Culver City is #1 D-11 this week. The Centaurs face "Torrance" this week, who will be running their wing T. Torrance (0-1) lost their opener 15-26 to Marina (2-0) of Huntington Beach. They could be a slightly better team than they were last year, but not likely to be good enough to bring down this high flying Culver team. It was 49-14 last year, I expect similar this year.
UPDATE: Culver did pretty much as projected, winning 48-20, but the game was closer than the final score as the Centaurs were only up 13-7 at the half and Torrance had scored first to open the game. Fortunately for Culver, with their high flying offense, coming from behind is often quite possible.
Arcadia (1-1) has the #2 spot in calpreps ratings & #3 in the CIFss poll. They played way up out of their division losing to D-2 Cathedral 0-49. Perhaps having played Cathedral last week will make Hart seem like a cupcake in comparison. I expect Arcadia to lose by at least a couple of TD's to an angry Hart squad.
UPDATE: It is never good to encounter Hart the week after they have lost. Still Arcadia had it's moments and showed why they are in consideration as a top D-11 team, losing 6-22.
Arroyo (2-0) is #2 in the CIF-SS D-11 poll & #4 in the calpreps rankings. Schurr will not be significantly inferior. Schurr won a close one in week 0 against California (0-2) of Whittier 21-14. Then they came back and dominated Garfield (1-1) 46-14 and Schurr's senior QB Miguel Aguero is on fire throwing for 3 TD's against Cali & 5 against Garfield. Their receivers catch & run with the ball well. Watch out for that bubble screen. They love to run it. Arroyo comes in with a slightly better rating, but I would call this a toss up. The good (or bad) news for Arroyo is that this should be the toughest game of the regular season. This Schurr team will be the only one that will come up to playoff competition level before the playoffs, but that also means Arroyo is a lock to make it to the playoffs.
UPDATE:If that was a playoff level opponent, then Arroyo is in pretty good shape. They won 31-10. It was just 17-10 at the half, so that sounds like good second half adjustments by the Arroyo coaching staff and any time you only give up 10, that is good defense.
St. Genevieve is #3 in the calpreps rankings & #4 in the CIFss poll. They will get a stiffer test this week (than in week 0) from West Ranch (1-0) who beat a struggling Simi Valley (0-2) 55-7 in week 0. St. Gen is significantly higher rated than West this week but not sure if those ratings can be trusted. If St. Gen wins by 2 TD's or more, their ratings may be justified. I will go out on a limb and pick West to win in a close contest.
UPDATE: St. Gen was in this game until 8 minutes were left in the third quarter. They only trailed 7-6 at the half. But West found a way to get untracked, their QB getting 5 TD passes on just 14 completions. West did have a successful run game too as junior Ryan Camacho had 188 yards on just 11 carries. St. Gen's QB, Anthony Smets had a decent day going 20 of 27 for 219 yards with 1 interception. Ray Beauchamp contributed 102 yards rushing but needed 23 carries to accomplish it. Based upon the early scoring and the possibility that West Ranch might still be a little under rated, I think St. Gen still has nothing to worry about too much. They need to learn their lessons and take them into their critical Santa Fe League games as only 2 teams are assured of playoff selection from their 4 team league.
Rancho Mirage (2-0) faces their toughest game of the regular season against LaQuinta (1-0). LQ easily beat North (0-1) of Riverside last week 35-6. While Rancho may be a tougher opponent than North for LQ, I still expect them to win, perhaps by 2 TD's. Rancho is 1 dimensional. RB Marques Prior will have to carry Rancho. Rancho, much like Arroyo, should still cruise into the D-11 playoffs as there is no serious competition for them in the De Anza league.
UPDATE: Rancho Mirage might have the biggest D-11 upset of week 2 beating La Quinta 38-21. RB Marques Prior did carry Rancho with 133 yards rushing on 18 carries and 3 TD's. QB David Talley did just enough to keep the La Quinta defense honest completing 4 of 8 passes for 80 yards & also running for an additional 52 on 12 carries. Marques Prior also caused a fumble and intercepted a pass. Mario Montalvo had an 82 yard fumble recovery & run for a TD for Rancho. Rancho gave up 293 yards rushing to La Quinta's Derrick Kennedy, a junior, but I guess it did not matter.
