Fannie, Freddie increasing ‘debt’ fees on borrowers this summer

• April 28, 2023

This summer Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, on marching orders from their regulator Federal Housing Finance Agency, are going to charge certain borrowers a 0.375% fee on their loan amount if their total house payment and other debts exceed 40% of their monthly gross income.

For example, let’s say your new house payment will be $5,000 including property taxes, homeowners’ insurance and HOA fees. You also have a car payment of $400 for a total of $5,400 per month.

SEE MORE: Need a down payment? 300-plus assistance programs available in California

Assume your monthly household gross income is $12,500. Your backend ratio or — what’s called the debt-to-income ratio — would be 43.2%. (The math takes the total of house and car payments and divides that by the monthly gross income, in this example).

Let’s say the 30-year fixed rate you’ve applied for is 6% with 1 point cost on a $625,000 loan amount. Your one-time origination point equates to $6,250. Fast forward to this summer. Because your debt-to-income ratio or DTI is over 40% (43.2%), you will be assessed another 0.375%-point cost or $2,343.75.

Fannie and Freddie max their loan approvals out at a DTI of 49.9% for well-qualified borrowers with larger down payments. That max DTI doesn’t change under the new rule.

MORE HOUSING NEWS: Fannie Mae halts financing for 6,102 condos in Laguna Woods

Originally slated to start May 1, FHFA announced an implementation delay in mid-March 15, moving the fee debut to Aug. 1 on mortgages purchased by the mortgage giants.

Keep in mind, buyers, that you don’t have that much time.

Mortgage lenders will start tacking on this new fee in loan estimates for applicants starting 30 to 45 days before delivering to Fan and Fred on Aug. 1. Assume a June 15 start date for the new pricing hit or ask your mortgage loan originator.

The fee is the brainchild of FHFA director Sandra Thompson.

SEE MORE: Fannie’s secret ‘blacklist’ wreaks havoc for condo buyers and sellers

“These changes to upfront fees will strengthen the safety and soundness of the Enterprises by enhancing their ability to improve their capital position over time,” Thompson said in the Jan. 19 release.

It’s been a bad week for Thompson who recently had to release a “let’s set the record straight” statement about the change in an unusual move for a government official in my dozen years of writing this column.

She wrote: “Unfortunately, much of what has been reported advances fundamental misunderstanding about the fees charged by Enterprises, and why they were updated.”

MORE HOUSING NEWS: Competition for housing heats up as Southern California listings plunge

Thompson was referring to another bright idea of hers — reducing fees for lower down payment borrowers with lower credit scores and simultaneously raising fees on similarly situated borrowers with higher credit scores.

Thompson’s next headache is going to be either continuing to defend this unworkable DTI pricing mandate or walking it back permanently.

Robert Broeksmit, president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association, has been diplomatically asking Thompson to stop going down this slippery DTI slope. He penned a blog post in April that beseeched the agency to come up with a better plan on loan-level pricing fees.

“To start, tying an LLPA to a DTI ratio would pose a multitude of operational issues, and compliance challenges, and also create a frustrating and confusing borrower experience,” he wrote.

He imagined this scenario in the post: “Imagine being a borrower who is quoted one rate when applying for a loan, then getting near closing and hearing from your lender that, due to a slightly slower month at work or a higher homeowner’s insurance premium, the cost of your loan will have to go up because you exceeded FHFA’s DTI threshold.

“In addition, you learn that your lender must postpone your closing for a couple of days because the price change triggered a redisclosure and mandatory three-day waiting period under the CFPB’s Know Before You Owe rule.”

My advice: If or until director Thompson postpones again or kills this higher DTI pricing kerfuffle, get your mortgage before summer or be prepared to pay more.

Freddie Mac rate news

The 30-year fixed rate averaged 6.43%, 4 basis points higher than last week. The 15-year fixed rate averaged 5.71%, 5 basis points lower than last week.

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported a 3.7% mortgage application increase from last week.

