TANGO LEAGUE PREVIEW
The Tango League is a nine-team league that includes Bolsa Grande, Century, Godinez, La Quinta, Loara, Magnolia, Santa Ana Valley, Santiago and Savanna.
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BOLSA GRANDE
What to expect: The Matadors might be a high-scoring team in Alexis Ramirez’ first season as their head coach – if they get quality play at quarterback, where there is very little returning experience. Elsewhere the offense looks better than the one that averaged only 16 points a game for a team that tied with Anaheim for second in the Tango League with a 3-2 league record, qualified for the CIF Southern Section playoffs and finished 5-6 overall. Senior running back Daymien Sanchez was the team’s leading rusher last season with 469 yards and five rushing touchdowns. He was All-Tango League second last season as a linebacker. Senior receiver/cornerback Anthony Diaz last season had 10 receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown. Senior defensive end William Incitti will be a key contributor on defense. Bolsa Grande lost 23 of last year’s seniors to graduation, so how the Matadors and their quarterback develop over the early weeks of the season will be crucial to their playoff hopes.
CENTURY
What to expect: Defense, at least for the early weeks, looks to be the Centurions strength this season. Senior linebacker Deven Orejel had 84 solo tackles and four sacks last season when he was named All-Zeta League first team. Century coach Lance Neal, in his fourth season leading the Centurions, said junior linebacker Eddie Hernandez is another big contributor to the defense. Senior receiver/defensive back David Morales earned all-league second-team recognition last season with his team-leading 23 receptions for 428 yards and four touchdowns. Having a returning starting quarterback is a gift, and Century has one. Junior quarterback Leo Mendoza threw for 1,002 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Century will have a large number of players making their varsity debut this month, and later on depth could be an issue.
GODINEZ
What to expect: The Grizzlies bring back four of last season’s five starting offensive linemen, and some playmakers, too, from the 2025 team that was second in the Zeta League with a 3-1 league record and finished 5-6 overall. Senior two-way lineman Rodrigo Leon was All-Zeta League first team last year. Junior running back/safety Adrian Ramirez was All-Zeta first team last season when he rushed for 888 yards and nine touchdowns and had 11 receptions for 208 yards and a touchdown. Ramirez also had 44 tackles and an interception on defense. Loodwin Calderon, an all-league second-team junior last season as a safety, takes over at quarterback where was second string in 2025. Coach Aron Kaye, in his 14th season leading Godinez football, overall has eight returning starters on offense and five on defense. The Grizzlies should be in the hunt for a playoff berth in what looks to be the sort of balanced league that Orange County football coaches sought when they adopted computer-generated rankings to create county football leagues.
LA QUINTA
What to expect: The Aztecs went 3-6-1 overall and 0-5 in the Tango League in 2025. The team has a new head coach, Luc Alexander, who was La Quinta’s offensive coordinator the past eight seasons. More current team information will be added when it becomes available.
LOARA
What to expect: The Saxons have high-quality football players along the offensive and defensive lines. That’s always a foundational necessity for any team including Loara which last season went 3-7 overall and tied with Santiago for fourth place in the Tango League with a 2-3 league record. Among the interior line leaders is junior two-way lineman Vong Pham (6-3 265) who was All-Tango League second team last year. Senior running back Santiago Caudillo rushed for a team-high 614 yards with seven touchdowns last season. Senior receiver/defensive back Daniel Quiroz had 29 receptions last season and was named All-Tango second team as a defensive back. Senior Jayden Faraimo was all-league second team as a defensive end last year, and moves to linebacker this season in Loara’s 3-5 defensive formation. Senior receiver/defensive back Traivon Nicholson was all-league second team last season. Whoever emerges from summer ball and preseason practices as Loara’s quarterback will have zero or near-zero varsity experience. That offensive line could be essential to making that position successful.
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MAGNOLIA
What to expect: The Sentinels have a good core of returnees from last year’s team that was 3-7 overall and finished third in the five-team Zeta League with a 2-2 league record (only the top two finishers are automatic qualifiers in five-team leagues). Among their returnees is senior receiver/defensive back Tyaun Buchanan, an All-Zeta League first-team selection last season. He was the team’s leading receiver last year with 32 receptions for 439 yards and four touchdowns. Senior receiver/defensive end Alex Ramirez also was All-Zeta first team last season. Senior fullback/linebacker Cristofher Ventura was all-league second team last year. Senior defensive lineman Mario Villalobos was all-league second team in 2025 when he had 10 tackles for loss.
SANTA ANA VALLEY
What to expect: The Falcons had a rough go of it in the Sigma League last season, going 0-5 in league and 0-9-1 overall. This could be a better season, perhaps even a playoff season. Valley seventh-year head coach Alfredo Macias reports that a majority of last season’s starters are back. That’s always a benefit to any program. It also indicates good morale is in place when players on losing programs are committed to sticking with it. Fernando Dircio, a senior running back/linebacker who was last season’s leading rusher, is among the returnees. He was All-Sigma League first team last year. Also back are linemen Domnique Salazar, Anthony Navidad and Alexander Garduno. Angel Garcia, a senior, returns as starting quarterback.
SANTIAGO
What to expect: Look for a lot of Michael Hoang from the Cavaliers. Hoang, a senior all-purpose offensive player, was All-Tango League first team last year when he rushed for a team-high 637 yards and seven touchdowns and had 12 receptions for 220 yards and two touchdowns. He also is a standout defensive back at Santiago which last season went 3-7 overall and tied for fourth place in the Tango League with a 2-3 league record. Another returning playmaker is senior receiver Richie Alvarez who was All-Sigma second team last season when he had a team-leading 18 receptions for 335 yards and three touchdowns. Sixth-year head coach Doug Ozsvath expects the Cavaliers to be better on defense this season. Senior defensive back Santiago Martinez had two interceptions last year. Manny Amador and and Evert Castro are returning two-way linemen.
SAVANNA
What to expect: Savanna should be appreciably better than it was last season. It was a tough 2025 for the Rebels who finished 1-9 overall and 0-4 in the Zeta League. The foundation is there for much improvement. Among the returnees on the senior-heavy roster are ‘25 All-Zeta League first-team selections Issic Alonzo, a junior receiver who last season had 55 receptions for 667 yards and three touchdowns, and senior linebacker/running back Chris Bucio who averaged 12 tackles a game last year. Junior quarterback Nate Eich was All-Zeta second team last season when he threw for 1,376 yards and 11 touchdowns. Senior linebacker Bentley Cruz, senior receiver Andrew Brown and junior lineman Johnny Nieto were all-league second team last year. The running back group has little varsity experience, but Rebels third-year head coach Fred Emmerson sees big potential at that position. There is nowhere to go but up, which looks like the direction for Savanna football.
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