Running back Ameer Webb is part of Tustin's triple threat on offense

By ARTIE CASAS and CHRIS TOBOLSKI

OCVarsity.com

Times are changing in the Century League.

El Dorado use to be the king of the hill and untouchable, winning three straight league titles.

All that changed when Canyon defeated the Golden Hawks, 37-27, last week.

"It was a great feeling," Canyon coach Brent McKee said. "There was a lot of relief. The last three years we have finished in second place and they kept us from a league title. It was huge for us."

It was the first Comanches victory over the Hawks in six seasons. There is just one big hurdle standing between the Comanches and their quest for a league championship – Tustin. The teams meet Friday night at 7 at El Modena High. Tustin defeated Brea Olinda, 64-0, last week to start league.

"They've already done the big thing by beating El Dorado," Tustin coach Myron Miller said. "I don't think there is anyone left on their schedule that will beat them, so I think it's really important that we beat them or else they will win the league championship."

McKee said he doesn't want his team to overlook anyone, but agreed the winner of Friday night's game would have the inside track to the title.

"I think that obviously Tustin is the team to beat," McKee said. "If we can beat them, then that makes us the team to beat.

"They are a good team. Every week they look stronger and stronger."

The Tillers formula for success has always been the same: control the ball on offense and limit the big plays on defense.

Tustin's offense is predicated on the run. But the opposition typically has problem stopping the Tillers because they have three guys that are capable handling the pigskin.

Everyone knows about the Tillers star running back Anthony Wilkerson, who appears to be fully recovered from a knee injury that he suffered in week one.

But what makes Wilkerson an effective running back is the presence and leadership of quarterback Taylor Richardson. Ameer Webb's game breaking potential also serves as a nice third option out of the backfield.

"When you have two running backs and a quarterback that can run pretty well it allows you to move the ball pretty comfortably," Tustin coach Myron Miller said. "The big thing is we need to throw the ball a little better if we want to make a real run down the road."

Canyon is aware of the Tillers attack. McKee said there are two keys for his team Friday night.

"First, the offense needs to sustain drives and stay on the field," McKee said. "Tustin runs that Wing T and if we run just three plays, we might not see the ball again for awhile. Second, we need to get the big stops. They like to go for it on fourth downs a lot. We need to get a couple key stops."

The Tillers defense has been the team's backbone of late.

Imposing defensive lineman such as Chris Robinson, Justice Tausaga and Faitele Faafoi have been dominating the line of scrimmage for the Tillers.

The linebackers Wade Minshew and Tiajay Moody are sure tacklers that seem to be in the middle of every play.

"If it doesn't happen with us, I don't think anyone will be able to stop Canyon," Miller said.

The Tillers will face a Canyon team starting all 11 projected starters for the first time this season. Combined with their victory over El Dorado last week, the Comanches are entering as confident as ever.

"It's going to be a very physical game," Canyon's Jay Kirschner said. "They have big guys, but we are physical too. It's going to be a good one."

Friday, 7:30 p.m., at Orange Coast College

Outlook: St. John Bosco is the lone non-Orange County team in the Trinity League, and it would like to take the league title out of the county this season.

The Braves' quarterback, Keith Price, might be the most electrifying player in the league. Price, a senior who has committed to Washington, is off to an amazing start. He has completed 72.7 percent of his passes (72 of 99) for 1,371 yards with 17 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

He has also rushed for 391 yards and eight touchdowns. That’s enough to give defensive coordinators nightmares.

One more note about the Braves: they are averaging 41.5 points a game.

The job of slowing Price this week belongs to the Lancers. After losing to Bishop Amat of La Puente, the Lancers have won four consecutive games. Orange Lutheran has allowed 23 points during that four-game streak.

Will the Lancers be able to slow Price? Is it possible to select him county player of the year?

Friday, 7:30 p.m., at Saddleback College

Outlook: This has the makings of a must-win game for both teams. The loser drops to 0-2 in league and will be in danger of missing the playoffs.

The Eagles started league play with a loss to St. John Bosco of Bellflower, wasting the all-purpose heroics of senior A.J. Cruz.

Servite is coming off a loss to Mater Dei in which the Friars couldn't stop the run and was held scoreless in the second half.

After the game, Coach Troy Thomas said the Monarchs “pushed around” the Friars. That’s not something that happens much to Servite teams, so expect a better effort against the Eagles.

Despite its record, the Eagles are a dangerous team. They have looked good at certain moments and not so good other times.

If quarterback Ryan World gets in a groove, the Eagles can be difficult to beat.