Bottom line: Assuming a borrower gets the average 30-year fixed rate on a conforming $726,200 loan, last year’s payment was $614 less than this week’s payment of $4,557.

What I see: Locally, well-qualified borrowers can get the following fixed-rate mortgages with 1 point: A 30-year FHA at 5.625%, a 15-year conventional at 5.375%, a 30-year conventional at 5.99%, a 15-year conventional high balance at 6.125% ($726,201 to $1,089,300), a 30-year high balance conventional at 6.5% and a jumbo 30-year fixed at 6.25%.

Note: The 30-year FHA conforming loan is limited to loans of $644,000 in the Inland Empire and $726,200 in LA and Orange counties.

Eye catcher loan program of the week: A 30-year Veteran’s Affairs fixed rate at 5.125% with 2 points cost.

Jeff Lazerson is a mortgage broker. He can be reached at 949-334-2424 or [email protected].

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CIF-SS diving: Top 12 finishers for state qualifying meet

• April 28, 2023

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The top 12 divers, regardless of division, from the CIF-SS championships are eligible for the section’s state qualifying meet on Tuesday, May 2. Here are the top 12 finishers for the girls and boys:

GIRLS

Taylor Fox, San Juan Hills D1, 582.85 (stated will decline)

Ella Roselli, Mater Dei D1, 552.80 (stated will decline)

Abigail Ekstrom, Fullerton D3, 533.25

Isabella Chen, Cypress D3, 528.70

Armina Li, Maranatha D3, 520.20

Gianna Kenrick, Mater Dei D1, 488.45

Morgan Ogata, Gabrielino D2, 477.95

Ennika Carlson, Sage Hill D3, 473.30

Ciera Center, Crescenta Valley D1, 471.00

Caroline Roelen, Mission Viejo D2, 468.50

Avari Wang, Arcadia D2, 459.20

Elonia Lobedecis, Long Beach Poly D1, 455.30

On the bubble

Savanna Watts, San Juan Hills D1, 453.95

Chloe Wong, Maranatha D2, 447.70

BOYS

Grant Schneider, Capistrano Valley Christian D4, 576.90

Maksymilian Sawoniewicz, La Canada D1, 560.45

Charles Reuter, Glendora D2, 524.35

Chase Shipp, Laguna Beach D1, 520.15

Max Trovillion, Lakeside D4, 510.25

Nathan Warson, Providence D4, 495.45

Aidan Lui, Mark Keppel D1, 483.15

Luke Struiksma, Valley Christian D4, 470.25

Valentino Nieto, Santa Margarita D1, 470.05

Caden Diehl, Dana Hills D2, 435.95

Thomas Matheis, Tesoro D1, 416.40

Breck Titus, JSerra, D1 414.00

On the bubble

Johnathon Reidel, Capistrano Valley D1 413.75

The top-six boys and girls from the section on May 2 advance to the state meet.

Please email corrections or updates to [email protected]

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CIF-SS boys volleyball playoffs: First-round scores, Saturday’s schedule

• April 28, 2023

The scores from the first round of games in the CIF Southern Section boys volleyball playoffs and the updated schedule for Saturday’s second round.

CIF-SS BOYS VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS

DIVISION 1

Pool-play format

Wednesday’s results

Pool A, Round 1

Loyola def. Beckman, 25-20, 25-21, 25-19

Corona del Mar def. Edison, 25-13, 26-24, 25-17

Pool B, Round 1

Newport Harbor def. Huntington Beach, 25-16, 23-25, 25-18, 25-27, 15-12

Mira Costa d. Mater Dei, 25-23, 25-18, 28-26

Tuesday, May 2, 6 p.m.

