Many teams are taking their bye weeks this week before league play starts, but there are a handful of great high school football matchups throughout California. TeamFB7 highlights the top matchups to watch involving Southern California teams.
There are much fewer games this week than usual due to most teams taking their bye week, but some top teams are playing in competitive matchups this weekend.
Breaking Down the Top High School Football Matchups in Southern California for Week 5
Here are some of the top Southern California high school football games in the area to keep an eye on this week.
Pacifica (Oxnard) vs. Sierra Canyon
Pacifica has won 17 consecutive regular season games dating back to 2024 and has won back-to-back CIF championships. Portland State commit Taylor Lee is throwing for 271 yards per game with 15 touchdowns on the season. The top rusher for Pacifica is San Diego State commit Isaiah Phelps who is also the top tackler for the Tritons. PeeWee Wilson and Alijah Royster are other two key guys to watch for Pacifica. Sierra Canyon has the top defensive line in the state and is a serious contender to win the Division 1 championship. Stephan Harrison is coming off a big game against Orange Lutheran where he had 13 tackles with a pair of sacks. Kasi Currie and Marcus Fakatou are also elite defensive linemen. Jaxsen Stokes is a playmaker on offense and Demarco Hernandez manages the offense well at quarterback.
Servite vs. Damien
Servite found a groove offensively in its last game against an overmatched St. Paul team. Jorden Wells leads Servite’s offense with 127 rushing yards per game with 7 touchdowns through four games. The passing game is still a weak spot for Servite but Gino Wang takes care of the football, which is a big plus for the Friars. Highly-ranked junior linebacker Allen “Cinco” Kennett leads the defense and track star Kamil Pelovello has excelled in his first year playing corner. Damien played without Boise State committed running back Malachi McFarland in its last win. Sophomore quarterback Anthony Randolph averages 199 yards per game with 8 touchdowns. USC commit Gavin Williams leads Damien’s defense.
Cathedral Catholic vs. Granite Hills
Cathedral Catholic won the Open Division championship in San Diego last season and Granite Hills won the Division 1 championship. JSerra transfer Koa Smith-Mayall has taken the lion’s share of reps at quarterback for Cathedral Catholic as of late and has played well in the Dons’ two-game winning streak. USC commit Honor Fa’alave-Johnson is the leading rusher for the Dons and is a top safety on defense. San Diego State commit Isaac Cook is the leading receiver and Kevin Clark leads the defense in tackles. Granite Hills has won three straight games after dropping its opener to Oceanside in an upset. San Jose State commit Zachary Benitez leads the Eagles with 230 yards per game with 11 touchdowns. Jesse Wilhite can create turnovers on defense and Granite Hills may need a turnover or two to pull off the upset in this game.
San Clemente vs. Murrieta Valley
San Clemente has played very well in its 4-0 start on both sides of the ball. Junior quarterback Preston Beck has completed 74 percent of his passes for 191 yards with 4 touchdowns. Rising senior Ryan Matheson has become the top receiver for the Tritons after transferring from San Juan Hills. BYU commit Jaxson Rex leads San Clemente’s defense in tackles and interceptions and is the second leading receiver on offense. Murrieta Valley quarterback Ty Isaia returned from injury last week in a win over Roosevelt and had 2 rushing touchdowns. Left tackle Vincent Shields has offers from Alabama and Ole Miss among others and leads an offensive line that run blocks very well. Nash Goade is having a breakout junior season defensively and had 13 tackles last week.
Centennial vs. De La Salle
This game is a good indicator of whether De La Salle can hang with top Southern Section teams that it may see in the Open Division state title game in December. UCLA commit Duece Jones-Drew leads De La Salle in rushing and quarterback Jaxon Loftin has eight touchdown passes with no interceptions. A pair of juniors: Landon Miller and Jameson Mitzel, lead De La Salle’s defense. Centennial had a two-game losing streak by one point each against two top Trinity League teams, but bounced back with a blowout win over Rancho Cucamonga last week. Jaden Jefferson threw for 173 yards with a touchdown and added a rushing touchdown in the win for the Huskies. Braylin Drake, who has battled injuries in both of his last two seasons, ran for 102 yards with 2 touchdowns.
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