WEEK PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS: CIFSS Week 10 and 3C2A Football Week 8

El Dorado @ Huntington Beach

Thursday, 10/31, 7pm – Cap Sheue Field

Photographer: Jeremy Westerbeck

Reporter: Dean Ferguson

PREVIEW:

The final week of the high school football regular season kicks off with the Huntington Beach Oilers (5-4) hosting the El Dorado Hawks (3-6) under the lights at Cap Sheue Field on Halloween night. The Oilers are coming off a tough home loss to the Crean Lutheran Saints. Sophomore quarterback Brady Edmunds had a solid game, completing 21 of 28 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, Dylan Cunningham led the Oilers with 10 solo tackles. With a win on Thursday, Huntington Beach can clinch the third and final guaranteed playoff spot from the Epsilon League.

The El Dorado Hawks, meanwhile, narrowly lost to the Foothill Knights last week, 34-31, after snapping a three-game losing streak two weeks ago against Laguna Hills. Senior quarterback Luke Colter completed 10 of 18 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown against Foothill. With third place in the league still up for grabs, the Hawks have a chance to spoil Huntington Beach’s playoff hopes.

PREDICTION:

In a hard-fought battle, the Oilers edge out a 34-27 victory at Cap Sheue Field.

Cypress @ El Modena

Thursday 10/31, 7pm – Fred Kelly Stadium

Covering: Richard Do

PREVIEW:

Our 2nd Thursday Night game of CIF-SS play here in Orange County, heads to Fred Kelly Stadium with a Delta League matchup between the El Modena Vanguards (7-2) and the Cypress Centurions (2-7).

The El Modena Vanguards seem to be having their hottest season as the days grow colder here in Southern California. Two years ago, they finished their season at 11-1. They look to continue their tradition of owning a winning program and advance their placement in the Delta League, as they are third at 2-2 and behind T-1 Capistrano Valley and Tustin (both 4-0). With the regular season coming to a near close, the Vanguards will search to continue their dominance in the playoffs. ElMo’s star quarterback Xzavior Guess and receiver Connor Smith will look to extend their dominance as a duo, pairing up for 25 touchdowns combined on the season so far.

Cypress, however, has been having one of their worst seasons in recent program years. They hold a 2-7 record and mope at 0-4 at the bottom of the Delta League, having lost 5 of their last games. The last time they owned a losing record was in the 2018-19 season (5-6). We last saw Cypress when they took on Corona del Mar in the beginning of the season, and they struggled. On this cold Halloween night, the Centurions seem to be in for a scare. Bryson Busbee, their leading TD scorer and Tyler White, their leading tackler, hope to rise to the occasion and prevent another defeat.

PREDICTION:

The El Modena Vanguards spook Cypress with a 42-14 victory over the Centurions.

JPWest Media Game of the Week: Edison @ San Clemente

Friday, 11/1, 7pm – Thalassa Stadium

Photographer: Jeremy Westerbeck

Reporter: Isabella Lyons

PREVIEW:

This week, the Edison Chargers (6-3) head south to take on the San Clemente Tritons (4-5) at Thalassa Stadium in the JPWest Media Game of the Week. Last week, Edison faced the Mission Viejo Diablos, with sophomore quarterback Sam Thomson stepping in for injured senior Savelio Niumata. The Chargers are looking to regain their momentum after their six-game winning streak was broken. Edison is also aiming to avenge last year’s 31-7 loss to San Clemente in Huntington Beach.

San Clemente, meanwhile, is coming off a nail-biting loss to the Los Alamitos Griffins at Vets Stadium in Long Beach, where a blocked PAT cost them the game. The Tritons, on a two-game losing streak, are eager for their first league win. Last week, they used a two-quarterback system with seniors Dawson Martinez and Jack Ferguson. Ferguson led with a solid performance, completing 14 of 19 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns.

PREDICTION:

Edison regains its winning form just in time for the playoffs with a 28-21 victory over San Clemente.

Beckman @ Marina

Friday, 11/1, 7pm – Boswell Field

Covering: Luke Lastra

PREVIEW:

This Friday night matchup takes us to Boswell Field at Westminster High School, where the 8-1 Marina Vikings face off against the undefeated 9-0 Beckman Patriots. Marina is looking to bounce back after a narrow 28-14 loss to the Kennedy Fighting Irish, marking their first loss of the season.

Beckman enters the game with an impressive 9-0 record, continuing their remarkable season. Last week, the Patriots defeated the Valencia Tigers 48-27, with junior quarterback Noah Nam shining, completing 9 of 10 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns.