Pool A, Round 2

Edison (0-1) at Loyola (1-0)

Beckman at Corona del Mar (1-0)

Pool B, Round 2

Mater Dei (0-1) at Newport Harbor (1-0)

Huntington Beach (0-1) at Mira Costa (1-0)

DIVISION 2

First round, Thursday

Long Beach Wilson def. Marina, 25-15, 25-22, 20-25, 25-14

Orange Lutheran def. Royal, 25-17, 20-25, 25-22, 25-14

Los Alamitos def. Cypress, 25-21, 19-25, 21-25, 28-26, 15-9

Upland def. Arcadia, 3-0

Redondo def. Windward, 25-13, 25-16, 25-15

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame def. Crescenta Valley, 25-19, 22-25, 28-26, 26-24

Aliso Niguel def. Foothill, 3-1

Santa Barbara def. Long Beach Poly, 29-27, 25-20, 25-21

Tesoro def. Santa Margarita, 3-1

South Torrance def. Burbank Burroughs, 25-20, 25-20, 25-19

Dos Pueblos def. Westlake, 25-13, 18-25, 25-17, 25-12

St. Francis def. King, 25-11, 25-17, 25-19

Canyon def. Cerritos Valley Christian, 25-5, 25-15, 25-14

San Marcos def. La Canada, 25-11, 25-14, 25-14

Millikan def. Corona Santiago, 25-20, 25-15, 25-14

Servite def. Capistrano Valley Christian, 25-16, 25-13, 25-19

Second round, Saturday, 6 p.m.

Long Beach Wilson at Orange Lutheran

Upland at Los Alamitos

Redondo at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame

Aliso Niguel at Santa Barbara

Tesoro at South Torrance

St. Francis at Dos Pueblos

Canyon at San Marcos

Millikan at Servite

DIVISION 3

First round, Thursday

St. Margaret’s def. Downey, 3-0

Pacifica Christian def. Bolsa Grande, 3-0

Newbury Park def. Laguna Blanca, 25-22, 25-21, 25-20

Fountain Valley def. Portola, 25-21, 25-23, 25-20

Trabuco Hills def. Villa Park, 26-24, 27-25, 25-18

Cerritos def. Hillcrest, 25-22, 25-20, 25-21

Sunny Hills def. California, 3-1

Alemany def. Garden Grove, 25-22, 25-14, 25-22

El Segundo def. La Serna, 25-14, 25-13, 25-16

Warren def. Peninsula, 3-2

Vista Murrieta def. Elsinore, 25-18, 25-15, 25-20

Oak Park def. Valencia, 25-17, 22-25, 25-20, 25-19

South Pasadena def. Kennedy, 25-22, 25-22, 24-26, 25-17

Fairmont def. Eastvale Roosevelt, 25-9, 25-21, 25-10

Bishop Montgomery def. Calabasas, 3-2

Mission Viejo def. Torrance, 25-18, 25-20, 25-20

Second round, Saturday, 6 p.m.

St. Margaret’s at Pacifica Christian

Newbury Park at Fountain Valley

Cerritos at Trabuco Hills

Sunny Hills at Alemany

Warren at El Segundo

Oak Park at Vista Murrieta

South Pasadena at Anaheim Fairmont

Mission Viejo at Bishop Montgomery

DIVISION 4

First round, Thursday

Claremont def. Lancaster, 21-25, 25-12, 19-25, 28-26, 15-13

Xavier Prep def. Redlands, 25-21, 25-21, 23-25, 25-22

El Dorado def. Irvine, 25-18, 27-29, 25-19, 25-15

Keppel def. Bell Gardens, 25-14, 22-25, 25-20, 25-20

Calvary Chapel def. West Covina, 25-11, 30-28, 25-20

Anaheim def. Bishop Diego, 25-15, 25-16, 25-20

Cathedral def. Monrovia, 25-27, 20-25, 25-11, 25-15

Troy def. Golden Valley, 3-2

Crossroads def. Murrieta Mesa, 3-0

Fontana def. San Gabriel, 25-22, 25-21, 25-19

Diamond Ranch def. Oxford Academy, 25-13, 25-19, 25-16

Dana Hills def. El Rancho, 25-16, 25-10, 25-15

Quartz Hill def. Long Beach Jordan, 25-18, 25-17, 25-12

Tustin def. Village Christian, 23-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-21

Woodbridge def. Pasadena Poly, 25-22, 25-17, 19-25, 25-22

Hart def. Simi Valley, 25-20, 21-25, 25-21, 25-19

Second round, Saturday, 6 p.m.

