GAME OF THE WEEK
NO. 6 EDISON (5-1 overall, 1-0 league) VS. NO. 9 LOS ALAMITOS (4-2, 1-0)
Where, when: Veterans Stadium, Long Beach, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Live coverage: Prime Ticket
Coaches: Edison, Dave White (230-118-3 at Edison); Los Alamitos, Ray Fenton (4-2 at Los Alamitos)
Last time they met: 2015, Edison won, 17-14
Series: Los Alamitos leads, 18-9-1
Analysis: As there is a deep drop after the top two teams in the Sunset League, this game is for the league championship. It usually is. Edison or Los Alamitos has been the Sunset League champion the past 10 years and for 14 of the past 15 years. Edison won the league title last season. Edison, ranked No. 2 in CIF-Southern Section Division 3, behind La Mirada, beat Newport Harbor, 48-7, in a league opener last week. The Chargers also have wins over O.C. No. 11 San Juan Hills, 24-17, and No. 13 Tesoro, 31-14. Their loss was to top-ranked Mater Dei, 42-0. Junior running back Jack Carmichael ran for four touchdowns in the win over Newport Harbor. Senior receiver Shaun Colamonico got off to a great starter, with 22 receptions over four games, but has been out of the lineup of late because of a leg injury. E.J. Ginnis had six catches for 106 yards last week and had seven for 129 yards against San Juan Hills. Junior quarterback Griffin O’Connor has thrown for 1,150 yards and 12 touchdowns while completing 59 percent of his passes. Los Alamitos, No. 7 in Division 3, has a new coach, Ray Fenton, who replaced ultra-successful John Barnes who retired after the 2015 season. The Griffins beat Marina, 47-0, in a league opener last week. They also have a win over O.C. No. 14 La Habra. Their losses were to teams that have been in the California top 25, JSerra and Long Beach Poly. Dylan Laurent has been a superb two-way player for the Griffins as a running back and defensive back. They line up Laurent in various slots on offense and try to get him the ball however they can. Defensive end Joey Noble has been outstanding. Noble was OC Varsity’s defensive player of the week four weeks ago when he recorded three sacks, had seven solo tackles and caused a fumble against La Habra. This could be a close game. Both teams are quick defensively and creative offensively. It’s going to be about big plays. Los Alamitos might make more of them.
Winner: Los Alamitos
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
THURSDAY
NO. 12 CORONA DEL MAR (5-1, 1-0) VS. BECKMAN (3-3, 1-0)
Where, when: Tustin High, 7 p.m.
Analysis: In Pacific Coast League openers last week, Beckman handed University its first loss of 2016, 24-21, and Corona del Mar cruised to a 45-7 win over Woodbridge. Woodbridge was anticipated to be Corona del Mar’s top challenger in the Pacific Coast League. With its win over University, Beckman now is that challenger. To make it a successful challenge, Beckman has to get after Corona del Mar quarterback Chase Garbers. The Cal-committed senior has completed 72 percent of his passes for 1,662 yards and 18 touchdowns with zero interceptions. Junior mega-athletic receiver Tae Le at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds is a matchup nightmare for most opponents. He has 10 touchdown receptions. The Garbers-Le connection could be active again against the Patriots.
Winner: Corona del Mar
NO. 17 FOOTHILL (5-1) VS. NO. 18 EL MODENA (5-1)
Where, when: El Modena High, 7 p.m.
Analysis: It’s the final nonleague game for both. El Modena and Foothill are in the eight-team Century Conference that divides the eight teams into its Crestview and North Hills leagues. Foothill is in the higher Crestview League, North Hills in the lower North Hills. Those designations have not meant much to El Modena, which is 2-1 against Crestview teams – wins over Yorba Linda and Canyon and a loss to O.C. No. 10 Villa Park. Foothill is 3-0 in these cross-conference games with wins over Brea Olinda, Esperanza and El Dorado. The Knights’ best win this season is a 13-0 triumph over Tustin. Foothill has a terrific quarterback in Bobby Garcia (10 touchdown passes, four touchdown runs). El Modena’s Dillon Keefe has been a standout two-way player at running back (496 yards, nine touchdowns) and linebacker (36 tackles). Whichever team is most into this game, and is not looking ahead to next week’s league opener, is going to win it. El Modena, perhaps feeling it still has to prove itself, could be that team.
Winner: El Modena
Empire League
Kennedy (4-2, 1-0) at Valencia (1-5, 1-0)
Garden Grove League
Santiago (1-5, 0-1) at Garden Grove (4-2, 1-0)
Golden West League
Santa Ana (6-0, 1-0) vs. Loara (1-5, 0-1) at Glover Stadium
Orange League
Anaheim (2-4, 1-0) vs. Katella (6-0, 1-0) at Western High
Orange Coast League
Calvary Chapel (1-5, 1-0) at Estancia (1-5, 0-1)
FRIDAY
SEGERSTROM (6-0, 1-0) VS. ORANGE (5-1, 0-1)
Where, when: El Modena High, 7 p.m.
