sierra canyon

At midseason in high school football, the Chaminade High passing duo of sophomore quarterback Jeremy Mellalieu and senior receiver Andrew Cordero has surpassed many of the players ranked higher in preseason forecasts. That’s what happens frequently when it’s time for gauging performance over potential.

Mellalieu, who won the starting job with three games left in his freshman season, has led the Eagles to a 5-0 start.

“He’s really letting the ball fly and trusting us, and we’re making good catches,” Cordero said. “He’s definitely running a lot harder when he breaks the pocket. He’s confident and when he has to, he’s tucking the ball and running.”

Mellalieu, who is 6 foot and 180 pounds, has passed for 1,071 yards and 12 touchdowns with three interceptions. Cordero, 6-0 and 175 pounds, has shown excellent speed in breaking away from defenders while catching 20 passes for 455 yards and seven touchdowns.

“I think he’s played on a different level of confidence,” Mellalieu said of Cordero. “I feel he’s really finding himself in being more elusive when he catches the ball and making plays. He’s turning a bubble screen into a 50-yard gain or first down.”

Together, the duo and their teammates have the Eagles ready for a competitive Mission League schedule. Sierra Canyon remains the overwhelming favorite, but the Eagles’ improvement after a 5-6 season in 2026 is noticeable.

Quarterbacks have been the story at midseason, with teams passing a lot more and quarterbacks showing off their ability to run and pass. The performance of JSerra quarterback Hayes Cloutier last week against Bishop Amat perfectly explains the trend. He ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 190 yards and two touchdowns.

Calabasas quarterback Dominik Hardy threw four touchdown passes in 27-17 win over Birmingham.

(Craig Weston / For The Times)

Star Thomas of Orange, Chase Curren of Crespi, Chris Fields III of Carson, Ryan Rakowski of Palos Verdes, Jaden Jefferson of Corona Centennial, DJ Mitchell of La Habra, Dominik Hardy of Calabasas and Grady Long of La Serna have been showing off their ability to pass and run. Among the passers with strong five-week efforts have been Matthew Escobedo of Cantwell-Sacred Heart, Jordan Malikin of Warren, Gerald Torres of King/Drew, Seth Solorio of San Pedro and Nicholas Hoang of Culver City.

With quarterbacks throwing often, receivers are putting up impressive statistics. Landon Lattimore of Saugus has 11 touchdown receptions. Owen Martinez of Cantwell-Sacred Heart has 41 receptions. Paul Turner of Birmingham is separating himself from all City Section receivers with his big-play catching ability. Gavin Honore has been keeping the Mater Dei offense afloat. Quentin Hale of Corona Centennial has been close to uncoverable.

For running backs, AJ McBean of Gardena Serra, Jaxsen Stokes of Sierra Canyon, Adrian Petero of Santa Margarita, William Fredericksen of JSerra, Maliq Allen of St. John Bosco, Gatsbee Gumban of Nogales, Salvador Villa of Simi Valley, Arman Papazyan of Glendale, Brandon Hernandez of Panorama, Tru Warrior Casas of Fairfax and Ceasar Reyes of Garfield have been dependable running machines. Gumban has 926 yards rushing in five games.

There’s one blocker who has established himself as the best in Southern California. Lucas Rhoa of Orange Lutheran needs to be observed and copied the way he is using his size, strength and agility. If anyone resembles a future NFL player, it’s him.

It was the battle in the trenches between Orange Lutheran and Sierra Canyon, which won 28-10.

(Craig Weston / For The Times)

When it comes to delivering as expected, Sierra Canyon’s defensive line made up of the trio of Kasi Currie, Stephen Harrison and Marcus Fakatou can’t be stopped. They’re distrupting offenses similar to the lineman group that was at Santa Margarita last season during the Eagles’ successful Division 1 title run. Junior defensive end Kingston Sula of Carson has recorded five sacks.

Sophomore linebacker Eli Zamorano of Sierra Canyon gets tackle against Orange Lutheran.

(Craig Weston / For The Times)

Among linebackers, junior Luke Ulibarri of El Camino Real has been credited with 86 tackles in five games. Sophomore Eli Zamorano of Sierra Canyon and freshman Aydan Steen of Santa Margarita have been the best first-year varsity contributors. Mater Dei’s linebacker group, led by Mike Davis and Dailon Clanton, have led a very good defense.

Jalen Flowers of Palos Verdes takes off on punt return vs. Carson.

