Fryer on football: No hard feelings after rout
Mission Viejo 84, Aliso Niguel 22
A look at that score and somebody is going think somebody ran up the score. Not so, said one of the team's coaches – Aliso Niguel coach Kurt Westling.
"Mission did not run it up at all," Westling said. "We gave them 42 points in the first half, with four interceptions that were returned for touchdowns or set up touchdowns. We fumbled away a kickoff that they recovered at our 2-yard line and we had a bad snap on a punt."
What about a Mission Viejo touchdown pass in the fourth quarter?
"They threw a little slant to one of their JV guys who got into the game, and he broke it for a long (43-yard) run."
Westling said Mission Viejo was playing second and then third-string players in the second half.
We've seen it happen, with Mission Viejo and Tustin and more teams that sometimes win by huge margins. Some third-string running back gets a rare carry, goes up the middle, the huge hole is there and the back runs with crazy excitement for the only touchdown of his life.
STANTON INJURED; NOW WHAT?
Santa Margarita has lost All-Orange County quarterback Johnny Stanton for the season. Stanton tore an anterior cruciate ligament, the stabilizing ligament in a knee.
The surgery to repair it has the dramatic title "knee reconstruction" for a reason.
Stanton played most or all of the Eagles' 35-27 victory over St. Bonaventure of Ventura with the torn ACL, displaying an amazing amount of commitment and resolve.
The good news for Santa Margarita is that it has a bye this week before playing Servite in a Trinity League opener Oct. 5. That gives Eagles coach Harry Welch and staff time to tab a starting quarterback from a good group that includes junior Josh Canty and sophomore Kyle Sweet.
"I would lean toward Josh Canty if we had a game today," Welch said. "Kyle Sweet is very talented. And we have a freshman who I think is going to be an absolute phenom."
That freshman is 6-foot-3 Kevin Costello, a terrific athlete who also is a very good basketball player. Several years ago, Servite was beaten by a league team with a freshman quarterback – Mater Dei and Matt Barkley.
THE O.C. TOP 10
Servite is 1-3 and coming off of a second straight shut out loss, and this one by a 42-0 score. Servite still is in the Orange County top 10.
Trinity League bias?
No, strength of schedule bias.
The 42-0 loss was to Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas, which is No. 22 in ESPN's national rankings. The previous loss, 6-0, was to Edison, which is ranked No. 23 in California. Servite beat Rancho Cucamonga when Rancho Cucamonga was No. 10 in the state.
The combined record of Servite's opponents is 14-3-1. No other county team comes close to playing a schedule that challenging.
Thirteen county teams are undefeated, and seven of them are in the top 10 above Servite. The other six? If they played Servite's schedule they would be 0-4 with 42-0 losses commonplace.
The combined record of 5-0 San Juan Hills' opponents is 8-16. JSerra (4-0) has played teams that are 5-14.
We could go on.
TUSTIN: EMPIRE LEAGUE CHAMPS
That is jumping to a conclusion, but it's not that much of a leap. The Tillers last week handily beat Yorba Linda, 40-7. Yorba Linda probably is Tustin's top challenger in the Empire League.
Tustin's remaining five league games are against teams that are a combined 12-11. The Tillers probably will be 10-0 when the regular season ends.
The best teams in the Southwest Division are Edison and Tustin. The next tier is occupied by Los Alamitos, Foothill and Villa Park. La Habra is best of the rest.
MOVES LIKE JAGUARS
Segerstrom solidified its position as the team to beat in the Southern Division on Friday with a 47-28 victory over Woodbridge.
The Jaguars were No. 1 in the division rankings and Woodbridge was No. 3 going into the game.
Segerstrom is averaging 45 points a game, fueled by the running back tandem of David Perkins and Sonny Roa. Perkins rushed for 218 yards and five touchdowns against Woodbridge. Roa ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
Both are averaging more than 12 yards a carry this season.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
It's a weak week. Many teams taking their byes this week with most county leagues beginning league play next week.
The best of what's available: Aliso Niguel vs. Woodbridge at Irvine High, Thursday (both coming off of tough losses); Mater Dei at Narbonne of Harbor City, Friday (Narbonne is 4-0 and was ranked No. 5 in California last week); Redlands East Valley at Mission Viejo, Friday (REV is 1-2, but the two losses are to Vista Murrieta, No. 3 in the state, and St. Bonaventure, No. 9); Trabuco Hills vs. JSerra at Saddleback College, Friday (teams that are good enough to win the championships of some leagues, but might not win a playoff berth in theirs); and Edison at San Clemente, Friday (Edison is very good; injuries have wounded San Clemente).
