luke fahey

The senior season being put together by quarterback Luke Fahey of Mission Viejo High can be described as nothing less than sensational.

In his latest performance on Thursday night against Los Alamitos, the Ohio State commit passed for a school-record 570 yards in a 76-49 victory. According to Mission Viejo’s official statistics, he completed 24 of 31 passes for 569 yards and five touchdowns with one interception.

He has led Mission Viejo (9-1) to wins over six teams that have been ranked in the state‘s top 25 going into the release of Sunday’s Southern Section playoff pairings. Mission Viejo will be part of the Division 1 playoffs that are expected to have an eight-team field.

Receiver Jack Junker was Fahey’s favorite target on Thursday, catching 10 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns.

On the season after 10 games, Fahey has completed 75% of his passes for 3,108 yards and 25 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He has turned in MVP performances for much of the 2025 season.

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Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson was surrounded by his players late Friday night after an exhilarating 7-3 victory over Santa Margarita at Trabuco Hills.

“Phenomenal job,” he shouted to his team’s defensive players.

In an opening game that resembled a Southern Section Division 1 playoff game with all the talent, intensity and coaching excellence on display, Mission Viejo placed its trust in perhaps the best quarterback in Southern California, Ohio State commit Luke Fahey, who delivered a 33-yard touchdown pass to Jack Junker late in the third quarter to wipe away a 3-0 deficit.

The Eagles, in the coaching debut of Carson Palmer, could never recover. Junker used to play at Santa Margarita. The touchdown pass came after Mission Viejo punter Isaiah Murgia booted a 54-yard punt that left Santa Margarita on its four-yard line. Then came a short punt giving Mission Viejo the ball at the 33.

As he had been doing all night against Santa Margarita’s big, aggressive defensive line, Fahey rolled out and found Junker open in the end zone.

“It was a deep shot to the corner. See if we could make a play,” Junker said.

Luke Fahey celebrates with his Mission Viejo teammates after 7-3 win over Santa Margarita.

(Craig Weston)

Fahey was making plays, dodging and maneuvering, all night. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 188 yards. He suffered only one sack, which was tribute to his instincts and mobility.

“They had a really good game plan,” Fahey said. “That was a great defensive line, and we had to battle through adversity. It shows what kind of team we have.”

Mission Viejo clinched the win when Santa Margarita could not complete a pass on fourth down from the eight-yard line with 26 seconds left.

The Diablos kept coming up with defensive contributors, from lineman JD Hill to defensive backs Jordan Hicks and Jeron Jones. Their focus was making sure Santa Margarita’s gifted Trent Mosley didn’t break loose for any long touchdowns. It happened once for 67 yards when Mosley showed a memorable burst of speed in the first half, but the play was nullified by a penalty.

There was no scoring until the final play of the second quarter when Santa Margarita’s Tyler Wiegand made a 23-yard field goal. It was two good defenses shutting down offenses with enough pressure on the quarterbacks and fundamental tackling.

The Santa Margarita defensive line made up of transfer students Simote Katoanga, Manoah Faupusa and Isaia Vandermade rose up to stop Mission Viejo twice on goal-line situations from the one-yard line.

The two quarterbacks were doing their best to avoid mistakes. Trace Johnson was 13-of-16 passing in the first half for 138 yards and finished with 208 yards. Fahey, under constant pressure, was nine-of-12 passing for 106 yards in the first half.

It was a night in which teams in the powerful Trinity League showed a chink in their armor. Besides the Eagles losing, JSerra suffered a 35-0 loss to Sierra Canyon with a running clock. Servite was beaten by Corona Centennial 42-14. St. John Bosco went to Bradenton, Fla., and came away with a 31-0 win over Manatee in a game halted at halftime because of lightning. Orange Lutheran and Mater Dei play Saturday in Florida.

Mission Viejo High’s offense is Luke Fahey’s now — and it might be one that’s hard to stop if Saturday was a sneak peak of what’s to come.

A drive into Mission Viejo’s first pool game of the 30th edition of its seven-on-seven passing tournament, the senior quarterback wasn’t satisfied. Mission Viejo failed to score against Oceanside, a drop causing Fahey, wearing a relaxed-fit shirt and shorts, to yell toward his team.

“Offense, over here,” Fahey called out to his teammates as he hustled off to the sidelines.

