California Top 10 Games of the Week Upland at fifth-ranked Mission Viejo tops this week's all-California match-ups.
Many leagues throughout the state get started this week, but fortunately many in The Top 25 California rankings do not.
Many of those teams get one more week to venture out of its comfort zone, led by the cross-state showdown between the nation's top-ranked team Mater Dei (Santa Ana) at St. John's (Washington, D.C.). The Friday 5:30 p.m. (PDT) tilt was scheduled by ESPNU before the season and though St. John's has lost three straight, it presents a major threat to Mater Dei's hope for another national championship.
The best all-California match-up is No. 17 Upland, led by the nation's top-ranked linebacker Justin Flowe, against the high-powered attack of No. 5 Mission Viejo, which scored 63 points in the first half of a win over St. Mary's (Stockton).
Norco senior Shane Illingworth, whose 20th-ranked team hosts Rancho Verde on Friday, is a definite California Player of the Year nominee.
File photo by Darin Sicurello
No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) at St. John's (Washington, D.C.)8:30 p.m. Friday
Top Players
Don't
let St. John's three-game losing streak fool you — all three losses are
to Top 25 opponents and two are ranked in the Top 5. Mater
Dei has been playing at a different level than everyone else in 2019 and
winning by an average margin of 38 points per game. Both teams
begin league/conference play after this.
7:30 p.m. Friday
Top Players
Mission Viejo: QB
Peter Costelli (6-3, 205), WR
Mavin Anderson (6-1, 175), DE
Lance Keneley (6-5, 240), LB
Easton Mascarenas (6-0, 205), RB
Jacquez Robertson (5-6, 180)
The
Diablos are one of the first five teams out of the Top 25 national rankings and
are a couple of wins away from joining. They have to get by a very
talented Upland team first. The Scots have won three straight since a
season opening loss to La Habra and a win against a 5-0 Diablos squad
would be huge. This one features some of the best players in Southern
California led by the Flowe brothers, Costelli and Anderson.
7 p.m. Friday
Top Players
Servite (3-1) lost two previous games with Notre Dame, dropping games in
2007 (17-9) and 2008 (31-24). Notre Dame (4-0) has had numerous
contributors in the early going, led by game-breaker Guyton, who has 10
catches for 282 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore 15 has done a
superb job filling in for injured Meek, with 644 passing yards and five
touchdowns. Servite has won its three games by an average margin of 34
points per game.
7 p.m. Thursday
Top Players
Corona del Mar (4-0) won last year's game 21-20 in the teams' only meeting since 2003. Garbers (1,376 yards, 20 touchdowns) is one of the top passers in Southern California but Corona del Mar also averages 6.4 yards per carry. Billoups has accounted 11 touchdowns for San Clemente (5-0).
Top Players
Great and first-time match-up of defending state champions. Franklin and Badger are two of the top wide receivers in the state.
Narbonne pulled out last year's game, 27-13, in the only game played between the two since 2003. Lawndale (3-1) has won three straight since a season-opening 37-12 loss to Sierra Canyon. Narbonne (4-1) is coming off a tough 28-21 win over Serra (Gardena).
Top Players
Bakersfield is seeking a little redemption after losing 31-7 to Sierra Canyon last season. Sierra Canyon has responded well to a 21-14 loss to Oaks Christian with wins over Valencia (28-10) and St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs) (28-20).
Rancho Verde (3-1) has to figure out a way to slow the high-powered offensive of Norco (4-0), which averages 530 yards per game. Illingworth is already a state Player of the Year candidate with 73 completions in 100 attempts for 1,584 yards, 22 touchdowns and just two interceptions. These teams haven't faced off since 2008 when Norco finished off a three-year win streak over the Mustangs.
Top Players
Helix (3-1) is coming off back-to-back big wins over Cathedral Catholic (45-27) and St. Augustine (44-38), while Oaks Christian (2-3) had crushing back-to-back defeats to Alemany (44-7) and Murrieta Valley (39-38). Helix won the last meeting between the schools, 28-13 in 2017.
The West Catholic Athletic League gets underway with a match-up of heavyweights in the Central Coast Section. Saint Francis (1-2) and Valley Christian (3-0) have each gone 18-3 in WCAL play over the last three seasons. The Lancers lost all but one starter off last year's defense due to graduation, but are big and physical up front. Valley Christian is blessed with one of the Bay Area's most talented and fleet teams. Since 2003, the teams have met 18 times with St. Francis winning 10 times, including a 31-30 CCS playoff win last year, after Valley Christian won 7-3 in the regular season.
