The Trinity League is one of the toughest in America, and the Servite vs. Orange Lutheran contest is a fine way to start the schedule in SoCal.
Graphic by Ryan Escobar. Photos by Jann Hendry/Louis Lopez
Hard to believe, in some parts of the country the regular season is already winding down. Two of the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week feature season-ending showdowns, including the Catholic Central championship game in suburban Detroit.
On the other hand, league play is just getting under way in Southern California. Servite (Anaheim) looks to extend its 13-game in-conference winning streak when it hosts undefeated Orange Lutheran in the Trinity League opener for both teams. Both the Trinity and the Catholic Central are in the
MaxPreps Top 10 toughest leagues list.
Another story to watch this week is how well St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) rebounds from last week's
38-7 loss to top-ranked Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.). If any hangover symptoms are present, the Eagles could be in for a long day when they travel to play St. Xavier (Cincinnati).
Just a meager three games still separate first place from last place in our season-long predictions contest. Despite only picking half of last week's games correctly, Kevin Askeland remains in first place with a 56-24 mark for the year. Former cellar dweller Mitch Stephens went 6-4 last week and moved into second just two games off the pace. Jamie DeMoney, Steve Montoya and Stephen Spiewak – all of whom went 5-5 last week – share third place in the standings.
You can track our overall results and standings all season long by clicking
here.
Here's a look at this week's Top 10 games of the week along with predictions by MaxPreps staff writers and contributors Mitch Stephens, Steve Montoya, Stephen Spiewak, Kevin Askeland and Jamie DeMoney.
Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) at Servite (Anaheim, Calif.)The
Trinity League schedule kicks off with what could be an outstanding
game at Cerritos College. Orange Lutheran (5-0) already has matched its
win total from last season and certainly is one of the most improved
teams on the West Coast. The Lancers have gotten steady play and
leadership from senior quarterback
Conner Sullivan,
who has completed 73 percent of his passes for 965 yards with seven
touchdowns and only one interception. Tight end and Florida State commit
Christo Kourtzidis caught five passes for 100 yards in Orange Lutheran's last game, a 33-13 win over Redondo Union (Redondo Beach) on Sept. 30.
Servite
hasn't lost a conference game since dropping its Trinity League opener
to Mater Dei in October of 2008. That was also the last time the Friars
had lost a regular season game before they were
beaten by nationally ranked Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 31-28, two weeks ago.
Mitch Stephens: Orange Lutheran 22, Servite 21
Steve Montoya: Servite 21, Orange Lutheran 10
Stephen Spiewak: Servite 20, Orange Lutheran 14
Kevin Askeland: Orange Lutheran 35, Servite 20
Jamie DeMoney: Servite 21, Orange Lutheran 17
