Huntley’s Week 5 Picks

<p>Each week I will breakdown and make predictions for seven games in Southern California.</p>   <p>I don't want to boast, but I am on a hot streak going 12-2 the past two weeks.</p>   <p>Here is a look at what I think are the top games of the week:</p>   <h2><strong>MIRA COSTA VS. VILLA PARK</strong></h2>   <p>Mira Costa is hot and coming off three dominant wins over Mayfair, Hart and West Torrance. Sophomore quarterback <strong>Nicolas de la Cruz</strong> has been a pleasant surprise, completing 72 percent of his passes for 1402 yards and 13 touchdowns through four games. <strong>Matthew Kraskouskas</strong> is having a nice season at running back with 454 yards and six touchdowns. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='398466' first='Reese' last='Leonard']</strong> and <strong>Cole Crotty</strong> are reliable receivers who also contribute on defense. It looks like Villa Park found its quarterback in sophomore <strong>Nate Lewis</strong> but the Spartans want to run the ball. Villa Park's defense is fast and physical and flew around the field last week against Eastlake of Chula Vista. Villa Park is the best team that Mira Costa has seen so far this season and if they can pressure de la Cruz, they should get a win at home.</p>   <p><strong>The pick: </strong>Villa Park</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/VPSpartan/status/1572669649334185987?s=20u0026t=VKDeIUb5nzKZ9OKsHTx1Cw </div></figure>   <h2><strong>EL TORO VS. TESORO</strong></h2>   <p>El Toro is coming off a massive upset win over Capo Valley where <strong>Thomas Frum</strong> had six touchdowns and well over 300 all-purpose yards. <strong>Josh Vivonia</strong> is an excellent two way player for the Chargers, who narrowly beat Tesoro last season. The rest of El Toro's team is really young but it appears something has clicked after its disastrous 0-3 start. Tesoro is coming off a bye after a heartbreaking loss to La Serna where they led by 21 points in the second half. <strong>Travis Wood</strong> has quietly been one of the best running backs in Orange County this season. [player_tooltip player_id='190350' first='Gavin' last='Shaigineik'] has been solid at quarterback and [player_tooltip player_id='169106' first='Evan' last='Pierce'] adds a different look when he plays quarterback. [player_tooltip player_id='270854' first='Mason' last='Wolfe'] is a quality receiver and I am high on junior receiver <strong>Todd Nelson</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='147765' first='Dylan' last='Riley']</strong> has been good on defense and <strong>Jack Brundage</strong> is the team leader on that side of the ball. [player_tooltip player_id='270888' first='Owen' last='Burnside'] can get into the backfield and may be hard for El Toro to stop. This game will be telling for both teams but I think Tesoro bounces back at home.</p>   <p><strong>The pick:</strong> Tesoro</p>   <h2><strong>EL MODENA VS. SAN JUAN HILLS</strong></h2>   <p>El Modena dominated La Habra last week and is off to a 4-0 start. The running game is the key to El Modena's offensive success along with its dual threat quarterback <strong>Xzavior Guess</strong>. <strong>Owen Smith</strong> gets the most carries and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='384795' first='Mayson' last='Hitchens']</strong> is a very good two-way player who is hard to bring down. San Juan Hills is finally healthy on the offensive line with [player_tooltip player_id='338341' first='Enzo' last='Benzan'] and<strong> Ryan MacDougall </strong>returning. They played their best game of the season last week against Corona del Mar and were competitive. With a healthy offensive line, <strong>Michael "Butter" Tollefson</strong> is a dangerous quarterback and [player_tooltip player_id='155848' first='Weston' last='Port'] is always dangerous on defense. San Juan Hills is the best team that El Modena has faced so far, but they have been so polished on both sides of the ball that I think they win a close one here.