Southern California Top Defensive Performances: Round One

<strong>Takhari Carr, Dominguez, 2022</strong> Heading into round one of the playoffs last week, I was intrigued to see how Dominguez’s defense would match up against Yucaipa’s high-powered offense. Dominguez did very well and Carr was a major reason for the success. The senior had three interceptions and returned them for a combined 97 yards and a touchdown. https://twitter.com/CalHiSports/status/1458287516298088449?s=20 <strong>Gabriel Dawson, Katella, 2023</strong> In the playoffs, the teams are so loaded with talent that typically it takes a trained eye to see who the best player on the field is. That was not the case when Katella played Cathedral City in round one. Dawson dominated the game on both sides of the ball, rushing for nearly 200 yards and having three interceptions on defense. He stands out when you watch Katella. Dawson and the Knights will play a good St. Anthony team Friday. https://twitter.com/DavidDelgado_OC/status/1457218273829736450?s=20 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="148989" first="Carson" last="De Avila"], Newport Harbor, 2023</strong> Newport Harbor entered the playoffs with a 3-7 record but was more battle-tested than a lot of teams. The Sailors went through the gauntlet of the Sunset League where they played star-studded teams each week and it paid off. De Avila has been arguably the best defensive player on a very deep team and he had a big game against Sunny Hills. The junior had a game-high 16 tackles. He has 110 tackles on the season and has had double-digit tackles in five games. https://twitter.com/CarsondeAvila1/status/1455396070544986117?s=20 <strong>Archie Iacono, Mira Costa, 2023</strong> Mira Costa’s pass rush had a tough test in round one playing against one of the better dual threat quarterbacks in Southern California. There were multiple times where the quarterback ran on fourth down and Mira Costa stuffed the play. Iacono was instrumental in the defensive success with two sacks and being in on several tackles near the line of scrimmage. He comes from a famous family in the entertainment world, but he is carving out a name for himself and may be poised for a big senior year next year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="141920" first="Treyton" last="White"], Eastlake, 2022</strong> White has been one of the best defensive players in San Diego all season long. Eastlake found itself in a very low-scoring game in round one and those are the games where you need a defensive star like White. He had four sacks in Eastlake’s 7-3 win over San Marcos. White is committed to San Diego State. https://twitter.com/eastlaketitanFB/status/1458265909017993222?s=20 <hr /> <em><strong>Other top performances</strong></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Peter Bario, Campbell Hall</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Chase Bernal, La Serna</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Bryce Brown-Johnson, Orange Lutheran</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Luke Clay, La Serna</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Keenan Eck, Apple Valley</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="25376" first="Matthew" last="Erhart"], Oaks Christian</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="205984" first="Joshua" last="Faulkner"], Western</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Troy Fletcher, Edison</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="143112" first="Caden" last="Harman"], Sierra Canyon</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">TJ LeCompte, El Toro</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Tanner Mehrens, San Clemente</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="25348" first="Kalim" last="Mikhail"], Bonita</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Wyatt Mosier, Yorba Linda</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="25416" first="Richie" last="Munoz"], Bishop Amat</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Kyle Ott, Palm Desert</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Drew Shanley. San Clemente</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="25298" first="Cody" last="Stordahl"], Chaparral</span>