There will be plenty to watch on the final Friday of the high school football regular season this week, with a high-stakes Battle for the Goodland taking center stage.
San Marcos and Dos Pueblos will meet on Friday at Scott O’Leary Stadium in Goleta with both teams sitting at 2-2 in Tri-County League play. The winner takes third place and the last automatic spot in the CIF-SS playoffs.
Santa Barbara High will head south to take on Thousand Oaks, and the Dons will capture the Channel League championship with a victory.
Meanwhile, Bishop Diego and Carpinteria High will cap off their seasons on the road against Oaks Christian and Nordhoff, respectively.
Here is a quick preview and prediction for each of this weekend’s games. Heading into the final week of the regular season, my picks are 37-6.
San Marcos (4-5, 2-2 TCL) @ Dos Pueblos (5-4, 2-2 TCL)
The Chargers have alternated wins and losses in their league campaign, most recently falling to Tri-County League champion Fillmore while missing starting quarterback Grady Felix, who is up in the air for this week’s rivalry matchup.
Senior running back Chase Johnson’s stellar campaign continued last week, improving his season-long totals to 1,109 rush yards and 12 rush TDs. Senior Soren Smedley has been the top option on the outside, turning 19 catches into 348 yards and five touchdowns.
The Royals are coming off a back-and-forth 21-14 loss to Royal to set up this week’s dramatic matchup with Dos Pueblos. San Marcos had put up 74 combined points in its two previous wins.
While the senior trio of Hayden Feleay (1,166 pass yards), Tommy Diaz (710 rush yards) and Isaac Murillo (617 receiving yards) pace the offensive attack, the San Marcos defense has played its part with 16 turnovers, including nine interceptions.
The Royals and Chargers have had the same results in league, defeating Santa Paula and Hueneme but losing to Fillmore and Royal. This has all the makings of a competitive game (last year’s game ended in double OT), and the rivalry aspect adds another unknown. I’ll give the edge to DP at home.
This is the 60th edition of the Battle for the Goodland. Dos Pueblos has a 31-26-2 record in the matchups, but San Marcos has won the last four games.
The Pick: Dos Pueblos
Santa Barbara High (6-3, 3-1 CL) @ Thousand Oaks (1-8, 0-4 CL)
The Dons are fresh off their most impressive win of the season, pulling out a 13-10 win over Westlake to put themselves in a prime position to earn a Channel League title with a victory this week.
The Santa Barbara offensive line and run game has found its stride late in the season, with junior Everett Rabb-Preston boasting 568 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the season. Meanwhile, junior Griffin Arnold has thrown for 305.5 yards per game and has just three interceptions.
On the other sideline, Thousand Oaks has lost seven consecutive games and has allowed at least 40 points in five of the last six contests.
The Lancers’ top offensive weapon this season has been senior running back Lincoln Mayling, who has totaled 383 rushing yards in eight games played.
Santa Barbara High is riding high after last week’s win, and the Dons’ offense should have no trouble putting up points on a struggling Thousand Oaks defense. Give me SB to clinch the Channel League title.
The Pick: Santa Barbara High
Bishop Diego (2-7, 0-4 ML) @ Oaks Christian (2-7, 2-2 ML)
The Cardinals are in the midst of one of their toughest stretches in program history, as last week’s loss to Simi Valley was the team’s seventh in a row.
With several key starters suffering injuries throughout the season, the Bishop Diego junior duo of Joel Sanchez and Gabe Phillips has stepped up. Sanchez has 316 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Phillips has caught 17 passes for 259 yards.
Oaks Christian has been through a gauntlet of a schedule, but it has earned two wins in the last three weeks with victories over Simi Valley and Newbury Park.
The Cardinals will have their hands full with four-star USC commit Alifeleti Tuihalamaka, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive lineman with 5 ½ sacks, 13 QB hurries and 19 tackles for loss this season.
While Bishop Diego has continued to struggle, Oaks Christian seems to be hitting its stride at the right time. Give me the Lions to defend their home field.
The Pick: Oaks Christian
Carpinteria High (1-8, 1-3 CCL) @ Nordhoff (8-1, 3-1 CCL)
The Warriors battled to a 21-10 loss to Del Sol last week to bring their outside shot at the CIF-SS playoffs to a close heading into this week’s season finale.
Senior quarterback Isaac Neri will look to end his career on a high note, as he has been the team’s leading passer and rusher this season. Meanwhile, junior Gabe Chung has a team-high 26 receptions, 345 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Nordhoff is coming off its first loss of the season to Grace last week, a 35-14 defeat. Before that matchup, the Rangers had scored at least 30 points in seven of their eight victories.
Nordhoff boasts playmakers around the field, with the offense led by senior quarterback Michael Dennie, who has 1,586 passing yards and 21 touchdowns. Senior Brody Dvortcsak (560 rush yards, 13 TD), junior Isaiah Giesea (618 receiving yards, 8 TD) and sophomore Cooper Cole (476 receiving yards, 9 TD) have been his top weapons.
The Warriors will look to end their season on a strong note, but I don’t think they can keep up with Nordhoff’s offensive attack.
The Pick: Nordhoff
North County Matchups to Watch
- Santa Ynez @ Santa Maria
- Paso Robles @ Righetti
- St. Joseph @ San Luis Obispo
- Templeton @ Lompoc
- Pioneer Valley @ Morro Bay
