Dan Albano’s biggest revelations from Week 4 in Orange County football

• September 21, 2026

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

1. How concerned should Orange County’s top CIF-SS Division 1 contenders be about Sierra Canyon?

Very concerned. The Trailblazers displayed their physicality on both sides of the line of scrimmage in defeating Orange Lutheran 28-10 to move to 2-0 against Trinity League opponents this season.

With the win, Sierra Canyon climbed to No. 2 in the state behind Santa Margarita, according to hsratings. The Trailblazers are only 2.5 points behind the Eagles.

Ohio State committed defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou (6-7, 285) of Sierra Canyon is certainly a problematic matchup. The transfer from Orange Lutheran had four tackles for loss against his former team.

Sierra Canyon’s defensive line also features Texas commit Kasi Currie (6-6, 305) and sophomore Stephan Harrison (6-5, 265). Currie collected two sacks while Harrison had two sacks and 13 total tackles. Harrison has been offered by Alabama among others.

On offense, the trio rotated as tight end to block for Jaxsen Stokes, arguably the top senior running backs in the state. The Cal commit rushed for 157 yards on 20 carries and had two TDs.

The Trailblazers’ challenge for contenders such as reigning Division 1 champion Santa Margarita, Mater Dei, Orange Lutheran and Mission Viejo is clear. They need to be working on their pass protection, quick passing attack and run defense to prepare for a possible playoff game against Sierra Canyon.

Orange Lutheran’s second-half surge may holds some of the answers but the penalties by the Trailblazers played a role.

2. What score was the most surprising?

There were a few but Foothill defeating Cypress 21-7 was the most surprising.

Yes, the unranked Knights (2-3) played the tougher schedule leading into this one but their defense stood out.

Foothill blanked No. 22 Cypress for the final three quarters.

A big part of that effort were four interceptions. Junior Ford Wooton had two of the interceptions for Foothill while Aaron Strapp and Peter Thatcher added one apiece.

3. What undefeated team is the most unexpected?

Again, they are multiple candidates but Huntington Beach (5-0) edges Sonora (5-0) and El Modena (4-0) as the most unexpected.

I didn’t pick Huntington Beach to beat Yorba Linda last week but the Oilers rallied for a 29-25 triumph. Huntington Beach is 2-0 against the Alpha League this fall.

The Oilers have emerged as the favorite in the Delta League but can’t overlook El Modena (4-0), Dana Hills (5-0) and Laguna Beach (2-2).

4. What player delivered the most eye-popping performance in Week 4?

There were many top performances but El Modena dual-threat quarterback Ethan Sorenson continued to impress me as one of the most improved players in the county. The senior played a strong second half to lead the Vanguards past El Dorado 29-9.

Sorenson completed 11 of 17 passes for 173 yards and two TDs and rushed 14 times for 82 yards and one score.

For the season, he has completed 63 percent of his passes for 685 yards and eight TDs. He leads the Vanguards in rushing with 256 yards and four scores.

Sorenson has improved his completion percentage from last season (53 percent) and surpassed his total for touchdown passes (five).

His rise is one of the reasons why El Modena-Trabuco Hills (3-1) looks like top game of the week in Orange County.

​ Orange County Register 

Ex-lifeguard boss pleads not guilty to filming undressed employees in Bolsa Chica locker room

• September 21, 2026

A former high-level state parks supervisor accused of secretly recording nude or semi-nude lifeguards and park aides at a Bolsa Chica State Beach facility pleaded not guilty to criminal charges during a Westminster court appearance on Monday, Sept. 21.

Kevin Pearsall — a 59-year-old Long Beach resident who oversaw state parks across Orange County — formally entered a not guilty plea through his attorney for five felony counts of eavesdropping and more than two-dozen misdemeanor counts of secretly filming or unlawful dissemination of private recordings.

Prosecutors allege that Pearsall used a camera disguised as USB stick to surreptitiously record the “genitals or buttocks” of 23 different men without their knowledge. The recording device — which captured video and audio over 11 months through July 2025 — was discovered in an employee locker room where Pearsall had allegedly directed lifeguards and other state workers to change.

Pearsall stood next to his attorney during the brief appearance before a judge at the Orange County Superior Courthouse in Westminster and did not speak. Neither Pearsall nor his attorney commented after the hearing.

