OCVarsity football wrap-up: Friday’s stories, scores, photos and more from Week 9

• October 26, 2024

This is the place to find all of OCVarsity’s coverage of the Week 9 high school football games Friday, Oct. 25.

FRIDAY’S GAMES

SCORES

High school football: All of the scores from Friday’s Week 9 games

PHOTOS & VIDEO

High school football: Top photos from Friday’s biggest games, Oct. 25

Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco video recap, highlights, scores from Friday’s games

GAME STORIES

Mater Dei football shows its strength with dominate victory over St. John Bosco

Fryer: Mater Dei’s fast, physical defense a difference-maker in win over St. John Bosco

Mission Viejo football stays motivated, rolls to win over Edison

Strong all-around effort carries Orange Lutheran football to victory over Servite

Laguna Beach football makes stunning comeback to beat Dana Hills

Brea Olinda football clinches share of Kappa League title with win over Segerstrom

Anaheim football makes big plays to beat Bolsa Grande, earn share of league title

THURSDAY’S GAMES

High school football: Scores from Thursday’s Week 9 games

San Juan Hills football stays unbeaten in Bravo League with big win over Villa Park

Los Alamitos football blocks PAT in final seconds to secure victory over San Clemente

JSerra football stops Santa Margarita in final seconds for first Trinity League win

Troy football claims share of Iota League title with victory over Irvine

Did you see this?

Fryer: Division 1 championship football game deserves better location

Woodbridge football coach Aaron Craver suspended for remainder of season after game isn’t completed

Orange County football season stat leaders through Oct. 19

Orange County football Top 25: Edison and La Habra ascend in Week 9 poll

Dan Albano’s Orange County football Top 35 rankings, Oct. 23

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​ Orange County Register 

Fryer: Mater Dei’s fast, physical defense a difference-maker in win over St. John Bosco

• October 26, 2024

SANTA ANA – It did not take long for Mater Dei’s defense to make its mark in Friday night’s game with St. John Bosco.

On the game’s third play, St. John Bosco’s Daniel Odom caught a pass and one step later Mater Dei strong safety CJ Lavender blasted into Odom, causing a fumble recovered by Monarchs cornerback Daryus Dixson who made a short return to the St. John Bosco 35-yard line.

Mater Dei’s first play from there: a touchdown pass from Monarchs quarterback Dash Beierly to Kayden Dixon-Wyatt for a touchdown.

The Monarchs never trailed from there on the way to a 59-14 win.

That Monarchs defense created three turnovers that led to 22 points for Mater Dei … all in the first 16 minutes of the game.

Lavender made an interception that led to Beierly’s 40-yard touchdown run. Aaryn Washington returned an interception 45 yards for a Mater Dei touchdown that spread the Monarchs lead to 31-0.

Mater Dei is No. 1 in most of the national rankings, including those for MaxPreps, which this week also had St. John Bosco at No. 2 in the nation.

Nasir Wyatt #31 of Mater Dei causes Koa Malau’ulu #12 of St. John Bosco to fumble in the second half on Oct. 25, 2024 in Santa Anna CA. (Photo by John McCoy, Contributing Photographer)

A major reason the Monarchs are No. 1 is their defense that has college-bound players plugged into just about every position.

Dominic Sesay is in his first season as Mater Dei’s defensive coordinator. He was a defensive backs coach last season under then-head coach Frank McManus.

Sesay’s predecessor at defensive coordinator was Eric Johnson, who held the position for many years, most of them under Monarchs former head coach Bruce Rollinson and last year McManus. Johnson had long planned for either 2023 to be his final season with Mater Dei, and then Marina head coach Charlie TeGantvoort talked Johnson into working as defensive coordinator this season at Marina.

Sesay, 29 years old and also an assistant coach at Golden West College, likes the assortment of top-grade tools in the Mater Dei tool box.

“We talk about ‘FBI’ which means ‘Football Intelligence.’” said Sesay who played at Gahr High in Cerritos, at Golden West and at Colorado State-Pueblo. “There are a lot of new schemes, and these guys have been open to the new things. They know we’re going to coach them up and they know we’re going to play fast.”

Monarchs junior linebacker Shaun Scott said speed is the group’s chief asset.

“We run and we hit,” Scott said. “We play fast, we play physical. We’re just an all-around great defense.”

