OCVarsity’s scouting report for the Trinity League:
OC VARSITY PREDICTS
1. St. John Bosco: The Braves lead the league in team speed, and that is especially evident in the best area to have it – on defense.
2. Mater Dei: This could be the best Monarchs team in several years. But is that good enough to beat Bosco and win the league title?
3. Orange Lutheran: There is a significant drop-off from the Trinity’s two best teams to the next four. The Lancers might be the best of the rest, albeit by a slim margin.
4. Santa Margarita: The coach is new to the program and so are a few key players, so this could be a transition year for the Eagles.
5. Servite: The Friars will rely upon their splendid quarterback, Tyler Lytle, and their usual large supply of team spirit. But they are longshots to finish among the league’s top three teams.
6. JSerra: This is a talented team but a young team, and young teams usually have a tough time in a league as great as the Trinity League.
LEAGUE COACHES POLL
1. St. John Bosco, 34 points (4)
2. Mater Dei, 32 (2)
3. Orange Lutheran, 22
4. Santa Margarita, 15
5. Servite, 12
6. JSerra, 11
How the poll works: The coaches do the voting. First-place votes (shown in parentheses) are worth 6 points, second are worth 5, etc.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT
Osiris St. Brown, Mater Dei: In a league full of outstanding skill-position players, St. Brown might be as good as any of them. St. Brown (6-1, 178) as a junior in 2015 had team highs of 43 receptions, 884 receiving yards and 12 touchdown catches. Many of those receptions were spectacular. Just throw the ball his general direction, and St. Brown somehow will have the football. He committed to Stanford.
OTHER IMPACT PLAYERS
Riley O’Brien, JSerra, WR/DB: He spent some time at quarterback last season, but this year the Lions are relying solely on Matt Robinson. O’Brien will be to JSerra what Christian McCaffrey is to Stanford – get him the ball as much as possible.
Austin Liles, Orange Lutheran, WR: Liles, who committed to San Jose State, had a fine junior year and is poised for an even better senior year.
Grant Calcaterra, Santa Margarita, WR: Living up to the tradition of outstanding Eagles receivers, Calcaterra, who committed to Oklahoma, will be one of the top receivers in the Southern Section.
Tyler Lytle, Servite, QB: This is one of those “he makes everybody around him better” quarterbacks, not only because of his talent but also because of his leadership.
Terrell Bynum, St. John Bosco, WR: He was splendid at Servite last season, and will make great contributions to the Bosco offense that will be one of the top units in the state.
MUST-SEE GAMES
Santa Margarita at Mission Viejo, Aug. 26: This is a great season opener. It has two teams in the Orange County top 5, a new coach (Santa Margarita’s Rich Fisher) against a living-legend coach (Mission Viejo’s Bob Johnson), and the always-fun private school vs. public school angle.
Orange Lutheran at Centennial of Corona, Sept. 9: The Lancers get a tough test playing on the road against last year’s Pac-5 Division champions that finished 14-1.
De La Salle of Concord vs. Servite at Cerritos College, Sept. 9: It’s always fun when the great De La Salle of Concord program makes an Orange County visit. We also get a look at how Servite can handle a tough opponent … and this won’t be Servite’s only tough opponent in 2016.
Servite vs. JSerra at Saddleback College, Oct. 14: This one, in the second week of league play, is practically a sink-or-swim game for both teams as it looks to be the most “win-able” league game for both teams.
Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco at Cerritos College, Oct. 21: The league championship likely will be on the line in this one. So will state rankings. National rankings, too.
RELATED LINKS
Contact the writer: sfryer@scng.com