Accusers who used to work for Pearsall — more than 30 of have filed lawsuits against him — allege that he abused his position of power and that the state park department failed to protect them. Some have described feeling “betrayed” by Pearsall, who was a sworn peace officer during his time as a state park supervisor. Pearsall quit the position after being placed on leave following the discovery of the hidden camera.

At least some of the images captured by the camera were allegedly sent by Pearsall to undisclosed individuals, according to prosecutors.

“We don’t know if and when and how many videos were disseminated to others and if any of them landed on the dark web,” Gloria Allred — one of several high-profile attorneys and law firms representing the accusers — said after Monday’s hearing.

“We have more questions than answers now,” Allred added. “But we are determined to get those answers for our clients.”

If convicted, Pearsall faces up to 18 years and eight months behind bars. He is scheduled to return to court in early December.

​ Orange County Register 

Nneka Ogwumike and Sparks looking to test themselves against Las Vegas

• September 21, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Nneka Ogwumike is not going down without a fight.

Even though she’s two games away from retiring from the WNBA, she’s averaging 17.3 points and 8.9 rebounds, both above her career averages (16.8 points and 7.6 rebounds), for one of the best seasons in her illustrious 15-year career.

The Sparks (16-26) will play their final road game of the season against the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday.

“I just want to be healthy, compete, play to win,” Ogwumike said. “We leave for Vegas (Monday), and I think that’s a really great team to play at the end of the season. I think it will be a really good barometer for the future.”

Ogwumike said her legacy, which includes being the President of Women’s National Basketball Player’s Association during two historic contract negotiations, is not yet etched in stone.

“I think because people ask me about it, especially since my announcement, I do reflect on it a bit, but I think the more I get asked about it, the more I think I can’t necessarily determine what that is,” Ogwumike said. “In the same way where we experienced Lisa (Sunday), we can come out and say this is Lisa’s legacy, but her legacy was all of us. All of us here. Everybody that was celebrating her. To me, that’s what legacy is. That’s the type of throughline, that type of bloodline really that withstands the test of time. So, maybe in another 15 years we’ll know what that is for me, but today I’m an LA Spark, and I’m playing to win.”

Los Angeles is coming off a convincing 105-84 home win over the Portland Fire Sunday, which coincidentally locked the franchise into the sixth- and seventh-best lottery odds in the 2027 WNBA Draft, when USC star and Los Angeles native JuJu Watkins will be the presumed No. 1 pick if she declares.

Ogwumike, an 11-time All-Star, became the fourth player in league history to score 8,000 career points. The Sparks’ all-time leading scorer recorded her 18th double-double of the season, her most in a single season, and finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Guard Rae Burrell also scored 20 points. Guard Ariel Atkins scored 14. Rookie guard Chance Gray scored a career-high 11. Veteran forward Emma Cannon, the team’s elder stateswoman at 37, scored a season-high 10 points in the first half and started in place of interior stalwart Dearica Hamby and Cameron Brink, the team’s primary post reserve, who were both out with injuries. Hamby, Brink and guard Aaliyah Nye could also miss Tuesday’s game.

The Sparks bench against the Fire was comprised of five rookies, Gray, Tonie Morgan, Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, Jihun Park, Shyanne Sellers, and second-year guard Monique Akoa Makani.

“The rookies and the newbies, they’re all my little babies,” Cannon said, “and it’s something about just competing every day, showing up and putting your best foot forward. That’s something that I’ve been trying to teach them and tell them that you’re not going to get all the minutes, but you have to be ready when your number is called. So you definitely go out there every day, and you practice, and you play like you are a starter so that when your number is called, you go in and you compete, and you do the best you can do. So I’m proud of them. This is just a stepping stone for them. This is their foundation. They’re just getting their feet wet, so I’m excited for their future.”

The Sparks shot 53.2% from the field on 33-of-62 attempts, 48.3% from beyond the arc (14 made 3s), and 86.2% from the free-throw line (25 of 29).

Las Vegas (29-13) is coming off a 98-77 victory over the Seattle Storm on Sunday. Four-time MVP A’ja Wilson scored a game-high 30 points. All-Star Jackie Young scored 23 points. Former Spark Chelsea Gray added 15 points.