Claremont at Xavier Prep

El Dorado at Keppel

Anaheim at Calvary Chapel

Troy at Cathedral

Fontana at Crossroads

Diamond Ranch at Dana Hills

Quartz Hill at Tustin

Hart at Woodbridge

DIVISION 5

First round, Thursday

Da Vinci def. Avalon, 3-0

Aquinas def. St. Genevieve, 16-25, 25-18, 28-26, 25-16

Magnolia def. Temecula Valley, 3-2

Fullerton def. Firebaugh, 25-23, 25-13, 25-21

Woodcrest Christian def. Norte Vista, 3-2

Godinez def. Nuview Bridge, 25-17, 25-17, 25-7

Garey def. Santa Ana Valley, 26-24, 25-20, 26-24

Nordhoff def. St. Pius X-St. Matthias, 25-18, 25-19, 29-27

Paraclete def. St. Monica, 3-0

Lancaster Desert Christian def. Gabrielino, 3-1

Samueli def. Norwalk, 25-15, 25-17, 25-17

Temescal Canyon def. Vista del Lago, 3-2

St. Anthony def. Westminster, 25-20, 25-15, 25-21

Rancho Verde def. Ganesha, 3-2

Arrowhead Christian def. West Valley, 25-22, 31-29, 25-20

Chino Hills def. Hawthorne, 25-20, 25-19, 25-18

Second round, Saturday, 6 p.m.

Aquinas at Da Vinci

Magnolia at Fullerton

Woodcrest Christian at Godinez

Nordhoff at Garey

Paraclete at Lancaster Desert Christian

Temescal Canyon at Samueli

St. Anthony at Rancho Verde

Chino Hills at Arrowhead Christian

DIVISION 6

First round, Thursday

Leuzinger def. Ojai Valley, 25-10, 25-20, 25-16

Waverly def. Environmental Charter, 3-1

Pasadena Marshall def. Downey Calvary Chapel, 25-13, 25-16, 20-25, 25-21

Trinity Classical def. Mesrobian, 25-18, 25-5, 25-8

Santa Monica Pacifica Christian def. Desert Mirage, 25-9, 25-12, 25-16

Summit def. Geffen, 25-13, 25-19, 25-20

Beacon Hill def. Pacific Lutheran, 25-16, 25-22, 25-13

Wildwood def. Santa Maria Valley Christian, 25-15, 25-10, 25-18

Hawthorne Math/Science def. Edgewood, 25-21, 25-20, 23-25, 25-19

San Jacinto Valley Acad. def. Int. School L.A, 3-0

Pilgrim def. Jurupa Valley, 3-1

Southlands Christian def. Rosemead, 25-15, 25-18, 25-18

CAMS def. Southwestern Academy, 25-18, 25-21, 25-23

Vasquez def. San Luis Obispo Classical, 3-1

Cathedral City def. California Military, 25-22, 25-23, 25-18

Glendale Adventist def. Bloomington, 25-20, 25-20, 25-15

Second round, Saturday, 6 p.m.

Leuzinger at Waverly

Pasadena Marshall at Trinity Classical

Santa Monica Pacifica Christian at Summit

Wildwood at Beacon Hill

Hawthorne Math/Science at San Jacinto Valley Academy

Southlands Christian at Pilgrim

Vasquez at CAMS

Cathedral City at Glendale Adventist

UPCOMING ROUNDS

Quarterfinals: Wednesday, May 3, 6 p.m.

Semifinals: Saturday, May 6, 6 p.m.

Championships: Saturday, May 13 at Cerritos College (selected divisions) and home sites

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Surging Aliso Niguel baseball team wins Sea View League title

• April 28, 2023

ALISO VIEJO — One month ago, the Aliso Niguel baseball team had a 2-9 record.

