Huntley’s SoCal Picks (Week One)

<strong>Huntley’s season record: </strong>3-4 (ouch). <strong>Mission Viejo vs. Servite</strong> Analysis: Servite is coming off a very impressive blowout win over Edison, one of the top public school teams in Orange County. Mission Viejo is a better team than Edison, but Servite is the best team the Diablos will play this season. Mission Viejo had a comeback win against Apple Valley in which [player_tooltip player_id="25441" first="Kadin" last="Semonza"] and [player_tooltip player_id="25408" first="Mikey" last="Matthews"] shined to lead the Diablos’ offense. Servite’s defense is much better than Apple Valley’s. The Friars are led by [player_tooltip player_id="143131" first="Jacob" last="Manu"] on defense and we may see some of [player_tooltip player_id="25227" first="Tetairoa" last="McMillan"] at cornerback. I don’t expect Servite’s linemen to bully Mission Viejo the way the did Edison, but if Mission Viejo falls behind in this one, they won’t be coming back. <strong>The pick: </strong>Servite <strong>Alemany vs. St. John Bosco</strong> Analysis: Bosco had a huge win over Miami Central High of Florida last week and dominated defensively. [player_tooltip player_id="25253" first="Sione" last="Hala"] had a huge game as well as [player_tooltip player_id="25456" first="Matayo" last="Uiagalelei"]. Alemany is loaded with talent and is the best team in Los Angeles in my opinion this season. [player_tooltip player_id="25229" first="Larry" last="Turner-Gooden"] is one of the best players in the state and [player_tooltip player_id="25231" first="Niuafe" last="Tuihalamaka"] is a sight to be seen in person. [player_tooltip player_id="25367" first="Pierce" last="Clarkson"] was outstanding for Bosco last week and [player_tooltip player_id="25266" first="Jabari" last="Bates"] made clutch runs when he had to. Kudos to Alemany for scheduling this game and I expect them to give Bosco a challenge. <strong>The pick: </strong>St. John Bosco <strong>Lincoln vs. Los Alamitos</strong> Analysis: These are two of the most athletic teams in the state at the skill positions. I am excited to watch [player_tooltip player_id="141879" first="Jahlil" last="Florence"] and [player_tooltip player_id="25238" first="Jalil" last="Tucker"] match up with [player_tooltip player_id="25398" first="Makai" last="Lemon"] and [player_tooltip player_id="190270" first="DeAndre" last="Moore"]. Los Al has the advantage at quarterback with [player_tooltip player_id="25419" first="Malachi" last="Nelson"] but [player_tooltip player_id="42800" first="Jalen" last="Daniels"] was great in Lincoln’s dominant win last week. I expect some of the secondary receivers and defensive backs to shine in this one like <strong>Nathan Acevedo</strong> for Lincoln and [player_tooltip player_id="145170" first="Ethan" last="O’Connor"] and [player_tooltip player_id="145234" first="Gavin" last="Porch"] for Los Alamitos. The Griffins have the advantage in the trenches in this one with [player_tooltip player_id="141963" first="David" last="Main"], [player_tooltip player_id="187300" first="Cash" last="Koepke"] and [player_tooltip player_id="141956" first="Adam" last="Tomczyk"]. A player to watch in this one is [player_tooltip player_id="25362" first="Sinn" last="Brennan"]. <strong>The pick: </strong>Los Alamitos <strong>Tustin vs. Foothill</strong> Analysis: One of the best rivalries in Orange County is a fun one this year with both teams coming off huge wins last week. Tustin beat Capo Valley behind new quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="187298" first="Tobey" last="Schmidt"]. Foothill’s offense was stellar in a win against Cypress and the Knights took advantage of timely turnovers. <strong>Brody Jones</strong> looked good at quarterback making big plays with <strong>Austin Overn</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id="186998" first="Patrick" last="Hawkins"] was great defensively. This game was close last season and I expect the same this year. <strong>The pick: </strong>Foothill <strong>Serra vs. Long Beach Poly</strong> Analysis: Serra had a tough loss against Orange Lutheran last week. [player_tooltip player_id="25228" first="Maalik" last="Murphy"] had a decent game for the Cavaliers but still threw two interceptions. Serra running back <strong>Cincere Raney</strong> made big plays and rushed for 92 yards on just seven carries with a touchdown. This is the most talented Long Beach Poly team in recent years. [player_tooltip player_id="144960" first="Daylen" last="Austin"] is an outstanding cornerback and [player_tooltip player_id="184158" first="Dylan" last="Williams"] is fun to watch. I am interested to see how Long Beach Poly uses its quarterbacks [player_tooltip player_id="25344" first="Shea" last="Kuykendall"] and [player_tooltip player_id="115447" first="Darius" last="Curry"]. <strong>The pick: </strong>Long Beach Poly <strong>Upland vs. Orange Lutheran</strong> Analysis: Orange Lutheran got a much-needed win against Serra last week. [player_tooltip player_id="25295" first="Logan" last="Gonzalez"] was effective for Orange Lutheran throwing two touchdown passes. Upland’s defense is outstanding and had 11 sacks in a shutout win against La Habra.<strong> Apisai Matelau</strong> and <strong>Christopher Ponce</strong> each had 2.5 sacks and<strong> Bishop Blakely</strong> had 13 tackles. I will be covering this game for the Orange County Register and I am curious to see how Upland’s defense holds up against a Trinity League team like Orange Lutheran. <strong>The pick: </strong>Upland <strong>Cathedral Catholic vs. Centennial</strong> Analysis: Cathedral Catholic is the top team in San Diego. The Dons gutted out a tough win against Torrey Pines last week. [player_tooltip player_id="141935" first="Charlie" last="Mirer"] is the quarterback for the Dons and [player_tooltip player_id="25296" first="Rex" last="Haynes"] and [player_tooltip player_id="141906" first="Lucky" last="Sutton"] are two big play guys to watch. Centennial scrimmaged Mater Dei last week. [player_tooltip player_id="25368" first="Carson" last="Conklin"] and [player_tooltip player_id="25365" first="Izzy" last="Carter"] will play quarterback for Centennial and have different skillsets. Their top targets will be [player_tooltip player_id="25371" first="Eric" last="Denham"], <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="187282" first="Demarieon" last="Young"]</strong> and <strong>Kai Lauderdale. </strong>I look forward to seeing Haynes potentially matchup with Centennial corner [player_tooltip player_id="25243" first="Jaden" last="Mickey"]. <strong>The pick: </strong>Centennial