The next five drives ended in the same way, the budding college football prospect — holding offers from Ohio State, Stanford and Indiana — dotting passes to his younger wide receivers on the regular, a trend that would continue throughout Saturday on Mission Viejo’s way to a 35-23 tournament final victory over Mater Dei.

Fahey is ready to take the next step. He split reps with Drai Trudeau two seasons in a row, and learned how to become a leader sitting behind Kadin Semonza as a freshman. Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson said playcalling was up to Fahey, who picked up on his successes and helped his teammates through their mistakes.

“It’s his turn to take over,” Johnson said. “He’s the leader of our team. Every single break we have is led by him. He’s another coach on the field.”

Fahey pulled over a freshman teammate to the side midway through a game Saturday, helping explain to him the intricacies of routes so that he’d better understand what to do in a game. With standout wide receiver Vance Spafford unavailable, Johnson said, it was Fahey’s turn to teach.

After passing for 17 touchdowns and 1,638 yards as a junior, Fahey could be set for a big senior year for the Diablos.

“When we come out here, we want to be the best,” Fahey said. “We want to do everything right, 100%, no matter what it is, no matter who we play.”

Saturday, Fahey and Mission Viejo were the best — but he was not the only quarterback to showcase his skill in seven-on-seven action.

Mater Dei, with Dash Beierly out of the picture, primarily split the series between JSerra senior transfer Ryan Hopkins and junior Furian Inferrera (Beierly’s backup in 2024).

Hopkins, more of a prototypical pocket passer, seemed to have a strong connection with star tight end Mark Bowman — a passing display between the duo that was featured early in Mater Dei’s contests. Mater Dei coach Raul Lara said that Hopkins, a Wisconsin commit, and Inferrera, a Minnesota commit, are battling for the starting position.

“The two kids that are battling out for the first spot at quarterback, I just love their competitiveness,” Lara said. “They’re both buddies. It’s neat to see.”

Crean Lutheran quarterback Lucas Wong.

(Benjamin Royer / Los Angeles Times)

Among younger quarterbacks, Crean Lutheran freshman Lucas Wong emerged poised and controlled in the pocket — enjoying a standout moment Saturday when he tossed a 30-plus yard touchdown pass on the last play of regulation to defeat Huntington Beach 21-19 in one of its five games.

“We saw a lot of confidence in him,” Crean Lutheran coach Rick Curtis said, adding that expected starting quarterback Caden Jones was out for the tournament. “We said, ‘Hey, let’s put his feet for the fire, and we’ll see what he can do.’ He’s doing a great job today.”

Huntington Beach quarterback Brady Edmunds, listed at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds despite being two years from fulfilling his current Ohio State commitment, was far and away the most physically imposing quarterback in the tournament.

Edmunds’ touch on his passes was hit or miss Saturday — Huntington Beach scoring the third-fewest points in pool play — but his power behind every throw kept the Oilers in every contest.

La Habra quarterback DJ Mitchell.

(Benjamin Royer / Los Angeles Times)

One of the sneakier standout back-and-forth games ended in a tie — thanks to La Habra junior DJ Mitchell and Oaks Christian sophomore Treyvone Towns Jr. matching each other blow for blow.

Mitchell ended the dueling programs’ pool-play game with a touchdown pass and two-point conversion as the time limit expired to secure a split.

“We practice it every day,” Mitchell said. “Two-minute drill — I know how to execute, make my reads and just hit it. Hit a touchdown.”

Both Mitchell and Towns appear primed for breakout years as they grow into their respective frames.

Etc.

Corona Centennial primarily used Dominick Catalano as its quarterback in Mission Viejo. Catalano backed up Husan Longstreet — now at USC — last year. …

Corona Centennial quarterback Dominick Catalano at the Mission Viejo passing tournament on Saturday.

(Benjamin Royer / Los Angeles Times)

San Juan Hills senior quarterback Timmy Herr, one of a couple southpaws at Mission Viejo, was accurate and controlled, much like he was last year for the Stallions and coach Rob Frith. Mater Dei third-string quarterback Trevor Scott is a left-hander standing 6–foot-4, whose skill set showed rawness as well as potential. Lara said the seven-on-seven tournament was a perfect place for Scott to get his feet wet against Southern Section competition. …

San Clemente won the St. John Bosco passing tournament, defeating the hosts in the final. … Junior quarterback Deshawn Laporte led Burbank to the title at the Simi Valley tournament, defeating the hosts in the final and taking down Sierra Canyon and Chaminade along the way.