On Thursday, the Wolverines beat San Juan Hills 6-0 to win the Sea View League championship at Aliso Niguel High.

Entering Thursday, Aliso Niguel (14-13, 8-4) was tied with San Clemente for first place in the league standings. The Wolverines clinched at least a share of the league title when they beat San Juan Hills and won the outright title when San Clemente lost to El Toro 7-2.

This is the baseball team’s seventh league championship in school history and the first one since 2019.

“We knew we had a lot of injuries, sit-out kids, and once we got healthy we were going to be competitive,” Aliso Niguel coach Craig Hanson said. “Once we got a few league wins, we got some confidence. We challenged the kids and told them they were as good as anyone in this league. I’m really proud of the guys.”

The pitching Thursday was excellent for the Wolverines despite some early jams. Cole Phister threw three shutout innings and Jake Erenyi pitched four shutout innings in relief.

Erenyi allowed just two hits and had four strikeouts.

“Jake has been great in relief for us and he easily could have started the game for us,” Hanson said. “Cole came up after our game the other day and asked for the ball and we said sure. He went out and did the best he could and we had some depth in the bullpen behind him.”

Aliso Niguel scored the game’s first run in the second inning. Sophomore Jarett Sabol, a USC commit, reached base via a walk and advanced to second on an error. Sabol scored on a single by Jake Hinsvark to give the Wolverines a 1-0 lead.

The Wolverines scored another run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Tatch.

Aliso blew the game open in the fourth inning. The Wolverines loaded the bases via two errors and a walk. JSerra transfer Jonathan Nadolski drove in a run on a fielder’s choice to extend the lead to 3-0.

Hayden Orrill hit a ground ball to third base and the Wolverines scored two runs on a throwing error. Tatch drove in Orrill with a run-scoring single to give Aliso Niguel a 6-0 lead.

“Lately, we have been putting balls in play and not striking out as much,” Hanson said. “We have been putting pressure on the defense and when you can do that, good things happen.”

San Juan Hills pitchers allowed only one earned run on four hits. Braden Taylor had five strikeouts for the Stallions and Kaden Aimer led the offense with a hit and three stolen bases.

The Stallions (12-16, 5-7) finish the regular season in third place in the Sea View League standings and are unlikely to receive an at-large bid to the CIF-SS playoffs.

The playoff pairings will be announced Monday. Aliso Niguel has reached CIF championship games in 2012 and 2014.

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NFL draft: USC WR Jordan Addison selected by Vikings at No. 23

• April 28, 2023

Jordan Addison will be paired with another high-powered wide receiver at the next level.

The former USC receiver was selected in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night, going to the Minnesota Vikings with the 23rd selection. Addison’s selection makes it four straight years USC has seen a player taken in the first round.

Addison will line up in Minnesota across from Justin Jefferson, who led the NFL in receiving yards (1,809) and receptions (128) in 2022 while earning NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors.

“They told me, if I fall to them, they’re going to make sure they come and grab me,” Addison told reporters on a video conference call from the draft following his selection.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Addison arrived at USC prior to the 2022 season as a transfer from Pittsburgh, where he won the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s top receiver in 2021. But after spending his career playing exclusively in the slot at Pitt, Addison transferred to USC for the opportunity to expand his repertoire in Lincoln Riley’s offense.

Addison led USC in receiving in his lone season as a Trojan, with 59 catches for 875 yards and eight touchdowns. He scored the first points of USC’s season and was used in inventive ways, lining up outside, moving in motion and utilizing his explosive speed to create separation from defenders.

An ankle injury suffered against Utah cost Addison most of three games as he struggled to regain his usual form. But he still was named to the All-Pac-12 first team.

He joins a Minnesota team that won the NFC North in 2022 before losing to the New York Giants in the first weekend of the playoffs. The Vikings already have a lot of pieces in place in their seventh-ranked offense, from quarterback Kirk Cousins to running back Dalvin Cook to Jefferson.

