Huntley’s Week 1 Picks

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Each week I will breakdown and make predictions for seven games in Southern California.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at what I think are the top games of the week:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>THURSDAY</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>San Juan Hills vs. Cypress</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cypress opened its season with an impressive win over Foothill. Los Alamitos transfer <strong>Aidan Houston</strong> completed 11 of 15 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown for the Centurions while returning quarterback <strong>Elliot Lemonnier</strong> had 106 yards with a touchdown pass as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oregon State commit [player_tooltip player_id='35436' first='Matthew' last='Morrell'] caught five passes for 92 yards with a touchdown and slot receiver <strong>Blake Cuisamano</strong> caught six passes for 83 yards with a touchdown. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>San Juan Hills struggled offensively against a very good Santa Margarita defense last week. <strong>Michael "Butter" Tollefson</strong> had just over 80 yards passing and 50 yards rushing. [player_tooltip player_id='384776' first='Brayden' last='Bockler'] caught a touchdown pass for the Stallions but was banged up after the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Stallion's defense was very good led by [player_tooltip player_id='155848' first='Weston' last='Port'] and <strong>Jake Javorsky.</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cypress upset San Juan Hills last year in a game that shocked the OC football community. San Juan Hills is ready for the Centurions this time in what should be a low-scoring affair.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The pick: </strong>San Juan Hills</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/PortWeston/status/1561132586499395584?s=20u0026t=GH490wuj9wII1FdMmxfQdw","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/PortWeston/status/1561132586499395584?s=20u0026t=GH490wuj9wII1FdMmxfQdw </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FRIDAY</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>JSerra vs. Chaminade</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>JSerra had one of the biggest upsets in week zero with a convincing win over Sierra Canyon. Quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='943035' first='Zander' last='Singh']</strong> completed 10 of 19 passes for 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='406721' first='George' last='Perez']</strong> ran for 139 yards on 16 carries with one touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What was most impressive about JSerra was the performance of its offensive line led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='25454' first='David' last='Tuliau']</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='282706' first='Jake' last='Flores']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chaminade edged Oaks Christian by seven points in week one and is led by defensive stars [player_tooltip player_id='115429' first='Marquis' last='Gallegos'] and [player_tooltip player_id='261754' first='Isaiah' last='Chisom']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This will be a very close game but JSerra's win last week was more impressive than Chaminade's. They won't catch Chaminade off-guard like they may have done to Sierra Canyon, but games are won in the trenches and JSerra has an edge there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The pick: </strong>JSerra</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/JSerraAthletics/status/1561025099578216448?s=20u0026t=GH490wuj9wII1FdMmxfQdw","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/JSerraAthletics/status/1561025099578216448?s=20u0026t=GH490wuj9wII1FdMmxfQdw </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Serra vs. Long Beach Poly</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Serra had a 20-3 lead midway through the third quarter against Orange Lutheran before the Lancers made an impressive comeback to win. [player_tooltip player_id='147716' first='Cincere' last='Rhaney'] was excellent against Orange Lutheran and rushed for 171 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns. <strong>Kai Honda</strong> is a receiver to watch who had six catches for Serra.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Poly was dominant in week zero and got a superstar performance out of quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='115447' first='Darius' last='Curry'] with 358 yards and four touchdowns. USC commit [player_tooltip player_id='115473' first='Jason' last='Robinson JR'] led the Jackrabbits receiving corps with 114 yards on six receptions with a touchdown. Running back [player_tooltip player_id='261774' first='Devin' last='Samples'] had a touchdown reception out of the backfield and [player_tooltip player_id='145195' first='Raiden' last='Brown'] had a touchdown catch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>USC commit [player_tooltip player_id='184158' first='Dylan' last='Williams'] led the Poly defense with 11 tackles and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='261827' first='Phoenix' last='Tusa']</strong> had two sacks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The last six games between these two teams have been decided by six points or less. Serra won both games last season including the CIF State Division 1A Regional championship. The intriguing matchup to watch is between Poly receiver [player_tooltip player_id='115473' first='Jason' last='Robinson JR'] and Serra cornerback [player_tooltip player_id='190271' first='Rodrick' last='Pleasant']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The pick: </strong>Long Beach Poly</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/johnwdavis/status/1562891626212536320?s=20u0026t=GH490wuj9wII1FdMmxfQdw","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/johnwdavis/status/1562891626212536320?s=20u0026t=GH490wuj9wII1FdMmxfQdw </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/mikehuntley63/status/1562615187646976000?s=20u0026t=GH490wuj9wII1FdMmxfQdw","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/mikehuntley63/status/1562615187646976000?s=20u0026t=GH490wuj9wII1FdMmxfQdw </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Centennial vs. Cathedral Catholic</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Centennial was dominant in its opening game against Santiago and because of the 85-0 score, none of the starters put up impressive numbers due to low playing time. Arizona State commit [player_tooltip player_id='25365' first='Izzy' last='Carter'] had two touchdown passes on just three attempts and running back <strong>Cornell Hatcher</strong> had 94 yards rushing with two touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='145197' first='Owen' last='Chambliss'] had an interception on defense and [player_tooltip player_id='270906' first='Samarai' last='Anderson'] had six tackles and one for a loss for the Centennial defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cathedral Catholic ran for 164 yards in a win over Mater Dei Catholic last week, in a battle between two of the top teams in San Diego. <strong>Sean Kagen</strong> led the defense with 17 tackles and two sacks and [player_tooltip player_id='145201' first='Victory' last='Johnson'] had 12 tackles. