Taking a close look at some of Friday’s matchups for Orange County teams in the CIF-SS football quarterfinals.
DIVISION 3
El Modena (11-0) at Bishop Diego of Santa Barbara (8-3), Saturday, 7 p.m.
Delgado’s preview: El Modena moved on to the CIF-SS quarterfinals after holding off Pasadena by the slimmest of margins, 15-14, thanks to Sam Astor’s last-minute interception. The Vanguards should be rested and prepared to make the 133-mile trip to Bishop Diego. The Saturday kickoff means that El Modena gets eight days between games, something that Vanguards coach Matt Mitchell is embracing. “We played last Thursday, so we’re getting extra rest going into it, and we had some rain on Monday and Tuesday, so we didn’t hit,” Mitchell said, “we just did a walk-through in the gym and introduced the game plan.” Mitchell said the Vanguards know they will have to find a way to stop the Cardinals’ Qu’Ran Gossett (1,917 yards rushing, 27 TDs) and quarterback AJ Vele. El Modena’s defense was stout against Pasadena, due in part to the return of defensive tackle Esteban Choucair. Vanguards sophomore QB Xzavior Guess has provided lots of big plays, and the Vanguards can also lean on Owen Smith and Mayson Hitchens on the ground. El Modena should be able to improve to 12-0 and advance to the Division 3 semifinals.
DIVISION 7
Ontario Christian (9-2) at Laguna Hills (10-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
Delgado’s preview: Laguna Hills is looking to make it to the semifinals for the first time since 2009. The Hawks have a great opportunity to do it if their offensive line can continue to create running lanes for the county’s leading rusher Troy Leigber. The 6-foot, 200-pound senior ran for 250 yards and five touchdowns in the Hawks’ 42-33 win over third-seeded Eisenhower in the first round. He now has 1,886 yards and 30 touchdowns this season. Ontario Christian also likes to run the ball using a wing-T formation. Logan Escoto and Brandon Rodgers combined for 341 yards rushing and six touchdowns in the Knights 57-55 win over Sultana. Laguna Hills’ defense must slow down Ontario Christian’s duo in order to have success. It’s a close matchup but I always side with the team with the most impactful player on the field … and that is Leigber and the Hawks.
Northwood players rush to Danial Kamel’s side, right, after he intercepts the ball to seal a 63-56 win over Monrovia during the first round of CIF-SS Division 8 football playoffs at Monrovia High School in Monrovia on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
DIVISION 8
Grand Terrace (8-3) vs Northwood (10-1) at Irvine HS, Friday, 7 p.m.
Delgado’s preview: Northwood put up 63 points in its first-round victory, 63-56, over Monrovia last week. The Timberwolves’ next opponent is Grand Terrace, which features a pair of playmakers in Exzavior Oliver and Alijah Appleton. Northwood’s offense has shown it can light up the scoreboard with Adam Harper, Eugene Miyata and Andrew Penrod, but their defense must limit the Titans. Danial Kamel came up with the key interception for the Timberwolves last week and they might need Kamel to provide a game-changing play again this week. Northwood should win this battle of league champions.
DIVISION 9
Garden Grove (10-1) at Norte Vista (8-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
Delgado’s preview: The Argonauts earned a hard-fought win over Moreno Valley in the first round and now they have to travel to Riverside to face Norte Vista. Garden Grove coach Ricardo Cepeda believes his team will be ready to face Braves and their vaunted double-wing offense. “The first series will be key. Our defensive linemen gotta be selfless,” Cepeda said. “They can’t try to make plays, they need to stay in their gaps, stay low and not get driven off the ball. They might not make a lot of tackles but they gotta make piles.” Norte Vista’s Damarion Richardson and Brian Temple have combined for over 2,400 yards on the ground and 31 touchdowns. Cepeda is expecting big performances from two of the team’s linebackers, Michael Isguerra and Isaac Garcia. Malachi Bey, who scored both touchdowns for Garden Grove in its first-round win, will also be moved around defensively in attempts to slow the Braves down. Norte Vista is my pick in this game because of its fluid, yet gritty offensive system.
DIVISION 10
Santa Ana (8-3) at Palmdale (7-4), Friday, 7 p.m.
Delgado’s preview: The top-seeded Saints will make the trek to Palmdale after a 14-7 home victory over Fillmore in the first round. Santa Ana coach Charlie TeGantvoort was proud of Steven Hughes’ performance at quarterback last week and said Hughes will “most likely” get the starting nod again. Sergio Torres is dealing with an injury sustained in the regular-season finale against Orange. “He’s our safety and never played quarterback before,” TeGantvoort said of Hughes. “He’s our captain and most accountable kid and he stepped up and did a great job.” Santa Ana will need to know where Falcons wide receiver/running back Demario Jackson is on every play. Jackson has scored 16 touchdowns this season. “He’s definitely their best player and literally plays everywhere, so we need to be able to adjust and identify where he is,” TeGantvoort said. The Saints will counter with running back Jayderick Garcia and receiver Joseph Foster. Foster scored both touchdowns on passes from Hughes last week. If the Saints can limit Jackson’s impactful touches and Hughes continues his Nick Foles-esque postseason run, expect a win for Santa Ana.
DIVISION 14
Whittier Christian (7-4) at Bolsa Grande (6-5), Friday, 7 p.m.
Delgado’s preview: Whittier Christian qualified for the playoffs after a 2-win season in 2021, and last week the Heralds collected their first postseason win since 2012. Heralds coach Frank Manriquez is excited to see his players believe that they can win. “The credit always goes back to the kids and them buying into the process,” Manriquez said. “My emphasis was to get them out of the world of losing and knowing they can win and having a winning mentality as far as the culture is concerned.” Manriquez said the key to getting an upset win over top-seeded Bolsa Grande is to stay within the system. “We just have to stay to our fundamentals, stick to the game plan and just execute,” he said. Whittier Christian QB Caleb Mer and RB/WR Jake Martinez will need to play important roles for the Heralds to be victorious. Matadors QB Ethan Nguyen, who had five total touchdowns in last week’s win over Duarte, should be the best player on the field Friday. Having a player of that caliber makes Bolsa Grande hard to go against, so I will go with Bolsa Grande … but the Heralds are headed in the right direction.