The same can be said for Servite running back Greg Portis, who is averaging 139 yards a game.

Friday, 7 p.m., at San Clemente HS

Outlook: The Tritons reach the end of their three-game homestand with a chance to really turn the county’s top 10 upside down.

San Clemente has defeated La Habra and Dana Hills the past two weeks, and now its welcome second-ranked Tesoro to Thalassa Stadium.

A lot has been written about San Clemente’s ground attack, but this past Friday night, the Tritons showed that it can be an effective passing team. Duke DeLancellotti passed for a career-high 343 yards, and he completed 65.5 percent of his passes.

Look for wide receiver Graham Tenney to get his share of passes. Tenney leads San Clemente with 458 receiving yards.

The Titans moved up to No. 2 in the county after their 31-14 victory over then No. 1 Mission Viejo. Tesoro dominated the game with its offensive line, which paved the way for Zach Mitchell to run for 171 yards, and its defense.

Tesoro intercepted four Allan Bridgford passes and sacked him four times.

Will San Clemente be able to complete the home trifecta? Will Tesoro have a letdown after last week’s emotional victory?

Friday, 7 p.m., at El Modena HS

Outlook: In the Century League 2008 preview, I listed this meeting as the likely Game of the Year. I thought it was going to be for second place, but that’s not the case anymore.

The Tillers are on a roll right now, having won three consecutive games.

All of this seemed to coincide with the good health of junior running back Anthony Wilkerson, who has rushed for 467 yards in his past three games.

Two of those games were against opponents (Centennial of Compton and Brea Olinda) with a combined record of 2-10.

Last week, Canyon rebounded after a two-game losing streak and defeated El Dorado, 37-27. The Comanches have scored eight touchdowns of at least 45 yards or more.

Canyon has been held under 20 points in two of its losses (Foothill and Laguna Hills).

The teams combined for 62 points last season with Tustin winning 35-27. This has the makings of another shootout.

Who will be the last team standing?

Thursday, 7 p.m., at Western HS

Outlook: The winner of this game will become the favorite to win the league ... maybe.

The Empire League is going to be a wild ride, just as was the case last season.

Cypress rallied from a 20-7 deficit to defeat rival Kennedy last week. Valencia withstood a 242-yard performance from Pacifica running back Josh Brannon to win its opener.

Valencia will look to establish its running game, led by Isaac Dominguez, Ruben Escarsega and David Pina.
The trio has rushed for a combined 841 yards.

Cypress has been anything but steady this season. Aside from the Mater Dei game, the Centurions have looked very good, with blowout victories over Pioneer, 41-7, and University, 35-7.

They have also two losses by a combined four points.

Will the real Cypress team please step forward? Will Valencia be out for revenge?

The Centurions defeated the Tigers, 28-21, in the Southern Division semifinals last year.

Thursday, 7 p.m., at Veterans Stadium

Outlook: Welcome to the classic defense vs. offense battle.

Los Alamitos has eclipsed the 40-point plateau three times this season and is averaging 31.8 points a game.

Quarterback Clark Evans has passed for 19 touchdowns and has rushed for six more. Evans is on the toughest players in the county to defend. You want to put pressure on him, but you also have to guard against him running. Evans has rushed for 484 yards.

The wide receiver duo of Darryl Jenkins and Paul Richardson has combined for 55 catches for 1,083 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Edison has shown the ability to slow high-powered offenses. It held Sean Schroeder and Dana Hills to 20 points, Matt Barkley and Mater Dei was limited to 14.

Newport Harbor scored 42 points against Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach the week before it played Edison. The Chargers then went out and held the Sailors to seven points.

If Edison can force Los Alamitos into making turnovers, then the Chargers will be on their way to a 2-0 start in league.

If not, then it could be a big night for Evans and Co.

In a very cool show of strength and support, the football teams at Tesoro and Los Alamitos (coached by Brian Barnes and his father, John, respectively) will feature players wearing new pink football gloves that have been donated by Cutters Gloves.

The pink gloves are a sign of strength in honor of October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Los Al will do the honors first Thursday against Marina. Tesoro will don the gloves Friday for its FSN-televised showdown against Mission Viejo at 7:30 p.m.

"They're fired up to wear them," Coach Brian Barnes said of the gloves.

Thursday, 7 p.m., at Valencia High

El Dorado's Kane Wilson

Preview: What has happened to El Dorado?

Tesoro has been on cruise control this season, topping the 50-point plateau three times this season. This is Tesoro's final tuneup before the big tilt against Mission Viejo on Oct. 17.