Westminster (1-0) faces Marina (2-0) of Huntington Beach this week. Westminster had a modest 21-17 win over a less than stellar Garden Grove. Marina will be a tougher nut to crack, although Westminster still comes in with the better rating. Marina did not overwhelm either of their two low rated opponents the last 2 weeks. I will pick Westminster in a 21-17 victory. Marina would love to move into the same league as Westminster (the Golden West) & avoid their annual pummeling in the Sunset league.
UPDATE: Westminster beat Marina 34-20. No details on this game, some video highlights available. Let me say that Westminster's Isaac Barrera is a beast a DT & OL.
Segerstrom (2-0) of Santa Ana has pitched 2 straight shut outs winning 39-0 & 38-0, but against lower level opponents. They take a BIG step up this week hosting El Modena (1-0) of Orange. El Modena won last week's opener against Woodbridge (0-2) of Irvine 35-13. El Modena is rated about 50 points higher than Segerstrom's last opponent. El Modena's senior QB A.J. Esparanza was a very efficient 10 of 14 for 138 yards & 3 TD's. They also ran the ball for 230 total yards. Well balanced. While Segerstrom is likely to lose this game, this contest and next week against Godinez should help them be prepared for the winnable but possibly close games in league. Westminster & Segerstrom are not locks for the playoffs out of the Golden West league as either could win league or finish 4th in the 6 team league & 4th may not get you into a playoff spot.
UPDATE: Segerstrom lost this one 28-0, but the El Modena stats are not jaw dropping. This could be a learning game that could pay off when they need it, in Golden West League play.
Hillcrest (1-1) of Riverside beat Jurupa Hills (1-1) in week 0, 34-15, but fell to the far superior Notre Dame (2-0) of Riverside, 25-49, per calpreps, or 25-36 per Maxpreps, last week. They face a much more reasonable, yet challenging opponent this week in Chino (1-1). Hillcrest rates as a slight favorite right now. QB Cordell Labrie & RB Elijah Dominguez are the fuel that makes Hillcrest go. J.L. Jefferson, a Junior, also gets some reps at QB. Dominguez had 211 yards receiving against Notre Dame, according to Maxpreps. Chino has some balance with enough successful QB action to keep other teams honest, but RB Derrin Henry is the star with 345 yards rushing in 2 games. Chino looks like they might be able to play good defense. I will predict that they can slow Hillcrest down enough to get the win in a close one. Hillcrest is also likely to handle all their River Valley league competition and be a lock for the D-11 playoffs.
UPDATE: Apparently Chino could not contain Elijah Dominguez, he caught passes for TD's, he ran for TD's and he can block for others to spring them for big yardage and TD's. Hillcrest won 36-28. You wanna stop Hillcrest, you gotta stop #5.
Lakeside (2-0) of Lake Elsinore has stacked their preleague schedule with creampuffs, but that is somewhat understandable as they are playing in a tough 6 team Sunbelt league & project to finish 4th which would require an overall winning record to have any chance for an at-large playoff spot should any be available. They won their first two games 33-0 & 33-7 but this week's opponent, Canyon Springs (1-0) should be somewhat tougher. Unfortunately, the stats show Lakeside as pretty one dimensional, leaning heavily on the capabilities of senior RB Adrian Burt. Lakeside has the better rating, but the 1 dimensional look of Lakeside has me concerned and I will pick Canyon Springs to win.
UPDATE: The capabilities of RB Adrian Burt are apparently substantial as he had 257 yards on 31 carries with 3 TD's & a long of 41 yards. Lakeside sophomore QB Dylan Bomhoff may have done just enough at QB to keep Canyon Springs honest completing 7 of 11 for 53 yards and one TD along with 1 interception. This one was certainly closer than Lakeside's first 2 games as they won just 29-23 and trailed at halftime 20-14. Sounds like good coaching adjustments at halftime.
Pacific (2-0) of San Bernardino won their first 2 in routs of 44-0 & 48-6 but the competition was very weak. They face what may be their toughest test of the preseason against Indian Springs (1-1) of San Bernardino, but there is already a comparison game and Indian Springs was only able to beat Jurupa Valley 28-14. Pacific should win this one and could go undefeated through the whole regular season, albeit against pretty weak competition, but they also should be a lock to be in the D-11 playoffs.
UPDATE: Pacific easily dispatched with Indian Springs in a 42-6 win. Pacific has only given up 12 points now in 3 games. RB Raziel Jordan rushed for 155 yards on 20 carries while QB Jshawn Wysinger ran for 108 on 10 carries including a 52 yarder. Wysinger also contributed through the air with 11 of 19 passing for 126 yards & 4 TD's with just 1 interception.
