Mater Dei, Servite and JSerra have a big week coming up, and one mistake this week could cost each of these teams the Trinity League championship. But they aren’t the only schools with big games schedule this week, and the following five games should be some of the most entertaining to watch this week. Of course, the three Tinith League powers are among them.

WEDNESDAY

Servite vs. Mater Dei (at Mater Dei): The last time these two teams met, the game ended in a tie on a very windy afternoon at Servite High. Servite coach Mike Lussier said the wind definitely affected the play that for both teams. But it sure didn’t seem to bother Mater Dei goalie Paul Elias, who came up with two game-saving plays. Guess what Wednesday’s forecast is calling for? Yep, you guessed it. More wind. Just like last time, Mater Dei’s Chris Zamarripa will be watching from the bench. Zamarripa hasn’t played since the second half for the Marina Tournament championship on Dec. 30 when he limped off the field with a broken left ankle. He said in an email that he doesn’t expect to be back until the playoffs. He said his leg is feeling much better and he’s heading to the doctors for another checkup on Wednesday. Zamarripa said he had been playing with the injury since the start of the high school season. He had X-rays on the 19th but his doctors told him they were negative. He went in for more X-rays after the Marina tournament, and that is when he was told that the initial X-rays were misread.

Buena Park vs. La Habra (at La Habra): Can the Highlanders finally play a game that doesn’t go to overtime? All four of the Freeway League games that No. 3 La Habra has played have all been tied at the end of regulation. And the Highlanders’ last three games have all ended in ties. Scoring goals has become a problem for La Habra, which has some very talented players on its roster, including Jonathan Prieto. They have scored only two goals since league play began, and one of those goals came off a PK on Thursday in Fullerton.

Huntington Beach vs. El Toro (at El Toro): The top-ranked Chargers gave up a late goal on Saturday while playing Foothill and had to settle for their third tie since they opened Sea View League play. That also allowed the Knights to move in front of their rivals in the standings. Foothill is 2-0-2 and El Toro is 1-0-3. Even though the Chargers spent a good portion of the game in the Knights’ end, they really could only muster a couple of good shots at the goal. Huntington Beach is still looking for its first league victory, coming into this game 0-1-2. The Oilers game against Woodbridge this past Saturday was rained out and has been postponed until this Saturday. The Oilers are definitely not a team to be taken lightly. The only allowed Foothill to score one goal, and they tied Northwood (2-2) and Trabuco Hills (1-1).

FRIDAY

Mater Dei vs. JSerra (at JSerra): There’s no doubt that the Lions are one of the best teams in the county. In fact, they just might be the best program playing right now, which made Santa Margarita’s 1-0 victory over JSerra on Friday so surprising, but that result allowed Servite and Mater Dei to move into a tie for first with the Lions in the Trinity League standings. Had they not lost to the Eagles, the Lions would have been the new No. 1 team in the county. They enter this game ranked No. 7, instead. The last time these two teams met, the Monarchs gave the Lions quite a game, rallying from a 3-0 halftime deficit to come to within a goal of the Lions. To beat the Lions on Friday, the Monarchs are going to have to find a way to slow down the Lions’ two outstanding forwards – Dylan Seedman and Juan Gutietrrez. It’s hard to believe that these two kids are still sophomores. They are that good. But the Lions have more than just two players, and they when JSerra last beat the Monarchs, Lucas Dall’Orso knocked in a pair of goals.

Anaheim vs. Western (at Western): Unfortunately, the Colonists play in the Orange League, a league that often takes a backseat to those in the South County, because this team is good, very good, and they just don’t seem to get the credit they deserve. The Colonists are 4-0 in league entering this week, and they have played some solid programs like Santa Ana Valley and Century. Any team in any league would have a tough time with those two opponents. The Colonists have scored an amazing 17 goals in their four league games.  Eddie Arrellano and Lucio Quinones have each scored four goals for Anaheim during league. This will be the second meeting for these two teams. The last time they played, Anaheim won, 3-0.

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