Corona del Mar vs. Los Alamitos Preview: Players to Watch

Week one is in the books and it was so great to see the joy in the players’ faces as they got to play the sport they love after 15 long months. There were some great games and some lopsided games, just as any opening week has. Well now week two is here and there are huge league matchups we usually don’t get until six or seven weeks into the season. Corona del Mar and Los Alamitos are two elite teams in the Sunset League. Corona del Mar is the defending Division 1-A state champions and Los Alamitos is loaded with college prospects. Below are some of the key players to watch in this marquee matchup Friday on Fox Sports West. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="25197" first="Tommy" last="Griffin"], Corona del Mar, 2021</strong> Griffin is an elite safety who could also play receiver, but was overshadowed by the elite receivers on the Sea Kings last season. Now he gets to be a true two-way star and he had a pair of touchdowns in the teams’ week one win against Palos Verdes. He is a Power 5 level talent who is going to Cal Poly. He will be all over the field on both sides on Friday. https://twitter.com/ProfessorTurner/status/1206053451181879296?s=20 <hr /> <strong>David Rasor, Corona del Mar, 2023</strong> Rasor is the starting quarterback for the Sea Kings after beating out two transfers who started for their respective high school teams last season. He’s a sophomore who started for the freshman team last season and threw for three touchdowns in his varsity debut. He throws a good ball and has a lot of poise and confidence for a sophomore. <hr /> <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/09/qa-corona-del-mar-ol-and-cal-poly-commit-jake-trachtman/">Jake Trachtman</a>, Corona del Mar, 2021</strong> Trachtman and his fellow Cal Poly commit Thomas Bouda anchor the Sea Kings offensive line. They are big and physical and have a lot of winning experience. They both were key elements of the state championship offensive line a year ago. They give Rasor plenty of time and have the leadership and experience to help the younger offensive linemen. https://twitter.com/CDMFOOTBALL/status/1252017862052466688?s=20 <hr /> <strong>Kevin Ledezma, Corona del Mar, 2021</strong> Ledezma is arguably the second best defender on Corona del Mar and he is flying under the radar as far as recruiting goes. He had a team-high eight tackles against Los Alamitos last season in this game and a sack. He flies around the field and is a guy you gameplan around. <hr /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="25419" first="Malachi" last="Nelson"], Los Alamitos, 2023</strong> Nelson is the best quarterback prospect in the nation for the 2023 class. All the major schools have offered him and he has made major strides between his freshman and sophomore season. He threw for 250 yards on just 13 completions with three touchdowns in a blowout win over Millikan last week. He stands tall in the pocket, is accurate to all levels of the field and can throw bullets. https://twitter.com/latsondheimer/status/1370568998769680385?s=20 <hr /> <strong>Tyler DeLeon, Los Alamitos, 2021</strong> DeLeon is the type of linebacker who you always hear his name being announced as being in on the tackle. He plays sideline to sideline and is excellent in pass coverage as well. He is committed to Army and will be crucial in stopping Corona del Mar’s running game and passing game in the flats. https://twitter.com/Tylerdeleon9/status/1357154589242314753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1357154589242314753%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fprepredzone.com%2F2021%2F02%2Flate-signing-day-orange-county-signees%2F <hr /> <strong>Robert Hamilton, Los Alamitos, 2022</strong> Hamilton is a big left tackle who has been under the radar in the recruiting world but shouldn’t be. He is 6-foot-4, 320 pounds and moves pretty well for his size. He is a tenacious and effective run blocker and is a weapon blocking outside linebackers on outside runs. He has good footwork as a pass blocker as well even though he is more effective in the run game. He is the best uncommitted lineman in this game and will be crucial for Los Alamitos. <hr /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="25398" first="Makai" last="Lemon"], Los Alamitos, 2023</strong> Lemon is Nelson’s favorite target and the two are a joy to watch. He caught four passes for 116 yards including a 92-yard touchdown pass. He holds 15 offers including Alabama and has elite speed and room to gain a little size and strength. It will be interesting to see how Corona del Mar tries to defend Lemon and if we will see some snaps where Griffin covers him man-to-man. https://twitter.com/Scott_Schrader/status/1358492504656551936?s=20