A preview and prediction for each of the top football games in Orange County this week. The teams are listed by their ranking in the Orange County Top 25.
GAME OF THE WEEK
NO. 1 MATER DEI (5-0 overall, 1-0 league) VS. NO. 5 SERVITE (6-0, 1-0)
Where, when: Mt. San Antonio College, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: Mater Dei football has seen St. John Bosco as its No. 1 rival for several years. At Servite, Mater Dei has been the football rival for decades although the Friars trail in the series by a large margin, 45-17-2 going into this Trinity League game. Mater Dei won the matchup 49-0 last season. This game got a lot more interesting after Servite manhandled JSerra 20-7 last week. Servite’s excellent running back, Quaid Carr, who is committed to San Diego State, rushed for 184 yards and a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass. Carr’s scoring catch was one of only seven passes thrown by Servite in the game while the Friars went with 46 running plays for 335 yards. Therein lies a potential problem for Servite. Because a one-dimensional offense most likely will not be successful against Mater Dei’s great defense that has so many stars. When Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas lost to Mater Dei 31-15 on Sept. 6, Bishop Gorman threw only 15 times and most of those came late in the game. Mater Dei has one weakness: penalties. The Monarchs have exceeded 100 yards in penalties in four of their five games. In last season’s matchup Mater Dei rolled up 134 penalty yards to Servite’s 35 penalty yards. But with all of that talent in every part of the game, a Monarchs march to another win is expected.
Winner: Mater Dei
NO. 5 JSERRA (5-1, 0-1) VS. NO. 3 ORANGE LUTHERAN (4-2, 0-1)
Where, when: Orange Coast College, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: Orange Lutheran last week outgained St. John Bosco 422 yards to the Braves’ 298 yards. So how did the Lancers lose 28-24? As the great coach Bob Johnson put it after a rare loss by one of his Mission Viejo teams, “We got big-played to death.” Orange Lutheran made plenty of big plays last week, but St. John Bosco made one or two more in that Trinity League opener for both teams. The Lancers have a big-play quarterback, Nebraska-committed senior TJ Lateef, who threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 78 yards against St. John Bosco. The Lancers defense held Bosco to 26 yards rushing while Braves freshman quarterback Koa Malau’ulu threw for 272 yards and four touchdowns. JSerra lost to Servite 20-7 last week because the Lions could not stop Servite’s running attack and could not get its running game going. If Orange Lutheran is as effective against JSerra’s running game as the Lancers were against Bosco’s – and as Servite was against the Lions last week – and Orange Lutheran has the same offensive balance that was achieved last week, this is an Orange Lutheran win.
Winner: Orange Lutheran
Huntington Beach quarterback Brady Edmunds (9), passes to Troy Foster (4) in the end zone for an incomplete pass a game against Capistrano Valley at Huntington Beach High School in Huntington Beach on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
NO. 17 LA HABRA (5-1, 1-0) VS. NO. 19 HUNTINGTON BEACH (4-2, 1-0)
Where, when: Huntington Beach High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: La Habra takes a five-game winning streak into this Epsilon League game, including a 25-7 league win over El Dorado last week. The Highlanders employ a two-quarterback setup, with senior Kenneth Saucedo and sophomore DJ Mitchell. Both are outstanding athletes. They are La Habra’s top two rushers, with Sauceo at 414 yards and Mitchell at 345 yards for an offense that is averaging 277 rushing yards a game. Both QBs get the La Habra offense moving. Highlanders senior defensive end Ulavai Fetuli has 10 tackles for loss and three sacks. Fetuli will be important to La Habra’s plan to limit the production of Huntington Beach’s superb sophomore quarterback Brady Edmunds. He has completed 62 percent of his passes for an average of 274 yards a game with 15 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Edmunds threw for 274 yards with three touchdowns last week when the Oilers opened play in the new Epsilon League with a 42-3 win over Laguna Hills. La Habra will keep its ball-control offense going and do just enough defensively to limit Edmunds and the Oilers offense.
Winner: La Habra
Newport Harbor’s Sammy Stremick catches a long pass for a first down against La Habra on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
NO. 15 CORONA DEL MAR (3-3, 0-1) VS. NO. 23 NEWPORT HARBOR (2-4, 1-0)
Where, when: Newport Harbor High, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: These new Orange County football leagues have created some excellent matchups, but did end some long-running league rivalries. This one, the storied “Battle of the Bay,” remains intact with Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor together in the new Bravo League. Newport Harbor leads the series 39-23. Corona del Mar had won 10 in a row over the Sailors before Newport Harbor beat Corona del Mar last season 21-20. In a Bravo League opener last week Newport Harbor trailed Tesoro by 17 points before rallying for a 34-31 upset win. Newport Harbor’s running game amassed only 45 yards against Tesoro, so it was junior quarterback Jake Meer who came through for the Sailors, throwing for 239 yards and a touchdown and scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run with 1:16 remaining for the winning points. Corona del Mar’s Bravo League opener was a 31-28 loss to San Juan Hills. Running back Wyatt Lucas, who rushed for a school-record 352 yards two weeks ago, was held to 54 yards against San Juan Hills. Look for Lucas to bounce back with better numbers this week, and for the Sea Kings to put the Victory Bell that goes to the winner back in its school office.
Winner: Corona del Mar
Yorba Linda Vaughn Sharp, right, gets congratulations from quarterback Holden Nagin after scoring a touchdown against Villa Park in a Bravo League football game in Yorba Linda on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
NO. 10 SAN JUAN HILLS (5-1, 1-0) VS. NO. 8 YORBA LINDA (6-0, 1-0)
Where, when: Yorba Linda High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: This looks like the Bravo League championship game. San Juan Hills’ only loss is to Higley, one of Arizona’s top teams. The Stallions have since beaten three good teams – Crean Lutheran, Mira Costa and Corona del Mar 31-28 last week in a league opener. Junior quarterback Timmy Herr completed 16 of 19 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Elijah Ayala rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown on 145 yards and caught one of Herr’s touchdown passes. Yorba Linda is 5-1 on the field – a loss to San Jacinto became a forfeit win after it was discovered that San Jacinto used an ineligible player in the game. The Mustangs have no problem with a fourth-quarter deficit. They rallied in the final moments for wins over Edison, Tustin and Charter Oak. Yorba Linda capitalized on five turnovers to beat Villa Park 31-14 last week. Running back Cole Nerio rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Yorba Linda has been a mistake-free team thus far. The Mustangs are great at winning close games, and that is likely to continue in what should be a close win over an outstanding opponent.
Winner: Yorba Linda
Fryer on Football last week: 4-1
Season to date: 27-9
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