PREVIEWS AND PREDICTIONS: CIFSS WEEK 4 EDITION

Week 4 of the CIF Southern Section season is here, and JPWest Media’s coverage slate runs from a pair of unbeatens meet on Thursday night at Davidson Field to Friday lights at Cap Sheue Field, SoFi Stadium, Santa Ana Stadium, Saddleback College, and San Juan Hills High School. The Game of the Week puts No. 10 Yorba Linda across town at Huntington Beach in a 4-0 vs. 4-0 Orange County heavyweight, while Bishop Gorman rolls in from Las Vegas and Norco tests the No. 1 Eagles.

La Serna (4-0) @ #15 Corona del Mar (4-0)
Thursday, Sept. 17, 7 PM — Davidson Field (Newport Harbor High School, Newport Beach, CA)
Photographer: Joey Gray
Videographer: Tank Valenzuela

PREVIEW:
Two unbeaten programs reopen a championship chapter Thursday night on the bay.

These two last met in the CIF-SS Division 3 Championship, when La Serna walked away with a 48-28 win. The rematch lands at Davidson Field with both teams 4-0 and no nonleague margin for error.

Corona del Mar moved to No. 15 after winning the 65th Battle of the Bay, 16-6, last Thursday. The Sea Kings defense again decided it. Senior defensive lineman Troy Merriman had three sacks. Zack Cox led the tackle chart with nine. Nate Rothman intercepted a pass, and the front finished with six sacks. Junior quarterback John David Annett was efficient at 14-of-17 for 148 yards and a touchdown. Junior Trejan Nixon carried 21 times for 96 yards and a score. Junior JJ Haley caught four balls for 68 yards and the receiving touchdown. Two-way junior Nolan Scott added two catches and six tackles. Tucker Murray had 42 receiving yards and a 31-yard kickoff return.

La Serna is 4-0 after a 45-6 handling of Northview last Thursday. Senior quarterback Grady Long completed 6 of 10 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns and added a rushing score. Senior Landon Armenta caught four balls for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Kenai Summage had a 69-yard scoring catch. Sophomore Renzo Rowan punched in a rushing touchdown. Senior Etoagwara Onyenegecha returned a fumble 38 yards for a score. The Lancer defense forced four fumbles and recorded four sacks, with senior Jacob Bonilla posting 13 tackles and three tackles for loss.

CDM has the ranked résumé, the home stadium, and a defense that has now held Edison to seven and Newport Harbor to six in consecutive weeks. La Serna has the championship tape and the more explosive offensive night from last Thursday. Red-zone execution and whether Long can stay clean against Merriman and the Sea Kings’ front decide who leaves the bay 5-0.

PREDICTION:
JP’s Pick: CDM’s defense returns to home and shortens a championship rematch. Corona del Mar 24, La Serna 17.

JPWest Media Game of the Week: #10 Yorba Linda (4-0) @ #16 Huntington Beach (4-0)
Friday, Sept. 18, 7 PM — Cap Sheue Field (Huntington Beach High School, Huntington Beach, CA)
Photographer: Jeremy Westerbeck
Reporter: Justin Rosette

PREVIEW:
This is the headline Friday night game on the JPWest Media schedule, and it is the cleanest 4-0 vs. 4-0 Orange County matchup on the board.

Yorba Linda jumped to No. 10 after a 42-7 home win over Esperanza last Friday. Sophomore Andrew Churney made his first start in place of senior Noah Trujillo (shoulder) and completed 19 of 27 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Isaiah Trujillo ran nine times for 42 yards and two scores. Sophomore Connor Mackay caught three balls for 130 yards and a touchdown. Safety Andrew Maldonado and lineman Matias Girgis set the tone on a defense that opened a 35-0 halftime lead. Head coach John Domen said Trujillo will be a game-time decision against the Oilers. The Mustangs already have Laguna Beach and Long Beach Poly on the résumé and are starting a pile of underclassmen, including several sophomores.

Huntington Beach is 4-0 and ranked No. 16 after a 28-14 win at Redondo Union last Thursday that was decided almost entirely by Dylin Bruce. The Ohio State-commit wideout scored three times without needing the offense to finish drives: a 57-yard punt return, a 92-yard punt return, and a 98-yard kickoff return. Brady Edmunds added a 1-yard rushing score and finished 6-of-12 for 47 yards. Dallas Miller carried 17 times for 69 yards. Xavier Atkinson led the defense with 11 tackles, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback hurry. Malachi Newmaster was 4-for-4 on extra points. Redondo’s Rocky Martinez still ran for 204 yards, which is the tape Huntington Beach has to live with heading into a ranked home date.

