GAME OF THE WEEK
NO. 7 LA HABRA (1-0) VS. NO. 14 TESORO (0-1)
Nonleague
Where, when: Tesoro High, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
TV: Prime Ticket, 8 p.m. (delayed)
Coaches: La Habra, Frank Mazzotta (174-55-1 at La Habra); Matt Poston (27-9 at Tesoro)
Last time they met: 2004, Tesoro 42, La Habra 25, in CIF-SS Division 9 semifinals.
Series: Tesoro leads, 1-0
Analysis: La Habra beat El Toro, 43-34, last week in a game that included seven lead changes. The Highlanders defense created five turnovers and running back Eli Anderson rushed for 124 yards and four touchdowns. In his varsity debut, La Habra quarterback Zach Fogel was 6 for 16. Expect Fogel to be more settled and accurate in this game. Tesoro lost to No. 8 Edison last week, 31-14. That was Edison’s second game, which gave the Chargers an advantage over Tesoro which had yet to play. Tesoro quarterbacks Chase Petersen and Aaron Angelos, who are both transers, were unable to play as their eligibility was being sorted out. Petersen gained eligibility this week. Long bus rides – La Habra to Tesoro is a long bus ride, even with the help of a toll road – can take some pizzazz out of high school athletes. But the thinking here is athletically superior La Habra might score as much as it did last week, and might not allow as many points as it did last week.
Winner: La Habra
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
THURSDAY
WOODBRIDGE (0-1) VS. EL MODENA (0-0)
Where, when: El Modena High, 7 p.m.
Analysis: Woodridge lost to Cypress, 20-14, last week. Cypress was 2-8 last year, and Woodbridge was 6-5. Woodbridge was predicted by Pacific Coast League coaches to be the second-best team in the Pacific Coast League, behind Corona del Mar. El Modena is coming off of a second straight solid season. The Vanguards went 8-5 last year. They have a new coach, Matt Mitchell, who is not all that new to El Modena, having been an assistant coach in recent years. El Modena has many players at key positions making their varsity debut. Woodbridge, with that game in hand and a week’s worth of fix-it practices behind them, have an advantage. El Modena might be able to carry over the momentum that’s been building the past couple of years.
Winner: El Modena
GODINEZ (0-0) VS. SANTA ANA (0-0)
Where, when: Santa Ana Stadium, 7 p.m.
Analysis: The new CIF-SS playoff format for football, in which teams are placed in a division based upon past performance, looks promising for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is that some schools now are in position to go far in the playoffs or even win a CIF-SS championship. Santa Ana and Godinez are two of those teams. Santa Ana is No. 1 in the Division 13 rankings that are compiled by coaches in the division. Godinez is No. 3 in Division 13. Is this, maybe, a playoffs preview? There are many intra-city games among Santa Ana public schools, and they all look like fun matchups, and the environment is far more sportsmanlike and friendlier than outsiders would expect. Coach Charlie TeGantvoort is doing a heck of a job at Santa Ana. This could be the start of a memorable year for the Saints.
Winner: Santa Ana
No. 25 Pacifica (0-0) vs. No. 18 Newport Harbor (0-0) at Orange Coast College, 7:30 p.m.
Long Beach Wilson (1-0) vs. No. 20 Fountain Valley (0-1) at Huntington Beach High
Kennedy (0-1) vs. Northwood (0-1) at Glover Stadium
No. 21 Troy (1-0) vs. El Dorado (0-0) at Valencia High
Loara (0-0) at Estancia (0-0)
Katella (1-0) at Western (1-0)
FRIDAY
No. 23 BREA OLINDA (0-0) VS. SONORA (0-1)
Where, when: La Habra High, 7 p.m.
Analysis: Brea Olinda had a terrific 2015 season in which it advanced to the Southern Division championship game. They are favored to win the North Hills League championship this year. Brea has 14 returning starters, including running back Michael Martinson who rushed for 1,085 yards last season and playmaking receiver Noah Rivera. The Wildcats’ defensive front seven should be high-quality, too. Sonora had one of its better seasons in a long time last year when it went 9-3. Sixteen starters from that team graduated. Sonora has a new coach, Daniel Morales, who knows something about winning. He was a quarterback and later assistant coach on some La Habra championship teams. Morales has a rebuilding project, at least a small-scale one, at Sonora.
