The schedule for the Orange County high school football team offers many great matchups every season.
This season might have more such matchups than before because of the new leagues that debut in the 2024 season.
Teams were placed into leagues because their Calpreps.com ratings were similar. That created competitive balance in league after league.
Take a look at, for one, the Delta League. Its members are Capistrano Valley, Cypress, El Modena, Trabuco Hills, Tustin and Western. Any matchup in that league looks like a tossup.
And of course the Trinity League will have, as described by former Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson, its “weekly wars.”
Here is a week-by-week look at what could be the biggest games of the 2024 football season:
WEEK 0
Santa Margarita at Mission Viejo, Aug. 24: The Mission Viejo football program has long enjoyed beating Trinity League teams like the Diablos did last season with their win over Servite in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship game. Santa Margarita has receiver Trent Mosley, a junior who was a Trinity League MVP last season. Mission Viejo has junior receiver Vance Spafford, like Mosley All-Orange County first team last season, and defensive end Jaden Williams, who last year had 39.5 tackles for loss and 18.5 sacks.
Also in Week 0: Centennial of Corona vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium; Dana Hills vs. Canyon at El Modena High; El Toro at Tustin; Western at Los Alamitos; Sierra Canyon at JSerra.
WEEK 1
Edison at Yorba Linda, Aug. 30: Look for these two teams to be in the Orange County Top 10 for most or all of this season. Edison’s offense features senior running back Julius Gillick, who averaged 145 rushing yards a game last season, and returning starting quarterback Savelio Niumata. Yorba Linda returns senior quarterback Holden Nagin, who was All-Crestview League first team last year, and a large number of starters from last season’s team that reached the CIF-SS Division 4 semifinals. Teams won’t know which CIF-SS playoff divisions they are in until the end of the regular season because in-season results are used to place and seed teams into playoff divisions at the end of the regular season. It’s more than possible these two could meet again in the playoffs.
Also in Week 1: Corona del Mar vs. Cypress at Western High; Foothill at Tustin; Newport Harbor at La Habra; Santa Margarita at Centennial of Corona; Trabuco Hills at Huntington Beach.
Mater Dei tight end Mark Bowman starts celebrating as he crosses the goal line to score a touchdown against Serra in the CIF State Open Division football championship in Mission Viejo on Saturday, December 9, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
WEEK 2
Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium, Sept. 6: You might remember that after Mater Dei trounced Serra of San Mateo 35-0 in last season’s CIF State Open Division championship game that Frank McManus, who was Mater Dei’s coach at the time, said his team would take on Bishop Gorman anywhere including on the Bristol Street asphalt. Gorman is coming to Santa Ana, yes, but the game will be played at “The Bowl.” Gorman went 12-0 last season, won a Nevada state championship and was MaxPreps.com’s No. 1 team in its 2023 final national rankings, while Mater Dei was ranked No. 3. That was a senior-heavy Gorman team. One returnee is junior edge rusher Prince Williams who was the Gaels’ leading tackler, including 24 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Mater Dei, now coached by Raul Lara, has its usual roster that is loaded with top college prospects, including senior Nasir Wyatt, an Oregon commit who was the 2023 Orange County defensive player of the year.
Also in Week 2: El Modena at Newport Harbor; Woodbridge at Irvine; Foothill vs. Orange at El Modena High.
WEEK 3
San Clemente vs. Corona del Mar at Newport Harbor High, Sept. 13: This one will bring together two of Orange County’s most consistent winners. San Clemente is going to be outstanding defensively. The Tritons’ linebackers corps includes Puka Fuimaono and Matai Tagoa’i, both All-South Coast League last season. Corona del Mar brings back last season’s leading rusher, Wyatt Lucas. Receiver Dorsett Stecker had 66 catches last season and could be featured even more in this year’s offense.
Also in Week 3: Orange Lutheran at Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas; Orange at La Habra; San Juan Hills at Crean Lutheran; Pacifica vs. Marina at Westminster High.