(Nick Koza / For The Times)

Special teams players have been coming through, from Tucker Murray of Corona del Mar (one punt return, one kickoff return for touchdowns) to Jalen Flowers of Palos Verdes. Among kickers, Charles Szares of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame is five for five on field goals and 23 for 23 on PATs. Mateo Akerman of Corona del Mar came out from the soccer team and has been booming almost every kickoff into the end zone for a touchback.

The impressive two-way contributors include sophomore Roshaun Brown of Jefferson. He has five interceptions and five touchdowns receiving. Nolan Scott of Corona del Mar continues to make impact as a tight end and defensive end.

There are 46 unbeaten teams left. Among the surprises are Harvard-Westlake, San Marino, St. Bernard, Royal, all of which have struggled to obtain winning records in recent years.

Taking your peers into battle every week requires leadership that inspires respect and admiration. Orange Lutheran High’s star offensive lineman Lucas Rhoa has figured out the perfect formula to achieve that.

The senior Texas commit is easily noticeable before, during and after a game. He leads the team in warmups, conducting their every move. If he jumps up, so does every other player. If he waves his arms this way and that, you bet his teammates follow.

It’s the perfect hype up to get Orange Lutheran in the mood to win.

Rhoa has earned that respect partly because he reminds opponents on a weekly basis that they need to hit the weight room. Sometimes Orange Lutheran will put Rhoa in motion after the snap, blocking multiple players to create a hole for the run game. On passing plays he’ll face off one on one against the outside defensive lineman, and he stops them in their tracks.

During the game, if he isn’t on the field, Rhoa can be seen giving encouragement to every player. In a recent win against Chandler (Ariz.) Basha there were two moments that exemplified this.

First, when Orange Lutheran’s punter pinned Basha inside its own three-yard line, Rhoa was the first to come off the sidelines and get excited for his teammate. On the flip side, when a teammate’s holding penalty negated a 20-yard run, the big man was sympathetic. Rhoa gave a head pat and some words of encouragement and ran back to the line for the next play.

“There’s no room to get caught up on anything,” Rhoa said. “If you’re getting caught up on a play then you’re three steps behind. You just gotta forget.”

To Rhoa, his star quality and mentality are non-negotiables of the job. His offensive line coach, Chris Ward, is less humble when talking about his best player.

“He’s been extremely dominant individually and he’s really grown as a leader,” Ward said. “We have some young guys in there, it’s their first time playing varsity football. He’s kept his composure and really let those guys grow.”

Rhoa has shown his skill level and leadership against a bevy of highly ranked opponents so far this season, but his toughest task may come against a player who has seen his best traits firsthand.

Orange Lutheran, which is 3-1 after shutting out Gardena Serra 35-0, is next playing Sierra Canyon, where former teammate and senior defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou now plies his trade.

Sierra Canyon has started the season 3-0, with a big 41-21 opening-weekend win against JSerra, which has won three straight since. Rhoa spoke on the potential matchup against Fakatou.

“I’ve seen him the most out of anybody,” Rhoa said. “We used to go against each other every day at practice. But it’s just another game for me.”

Fakatou is committed to Ohio State and, given its recent rivalry with Texas, this isn’t likely to be the last time he and Rhoa meet.

Fakatou is listed at 6 feet 7, 285 pounds while Rhoa is 6-5, 295. When they hit each other, the collision might create the force of an atomic bomb or at least a high speed car crash.

Richard Wesley and Trey Brown of Sierra Canyon combine for one of seven sacks against Orange Lutheran last season, when the Trailblazers won 41-9.

(Craig Weston)

The key to victory for either Orange Lutheran or Sierra Canyon may come down to this matchup. There could be more joy for Fakatou lining up against the other side of the offensive line, but Rhoa is as mobile as they come and will certainly try to find a way to put his former teammate on the ground.

Ward said that both players are likely to make great plays, and that his offensive line can’t be frustrated if Fakatou hits somebody for a loss. Like Rhoa said, they have to move on to the next play right when the whistle blows. “There’s never a thought of ‘oh, I got beat!’ It’s out of the mind,” he said. Head coach Ray Fenton said that his team goes as Rhoa does, and that his leadership will be the key to a great season beyond just the Sierra Canyon matchup.

“One of the best [leaders] I’ve been around in my many years of coaching,” he said. “He says it with his words but most importantly he says it with his own actions …It makes life easier as a coach.

The Times has Sierra Canyon ranked as the fourth best team in the Southern Section and Orange Lutheran ranked as No. 5. But Rhoa doesn’t care who lines up across from him, the goal is always the same: to dominate.