But they needed a second receiver to pair with Jefferson after cutting veteran Adam Thielen in March. Addison, the fourth consecutive receiver selected on Thursday night, fills that hole and has the potential to make an immediate impact as a rookie for Minnesota.

Addison pointed to his successful transition to USC as evidence he can quickly learn Coach Kevin O’Connell’s pass-friendly system.

“He gets his playmakers the ball,” Addison said. “They’re never in one spot.”

Addison is a polished route-runner who consistently gets open despite not having elite speed. He ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. So how does he compensate for his smaller frame?

“Make plays, catch the ball, score touchdowns,” Addison said.

Cousins sounds eager to work with him.

“He is a natural wide receiver,” Cousins said on Bleacher Report’s draft show. “I’ve played with some guys through the years that were great athletes; they could run well, they could jump well. But playing the position of wide receiver just didn’t come naturally to them. A guy who can attack the football with great hands, adjust to the football well, run great routes, that’s pretty exciting to be able to get that polish right away when he shows up for OTAs.”

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Wilson finds way past Marina in first round of CIF-SS boys volleyball playoffs

• April 28, 2023

LONG BEACH – The Long Beach Wilson boys volleyball team has become used to dominating its opponents.

That might have made things more difficult in its win over Marina, 25-15, 25-22, 20-25, 25-14, Thursday in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 playoffs.

Coach Christopher Ceballos said his team, the No. 1 seed in Division 2, forced a style of play that wasn’t getting results.

“We kind of let our foot off the gas again and we weren’t taking what the defense was giving us,” he said. “We were trying to do what we wanted and it wasn’t within the system. We kind of broke down when we didn’t need to.”

Still, Wilson (31-1) prevailed over Marina (16-15) despite a stumble in the third set.

Marek Turner and Ian Nolte paced the Wilson attack with 13 kills apiece. Turner added three blocks.

Braden Pool-Harris tallied 26 assists, and Max Cherin led the Bruins with four blocks.

Alden Jacobs converted a team-high three aces for Wilson.

Wilson dominated the first set. Turner’s two blocks and two kills, as well as Jacobs’ three aces and one block, launched the Bruins to a 25-15 set win.

The second set didn’t come as easily for Wilson. The Bruins jumped out to an early 5-1 lead on big kills by Turner and Nolte, but Marina kept pace. Three kills and back-to-back aces from Miles Rodden helped Marina narrow Wilson’s lead to 23-22 late in the set, but a kill by Cherin followed by an error by Marina sealed the 25-22 set win for Wilson.

Marina continued its momentum in the third set. The Vikings built a 17-11 lead with help from Derek McMullin, who had two kills and a block in the set. After a Wilson timeout, Caiden Rodriguez’s three kills extended Marina’s lead to 19-14.

With Marina leading 22-17, a Dyllan Nguyen ace brought Marina close to set point.

Wilson narrowed the Marina lead to four, 24-20, but a Caiden Rodriguez kill won the set for Marina 25-20.

Rodriguez tallied nine kills for Marina, while Dyllan Nguyen had 27 assists and two kills. Rodden had 10 kills and three aces for Marina. McMullin led in blocks with three.

Wilson regained its dominance in the fourth set thanks to Turner, who had five kills in the final set. Cherin added two kills and two blocks to help the Bruins to a 25-14 win and a 3-1 match victory.

Turner’s mindset was straightforward in the final set.

“Just go out there and dominate the finish,” he said. “Just dominate, honestly. We just needed to keep the same intensity and stay focused.”

Wilson moves on to face Orange Lutheran in a second-round game Saturday.

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Cypress baseball beats Pacifica with HR in 9th inning to claim share of Empire crown

• April 28, 2023

CYPRESS — Chewy Thomas’ two-run home run in the ninth inning not only gave Cypress a 2-1 victory over Pacifica in a key Empire League game Thursday at Cypress High School.

