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O.C. football Top 25: No. 1

STEVE FRYER, ocvarsity.com — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:41:04 +0000

O.C. FOOTBALL TOP 25
1. Servite
(7-4 overall, 4-1 and tie for first place in Trinity League in 2008)

The Friars have six All-Trinity League returnees, and a quarterback, Cody Fajardo, who looks ready for a big year. Chris Nicholls is one of the fastest receivers in the county. The line should be solid, although standout tackle Matt Jakubiec likely will miss some nonleague games because of a dislocated knee cap. The chief area of concern will be running back, where there is a shortage of returnees. Servite is playing the most challenging nonleague schedule imaginable. Will that prove to be overambitious when league games come around?

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O.C. football Top 25: No. 2

STEVE FRYER, ocvarsity.com — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:39:11 +0000

O.C. FOOTBALL TOP 25
2. Orange Lutheran
(9-3 overall, 4-1 and tie for first place in Trinity League in 2008)

Lutheran has one of Southern California’s top returning quarterbacks, Bobby Wheatley, who was all-league in 2008 and is poised for a huge year in ’09. But in the Lancers' 28-14 loss to Pickerington Central of Ohio on Sunday, Wheatley was blitzed early and often and had a shaky outing. Pickerington Central was the quicker team in that game. Garrett Gilliland, ’08 league co-MVP, is an outstanding linebacker but also very good at running back, too. Lutheran does have to find replacements for what was a tremendous defensive backfield in ’08, but this has matured into a program that just reloads year after year. Lutheran, by the way, was No. 2 even before Sunday's game since voting on the preseason rankings was finalized more than a week ago.

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O.C. football Top 25: No. 3

STEVE FRYER, ocvarsity.com — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 07:46:24 +0000

O.C. FOOTBALL TOP 25
3. Mission Viejo
(10-2 overall, 4-1 and second place in the South Coast League in 2008)

The Diablos are back. OK, 10-2 doesn’t look like they disappeared, and they did not. But for a program that won seven consecutive league championships this decade, two second-place finishes in a row is a bit of a comedown. Look for Mission Viejo to return to the top of the league standings this year. The Diablos have several all-league returnees, including speedy running back Jake Marshall and a terrific defensive lineman, Mark Millan, who might be as good as any lineman to come out of that lineman-rich program. Sure, Mission has to replace All-County quarterback Allan Bridgford. But Mission Viejo is a quarterback factory.

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O.C. football Top 25: No. 4

STEVE FRYER, ocvarsity.com — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 07:45:40 +0000

O.C. FOOTBALL TOP 25
4. Edison
(7-3 overall, 3-2 and tie for first place in Sunset League in 2008)

This could be a very fun team to watch. Quarterback Matt Viles, second-team all league in ’08, is back and so are two fine all-league receivers back, Mike Rivera and Jeff Trojan. The Chargers have a good line, too, led by another all-league returnee, Roman Sapolu. The defense features returning Sunset defensive player of the year Jordan Zumwalt, a linebacker. Edison does need to develop a running game to match the passing attack and fill holes on defense. The Chargers missed the playoffs because of a coin flip last season. They should return to the playoffs this year, and they won’t need a coin flip to get there.

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O.C. football Top 25: No. 5

STEVE FRYER, ocvarsity.com — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:18:55 +0000

O.C. FOOTBALL TOP 25
5. Mater Dei
(8-4 overall, 4-1 in the Trinity League in 2008)

Yes, the Monarchs have to replace Matt Barkley. Is this the first time Mater Dei has had to replace a big-time quarterback? Nope. The Monarchs churn out winners at every position year after year, so they will be fine. They have some very good ones returning -- Victor Blackwell at receiver, and Chris Ward on the offensive line. This will be an interesting team to watch.

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O.C. football Top 25: No. 6

STEVE FRYER, ocvarsity.com — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:15:29 +0000

O.C. FOOTBALL TOP 25
6. Tesoro
(13-1 overall, 5-0 and first place in the South Coast League in 2008)

The Titans sure lost a lot of players to graduation. You can start with last year’s county players of the year, quarterback Robbie Picazo and defensive back (and also a top receiver) Preston King. But the winning tradition is in place and there are plenty of fine returnees, like running back Zach Mitchell, receiver/defensive back Cody Wittick and lineman Sil Ajawara. While another 5-0 league record and a second-consecutive trip to the Pac-5 finals seems unlikely, this still is a solid top 10 team.

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O.C. football Top 25: No. 7

STEVE FRYER, ocvarsity.com — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:44:08 +0000

O.C. FOOTBALL TOP 25
7. San Clemente
(8-3 overall, 3-2 and second place in the South Coast League in 2008)

This team went from good to very good with the spring transfer of quarterback prospect Chase Rettig. Rettig threw for 1,275 yards and 13 touchdowns on a 1-9 team at La Salle of Pasadena last year. He might put off wild numbers running the Tritons’ fly offense. San Clemente has offensive balance, too, with all-league returnee David Espino at running back. The Tritons play in a loaded league, but they should be a top-10 fixture again.

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O.C. football Top 25: No. 8

STEVE FRYER, ocvarsity.com — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:42:05 +0000

O.C. FOOTBALL TOP 25
8. Esperanza
(8-4 overall, 3-2 and tie for first place in the Sunset League in 2008)

Yes, the opening of Yorba Linda High will siphon the Esperanza talent pool. But the Aztecs probably still have at least one more good season in them. Esperanza has a new head coach, Greg Kemp, who replaces Bill Pendleton. But Kemp knows the program and the league; he has been on the staff at Esperanza for 13 years. Pendleton will be around as the offensive line coach, his forte. Esperanza has talent coming back, too, like all-league returnees Lukas Lopez at defensive line and Hayden Pierce at receiver and defensive back.

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O.C. football Top 25: No. 9

STEVE FRYER, ocvarsity.com — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:23:35 +0000

O.C. FOOTBALL TOP 25
9. Los Alamitos
(8-3 overall, 3-2 and tie for first place in the Sunset League in 2008)

The Griffins first and foremost have to replace Clark Evans, who was a great runner and passer as quarterback the past two seasons, and all-league receiver Paul Richardson transferred to Serra of Gardena. But there always is talent at the skill positions in Griffinland. Defensively, all-league returnees Josh Barut and Robert Watson will lead the backfield along with top recruit Shaquille Richardson. Another thing that cannot be overlooked is the veteran coaching staff. John Barnes, the all-time leader in football coaching victories in Orange County, has a group of assistants that has been there for decades. Coaching continuity is so important for a team to be successful year after year.

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O.C. football Top 25: No. 10

STEVE FRYER, ocvarsity.com — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:16:15 +0000

O.C. FOOTBALL TOP 25
10. Tustin
(9-5 overall, 4-1 and tie for first place in Century League in 2008)

The Tillers got all the way to the CIF-Southern Section Southwest Division championship last year, and they could be better this year. Tustin brings back All-County running back Anthony Wilkerson, who compares favorably to former Tillers great DeShaun Foster. Also returning are defensive back Wade Minshew, who likely will get some carries in the Tillers’ double-wing offense, too, as will fullback/defensive back star Denzale Stewart. Tustin has solid linemen again, led by all-league returnees Scott Hungerford and Faitele Faafoi. If Tustin starts 1-3 or even 1-4, ignore it. The Tillers do that every year, and then play their best when it counts the most.

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