WEEK 4
Yorba Linda at Tustin, Sept. 21: Tustin might go into this game 4-0 with some of those wins by one-sided scores. The Tillers offense will be powerful. Senior running back Eimesse Essis was All-Orange County first team last season. Tustin coach Tony Lopez says Michael Tollefson, a senior who transferred from JSerra, will probably be the best quarterback in school history. Yorba Linda might be the best defensive team that Tustin will face in nonleague games. The Mustangs return all of its linebackers and defensive backs from last season.
Also in Week 4: Cypress at Tesoro; El Toro at Trabuco Hills; Canyon at Laguna Hills; El Dorado at Laguna Beach; Capistrano Valley vs. Foothill at Tustin High; Fountain Valley vs. Edison at Orange Coast College; Orange Lutheran at Sierra Canyon.
Corona del Mar’s Wyatt Lucas, right, eludes Trabuco Hills Ben Holland, left, during a nonleague football game at Trabuco Hills High School in Mission Viejo, on Friday, September 22, 2023.. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)
WEEK 5
Trabuco Hills vs. Corona del Mar at Newport Harbor High, Sept. 27: Many teams are using Week 5 as their bye week, a useful break between the nonleague and league portions of the season. Trabuco Hills has All-Orange County first-team senior receiver Ryan Luce who was the only county player in 2023 with more than 1,000 receiving yards. Mustangs senior tight end Mikey Gray could be set for a solid season, too. Corona del Mar has a fine tight end, too – senior Zach Giuliano who was All-Sunset League first team last year.
Also in Week 5: St. Paul vs. Servite at Orange Coast College; St. Frances Academy of Baltimore vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium; Serra of Gardena vs. Los Alamitos at Westminster High.
WEEK 6
Long Beach Poly vs. Mission Viejo at SoFi Stadium, Oct. 4: Here is an excellent matchup at an excellent venue. SoFi Stadium, home of the Chargers and Rams, will be hosting only its second high school football game since it opened in 2020. Mission Viejo lost to Poly 32-28 last year at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach. The Diablos went on to win CIF Southern Section and CIF State championships. Mission Viejo is the home team for this one. Will this game have a future NFL player in it, a player who some day will be playing in a pro football game at SoFi? Maybe it’s Mission Viejo senior Dijon Lee, who at 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds is very large for a high school cornerback. Lee, who committed to Alabama, also is a terrific receiver on a team that is rich at the position. Junior Phillip Bell, a USC commit, had 56 receptions last year and his teammate, Vance Spafford, had 83 receptions. Poly junior Kamarie Smith in last season’s game against Mission Viejo had 236 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions. Smith’s touchdown catch with 28 seconds remaining got the win for the Jackrabbits.
Also in Week 6: El Dorado at La Habra; Villa Park at Yorba Linda; Trabuco Hills at El Modena; Cypress at Tustin; Woodbridge vs. Portola at University High; Mater Dei vs. Santa Margarita at Saddleback College; Servite at JSerra; Tesoro at Newport Harbor; Corona del Mar at San Juan Hills.
WEEK 7
El Modena at Western, Oct. 10: This will be the second Delta League game for both teams. El Modena quarterback Xzavior Guess was last year’s North Hills League MVP. His expertise is throwing on the move, but he also can lay back in the pocket and launch a deep and accurate ball. He has sprinter speed, too, when it comes for a designed or ad-lib run. The Vanguards also have five returning starters on the offensive line, so their offense should be in great shape for this one. They will need to score points aplenty against Western. The Pioneers averaged 47 points a game last season. That figure was helped because they played in one of the county’s lesser leagues, but look for Western to rack up the touchdowns again. Sophomore Chance Thomas is a dual-threat quarterback and the Pioneers have three returning starters on offense, including 6-5, 300-pound senior tackle Joel Perez.
Also in Week 7: Mater Dei vs. Servite at Mt. San Antonio College; Corona del Mar at Newport Harbor; JSerra vs. Orange Lutheran at Orange Coast College; Tustin at Trabuco Hills; Tesoro vs. Villa Park at El Modena High; San Juan Hills at Yorba Linda.
