It’s Week 7 of the local prep football season, meaning league play is heating up and the playoff picture is becoming clearer each and every week.
With Santa Barbara High on a bye week, the local teams in action are all on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture and wins this week would go a long way.
San Marcos will play host to Ventura as the Royals search for their first Channel League victory of the season.
Dos Pueblos, meanwhile, is coming off its first league win and will look to make it back-to-back as the Chargers travel down to Oxnard to take on the Yellow Jackets.
After opening up Marmonte League action with a lopsided loss to rival St. Bonaventure, Bishop Diego will look to bounce back this week on the road against a tough Oaks Christian team.
Carpinteria also began its league season last week with a loss and will face off against Santa Paula at home this week.
Here is a capsule look and prediction for each of this week’s games.
Ventura (4-3, 3-2) @ San Marcos (2-4, 0-4), Friday at 7 p.m.
The Royals are fresh off a much-needed bye week after beginning their Channel League season with four straight losses. The last of those losses came in a defensive slugfest against Buena where the final score was 11-7.
That game was indicative of the league season so far for San Marcos as the offense has struggled to put up points, scoring just 28 points across four games. The Royals’ defense has shown flashes of talent and production, especially in the non-league portion of the schedule, but has allowed 141 points through the four tough league games.
The strong league schedule doesn’t slow down, either, as Ventura has shown that it can compete with some of the best teams in the league, including a win over Rio Mesa. However, the Cougars are coming off back-to-back losses against the top two teams in the Channel League in Pacifica and Santa Barbara.
If San Marcos wants to keep this one close, the defense will need to key in on the quarterback-tight end duo of Logan Scarlett and Joshua Woodworth. Through seven games, Woodworth has caught 31 passes for 362 yards and four touchdowns.
The Royals’ defense will need to play to the best of its ability on Friday to stay in the game, and even then the offense will need to find more success than it has in recent weeks.
The Pick: Ventura
Dos Pueblos (3-3, 1-3) @ Oxnard (1-5, 1-3), Friday at 7 p.m.
The Chargers got into the win column in league play with a dominating 55-0 victory over the winless Channel Islands Raiders last week. The Dos Pueblos rushing attack had their way all night, an aspect of the team they have leaned on since quarterback Ryan Marsh’s season-ending injury.
This week’s matchup will be a tougher task for the Chargers and they may need junior quarterback Gonzo Murillo to find some success through the air and balance out the offensive attack.
Oxnard’s one win in league also came against Channel Islands, with the Yellow Jackets taking down the Raiders 57-0. They are coming off a tight 24-23 loss to Buena last week, and the team could be feeling the impacts of a hard-fought game heading into this one.
The Yellow Jacket offense has found a bit of a groove as of late, scoring more than 20 points in each of the last two games, a mark that the Chargers hadn’t hit in league since last week’s win.
This has the makings of a tight matchup, but Oxnard has shown the ability to compete against tougher opponents this season.
The Pick: Oxnard
Bishop Diego (1-5, 0-1) @ Oaks Christian (4-2, 1-0), Friday at 7 p.m.
The Cardinals continued their struggles on both sides of the ball in last week’s Marmonte League opening loss to St. Bonaventure, 32-7. That loss was Bishop Diego’s third in a row in a stretch where they have been outscored 124-48.
Quarterback Tua Rojas made his return from a shoulder injury last week but he appeared to have re-aggravated it and was forced to leave the game early, meaning John Michael Flint would continue his role as starting quarterback, a tall task on this year’s inexperienced Cardinals squad.
Oaks Christian, meanwhile, came away with a win in its league opener after taking down Calabasas by a score of 56-8. The Lions are led by a high-flying offensive attack that has scored more than 50 points in half of their games this season.
Deshonne Redeaux has been Oaks Christian’s go-to running back, amassing 439 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 49 carries. Through the air, the Lions are led by Chase Farrell’s 20 receptions for 471 yards and five touchdowns.
This Oaks Christian offense is going to be quite the handful for the young Bishop Diego secondary.
The Pick: Oaks Christian
Santa Paula (5-1, 0-1) @ Carpinteria (2-4, 0-1), Friday at 7 p.m.
The last two weeks have been tough for Carpinteria following a pair of wins and two tight losses to begin the season. The Warriors have now lost four straight games and in those last two matchups, they have been outscored 59-26.
Carpinteria may be feeling the effects of having a smaller roster as the season wears on, as the majority of players are forced to play on both sides of the ball.
Following a perfect 5-0 non-league season, Santa Paula was handed its first loss of the season in the Citrus Coast League opener against Fillmore next week, 37-35.
Junior running back Allen Macias is in the midst of a dominant season for Santa Paula, as he has 117 carries for 1,063 yards and 14 touchdowns through the first six games of the year. Quarterback Izahah Mata has also contributed to the rushing attack with seven touchdowns on the ground.
Carpinteria will have a very tough time stopping Macias and his explosive talent out of the backfield on Friday.
The Pick: Santa Paula
