Southern California Top Defensive Performances: Week 1

<strong>Dylan Hampsten, Saugus, 2023</strong> Saugus had a nice blowout win over Moorpark and honestly a number of Saugus defensive players could have made this list, but Hampsten stood out. The junior had seven tackles and 3.5 sacks. He is a 4.0 student and one of the top linebackers in the Santa Clarita area. https://twitter.com/Tarek_Fattal/status/1391804959956430848?s=20 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="25264" first="Josh" last="Hunter"], Mater Dei, 2022</strong> Mater Dei was dominant in its win over Duncanville of Texas and a few defensive players jumped off the screen when you watched the game. Hunter was particularly great in the Mater Dei secondary. He led the Monarchs with eight tackles and had an interception in the endzone. The senior is committed to San Diego State. https://twitter.com/latsondheimer/status/1431415037248299009?s=20 <strong>Gabe Morin, Orange Lutheran, 2023</strong> Orange Lutheran’s defense was outstanding in a 21-7 win over Upland. Morin and the Lancers’ linebacking corps were instrumental in stopping Upland’s dangerous rushing attack. He led Orange Lutheran with 15 tackles and coach Rod Sherman made it a point to call Morin the leader of the defense after the game. He was the leading tackler in the Trinity League last season and he is on his way to matching that this year. https://twitter.com/OLuFootball/status/1432421900676780033?s=20 <strong>Octavio Rodriguez, Oceanside, 2022</strong> Oceanside had a huge upset win over St. Augustine after suffering a blowout loss to San Clemente last week. The Pirates defense was huge holding the Saints to 14 points. Rodriguez had six tackles and a sack for Oceanside in the win and was all over the field. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="187247" first="Patrick" last="Sodl"], Loyola, 2022</strong> Loyola lost a ton of talent from last year’s team, but the defense stepped up big in a 16-14 win against Damien of La Verne. Sodl led the Cubs with 17 tackles which was among the leaders in Southern California for the week. Sodl is committed to Columbia and is one of the better linebackers in Los Angeles. https://twitter.com/p_sodl/status/1411424268752097282?s=20 <hr /> <em><strong>Other top performers:</strong></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Tayven Anderson, Beaumont</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Johnny Babala, Palisades</span> [player_tooltip player_id="25234" first="David" last="Bailey"], Mater Dei <span style="font-weight: 400;">Kaden Baptista, Villa Park</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="141947" first="Louis" last="Brown"], Oak Park</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Jayden Cortell, Eastlake</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Jacob Crain, San Marcos</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Mikey D’Amato, Tesoro</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="148989" first="Carson" last="De Avila"], Newport Harbor</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Chad DeSilva, Aliso Niguel</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Owen Duckworth, Villa Park</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Abel Flores, Rancho Mirage</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Isaac Fualava, Otay Ranch</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="168733" first="Brad" last="Gerken"], San Clemente</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Mikey Gills, Santa Ynez</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Matthew Gonzales, Oceanside</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Jeffrey Hagedorn, Huntington Beach</span> [player_tooltip player_id="25223" first="Domani" last="Jackson"], Mater Dei <span style="font-weight: 400;">Ahmad Jolley, Pasadena</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Devon Jones, Bishop Amat</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Dion Kerkhoff, Estancia</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Rodrigo Luna, University City</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Jaden Mangini, La Jolla Country Day</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="25348" first="Kalim" last="Mikhail"], Bonita</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Cole Paxton, Rim of the World</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Ivan Payawal, Verdugo Hills</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Arnold Regalado, Redlands</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Chad Sabal, Hawkins</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Zac Sheets, Nordhoff</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="147764" first="Jackson" last="Sievers"], Capistrano Valley</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Tye Smith, Loyola</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="141930" first="Justin" last="Stearns"], St. Augustine</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="25447" first="Levi" last="Sua"], Mater Dei</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Chris Tanner, Rancho Bernardo</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="186987" first="Ryan" last="Tuaolo"], St. John Bosco</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="25456" first="Matayo" last="Uiagalelei"], St. John Bosco</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="25244" first="Damonic" last="Williams"], Alemany</span>