PREDICTION:

Beckman heads into the playoffs with a perfect season, securing a 35-24 win over Marina.

Capistrano Valley @ Tustin

Friday 11/1, 7pm – Northrup Stadium

Photographer: Richard Do

Reporter: Dean Ferguson

PREVIEW:

After being on the road for 3 weeks, the Tustin Tillers (8-1) return home to host the Capistrano Valley Cougars (8-1). Both teams are tied for first in the Delta League (4-0). The winner of this game will presumably take the Delta League title.

Since last season and so far this season, Tustin has boasted a record of 18-2. The mighty Tillers have had players come in and out of the program and they have created a new name for Tustin Tiller football. Running back Eimesse Essis leads the charge for the Tillers, averaging 191.5 rushing yards per game with 18 total touchdowns — talk about dominance! On the flip, defensive tackle Jayden Perez leads their defense, averaging 6.3 tackles per game and tallying 9 sacks on the season thus far. Overall, the Tustin Tillers have a well-balanced entourage of lower and upperclassmen, and their success may remain prevalent for the next few years. 

On the other hand, the Capo Valley Cougars and their high powered offense are ready to rock and roll. Last time we saw them, they dropped a close one to the Huntington Beach Oilers with a score of 29-24. However, that is their only loss and since then, they have bounced back majorly. Senior quarterback Tommy Acosta holds a strong resume this season as he has thrown for 2,148 yards, rushed for 425 yards, and has 36 total touchdowns on the season. What a senior campaign it has been for him thus far. Beside him are receivers Kaden Hunter and Talon Spencer, who have combined for 1400+ receiving yards and 19 touchdowns. Acosta will continue to look for his receiver duo down the field in order to make big time plays.

PREDICTION:

Tustin defeats Capistrano Valley in a close matchup, 31-29

Golden West @ Long Beach City

Saturday 11/2, 6pm – Veterans Stadium

Covering: Richard Do

PREVIEW:

In 3C2A action, the Golden West Rustlers (5-1) travel to the historic Vets Stadium, as the Long Beach City Vikings (5-2) await to take them on at home. The Rustlers are well-recovered as they are coming off a a bye week after defeating Orange Coast College 49-10 the previous week. The Vikings defeated Orange Coast as well last week with a score of 42-17. Both teams will be coming off strong victories, and both will be in search of another.

We last saw Golden West host Orange Coast in their annual Bell Game, where the Rustlers dominated on all sides of the ball. They retain a 5-1 record, having one of their hottest starts in recent program history, most notably defeating the defending champions Riverside City College early on in the season. Their playmaker quarterback Will Burns will look to continue his magic at a 16-5 TD/INT ratio and lead the high-powered offense to another successful outing. On the other side of the ball, linebacker duo Brandon Soleau and Caine Elroy (50 combined tackles thus far) plan to bring physical pressure on the Vikings.

The Long Beach City Vikings, who share a high-powered offense and a physical defense, look to continue their five-game winning streak. They seem to be red-hot and ready to clash with the Rustlers. The Vikings have many outstanding players; quarterback Jett Peddy shines at a 14-3 TD/INT ratio, RB duo Kaleb Foster and Khalil Warren share 3 TDs and 575 rushing yards on the year, and Norvell Holmes among their plethora of skillful receivers leads with 3 receiving TDs (longest being 96 yards) and 250 receiving yards on the year. Their electric offense looks to lead the way and shock the Rustlers.

PREDICTION:

The Rustlers defeat the Vikings 20-17 in a gritty, head-to-head matchup.

Riverside City @ Saddleback

Saturday, 11/2, 6pm – Saddleback College

Photographer: Jeremy Westerbeck

Reporter: Isabella Lyons

PREVIEW:

The Riverside City Tigers head down to Mission Viejo to face the Saddleback Bobcats at Saddleback College. The Tigers last took the field on September 14th, when they suffered their first loss of the season in a tight 36-37 game against the Golden West Rustlers. Since then, Riverside’s offense has been unstoppable, scoring at least 52 points in each game. Last week, the Tigers played at home against the Southwestern Jaguars, with standout quarterback Brady Jones delivering an impressive performance—completing 21 of 26 passes for 331 yards and eight touchdowns.

Meanwhile, the Saddleback Bobcats are coming off a dominant 44-0 shutout against the Grossmont Griffins, their first shutout victory since 2007. Quarterback Trey Kukuk led the charge, completing 14 of 19 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns.

PREDICTION:

Expect a high-scoring showdown in Mission Viejo as Riverside continues its dominant streak. Prediction: Riverside takes it in a 42-28 win over Saddleback.