Previews of the top football games in Orange County this week. The teams are listed by their ranking in the Orange County Top 25.
Read more Southern California theme parks lose ground after setting attendance records
GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 6 San Juan Hills (8-1 overall, 4-0 league) vs. No 4 Mission Viejo (7-1, 3-0)
Where, when: Mission Viejo, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: Life’s been good to San Juan Hills so far in the team’s first season in the Alpha League. The Stallions are in first place, one-half game ahead of Mission Viejo. The Stallions had the biggest win of their season last week, a 16-0 victory over San Clemente in the Alpha League. The Stallions beat San Clemente with backup quarterback Parker Armstrong completing 16 of 19 passes for 168 yards and, most importantly, without an interception. San Juan Hills’ Arthur Tuverson returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown. San Juan Hills’ loss was to Chaparral of Temecula, 31-19, on Aug. 28 at Chaparral. Chaparral is ranked No. 10 in the CIF-SS by HSratings.com. The rankings by HSratings will be used to place teams in the CIF-SS playoff divisions. The brackets will be released Sunday at 10 a.m. Two weeks ago Mission Viejo’s game against San Clemente was canceled because of the Norte fire. The Diablos’ loss this season was to Folsom, ranked No. 9 in the state by HSratings. Mission Viejo rolled to a 58-7 league win over winless Los Alamitos last week. Jack Junker rushed for 121 yards and four touchdowns. The Diablos won’t score nearly that many points against San Juan Hills. They will get another efficient game from sophomore quarterback Brett Burnor, who has completed 69 percent of his attempts, and their creative offense will keep Junker finding the end zone.
Winner: Mission Viejo
St. John Bosco (7-2, 3-1) vs. No. 2 Mater Dei (7-2, 3-1)
Where, when: Santa Ana Stadium, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: Santa Margarita likely will beat Orange Lutheran on Friday to finish 5-0 in the Trinity League, which would make this game for second place. Second place in the Trinity League is darned good. So is third place. This is a splendid rivalry. Mater Dei beat St. John Bosco last season, 36-31, and those two teams ended in a three-way tie with Santa Margarita for the league championship. Mater Dei this season lost back-to-back games to Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas, 25-8, and to Santa Margarita, 14-7, which freaked out some Mater Dei alums. They should have calmed down by now because Gorman is 7-1 and Santa Margarita 9-0. The Monarchs launched their offense last week in a 52-38 win over Orange Lutheran. Mater Dei sophomore Asir Nembhard set a Mater Dei record by rushing for 339 yards last week. St. John Bosco’s losses also are to Bishop Gorman, 38-28, and to Santa Margarita, 21-7. On offense, the Braves are led by sophomore quarterback Koa Malau’ulu and senior running back Maliq Allen. Mater Dei’s win over Orange Lutheran could mean that the Monarchs have found the path on offense. If they get a better defensive performance, which is attainable, it’s a Mater Dei win.
Winner: Mater Dei
No. 22 Trabuco Hills (7-2, 4-0) vs. No. 21 Newport Harbor (7-2, 4-0)
Where, when: Newport Harbor High, 7 p.m.
Analysis: These teams are tied for first place in the Epsilon League. Trabuco Hills lost to El Modena, 20-17, in the Mustangs’ final nonleague game. El Modena is 8-1. The Mustangs’ other loss was to 6-3 St. Bonaventure. Trabuco Hills sophomore quarterback Jackson Verplancke has passed for 1,840 yards and 22 touchdowns with two interceptions. The Mustangs run it well, too. Luke Hoffman has rushed for 915 yards. Newport Harbor for decades has usually been a running game and defense program. This season the Sailors are led offensively by senior quarterback Jordan Spigarelli whose 2,091 passing yards are third-most in Orange County. Spigarelli has completed 69 percent of his passes with 26 touchdowns. He spreads the ball around – Jackson Stremick has 35 receptions, Ryan Palmer has 33 receptions and Shane McKibben has 30 receptions. Newport’s losses are to 7-2 Lancaster, 44-35, and 7-2 Corona del Mar, 16-6. This has the makings of a close, well-played game. Newport Harbor will make more big plays on offense.
Read more Dan Albano’s Orange County high school football Top 35 rankings
Winner: Newport Harbor
Rancho Alamitos (9-0, 4-0) vs. Ocean View (8-1, 4-0)
Where, when: Ocean View High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: This game is for the Sigma League championship. Rancho Alamitos is one of four undefeated teams in Orange County. Huntington Beach, Orange and Santa Margarita are the others. Rancho Alamitos won a couple of close ones in recent league games, 14-13 over Costa Mesa and 10-7 over Anaheim. Senior quarterback Osvaldo Ramos has led the Vaqueros’ offense. He has thrown for 1,068 yards and 13 touchdowns without an interception and has rushed for 393 yards and 13 touchdowns. Ocean View’s loss was to Fountain Valley, 26-21, on Aug. 21. The Seahawks have since won eight in a row including a 53-12 league win over Katella last week. They are averaging 44 points a game in league. Ocean View averages 311 rushing yards a game. Seahawks junior running back Trevor Vaivao is Orange County’s leading rusher with 1,359 yards, an average of 151 yards a game, with 16 rushing touchdowns. That’s the type of ball-control and clock-control offense that wins football games in any league.
Winner: Ocean View
Los Amigos (8-1, 4-0) vs. University (6-3, 4-0)
Where, when: University High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: This game decides the champion of the Omicron League. Los Amigos has won eight in a row since its 20-14 season-opening loss to St. Bernard, which also is 8-1. The Lobos have two shutout wins in league, 21-0 over Buena Park and 42-0 over Santa Ana. Eleven Los Amigos players have a sack this season. Senior running back Alexis Marcelo leads the offense with 900 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Dennis Smith has 35 receptions, nine of them for touchdowns from junior quarterback Trell Smith. University was 2-3 in its nonleague games. The Trojans started league play with a 30-15 win over Santa Ana and continued to win. University quarterback Dylan Elmer has thrown 20 touchdown passes. Junior linebacker Aidan Guzman has 53 solo tackles. Los Amigos has the offensive balance that coaches strive for. The Lobos average 142 passing yards a game and 168 rushing yards a game. That and a good defense will take a team far.
Read more Three hospitals in Anaheim, Irvine clash with unions over wages, staffing
Winner: Los Amigos
Fryer on Football last week: 3-2
Season to date: 31-18