Playoff positioning is on the line in many high school football games across Southern California this week. TeamFB7 highlights the top matchups to watch this week involving SoCal teams in Week 9.
Some league championships in Southern California were decided last week and others will be decided in the next two weeks. This week features plenty of matchups that will determine playoff seeding in some of the top high school football divisions in the area.
Breaking Down the Top High School Football Matchups in Southern California for Week 9
Centennial vs. Chaparral
This game will decide the Big West North League championship. Chaparral’s offense is on a different level since Cal commit Dane Weber returned at quarterback from a thumb injury. The Pumas are averaging 47 points per game since Weber’s return and he is averaging 227 passing yards per game with 5 touchdowns and 3 rushing touchdowns in three games. UCLA commit Michael “Kiko” Farinas” leads the team in receiving with 723 yards and 7 touchdowns and has a team-high 5 rushing touchdowns. Caleb Joy and Kameron Payne have combined for 37 tackles for a loss and Payne has 4 forced fumbles.
Centennial has rolled through league play and is running for 236 yards per game with 13 touchdowns in those three games. Jaden Jefferson has thrown 14 touchdown passes, ran for 5 touchdowns and is averaging over 15 yards per rushing attempt in league play. Malaki Davis and Braylin Drake have been leading the Huskies in rushing in league play. Matt Salmeron leads Centennial in tackles this season and is having a breakout year. Washington commit Jaden Walk-Green led the Southern Section in interceptions last season and played his first game of the season last week against Norco.
Orange Lutheran vs. Mater Dei
The winner of this game will likely grab the third place spot in the Trinity League, although Mater Dei still has a chance for second place. Mater Dei’s offense has woken up since naming freshman Paytyn Guess the starting quarterback and has scored 41 and 38 points in its last two league games. Asir Nembhard has 3 rushing touchdowns in his last two games and the Monarchs ran for 211 yards against Servite last week. New Mexico commit DJ Clanton has four sacks in his last two games and has been a monster off the edge.
Orange Lutheran quarterback Reagan Toki has completed 72 percent of his passes for 638 yards with 5 touchdowns in Trinity League play. He began his career at Mater Dei and has been taking all the snaps at quarterback recently. Chris Flores has been his top target and Ryan Christianson has had three big rushing games in league play. King Rich Johnson has been a ballhawk in the secondary with 4 interceptions including 3 pick-sixes.
San Clemente vs. San Juan Hills
Both teams are undefeated in Alpha League play and San Clemente didn’t play last week due to the Norte fire. Ryan Matheson leads San Clemente in receiving and transferred from San Juan Hills this summer. BYU commit Jaxson Rex leads the Tritons in interceptions, has two pick-sixes and is a playmaker on offense that I expect to be active in this one. San Clemente’s defense is excellent and coming off two consecutive shutouts. Jack Weller is the Tritons’ top run stopper at linebacker and Payton Proffitt is the top pass rusher.
San Juan Hills had scored 60-plus points in three consecutive games prior to its last two games and struggled offensively in a 14-10 win over Yorba Linda last week. Eiler King had been outstanding at quarterback for the Stallions, completing 76 percent of his passes for 228 yards per game with 24 touchdowns and no interceptions. He is a transfer from San Clemente but is out for this game with a thumb injury. La Costa Canyon transfer Parker Armstrong filled in last week and led a go-ahead scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Texas State commit Luke Frith has 894 yards receiving with 14 touchdowns.
San Pedro vs. Carson
These are the two top teams in the LA City Section and this game features the two best quarterbacks in the Section. Seth Solorio of San Pedro throws for 219 yards per game and has 23 touchdowns. Mary Star transfer Johnny Rivera has rushed for 226 yards with 4 touchdowns in his last two games. Braeden Villegas leads the Pirates in receiving with 498 yards on 21 catches and 9 touchdowns and Jaxon Brown has 9 touchdowns. San Pedro’s defense has 12 sacks and Ethan Zamudio has a team-high 58 tackles.
Chris Fields III has 16 passing touchdowns and 12 rushing touchdowns for Carson. He recently decommitted from Georgetown and is one of the best available class of 2027 quarterbacks in the state. Carson’s defense has not allowed a team to score over 14 points in its last five games. Kingston Sula has 7 sacks and Preston Leomiti has 52 tackles.
Long Beach Poly vs. Millikan
The Moore League championship will be decided in this one in a big rivalry game. Millikan has scored 92 points in its last two games and Jonah Tuaniga has had two big games in a row at quarterback. Aden Taufa had 3 touchdowns in the first quarter last week against Jordan and Ryan Carter has played well at running back recently.
Long Beach Poly has scored 99 points in its last two games and is a completely different offense since Mater Dei transfer Trevor Scott became eligible. He has completed 73 percent of his passes for 304 yards per game with 7 touchdowns. Jeron Johnson II has ran the ball well and Jayden Coley has been one of the top receivers in Long Beach with 601 yards on 48 catches with 6 touchdowns. The Jackrabbits held Millikan to 122 yards passing in this game last season and Miami commit Donte Wright had 3 pass deflections in that game.
