GAME OF THE WEEK
NO. 6 CORONA DEL MAR (3-0) VS. NEWPORT HARBOR (1-1)
Where, when: Newport Harbor High, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last time they met: Corona del Mar 34, Newport Harbor 14
Series: Newport Harbor leads, 38-14
Coaches: Corona del Mar, Scott Meyer (43-4); Newport Harbor, Jeff Brinkley (229-106-3)
Outlook: Newport Harbor had a six-game winning streak in the Battle of the Bay series end when Corona del Mar beat the Sailors last year. Corona del Mar beat every other team it played last year, too, as it won CIF section and state championships and finished 16-0. Corona del Mar got a big win last week against El Toro to extend its winning streak to 29 games, the longest intact streak in California. The Sea Kings will be without ace running back Cole Martin, who will likely miss three or four games because of a sprained knee. Improving quarterback Peter Bush, who rushed for 101 yards against El Toro, its deep receiving corps and splendid defense will have Corona del Mar ready for Newport Harbor. The Sailors, who advanced to a CIF championship game last year, last week lost to Palos Verdes of Palos Verdes Estates, 49-28. The days of Newport Harbor dominating this series don’t appear to be returning soon.
Winner: Corona del Mar
THURDAY
CYPRESS (2-0) VS. TROY (3-0)
Where, when: Fullerton High, 7 p.m.
Outlook: Cypress has one of the county’s better all-round players, Quinten Pounds, a terrific receiver, defensive back and returns guy. He visited Boise State last week and will take trips to Washington and Colorado later. One player can sometimes make a difference in high school football. Troy might be better, overall, than Cypress. The Warriors have an outstanding running attack led by Draytwoine Shaw and Nick Magee .
Winner: Troy
Also Thursday (all games 7 p.m.)
Canyon (0-2) vs. No. 7 Los Alamitos (2-0) at Veterans Stadium
Century (0-2) at Bolsa Grande (0-2)
Katella (1-1) vs. Loara (0-3) at Glover Stadium
Dana Hills (0-3) vs. Villa Park (1-1) at El Modena High
Santiago (3-0) vs. Santa Ana (1-1) at Santa Ana Stadium
Los Amigos (1-1) vs. Costa Mesa (0-3) at Estancia High
Sunny Hills (3-0) vs. Saddleback (1-2) at Segerstrom High
Palos Verdes of Palos Verdes Estates (1-2) vs. Foothill (1-1) at Tustin High
FRIDAY
ST. BONAVENTURE OF VENTURA (2-1) VS. NO. 4 JSERRA (3-0)
Where, when: Saddleback College, 7 p.m.
Outlook: We’ve been watching JSerra climb the ladder of respectability. This game represents a significant rung of that ladder. St. Bonaventure is ranked No. 13 in CalHiSports.com’s state rankings. JSerra is right there, at No. 14. It’s a home game for JSerra. That’s important. More important for the Lions would be another steady game from quarterback Nick Robinson and their best defensive effort of the year.
Winner: JSerra
LAGUNA HILLS (1-1) VS. WOODBRIDGE (1-2)
Where, when: University High, 7 p.m.
Outlook: Laguna Hills feels, and perhaps rightfully so, that it is a better fit in the Pacific Coast League with the likes of Woodbridge than it is as part of the 10-school Coast View Conference. So this is a good test of Laguna Hills’ theory. Woodbridge is tough to figure. The Warriors lost to El Modena two weeks ago before beating Garden Grove last week. Laguna Hills is equally perplexing. The Hawks beat Inglewood then lost to Northwood. It’s a coin-flip game.
Winner: Laguna Hills
GARDEN GROVE (1-1) VS. PACIFICA (1-1)
Where, when: Bolsa Grande High, 7 p.m.
Outlook: Pacifica ran the ball last week in a 34-14 win over Estancia that ended its five-game losing streak. Tommy Mercurio rushed for 64 yards and four touchdowns. Tirek Benjamin had 67 rushing yards and 43 receiving yards. Garden Grove opened with an impressive 21-0 win over Westminster then lost last week to Woodbridge, 26-20. If Garden Grove’s defense plays like it did against Westminster, it should win.
Winner: Garden Grove
YORBA LINDA (0-2) VS. FULLERTON (2-1)
Where, when: Fullerton High, 7 p.m.
Outlook: Yes, the Fryer top 25 looks whacky when an 0-2 team is at No. 19. The 0-2 Mustangs are No. 19. Look at the teams that have beaten Yorba Linda: Valencia, which is 2-0, and county No. 5 Orange Lutheran. The Mustangs scored only nine points over those two losses. Fullerton has one-sided wins over El Dorado and Kennedy, and lost by five points to Cypress. It looks like time for Yorba Linda quarterback Jake Gigliotti and the Mustangs to get it going.
Winner: Yorba Linda
UPLAND (2-1) VS. NO. 1 MATER DEI (2-0)
Where, when: Santa Ana Stadium, 7 p.m.