Hinesward Lilomaiava scores against San Clemente in a game between San Clemente vs. Mission Viejo in a South Coast League football game at Mission Viejo on Friday, October 13, 2023. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)
WEEK 8
Mission Viejo at San Clemente, Oct. 18: It’s an old rivalry in a new league. Mission Viejo and San Clemente engaged in some entertaining battles in the South Coast League, and now they are together in the new, four-team Alpha League. San Clemente beat Mission Viejo 20-10 in a South Coast game last season at Mission Viejo. (Mission Viejo beat San Clemente 49-14 in 2022 at San Clemente.) Mission Viejo has a great offense that is co-piloted by quarterbacks Luke Fahey and Draiden Trudeau. They and their superb group of receivers will test San Clemente’s excellent secondary that includes Max Bollard and Max Kotiranta, both All-South Coast League first-team selections last year.
Also in Week 8: St. John Bosco vs. Servite at Cerritos College; Santa Margarita vs. Orange Lutheran at Orange Coast College; Huntington Beach vs. Foothill at Tustin High; Cypress at Western; Tustin at El Modena; Los Alamitos vs. Edison at Huntington Beach High; Villa Park vs. Corona del Mar at Newport Harbor High; Yorba Linda at Tesoro; Newport Harbor at San Juan Hills; Crean Lutheran at Huntington Beach.
WEEK 9
St. John Bosco vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium, Oct. 25: This Trinity League game will be the week’s biggest game in Orange County, in the Southern Section, in California and maybe the nation. Mater Dei last season lost to St. John Bosco 28-0 in league play and beat the Braves 35-7 in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game. Many of St. John Bosco’s stars of last year graduated. Among the returnees is junior defensive lineman Dutch Horisk who was a league most valuable lineman in 2023. Mater Dei will have plenty of college-prospect players, including Oklahoma-committed receiver Marcus Harris, Penn State-committed cornerback Daryus Dixson and defensive lineman Semi Taulanga (Utah commit).
Also in Week 9: St. John Bosco vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium; San Clemente vs. Los Alamitos at Veterans Stadium; San Juan Hills vs. Villa Park at El Modena High; Irvine vs. Troy at Fullerton High; Edison at Mission Viejo; Newport Harbor at Yorba Linda; Tesoro vs. Corona del Mar at Newport Harbor High; Tustin at Western; Crean Lutheran at Huntington Beach; Orange at Aliso Niguel.
Aidan O’Callaghan (1) of Servite jumps over Logan Hirou (23) of Santa Margarita in a Trinity League football game at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Friday, October 20, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
WEEK 10
Servite vs. Santa Margarita at Saddleback College, Nov. 1: The top three teams in a six-team league like the Trinity League are guaranteed berths in the CIF-SS playoffs. Teams that end the regular season with a 4-6 overall record must hope for an at-large berth, and usually have to be .500 or better overall to get an at-large berth. Given that Mater Dei and St. John Bosco are strong candidates to occupy the league’s top two places in the Trinity standings, this game on the final Friday of the regular season could be a hot one for Servite and Santa Margarita in the battle for third place or enhance the overall record for at-large berth consideration. Servite was much improved in 2023, reaching the CIF-SS Division 2 championship game. The Friars could be better this year. Running back Quaid Carr will add power to his sprinter speed and senior quarterback Leo Hannan (Michigan State commit) is set for a stellar season. Santa Margarita’s Trent Mosley was a Trinity League co-MVP last season, which says a lot given that the Eagles tied for last place in the league. Eagles All-Trinity League offensive lineman Jacob Maiva committed to SMU.
Also in Week 10: Orange Lutheran vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium; Cypress at El Modena; Trabuco Hills at Western; El Dorado at Huntington Beach; Edison at San Clemente; Los Alamitos at Mission Viejo; Yorba Linda vs. Corona del Mar at Newport Harbor; San Juan Hills at Tesoro; Newport Harbor vs. Villa Park at El Modena High; Orange at Laguna Beach; Troy at El Toro.
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