Which Orange County teams are most likely to win a CIF-SS championship when the finals are played Nov. 24-25?
We rank the teams with the best chances, and, yes, a certain Trinity League team is No. 1 in these rankings, too.
TOP 10 O.C. TEAMS LIKELY TO WIN A CIF-SS TITLE
1. Mater Dei (9-1), Division 1
Why the Monarchs will win: Speculating about playoff results is fun but there’s a very good chance that Mater Dei and St. John Bosco will meet in the Division 1 championship game for the seventh consecutive season. The Monarchs suffered their lone loss of the regular season to Bosco 28-0, but the two teams split the season series more often than not.
Mater Dei has the ability to suffocate teams with its pass rush. The Monarchs had five sacks and 12 tackles for a loss in their Week 10 win over Santa Margarita. Monarchs linebacker Nasir Wyatt leads the Trinity League with 11 sacks and Ramere Davis has six. The pass rush leads to turnovers and Jeilani Davis leads the league with five interceptions.
The Monarchs will need to fix some offensive inconsistencies in order to beat Bosco the second time around. Mater Dei was shut out for the first time since 2011 in that first game and it’s one of just two games where quarterback Elijah Brown did not throw a touchdown pass in his four year career.
2. Whittier Christian (6-4), Division 14
Why the Heralds will win: Whittier Christian beat Lynwood last season in the Division 14 championship game and is the No. 2 seed in the bracket this season.
Jake Martinez has rushed for 1,085 yards with 16 touchdowns this season. Quarterback Caleb Mer was also the team’s starter last season and he takes care of the football.
John Rojas leads the team in tackles with 107, which is the fifth most in the county. Adrian Hernandez has five interceptions and Cash Ramos has three.
3. San Juan Hills (9-1), Division 3
Why the Stallions will win: The decision to make Division 1 an eight-team bracket greatly benefited San Juan Hills, which fell to the top seed in Division 3.
San Juan Hills has one of the best linebacker duos in the county in Weston Port and Jake Javorsky. On offense, the Stallions run the ball well with Sullivan Land and dual-threat quarterback Timmy Herr. When they need to throw, Washington commit Jason Robinson Jr. runs great routes and can make plays after the catch.
Division 3 is a loaded bracket and includes two other top county teams, Tustin and Villa Park. But San Juan Hills is on the other side of the bracket and wouldn’t see either of those teams until the championship game.
4. Mission Viejo (7-3), Division 2
Why the Diablos will win: This is the first year Mission Viejo is not in the Division 1 playoffs since 2015 when the team won the Division 2 championship.
Mission Viejo is good on the offensive line, led by UCLA commit Mark Schroller, and that helps the running back duo of Hinesward Lilomaiava and Chase Valousky. Vance Spafford is a receiver who can make plays after the catch.
Jaden Williams has 23 tackles for a loss with 10.5 sacks this season. Jack Matranga and Jonavan Asuncion clean up on tackles in the running game. Boise State commits Travis Anderson and Treyvon Tolmaire patrol the secondary with safety Dijon Lee and emerging sophomore Zachary Foeldi.
5. Los Alamitos (8-2), Division 2
Why the Griffins will win: Los Alamitos has one of the best defenses in the county. Oregon commit Kamar Mothudi and defensive linemen Dre Taylor, Liki Lotulelei and Manoah Faupusa are an underrated trio. USC commit Isaiah Rubin and San Diego State commit Foster Slaughter lead the secondary.
Alonzo Esparza is a dual-threat quarterback who can hurt defenses with his legs. Anthony League is healthy at running back after missing a few games and Lenny Ibarra is also a quality running back. Oklahoma commit Davon Mitchell is a tough matchup at tight end and Hayden Eligon has been heating up at receiver.
Los Alamitos lost to Servite and Mission Viejo, who are also in the division, but the Griffins are healthy and clicking at the right time.
6. Laguna Beach (9-1), Division 7
Why the Breakers will win: Laguna Beach won its first championship since 1946 last season when it claimed the Division 9 championship. That Breakers team was young and a ton of major contributors from that team are on this year’s team.
Junior quarterback Jackson Kollock is the county’s leading passer and recently got a scholarship offer from Washington. BYU commit Ryner Swanson is the tight end and looks like Travis Kelce when you watch Laguna Beach on film.
Nick Rogers is a running back who can make plays in the running and passing game. Marcus Heins is a great defensive player who the coaching staff is very high on.
Laguna Beach is the No. 2 seed in Division 7 and has a fun matchup against El Dorado in the first round.
7. La Habra (6-4), Division 6
Why the Highlanders will win: La Habra was excellent last week against rival Sonora and captured a share of the Freeway League championship with its victory.
Kenny Saucedo threw nine touchdowns and zero interceptions during Freeway League play. He can also run the ball effectively alongside running back Brandon Giron. Bryce Whitley averages nearly 20 yards per catch and has 12 touchdowns at receiver.
Gabriel Jimenez leads the Freeway League with 105 tackles and Jesse Vargas has 89 tackles. Richie Estrada has five interceptions and has returned one for a touchdown.
La Habra potentially has fun Orange County matchups on its side of the bracket, possibly with Laguna Hills in round two and Cypress in the semifinals.
8. Capistrano Valley Christian (8-1), Division 10
Why the Eagles will win: Capistrano Valley Christian sneakily has one of the best offenses in the county.
Nate Richie averages 262 passing yards per game and has 30 touchdowns with just four interceptions this season. JP Synnott averages 103 rushing yards per game with 10 touchdowns. Max Krosky has 991 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns.
Krosky also leads the team in interceptions alongside Landon Agosto.
The Eagles’ only loss this season was a close setback to St. Margaret’s, a team in a higher division. CVC also has prominent former head coaches on its coaching staff in longtime Saddleback College coach Mark McElroy and former Capistrano Valley coach Chi Chi Biehn. Experienced coaching staffs win playoff games.
9. Tustin (10-0), Division 3
Why the Tillers will win: Tustin is the lone undefeated team in Orange County and has beaten quality teams during the process.
The Tillers have elite speed at the skill positions and that’s a major factor in their success. MacKenzie Alleyne is a threat to score whenever he touches the ball and Eimesse Essis averages over 11 yards per carry.
UCLA commit Khristian Dunbar-Hawkins is a shutdown cornerback and teams avoid throwing the ball anywhere near the vicinity of him. Freshmen Khalil Terry and Taven Epps are two of the team’s leading tacklers.
The reason Tustin isn’t higher on this list is because of the gauntlet it will face in the Division 3 bracket. In the first round, Tustin will play Warren, which features Colorado State commit Jordan Ross and top prospect quarterback Madden Iamaleava.
10. Western (9-1), Division 5
Why the Pioneers will win: Western has an incredibly tough road to the championship in Division 5, but the team is experienced and well-coached.
Anthony Luna is the second-leading passer in the county with 2,773 yards and 40 touchdowns. The team does not have a high-profile rusher, but runs for 186 yards per game with 21 touchdowns. Desmin Joshway-Fairley and Joshua Faulkner are high-level playmakers on offense with 32 touchdowns between the two of them.
Clayton Corbett has 96 tackles to lead the defense and Malachi Alatorre has 81. Malik Benjamin has 10.5 sacks and the team has forced 16 turnovers this season.
The concern with Western is the difference in difficulty between the Orange League and the teams in Division 5. It’s a major jump in opposing skill level, but the Pioneers reached the semifinals in Division 7 last season.