The Sparks will host the playoff-bound Golden State Valkyries in a season finale on Thursday, which will also serve as Ogwumike’s retirement celebration and the 2016 championship anniversary night, the season when the No. 1 pick in the 2012 Draft was named the league’s MVP.

“That last game is going to be a lot,” Ogwumike explained. “It’s not just about what I got going on, but we’re also going to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of our championship, so I’m very excited about that. It’s probably going to be crazy. I have like 200 family and friends coming, so you guys will meet a lot of people, but I just want to stay grateful and present.”

SPARKS (16-26) AT LAS VEGAS (29-13)

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Where: Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas

TV: ESPN

​ Orange County Register 

Polo has rapidly intensified to a hurricane and is expected to impact Mexico

• September 21, 2026

MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Polo will rapidly intensify in the Pacific Ocean and become a major hurricane later this week, forecasters said Monday.

Polo could bring heavy rain, rough surf and tropical-storm-force winds to parts of Mexico late Tuesday into early Wednesday, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.

On Monday, Polo was moving east. But forecasters said it would make a “sharp turn” in a west-northwest or northwest direction by late Tuesday, according to an advisory. The hurricane was expected to travel along the coast of western Mexico but stay offshore.

Polo was centered about 270 miles (435 kilometers) south-southeast of Manzanillo, Mexico, and 190 miles (306 kilometers) south-southwest of Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Maximum sustained winds were 80 mph (129 kph).

The forecast called for 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of rain, with isolated totals near 12 inches (30 centimeters), across coastal portions of the Mexican states of Guerrero and Michoacán through Thursday. Flooding and mudslides were possible.

Farther west in the Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Odalys was far from land but expected to become a hurricane by midweek.

Odalys had maximum sustained winds Monday of 45 mph (72 kph). It was located just over 1,400 miles (2,253 kilometers) west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. It was moving northwest at 12 mph (19 kph).

In the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Fay was weakening. Top winds were down to 50 mph (80 kph) and Fay was 430 miles (692 kilometers) southwest of the Azores.

No Atlantic hurricanes have formed yet this year, and this year has set a record for the longest a season has begun without a hurricane. The effects of this year’s El Nino crush storms before they get going.

​ Orange County Register 

Flights are disrupted across Northeast because of technical problems at a key air traffic center

• September 21, 2026

By JOSH FUNK, AP Transportation Writer

Hundreds of flights were canceled in the U.S. Northeast on Monday due to technical problems at a key regional air traffic control center, halting operations at every major airport in the New York City area for several hours just as numerous foreign leaders were flying in for the United Nations General Assembly.

However, President Donald Trump’s flight left Washington D.C. for New York as scheduled.

A key circuit failed at an air traffic facility in Philadelphia, affecting flights into that city as well as Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark airports. The Federal Aviation Administration then discovered that a backup fiber optic line had also been cut due to construction elsewhere.

The technical problems happened at the same FAA facility in Philadelphia that caused numerous disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport in the spring of 2025.

FAA administrator Brian Bedford told reporters that the primary circuit into that air traffic control facility failed Monday morning. Then the agency discovered that the backup fiber optic line had been severed somewhere between New Brunswick and Newark, New Jersey.

Bedford said the FAA is working to restore the key connection as soon as possible by installing a new circuit on the primary line while also working to repair the backup fiber optic line, but it’s not clear how quickly that will be completed. “That fiber break is probably 13 hours to repair. It’s massive,” Bedford said, according to a video posted online by a CBS transportation reporter.

The primary circuit that failed is due to be replaced as part of the overhaul of the nation’s air traffic control system.

By early afternoon, some flights were starting to resume at LaGuardia and Philadelphia, but significant delays are expected through the rest of the day. Some airlines were allowing their customers to change flights without charging them fees.

Also Monday, the FAA began testing a new computer system that uses AI to help predict schedule conflicts and weather issues to help air traffic controllers reroute traffic. But that system is initially being tested only in the Washington, D.C., area, so it does not appear to be linked to the outages.

​ Orange County Register 

Trump inaugurates new White House helipad, but networks skip coverage during First Amendment fight

• September 21, 2026

By WILL WEISSERT and SEUNG MIN KIM

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump showed off his new White House helicopter landing pad on Monday, attempting to brush aside a First Amendment firestorm even as major television networks kept their cameras away because CNN wasn’t allowed to cover the event.