Yorba Linda has the higher ranking and the more complete offensive tape from last week. Huntington Beach has Cap Sheue Field, the special-teams problem nobody on this slate has solved, and a defense that keeps games in range even when the passing numbers stay quiet. Third-and-medium and the return game decide who is 5-0 at 10 o’clock.

PREDICTION:
JP’s Pick: Bruce still finds a score and Cap Sheue is loud enough late. Huntington Beach 28, Yorba Linda 24.

Colony (1-3) @ Newport Harbor (2-2)
Friday, Sept. 18, 7 PM — Davidson Field (Newport Harbor High School, Newport Beach, CA)
Photographer: Peter Zhan

PREVIEW:
The Sailors host again at Davidson Field one night after Corona del Mar used the same grass, and this time the assignment is a Colony team that just found its first win.

Newport Harbor dropped to 2-2 in the Battle of the Bay, falling 16-6 to Corona del Mar. Senior quarterback Jordan Spigarelli completed 12 of 19 passes for 107 yards with an interception and ran six times for 53 yards. Senior Jackson Stremick caught seven balls for 44 yards. The Sailors did not score until the fourth quarter. The front never generated the same pressure CDM did, and the offense never found the red-zone answers it had in the 44-35 loss at Lancaster two weeks earlier.

Colony is 1-3 after a 31-0 shutout of Grand Terrace last week, the first win of the season for the Titans. Running back Gavin Blackburn scored three first-half touchdowns and gave Ontario a ground identity it did not have in losses to Alta Loma, Norco, and San Dimas.

Newport Harbor has the home field and the more experienced skill group in Spigarelli, Stremick, Matthew Yamakawa, Wyatt Wilson, and Shane McKibbin. Colony has the cleaner last tape and a defense that just posted a shutout. If the Sailors start slow again, Davidson Field gets uncomfortable. If Spigarelli is on schedule, this should not reach the fourth quarter tight.

PREDICTION:
JP’s Pick: Harbor answers a rivalry loss with a complete home night. Newport Harbor 31, Colony 14.

Long Beach Poly (1-3) @ Inglewood (3-1)
Friday, Sept. 18, 7 PM — SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
Photographer: Peter Zhan

PREVIEW:
Friday night moves to SoFi Stadium, where Inglewood hosts Long Beach Poly on the Sentinels’ home turf in the most unique venue on the JPWest Media slate.

Inglewood is 3-1 after a 50-21 win over Franklin (Elk Grove) last Saturday. Junior quarterback Lincoln Jahn threw for 333 yards in that game and found junior Andre Williams on a play-action touchdown after a muffed punt. Seniors Marlon Watson and Semaj Welch remain the two-headed problem in the backfield that beat Los Alamitos earlier this season. The Sentinels already have Highland on the résumé and a front that includes Myels Smith and Elija Harmon.

Long Beach Poly is 1-3 after a 17-14 home loss to Carson last Friday. Carson’s C. Fields III ran 21 times for 149 yards and a score, and P. Leomiti returned a fumble for a touchdown. The Jackrabbits have the name, the colors, and a roster built around Trevor Scott, Julius Johnson, Jayden Coley, Zion Anderson, and a Taliauli-heavy front. They do not have the 3-1 tape Inglewood is carrying into SoFi.

Inglewood has the ranking trajectory, the home stadium, and the more explosive recent result. Poly needs a clean night and a running game that was missing against Carson just to keep this from becoming a long SoFi evening.

PREDICTION:
JP’s Pick: Jahn and the Sentinels’ front turn a stadium game into a statement. Inglewood 35, Long Beach Poly 17.

Bishop Gorman (3-1) @ #4 Mater Dei (4-0)
Friday, Sept. 18, 7 PM — Santa Ana Stadium (Santa Ana, CA)
Photographer: Edgar Puentes
Watch on: MaxPreps

PREVIEW:
The national-calendar game of the week in the Southern Section lands at Santa Ana Stadium, and Mater Dei is still looking for its first loss to Bishop Gorman.

The Monarchs moved to No. 4 at 4-0 after a 10-9 escape over then-ranked Centennial last Friday. Linebackers Dailon Clanton, Michael Davis, and Ezekiel Su’a combined for six sacks and two of three takeaways. Davis intercepted a shovel pass at the Centennial 15 to set up junior quarterback Russell Sekona’s 2-yard sneak that tied it 9-9 with 6:58 left. Jerry Shifman hit the extra point that held up as the winner after Centennial missed a 27-yard field goal with 2:30 remaining. Freshman Paytyn Guess then found senior Gavin Honore for an 18-yard third-down conversion to ice it. Honore finished with four catches for 77 yards. The night was ugly — flags, fumbles, a safety — and the Monarchs still found a way.

