Week 7 of the local high school football season is upon us, and four of the five teams in the area will be leaving town for their league matchups this weekend.
Bishop Diego is the lone local squad to host its second league game, rolling out the welcome mats for rival St. Bonaventure for a Marmonte League matchup on a rare Saturday game at La Playa Stadium.
Meanwhile, Santa Barbara High and Dos Pueblos will hit the road after league-opening wins. The Dons will be down at Ventura High in Channel League play on Friday, while the Chargers will be in Simi Valley to take on Royal High and continue Tri-County League action.
San Marcos and Carpinteria High are in search of their first league wins of the season, and they will look to find them on the road. The Royals are set to clash with Santa Paula High, and the Warriors will take on Santa Clara in Oxnard.
Here is a quick preview and prediction for each of this weekend’s games. Through seven weeks of action, my picks are 25-3.
Dos Pueblos (4-2, 1-0) @ Royal (6-0, 1-0), Fri. @ 7 p.m.
The Chargers got off to a strong start in Tri-County League action last week with a 35-7 road win over Hueneme, the team’s third straight victory.
Senior running back Chase Johnson is the centerpiece of the offense, taking 111 carries for 713 yards and six touchdowns in six games played. Meanwhile, the DP defense has been a force all season with 15 total turnovers (8 INT, 7 FUM) and 11 sacks.
Royal High has cruised through its first six weeks of the season, averaging over 40 points per game en route to an undefeated record. The closest win came in a 16-9 defeat of Carpinteria High.
The Highlanders have leaned heavily on their run game, averaging less than 100 yards through the air and boasting several running backs with over five rushing touchdowns.
The Chargers won this matchup 19-0 last year, and I don’t think Royal has faced an opponent whose talent compares to that of Dos Pueblos. Give me DP to get off to a 2-0 start to league play.
The Pick: Dos Pueblos
Santa Barbara (4-2, 1-0) @ Ventura (5-1, 1-0), Fri. @ 7 p.m.
The Dons have found their stride at the right time, opening Channel League play last week with a 38-24 win over Moorpark to secure their fourth consecutive victory.
Junior Griffin Arnold has thrown for 321.2 yards per game, tossing 18 touchdowns compared to three interceptions. He has had a plethora of weapons at his disposal, including pass catchers Cade Mault (544 rec yards, 5 TD), Fin Congdon (391 rec yards, 3 TD), Keegan Roessler (371 rec yards, 6 TD) and Nate Meister (327 rec yards, 3 TD).
Meanwhile, the Cougars have been a strong team all season long, averaging just over 37 points per contest and holding opponents to under 20 points in four of the six games.
Junior Tristan Savage is going to be a handful for the Dons, as he has 696 receiving yards, 317 rushing yards and 17 total touchdowns this season. Senior Gavin Scarlett has been under center for Ventura, throwing for 242.7 yards per game, 16 touchdowns and three interceptions.
This feels like another high-scoring affair in the making, and I really like the way the Santa Barbara High offense has looked in recent weeks. Give me the Dons on the road.
The Pick: Santa Barbara High
San Marcos (2-4, 0-1) @ Santa Paula (3-3, 0-1), Fri. @ 7 p.m.
The Royals will look to bounce back from a tough start to their Tri-County League schedule last week, when they struggled to keep up with Fillmore in a 51-15 loss.
This will be San Marcos’ first road game in over a month after going 1-2 in its homestand, with the victory coming over former league foe Buena. The senior trio of Hayden Feleay, Tommy Diaz and Isaac Murillo continue to lead the offensive attack.
Santa Paula has alternated wins and losses throughout the season, and is fresh off a 42-24 loss to Royal High in last week’s Tri-County League opener.
Junior quarterback Rene Vega has been a dual threat for the Cardinals, throwing for just under 200 yards per game and serving as the team’s leading rusher with 287 total yards on the ground.
I think this will be a competitive league battle, but I’ll give the slight edge to Santa Paula as the home team that has shown more consistency on the offensive side of the ball.
The Pick: Santa Paula
Carpinteria (0-6, 0-1) @ Santa Clara (4-2, 0-1), Fri. @ 7 p.m.
The Warriors have yet to find the win column this season, but they are coming off one of their tightest matchups of the year: a 24-14 road loss to Channel Islands.
Carpinteria High’s already light roster has been even lighter this fall with the team dealing with injuries, but senior quarterback Isaac Neri provided a boost by returning to the lineup last week.
On the other sideline, the Saints opened the year with four straight wins but have suffered back-to-back losses against much tougher opponents than their opening run out.
Santa Clara has thrown for just 73.7 yards per game, while senior running back Isaac Villanueva leads the offense with 90.2 rushing yards per game and seven total touchdowns. The defense has also forced five interceptions and recovered 10 fumbles.
The Warriors dominated Santa Clara for a 55-6 win last season and, while I’m not sure if it will be that lopsided this year, I think Carpinteria pulls this one out for its first win of the year. Santa Clara’s non-league schedule was not nearly as strong as Carpinteria’s.
The Pick: Carpinteria High
St. Bonaventure (4-2, 1-0) @ Bishop Diego (2-4, 0-1), Sat. @ 7 p.m.
The Cardinals have had a rough past month of the season as injuries that piled up early in the season have given way to four straight losses, including a league-opening loss to Newbury Park last week.
The Bishop Diego defense has taken the biggest hit in this stretch, allowing at least 35 points in all four losses. While the Cardinals did score 44 points in a loss to Bishop Alemany, they have also put up seven points and been held scoreless in the past three games.
The Seraphs are in the midst of another strong season, drawing a ranking of No. 50 in California on MaxPreps. Last week, they came away with a 44-37 win over Simi Valley in a high-flying affair.
St. Bonaventure has been led on the offensive end by the tandem of junior quarterback Jaxson Carper (1,183 pass yards, 12 TD, 1 INT), senior wideout Antonio Spann (598 receiving yards, 9 TD) and sophomore running back Tony Dargan (644 total yards, 7 TD).
Bishop Diego has been reeling as of late, and St. Bonaventure presents arguably its toughest challenge of the season. I see the Seraphs leaving La Playa Stadium with a win.
The Pick: St. Bonaventure
North County Matchups to Watch
- Lompoc @ St. Joseph, Friday @ 7 p.m.
- Santa Ynez @ Pioneer Valley, Friday @ 7 p.m.
- Santa Maria @ Cabrillo, Friday @ 7 p.m.
- Righetti @ Mission College Prep, Friday @ 7 p.m.