Trump used oversized gold scissors to cut a red, white and blue ribbon. He then exchanged handshakes with officials wearing green construction smocks and hardhats — seeking to portray business as usual.

The noise of his waiting helicopter meant Trump didn’t answer shouted questions before climbing aboard Marine One for a flight to New York.

MS Now, Politico and CNN have sued after Trump announced Friday that he was banning them from covering the White House in a clear escalation of Trump’s long-running efforts — in the courts and through administrative action — to restrict news coverage he finds objectionable.

CNN normally participates in a five-network rotation that provides pooled coverage of daily events at the White House.

When it was barred from taking its customary spot on Monday, ABC, CBS, CNN and Fox News agreed collectively to the extraordinary step of skipping Trump’s helipad ceremony.

Trump has long crowed about how the new helipad — featuring extensive granite that the president boasts will have “million-year life,” as well as a large insignia reading the “Seal of the President of the United States” — would impress Chinese President Xi Jinping, who arrives Wednesday for a state visit.

He’s been focused on wowing Xi even as he decried Democrats as communists in an attempt to help Republicans retain control of Congress in upcoming midterm elections. But his effort to curb access for media outlets to the White House has overshadowed Trump’s pet building projects and Xi’s visit.

It has also eclipsed Trump’s plans to use the helipad to fly from the White House to Joint Base Andrews and then on to New York, where he will attend the United Nations General Assembly beginning on Tuesday.

The president has ignited constitutional questions over media access, and spent large swaths of his presidency focused on building projects, even as the war in Iran rages and his approval ratings sinks now with only about six weeks before Election Day, where voters are increasingly worried about inflation and a potentially weakening economy.

Whether Trump’s work will be long-lasting is unclear

Trump claims about the granite’s longevity may also yet prove suspect. He long suggested that his refurbishing of the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool would last a century — only for the paint to fade and its liner to peel away in chunks just days after it was laid.

The helipad work began in June. Trump also ripped out the original Tennessee flagstone along the West Wing’s colonnade and replaced it with black granite and refurbished with white granite the traditional walkway from the White House’s diplomatic entrance along with a portion of the asphalt driveway around the South Lawn.

Trump rushed to finish the project before Xi arrives and argues that visiting dignitaries will likely be dazzled by the project — even though Marine One is the only aircraft that lands so close to the White House.

The president says the improvement was required since Vietnam War-era choppers that long had been used as Marine One are being replaced by modern ones that are too potent to land on the White House lawn without damaging the lawn’s grass.

Trump said in July that the helipad project would be privately funded and estimated its cost at up to $6 million. He’s also talked about making additional changes, however — including extensive efforts to level the ground around the helipad, that have made calculating the exact expenditure difficult.

​ Orange County Register 

Gabriel’s law — named after 8-year-old Palmdale torture victim — is signed by Gov. Newsom

• September 21, 2026

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation by Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, aimed at strengthening protections for abused children, Lackey’s office announced Monday.

Assembly Bill 2304, known as Gabriel’s Law, is named for 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez, whose 2013 death after months of abuse drew widespread attention to failures in the child welfare system.

The measure requires a social worker to ensure a child receives appropriate medical care when the child appears to need immediate emergency medical, surgical or other remedial care. It also clarifies that social workers who knowingly falsify or manipulate official records can be held accountable under existing law, according to Lackey’s office.

“I have carried this bill for years, and I cannot put into words what it means to finally see Gabriel’s Law be signed,” Lackey said. “We came back, we made changes, we fought again, and we refused to let another rejection be the end of this effort.”

Lackey said Gabriel “was never just a name on a bill to me.”

“He was an 8-year-old boy who needed someone to protect him, and the people and systems responsible for doing that failed him,” Lackey said. “I have thought about that every time I walked this bill into another hearing, another committee and another vote.”

Lackey has pursued versions of the legislation for years. Earlier measures included AB 1911 in 2018, AB 1450 in 2019-20, AB 31 in 2021, AB 2654 in 2022 and AB 1544 in 2023.

Gabriel died in 2013 after enduring repeated abuse despite reports and visible signs of mistreatment. His case later became the subject of the 2020 Netflix documentary series “The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez.”

The Legislature approved AB 2304 last month and sent it to Newsom for consideration.