“At the end of the day [the opponents] are just humans,” Rhoa said. “However many stars they have, it’s just football.”

Jackson Renger, the star outside linebacker on Los Alamitos’ Southern Section Division 2 championship football team last season, packed his bags and boarded a flight on Aug. 14 to begin life as an Ivy Leaguer at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

Armed with a 4.4 grade-point average and memories of winning a championship with his best friends, Renger is entering the world of college football while competing in an academic environment featuring the best of the best.

“I’ve been told football might be the easiest part,” he said. “I’m coming in to be surprised.”

The Ivy League continues to recruit players from Southern California. Former St. John Bosco quarterback Caleb Sanchez is entering his junior year at Columbia, which has 10 Southland products on its roster. St. John Bosco defensive back Dorian Franklin is committed to Harvard.

Aiding Renger are eight other players from Southern California on the Cornell roster.

“They said it will be fine and help me,” he said of the transition.

Renger visited Cornell three times last year but has done little preparation this year for what he will be facing in his balancing act of football and academics. He’s going to trust his skills and previous experiences.

“My biggest concern is the academics,” he said. “Throw on top of that football, that’s going to be a real challenge. They said you have to be on top of your stuff and can’t let either get on top of you.”

When Renger left home last month, he packed what he could, flying to New Jersey to visit family, then drove to New York with his parents before moving in on a Sunday. He had hernia surgery in July and spent six weeks recovering and still believes he should be able to contribute on the field as a freshman.

One thing he didn’t bring to Cornell was a warm jacket for snow. He didn’t trust the stores in Orange County.

“That’s what I’m thinking,” he said. “They’re going to sell me something useless.”

So he’ll trust the stores in New York or maybe receive recommendations from teammates once the snow comes.

He’s going off to college to explore and test himself on and off the field. That’s what Ivy Leaguers do.

“Cornell is such a unique and big school,” he said. “I’m not sure what I want to do. I want to try different things when I’m there.”

Football has taught him the most important lesson for anyone who plays sports — never quit.

“This is a whole new challenge. I’ll put my head down and try,” he said.

Friends are welcome to send mittens, ski caps and hot soup when the snow comes. Football begins on Sept. 19. The Southern California natives are sure to shake hands after games and discuss happenings back home while never forgetting that “Winter is Coming.”

The breath of a dragon won’t save them but a warm coat will.

A look at players from local schools on Ivy League rosters:

Harvard: DB Chase Mason, San Juan Hills; DB Iroc Cordova, Inglewood; K Dylan Fingersh, Capistrano Valley; OL Nate Turk, Loyola; DL Mikhal Johnson, Sierra Canyon.

Brown: DL Caden Harman, Sierra Canyon; DL Mitch Mooney, San Marino.

Yale: DB Dillon Rickenbacker, St. John Bosco; WR Davis Wong, Brentwood.

Pennsylvania: LB Trevor Pajak, Mater Dei; WR Tyler George, Corona Centennial.

Columbia: WR Caden Butler, Chaparral; WR Bryce Coleman, Crean Lutheran; WR Elliot Cooper, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame; DB Ethan Fullerton, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame; QB Caleb Sanchez, St. John Bosco; DL Austin Coronado, Glendora; WR Jarod Sersansie, JSerra; DL Will Matthew, Orange Vista; TE Santiago Hernandez, Harvard-Westlake.

Cornell: WR Cameron Shannon, JW North; DL Darryl Davis, Culver City; TE Brandon Gilbert, Murrieta Valley; TE Adrian Ortiz, Redondo Union; LB Jackson Renger, Los Alamitos; K AJ Salo, Chaminade.

Dartmouth: OL Ryan Turk, Loyola; LB Timothy Ioane Jr., Tustin.

Princeton: LB Fifita Tauteoli-Moore, Corona Centennial; QB Wyatt Becker, Sierra Canyon; RB Kai Honda, Gardena Serra.

Cheer captain. Student body president. Leader for Shoes for Souls, a nonprofit that gives out shoes to people in need.

Sarah Sobel is one busy teenager at Sierra Canyon High. She knows how to be organized, which her father, David, an assistant athletic director, probably offered some tips to follow.

Sarah took over running Shoes for Souls from her sister, Lindsay, who created the organization in 2016. More than 70,000 shoes have been donated.

High school is a balancing act between academics, school activities and other responsibilities. So far, Sarah is finding time to do all of it.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.