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Dana Hills’ football team hasn’t slowed after capturing its first outright league championship last season.

Several players have raised their performance level to spark the Dolphins’ 4-0 start, the best under fourth-year coach Tony Henney.

“(The) kids are playing hard,” said Henney, whose team plays host to St. Margaret’s (2-2) in a nonleague game on Friday. “They’ve been resilient to adversity and are getting better each week.”

Dana Hills, which claimed the Pacific Coast League title last fall, is averaging about 36 points behind an offense led by quarterback Vanden Dugger, running back Radley Geiss and wide receiver James Leicester.

Dugger is completing 68 percent of his passes, a striking improvement from his 57 percent ratio last season at Sunrise Mountain in Arizona.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior has passed for 889 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for another 235 yards.

Geiss, a 5-foot-8, 160-pound junior, has started the season with four consecutive 100-yard rushing games after posting one in 2023. He enters Friday with 543 yards and seven TDs.

Geiss has received the bulk of the carries as Dana Hills has played without running back Owen Walz (shoulder).

Henney said Geiss had a “great offseason” in adding 15 pounds of muscle and more speed.

Dana Hills quarterback Vanden Dugger, left, completed 17 passes, 13 to receiver James Leicester, right, in Dana Hills’ 21-7 victory over Laguna Hills on Friday, Sept. 6. (Photo by Martin Henderson)

Leicester, a 6-foot-2 junior, leads the squad with 30 receptions for 347 yards and three scores. He recorded a school-record 14 catches — three more than his total last season — against Esperanza.

One of the keys to the trio’s production has been the offensive line. Henney credits the play of sophomores Logan Day (6-5, 210) and Issaias Amaya (6-3, 300), junior Sean Aguilar (6-0, 225) and seniors Preston Mayer (5-10, 260) and Luka Rios (5-10, 205).

“Our first-year line coaches Joe Murray and Randy Reynoso are doing an outstanding job,” Henney said.

The defense has been led by Thompson Foulger, a junior linebacker whose 62 tackles ranks second in Orange County to Crean Lutheran linebacker Carter Jones (64 in five games).

Foulger (5-8, 165), who had 49 tackles last season, has emerged as an anchor this fall for a unit with nine new starters.

Dana Hills isn’t the only team from the new Foxtrot League playing well. Laguna Beach (5-0) and Northwood (5-0) are undefeated. Aliso Niguel is 4-1 while Orange (0-5) and Fountain Valley (1-4) have played challenging schedules.

“I knew it was going to be this way,” Henney said of the league’s competitive outlook. “Buckle up.”

The league games begin Oct. 4.

MATER DEI UPDATES

Mater Dei (4-0) discussed playing Northern California power Folsom (4-1) this week in a nonleague game but decided to take its bye, Monarchs coach Raul Lara confirmed. The Monarchs will play a nine-game regular season.

In other Mater Dei news, junior wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. recently had surgery, Lara said. The Ohio State commit was injured against Bishop Gorman of Nevada on Sept. 6.

“Chris is recovering from surgery,” Lara added.

SHORT ROUTES

Northwood senior Cole Hidalgo scored all of the Timberwolves’ points in a 20-6 victory against Portola. …

Beckman (5-0) is off to its best start in school history. …

Khryztopher Entrala has emerged as Laguna Hills’ top running back after Ryan McKevitt suffered a season-ending collarbone injury. The junior rushed for 278 yards and four TDs last week in a 35-28 win against Canyon and has 733 yards overall. …

Anaheim senior Eduardo Guardado rushed for a season-high 191 yards and four TDs in a 53-18 win against Savanna. …

In his first start, Newport Harbor junior QB Jake Meer completed 21 of 25 passes for 218 yards and three TDs in a 28-7 win against St. Augustine. …

Santa Margarita played without wide receiver Trent Mosley and defensive linemen JJ Hanne and Tonga Uhila due to injuries in a 14-13 loss at Leuzinger, Eagles coach Anthony Rouzier confirmed. …

Mission Viejo announced the nominees for its Konrad Reuland Hero Award. The players are Hinesward Lilomaiava, Jaden Williams, Cash Semonza, Matthew Cox, Jackson Hamby and Jack Baldi. ….

San Clemente (3-2) won’t not face QB Bear Bachmeier when it plays at Murrieta Valley (3-1) on Friday. Nighthawks coach George Wilson said Tuesday that the Stanford commit, who has been dealing with injuries, “is not ready.”

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