GAME OF THE WEEK

NO. 12 CORONA DEL MAR (2-2) VS. NO. 23 TRABUCO HILLS (3-1)

Where, when: Trabuco Hills High, Friday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: It’s the final nonleague game of the season for Corona del Mar. Trabuco Hills has a couple of nonleague weeks to go before starting Sea View League play. Corona del Mar has lost two in a two to very good 5-0 teams – 14-11 to Palos Verdes and 28-14 to San Clemente. Kaleb Annett has continued the Corona del Mar tradition of productivity at quarterback, completing 60 percent of his passes for 887 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior linebacker Christian Brooks is averaging 10 tackles a game. Trabuco Hills could not control Tustin’s excellent running game in a 40-19 loss last week. Tustin also put the clamps on Trabuco Hills receiver Ryan Luce, who was limited to three receptions for 10 yards. Corona del Mar’s defense might be better than Tustin’s, and the Sea Kings will get the offense going again to get back to winning.

Winner: Corona del Mar

NO. 10 SAN JUAN HILLS (5-0) VS. NO. 23 19 EL MODENA (2-2)

Where, when: El Modena High, Thursday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: San Juan Hills is among the most improved teams in Orange County football. The Stallions, who were 0-7 last season before finishing 4-8, are one of six undefeated county football teams. (The others are Capistrano Valley, Kennedy, Laguna Hills, Mater Dei, San Clemente and Tustin.) Sophomore quarterback Timmy Herr is averaging 186 yards passing a game and has rushed for seven touchdowns. The defense has been San Juan Hills’ chief strength, led by its corps of linebackers, including senior Jake Javorsky, averaging 10 tackles a game, and junior Weston Port, who has offers from Michigan, Ohio State, UCLA and others. Port is averaging nine tackles. El Modena has won 12 of its past 13 home games. The latest was last week’s  38-35 win  over La Habra as dynamic junior quarterback Xzavior Guess ran for three touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass. San Juan Hills has the best defense that Guess and the Vanguards will have faced so far this season. That defense will get the Stallions a win in this one and in more games to come.

Winner: San Juan Hills

El Modena quarterback Xzavior Guess, right, runs away from Pasadena cornerback Michael Liggins, left, as he gains yardage in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs in Orange on Thursday, November 3, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

NO. 1 MATER DEI (4-0) VS. ST. FRANCES (1-4)

Where, when: at St. Frances High, Baltimore, Maryland, Friday, 4 p.m.

Analysis: Road trips for high school teams can be troublesome. If Mater Dei takes everything seriously, it win again and maybe by a big margin. St. Frances is better than its record says. The Panthers have played a national-level schedule and are No. 77 in the national rankings that have Mater Dei at No. 1. An easy way to handicap this game: Mater Dei beat Hawaii’s Kuhuku 55-8; St. John Bosco lost to Kuhuku 30-23; St. John Bosco beat St. Frances Academy 37-14. Mater Dei first-year coach Frank McManus was excellent at motivating his guys when he was the team’s defensive backfield coach for several years, and he has already shown he is just as adept at firing up the entire squad.

Winner: Mater Dei

NO. 4 SERVITE (3-1) VS. ST. PAUL (2-2)

Where, when: St. Paul High, Friday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: The danger for Servite is looking ahead to next week, when the Friars play their current biggest rival, Mater Dei, on Sept. 29 at Santa Ana Stadium. So far, though, Servite first-year coach Chris Reinert has done an expert job having the Friars ready to play the team that is on the field with them. They beat Los Alamitos 28-24 two weeks ago for what is the biggest upset in Orange County football this season. The Friars sport a balanced offense that is averaging 200 yards rushing and 204 yards passing a game. The team’s top four tacklers are non-seniors, led by freshman linebacker Isaiah Leilua’s eight tackles game. This is the first Servite-St. Paul game since 2012. St. Paul this season beat Newport Harbor and West Ranch and lost close games to Bishop Amat and Downey. St. Paul is not a fun place for a visiting team, but any Servite team that believes in itself like this one is a difficult Friars team to beat.

Winner: Servite

Servite running back Quaid Carr leaps into the end zone for a score in the fourth quarter against Los Alamitos in a non-league football game at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Friday, September 8, 2023. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)

MURRIETA VALLEY (3-1) VS. SAN CLEMENTE (5-0)

Where, when: San Clemente High, Friday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: Murrieta Valley last week beat ML King 48-24 as junior quarterback Bear Bachemeier completed 19 of his 23 passes for 228 yards and five touchdowns. Bachmeier (6-2, 225) has offers from many colleges, including Alabama, Michigan and Notre Dame. San Clemente might be the best defense Bachmeier has seen this season. Tritons junior linebacker Puka Fuimaono averages a team-high nine tackles a game. Junior safety Matai Tagoa’i has four sacks – that’s an attacking defense when a safety is the sacks leader – and junior cornerback Riley Kelley has five of the team’s 10 interceptions. San Clemente senior running back Aiden Rubin is averaging 131 yards a game and 7 yards a carry. A ball-control offense like the Tritons have keeps the ball out of an opposing quarterback’s hands. A defense like the Tritons have makes things difficult when the ball is in the opposing quarterback’s hands.

Winner: San Clemente

Fryer on Football last week: 4-1

Season to date: 17-8

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