Analysis: The Golden West League standings look different today than they did on Monday. Orange notified the CIF-SS on Wednesday that it has forfeited last week’s 31-29 win over Santa Ana because it used an ineligible player in that game. Orange will be angry in this one. A good team like Orange that is angry is a difficult team to beat. Segerstrom runs the ball well, as one might figure since Jaguars first-year coach Joseph Tagaloa was an ace running back at Saddleback. The Jags’ Denilson Santamaria has rushed for 638 yards and six touchdowns, with averages of 106 yards a game and 8 yards a carry. Orange quarterback Miguel Orendain is a passing and running threat. The difference-maker in this game will be Orange’s defense and interior linemen, which will come into this one with some attitude.
Winner: Orange
SUNNY HILLS (5-1, 1-0) VS. NO. 23 TROY (4-2, 0-1)
Where, when: Fullerton High, 7 p.m.
Analysis: Sunny Hills has been on an upward trajectory the past couple of years. The Lancers beat Fullerton, 21-7, in a Freeway League opener last week as Alex Jung fushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns. He is third in Orange County rushing with 1,030 yards. Brandon Castelo has rushed for 823 yards. Troy lost to defending FreewayLeague champion and league favorite La Habra, 24-10, last week. With Josiah Norwood at quarterback, Troy has the more versatile offense. The Warriors have played the superior schedule, too. A team gets better when it plays better competition.
Winner: Troy
NO. 20 EL TORO (2-5, 1-0) VS. NO. 16 CAPISTRANO VALLEY (6-1, 1-0)
Where, when: Capistrano Valley High, 7 p.m.
Analysis: Both teams handily won their Sea View League openers last week. El Toro beat Aliso Niguel, 63-28. Capistrano Valley beat Laguna Hills, 40-3. Two of the county’s better quarterbacks will duel in this game. El Toro’s Cooper Jones passes for 344 yards and four touchdowns last week. Capo Valley’s Kevin Brown threw four touchdown passes against Aliso Niguel. Jones’ 2,019 yards passing is third most in Orange County. Brown’s 1,784 yards is the fifth-highest figure. El Toro was the league’s preseason favorite, and perhaps should still be. The Chargers’ 2-5 record includes losses to La Habra, Tesoro, Mission Viejo and Corona del Mar – all high-quality county teams. Whoever wins this one is going to be Sea View champion. The feeling here is that El Toro’s defense is going to do a better job on Brown than Capo’s defense will do against Jones.
Winner: El Toro
NO. 11 SAN JUAN HILLS (6-1, 1-0) VS. NO. 2 MISSION VIEJO (7-0, 1-0)
Where, when: Mission Viejo High, 7 p.m,.
Analysis: There is always a chance that a great team like Mission Viejo, riding high and super-confident, might sleepwalk into a game and not wake up until it’s too late. If that happens Friday in this South Coast League game, San Juan Hills has the potential to take advantage. The Stallions’ only loss was to Edison by one touchdown. They beat Capistrano Valley and last week slammed Trabuco Hills, 47-14, in a league opener. The Diablos have smothered their competition, including a 41-0 win over Tesoro in league play last week. Their skill players. which include quarterback Matt McDonald, running back Colin Schooler and several great receivers, make the Diablos almost impossible to outscore. Mission Viejo coach Bob Johnson and his staff of several college- and pro-experienced ex-players can tell the Diablos players about a game or two in their careers in which their teams inexplicably were upset. If those players comprehend that, Mission Viejo moves to 8-0.
Winner: Mission Viejo
NO. 8 SAN CLEMENTE (4-2, 0-0) VS. NO. 13 TESORO (4-3, 0-1)
Where, when: Tesoro High, 7 p.m.
Live coverage: foxsports.com/west/prepzone-stream
Analysis: According to the CIF-SS, only the top two teams in a five-team league like the South Coast League receive guaranteed playoff berths. And that guarantee might not be genuine, if in a playoff division there are enough No. 1 teams and an abundance of superior No. 2 teams to keep a not-as-good No. 2 team out of a division’s 16-team bracket. So this is a huge game. San Clemente has played four non-county opponents which always makes it challenging to figure out how good a team truly is. The Tritons’ losses were to two fine teams, Oceanside (5-1) and La Mirada (5-2), which defeated Orange Lutheran. San Clemente quarterback Jack Sears has passed for 817 yards and 15 touchdowns with zero interceptions. Running back Brandon Reaves, the Darren Sproles of Orange County football, has 268 yards receiving and four touchdowns receiving and 298 yards and two touchdowns rushing. Tesoro has lost back-to-back games to Notre Dame of Riverside and to Mission Viejo in last week’s South Coast opener. Quarterback Chase Petersen did not play against Mission Viejo last week because of injury, but likely is back for this game. He averages 166 passing yards a game. Tesoro can win a close game, as proven by the Titans’ two overtime victories. But it looks like San Clemente’s offensive firepower will make this a Tritons win.