UPDATE: Culver did pretty much as projected, winning 48-20, but the game was closer than the final score as the Centaurs were only up 13-7 at the half and Torrance had scored first to open the game. Fortunately for Culver, with their high flying offense, coming from behind is often quite possible.
Arcadia (1-1) has the #2 spot in calpreps ratings & #3 in the CIFss poll. They played way up out of their division losing to D-2 Cathedral 0-49. Perhaps having played Cathedral last week will make Hart seem like a cupcake in comparison. I expect Arcadia to lose by at least a couple of TD's to an angry Hart squad.
UPDATE: It is never good to encounter Hart the week after they have lost. Still Arcadia had it's moments and showed why they are in consideration as a top D-11 team, losing 6-22.
Arroyo (2-0) is #2 in the CIF-SS D-11 poll & #4 in the calpreps rankings. Schurr will not be significantly inferior. Schurr won a close one in week 0 against California (0-2) of Whittier 21-14. Then they came back and dominated Garfield (1-1) 46-14 and Schurr's senior QB Miguel Aguero is on fire throwing for 3 TD's against Cali & 5 against Garfield. Their receivers catch & run with the ball well. Watch out for that bubble screen. They love to run it. Arroyo comes in with a slightly better rating, but I would call this a toss up. The good (or bad) news for Arroyo is that this should be the toughest game of the regular season. This Schurr team will be the only one that will come up to playoff competition level before the playoffs, but that also means Arroyo is a lock to make it to the playoffs.
UPDATE:If that was a playoff level opponent, then Arroyo is in pretty good shape. They won 31-10. It was just 17-10 at the half, so that sounds like good second half adjustments by the Arroyo coaching staff and any time you only give up 10, that is good defense.
St. Genevieve is #3 in the calpreps rankings & #4 in the CIFss poll. They will get a stiffer test this week (than in week 0) from West Ranch (1-0) who beat a struggling Simi Valley (0-2) 55-7 in week 0. St. Gen is significantly higher rated than West this week but not sure if those ratings can be trusted. If St. Gen wins by 2 TD's or more, their ratings may be justified. I will go out on a limb and pick West to win in a close contest.
UPDATE: St. Gen was in this game until 8 minutes were left in the third quarter. They only trailed 7-6 at the half. But West found a way to get untracked, their QB getting 5 TD passes on just 14 completions. West did have a successful run game too as junior Ryan Camacho had 188 yards on just 11 carries. St. Gen's QB, Anthony Smets had a decent day going 20 of 27 for 219 yards with 1 interception. Ray Beauchamp contributed 102 yards rushing but needed 23 carries to accomplish it. Based upon the early scoring and the possibility that West Ranch might still be a little under rated, I think St. Gen still has nothing to worry about too much. They need to learn their lessons and take them into their critical Santa Fe League games as only 2 teams are assured of playoff selection from their 4 team league.
Rancho Mirage (2-0) faces their toughest game of the regular season against LaQuinta (1-0). LQ easily beat North (0-1) of Riverside last week 35-6. While Rancho may be a tougher opponent than North for LQ, I still expect them to win, perhaps by 2 TD's. Rancho is 1 dimensional. RB Marques Prior will have to carry Rancho. Rancho, much like Arroyo, should still cruise into the D-11 playoffs as there is no serious competition for them in the De Anza league.
UPDATE: Rancho Mirage might have the biggest D-11 upset of week 2 beating La Quinta 38-21. RB Marques Prior did carry Rancho with 133 yards rushing on 18 carries and 3 TD's. QB David Talley did just enough to keep the La Quinta defense honest completing 4 of 8 passes for 80 yards & also running for an additional 52 on 12 carries. Marques Prior also caused a fumble and intercepted a pass. Mario Montalvo had an 82 yard fumble recovery & run for a TD for Rancho. Rancho gave up 293 yards rushing to La Quinta's Derrick Kennedy, a junior, but I guess it did not matter.
Westminster (1-0) faces Marina (2-0) of Huntington Beach this week. Westminster had a modest 21-17 win over a less than stellar Garden Grove. Marina will be a tougher nut to crack, although Westminster still comes in with the better rating. Marina did not overwhelm either of their two low rated opponents the last 2 weeks. I will pick Westminster in a 21-17 victory. Marina would love to move into the same league as Westminster (the Golden West) & avoid their annual pummeling in the Sunset league.