The Monarchs were ready to play fast and play physical Friday.

“We had a great week of preparation,” Scott said. “We just read our keys and our keys took us to the plays every time.”

One of the changes Sesay brought to the defense is how junior nose tackle Tomu Topui is used. Topui (6-3, 315) said last year his role mostly was to tie up two blockers to allow linebackers to, as he said, “run wild.”

That worked fine. Mater Dei won CIF Southern Section and CIF State championships last year.

Daryus Dixson #8 of Mater Dei recovers a fumble in the first half of a game against St. John Bosco on Oct. 25, 2024 in Santa Anna CA. (Photo by John McCoy, Contributing Photographer)

Now Topui lines up where there is an opening, a chance for him to meet a running back at the point of attack or for Topui to pressure the quarterback or get his hands up on a pass attempt.

“This new gap scheme has me lining up in the gap,” Topui said. “It makes the offense give me a one-on-one against an offensive lineman. I’m still comfortable being in a two-on-one, but if it’s one-on-one then it’s over with.”

The defensive guys even got involved in the offense. Defensive lineman Semi Taulanga (5-11, either 335 or 300 pounds depending on where you look) caught a short pass from Beierly for the Monarchs’ final touchdown of the first half that ended with Mater Dei ahead by the ridiculous score of 45-0.

Taulanga,who sometimes goes on offense to line up outside in a short-yardage situation, was asked to recall the last time he scored in a football game.

“Youth football,” he said. “Eight years old? Nine? Ten?”

The touchdown pass to Taulanga was not a designed play.

“I didn’t think Dash was going to throw the ball to me,” he said. “When I saw the it in the air I said ‘I gotta grab it.’”

The 59-14 win was the biggest margin of victory for Mater Dei against St. John Bosco. There was a 41-7 win over Bosco in 2000, but this one surpassed that.

And this Monarchs defense had much to do with that. Mater Dei forced two fumbles, both recovered by Mater Dei, and had the two interceptions.

“It all comes from being relentless and fast,” Sesay said. “We want to be an opportunistic defense.”

That they were.

NOTES

The difference in the time of possession was striking. Mater Dei had the ball for 30 minutes and 11 seconds. St. John Bosco’s offense had the ball for 17:49. …

Mater Dei went into the game averaging 107 yards in penalties a game. The Monarchs were flagged 12 times Friday for 132 yards. As usual, the penalty yardage did no damage to the result. …

Maybe Mater Dei’s best offensive play came early in the third quarter. With the Monarchs at their 16-yard line, Beierly dropped back, squeezed out of one tackle attempt and with another defender’s arms around his waist the quarterback flicked a pass to Marcus Harris for 12 yards and a Mater Dei first down. …

Estimated attendance: 8,000. Santa Ana Stadium capacity is 9,000, so 8,000 is good for a game that was televised live on the Fan Duel channel (that used to be Bally Sports channel). The St. John Bosco half of the stadium was not as populated when the third quarter started, and the score 45-7, compared to when the game began. …

Friday’s results had significant effect on the Calpreps.com ratings that will determine the CIF-SS playoff divisions and the seedings for each division. St. John Bosco remains No. 2 behind Mater Dei. Orange Lutheran moved up to No. 3 and Mission Viejo went from No. 3 to No. 5 with Centennial of Corona in between them at No. 4.

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​ Orange County Register 

Mission Viejo football stays motivated, rolls to win over Edison

• October 26, 2024

MISSION VIEJO — Mission Viejo clinched a share of the inaugural Alpha League football championship Friday by beating Edison 49-24 at Mission Viejo High.

The Diablos won 12 league championships in the last 15 years while the team played in the South Coast League. Mission Viejo (9-0, 2-0) can clinch an outright league championship with a win over Los Alamitos next Friday, Nov. 1.

Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson said he is proud of his team for not getting complacent after winning the CIF-SS Division 2 championship last season.

“Sometimes when you win a championship, there’s a hangover, and you really don’t work the same way,” Johnson said, “After a championship season, we got back to work, grinded, and are having a great season.”

Mission Viejo’s offense was well-balanced with four passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns. Hinesward Lilomaiava ran for 114 yards with three touchdowns.

Both quarterbacks played well for the Diablos. Luke Fahey completed 9 of 10 passes for 144 yards with two touchdowns. Draiden Trudeau threw for 75 yards with two touchdowns.