Winner: San Clemente
NO. 6 SERVITE (3-3, 0-1) VS. NO. 4 JSERRA (4-2, 0-1)
Where, when: Saddleback College, 7 p.m.
Analysis: It is settled – Mater Dei and St. John Bosco are the two best teams in the Trinity League. That leaves the league’s other four, JSerra, Orange Lutheran, Santa Margarita and Servite, vying for the league’s third and final guaranteed playoff berth. The Trinity’s No. 4 team would be eligible for at-large berth consideration if it has the mandatory .500-or-better overall record. Notice that Servite is 3-3 and JSerra is 4-2, and that quest for .500 makes this game larger still. JSerra’s lack of depth might show in coming weeks, but not quite yet. With quarterback Matt Robinson leading a quick-strike offense and with its quick defense, JSerra has the edge.
Winner: JSerra
NO. 3 ORANGE LUTHERAN (4-2, 1-0) VS. NO. 1 MATER DEI (6-0, 1-0)
Where, when: Santa Ana Stadium, 7 p.m.
Live coverage: foxsports.com/west/prepzone-stream
Analysis: Mater Dei also has to avoid sleepwalking into its matchup. The Monarchs have every reason to be enormously confident, with its 57 points a game and 51-point average margin of victory. Everyone knows that quarterback JT Daniels and his receivers can score on any pass in their playbook, and that the Monarchs defense seems like it has 14 players on the field. Still, Lutheran got a confidence boost last week with its 30-29 overtime win over JSerra. If the Lancers play a perfect game and Mater Dei is thinking ahead to next week’s game against St. John Bosco, an upset can occur. Much more probable, though, is that Mater Dei is too business-like for that happen.
Winner: Mater Dei
Empire League
No. 22 Cypress (4-2, 0-1) at Western (2-3-1, 0-1)
Pacifica (3-3, 0-1) at No. 18 Tustin (5-1, 1-0)
Freeway League
Fullerton (3-3, 0-1) at No. 16 Buena Park (5-1, 1-0)
Sonora (0-6, 0-1) at No. 16 La Habra (3-3, 1-0)
Garden Grove League
Bolsa Grande (1-5, 0-1) vs. Los Amigos (3-3, 0-1) at Garden Grove High
Rancho Alamitos (4-2, 1-0) vs. La Quinta (5-1, 1-0) at Bolsa Grande High
Golden West League
Westminster (2-4, 0-1) at Ocean View (4-2, 1-0)
Olympic League
Maranatha of Pasadena (2-3-1, 0-1) vs. Whittier Christian (4-3, 0-1) at Whittier College
Orange League
Magnolia (0-6, 0-1) at Santa Ana Valley (3-3, 1-0)
Century (1-5, 0-1) vs. Savanna (3-3, 0-1) at Glover Stadium
Orange Coast League
Godinez (2-4, 1-0) vs. Saddleback (3-3, 1-0) at Segerstrom High
Laguna Beach (2-4, 0-1) at Costa Mesa (0-6, 0-1)
Pacific Coast League
Woodbridge (2-4, 0-1) at Irvine (1-4-1, 0-1)
Northwood (1-5, 1-0) at University (5-1, 0-1)
San Joaquin League
Fairmont Prep (3-2, 1-0) vs. Saddleback Valley Christian (3-3, 1-0) at Trabuco Hills High
Santa Clarita Christian (2-4, 1-0) vs. Capistrano Valley Christian (2-4, 0-1) at San Clemente High
Sea View League
Dana Hills (1-5, 0-0) at Laguna Hills (3-3, 0-1)
Sunset League
No. 24 Newport Harbor (2-4, 0-1) vs. Fountain Valley (1-5, 0-1) at Huntington Beach High
No. 25 Huntington Beach (3-3, 1-0) vs. Marina (3-3, 0-1) at Westminster High
Trinity League
No. 5 Santa Margarita (4-2, 0-1) vs. St. John Bosco (5-1, 1-0) at Cerritos College
Nonleague
No. 10 Villa Park (5-1) at Brea Olinda (3-3)
Canyon (2-4) vs. El Dorado (2-4) at Valencia High
Esperanza (1-5) at Yorba Linda (5-1)
SATURDAY
Nonleague
St. Margaret’s (6-1) at Nordhoff of Ojai (2-4), 6 p.m.
Fryer’s predictions last week: 8-2
Season to date: 55-15
Contact the writer: sfryer@scng.com