UPDATE: Westminster beat Marina 34-20. No details on this game, some video highlights available. Let me say that Westminster's Isaac Barrera is a beast a DT & OL.
Segerstrom (2-0) of Santa Ana has pitched 2 straight shut outs winning 39-0 & 38-0, but against lower level opponents. They take a BIG step up this week hosting El Modena (1-0) of Orange. El Modena won last week's opener against Woodbridge (0-2) of Irvine 35-13. El Modena is rated about 50 points higher than Segerstrom's last opponent. El Modena's senior QB A.J. Esparanza was a very efficient 10 of 14 for 138 yards & 3 TD's. They also ran the ball for 230 total yards. Well balanced. While Segerstrom is likely to lose this game, this contest and next week against Godinez should help them be prepared for the winnable but possibly close games in league. Westminster & Segerstrom are not locks for the playoffs out of the Golden West league as either could win league or finish 4th in the 6 team league & 4th may not get you into a playoff spot.
UPDATE: Segerstrom lost this one 28-0, but the El Modena stats are not jaw dropping. This could be a learning game that could pay off when they need it, in Golden West League play.
Hillcrest (1-1) of Riverside beat Jurupa Hills (1-1) in week 0, 34-15, but fell to the far superior Notre Dame (2-0) of Riverside, 25-49, per calpreps, or 25-36 per Maxpreps, last week. They face a much more reasonable, yet challenging opponent this week in Chino (1-1). Hillcrest rates as a slight favorite right now. QB Cordell Labrie & RB Elijah Dominguez are the fuel that makes Hillcrest go. J.L. Jefferson, a Junior, also gets some reps at QB. Dominguez had 211 yards receiving against Notre Dame, according to Maxpreps. Chino has some balance with enough successful QB action to keep other teams honest, but RB Derrin Henry is the star with 345 yards rushing in 2 games. Chino looks like they might be able to play good defense. I will predict that they can slow Hillcrest down enough to get the win in a close one. Hillcrest is also likely to handle all their River Valley league competition and be a lock for the D-11 playoffs.
UPDATE: Apparently Chino could not contain Elijah Dominguez, he caught passes for TD's, he ran for TD's and he can block for others to spring them for big yardage and TD's. Hillcrest won 36-28. You wanna stop Hillcrest, you gotta stop #5.
Lakeside (2-0) of Lake Elsinore has stacked their preleague schedule with creampuffs, but that is somewhat understandable as they are playing in a tough 6 team Sunbelt league & project to finish 4th which would require an overall winning record to have any chance for an at-large playoff spot should any be available. They won their first two games 33-0 & 33-7 but this week's opponent, Canyon Springs (1-0) should be somewhat tougher. Unfortunately, the stats show Lakeside as pretty one dimensional, leaning heavily on the capabilities of senior RB Adrian Burt. Lakeside has the better rating, but the 1 dimensional look of Lakeside has me concerned and I will pick Canyon Springs to win.
UPDATE: The capabilities of RB Adrian Burt are apparently substantial as he had 257 yards on 31 carries with 3 TD's & a long of 41 yards. Lakeside sophomore QB Dylan Bomhoff may have done just enough at QB to keep Canyon Springs honest completing 7 of 11 for 53 yards and one TD along with 1 interception. This one was certainly closer than Lakeside's first 2 games as they won just 29-23 and trailed at halftime 20-14. Sounds like good coaching adjustments at halftime.
Pacific (2-0) of San Bernardino won their first 2 in routs of 44-0 & 48-6 but the competition was very weak. They face what may be their toughest test of the preseason against Indian Springs (1-1) of San Bernardino, but there is already a comparison game and Indian Springs was only able to beat Jurupa Valley 28-14. Pacific should win this one and could go undefeated through the whole regular season, albeit against pretty weak competition, but they also should be a lock to be in the D-11 playoffs.
UPDATE: Pacific easily dispatched with Indian Springs in a 42-6 win. Pacific has only given up 12 points now in 3 games. RB Raziel Jordan rushed for 155 yards on 20 carries while QB Jshawn Wysinger ran for 108 on 10 carries including a 52 yarder. Wysinger also contributed through the air with 11 of 19 passing for 126 yards & 4 TD's with just 1 interception.