The home run gave the Centurions (21-7, 9-1) a share of the league title. The Mariners (21-3, 9-1) had clinched a share of the tile by defeating the Centurions on Tuesday.

The teams split their two league games against each other, but since the Centurions won a coin flip, they will go into the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs as the league’s No.1 entry, which could help them receive a home game in the first round of the playoffs.

Pacifica will be the league’s No. 2 entry.

Thomas’ game-winning blast capped a dramatic finish to the game, as it came after Chad Gurnea had hit a solo home run in the top of the inning to give the Mariners a 1-0 lead.

Nick Montgomery started off the inning for Cypress with a walk.

“I told my teammate Nick, just get on and I got you,” Thomas said. “I was just sitting fastball like every at-bat and just adjusted from there. And I got a pitch I could hit and luckily put a good swing on it and it got out.”

The pitching and defense for both teams was outstanding.

Gurnea was the starting pitcher for the Mariners and went seven innings before being replaced by Ayden Valdez in the eighth.

“We’ve faced a lot of really good arms and I compared him to some really good guys that we faced to my players,” Cypress coach John Weber said of Gurnea. “And our players were like, ‘No coach. He’s better.’ ”

Cypress starter Luke Matlock kept the Mariners off the board through four innings but got into some trouble by walking the first two batters in the fifth.

After a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third, Gabe Cobian entered the game in relief and pitched out of the jam with a flyout and strikeout, with an intentional walk in between.

After the intentional walk, Cobian retired nine in a row and didn’t allow a hit until Gurnea’s home run.

“Cobian came in and did an amazing job for us,” Weber said.

Weber said he did not tell his team that they had won the coin toss until after the game.

“I didn’t want to add anything more to the game,” he said. “I’ll use the cliché. When your back is against the wall, why add more information to it. For me as the coach and the guy that has to have a pulse on the group, I didn’t want to share that with them until just now.”

The Centurions and Mariners came into the contest ranked No. 7 and 9, respectively in the division. Weber expects his team to move up to No. 5 when the pairings are announced on Monday morning.

Weber said the Division 1 playoffs equate to the “best tournament in the country at this point.”

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Swanson: Texans don’t let C.J. Stroud get away, draft him No. 2 behind Bryce Young

• April 28, 2023

Bryce Young went where we all knew he would Thursday – No. 1, to the Carolina Panthers.

His buddy, C.J. Stroud, went No. 2 in the NFL draft, the Houston Texans doing well to block out noise building in opposition to the Ohio State prospect.

Young was the odds-on favorite to hear his name called first – and why not? What’s not to like?

His 5-foot-10, 204ish-pound stature, perhaps. Otherwise, the former Santa Ana Mater Dei High star has the IQ and instincts, the poise and pedigree. He’s a responsible, elegant quarterback. Level-headed and buttoned-up, with a multi-million-dollar smile. Seems like a real nice guy, “a safe pick,” said Cam Newton, the QB who went No. 1 in 2011, the last time the Panthers picked first. “A very safe pick.”

And to start the NFL draft, Young slid safely into No. 1. Here’s to a long, illustrious NFL career following his Heisman Trophy-winning tenure at Alabama – and to Stroud, too.

What about Stroud, the former Rancho Cucamonga High School standout – what was there to quibble with there?

The dude is 6-3, 214 pounds. He has probably the biggest and most accurate arm of all the quarterbacks in this year’s draft. Threw for 8,123 yards and 85 touchdowns (vs. just 12 interceptions) while going 21-4 in two seasons as Ohio State’s starting quarterback. He was a Heisman finalist both years.

For a while, people thought he’d go No. 1. But then they got on podcasts and got to talking.

“C.J. Stroud is an interesting guy,” NFL insider Michael Lombardi said earlier this month, on The Sports Betting Network’s platform. “When you talk to people in the league, they’ll tell you – this is not a knock, this is just a conversation – not an easy guy to coach.