“When we have games like this, as a defensive coordinator, what do you do?” Johnson said. “I think we are hard to stop.”

Edison senior quarterback Save Niumata was in uniform Friday but did not play due to an injury he suffered last week in a win over Los Alamitos. Sophomore Sam Thomson started at quarterback for the Chargers (6-3, 1-1) and threw for 207 yards.

Chargers running back Julius Gillick is the second leading rusher in Orange County this season and had not been held under 100 yards entering Friday. Gillick still had a good game with two touchdown runs, but ran for 95 yards on 24 carries.

“He’s the best running back we have played so far and he had a good game, but we held him down a little bit,” Mission Viejo senior Dijon Lee said. “First year in this league and we wanted to start it out with a bang and we have.”

Edison opened the game with a scoring drive that took nearly 9 minutes off the clock. Nico Bammer made a 34-yard field goal to give the Chargers a 3-0 lead.

The first quarter was the first time Mission Viejo had trailed in a game since Sept. 20 against Basha of Arizona.

Mission Viejo’s Dijon Lee returned a kick 56 yards and had an interception in the Diablos’ 49-24 win over Edison on Friday, Oct. 25. (Photo by Michael Huntley)

Lee, an Alabama commit, returned the ensuing kickoff 56 yards for Mission Viejo. After four rushing attempts from the 1-yard line, Lilomaiava ran for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Diablos a 7-3 lead.

Gillick ran for a 6-yard touchdown for Edison to give the Chargers a 10-7 lead.

Mission Viejo scored two touchdowns before halftime to give the Diablos a 21-10 lead. Lilomaiava ran for a 9-yard score with 5:32 remaining in the half.

After a 41-yard interception return by Lee, Fahey threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Cash Semonza with 28 seconds left in the second quarter.

Trudeau threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Phillip Bell to open the second half and Lilomaiava scored his third touchdown after the Diablos got the ball at Edison’s 5-yard line when Edison’s punter fumbled a snap.

Fahey connected with Semonza for another touchdown in the fourth quarter and Trudeau threw a touchdown pass to Vance Spafford.

Spafford led the Diablos with 88 yards receiving and Semonza added 65 yards with two touchdowns.

Thomson threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to Aidan Brown in the third quarter. Brown had 87 yards receiving for Edison and Ayden Degiacomo had 86 on seven catches.

Edison plays San Clemente next Friday on the road. The Chargers can clinch a share of the league championship with a win and a Mission Viejo loss next week.

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​ Orange County Register 

High school football: All of the scores from Friday’s Week 9 games

• October 26, 2024

The complete list of scores from the Week 9 high school football games Friday, Oct. 25.

