Orosi 0
Fresno Christian 19, Riverdale 15
Fresno-Roosevelt 12, Fresno-McLane 3
Strathmore 28, Woodlake 20
Tranquillity 27, Firebaugh 7
Visalia Christian 47, Madera-Lighthouse Academy 0 (Saturday)
Clovis Christian 62, Alpaugh 0 (Saturday)
Riverdale Christian 76, Coalinga-Faith Christian 0 (Saturday)