Outlook: Upland was No. 10 in CalHiSports.com’s state rankings when it lost to Tesoro last week. Whether that means Upland was overrated or that Tesoro is very good, we shall see. Mater Dei, No. 3 (behind, in order, St. John Bosco and De La Salle of Concord) in the state top 25 and No. 9 in High School Football America’s national top 25, is looking great and is coming off of its bye. The Monarchs beat Villa Park, 63-0, two weeks ago after beating state No. 9 Centennial of Corona by 20 points. It will be interesting to see if Mater Dei regresses or keeps rolling.
Winner: Mater Dei
NO. 3 SANTA MARGARITA (3-0) VS. BISHOP GORMAN OF LAS VEGAS (4-0)
Where, when: Bishop Gorman High, 7 p.m.
Outlook: Santa Margarita is better than most people expected. Junior quarterback KJ Costello is setting school records and the defensive end Rick Wade, who committed to UCLA, leads a fast and aggressive defense. Gorman’s Gaels defeated Servite, 48-27, on Aug. 29. They are No. 6 in High School Football America’s national rankings, and USA Today has them at No. 2 behind St. John Bosco. Gorman rallied to beat Centennial of Corona last week, 43-42. Gorman should win this home game.
Winner: Bishop Gorman
LAGUNA BEACH (1-1) VS. WESTMINSTER (1-1)
Where, when: Westminster High, 7 p.m.
Outlook: Laguna Beach cruised to a 33-point win over Bolsa Grande in the season opener. The Breakers lost by 27 to University last week. Westminster was shut out by Garden Grove, 21-0, in the its season opener. The Lions went off last week against Marina, 56-7. This won’t be decided by that sort of margin, but Westminster should win.
Winner: Westminster
NO. 8 EDISON (3-0) VS. NO. 2 SERVITE (2-1)
Where, when: Cerritos College, 7 p.m.
Outlook: It’s part one of Edison’s annual Servite-Mater Dei challenge. The Chargers’ three wins were not against teams remotely as good as the Friars. Servite opened with a loss to nationally ranked Bishop Gorman. Edison has to play perfectly, and Servite has to have a subpar night, for the Chargers to win. It’s true that anything can happen in football, especially high school football. It’s also true that Servite is just starting to get warmed up.
Winner: Servite
Also Friday (all games 7 p.m. unless noted)
Cabrillo of Long Beach (0-3) vs. No. 5 Orange Lutheran (2-1) at Orange Coast College
West Covina (2-1) at No. 9 Tesoro (2-1)
No. 10 Mission Viejo (1-2) at Norco (1-1)
Irvine (2-1) at Estancia (1-1)
Norwalk (2-1) at El Toro (2-1)
La Mirada (2-1) at La Habra (1-2)
El Dorado (0-2) at Valencia (2-0)
Western (1-1) at El Modena (1-1)
Godinez (0-3) at Segerstrom (0-3)
Marina (0-3) at San Juan Hills (1-2)
Brea Olinda (0-2) at Diamond Bar (2-1)
Atascadero (3-0) at San Clemente (3-0)
Sonora (3-0) at Don Lugo of Chino (2-1)
Moorpark (2-1) at Huntington Beach (0-3)
Aliso Niguel (1-2) at Long Beach Jordan (0-3)
Escondido Charter (0-3) at Sage Hill (1-2)
Whittier Christian (0-3) at St. Margaret’s (2-0)
Paloma Valley of Menifee (1-2) at Tustin (3-0)
Orange (0-3) vs. Savanna (1-1) at Glover Stadium
Kennedy (2-1) vs. Magnolia (2-1) at Western High
Fountain Valley (2-1) at Banning of Wilmington (3-0)
Fountain Valley (2-1) at Banning of Wilmington (3-0)
Ocean View (1-1) vs. La Quinta (1-1) Garden Grove High
Chula Vista Lutheran (0-3) at Crean Lutheran (3-0), 4 p.m.
Buena Park (3-0) vs. Esperanza (0-2) at Yorba Linda High
Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach (1-1) at Trabuco Hills (1-2)
Capistrano Valley (2-1) vs. Santa Monica (1-1) at Santa Monica College
Garey of Pomona (0-3) vs. Saddleback Valley Christian (2-0) at Aliso Niguel High
Brethren Christian (3-0) vs. Grace Brethren of Simi Valley (3-0) at Moorpark College, 7:30 p.m.
Linfield Christian of Temecula (1-2) vs. Capistrano Valley Christian (2-1) at Capistrano Valley High
8-man
St. Michael’s Prep (1-1) vs. Noli Indian of San Jacinto (3-0) at Soboba Oaks Ranch/San Jacinto, 6:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
(All games 7 p.m.)
San Joaquin League
Southlands Christian of Walnut (1-1, 0-0) vs. Fairmont Prep (1-2, 0-0) at Yorba Linda High
Nonleague
University (2-0) vs. Calvary Chapel (2-1) at Estancia High
Bellflower (3-0) vs. Santa Ana Valley (2-1) at Santa Ana Stadium
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
