Huntley’s Week 1 Picks

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Each week, I pick the top seven games in Southern California.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last week I picked every game correctly and have an early-season record of 7-0.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at the top games this week and who I think will come out victorious.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>TESORO VS. NEWPORT HARBOR</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Newport Harbor struggled in week zero and was upset by St. Paul. Los Alamitos transfer [player_tooltip player_id='401257' first='Jaden' last='O'Neal'] split reps at quarterback and had a roller coaster game with two touchdowns and three interceptions. The running game was effective averaging 7.4 yards per attempt and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Sailors try to run the ball more in this game. Oregon commit [player_tooltip player_id='115423' first='Jordan' last='Anderson'] had nearly 100 yards receiving with a touchdown and [player_tooltip player_id='147761' first='Josiah' last='Lamarque'] had a touchdown catch. <strong>Tanner Muir</strong> led the defense with 15 tackles. Tesoro got an easy win against Murrieta Mesa in week zero despite a couple of turnovers. [player_tooltip player_id='595828' first='Travis' last='Wood'] had nearly 250 all-purpose yards with a rushing and receiving touchdown. [player_tooltip player_id='482560' first='Cash' last='O'Byrne'] threw for 241 yards with a pair of touchdowns for the Titans and <strong>Lance Guerrero</strong> had a breakout game with 116 yards on 9 catches. Tesoro does not have the defensive backs to stop Newport's passing attack, but maybe Tesoro's pass rush can force more mistakes by the Newport Harbor quarterbacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The pick: </strong>Tesoro</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/TesoroFootball/status/1694734094306046049?s=20","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/TesoroFootball/status/1694734094306046049?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC VS. CHAMINADE</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cathedral Catholic dominated Mater Dei Catholic 55-14 in its season-opener. [player_tooltip player_id='398444' first='Jack' last='Stevens'] completed 9 of 13 passes for 200 yards with three touchdowns. The Dons ran for 292 yards on 32 carries with <strong>Ethan Ford</strong> leading the way with 122 yards. <strong>Joshua Faraimo</strong> had an interception and Cathedral Catholic had two sacks. Chaminade got routed by Oaks Christian last week and allowed 55 points. [player_tooltip player_id='282754' first='Seth' last='Shigg'] struggled at quarterback completing just 50 percent of his passes with two interceptions. The positive is that they ran for over 200 yards so we may see a big running game bleeding a lot of clock this week. I think Cathedral Catholic is more experienced and well-polished than Chaminade at this point.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The pick: </strong>Cathedral Catholic</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Daygofootball/status/1694129558239449167?s=20","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/Daygofootball/status/1694129558239449167?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>SERRA VS. WARREN</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Warren looked good offensively in a win over Tafuna of American Samoa in week zero. [player_tooltip player_id='282717' first='Madden' last='Iamaleava'] shined in his first start as the clear varsity starter with 253 yards and three touchdowns. [player_tooltip player_id='147762' first='Jordan' last='Ross'] had a big day receiving with 131 yards with two touchdowns and his brother [player_tooltip player_id='780272' first='Jalen' last='Ross'] had a touchdown catch. Serra struggled against a powerhouse Orange Lutheran team. The Lancers moved the ball with ease against the Serra defense and the Cavaliers had trouble converting third downs. [player_tooltip player_id='147716' first='Cincere' last='Rhaney'] had under 60 yards rushing. [player_tooltip player_id='115478' first='Zacharyus' last='Williams'] scored all three touchdowns for Serra. <strong>Jimmy Butler</strong> impressed me with his legs at quarterback and if Serra can clean up the penalties, they can win this one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The pick: </strong>Serra</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/mikehuntley63/status/1694840551550689328?s=20","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/1694840551550689328?