No. 15 Esperanza (3-2) vs. No. 1 Edison (5-0)
Friday, at Valencia High, 7 p.m.

Outlook: Remember that five-way tie for the Sunset League title last season? It was all Esperanza’s fault. Or was it Edison’s?

The teams met in the final game of the regular season, and the Aztecs needed a victory to force the dreaded five-way tie. Edison needed a victory to clinch a playoff spot. The Aztecs responded with a 16-3 victory, which ended up knocking Edison from the playoffs.

The Aztecs opened the 2009 season with a 35-3 loss to Santiago of Corona. They could be on a four-game winning streak, but they lost to Ferris of Spokane, Wash., after leading 28-7 at halftime. 

Mike Manibusan leads the ground attack with 500 yards, and Drew Huusfeldt is second with 370 yards.

Edison hasn’t played since Oct. 1, when it rallied to defeat Mater Dei, 36-29, in double overtime.

Is there a more-balanced offense in the county than Edison's? Wade Houston (552 yards) is the leading rusher. Jeff Trojan (411) is one of three receivers with at least 200 receiving yards. QB Matt Viles has the keys to the offense. He has completed 90 of 146 passes (61.6 percent) for 1,321 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions.

Can the Aztecs slow down the Chargers offense?

Edison is the clear-cut No. 1 team in the county, but is it possible to remain No. 1 in this league?

Links to the rest of The Calhoun Six:  

No. 20 Corona del Mar vs. No. 22 Laguna Hills

No. 11 Tustin vs. No. 25 Canyon         

No. 4 Los Alamitos vs. No. 13 Newport Harbor

No. 9 Orange Lutheran vs. No. 6 Mater Dei

No. 7 Dana Hills vs. No. 12 Tesoro

Taking a look at the top games on this week's schedule:

No. 7 Mater Dei (3-1) vs. No. 1 Edison (4-0)
Thursday, 7 p.m., at Santa Ana Stadium

Outlook: The Chargers moved into the county's No. 1 spot after Friday’s impressive 23-9 victory over then-No. 1 Servite.

Is it tougher to get to No. 1 or to keep the top ranking?

Edison continues its back-to-back battles with Trinity League teams with this visit to Mater Dei. Last season, Edison moved into No. 1 and then lost to Los Alamitos.  Will the Chargers still have the No. 1 ranking once Sunset League play starts this season?

This is not the same Edison team from last season. For one, they don’t turn the ball over. Quarterback Matt Viles has thrown only one interception through four games. Defensively, Edison is allowing eight points a game.

Wade Houston is 11th in the county is rushing yards with 453, giving the Chargers a balanced attack.

Mater Dei has been inconsistent, but enters the week 3-1. The Monarchs scored just two points against Carson, defeated Cypress by just five, knocked off the state’s No. 7 team (Corona of Centennial) by 18 points and then needed a late field goal to hold off L.A. Jordan.

Quarterback Max Wittek engineered two late-game drives for the Monarchs in the victory over Jordan.

Which Mater Dei team shows up for this game?

The Monarchs’ defense has been solid, allowing 15.7 points a game. That’s far more impressive than the first four games last season, when opponents averaged 32.2 points through the first four games.

Can the defense continue with this level of play and give the offense a chance to win?

Links to all of the Calhoun Six for Week 4:

No. 4 Los Alamitos vs. No. 8 La Habra

No. 10 Newport Harbor vs. No. 15 Dana Hills

No. 19 El Toro vs. No. 9 San Clemente

No. 17 El Dorado vs. No. 12 Tesoro

No. 6 Orange Lutheran vs. Narbonne of Harbor City

BONUS GAME: No. 3 Servite vs. Chaparral of Temecula

Those weapons were on display tonight against Long Beach Cabrillo.

Wade Houston rushed for 134 yards and three touchdowns and Matt Viles threw for 199 yards and four scores, two to Jeff Crissman, as the Chargers (2-0) scored 42 points in the second quarter to defeat host Cabrillo, 63-8, at Cabrillo High.

EDISON VS. LOS ALAMITOS
AT VETERANS STADIUM

This game will have all sorts of impact – the Sunset League championship, playoff positioning and seeding, and county and CIF rankings. Los Alamitos beat Edison, 13-9, for Edison's only league loss of 2007. Edison would like to limit Los Alamitos to 13 points again, as Edison's offensive strength could be its running game and the Chargers again have a quick, hard-hitting defense. Los Alamitos could be one of the more talented offensive teams in the county. Quarterback Clark Evans has a great arm and might be the best runner among county quarterbacks. He has a stable of excellent receivers, including all-league returnees Darryl Jenkins and Paul Richardson. Edison is going to try to control the ball and the clock, and limit its turnovers while inducing Los Alamitos to make some. That is the only way the Chargers are going to keep the Griffins to 13 points this season.

Next: Week 8

Also in the backfield is running back Andrew Wellman, who rushed for 425 yards and six touchdowns. But a potential troublesome spot could be offensive line, where the Chargers could start three juniors and only two seniors. The defense includes all-league lineman Michael Timo, who had 31 tackles and two sacks in '07. The Chargers have one of the best kickers, too, with Vince D'Amato. He kicked a 52-yard field goal last year.