Included in this video by OCVarsity.com's Jonathan Khamis are highlights from Servite's games and interviews with Coach Troy Thomas and Michael Marcoux. 

Site, time: Cerritos College, 7:30 p.m.

Outlook: Servite alums, and there are a zillion of them and they remember details of every game since Blaine Nye played there, reminisce fondly of the days in the 1970s and '80s when Servite-St. Paul was about as big as high school football could get in Southern California. Servite has risen again, with three consecutive league championships in Coach Troy Thomas' three years with the Friars. So has St. Paul. The Swordsmen won the Western Division championship last year. One of the Swordsmen's losses last year was to Servite. That score was Servite 33, St. Paul 0. Keep those "the Trinity League is overrated" e-mails coming, folks. They are so entertaining.

Winner: Servite

SERVITE VS. ORANGE LUTHERAN
AT CAL STATE FULLERTON

Servite has figured out a way to beat Lutheran in both of their league games since the formation of the Trinity League in 2006. Three in a row is going to be quite a challenge for the Friars, because Lutheran might be as good as its '06 team that won section and state championships and its section semifinalist in '07. Lutheran has plenty of outstanding players returning from last year's10-2 club, including potential star at running back, junior Exavier Edwards. There are still some Pemasas at Lutheran, too, like standout linebacker Jeremiah Pemasa. Transfer Gabe Lemon was an All-County defensive back as a junior last year at Trabuco Hills, but look for him also to be a big part of the Lancers' offense. Servite has a similar two-player – Bijon Samoodi, who was an All-County defensive back last year but should be a threat on offense at wide receiver. Samoodi is one of those athletes who require coaches to figure out a way to get him the football as much as possible. Look for Friars running back Gregory Portis to be a big contributor, too. But the key to Servite's victories over Lutheran in '06 and '07 was the Friars' defense, which would have to come through again in a big way to make it three in a row.

Next: Week 9

MATER DEI VS. SERVITE
AT CERRITOS COLLEGE

The schedule says this game is at Angel Stadium. But the wild guess here is that the Angels will be involved in Major League Baseball postseason play, thus making the stadium field off-limits for any other activity for the month of October. Everybody wearing a Mater Dei red shirt or a Servite Credo visor knows that Servite has not beaten Mater Dei since 1988 – before any of this year's players were born. One day, the Friars will beat the Monarchs. They came oh-so-close a couple of times, most recently at Angel Stadium in 2006 when Mater Dei prevailed in overtime. Anybody who says this is not a rivalry because of the one-sided series results has not been to a Mater Dei-Servite game. This is about as intense as high school football gets in California. Everyone knows about Matt Barkley, but they wonder about his receivers. Hey, they wondered about that in 2007, too, but Barkley still set a bunch of school passing records in '07 partly because the receivers got open and made catches. Look for the Monarchs receivers to do the same in '08. The feeling here is that Servite's offense is going to be quite productive, too. Junior Cody Fajardo might emerge as one of the county's more dynamic quarterbacks. Both teams have excellent athletes on defense, too. So, is this the year?

Next: Week 7