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>ST. BONAVENTURE VS. PACIFICA/OXNARD</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pacifica of Oxnard was a summer darling winning the Dana Hills passing tournament. The Tritons beat a solid Simi Valley team 28-11 last week. [player_tooltip player_id='273596' first='Josh' last='Joyner'] ran for 20 yards per carry and had a touchdown run. [player_tooltip player_id='282760' first='Savion' last='Taylor'] led the team in receiving with 63 yards with a touchdown. Dejuan Colvin led the defense with a sack. St. Bonaventure crushed Alemany despite quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='115460' first='Anthony' last='Wolter'] exiting the game with an injury. Big sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='283633' first='Kaden' last='Glover'] filled in nicely and threw a touchdown pass. The Seraphs ran for 282 yards with <strong>Koen Glover</strong> leading the way with 134 yards on 11 carries with three touchdowns. Pacifica has the skill guys to compete with anyone, but I think St. Bonaventure is too big for them this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The pick: </strong>St. Bonaventure</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/latsondheimer/status/1692395371123950049?s=20","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/latsondheimer/status/1692395371123950049?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>SIERRA CANYON VS. OAKS CHRISTIAN</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sierra Canyon struggled offensively against a very good JSerra team, but came away with a 9-7 win last week. The Trailblazers were missing star receiver and Oregon commit [player_tooltip player_id='398422' first='Xavier' last='Jordan'] but he will play this week. [player_tooltip player_id='282687' first='Wyatt' last='Becker'] was good at quarterback with 177 yards and a touchdown on a 72 percent completion clip. [player_tooltip player_id='273551' first='Cameron' last='Mitchell'] had a touchdown catch for Sierra Canyon. The defense had 20 tackles for a loss with eight sacks against JSerra. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1197202' first='Richard' last='Wesley'] had three sacks with eight tackles. Oaks Christian was outstanding through the air and on the ground last week. [player_tooltip player_id='683629' first='Nate' last='Bennett'] and [player_tooltip player_id='683639' first='Devin' last='Tate'] combined for 200 yards passing with three touchdowns and just threw three incompletions. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='212217' first='Deshonne' last='Redeaux'] ran for 91 yards with three touchdowns. This may be the most intriguing game of the week, but I think Oaks Christian edges out Sierra Canyon with its offensive diversity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The pick: </strong>Oaks Christian</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/GregBiggins/status/1694174123520667735?s=20","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/GregBiggins/status/1694174123520667735?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>ST. PAUL VS. BISHOP AMAT</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Paul got an upset win over Newport Harbor last week because of its ability to force turnovers. [player_tooltip player_id='398420' first='Andrew' last='Maushardt'] completed 13 of 19 passes for 120 yards.<strong> Christian Melendez</strong> ran for 164 yards and a pair of touchdowns. <strong>Orlando Zepeda</strong> had two interceptions including the game-clincher near the end of the game which earned him <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/08/southern-california-top-defensive-performances-week-0-2/">Prep Redzone Top Defensive Performer</a>s honors. Bishop Amat lost to Valencia which surprised the fans in the San Gabriel Valley. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='406732' first='Frankie' last='Villalbazo']</strong> played well at quarterback but the Lancers defense really struggled. I expect Bishop Amat to come out with a chip on its shoulder and defend its home field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The pick: </strong>Bishop Amat</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>RANCHO CUCAMONGA VS. SERVITE</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Servite dominated Silverado and got a season-opening win after going 1-9 last year. [player_tooltip player_id='723744' first='Quaid' last='Carr'] did not play for the Friars due to injury. [player_tooltip player_id='406664' first='Leo' last='Hannan'] threw a touchdown pass for Servite but only completed seven passes. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1000936' first='Devan' last='Parker']</strong> caught the lone touchdown for the Friars. <strong>Vincent Avalos</strong> led the defense with 11 tackles and <strong>Justin De La Rosa</strong> had two sacks. Rancho Cucamonga beat Murrieta Valley last week and had nearly 500 yards of offense. [player_tooltip player_id='943018' first='Tyler' last='Dudden'] was outstanding at quarterback completing 11 of 13 passes for 189 yards with a touchdown. [player_tooltip player_id='273600' first='Jonah' last='Dawson'] was good at receiver with a touchdown catch.<strong> Dakota Mendoza </strong>had two interceptions for Rancho Cucamonga. This is a big jump in competition for Servite, but I expect the Friars to hang close in this game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The pick: </strong>Rancho Cucamonga</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/TylerDudden18/status/1693373572805484694?s=20","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/TylerDudden18/status/1693373572805484694?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Huntley's Season Record: </strong>7-0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->