Bishop Gorman is 3-1 and coming off a 38-14 win over Lone Peak after a 33-28 loss to Christopher Columbus (Fla.). The Gaels leaned on the run game to bounce back in Utah. Mater Dei has won all five previous meetings in the series. Gorman has the national brand and the road-game pedigree. The Monarchs have the home stadium, the fresh win over Centennial, and a defense that just survived a ranked scrap.

This one is about whether Gorman can finish drives against Clanton, Davis, and Su’a, and whether Guess or Sekona can stay on schedule without turning it into another one-score grind.

PREDICTION:
JP’s Pick: Mater Dei’s defense wins another tight one in Santa Ana. Mater Dei 21, Bishop Gorman 14.

#14 Norco (4-0) @ #1 Santa Margarita (4-0)
Friday, Sept. 18, 7 PM — Saddleback College (Mission Viejo, CA)
Photographer: John Clingan

PREVIEW:
The No. 1 team on the JPWest Media board stays unbeaten and now draws the hottest Inland Empire visitor on the slate.

Santa Margarita is 4-0 and ranked No. 1 after a 41-0 win over Inderkum last Saturday. The Eagles finished with 216 passing yards and 120 on the ground and have now posted shutouts in two of four games. Junior Fletch Palmer continues to run the offense that opened the year with a 27-0 blanking of Florida’s Jones and a one-point win over Centennial. Freshman Kiyan Callis, junior Jaion Smith, sophomore Adrian Petero, and junior Ca’ron Williams remain the playmakers around him. The defending CIF-SS Division 1 and State Open Division champions have not lost since last December.

Norco is 4-0 and ranked No. 14 after a 56-26 win at Etiwanda last Thursday. Senior quarterback Julian Medina completed 19 of 25 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Jesse Diaz caught four balls for 175 yards and three scores. Sophomore Lee White ran 17 times for 167 yards and three touchdowns. The Cougars also scored on a fumble return and a pick-six. That is not a visitor Saddleback College can treat like a tune-up.

Santa Margarita has the ranking, the championship pedigree, and the more complete defensive identity. Norco has the most explosive individual tape of anyone on this Friday night board. If Medina and Diaz hit early, this becomes a four-quarter problem for the Eagles. If Palmer’s defense sets the edges, Norco’s night gets long.

PREDICTION:
JP’s Pick: No. 1 does not blink at home. Santa Margarita 35, Norco 21.

Mira Costa (0-4) @ #18 San Juan Hills (3-1)
Friday, Sept. 18, 7 PM — San Juan Hills High School (San Juan Capistrano, CA)
Photographer: Joshua Harrell

PREVIEW:
Week 4 closes on the Stallions’ home field, where a ranked San Juan Hills team hosts a Mira Costa group still hunting its first win.

San Juan Hills is 3-1 and ranked No. 18 after a 67-0 shutout of St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy last Friday. The Stallions have already shown they can pile up points when the opponent cannot match their speed on the perimeter. The home crowd at San Juan Hills High School has not had a Friday night like this against a South Bay visitor in a while.

Mira Costa is 0-4 after a 29-24 home loss to La Habra last Friday. Junior quarterback W. Nucci competed all night, completing 26 of 44 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown and adding 64 rushing yards. N. Bellasarian caught 10 balls for 109 yards and a score. The Mustangs were in it into the fourth quarter and still left Manhattan Beach 0-4. The tape says they can move the ball. The résumé says they have not finished a game.

San Juan Hills has the ranking, the home field, and the shutout hangover from last week. Mira Costa has the quarterback production to keep a drive alive. Unless the Stallions come out flat, this should not look like last Friday’s one-score game in Manhattan Beach.

PREDICTION:
JP’s Pick: San Juan Hills puts the South Bay trip away early. San Juan Hills 42, Mira Costa 17.

UPSET WATCH

• La Serna over #15 Corona del Mar — The Lancers already have the championship tape. If Grady Long hits Landon Armenta early and CDM’s offense stays in the 16-point range it lived in against Newport Harbor, Davidson Field can flip.
• #10 Yorba Linda over #16 Huntington Beach — Churney just threw for 317. If Noah Trujillo is active or the Mustangs win first down, Cap Sheue becomes a ranked road steal instead of an Oilers showcase.
• Bishop Gorman over #4 Mater Dei — The series belongs to the Monarchs, but Gorman is a national visitor with a bounce-back win already in its pocket. One more sloppy offensive night from Santa Ana and the Gaels leave with the first one.
• #14 Norco over #1 Santa Margarita — Medina-to-Diaz and Lee White just dropped 56 on Etiwanda. No. 1 is No. 1 until somebody matches that explosiveness for four quarters at Saddleback.