“He’s very – the word that people use is – very not believing in what you’re saying.”

Skeptical, a sentiment that grew after former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn said Stroud “ghosted” the folks at the high-profile Manning Passing Academy. And with the hullabaloo following a report that Stroud scored low on multiple S2 Cognition tests, which NFL teams use to assess athletes’ ability to process information.

Not the warmest welcome to the league. But also, kind of perfect.

If you’re a public school kid from the Inland Empire who didn’t start until your junior season, you can take it. If you’re a self-taught quarterback who grew up mimicking YouTube videos because your family wasn’t in position to employ a quarterback coach, you can take it.

And if you missed out on some high-profile passing tournaments back then because of commitments to your basketball team, you get it. When you didn’t get any college recruiting interest after your junior year, not until Colorado called on Christmas Eve, you know to keep the faith.

If you’re someone who’s dealt with real-life adversity, who watched your mom struggle to make ends meet as your father serves a long prison sentence, you know you’re tough enough. You can take it.

“God has battled-tested me,” Stroud told ESPN’s Suzy Kolber moments after hearing his name called, speaking to a prime-time TV audience from the heart, his comments unrehearsed. “I have the armor of God on me. Everything I’ve been through has prepared me for this moment right here.”

Stroud is plenty strong, but he’s also really dang good. The smart pick for a Texans team that has struggled without a reliable quarterback in two seasons since Deshaun Watson was dealt to the Cleveland Browns.

“I think he’s the best quarterback in the draft, and I think he’s going to have the best NFL career,” said Mark Verti, who, as Stroud’s coach at Rancho Cucamonga, is both biased and a witness for how very coachable he is, for how cerebral.

The Houston Texans select Rancho Cucamonga alumnus C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick in the 2023 #NFLdraft.

(Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) pic.twitter.com/qwO6ZoGwc7

— James H. Williams at Coachella (@JHWreporter) April 28, 2023

Stroud wowed Verti and his staff at his first Cougars scrimmage, before he even knew the offense, because of how he read passing lanes like a basketball player. And then often after that, when the backup quarterback would come to coaches at halftime to tell them, say, “if we do the out-and-up on the left corner, he’s gonna bite.” And he would, and Rancho Cucamonga would put six more points on the board.

“That stupid test score,” Verti said. “That was a shock because that was his strength for us; his vision and awareness were unmatched. He’d see things on the whole field.”

He’d see, and he’d deliver – right on the money, in high school and at Ohio State, where he completed 69.3% of his passes.

Stroud explained once: “I don’t want my receivers to have to do anything but catch the ball.”

And he always wanted all of his receivers to catch the ball, Verti said.

“It wasn’t for stats, how he’d spread the ball to people in practice, or in a game,” Stroud’s former coach said. “He always wanted to make sure to spread the ball around, he was always going to get a guy a touchdown pass.”

CJ Stroud interview immediately after being drafted and putting the Houston Texans hat on for the first time.

Check out what the franchise has to say. pic.twitter.com/reHFp4jBR1

— V̷a̷t̷o̷r̷ (@Vator_H_Town) April 28, 2023

On Thursday, he wanted to make sure all of the kids watching realized the significance of his second-overall selection. When Kolber teed up the question, “What would you say to all the young boys …?” Stroud knocked it out of the park.

“I’m a living testimony that you can really do anything, because I come from nothing,” he said. “And to that little boy, that little girl out there, man, you can do anything you put your mind to.”

That’s what it took. Good old-fashioned dedication and discipline. Self-discipline.

“People think you have to get a quarterback coach,” Verti said. “But so many college coaches liked that he didn’t have a quarterback coach and that he wasn’t a robot. So many parents are afraid to not do something if they think it’ll hurt their kid, but he’s an example you don’t have to do that.

“You don’t need to pay money to someone to train you to be a good player, you just have to work hard. And I think he did it the right way.”

Keep doing that, and it’ll be just a matter of time until Stroud proves critics they got it wrong.

​ Orange County Register