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Read more Orange County football Top 25: Undefeated Santa Margarita remains No. 1
1. What surprised you the most about Mater Dei’s performance in its win against Centennial?
I’d pick Mater Dei’s speed and aggressiveness on defense over its struggles to run the ball effectively.
I knew Mater Dei would have a strong defense with the return of several starters but the unit’s speed jumped out to me in a 10-9 victory against Centennial.
Mater Dei’s speed on defense actually looked at tad faster than the burst Santa Margarita showed against the Huskies a few weeks ago.
In a matchup against speedy dual-threat quarterback Jaden Jefferson and USC committed wide receiver Quentin Hale, Mater Dei racked up 10 tackles for loss, including seven sacks, and forced three turnovers.
Linebackers Dailon Clanton and Michael Davis showed outstanding pursuit. Clanton and defensive back David King lll forced fumbles while Davis had an interception.
Give credit to new Mater Dei defensive coordinator Ivan Stephenson, who arrived from Serra. Mater Dei’s unit did its part to produce the lowest scoring game for the rivalry since it heated up in 2007.
“We have the best defense in nation and I’ll stand by that,” Davis said.
@Djclanton9 showed up and showed out again for Mater Dei, senior LB is a prob coming off the edge, New Mexico should be thrilled to have has commit but he’s all about the Monarchs @MDFootball @MD_Athletics @GregBiggins pic.twitter.com/AHprDgiG11
— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) September 12, 2026
2. What score was the most surprising?
Trabuco Hills 42, El Toro 24. I didn’t expect the Mustangs to win, and certainly not open a 28-3 advantage at halftime.
But the Mustangs produced almost 500 yards offense to hand the rival Chargers their first defeat.
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Trabuco Hills’ domination started at the line of scrimmage and delivered some eye-popping numbers against then-No. 23-ranked El Toro.
Trabuco Hills quarterback Jackson Verplancke passed for 292 yards and running back Luke Hoffman rushed for 159 yards.
3. What 4-0 team is the most unexpected?
A few undefeated teams are off to amazing starts but none more than Cypress.
Yes, the Centurions generated buzz over the summer with their performance in 7-on-7 and linemen competitions but they took a major step by defeating Torrance 21-19 last week.
Junior QB Justin Hall has emerged with nine touchdown passes against no interceptions and the defense is holding opponents to 11.3 points.
Remember, Cypress went 3-7 last season and 2-9 in ’24.
4. What two players delivered the most eye-popping performance in Week 3?
Jack Hurst of Laguna Beach. The senior quarterback completed a school-record 33 passes in a 28-23 loss at undefeated Westlake.
Hurst went 33 of 47 for 255 yards and three touchdowns.
Yes, that’s about 8 yards per completion but also a 70 percent completion rate against a strong opponent.
Laguna Beach (1-3) has certainly challenged itself with its nonleague schedule but expect the Breakers to be prepared for the daunting Delta League.
Another performer who caught my eye was Yorba Linda sophomore QB Andrew Churney.
In first varsity start, he completed 19 of 27 passes for 317 yards and three TDs in a 42-7 win against Esperanza,
Churney (6-2, 200) started for senior Noah Trujillo (shoulder), Yorba Linda coach John Domen said.
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