Southern California Top Defensive Performances: Week 0

<strong>Andrew Huezo, Village Christian, 2024</strong> Village Christian has an outstanding sophomore class and two-way lineman Andrew Huezo is one of the best. He is on the smaller side at 190 pounds but has good speed for a lineman and is an excellent pass rusher. He had four sacks in a win against La Salle. It was the most sacks by any sophomore in the nation. Village Christian has a bright future with this sophomore class. https://twitter.com/vcs_football/status/1430610024112394246?s=20 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="143131" first="Jacob" last="Manu"], Servite, 2022</strong> Manu is the clear leader of Servite’s defense. He can play inside or outside linebacker and leads the team when they come out of the locker room to the sweet sound of bagpipes. He had a pair of sacks in a blowout win over Edison but also was excellent in pass coverage. Edison wanted to throw the ball to the flat, but Manu was there to break it up or make the tackle with minimal gain. Manu has offers from Army, Penn, UNC Charlotte and Dartmouth. https://twitter.com/Zack_Poff_MP/status/1428815768079069186?s=20 <strong>Wyatt Mosier, Yorba Linda, 2023</strong> Mosier was arguably the best defensive player on Yorba Linda’s team in the spring as a sophomore. He had a huge game against Newport Harbor with 17 tackles, three for a loss and a sack in the Mustang’s 26-14 win. He has sideline-to-sideline speed which is essential for a linebacker these days. He is a guy who should get some recruiting attention after a successful junior year. https://twitter.com/ylhsfootball/status/1430170062653165578?s=20 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="141930" first="Justin" last="Stearns"], St. Augustine, 2022</strong> St. Augustine suffered a tough loss to El Camino but Stearns and the Saints defense played well. Stearns, a San Jose State commit, had 10 tackles and two interceptions for St. Augustine. He is a big guy at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds and excels at stopping the run and pass coverage. https://twitter.com/JustinStearns19/status/1429528127047311362?s=20 <strong>Blake Wilson, Santa Margarita, 2023</strong> Santa Margarita’s defense has a good mix of returning starters and transfers. They played outstanding in a win against San Juan Hills and Wilson was a huge factor. He had two interceptions against a San Juan Hills team that has elite Division 1 receivers. <strong>Donovan Comestro</strong> also had an interception. Wilson is also a baseball star at Santa Margarita. The Eagles defense can hang with almost anybody in Southern California and are a reason the Eagles are a serious playoff threat. https://twitter.com/SMCHS_Football/status/1429191827710627840?s=20 <hr /> <em><strong>Other top performers: </strong></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Nathaniel Alarcon, California</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Frankie Armenta, Ocean View</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Ian Ayala, Rancho Mirage</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">JD Barreto, Ocean View</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Jaden Beisel, Aliso Niguel</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="25313" first="Braydon" last="Brus"], Glendora</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Owen Burnside, Tesoro</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Jayden Cortell, Eastlake</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Keenan Eck, Apple Valley</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Jack Fairchild, Crean Lutheran</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Keto Fierro, Otay Ranch</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="115429" first="Marquis" last="Gallegos"], Chaminade</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="141891" first="Mason" last="Graham"], Servite</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Peyton Gregory, Edison</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="25253" first="Sione" last="Hala"], St. John Bosco</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="186998" first="Patrick" last="Hawkins"], Foothill</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Michael Horta Aviles, Western</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Jeremiah Ingram, Pacifica</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Travis Lecompte, El Toro</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Apisai Matelau, Upland</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Reese McDonald, San Clemente</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Mohamed Mohamed, Crawford</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Kevin Olah, Santa Fe Christian</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Christopher Ponce, Upland</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="155848" first="Weston" last="Port"], San Juan Hills</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Cole Robertson, San Clemente</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Chad Sabal, Hawkins</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Jalen Shaw, Scripps Ranch</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="147764" first="Jackson" last="Sievers"], Capistrano Valley</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Anthony Solis, Garfield</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="25458" first="Micah" last="Vanta"], Mira Mesa</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="141895" first="Jayden" last="Virgin"], Mt. Carmel</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Darius Ward, Norco</span> &nbsp;