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

CIF-SS

Almont League

Bell Gardens 42, Keppel 0

San Gabriel 32, Alhambra 11

Schurr 42, Montebello 0

Alpha League

Mission Viejo 49, Edison 24

Angelus League

Cathedral 21, St. Francis 14

St. Paul 31, Paraclete 28

St. Pius X-St. Matthias 34, Alemany 14

Bay League

Culver City 41, Lawndale 13

Inglewood 37, Palos Verdes 3

Leuzinger 21, Mira Costa 13

Big West League — Lower

Great Oak 28, Temecula Valley 22

Murrieta Mesa 28, Riverside King 13

Corona Santiago 56, Corona 15

Big West League — Upper

Corona Centennial 60, Norco 21

Murrieta Valley 57, Vista Murrieta 55

Bravo League

Corona del Mar 44, Tesoro 14

Yorba Linda 42, Newport Harbor 17

Camino Real League

Mary Star of the Sea 53, St. Bernard 13

St. Genevieve 35, St. Monica 28

Channel League

Moorpark 41, Royal 0

Oxnard 35, Buena 33

Ventura 17, Oak Park 7

Citrus Coast League

Grace 59, Channel Islands 7

Nordhoff 14, Carpinteria 7

Conejo Coast League

Newbury Park 38, Thousand Oaks 0

Calabasas 43, Rio Mesa 34

Santa Barbara 31, Westlake 0

Cottonwood League

Trinity Classical Academy 43, Silver Valley 8

Del Rey League

Crespi 52, Cantwell-Sacred Heart 13

Salesian 35, La Salle 0

St. Anthony 42, Harvard-Westlake 7

Del Rio League

Santa Fe 21, El Rancho 14

Delta League

Capistrano Valley 28, El Modena 21

Trabuco Hills 42, Cypress 28

Tustin 34, Western 21

Desert Empire League

Palm Desert 35, Palm Springs 6

Rancho Mirage 14, Xavier Prep 7

Desert Valley League

Coachella Valley 47, Yucca Valley 24

Epsilon League

Crean Lutheran 38, Huntington Beach 14

Foothill 34, El Dorado 31

La Habra 27, Laguna Hills 7

Foothill League

Golden Valley 44, Saugus 35

Valencia 52, Castaic 33

West Ranch 27, Canyon Country Canyon 21

Foxtrot League

Aliso Niguel 30, Orange 14

Laguna Beach 35, Dana Hills 32

Northwood 21, Fountain Valley 14

Gano League

Chaffey 50, Montclair 7

Don Lugo 22, Rowland 15

Gateway League

Downey 27, Warren 7

La Mirada 20, Bellflower 6

Mayfair 38, Dominguez 21

Gold Coast League

Rio Hondo Prep 42, Brentwood 22

Golden League

Lancaster 17, Highland 14

Knight 33, Littlerock 8

Quartz Hill 41, Antelope Valley 7

Hacienda League

Covina 40, South Hills 35

Los Altos 38, Walnut 0

Inland Valley

Heritage 12, Citrus Hill 6

Moreno Valley 49, Lakeside 28

Canyon Springs 53, Perris 34

Iota League

El Toro 49, Santa Ana 6

Sonora 71, Anaheim Canyon 54

Ironwood League

Ontario Christian 27, Village Christian 13

Aquinas 40, Capistrano Valley 7

Ivy League

Vista del Lago 45, Paloma Valley 7

Rancho Verde 24, Liberty 13

Kappa League

Brea Olinda 30, Segerstrom 18

Esperanza 35, Westminster 6

St. Margaret’s 38, Garden Grove 8

Lambda League

Beckman 48, Placentia Valencia 27

Manzanita League

Vasquez 36, Nuview Bridge 0

Marmonte League

St. Bonaventure 21, Bishop Diego 6

Oaks Christian 50, Camarillo 0

Oxnard Pacifica 28, Simi Valley 0

Mesquite League

Arrowhead Christian 42, Western Christian 14

Big Bear 55, Maranatha 27

Linfield Christian 49, Whittier Christian 6

Mid-Cities League

Paramount 28, Norwalk 7

Gahr 42, Firebaugh 6

Lynwood 42, Compton Early College 9

Miramonte League

La Puente 28, Garey 27

Mission League

Chaminade 31, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 30

Gardena Serra 52, Bishop Amat 21

Sierra Canyon 45, Loyola 0

Mission Valley League

Arroyo 46, Mountain View 8

El Monte 42, Rosemead 15

Mojave River League

Serrano 42, Hesperia 21

Montview League

Nogales 40, Ontario 6

Hacienda Heights Wilson 41, Sierra Vista 12

Moore League

Millikan 51, Compton 0

Long Beach Poly 48, Long Beach Cabrillo 3

Long Beach Wilson 34, Long Beach Jordan 14

Mountain Valley League

Miller 45, Indian Springs 42

Ocean League

West Torrance 41, Compton Centennial 0

El Segundo def. Morningside, forfeit

Omicron League

Garden Grove Pacifica 42, Katella 0

Portola 28, Buena Park 26

Pacific League

Burbank 52, Crescenta Valley 7

Pasadena 24, Burbank Burroughs 7

Hoover 23, Arcadia 8

Pioneer League

North Torrance 41, South Torrance 0

Redondo 28, Peninsula 20

Torrance 24, Santa Monica 14

Rio Hondo League

South Pasadena 48, Temple City 6

River Valley League

Norte Vista 41, La Sierra 7

Patriot 45, Jurupa Valley 0

Ramona 28, Rubidoux 0

Sierra League