But will this be a tuneup? I'm not so sure.

El Dorado easily could be 3-0 (having lost two games by a total of five points).

Through three games, El Dorado is only allowing 14.5 points a game. Looking at that number, it appears that it has been a lack of offensive punch that has slowed El Dorado this season.

Kane Wilson will be the best quarterback that Tesoro has faced so far.

Will Tesoro run off into the evening with another 50-point outburst? Or can the Golden Hawks defense slow down the Titans and pull out the victory?

This week, I'm going with six games to watch, and here they are ...

Whittier Christian (2-1) vs. No. 25 St. Margaret's (2-0)

Friday, 7 p.m., at St. Margaret's

This could be the small schools game of the year. The Tartans and their 30-game winning streak have yet to be tested, winning their first two games by a combined score of 110-0. The Heralds are coming off of a 34-16 victory over Savanna. The Rebels might be down this year (they were picked to finish fifth in the Orange League), but

that is still a big victory for the small school guys. Is this the game the streak ends? Or will the Tartans continue their roll? If Whittier Christian wins, will it be ranked No. 25?

No. 16 Western (2-0) vs. No. 17 Fullerton (2-1)

Friday, 7 p.m., at Fullerton District Stadium

What a start to the season it has been for the Pioneers. Western has two victories against two Southwest Division foes (Valencia and Canyon) and is now ranked No. 2 in the division behind La Habra. If you haven't had a chance to see Ruben Ortega, then you're missing out. The junior is a beast on both sides of the ball. He rushed for 186 yards last week. When he isn't making plays, then two of the best names in county football (Mookie Cooksie and Quincey Kizzee) are. On the other side, the Indians might have recorded the victory of the year so far, with their upset victory over El Dorado last week. Michael Allain has continued where he left off last year (516 yards in three games). Fullerton is ranked fourth in the Southwest Division.

No. 14 Foothill (2-1) vs. No. 18 Canyon (2-1)

Friday, 7 p.m., at Tustin High

More Southwest Division fun. Remember when the Knights were torched in the season opener against Dana Hills? Since then, Foothill has defeated its rival Tustin (21-6) and then rallied for a victory against Pac-5 power Santa Margarita. Quarterback Zach Griffith has been key to the Knights' rebound after the season opening loss. The defense, led by Jordan Winger, should be running with confidence, especially after hold the Eagles to under 200 total yards last week. Canyon can be a defensive coordinator's worse nightmare. The Comanches had speed and more speed and can score from anywhere. They have already scored on plays of 43, 68, 71, 70 73 and 91 yards. It might wise to try and sneak a 12th defender on the field.

Corona del Mar (3-0) vs. No. 10 Newport Harbor (1-1)

Friday, 7 p.m., at Newport Harbor High

The Sea Kings (A.K.A The Best Kept Secret) can score in bunches. They have already scored 141 points through their first three games. Defensively, they have allowed only 23 points. The Sailors started the season fast with a 58-7 victory over Aliso Niguel. Then they were brought back down to earth againt Long Beach Poly last week. The Sailors have the playmakers (JB Green and Cecil Whiteside) and probably the toughest QB in the county (Andrew McDonald). Newport Harbor won last year's meeting, 40-7. Could this be the CdM's year? Will they still be the Best Kept Secret after Friday?

Vista (2-1) vs. Mission Viejo (3-0)

Friday, 7:30 p.m., at Mission Viejo

I'm beginning to think that being the No. 1 team in the county is sort of like the being on the cover of John Madden video game.  Orange Lutheran took over, then lost to Bishop Amat. Mater Dei moved into the top spot, but lost to Centennial of Corona. Leading us to the Diablos. Mission Viejo moved into the No. 1 spot in the county after last week's 38-14 triumph over La Costa Canyon. How long will they keep it? The Panthers are facing their second consecutive South Coast League opponent this week. Vista defeated Aliso Niguel last week, 35-7. However, the Diablos are of a different cloth.

No. 2 Servite (2-1) vs. No. 4 Edison (3-0)

Friday, 7:30 p.m., at Cerritos College

Welcome to the Pac-5 game of the week. I'm sure this is going to stir up the Sunset or Trinity League discussion. In fact, it already has. Check this out. Edison is undefeated, but the Chargers haven't face anybody like the Friars. Servite could also be undefeated but came up short against Crespi last week. Edison beat Servite twice in 2006. The Friars won last year, 6-0. If you're going to this game, bring a hard hat.