Previews and predictions for the top football games in Orange County this week. The teams are listed by their ranking this week in the Orange County Top 25.
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GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 2 Mater Dei (4-1) vs. No. 1 Santa Margarita (5-0)
Where, when: Saddleback College, Friday, 7 p.m.
Live coverage: Spectrum News 1
Analysis: Santa Margarita was the No. 1 team in our Orange County preseason rankings and has played like it. The Eagles go into the Trinity League opener having outscored their opponents, 178-27. Junior quarterback Fletch Palmer, son of coach Carson Palmer, has been steady. Fletch Palmer has completed 66 percent of his passes for 770 yards and six touchdowns. Sophomore running back Adrian Petero (5-6, 190) has rushed for 443 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Eagles’ offensive line has been splendid. The defense has been the real strength for Santa Margarita’s team. Freshman linebacker Ayden Steen has team highs of 16 solo tackles and 10 tackles for loss including five sacks. This will be Mater Dei’s first game since it lost to Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas 25-8 on Sept. 18. The Monarchs have used a three-quarterback rotation. Freshman Paytyn Guess got most of the snaps in the second half of the Bishop Gorman game, so maybe he will get even more playing time Friday. Mater Dei has its usual massive offensive line and quick guys on defense like senior linebackers DJ Clanton and Michael Davis, who are the team’s leading tacklers. It is a good Mater Dei defense. The issue for the Monarchs is generating enough offense to keep up with Santa Margarita.
Winner: Santa Margarita
No. 7 Servite (3-2) vs. No. 3 Orange Lutheran (3-2)
Where, when: Orange Coast College, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: It looks like the top three teams in the Trinity League are, in order, Santa Margarita, St. John Bosco, Mater Dei. The top three finishers in a six-team league like the Trinity League are automatic qualifiers for the CIF-SS playoffs. To qualify for an at-large berth, a team must have an overall record of .300 or better. Both of these teams will be at least .300 teams. Without getting too much into how the HSratings.com numbers will be applied, this is a big game for Servite and Orange Lutheran. While the other Trinity League teams took their bye week last week, Servite went on the road and beat Damien 28-9. Ultra-quick running back Jorden Wells had another fine game for the Friars, rushing for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Gino Wang was 12 for 15 for 118 passing yards. The defense was fast and tough. Orange Lutheran’s losses were to Sierra Canyon, 28-10, and Miami Central, 23-22, the No. 9 and No. 23 teams, respectively, in HSratings’ national rankings. The Lancers looked great in their 23-17 win over Basha a few weeks ago when Basha was the No. 1-ranked team in Arizona. Orange Lutheran has used senior Reagan Toki and sophomore Ezrah Brown at quarterback fairly equally, although Brown has more pass attempts, 77-45. The Lancers have a fine running back, sophomore Ryan Christianson, who has rushed for 560 yards and five touchdowns. He can push the pile or scoot outside equally well. Defensive back King Rich Johnson has returned two interceptions for touchdowns. A good place to have team speed is on defense, and the Lancers look to have plenty of it there. That could make a difference in this game, which promises to be entertaining.
Winner: Orange Lutheran
No. 8 Corona del Mar (5-0) vs. No. 13 Villa Park (5-0)
Where, when: El Modena High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: This is a league opener in the Bravo League. Both teams go into league undefeated, as do Capistrano Valley and La Habra, while Tustin is 4-1 and Crean Lutheran is 3-2. Corona del Mar has wins over two teams in the Orange County Top 25, Edison and Newport Harbor. Junior quarterback JD Annett has captained the offensive ship well and has consistent receiver targets in JJ Haley and Nolan Scott, who have 20 catches each. Defense, though, is really what has given the Sea Kings solid footing in the county Top 10. They have held four of their opponents to single-digit scoring. Corona del Mar has 14 sacks led by senior lineman Troy Merriman’s four. Villa Park’s average margin of victory is 59 points. But that Spartans schedule isn’t the strongest. The teams they have played are a combined 5-25. There is a lot to like about Villa Park. Sophomore quarterback Jacob Titchenal is one of those “huge upside” guys. He has completed 80 percent of his passes for 837 yards and 15 touchdowns without an interception. Junior running back Coy Collins runs like his father did at Loara in the 1990s. Linebacker Maverick DeClark spearheads a hard-hitting Spartans defense. Corona del Mar’s 5-0 record is more impressive because of its schedule. The Sea Kings defense is going to be unlike anything Villa Park has seen this season.
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Winner: Corona del Mar
No. 9 Crean Lutheran (3-2) vs. No. 11 Tustin (4-1)
Where, when: Tustin High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: This is another great league opener in the Bravo League. Crean Lutheran has a strong quarterback-receiver connection in senior quarterback Caden Jones (2,588 passing yards, 12 touchdowns) and senior receiver Braylen Ross (646 receiving yards). The Saints have faced a very challenging schedule. They have losses to JSerra and Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills. Tustin might have the defense to slow down Crean Lutheran. Safety Khalil Terry could be used to help cover Ross. Defensive lineman Jeremiah Williams can squish a pocket. On offense, junior Ayden Edwards returned from an injury last week, which allowed Hayden Koo to return to receiver. If the offense is healthy and the Tillers attack on defense, Tustin will win.
Winner: Tustin
Cypress (4-1) vs. Pacifica (5-0)
Where, when: Bolsa Grande High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: This Iota League game might ultimately decide the league champion. Cypress was rolling along until a 21-7 loss to Foothill on Sept. 18. Junior quarterback Justin Hall has played well, throwing for 908 yards and nine touchdowns, but the Centurions will need to get more production from their running game to beat Pacifica. The Mariners have allowed only 46 points over five games, including shutouts of Garden Grove and Canyon. A good way to keep opponents from scoring is clock control. Pacifica is very good there. The Mariners average 271 rushing yards a game, led by senior back Zach Dickison’s 119 yards a game. Dickison also has 11 rushing touchdowns. On defense, Dickison plays linebacker and is tied with linebacker Michael McGuigan for team highs in solo tackles (18). Look for Pacifica’s defense and running game to mash a path to a very important victory.
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Winner: Pacifica
Fryer on Football last week: 3-2
Season to date: 18-12