The high school football season is officially in full swing, as all five local teams now have at least one game under their belts heading into Week 3.
Three of the four local teams in action will remain at home this week, while Santa Barbara High will head south to take on an undefeated Moorpark squad.
Meanwhile, San Marcos will play host to Buena, Dos Pueblos will roll out the welcome mat for Del Sol and Carpinteria High will welcome San Gabriel into town for its home opener.
Bishop Diego, which is 3-0 to begin the season, is on its bye week.
Here is a quick preview and predictions for each of the four contests this week. Through three weeks of action, my picks are 11-1.
Santa Barbara High (2-1) @ Moorpark (3-0)
The Dons are off to an impressive start this season, earning wins over Camarillo and Dos Pueblos while narrowly falling to a very strong Corona Del Mar program.
Sophomore quarterback Griffin Arnold has steadily improved with each game he’s played, and the strong offensive line unit has helped lead the way for a potent rushing attack.
Santa Barbara has also seen the emergence of some talented sophomore playmakers in wide receivers Nate Meister and Cade Mault, as the running back room deals with some injuries early in the season.
Meanwhile, Moorpark has outscored its opponents 103-26 en route to a 3-0 record to begin the year. The Musketeers have hung their hat on the defensive side of the ball with three interceptions, five fumble recoveries and three blocked punts so far.
This is going to be a good test for the Dons, but if they can play sound football as they have all season, I’ve got them pulling this one out on the road.
The Pick: Santa Barbara High
Buena (1-2) @ San Marcos (1-2)
San Marcos has sputtered a bit after its season-opening win over Del Sol, falling to solid Paraclete and Santa Ynez squads by a combined score of 90-14.
The Royals’ defense, which has been their calling card during the Ralph Molina era, has shown its inexperience early in the season and will look to bounce back against a Buena squad that has struggled to put up points in two of its three games.
I expect San Marcos to lean on its rushing attack led by Cole Dominguez and Brody Green, as the Bulldogs surrendered 354 yards on the ground in last week’s loss to Fillmore and 263 rushing yards in their win over Canyon.
Buena will also likely feature a run-heavy offense as senior Jaxon Roberts has totaled 484 rushing yards and five touchdowns so far this season. He also has 59 yards and a score through the air.
The Royals have lost this matchup to their old Channel League foe by a combined five points in the last two seasons, but I think this is the year that they snap the skid and come out on top in front of their home crowd.
The Pick: San Marcos
Del Sol (0-3) @ Dos Pueblos (1-2)
The Chargers are coming off a loss to crosstown rival Santa Barbara High, the team’s second loss of the season after a 19-0 win over Royal High.
Sophomore Grady Felix handled the bulk of the snaps under center for Dos Pueblos last week after a turnover-heavy opening quarter, so he may see more time or even the start at quarterback this week.
Whoever is at quarterback will look to get the ball to Micah Barnhart on the outside, who has 19 receptions for 198 yards and a touchdown through three games of non-league action.
In the program’s first season at the varsity level, Del Sol is experiencing the expected growing pains. Through three games, the Jaguars are 0-3 and have been outscored by a margin of 119-15.
Dos Pueblos shouldn’t have many problems finishing off its four-game homestand with a win on Friday night.
The Pick: Dos Pueblos
San Gabriel (3-0) @ Carpinteria (1-0)
The Warriors kicked off their 2025 campaign with a 52-7 rout of Santa Clara on the road, setting the stage for a battle of unbeaten teams in Carpinteria this week.
The duo of Isaac Neri and Drew Filippini led the way last week with four touchdowns apiece. Neri scored four on the ground while Filippini had two rushing touchdowns, a punt return score and a pick-six.
The Carpinteria High defense also did its part, keeping Santa Clara on its side of the field for the majority of the night.
Meanwhile, San Gabriel is off to a strong start to its season, outscoring opponents 95-48 in its three wins. Quarterback Ricky Garcia (629 pass yards, 9 pass TD) and running back Louie Navarro (378 rush yards, 2 rush TD) have led the charge for the Matadors.
When these two teams met last year, the Warriors pulled out a 21-20 win on the road. With the game now being played in Carpinteria, give me the Warriors to begin their season at 2-0.
The Pick: Carpinteria