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Orange County football preview 2026: Delta League

August 10, 2026

DELTA LEAGUE PREVIEW

The Delta League is a six-team league that includes Dana Hills, El Modena, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Troy and Western.

DANA HILLS

What to expect: The Dolphins have many starters with limited or zero varsity experience. They move up from the Foxtrot League, where they tied Laguna Beach for the league championship last season with a 4-1 league record. Dana Hills lost to Palos Verdes, 14-13, in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 semifinals to finish 10-2 overall. Graduation took 16 starters from that team, including nine of last season’s 10 leading tacklers. So the Dolphins might have to score a bunch of points, which they did last year when they averaged 38 points a game, including 44 points a game in the Foxtrot League. Maybe they can do so, thanks to having returning starting quarterback Carter Anderson, a junior who was all-league first team last season after he passed for 2.556 yards and 33 touchdowns. Senior receiver Jack Norman was second on the team in receptions last season with 33 for 845 yards and 12 touchdowns and was named to the All-Foxtrot League first team. Two starting offensive lineman are back, including senior tackle Logan Day (6-6, 270) who was the Foxtrot League’s offensive lineman of the year and has committed to San Diego State. Senior guard Issais Amaya (6-4, 320) was all-league last year and has an offer from UNLV. Senior safety Stephen Reda made all-league first team and had five interceptions in 2025. Dana Hills coach Tony Henney said the Dolphins have depth, an uncommon luxury in public school football.

EL MODENA

What to expect: El Modena is a home for dual-threat quarterbacks. The Vanguards have another good one. Ethan Sorenson passed for 1,450 yards and ran for team highs of 601 yards and 10 touchdowns as El Modena finished third in the Delta League with a 3-2 league record and went 5-6 overall. Sorenson was named all-league first team. He is one of six returning starters on offense, including senior running back Arnol Correa who rushed for 334 yards and four touchdowns last season. Correa was named all-league second team. El Modena’s defense has seven returning starters. Senior defensive lineman Mason Romo was named All-Delta second team last season when he was third on the team in total tackles with 48 including a team-leading five sacks. Senior cornerback Thomas Sheehan is another all-league second-team returnee. Sheehan led the Vanguards in interceptions with four last season. With so much varsity experience back for a program known for its grit and hard-hitting style, the Vanguards should be in the hunt for one of the league’s three automatic playoff berths.

Huntington Beach High School football player Brady Edmunds in Huntington Beach on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. The team is expected to be a contender for the Delta League title.(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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HUNTINGTON BEACH

What to expect: The Oilers are another newcomer to the Epsilon League. They went 4-1 in the Epsilon League last season and finished second to Crean Lutheran. The Oilers finished 8-3 overall. Huntington Beach lost to Edison, 31-19, in the first round of the Division 3 playoffs. The Oilers’ two regular season losses were by a total of four points. Quarterback Brady Edmunds goes into his senior year with two All-Orange County seasons already on his resume and he is No. 2 in the Register’s Hot 150 ranking of county’s top football players. Edmunds (6-5, 230) last season completed 68 percent of his passes for 2,724 yards and 32 touchdowns with only two interceptions. He committed to Ohio State. Dylin Bruce, a senior, was the Oilers’ No. 3 receiver last season with 31 catches for 434 yards and six touchdowns. Bruce, who committed to Arizona State, also is a defensive back who had two interceptions last season, including one returned for a touchdown. Bruce also scored on a punt return. Another Edmunds target will be Skylar Robinson, who transferred from Chaminade last year but did not play at Huntington Beach last season because of injury. Robinson committed to North Carolina. Center Cayden McNiven, a senior, was named all-league first team last season. Two other all-league first-team selections are safety Jimmel Champion, who committed to Wyoming, and cornerback Maxx Hopkins. Second-year head coach Matt Hatchette promises a balanced offensive attack. But with a quarterback like Edmunds taking the snaps, handoffs might be uncommon events for the Oilers who look like the best team in the league.

LAGUNA BEACH

What to expect: The Breakers averaged 40 points a game last season when they were Foxtrot League co-champions with Dana Hills. They might do that again or something close, because of their returning skill position players. Senior quarterback Jack Hurst was a Foxtrot League co-MVP and All-Orange County third team selection last season when he threw a county-high 45 touchdown passes with only five interceptions and averaged 271 passing yards a game. Hurst is No. 19 in the Register’s Hot 150 rankings. Last season’s top three receivers are back too: Brady Stringham, Wyatt Bogdan and Will Kimball. Stringham is committed to Air Force and was a Foxtrot League co-offensive player of the year last season. He was the team leader with 55 receptions for 1,063 yards and 17 touchdowns. Bogdan, a starting linebacker and a Foxtrot League co-defensive player of the year last season, committed to Portland State. The defensive front is strong with all-league senior Xavier Brooks, Boise State-committed senior Grayson Kazmouz and Garrett Byerly, who was all-league first team last season as a freshman. Senior Bob Gardner was All-Foxtrot first team last season when Laguna Beach finished 4-1 in league and 9-2 overall. The Laguna Beach offensive line does not have any seniors. So while a repeat of 2025’s success might be difficult to attain, there is no doubt this will be an entertaining team to watch.

TROY

What to expect: The Warriors make the biggest move up of all Orange County football teams. According to the ratings system used to place teams into leagues, the Delta League is three leagues higher than the Iota League where Troy went 5-0 last season. Troy lost to eventual CIF-SS champion Rio Hondo Prep, 28-0, in the second round of the Division 5 playoffs. Much of last year’s success was built on Troy’s ground attack that featured All-Orange County first-team running back Ethan Mundt, who was a senior. It is likely that the Warriors will have a more balanced offensive scheme this season, led by all-league second-team quarterback Mason Mays. The running game still will be involved, led by junior running back Riley Billington. The Delta League has some outstanding quarterbacks, so a good passing defense is crucial. Troy might have that. Senior cornerback Noah Torosian was all-league first team last season when he had six interceptions. Senior safety Andrew Green also was all-league first team in ‘25 when he had five interceptions. Senior safety Luke Dolmat, another returning all-league first-team Warrior, was second on last year’s team with 66 tackles. There will be new faces at linebacker. Establishing an effective running game could be critical for Troy to finish among the top three in this solid league.

WESTERN

What to expect: Last year’s offensive star was quarterback Chance Thomas, who passed for 3,327 yards and 33 touchdowns in 2025. He transferred to Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman. Even so, the Pioneers again could have a big-play offense. Junior quarterback Ethan Esmailian (6-2, 195) is a college prospect who has a couple of standout receivers to target in senior Ayden Payne (Oregon State commit), who was an All-Delta League first team selection last season, and junior Tywon Nesby. Western uses its running backs in the passing game, too, so look for senior backs Johnathon Hardy and Kelton Strickland to come out of the back field to catch passes. Hardy, who committed to Utah Tech, also plays linebacker. The defense will be anchored by an incoming transfer for Los Alamitos, senior lineman Hunter Eligon (6-3, 290), who committed to Vanderbilt. Eligon was All-Alpha League first team last season and is No. 54 in the Register’s Hot 150 rankings. Western finished fourth in the Delta League last season with a 2-3 league record and went 6-5 overall. This appears to be a balanced league, so Western will contend for one of the six-team league’s three automatic berths in the playoffs.

Orange County football preview 2026: Delta League Orange County Register

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Orange County football preview 2026: Delta League

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