The season is in full swing and we are getting a better idea of which teams are for real and which teams may not be. TeamFB7 highlights the top matchups to watch involving Southern California teams.
We have had surprising upsets, dominant performances and entertaining games through the first couple of weeks of the 2026 high school football season. There are excellent matchups on both Thursday and Friday this week between potentially evenly-matched teams.
Breaking Down the Top High School Football Matchups in Southern California for Week 2
Here are some of the top Southern California high school football games in the area to keep an eye on this week.
Thursday
Palos Verdes vs. Carson
Carson looks like the top team in the LA City Section once again this season. Georgetown commit Carson Fields III averages 179 passing yards per game and has 7 touchdowns through two games. Kingston Sula and Derrick Myers lead Carson’s defense with 6.5 tackles for a loss between the two of them. Nevada commit Ryan Rakowski has completed 85 percent of his passes for 437 yards with 4 touchdowns this season. Weston Reis leads the Sea Kings’ defense with 22 tackles and Jalen Flowers has an interception.
Valencia vs. Bishop Amat
Bishop Amat had a very impressive 22-3 win over an Oak Hills team last week that beat the Lancers in 2025. Domenico Duran has thrown four touchdown passes with no interceptions for Bishop Amat and has run for a touchdown. KJ Paea and Matthew Blalock lead the defense with a combined 31 tackles and 9 for a loss. Valencia struggled against a good Chaminade team last week. Sophomore Evan McCalister leads the Vikings’ offense and Caysen Badawi is a good defensive player to watch.
Corona del Mar vs. Edison
Princeton commit Tucker Murray had the game of his life for Corona del Mar last week with a 90-yard kick return, an 85-yard punt return and a 100-yard pick six. Luca Dinapoli has been good at quarterback for the Sea Kings with 6 touchdowns and zero interceptions. JJ Haley has 3 receiving touchdowns and is a tough matchup with his size. Edison is coming off a tough loss to Pinnacle of Arizona. Sam Thomson averages 210 passing yards per game and has 6 touchdowns through two games. The two teams are former Sunset League foes and Edison has won four straight games against the Sea Kings.
Friday
St. John Bosco vs. Pittsburg
Pittsburg has been a top Northern California team in recent years and St. John Bosco entered the season ranked No. 1 in the nation by multiple outlets. St. John Bosco bounced back from a week zero loss nicely with a good win over Roman Catholic of Pennsylvania last week. Maliq Allen ran for 139 yards with 3 touchdowns and added a receiving touchdown in the win. The Braves defense had five sacks with USC commit Josiah Poyer leading the way with 1.5. Javale Jones threw 3 touchdown passes for Pittsburg in its blowout win over Monterey Trail last week. The Pirates ran for 233 yards in that game and Maurice Harts had an interception.
There is a lot of talent to watch in this game and TeamFB7 went in depth on this matchup here.
Mission Viejo vs. Folsom
Mission Viejo dominated this matchup 53-14 last season down in South Orange County. Folsom elected to drive seven hours on the day of the game rather than staying the night in Mission Viejo which likely effected its legs and energy levels. Sophomore quarterback Brett Burnor has thrown for 444 yards with 8 touchdowns and no interceptions this season. Duke commit Luke Karby is off to a hot start with three touchdown catches and Jack Junker had a big game against Folsom last year. Folsom beat a very good Cardinal Newman team last week and Cal commit Brody Rudnicki had a touchdown pass with a touchdown run. Bick Wegner had 18 tackles and Folsom blocked two kicks.
San Clemente vs. Chaparral
Chaparral bounced back from a week zero loss to Mission Viejo with a nice win over San Juan Hills last week. Sophomore Caden Sterba threw 3 touchdown passes and Orange transfer Kingston Hunter ran for 129 yards. UCLA commit Michael “Kiko” Farinas had 106 yards receiving with 2 touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass. Eli Woodard had 149 yards receiving with two touchdowns. San Clemente narrowly beat Chaparral last season when Chaparral missed a 2-point attempt late in the game. The Tritons are coming off a bye after shutting out Tustin 17-0 two weeks ago. BYU commit Jaxson Rex has a pick six for San Clemente and has the lone touchdown catch for the Tritons this season. Gunnor Bachhuber has been a breakout player on defense with 14 tackles.
JSerra vs. Crean Lutheran
JSerra had an easy win over Long Beach Wilson last week that was much-needed after a blowout loss to Sierra Canyon. Hayes Cloutier threw for 142 yards with 3 touchdowns in the first half last week and Will Fredericksen ran for 109 yards with a touchdown. UCLA commit Godschoice Eboigbodin had a forced fumble and can cause physical mismatches in the trenches. Arizona commit Caden Jones picked up right where he left off last season with 5 touchdowns and zero interceptions for Crean Lutheran through two games. Tight end Braylen Ross has 221 yards receiving with 2 touchdowns and the Saints have 9 sacks in two games. JSerra is the toughest team Crean Lutheran has played in recent years and this game will be a good test to see where the program is in its development.