Bonita 49, Charter Oak 21

Colony 45, Claremont 7

Glendora 31, Los Osos 10

Sigma League

Estancia 40, Ocean View 0

Skyline League

Bloomington 49, Riverside Notre Dame 0

Colton 49, Rialto 41

Fontana 40, Arroyo Valley 8

Sun Valley League

Banning 54, Cathedral City 32

Desert Hot Springs 33, Desert Mirage 0

Sunbelt League

Hemet 48, Arlington 7

Rancho Christian 30, Hillcrest 21

Sunkist League

Eisenhower 38, Kaiser 14

Summit 38, Jurupa Hills 0

Tango League

Anaheim 35, Bolsa Grande 19

Costa Mesa 48, Westminster La Quinta 43

Garden Grove Santiago 29, Loara 24

Tri County League

Agoura 26, San Marcos 21

Santa Paula 31, Hueneme 12

Dos Pueblos 31, Fillmore 19

Trinity League

Orange Lutheran 38, Servite 0

Mater Dei 59, St. John Bosco 14

Valle Vista League

San Dimas 30, Alta Loma 22

Baldwin Park 36, Diamond Ranch 25

Zeta League

Saddleback 42, Century 21

8-man

Hesperia Christian 48, Lucerne Valley 18

California Lutheran 66, Southland Christian 11

Cornerstone Christian 62, Noli Indian 8

California School for the Deaf 60, United Christian 8

Sage Hill 51, Chadwick 14

CITY SECTION

Central League

Contreras 42, Belmont 0

Roybal 49, Mendez 6

Hollywood at Bernstein, canceled

Coliseum League

Dorsey 20, King/Drew 14

East Valley League

Grant 22, Arleta 15

North Hollywood 55, Monroe 0

Sun Valley Poly 10, Fulton 7

Verdugo Hills 23, Chavez 6

Eastern League

Garfield 38, Roosevelt 28

Exposition League

Angelou 39, Manual Arts 22

Santee 55, Jefferson 14

Marine League

Carson 45, Banning 21

Narbonne 2, Gardena 0, forfeit

Northern League

Eagle Rock 42, Franklin 35

Lincoln 34, Wilson 31

Southern League

Los Angeles 42, Rivera 6

Maywood CES 48, Sotomayor 0

West Adams 29, Torres 7

West Valley League

Birmingham 56, Taft 0

Cleveland 21, El Camino Real 20

Granada Hills 45, Chatsworth 3

Western League

Palisades 56, University 14

Venice 21, Fairfax 20

Westchester 41, Hamilton 0

8-man

Sherman Oaks CES 30, Valley Oaks CES 0

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​ Orange County Register 

Mater Dei football shows its strength with dominate victory over St. John Bosco

• October 26, 2024

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SANTA ANA — Mater Dei and St. John Bosco faced off Friday with the familiar task of settling two of the biggest stakes in their football rivalry.

The Monarchs dished out the clarity on the national rankings and the Trinity League in stunning fashion.

In a clash of the top two teams in the national rankings, No. 1 Mater Dei defeated No. 2 St. John Bosco 59-14 to claim at least a share of the Trinity League title before an estimated crowd of 8,000 at Santa Ana Stadium.

Mater Dei (8-0, 4-0) led 45-0 at halftime and later invoked a running clock for the entire fourth quarter.

For a while in the first half, the lopsided score was almost as shocking as St. John Bosco (8-1, 3-1) defeating Mater Dei 28-0 last season in league but the Monarchs far surpassed that level.

“I’m not going to say (I’m) surprised,” Mater Dei quarterback Dash Beierly said of the final margin. “I know Bosco is a really good team. Today wasn’t really their day but if you just looked at our team, we came out all cylinders playing really well.”

“It’s really hard to beat us when we’re all executing like that,” he added. “I was just happy to be a part of it.”

The Monarchs scored 22 points off three turnovers in the first half. Their offense scored five TDs and a field goal in the first two quarters.

“That’s the best first half we’ve ever played,” Mater Dei coach Raul Lara said. “I’m not surprised (by the score) … because I know when these guys are capable of doing the stuff we’ve been preaching, there’s nobody who’s going to beat them.”

“We’re so talented,” the first-year coach added. “We also reminded them that last year, even though they won the CIF championship and they won the state, they didn’t win the Trinity League. That was something that I told them, ‘You need to take back.’ “

The past two seasons, the rivals have split two games.

Last fall, St. John Bosco stunned Mater Dei 28-0 in league before the Monarchs responded with a 35-7 triumph in the CIF-SS Division 1 final.

In 2022, Mater Dei captured the Trinity League title while St. John Bosco stormed to the Division 1 crown.