“Today, there is finally something I can say that I have wanted to say for a very long time — Gabriel’s Law has passed,” Lackey said. “Gabriel’s life changed us, and I hope this law helps ensure that another child does not pay the price for the failures we already know how to prevent.”

​ Orange County Register 

Chargers review: What has gone haywire with QB Justin Herbert?

• September 21, 2026

Good teams find ways to win. Bad teams find ways to lose. Right now, after two losses to start the season, it must be written that the Chargers are a bad team. They are mistake prone, disorganized, unsure, battered and looking ahead to the toughest part of their schedule.

What we learned and what we heard after losses to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 and the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2 could fill a 500-page novel, and maybe that’s the biggest sign that the Chargers’ season is on the brink as they prepare to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

What comes next is anyone’s guess, but the Chargers have plenty of work to do before taking the field to face the high-scoring Bills. Here’s a closer look at what’s gone haywire offensively and how the Chargers might not get back on track with only a few days to prepare for their first road test:

OFFENSIVE OVERLOAD

If the Chargers believed they solved their offensive troubles by firing Greg Roman last January and hiring Mike McDaniel as their coordinator, then they were dead wrong. Maybe the incomplete passes, sacks, false starts and holding penalties weren’t all Roman’s fault, after all.

If anything, the Chargers’ offense is in worse shape now with McDaniel than it was with Roman. Quarterback Justin Herbert’s game has deteriorated to start this season. It’s a small sample size, to be sure, but his completion percentage is down, his yardage is down and so is his passer rating.

What’s up are his interceptions. He has three in two games so far. He had four interceptions in 17 games in Roman’s first season on the job, in 2024. The consensus seems to be that McDaniel has overloaded Herbert and the offensive unit with too much information.

Sometimes, as the pressure closes in, Herbert appears to stand 5-foot-6 in the pocket rather than his listed 6-6. He is uncomfortable and unprotected. His passes are batted down all too often. But there is an overlooked aspect to his play, and it has everything to do with who’s no longer with him.

Clearly, Herbert misses wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Allen was as close to a mortal lock on third downs as any QB could hope for, and Williams was a magician on passes into traffic that could best be termed 50-50 balls, especially along the sidelines.

Ladd McConkey is the only reliable replacement for Allen. McConkey is the only member of the wide receiver corps capable of making the sort of sure-handed plays that Allen, now with the Indianapolis Colts, once did. There is no replacement for Williams, who retired before last season.

IS HERBERT TO BLAME?

Herbert often appears robotic off the field, dispassionate in his reactions when compared to at least one former strong-armed Chargers quarterback. Is it fair to compare the reserved Oregonian with Philip Rivers, a son of the South who wore his emotions on his sleeve?

No, but we’ll do it anyway.

Rivers had an unmistakable swagger, screaming at referees while mic’d up to get their attention, screaming at teammates to get them fired up, screaming at opponents to celebrate “a 90-yard touchdown, a 90-yard touchdown!” Or yelling “dang” or “dadgummit” when things went wrong.

Rivers was a fan favorite for all those reasons and so much more.

Herbert? Well, we don’t know much about him other than he’s tall, is engaged to a pop star by the name of Madison Beer and enjoys playing football. He reveals little about himself in his sessions with reporters. Only occasionally does he show his emotions on the field, as he did Sunday.

When the Chargers fumbled on a critical third-and-1 play at their own 32-yard line, one of their six against the Raiders, Herbert was obviously furious that a snap while in shotgun formation struck the leg of wide receiver Tre’ Harris, who went in late motion, and fouled up the play.

“I think it was because it was a big play for us and we didn’t execute,” Herbert said simply when asked why he was so angry after the third-quarter play went awry, with the Chargers trailing the Raiders 17-14 with plenty of time left to take the lead. “That’s something I can do a better job at.”

Hard to imagine Rivers leaving it at that in one of his press conferences, isn’t it? Rivers might have even explained in great detail what in the wide world of sports the Chargers were doing in a shotgun formation on a third-and-1 play when they should have called for a quarterback sneak.

WHAT COMES NEXT

A week of soul-searching and practice awaits the Chargers before jetting off to face the Bills (2-0) on Sunday to begin the toughest part of their schedule, a seven-game slog against nothing but playoff teams from 2025, including the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (2-0) in Week 4.

​ Orange County Register