Winner: Brea Olinda
WESTMINSTER (0-0) VS. GARDEN GROVE (1-0)
Where, when: Garden Grove High, 7 p.m.
Analysis: It has become a tradition that these two play each other in a nonleague game. Westminster beat Garden Grove, 27-26, last year in the first game of the season for both. Westminster has 15 returning starters. The Lions will have many two-way players, which can show up in the form of fourth-quarter fatigue in October but usually is not that much of a factor in the early weeks. Garden Grove soundly defeated Santa Ana Valley last week, 43-6. Joseph Camarillo rushed for 120 yards and three touchdowns. Fitu Lupematsila had two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, and was named the Register’s defensive player of the week. The Argonauts were not in the CIF-SS Division 8 preseason rankings, which they did not appreciate, but that win got them to No. 9 this week. Maybe they will think No. 9 is insulting, too.
Winner: Garden Grove
NO. 6 SAN CLEMENTE (0-1) VS. HUNTINGTON BEACH (1-0)
Where, when: Huntington Beach High, 7 p.m.
Analysis: San Clemente has lost two in a row, including last year’s last-play loss to La Habra in a CIF-SS championship game. The Tritons gave up too many points last week in a 51-42 home loss to Oceanside. San Clemente quarterback Jack Sears rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns and threw two touchdown passes. Oceanside historically is a terrific football team, and is No. 4 in the San Diego County rankings this week. But San Clemente is too good to give up 51 points to anyone. The Tritons might not want Sears to lead the team in carries (he had 20), and running back Brandon Reaves must be more involved than the five receptions and seven carries he had against Oceanside. Huntington Beach beat West Adams Prep of Los Angeles, 43-0, in Brett Brown’s debut as Oilers coach last week. Junior quarterback Nick Welch threw two touchdown passes and defensive end Derek Thomas, All-Sunset League last year, had five sacks. San Clemente will score plenty against Huntington Beach and will be much better on defense.
Winner: San Clemente
FOOTHILL (0-1) VS. NO. 16 TUSTIN (1-0)
Where, when: Tustin High, 7 p.m.
Analysis: Foothill took the big trip north last week and lost at Atascadero, 36-24. Knights quarterback Bobby Garcia threw two touchdowns passes but was intercepted twice. That was Garcia’s varsity debut, so expect improvement. Tustin beat Dominguez of Compton, 39-20. Kenneth Carr rushed for 233 yards and four touchdowns on only 12 carries. That sort of thing happens in Tustin coach Myron Miller’s double-wing offense. Expect more of that in this game. Northrup Field, on the Tustin campus, is the home stadium for both schools. Tustin is the home team. Knowing which side of the field to sit on is important in rivalry games.
Winner: Tustin
CREAN LUTHERAN (1-0) VS. SADDLEBACK VALLEY CHRISTIAN (1-0)
Where, when: Laguna Hills High, 7 p.m.
Analysis: The quality of small schools football in Orange County keeps rising. These are two of the better small, private-school programs in Southern California. They met in last year’s East Valley Division semifinals in which Saddleback Valley Christian defeated the Saints, 20-14. The Warriors went on to win the division title. Crean Lutheran last week beat Calvary Chapel, 35-14, as receiver Patrick McNerney had four touchdown receptions. Saddleback Valley Christian had a 23-point lead at halftime and held on to beat Northwood, 44-37, last week. Senior quarterback Cade Henjum threw for 212 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Crean Lutheran is No. 4 in the Division 11 top 10. Saddleback Valley Christian is not in the Division 8 top 10. Maybe SVC will pop in there next week after this high-scoring win.
Winner: Saddleback Valley Christian
BISHOP AMAT OF LA PUENTE (0-1) VS. NO. 4 SERVITE (1-0)
Where, when: Cerritos College, 7 p.m.
