WEEK PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS: CIFSS Football Week 7

JPWest Media Game of the Year: Corona Del Mar @ Newport Harbor

Thursday 10/10 7pm

Davidson Field

Photographers: Jeremy Westerbeck, Richard Do, Zack Rockoff

Reporter: Dean Ferguson

Watch on TarTV Sports

PREVIEW: We’ve got three huge league games in Week 7 of the CIFSS football season, starting with the biggest one: the Battle of the Bay at Davidson Field on the campus of Newport Harbor High School. In our JPWest Media Game of the Year, the Newport Harbor Sailors will host the Corona Del Mar Sea Kings. Last season, Newport Harbor claimed a thrilling 21-20 victory, their first win in the rivalry since 2014.

This season, the Sailors enter the game on a two-game winning streak after dropping their first four. We last saw the Sailors secure their first victory on September 20th, a 28-7 win over St. Augustine, which was also junior quarterback Jake Meer’s first start of the season. Meer threw for 218 yards on 21 of 25 completions, adding 3 touchdowns. On defense, senior linebacker Davis Post led the Sailors with 6 solo tackles. Last week, Newport Harbor staged a dramatic comeback against Tesoro, overturning a 17-0 deficit to win 34-31. Meer threw for 239 yards, completing 14 of 23 passes, with wide receivers Cade Fegel and Sammy Stremick each racking up over 90 yards. The Sailors are aiming for an upset at home to keep the trophy in Newport Harbor.

On the other side, the Corona Del Mar Sea Kings are looking for redemption after a narrow loss last week to the San Juan Hills Stallions. Despite falling behind 17-0, quarterback Brady Annett sparked a second-half rally, completing 10 of 12 passes for 162 yards and 1 touchdown, outscoring the Stallions 28-14 in the Bravo League opener. Defensively, the Sea Kings were anchored by Scott Anderson, Will Chavez, and Tucker Murray, who combined for 15 solo tackles. The Sea Kings are determined to bring the trophy back to Corona Del Mar after last season’s close defeat.

PREDICTION: Sea Kings get the victory to bring the trophy back and return the tradition back to Corona Del Mar in another thriller 38-35

La Habra @ Huntington Beach

Friday 10/11 7pm

Cap Sheue Field

Photographer: Jeremy Westerbeck

Reporter: Dean Ferguson

PREVIEW: Our next game takes us to Cap Sheue Field in Huntington Beach for an exciting Epsilon League matchup, where the Huntington Beach Oilers return home to host the La Habra Highlanders. Both teams are coming off big wins in their league openers. Huntington Beach dominated their opener with a 42-3 victory, led by sophomore quarterback Brady Edmunds, who had an impressive first half. Edmunds threw for 3 touchdowns and rushed for 2 more, completing 13 of 17 passes for 274 yards and adding 25 rushing yards.

On the other side, the La Habra Highlanders are riding a five-game winning streak after a narrow loss to Upland in their season opener. Last week, La Habra defeated the El Dorado Hawks 25-7 in their own league opener. The Highlanders utilize a two-quarterback system, with sophomore DJ Mitchell and senior Kenneth Saucedo each throwing for over 60 yards on 4+ completions and 9+ attempts in the win.

PREDICTION: The Highlanders win in a close one on the road over the Oilers 30-28

Mater Dei @ Servite

Friday 10/11 7pm

Mt. San Antonio College

Covering: Richard Do

PREVIEW: Our final game of the week takes us to Mt. San Antonio College in the Walnut-Pomona area, where the Servite Friars will face off against the Mater Dei Monarchs. The last time we saw the Servite Friars, they secured a 33-14 victory over the St. Paul Swordsmen. Sophomore quarterback Colin O’Connor completed 6 of 13 passes for 102 yards and 1 touchdown. On defense, the Friars were anchored by sophomore Isaiah Leilua and freshman Kaleb Aiava, who combined for 17 solo tackles. With a 20-7 win in their league opener against the JSerra Catholic Lions, the Friars now stand undefeated at 6-0.

Meanwhile, the top-ranked Monarchs enter this matchup with a perfect 5-0 record. Their last appearance was on September 6th, when they defeated Bishop Gorman. Most recently, Mater Dei opened their Trinity League campaign with a commanding 40-18 victory over the Santa Margarita Eagles. Senior quarterback Dash Beierly completed 11 of 18 passes for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns, while senior running back Jordan Davison racked up 155 yards and 3 touchdowns on 13 carries. Defensively, senior Abduall Sanders led the way with 5 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles.

PREDICTION: Mater Dei continues to dominate to win it 42-21