Previews of the top football games in Orange County this week. The teams are listed by their ranking in the Orange County Top 25.
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GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 3 Orange Lutheran (5-3, 2-1) vs. No. 2 Mater Dei (6-2, 2-1)
Where, when: Santa Ana Stadium, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: The top three teams in a six-team league like the Trinity League are automatic qualifiers for the playoffs. This game looks like it will decide the league’s third-place team. Orange Lutheran defeated JSerra 48-13 in the Trinity League last week. The Lancers scored 35 points in the second quarter. Quarterback Reagan Toki completed 15 of 17 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Chris Flores had six receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns. The Monarchs have won consecutive league games over JSerra, 41-7, and Servite, 38-15. Mater Dei freshman quarterback Paytyn Guess did not have to do a whole lot in last week’s win over Servite. He did throw two touchdown passes to fellow freshman Tristan Brown. Asier Nembhard rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Monarchs senior linebacker DJ Clanton had seven solo tackles against Servite. Orange Lutheran’s defensive coordinator is Eric Johnson, who served in that capacity at Mater Dei several years ago when the Monarchs were winning section and state championships. He will design some attacks that will create clutch stops and turnovers, and Orange Lutheran’s balanced offense will move the ball and control time of possession.
Winner: Orange Lutheran
No. 4 San Clemente (7-0, 2-0) at No. 12 San Juan Hills (7-1, 3-0)
Where, when: San Juan Hills High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Live coverage: Spectrum News 1
Analysis: San Clemente’s Alpha League home game against Mission Viejo last week was canceled because of the Norte fire. So the Tritons come into this game rested and maybe ready. “Maybe” ready because even veteran coaches frequently do not know what is happening in the heads of their high school athletes. The Tritons’ league wins are shutouts of Yorba Linda, 28-0, and Los Alamitos, 40–0. Their best win, according to HSratings.com, was over Chaparral, 37-20. San Clemente junior quarterback Preston Beck has completed 70 percent of his passes for 1,357 yards and 12 touchdowns. His leading receiver is Ryan Matheson, a senior who was at San Juan Hills last season. Matheson has team-highs of 34 receptions, 502 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions. San Clemente senior receiver/safety Jaxson Rex, who committed to BYU, is having an All-Orange County first-team season. Rex is second on the Tritons in receptions with 32, receiving yards with 406, and receiving touchdowns with four. Rex also is the team leader in solo tackles with 33 and interceptions with three. San Juan Hills has Alpha League wins over Los Alamitos, 61-10, Edison, 28-20, and Yorba Linda, 14-10. Stallions quarterback Eiler King is out because of a broken pinky finger. Parker Armstrong, a senior, was San Juan Hills’ quarterback in last week’s win over Yorba Linda. He completed 15 of 22 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown. Stallions senior receiver Luke Frith makes any quarterback look good. Frith last week had eight catches for 128 yards and the Armstrong touchdown pass. San Juan Hills will be the best league team San Clemente has played so far. The Tritons’ defense will produce the stops and turnovers to get the win.
Winner: San Clemente
No. 6 Crean Lutheran (6-2, 3-0) vs. No. 10 Corona del Mar (7-1, 2-1)
Where, when: Newport Harbor High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: The Bravo League continues to impress. Three of the league’s six teams are in the Orange County Top 10, including these two teams. Crean Lutheran has sole possession of first place. The Saints in league games have defeated Tustin, 21-7, Capistrano Valley, 30-22, and La Habra, 35-28, last week at SoFi Stadium. Standout running back Caleb Bey Jr. has been in and out of the lineup. Bey was in the lineup against La Habra, rushing for 170 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries. Crean quarterback Caden Jones completed all 15 of his passes. Corona del Mar lost to Capistrano Valley on Saturday, 21-17, because quarterback Talon Spencer outplayed the Sea Kings. The Cougars senior rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries and passed for 130 yards and a touchdown. The status of Corona del Mar quarterback John David Annett for this game is uncertain because of an injury. The Sea Kings have a second-string quarterback, Luca Dinapoli, who has done well in plentiful minutes this season. Corona del Mar’s excellent defense includes senior defensive end Tucker Murray, who was in on 10 tackles against Capistrano Valley. A playmaker extraordinaire at quarterback beat Corona del Mar last week. Crean Lutheran has one of those, too, and a lot more weapons.
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Winner: Crean Lutheran
No. 13 Villa Park (7-1, 2-1) vs. No. 9 Capistrano Valley (7-1, 2-1)
Where, when: Capistrano Valley HS, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: This is another critical game in the Bravo League. The six-team league has a three-way tie for second place: these two teams and Corona del Mar. Villa Park went 5-0 in its nonleague games, outscoring its opponents 297-50. League has been different. The Spartans have been outscored over their three league games, 77-76. They lost their first league game to Corona del Mar, 24-10, followed by league wins over La Habra, 36-33, and Tustin, 30-20. Villa Park sophomore quarterback Jacob Titchenal is one of several players with a bright future in this contest. Titchenal has completed 71 percent of his passes for 1,285 yards and 16 touchdowns with only three interceptions. Junior running back Coy Collins has rushed for 934 yards and 13 touchdowns. Capistrano Valley’s Talon Spencer should be in the discussion for league player of the year, no matter where the Cougars are in the final standings. Spencer rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns last week and passed for 130 yards and a touchdown in a 21-17 win over Corona del Mar. For the season, Spencer has passed for 1,361 yards and 14 touchdowns and has rushed for 708 yards and four touchdowns. Spencer will come through late in what looks like a high-scoring, close and entertaining game.
Winner: Capistrano Valley
No. 18 El Modena (7-1, 2-1) vs. No. 15 Dana Hills (7-1, 2-1)
Where, when: Dana Hills High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: El Modena is so close to being undefeated. The Vanguards lost to Huntington Beach, 24-21, in a Delta League opener as Huntington Beach scored the winning touchdown with 15 seconds remaining. Maybe that Huntington Beach touchdown catch should have been called incomplete. But the Vanguards have put that behind them as they beat Laguna Beach, 21-14, and Troy, 34-13, in league. El Modena senior quarterback Ethan Sorenson is among the county’s standout junior quarterbacks. He has passed for 1,089 yards and nine touchdowns and has rushed for a team-high 582 yards and six touchdowns. Dana Hills also lost a close game to Huntington Beach, 21-16. The Dolphins have league wins over Western, 46-29, and Laguna Beach, 31-7. Carter Anderson has been the starting quarterback for the Dolphins. An injury might keep Anderson, a junior, out of this one. Sophomore Caden Marquis replaced Anderson in the Laguna Beach game and did well, completing 4 of 5 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 60 yards on six carries. El Modena has team speed on defense and often is the more physical team in the fourth quarter. That combination could be the key to another Vanguards victory.
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Winner: El Modena
Fryer on Football last week: 3-1
Season to date: 28-16