Previews and predictions for 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
Bishop Gorman (3-1) vs. No. 2 Mater Dei (4-0)
Where, when: Santa Ana Stadium, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: Mater Dei coach Raul Lara said, “Bishop Gorman is our top competition so far.” National rankings support Lara’s statement. Bishop Gorman is No. 8 in MaxPreps’ national rankings and No. 11 in the HSratings.com national rankings. Bishop Gorman beat St. John Bosco, 38-28, on Aug. 21. Mater Dei is No. 13 in the MaxPreps national rankings and No. 7 in the HSratings rankings. Defense might be Bishop Gorman’s chief strength. Defense led Mater Dei to a 10-9 win over Centennial last week. Junior linebacker DJ Clanton had a team-high 10 solo tackles including three sacks. The Monarchs have been using three quarterbacks almost equally. A two-quarterback rotation, we’ve seen that work. Three? Let’s see if that rotation continues Friday. Mater Dei might have two areas of offensive emphasis against Bishop Gorman: get the football to senior receiver Gavin Honore, who leads the Monarchs with 16 catches for 202 yards and two touchdowns; and pump up a running game that features sophomore back Asir Nembhard, who is averaging 101 rushing yards a game. Accomplish those two goals and watch the defense do its thing, and Mater Dei can win this game.
Winner: Mater Dei
No. 11 Yorba Linda (4-0) vs. No. 12 Huntington Beach (4-0)
Where, when: Huntington Beach High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: This is a great matchup. Yorba Linda is better than we thought coming into this season. The Mustangs’ longtime coach, Jeff Bailey, took the very posh coaching position at Beverly Hills High. Bailey said his successor John Domen would be a great replacement, and Bailey was right. This Mustangs team is the same as the Bailey teams – great line play, a fast and physical defense, and a balanced offensive attack. They remained undefeated with last week’s 42-7 win over Esperanza. A shoulder injury kept Yorba Linda senior quarterback Noah Trujillo out of the game. Sophomore Andrew Churney stepped in and completed 19 of 27 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns. Huntington Beach quarterback Brady Edmunds is having another outstanding season. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound senior, who is an Ohio State commit, has completed 70 percent of his passes for 827 yards and 11 touchdowns with only two interceptions. He has two ace receivers, Skylar Robinson, who has 16 receptions for 306 yards and three touchdowns, and Dylin Bruce, who has 13 catches for 252 yards and three touchdowns. Five different Oilers have caught a touchdown pass from Edmunds. As good as Churney was for Yorba Linda last week, Huntington Beach is a different opponent. He might get the call again this week because Yorba Linda might want to sit Trujillo out. The Mustangs have a bye week next week before starting Alpha League play against Orange County’s No. 6-ranked team, San Clemente. Even if Noah Trujillo plays, matching touchdowns with Huntington Beach is going to be difficult.
Winner: Huntington Beach
El Dorado (2-1) vs. No. 24 El Modena (3-0)
Where, when: El Modena High, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: El Dorado has wins over Fullerton, 35-17, and Valencia, 43-13, and a 27-0 loss to Yorba Linda. Junior quarterback Hudson Shaddow has completed 60 percent of his passes for 501 yards and six touchdowns. El Dorado senior linebacker Alonzo Anguiano is averaging 11 tackles a game. Senior receiver Justin Karg is the team leader in receptions, with 13 for 286 yards and four touchdowns. El Modena started the season with a 20-6 win over Segerstrom followed by wins of 35-13 over Tesoro and 28-10 over Foothill. Senior quarterback Ethan Sorenson has passed for 512 yards and six touchdowns while completing 63 percent of his attempts. Sorenson also is the Vanguards’ leading rusher with 174 yards. Aggressive defense is standard El Modena football. Juniors Daniel Mendez and Aiden Sullivan have 20 solo tackles each. Look for the El Modena defense to push the Vanguards to 4-0.
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Winner: El Modena
No. 5 JSerra (3-1) vs. Bishop Amat (4-0)
Where, when: Bishop Amat High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Analysis: JSerra’s season started with a 42-21 loss to Sierra Canyon. The Lions then rolled off three straight wins. JSerra senior quarterback Hayes Cloutier is having a fine season. Cloutier has completed 66 percent of his passes for 611 yards and 10 touchdowns with only one interception. Will Fredericksen has rushed for 335 yards and four touchdowns. Edge rusher Godschoice Eboigbodin, who is also a tremendous basketball player, has five sacks. JSerra coach Hardy Nickerson is a former NFL linebacker. So is Bishop Amat coach Kory Minor. Lancers senior quarterback Dominico Doran has thrown for 796 yards and eight touchdowns without an interception. Bishop Amat averages 213 rushing yards a game. The Lancers’ average margin of victory is 41 points. Bishop Amat historically is a difficult place to play for visiting teams. Bishop Amat beat Oak Hills 22-3. JSerra beat Oak Hills 63-0. JSerra is on an accelerating trajectory that will continue.
Winner: JSerra
No. 3 Orange Lutheran (3-1) vs. Sierra Canyon (3-0)
Where, when: Sierra Canyon High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Live coverage: Spectrum News 1
Analysis: Sierra Canyon started its season with a 42-21 win over JSerra. The Trailblazers are No. 6 in the MaxPreps national rankings. Their star-studded roster includes senior safety Myles Baker, who is committed to UCLA, and senior defensive lineman Kasi Currie (Texas commit), senior cornerback Duvay Williams (Cal commit) and senior defensive lineman Markus Fakatou (Ohio State commit). Orange Lutheran opened the season with a 23-22 loss to Central of Miami before winning three in a row. The Lancers have used sophomore Ezrah Brown and senior Reagan Toki about equally at quarterback. Both have been productive. Brown has completed 42 of his 55 attempts for 555 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. Toki is 22 for 34, for 195 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Sophomore running back Ryan Christianson is a mix of power and quickness, and has rushed for 413 yards and five touchdowns. Orange Lutheran looks like the fourth-best team in the Trinity League, which is high praise given that it is the best league in the state and perhaps the nation. It does not look like Orange Lutheran has the size, team speed and depth to beat Sierra Canyon on its home field, where the Trailblazers have won seven of their past eight home games.
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Winner: Sierra Canyon
Fryer on Football last week: 2-3
Season to date: 11-9