The high school football regular season is officially in the home stretch, with local teams slated for just two more games as they look to clinch spots in the CIF-SS playoffs.
Santa Barbara High, San Marcos and Carpinteria High will all host their league showdowns this week against Westlake, Agoura and Nordhoff, respectively.
Meanwhile, Bishop Diego will hit the road to take on rival St. Bonaventure and Dos Pueblos has a road matchup with Fillmore.
Here is a quick preview and picks for each of this week’s games. Through nine weeks of play, my record is 31-6.
Bishop Diego (7-1, 2-1 ML) @ St. Bonaventure (4-4, 2-1 ML)
The Cardinals have proven they can compete at the highest level through three games of the Marmonte League, with the one loss coming by one point to Oaks Christian.
While the trio of quarterback Tua Rojas, running back Gabe Villa and wide receiver John Michael Flint has paced a strong offensive attack, the Bishop Diego defense has forced 21 turnovers in eight games played.
Meanwhile, the Seraphs are a battle-tested squad whose lone Marmonte League defeat came on a tight 24-23 loss to a powerhouse Pacifica squad.
St. Bonaventure’s defense has gotten the job done all season, surrendering less than 15 points per game. In fact, the 41-26 win over Simi Valley was the highest point total allowed by the Seraphs all season.
This has the makings of an exciting, low-scoring rivalry clash, and I think that favors St. Bonaventure at home.
The Pick: St. Bonaventure
Westlake (8-0, 3-0 CCL) @ Santa Barbara High (4-4, 1-2 CCL)
The Dons struggled to keep up with Calabasas last week to drop under .500 in Conejo Coast League action, leaving their playoff hopes up in the air heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Santa Barbara High struggled to find its offense in the second half last week without starting quarterback Griffin Arnold, who will miss this week’s game as well. The Dons will have to find plenty of production from the run game in order to find success against Westlake.
The Warriors have enjoyed a stellar season, outscoring opponents 306-105 en route to an undefeated record. Last week, Westlake pulled out a 29-23 double-overtime thriller against Newbury Park.
They have ridden the quarterback-running back duo of Ford Green (1,554 pass yards, 22 TD) and Demanie Bell (1,219 rush yards, 18 total TD) all season, and that will likely continue this week.
While the Dons’ defense has put together some strong performances this season, the high-flying Westlake offense, combined with Santa Barbara High’s lack of a pass game, makes me lean towards the visitors.
The Pick: Westlake
Agoura (6-2, 3-0 TCL) @ San Marcos (3-5, 2-1 TCL)
After a stretch of five straight losses, the Royals have bounced back with back-to-back wins over Santa Paula and Hueneme to give themselves a shot at the CIF-SS playoffs.
While the passing game has been almost nonexistent for San Marcos (61.9 passing yards per game), Cole Dominguez has exploded for 761 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the San Marcos defense has shown flashes of dominance despite the overall record being sub .500.
Agoura seems to be on a crash course for its second straight Tri-County League title, rolling to its first three league victories by a combined score of 127-31.
3-star recruit quarterback Gavin Gray has lit up the scoreboards this season, throwing for 2,434 yards (304 yards per game) and 32 touchdowns with just five interceptions in eight games. Tyler Starling has been his top target, hauling in 42 passes for 813 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Chargers should have no problem remaining undefeated in league play this week behind the strong arm of Gray.
The Pick: Agoura
Dos Pueblos (4-4, 2-1 TCL) @ Fillmore (7-1, 2-1 TCL)
The Chargers pulled out a defensive battle against Santa Paula last week to put themselves in a good position in the Tri-County League and continue a season of alternating win-loss results.
While the Dos Pueblos offense has gotten healthier as the season has progressed, the unit has continued to struggle with turnovers. As a result, the defense has been on the field for the majority of games and opposing offenses have taken advantage.
On the other sideline, the Flashes have shown the biggest improvement from last season of any team in the Tri-County League, despite a loss to first-place Agoura last week.
Fillmore has outscored its opponents 284-122 this season behind a standout senior season from Jasiah Patterson, who has taken 129 carries for 1,063 yards and 14 touchdowns.
I’ve got the Flashes in this one, as they should be able to control the clock with Patterson and keep the Dos Pueblos offense in check.
The Pick: Fillmore
Nordhoff (6-2, 2-1 CCL) @ Carpinteria (3-4, 2-1 CCL)
The Warriors are coming off their best offensive performance of the year in a 62-33 rout of Del Sol to move above .500 in Citrus Coast League action.
The Carpinteria trio of Drew Filippini (411 total yards, 8 TD), Chris Jaimes (626 total yards, 8 TD) and Isaac Neri (312 rush yards, 7 TD) have carried the load all season and will look to help clinch a playoff spot with a win this week.
Meanwhile, the Rangers fell to league-leading Grace last week after a pair of blowout wins over Channel Islands and Santa Clara to open their league schedule.
Michael Dennie has had a strong season under center for Nordhoff, throwing for 1,072 yards, 15 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Meanwhile, Desi Canfield has accumulated 586 rushing yards and scored 13 touchdowns on the ground.
This could be a tight matchup between historic rivals who lack depth, but I think the Rangers have a bit more offensive firepower and a strong enough defense to pull out the win.
The Pick: Nordhoff