NO. 23 YORBA LINDA (3-0) VS. NO. 20 ESPERANZA (3-0)

Where, when: Yorba Linda High, 7 p.m.

Outlook: This is the first meeting of these neighboring schools. Esperanza for decades got all of the football-minded kids in the Yorba Linda/Anaheim Hills/north-of-the-91 area. Well, the public-school ones. That area has been a Servite garden, too. A few years ago, Yorba Linda opened and many kids who would have gone to Esperanza now are going to Yorba Linda. Yorba Linda hired a fine coach, Jeff Bailey, and the Mustangs have gone 14-8 in two years of varsity football, including 10-2 last season. They beat El Modena and El Dorado in their first two games, and really impressed in last week’s 35-7 triumph over Brea Olinda. Esperanza worked the comeback trail to beat Capistrano Valley, 27-21, last week. That’s a good victory over a good team. Esperanza running back Troy Poole is averaging 140 yards a game and 9 yards a carry. The other Aztec Troy, quarterback Deluca, has completed 75 percent of his throws for 149 yards a game. Yorba’s offense has no single star, doing it so far with a mixture of guys. The feeling here is that Poole has his best game of the year and Esperanza wins. And let the rivalry begin!

Winner: Esperanza

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