Previews and predictions for the top games of week 7 – Orange County Register

GAME OF THE WEEK

ST. JOHN BOSCO (6-0 agg, 1-0 league) VS. NO. 1 MATER DEI (6-0, 1-0)

Where when: Santa Ana Stadium, Friday, 7:30 p.m

Live broadcast: Bally Sports West

Analysis: It’s Game of the Year unless the Nov. 26 CIF Southern Section Division 1 Championship game at the Rose Bowl is a rematch between St. John Bosco and Mater Dei. St. John Bosco will win this game if the Braves put some pressure on Mater Dei quarterback Elijah Brown. The junior hasn’t faced much pressure thanks to the Monarchs’ stellar offensive line, which includes 6-foot-5, 335-pound left-back DeAndre Carter and a quick-opening receiving corps. Brown has completed 69 percent of his passes for 1,376 yards and 17 touchdowns with just two interceptions. Mater Dei can also direct it. The Monarchs are averaging 183 yards per game, led by Jordan Davison’s 114 yards per game as a sophomore. St. John Bosco also has its share of offensive stars. Senior quarterback Pierce Clarkson, who signed for Louisville, has passed for 904 yards and 13 touchdowns. However, it’s the running game that fuels the Braves’ offense. They averaged 222 yards in a game and last week they rushed 248 yards in a 49-3 win over Servite. Bosco junior Cameron Jones averages 85 yards per game and 11 yards per carry. Senior receiver DeAndre Moore, also a Louisville commitment and a transfer from Los Alamitos, rallied for 107 receiving yards and had two touchdowns on three receptions against Servite. Mater Dei’s defensive front seven will be at his best, not only because of talented linebacker Levitcus Sua’a, but also because of the preparation from top big-game coaches, defensive coordinator Eric Johnson and head coach Bruce Rollinson. Estimated end result: Mater Dei 35, St. John Bosco 21.

Winner: Mother Dei

NO. 2 LOS ALAMITOS (4-2, 1-0) VS. NO. 11 CORONA DEL MAR (5-1, 1-0)

Where when: Newport Harbor High, Thursday, 7 p.m

Analysis: Los Alamitos scored 69 points in a win against Santa Margarita on September 15. The Griffins followed with a 61-21 win over Newport Harbor last week. USC committed senior quarterback Malachi Nelson passed three touchdowns for 249 yards and ran for a TD in the win over Newport Harbor. Los Alamitos running back Damian Henderson continues to plead for All-County honors. He rushed for 163 yards and three touchdowns with just six carries against Newport Harbor. Corona del Mar senior quarterback David Rasor, who missed a few games with an ankle injury, returned to the starting XI in the Sea Kings’ 42-7 win over Fountain Valley last week. Rasor only played three series but completed 7 of 13 passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns. His presence makes the Sea Kings a much better team. But they’re up against a much, much better team in this Sunset League game. Los Alamitos are back together after a couple of games riddled with mishaps last month and the recent addition of defensive end TA Cunningham makes an excellent team even better.

Winner: Los Alamitos

NO. 7 JSERRA (3-3, 0-1) VS. NO. 6 SANTA MARGARITA (4-2, 0-1)

Where when: Saddleback College, Friday, 7 p.m

Analysis: Santa Margarita and JSerra each lost a Trinity League opener last week. Still, both looked good. JSerra lost against Mater Dei much narrower than expected with 21:13. Santa Margarita outplayed Orange Lutheran for much of their 28-26 loss to the Lancers, who made the big games during the critical times. JSerra’s other two losses are 6-0 for Chaminade and 5-1 for Centennial. Many of JSerra’s better players are non-seniors, like junior middle linebacker Clarence Chaney, who leads the team with 32 tackles, including 21 solo tackles. Lead rusher George Perez is a sophomore and quarterback Zander Singh is a junior. Santa Margarita senior quarterback Jaxon Potter is having a great season. Against the Orange Lutheran, he completed 23 of 30 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns, both of which were caught by Emmett Mosley, who had eight receptions for 106 yards. Santa Margarita will play just as well as last week with fewer mistakes.

Winner: Santa Margarita

NO. 4 EDISON (6-0, 1-0) VS. NO. 12 NEWPORT HARBOR (4-2, 0-1)

Where when: Newport Harbor High, Friday, 7 p.m

Analysis: Edison defeated Orange Lutheran and San Clemente in non-league games before starting the Sunset League with a 42-8 win over Huntington Beach last week. The Chargers managed 545 yards in total offense against Huntington Beach. Edison quarterback Parker Awad continued his stellar performance during the senior season, throwing for 300 yards and five touchdowns. Newport Harbor also has a good quarterback in Colton Joseph, and Kashton Hejum is one of the better receivers in the county. Safety Carson de Avila leads an effective defense before the Sailors were trampled 61-21 by Los Alamitos last week. Edison doesn’t seem to have any weaknesses. The Chargers play Los Alamitos next week. They have to take Newport Harbor seriously, and they will.

Winner: Edison

NO. 15 GORGE (6-0) VS. NO. 17 VILLA PARK (2-4)

Where when: El Modena High, Friday, 7 p.m

Analysis: Canyon senior quarterback Christian Lundsberg and Comanches receivers continue to make football games look like catch games. Lundsberg has completed 73 percent of his passes for an Orange County-leading 1,954 yards with a county-high 30 touchdowns. Fox Haugen has 39 receptions for 537 yards and nine touchdowns. Colin Chu has 35 catches for 385 yards and six touchdowns. Kayvon Monfared has 23 receptions for 588 yards, averaging 26 yards per reception and nine touchdowns. Villa Park struggled to get his offense going in a 28-13 loss to El Modena last week. This was the case with some other games. Villa Park’s defense is better than offense, but that defense will have a tough time with Lundsberg and his teammates.

Winner: canyon

Fryer on football last week: 5-0

Previous season: 24-11