Orange County football preview 2026: Kappa League

KAPPA LEAGUE PREVIEW

The Kappa League is a six-team football league that includes Canyon, Esperanza, Fullerton, Portola, St. Margaret’s and Sunny Hills.

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CANYON

What to expect: Canyon has a new nickname name – Cobras – and a new coach, Vinnie Lopez, who previously was the head coach at Pacifica for seven seasons. He takes over a team that last year was 4-6 overall and finished fourth in the Iota League (2-3 league record). The Cobras have had one of Orange County football’s better passing offenses in recent years. That might change a bit this season. The starting quarterback is junior Kayden Phillips, who is a dual threat at the postion. When Canyon does throw the ball, outstanding target options exist. Senior receiver Noah McClary last season had 87 catches for 1,098 yards and nine touchdowns. Senior receiver Bo Booher might emerge as another major contributor to the passing game. Senior linebacker James Munro was an Iota League co-defensive player of the year last season when he had a team-high 102 tackles. McClary and Munro both are included on the Register’s Hot 150 list of the county’s top football players. Canyon has the goods to compete for the league championship.

ESPERANZA

What to expect: The Aztecs also have a new coach. Tommy Leach has 107 wins and a 19-11 record in playoff games from coaching at several schools. Running the Aztecs offense is Willy Puga, highly-regarded as one of county football’s better coordinators. Junior quarterback Jaden Partridge has impressed Leach with his athleticism and smarts. Senior linebacker Jordan Sicard was third on the team in tackles last season and had three sacks. As a tight end, he had 33 receptions and five touchdowns. Sicard was the only Aztecs player selected to last year’s All-Kappa League team. Bradley Keane (6-1, 310), a senior, anchors the offensive line at center. Senior Quin Miller will make contributions at linebacker and at running back. Leach likes what he has seen from several players including junior cornerback Logan Aguilar, senior linebacker/running back Christian Obas and senior safety/receiver Arthur Tiscareno.

FULLERTON

What to expect: Pete Karavedas’ first season as coach at Fullerton was a good one. Fullerton, now known as the Red Hawks, went 9-3 overall and 4-1 in the Lambda League. The Red Hawks have moved up to the Kappa League this season and have a good chance for another winning season. They have eight returning starters on offense and six returning starters on defense. Four of the returnees were All-Lambda League first team last year. Senior running back/linebacker Cyrus Aviles was second on the team in rushing last year with 569 yards and was named to the All-CIF Division 8 team. Canyon also returns senior running back/linebacker Evan Tellez, senior offensive lineman David Salgado, and junior defensive back Nathan Vejar. With so many returning starters, and perhaps some contributions from the program’s lower-levels, Fullerton likely will challenge for the league championship. The Fullerton coaching staff has five former Orange County head coaches on board: Phil Hughes (Canyon), Ed DeAvila (Fullerton), Kevin Oberlander (Sonora), Rob Ryan (Buena Park) and Dave Wilde (Sunny Hills).

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PORTOLA

What to expect: The Bulldogs rise two leagues to the Kappa League this season. Portola last season was 4-1 in the Omicron League (second place) and went 6-5 overall. Portola coach Peter Abe, going into his ninth season as the school’s football coach, said the Bulldogs will run a ball-control offense. If they need to divert from that, they have a capable receiver in senior Jamal Abdelkarim who was All-Omicron first team last season when he had a team-high 32 receptions for 610 yards and three touchdowns. Another all-league returnee is versatile senior Blaise Williams. Junior linebacker Carter Nguyen had 39 tackles in nine games last year.

ST. MARGARET’S

What to expect: The Tartans have eight returning starters on offense and seven returning starters on defense. They also have the league’s most experienced quarterback, senior Kai Letcher. Letcher completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,691 yards and 11 touchdowns in nine games before a broken ankle ended his junior season. He was named All-Kappa League first team. Letcher’s play during the Ocean View summer passing tournament indicated that the ankle is fine. Letcher also was the team’s leading rusher last year with 496 yards. Senior running back Sam Orellana accounted for 531 yards of total offense over five games last season. Senior receiver Jack Kleinhanzl was All-Kappa League first team last season when he had a team-leading 51 receptions for 667 yards and six touchdowns. Also returning is senior linebacker Sawyer Collins, who had 83 tackles, 11 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles last season. Junior linebacker Grant Holcomb had 106 total tackles last year. Senior left tackle Danny Lowenthal was all-league first team in 2025, and senior center Sam Ruff is one of the four returning starters on the offensive line. St. Margaret’s last season finished third (3-2 record) in the Kappa League was 7-5 overall. If they can avoid the injuries that were so costly last season, the Tartans can do better than that.

SUNNY HILLS

What to expect: Former Santa Ana High head coach Luis Cruz goes into his first season as the head coach at Sunny Hills. The Lancers finished fourth last season in the Lambda League with a 2-3 record and went 6-4 overall. Their only returning all-league player is senior linebacker/fullback McAnthony De Castro. Other top seniors include two-way lineman Zachary Castillo, linebacker/fullback JD Yang, defensive end/tight end Stone Burgess and two-way lineman Timothy Baik. Sunny Hills last season beat one of its new Kappa League opponents, Canyon, 49-42, in a nonleague game and lost to Fullerton, 35-33, in a Lambda League game. The Lancers were oh-so-close to making the playoffs last year, losing their final two games by a combined margin of five points. This is a good league, and Sunny Hills on paper does not look like one of its top three teams. But with a good corps of seniors the Lancers just might find a way into a playoff berth.

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