The high school football season begins this week. A look at top storylines and other issues to follow:
Can Corona Centennial end the Mater Dei/St. John Bosco domination in Division 1 football?
Every season since 2016, either Mater Dei or St. John Bosco has won the Southern Section Division 1 championship. Centennial won the title in 2015 and has the best chance to end the private-school domination. Centennial came within one play of beating St. John Bosco in the Division 1 semifinals last season. As usual, coach Matt Logan fears no one and the Huskies will play Mater Dei on the road to open the season Thursday night. With quarterback Husan Longstreet, a good offensive line and speed at receiver, Centennial will be scoring lots of points this season. Longstreet has been dealing with foot injury for the past month and might not be ready for the opener.
Will Mission Viejo have enough depth on the offensive and defensive lines to threaten the elite teams?
When it comes to skill-position players, Mission Viejo doesn’t have to take a back seat to anyone. Quarterbacks Luke Fahey and Draiden Trudeau, running back Hinesward Lilomaiava, receivers Vance Spafford and Phillip Bell, and defensive backs Dijon Lee and Jeron Jones were big-time contributors during a 13-3 season. Beware of the Diablos if coach Chad Johnson finds some linemen who can stay healthy and produce.
Who will be the player of the year?
With Mater Dei and St. John Bosco going with new quarterbacks, it’s wide open for top player in Southern California. Longstreet deserves consideration with his expected improvement. Santa Margarita receiver/defensive back Trent Mosley is a special talent and was Trinity League MVP as a sophomore. Orange Lutheran quarterback TJ Lateef is primed for a big season. Running back Karson Cox of Oak Hills is a punishing player. Linebacker Tristan Phillips of Ventura is building momentum as a defensive standout. Sierra Canyon sophomore defensive lineman Richard Wesley is going to be turned loose after recording nine sacks as a freshman.
Is Birmingham ready to be beaten in City Section football?
Birmingham’s unbeaten streak of 43 games against City Section opponents dating back to the 2017 season is in serious jeopardy with 16 sophomores on varsity. Graduation and player defections via transfers have left the Patriots vulnerable this season, with Marine League teams expected to offer the toughest challenge. San Pedro, Banning, Narbonne, Carson and Gardena all have title aspirations. Just don’t count out Birmingham. Coach Jim Rose knows how to develop players during the regular season, so perhaps a new star or two might step forward by the postseason.
Are teams changing schedules to help improve their playoff pairings?
It’s clear that some coaches despise the Southern Section playoff format where teams are ranked by the CalPreps.com algorithm and placed in a playoff bracket regardless of their school size, league finish or head-to-head performance against a common opponent. That has caused some coaches to tweak their non-league schedule in an attempt to game the computer. Good luck. It doesn’t hurt to try but the system is here to stay.
What scandals are coming?
Yes, there will be more forfeits because some schools don’t check their transfer students properly (maybe a home visit would be good to confirm an address). There are more schools enrolling students to attend via online classes. It’s legal but recruiting isn’t. A lack of enforcement of recruiting rules is setting the stage for a big debate and big mess in the future as the CIF tries to protect education-based high school sports in the face of a record 17,000 transfers statewide last school year.
What positive change is happening this season?
It’s now a 15-yard penalty before the game begins for using illegal equipment when a team wears jerseys with numbers that people in the stands can’t see because they blend in (particularly blue numbers on black jerseys). Grandparents, announcers, sportswriters, photographers and friends of players are leaping for joy after years of teams adopting jerseys made famous by the University of Oregon, which were miserable for identification purposes. The new national rule says numbers have to be clearly visible and contrast with the body color of the jersey. Schools have had several years to prepare for the change.
Can girls’ flag football continue its growth?
After a terrific first season, girls’ seven-on-seven flag football is set to generate even more attention with the first Southern Section championships. And yet, there are private schools declining to add teams, not wanting to take away athletes from volleyball, soccer and softball teams or share field time. They will learn they are making a big mistake as the sport grows even more with support from the Rams and Chargers.