Analysis: Bishop Amat gets another Trinity League opponent this week. The Lancers were ambushed last week by Mater Dei, 63-14. Servite hammered Fountain Valley, 44-0. It is difficult to evaluate Servite’s win. Fountain Valley had a challenging offseason, losing its coach and then losing a replacement coach before securing Jimmy Nolan to coach the team. Fountain Valley generally has good football players and Servite beat them easily. Servite quarterback Tyler Lytle, who committed to Colorado, threw for 241 yards and a touchdown. The Friars dropped six of his catchable passes. Whatever Mater Dei exploited to score 63 points against Bishop Amat has been studied by the Servite coaching staff. The Friars won’t beat Amat by 49 points, but they should win.
Winner: Servite
OAK HILLS OF HESPERIA (1-0) VS. NO. 2 MISSION VIEJO (1-0)
Where, when: Mission Viejo High, 8 p.m.
Analysis: This is part of of the three-day, six-game Honor Bowl showcase that benefits military veterans. Oak Hills was Eastern Division champion last year. The Bulldogs last week beat Pomona, 40-7. Mission Viejo, winner of back-to-back CIF-SS titles and a state champion last season, extended its winning streak to 29 games last week with a 48-21 win over Santa Margarita. Diablos quarterback Matt McDonald threw for 379 yards and five touchdowns. Olaijah Griffin and Austin Osborne had two touchdown catches each. Mission Viejo was confident from the start. If that confidence becomes cockiness, the Diablos could be in trouble in this one. If they are as business-like, as they were against Santa Margarita, they will win again by a large margin.
Winner: Mission Viejo
Mayfair of Lakewood (0-1) vs. No. 1 Mater Dei (1-0) at Santa Ana Stadium
Crespi of Encino (1-0) at No. 3 Orange Lutheran (0-1) at Orange Coast College
Loyola of Los Angeles (1-0) vs. No. 5 Santa Margarita (0-1) at Saddleback College
No. 9 Villa Park (0-0) at La Quinta of La Quinta (0-0), 8 p.m.
No. 10 JSerra (1-0) at Alemany of Mission Hills (1-0)
No. 11 Buena Park (1-0) at Paramount (0-0)
Paraclete of Lancaster (0-1) at No. 12 Los Alamitos (0-1), 5 p.m.
No. 13 Corona del Mar (0-1) at Los Gatos (1-0)
No. 14 El Toro (0-1) at Eastlake of Chula Vista (0-1)
El Rancho of Pico Rivera (0-1) at No. 17 Capistrano Valley (1-0)
No. 19 Trabuco Hills (1-0) at Fullerton (0-0)
No. 22 San Juan Hills (1-0) vs. Canyon (0-1) at El Modena High
No. 24 Laguna Hills (0-0) at University (0-0)
Aliso Niguel (1-0) at North Torrance (0-1)
Cerritos (0-0) at Bolsa Grande (0-1)
Santiago (0-1) at Costa Mesa (0-1)
Esperanza (0-0) at Irvine (0-0)
La Quinta (0-0) at Laguna Beach (1-0)
Saddleback (0-0) at Segerstrom (1-0)
Yorba Linda (0-0) at Valencia (0-1)
Beckman (0-0) at Santa Ana Valley (0-1)
Magnolia (0-1) at Artesia of Lakewood (1-0)
Firebaugh of Lynwood (0-1) at Century (0-0)
Dana Hills (0-1) vs. Sunny Hills (1-0) at Buena Park High
Ocean View (0-1) vs. Marina (1-0) at Westminster High
Rancho Alamitos (0-0) vs. Savanna (0-0) at Glover Stadium
Santa Monica (0-1) vs. Cypress (1-0) at Western High
Calvary Chapel (0-1) at St. Margaret’s (1-0)
Boron (0-1) vs. Brethren Christian (1-0) at Ocean View High
Rio Hondo Prep of Arcadia (0-0) vs. Fairmont Prep (0-1) at Yorba Linda High
Rancho Christian of Temecula (1-0) vs. Whittier Christian (1-0) at Whittier College
Riverside Prep of Oro Grande (0-1) vs. Capistrano Valley Christian (0-1) at San Clemente High
8-man
St. Michael’s Prep (0-0) at Sage Hill (0-1)
SATURDAY
Anaheim (0-0) vs. Orange (1-0) at El Modena High
Fryer on Football last week: 9-1
Contact the writer: sfryer@scng.com
