Much has been made about the improved depth of the Freeway League this season, and it’s plenty warranted.
Buena Park, Sonora and Sunny Hills are all off to 4-0 starts. Troy is a game behind at 3-1, while a 2-2 Fullerton squad currently sits in fifth place.
“I think this might be one of the best, well-rounded collection of teams that we’ve had in the league in a while,” Sonora coach Paul Chiotti said earlier in the week. “You’ve got a lot of teams this year that are ready to contend.”
For the past seven seasons, the team everyone has been chasing is La Habra. The Highlanders, however, are currently the only Freeway League team with a losing record (1-3).
While they’ve played a loaded preseason schedule against some top-notch offensive squads, La Habra’s defense has struggled to this point. In losses to El Toro, Mission Viejo and La Mirada, the Highlanders defensive unit has allowed just over 48 points per game.
In order to make it eight straight league championships, that number will have to improve before the second half of the season. Of its league foes, only Fullerton is averaging less than 30 points a game (29).
La Habra hosts another talented opponent in Colony of Ontario (3-1) on Friday night, the top-ranked team in the Central Division. While a win still keeps the Highlanders below .500 on the season, an inspired defensive showing would set the tone for the final five games of the year.
FACING FAMILIAR FOES
The Century League made a compelling case in recent years as being one of the most fun leagues in Orange County to watch week after week.
Because it was formerly made up of seven squads, Week 4 usually served as the weekend Century League play got underway.
Looking at this week’s slate of games, there are several familiar matchups: Brea Olinda at Foothill, Canyon at Esperanza and Villa Park at El Modena.
While all these schools are apart of the new eight-team Century Conference, no longer are these game considered league matchups. With the addition of Yorba Linda High, the conference has been split up into two separate four-team leagues: the North Hills League and the Crestview League.
To maintain the rivalries built up throughout the last several seasons, the North Hills and Crestview League teams have kept one another on their schedules.
So while the playoff landscape of the two newest leagues in Orange County won’t start taking shape until Week 8, fans will still be treated to some old-time Century League battles for the next month.
A DEEP GARDEN GROVE LEAGUE
Looking at the latest CIF Southern Division poll, four teams from the Garden Grove League are currently ranked in the top-10.
Top-ranked Garden Grove has been a staple in the division’s rankings for the past several seasons, but its league mates – Los Amigos, Rancho Alamitos and Santiago – are surprising inclusions this deep into the season.
The Lobos (2-1) come into this week ranked at No 5, the Vaqueros (2-1) sit at No. 7, while the Cavaliers made their debut this week at No. 10.
Santiago’s 4-0 start has been one of the better stories in the county as Brandon Croft’s team has not won four games in a season since 2010. Senior running back Junior Ortega has had a lot to do with the early success, averaging over 110 yards rushing per game.
With the Cavaliers currently on their bye week, they’ll have an extra week to prepare for their final nonleague game against Savanna (1-2). With a win against the struggling Rebels next week, Santiago would be off to its first 5-0 start in over a decade.
DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME
This very well could be the best crop of quarterbacks Orange County has ever seen.
We’ll see another matchup of top signal callers on Friday night when USC commit Sam Darnold and his San Clemente squad travel to Newport Harbor to take on a Sailors team coming off of a tough 10-point loss to rival Corona del Mar in the annual Battle of the Bay.
Because his team is currently 1-2, Cole Norris’ name has gone under the radar this season when discussing some of the top field generals. In last week’s game against CdM and its daunting defense, Norris was the best player on the field, extending countless plays with his feet, and threading the needle on numerous occasions.
Despite being without his top two targets from a season ago, the Sailors senior quarterback is still completing 68-percent of his passes for 225 yards a game, both good enough for top-10 in the county.
Newport Harbor showed a lot of heart in its loss to the streaking Sea Kings. With Norris still building chemistry with a young group of receivers, look for the Sailors to steadily improve over the second half of the year.
