Orange County football preview 2026: Bravo League

BRAVO LEAGUE PREVIEW

The Bravo League is a six-team league that includes Capistrano Valley, Corona del Mar, Crean Lutheran, La Habra, Tustin and Villa Park.

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CAPISTRANO VALLEY 

What to expect: Capistrano Valley moves up from the Delta League after finishing second last season (4-1 league record) and went 8-3 overall. The offense will rely heavily on dual-threat senior quarterback Talon Spencer. Spencer was All-Orange County third team and a Delta League offensive player of the year last season when he passed for 1,360 yards and 21 touchdowns and was the team’s leading rusher with 611 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. Spencer, No. 28 in the Register’s Hot 150, committed to Cal for baseball. Linebacker/tight end Colin Hooper was all-league first team last season as were strong safety Cash Perry and offensive lineman Mateo Pineda. Capistrano Valley returns starters at just about every position. With so much returning talent and decent depth, Capistrano Valley should not be overlooked.

CORONA DEL MAR

What to expect: Overall, the Sea Kings have an experienced roster back from last year’s team that finished second in the Bravo League (4-1 league record) and went 9-2 overall. Tucker Murray was an All-Bravo League first-team defensive back last season and is No. 10 in the Register’s rankings of Orange County defensive backs. JJ Haley was an all-league first-team receiver. Linebacker Nolan Scott, who is also a starter on the school’s basketball team, was all-league second team last season, as were defensive back Henry Birchard, offensive lineman Markus Costa and running back Chase Kuchera. Kuchera was Corona del Mar’s leading rusher last season with 455 yards. Last year’s starting quarterback, Brady Arnett, graduated. Competing to replace him are his brother John David Arnett and Lucas DiNapoli, both juniors. Last year’s solid linebacking corps also is gone. With Kuchera back and a very large offensive line in front of him, look for the Sea Kings’ offense to keep it on the ground more often this season. Their receivers performed well in 7-on-7 competition and could help the new quarterback develop quickly.

CREAN LUTHERAN

What to expect: The Saints look to be the league favorite. They were in the Epsilon League last season when they went 5-0 in league and were 10-0 in the regular season before losing to Leuzinger, 34-17, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs. The Bravo League is two leagues above the Epsilon League according to the ratings system used to place teams into leagues; few teams made a two-league jump for this season. Crean Lutheran senior Caden Jones is No. 1 on the Register’s list of Orange County quarterbacks and on the  Hot 150 list. He was the Epsilon League MVP last year when he completed 75 percent of his passes for 3,044 yards and 30 touchdowns with only one interception. Jones, also a starting guard on the Crean Lutheran boys basketball team,  is one of five Saints football players who have committed to Arizona. Senior receiver/defensive back Troy Roberts was the Bravo League offensive player of the year last season when he was at Yorba Linda. Senior running back Caleb Bey was Crean’s leading rusher last season with 735 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. Bey committed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Seniors Ty Johnson and Evan Mack, both Arizona commits, and Bey were All-Epsilon League first team last year. Crean Lutheran has four returning starters on the offensive line including All-Epsilon first-team senior Erick Cruz. Crean Lutheran picked up a couple of transfers, perhaps most notably Ahmeer Williamson, a senior linebacker from St. John Bosco. Crean coach Rick Curtis said Williamson made a valid change of residence that should allow Williamson to be eligible to play all season. The Saints have new faces in the secondary and on the defensive line. There is so much talent on this roster that any deficiencies likely will be unnoticeable.

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LA HABRA

What to expect: La Habra was in the Epsilon League the past two seasons, but now it’s in the Bravo League. The Highlanders have several stars back from last year’s team that won the CIF-SS Division 4 championship. Among them is Kevika Mata’utia Martinez, a senior running back who was last season’s Division 4 offensive player of the year when he rushed for 1,436 yards and 13 touchdowns. He is No. 14 on the Register’s Hot 150. Senior dual-threat quarterback DJ Mitchell Jr. provided 3,446 yards of total offense last year. Mitchell committed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Also back are two more All-CIF players, senior linebacker/tight end Barrett Blied and offensive lineman Luis Dolphin, a San Jose State commit. Senior receiver Blake Rogers, who committed to Southern Utah, had 47 receptions last year and averaged 19 yards per reception. Graduation took away many of La Habra’s outstanding offensive and defensive linemen from last season, so there is work to do there. The quality of teams in the Bravo League will be another challenge. La Habra, though, thrives in big-game pressure which is why the program has won eight CIF-SS championships under coach Frank Mazzotta.

TUSTIN

What to expect: The Tillers move up from the Delta League to the Bravo League. Last season they went 5-0 in league and finished 8-3 overall. Tustin has the high-quality and experienced athletes to make the transition successful and will be a contender for the Bravo League championship. Big and quick senior defensive tackle Jeremiah Williams (6-2, 310) is No. 3 in the Hot 150 rankings of Orange County’s top players. Williams had 24 tackles for loss last year when he was Delta League MVP. He also is an earth-moving running back in short-yardage situations. Williams scored seven touchdowns on 24 carries last season. Two-way lineman Jon Ioane, who committed to Washington, is the No. 5 player on the Hot 150 list. At No. 6 on that list is Taven Epps, an Oklahoma-committed senior linebacker who can also play tight end or be split wide as a receiver when needed. The Tillers might not need Epps much on offense because they have one of the county’s better receivers, junior Hayden Koo, who was All-Delta League first team last season when he had a team-high 53 receptions for 796 yards and seven touchdowns. Another Tiller standout is senior safety Khalil Terry who committed to UCLA. High-potential junior quarterback Ayden Edwards was All-Delta League last season. Tustin has not lost a league game since 2022. The Tillers have lost in the first round of the playoffs eight years in a row. This year’s team seems built to end that playoff losing streak.

VILLA PARK

What to expect: The Spartans finished third last year in the Bravo League with a 3-2 league record. Villa Park advanced to the CIF-SS Division 4 semifinals, where it lost to San Jacinto, 18-15. Defense often is a strength for the Spartans. That can be expected again this season. Anchoring the defense is senior linebacker Maverick DeClark. He was All-Orange County third team last season and was All-CIF. DeClark also plays rugby, so obviously he appreciates physical contact. Another Spartans star on defense is senior safety Sean Byrnes, an All-CIF selection a year ago. Byrnes, No. 89 on the Hot 150, committed to Idaho State. Junior Parker Johns was all-league first team last year as a linebacker. Johns also played tight end. Villa Park’s projected starter at quarterback is sophomore Jacob Titchenal (6-5, 195) who started one game last season. He might develop into a good one, but for now expect the Spartans offense to lean on its running game. Junior running back Coy Collins, whose namesake father was an All-County back at Loara in the 1990s, rushed for 522 yards in six games last season, averaging 8 yards a carry.

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