Maybe the third time will be the charm for the Salesian High School football team.

Ousted in the semifinals the previous two seasons, the East L.A.-based school looks to take the next step when it hosts second-seeded Rio Hondo Prep in the Southern Section Northeast Division semifinals Friday. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.

The Santa Fe League champion Mustangs, 43-0 winners at Boron in the quarters, take a 10-2 record into the game. Rio Hondo Prep, which blasted Excelsior Charter, 46-7 last week, is 11-1. Its only loss was to Mission Prep in week two. Mission is top-seeded and facing Desert in the other semifinal.

Salesian’s defense will be put to the test by the Kares, who average 45.6 points per game.

Linebackers Jamardre Cobb and Marquis Ware and defensive back Kyahva Tezino are the keys on the defensive side for the Mustangs.

Cobb has 116 tackles (87 solo) and 5.0 sacks, Ware has 39 tackles and 3.0 sacks and Tezino has 116 tackles (90 solo) and three interceptions. Defensive back Rodney Carr has 64 tackles and three interceptions.

Ware, Cobb and Carr have all given verbal commitments to the Pac-12’s Arizona.

Against Boron, Cobb had 15 tackles and Tezino had seven. Tezino also rushed four times for 106 yards and a touchdown.

Leading the Salesian offense is senior quarterback Blaise Booth, who is completing 61.6 percent of his passes for 1,876 yards and 17 TDs.

Rio Hondo Prep’s star is senior Nate Tayco, who has rushed for 1,711 yards and 32 TDs and caught 14 passes for 272 yards and two scores. He has 36 total TDs.

Against Excelsior last week, he ran for 211 yards and four scores.

Kares’ quarterback Johnny Bolinger has completed 65 of 108 passes for 1,349 yards and 23 TDs.

Linebacker Dan Guerrero leads on that side of the ball with 80 solo tackles and 7.0 sacks.