</p>   <p><strong>The pick: </strong>El Modena</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/elmodenafb/status/1571226498748788736?s=20u0026t=4x4xwjpX2P81_JtPmES4-A </div></figure>   <h2><strong>CITRUS VALLEY VS. AYALA</strong></h2>   <p>Citrus Valley is all that stands in the way between Ayala and a perfect season. Ayala has one of my favorite junior quarterbacks in [player_tooltip player_id='273597' first='Bryan' last='Wilson'] who has offers from Florida State and Texas A&M. They have a well-balanced offense with <strong>Marquis Monroe</strong> at running back and <strong>Dominic Alloway</strong> at receiver. Ayala is coming off a one point win over rival Chino Hills. Citrus Valley is also very good and won convincingly against a very good Norco team last week. [player_tooltip player_id='25403' first='Brock' last='Lium'] had a massive game against Norco and quarterback <strong>Hunter Herrera</strong> has had a solid year. <strong>Dominic Douglas</strong> is a good running back and the balanced offense makes Citrus Valley tough to prepare for. These teams are ranked next to each other on MaxPreps and they have never played each other before. </p>   <p><strong>The pick: </strong>Ayala</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/3dqb_SoCal/status/1571685852480409600?s=20u0026t=4x4xwjpX2P81_JtPmES4-A </div></figure>   <h2><strong>ALISO NIGUEL VS. FOUNTAIN VALLEY</strong></h2>   <p>This game was a blowout last year but this Fountain Valley team is much better than it was last year. <strong>Noa Banua</strong> is a significant upgrade at quarterback from last season and <strong>Scott Peshke</strong> is a big and athletic tight end. [player_tooltip player_id='270362' first='Matthew' last='Mena'] will be the best lineman on the field Friday. Aliso Niguel is 3-1 and before its bye week had a nice comeback win over Dana Hills. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='147763' first='Hunter' last='Najm'] has eight touchdowns with no interceptions this season. <strong>Jack Gill</strong> is a playmaker on both sides of the ball for the Wolverines and <strong>CJ Besuzzi</strong> has the potential to play at the college level. Aliso Niguel's defense has forced 10 turnovers and has not had a turnover on offense. This game may come down to which team avoids a late mistake or which team has the ball last.</p>   <p><strong>The pick: </strong>Aliso Niguel</p>   <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/1570186641695993856?s=20u0026t=4x4xwjpX2P81_JtPmES4-A </div></figure>   <h2><strong>VISTA MURRIETA VS. RANCHO CUCAMONGA</strong></h2>   <p>Vista Murrieta is off to a hot start and dominated Heritage last week. [player_tooltip player_id='406658' first='Akili' last='Smith'] Jr. is quickly rising up the rankings of sophomore quarterbacks. He is averaging 260 yards per game and has 13 touchdowns with zero interceptions. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='384766' first='Grant' last='Wayne']</strong> is emerging as a top receiver and this team has completely flipped its identity from last season. Rancho Cucamonga lost to JSerra last week and returns home for this one. [player_tooltip player_id='398454' first='Jason' last='Harris'] is a real number one receiver and [player_tooltip player_id='42957' first='CJ' last='Tiller'] is capable of leading scoring drives. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='261691' first='Christian' last='Pierce']</strong> is a very good defensive player and <strong>Lavaka Latu</strong> can get into the backfield. I am going against the rankings here and picking the hot team.</p>   <p><strong>The pick: </strong>Vista Murrieta</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Zack_Poff_MP/status/1572636448884686848?s=20u0026t=4x4xwjpX2P81_JtPmES4-A </div></figure>   <h2><strong>SAN CLEMENTE VS. MURRIETA VALLEY</strong></h2>   <p>These two teams have played each other a handful of times the past six years and they always have fun and competitive games. San Clemente is coming off its first loss of the season against a great Edison team. <strong>Blake Allen</strong> is a workhorse at running back and [player_tooltip player_id='195580' first='Broderick' last='Redden'] manages a game well at quarterback. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='168733' first='Brad' last='Gerken'] flies all over the field and the linebackers <strong>Cole Robertson</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='270910' first='Kyle' last='Yamano'] are sure tacklers. Murrieta Valley has an elite receiver in Stanford commit [player_tooltip player_id='25360' first='Tiger' last='Bachmeier']. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='450298' first='ASA' last='Chatman']</strong> runs the ball well for the Nighthawks. If San Clemente's defense can show young quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='282686' first='Bear' last='Bachmeier'] different looks and pressure him, they can cause trouble. </p>   <p><strong>The pick: </strong>San Clemente</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Tritonfootball/status/1571676960581120001?s=20u0026t=4x4xwjpX2P81_JtPmES4-A </div></figure>   <p><strong>HUNTLEY'S RECORD: </strong>24-11</p>

Each week I will breakdown and make predictions for seven games in Southern California.