Are the teams destined for a second meeting at the Division 1 final on Nov. 29 at Veterans Stadium? If a few coaches are correct, keep an open mind to a new-look pairing.

Last week, Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson called Mater Dei “the best” in Division 1 but added that there is more parity in the rest of the division “than there’s ever been.”

Mater Dei fueled that argument.

“Mater Dei is the clear top team in the country,” St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro said. “I did not anticipate this (score) for sure.”

“But I also think we bring out the best in people and we brought out the best in Mater Dei tonight,” he added. “(We) got to learn from (this). We have to find some of the positives. … There’s still a lot of season left.”

Mater Dei asserted itself on the opening series. Safety CJ Lavender Jr. forced a fumble that cornerback Daryus Dixson recovered near the Braves 45 and returned 10 yards.

On the next play, Beierly tossed a 35-yard touchdown to Kayden Dixon-Wyatt on a flea-flicker.

The hustling play by Lavender set the tone for things to come.

Mater Dei added a 23-yard field goal by Joseph Gutierrez later in the first quarter before scoring 34 points in the second quarter.

Running back Jordon Davison capped a 10-play, 65-yard drive with a 2-yard TD run as the lead pushed to 17-0.

On the ensuing possession, Lavender intercepted a pass that led to a 40-yard TD run by Beierly and a 25-0 lead.

Moments later, Mater Dei sophomore defensive back Aaryn Washington returned an interception 45 yards for a score as the advantage swelled to 31-0.

Before halftime, Beierly tossed two of his three first-half TDs.

Gavin Honore caught a fade in the corner of the end zone and defensive lineman and emotional leader Semi Taulanga grabbed a short pass for his first career TD.

“We just had the mindset to come out here and kept our foot on their neck early on and that’s exactly what we did,” Lavender said of the fast start. “We came out flying, executing, and we got the job done.”

Negro said he was concerned of a shaky start.

“I thought if we could settle into the game and kind of keep it close early, then we’d have an opportunity to play,” he said. “But it was like an avalanche, and then we just couldn’t recover from it.”

Beierly, who is committed to Washington, completed 14 of 18 passes for 209 yards and three scores in the first half in addition to his rushing TD.

The senior finished with 308 yards passing and four TDs. Davison added 107 yards on 16 carries.

St. John Bosco scored on its first possession of the third quarter as sophomore Maliq Allen raced for a 71-yard TD.

Mater Dei’s defensive pressure limited Braves freshman QB Koa Malau’ulu. He didn’t have a first-down passing until the fourth quarter and finished 8 for 23 for 117 yards and a score.

Nasir Wyatt returned a fumble 6 yards for a TD off a sack by Dailon Clanton for the Monarchs’ final score with 2:58 left in the third quarter.

Next week, Mater Dei concludes the Trinity League season by playing host to Orange Lutheran at Santa Ana Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1. St. John Bosco plays host to JSerra (6-3, 1-3) on the same day.

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​ Orange County Register 

Lakers overcome 22-point deficit to defeat Suns

• October 26, 2024

LOS ANGELES — If Tuesday’s season opener displayed what the Lakers will look like under Coach JJ Redick when they’re nailing the little details of the game early, Friday’s 123-116 home win against the Phoenix Suns showed they can kick into an extra gear when needed.

The Lakers came back from a 22-point first-half deficit to beat the Suns for their second victory to kick off the season after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier in the week.

The win marked the first time the Lakers opened a season 2-0 since the 2010-11 season, when they started 8-0.

Anthony Davis was at the center of the Lakers’ turnaround, showing that the Suns, just like the Timberwolves, had no answer for him defensively.

“There’s an intentionality to have him involved as much as possible,” Redick said. “We recognize what type of player he is and that he can create mismatches. The second part would be his patience. There’s a comfort level and a confidence level that he has that if the game starts getting wacky, he knows the ball’s going to come back to him.”

Davis led his team with a game-high 35 points on 11-of-18 shooting to go with eight rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.

“He’s been doing this,” said Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who added 26 points. “It’s not un-normal for him to do what he’s been doing. I feel like he’s the best player on our team. And we played through him. And he’s such a high-level talent that I expect him to go out every single night and be dominant.

