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Week 8
Calvary Chapel at Sonora 7:30 p.m. Foothill at Brea Olinda 7 p.m. Los Amigos at Estancia 7 p.m. Rancho Alamitos at Costa Mesa 7 p.m. Servite at Mater Dei 7 p.m. University at Garden Grove 7 p.m. Villa Park at Tustin 5 p.m. Western at Huntington Beach 7 p.m. Yorba Linda at San Juan Hills 7 p.m. Aliso Niguel at Newport Harbor 7 p.m.
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Mission Viejo vs San Clemente
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Stories / preview · Week 8

Week 8: Five games to watch

First place in the Alpha League, Santa Margarita's 13-game streak at St. John Bosco, and three more games that will shape the Orange County race.

OCF Staff· Mission Viejo San Clemente Santa Margarita St. John Bosco Capistrano Valley Corona del Mar Orange Lutheran JSerra Mater Dei Servite

The middle of October is when league races stop being theoretical. This week, three of Orange County’s six remaining unbeaten teams play opponents with something to prove, and two league titles could start to take shape by Friday night.

1. Mission Viejo at San Clemente

Friday, 7 p.m.

Three teams are 2-0 in the Alpha League, and two of them meet here. San Clemente (7-0) hasn’t allowed a point in league play, shutting out Yorba Linda 28-0 and Los Alamitos 40-0, and is 7-0 for the first time since 2017. Jaxson Rex, the BYU commit and last season’s co-CIF Division 2 Defensive Player of the Year, does it all: three interceptions, four rushing touchdowns and 32 catches.

Mission Viejo (6-1) has the county’s most dangerous pass rush. Maddox Mataele leads Orange County with 11 sacks and 17 tackles for loss, and Toa Nansen adds 6.5 sacks. Sophomore quarterback Brett Burnor has 17 touchdown passes. But the Diablos needed a two-point stop in the final 91 seconds to get past Yorba Linda 27-26 last Thursday, and San Clemente hasn’t been in a close game in weeks. The winner keeps pace with San Juan Hills for the Alpha lead; the loser falls a game back.

2. Santa Margarita at St. John Bosco

Friday, 7 p.m.

The Trinity League’s two unbeaten league teams. Santa Margarita (7-0, 2-0) is 7-0 for the first time since 1997 and has won 13 straight, including a 14-7 win over Mater Dei two weeks ago. The defense has allowed 10 points in two league games, with freshman linebacker Aydan Steen (55 tackles, six sacks) and USC commit Isaia Vandermade leading it, and sophomore Adrian Petero has 13 touchdowns.

St. John Bosco (6-1, 2-0) has won six straight, including a 28-14 win over Orange Lutheran last week, and beat Santa Margarita in last season’s meeting. This is the Eagles’ first road test in league play, and it could decide the Trinity.

3. Capistrano Valley vs. Corona del Mar

Friday, 7 p.m.

Corona del Mar (7-0, 2-0 Bravo) is unbeaten for the second straight season and scored 28 unanswered points to beat Tustin last week. Sophomore Nate Rothman leads a ball-hawking secondary with five interceptions, tied for the county lead.

Capistrano Valley (6-1, 1-1) started 5-0 before Crean Lutheran beat it 30-22, and can’t afford a second league loss. Two-way senior Colin Hooper (436 receiving yards, 3.5 sacks) is the Cougars’ tone-setter.

4. Orange Lutheran vs. JSerra

Friday, 7 p.m.

Two of the county’s most talented rosters, both 4-3, both coming off losses. Orange Lutheran (1-1 Trinity) fell 28-14 to St. John Bosco; JSerra (0-2) lost 41-7 to Mater Dei. This one is about playoff position, and JSerra badly needs its first league win.

5. Mater Dei vs. Servite

Thursday, 7 p.m.

Mater Dei (5-2, 1-1) looked like itself again in a 41-7 win over JSerra, building a 21-0 lead before halftime. Servite (3-4, 0-2) has lost two straight and given up 83 points in that stretch, but the Friars led unbeaten Santa Margarita 3-0 after a quarter last week before the Eagles pulled away.

Also worth a look

  • Tustin vs. Villa Park, Thursday, 5 p.m., at SoFi Stadium: Villa Park (6-1) hosts in the NFL’s house after outlasting La Habra 36-33 behind sophomore Jacob Titchenal’s 338 passing yards.
  • San Juan Hills at Yorba Linda, Thursday: San Juan Hills is 2-0 in the Alpha behind Eiler King’s county-leading 24 touchdown passes. Yorba Linda, 0-7 after four forfeits but 4-3 on the field, has to win out to be eligible for an at-large playoff berth.
  • Crean Lutheran vs. La Habra, Friday, 8:30 p.m.: Crean (2-0 Bravo) can keep pace with Corona del Mar.
  • Cypress vs. Marina, Friday: both 2-0 in the Iota League, with Marina’s Ben Ramos coming off six straight 100-yard games.
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