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='282705' first='Madden' last='Faraimo']</strong> had two interceptions for the Cathedral Catholic defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Dons lost a ton of talent from their Open Division championship team last season and Centennial is just too good for most teams to beat right now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The pick: </strong>Centennial</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Cen10Football/status/1561039515523104768?s=20u0026t=GH490wuj9wII1FdMmxfQdw","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Cen10Football/status/1561039515523104768?s=20u0026t=GH490wuj9wII1FdMmxfQdw </div><figcaption>Mater </figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Norco vs. Santa Margarita</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Santa Margarita's defense shined in the team's opening win over San Juan Hills. [player_tooltip player_id='147756' first='Levar' last='Talley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='383955' first='Collins' last='Acheampong'] were dominant on the edges and constantly got in the backfield. [player_tooltip player_id='282745' first='Tyler' last='Parker'] drew a lot of double teams on the inside which opened tackling windows for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='204409' first='Jacob' last='Bower']</strong> who had 16 tackles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='25428' first='Jaxon' last='Potter'] had a fine game but played it very safe with a lot of underneath throws. [player_tooltip player_id='115420' first='Emmett' last='Mosley'] had 9 catches for 94 yards and a touchdown and [player_tooltip player_id='190355' first='Niko' last='Lopez'] had a long catch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Norco has a new face in<strong> </strong>at quarterback in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='943018' first='Tyler' last='Dudden']</strong> and his top target will be UCLA commit [player_tooltip player_id='145245' first='Grant' last='Gray']. The defense is loaded with talent like defensive back <strong>Clayton Zentner</strong>, <strong>Chase Miller</strong>, <strong>Tobias Thomasscales</strong> and Mater Dei transfer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='115479' first='Thaddeus' last='Woods']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was one of Santa Margarita's losses last year but I think they will benefit from being at home and having already played a game to work the kinks out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The pick: </strong>Santa Margarita</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/SMCHS_Football/status/1560769693878714375?s=20u0026t=GH490wuj9wII1FdMmxfQdw","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/SMCHS_Football/status/1560769693878714375?s=20u0026t=GH490wuj9wII1FdMmxfQdw </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Servite vs. Mission Viejo</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Servite struggled last week against Rancho Cucamonga and hits the road again this week for a tough matchup. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mission Viejo had the week off after a win over Mililani of Hawaii. [player_tooltip player_id='190360' first='Jackson' last='Holman'] had multiple touchdown receptions and [player_tooltip player_id='384830' first='Michael' last='Damato'] led the defense with two interceptions. [player_tooltip player_id='398456' first='Trey' last='Tolmaire'] had an interception and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='261806' first='Jonathan' last='Becerra']</strong> had 1.5 sacks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='25441' first='Kadin' last='Semonza'] is one of the sharpest quarterbacks in the county and Servite doesn't have the strength in the trenches to attack Mission Viejo's offensive line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The pick: </strong>Mission Viejo</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/SOCoPrepSports/status/1562901481514098690?s=20u0026t=GH490wuj9wII1FdMmxfQdw","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/SOCoPrepSports/status/1562901481514098690?s=20u0026t=GH490wuj9wII1FdMmxfQdw </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Carlsbad vs. Mater Dei Catholic</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mater Dei Catholic struggled in its season opener against Cathedral Catholic and gave itself no time to recover to now play another top team in the county in Carlsbad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kansas commit [player_tooltip player_id='25445' first='Chris' last='Snyder'] had a nice game for the Crusaders with a rushing touchdown against Cathedral Catholic. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carlsbad is led by the top quarterback in the 2024 class [player_tooltip player_id='115456' first='Julian' last='Sayin']. Tight end [player_tooltip player_id='190362' first='Zack' last='Marshall'] just committed to Michigan and receiver [player_tooltip player_id='384784' first='Justin' last='Johnson'] is a weapon. [player_tooltip player_id='398452' first='Luke' last='Ferrelli'] is a two-way star who will be one of the most physical guys on the field. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mater Dei had the benefit of playing a game to work out the kinks and Carlsbad is playing its first game. But I think Carlsbad is too talented and has the edges in the trenches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The pick: </strong>Carlsbad</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->