“What he’s been doing is kind of, it’s unreal obviously, but I expect him to go dominate the game in many facets. I’m just lucky to have him as a teammate.”

Davis went 13 of 17 at the free-throw line, spearheading a Lakers team that went 29 for 39 from the charity stripe.

He became just the third Laker ever with 35-plus points in the first two games of a season, joining Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.

“I’m just going out there playing basketball,” Davis said. “Obviously, the team is doing a good job giving the ball in my spots. It’s easier when guys are making shots and making plays. Just kind of opens up, opens up the floor for me.”

Reaves reached his 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go with eight assists and four rebounds, while LeBron James scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half and finished with eight assists and four rebounds.

The Suns took advantage of the Lakers coming out of the gates sluggish, seemingly playing a step or two ahead of the hosts.

Phoenix scored 14 fast-break points in the first quarter and knocked down 15 of its first 22 shots, 14 of them off assists, to take a 38-23 lead into the second that ballooned to 48-26 early in the quarter and 55-35 midway through the second.

The two-man game of Reaves and Davis kept the Lakers in the game, cutting the Suns’ lead to 61-52 at halftime.

The Lakers seemingly cracked the code, at least for one game, before the game’s midway break.

“We got to double-drag ball screens that we kept getting good looks out of,” Reaves said. “And like I said, playing alongside A.D. makes the game so easy. Coming off that ball screen and having him in the pocket just being able to throw him a bounce pass, chest pass, it doesn’t matter.

“I threw a couple of passes that I didn’t think were good passes to him that he caught and finished. Those possessions were huge for us to keep us in the game.”

They opened the third on an 8-2 run before mixing their defensive coverages and being sharper with their switching on defense, helping them pick up more stops and get out in transition offensively.

“It’s our job to go out and execute the game plan that the coaches put in front of us,” James said. “And we have to earn their trust. And if we go out and execute it, then we’ll continue to get more and more from our coaching staff.”

The Lakers finished with 28 fast-break points despite having just five at the end of the first quarter.

They also tightened up their transition defense, only allowing seven fast-break points in the final three quarters, and their ball security, turning the ball over just six times in the second half after having four turnovers in the first quarter.

“We stopped turning the ball over and we got back in transition,” James said. “They was kicking our butts in transition early on. But a lot of it was because of our turnovers. And it’s hard to get back and get matched on those things. So we cut that down and it allowed us to get back into the game.”

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Davis’ free throws at the 8:35 mark in the third gave the Lakers their first lead (68-67) since early in the first quarter. The Lakers led for the entire fourth, leading by as many as 12 before cruising to the eventual win.

Rui Hachimura had 14 points and seven rebounds. Rookie wing Dalton Knecht finished with eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, in 13 minutes off the bench.

Kevin Durant led the Suns with 30 points, six rebounds and four assists. Devin Booker scored 23 points while Bradley Beal had 15 points and nine assists.

The Lakers will return to Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night, hosting the Sacramento Kings on the second night of a back-to-back.

James, 39 and in his 22nd NBA season, said he plans on playing against the Kings, adding: “I plan on playing every game. We’ll see what happens if I don’t.”

NOTABLE

The Lakers shot 14 for 27 from 3-point range. Reaves was 5 for 7 from behind the arc while James, Knecht and Hachimura made two apiece. … Reddick is the first Lakers coach to win his first two games since Phil Jackson in 1999. … The Lakers trailed 81-74 with three minutes left in the third quarter before scoring nine straight points to grab the lead. That was part of a 20-6 run during a nearly five-minute span from late in the third to early in the fourth.

​ Orange County Register 

Brea Olinda football clinches share of Kappa League title with win over Segerstrom

• October 26, 2024

SANTA ANA — The Brea Olinda football team continued its pursuit of a perfect regular season with a 30-18 victory over Segerstrom on Friday night.

The Wildcats improved to 9-0 overall and 4-0 in the Kappa League with one game left in the regular season. With the win Friday, they clinched at least a share of the league championship, their first since 2021 and first in a full season since 2015.

Brea Olinda faces Esperanza in their regular-season finale. Esperanza is tied for second place with the Jaguars (6-3, 3-1).

Senior quarterback Cullen Doyle led the Wildcats with 245 passing yards, two touchdowns and a rushing TD. On his 3-yard TD run, Doyle took a big hit near the goal line before extending the ball to the pylon.

Brea Olinda coach Justin Villasenor has been with the program since 2008 and is accomplishing some important goals in his first season as head coach.

“They’ve really bought in this year with me as a new coach,” Villasenor said, “set that discipline and accountability over the offseason and they trusted me, which I’m grateful for. All their hard work has paid off and I couldn’t be more proud.”

Doyle threw a couple of first-half touchdown passes, one to Jake Brooks for 31 yards and the other to Isaak Rivas-Melendez for 54 yards.

The Wildcats offense was getting some clean looks downfield and Doyle easily could’ve thrown for more.

“We’re fast,” Villasenor said. “We put our guys in the right spot and we can beat anyone out on the edge. We missed a few but our message was that it’s going to come again, so be ready.”

Villasenor had nothing but praise for Doyle’s impact on the program.

“He’s everything you want in a Brea football player,” Villasenor said. “When it comes to playing (the game), he’s smart, he gets the job done and he’s the leader. Everyone can look to him because he never shakes, he never rattles. I’m proud to have him and I’m lucky to have him, I love that kid.”

Segerstrom relied on its ground game to stay in the game with the absence of quarterback Jesse Lopez. The Jaguars were able take a brief lead in the third quarter.

Noah Tagaloa rushed for a career-high 223 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown for the Jaguars.

Tagaloa scored on a 53-yard run in the second quarter and also broke free for a 65-yard run to set up Andrew Diaz’s 3-yard score that made the score 18-14 Segerstrom with 9:16 left in the third.

“He told me before the game that this game was special to him because he’s playing against his cousin (Dalton Tagaloa) , my nephew,” said Segerstrom coach Joseph Tagaloa. “We had the whole family out here, so he wanted to come out here and show all the hard work that he’s put in over the last four years, I’m proud of him, I thought he played his heart out,”

The Wildcats defense was able to keep the Jaguars off the scoreboard from that point on. Meanwhile, their running game started to click behind Nathan Aceves.

Aceves gave Brea the lead with a 15-yard run and then Colby Thuman hit a 28-yard field goal on their next drive to make it 24-18.

Aceves finished with 104 rushing yards.

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​ Orange County Register 

Anaheim football makes big plays to beat Bolsa Grande, earn share of league title

• October 26, 2024

GARDEH GROVE – Xavier Aviles provided a spark with a little spectacle and the Anaheim defense put theclamps on Bolsa Grande in a 35-18 victory to clinch a historic league championship.

It was the 31st football league championship for Anaheim, the most of any public school in Orange County, and secured the school’s 25th ticket to the Southern Section playoffs.

Aviles started his flash-and-dash in the second quarter of the Tango League contest. Anaheim (7-2, 4-0) was clinging to a 7-6 lead in what was becoming an offensive stalemate. A 15-yard punt gave Anaheim the ball at the Matadors 27-yard line.

After two straight incompletions, Anaheim wide receiver Victor Mejia took a handoff on a sweep then stopped and found Aviles along at the goal line for a 27-yard touchdown pass.

“The turning point was when I caught the first touchdown,” Aviles said. “That just set off the alarms. We had made some mistakes on defense, but we put them in the past, we stepped up and made plays on defense.”

Aviles provided the next big defensive play when Bolsa Grande (4-5, 2-2) was trying to wage an uphill battle, trailing 21-12 and getting the ball at its 10 with 5:49 left in the game. But on second-and-10, linebacker Arturo Velasquez deflected Michael Nguyen’s pass into the hands of Aviles, who turned the interception 10 yards for a touchdown.

Anaheim held the Matadors to 157 yards rushing, but most of that came on two touchdowns from Ray Bell, a 45-yarder in the first quarter and a 40-yard run in the second quarter.

“At first we were having a little trouble with our five down (defensive) linemen, but our coach fixed it later onthe game and we just dominated on defense,” said nose tackle Derrick Bojorquez.

He had four tackles for loss and a couple of other stops for no gain. He gave Bolsa Grande some different looks, playing at times over the center like a traditional nose tackle and at other times like an inside linebacker.

“We knew they were going to come hard, but we had a plan for them and we worked it,” Bojorquez said.

Nguyen threw for 154 yards, but a third of that came on a 56-yard TD pass to Jacob Ortiz in the fourth quarter to keep the Matadors within 10 points.

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​ Orange County Register