Edison faces possible roadblock in Los Alamitos
No. 3 Huntington Beach Edison (7-0, 2-0) vs. No. 17 Los Alamitos (6-1, 1-1) at Huntington Beach High, 7 p.m. -- Off to its best start in 24 years under Coach Dave White, Edison faces a potential stumbling block; Los Alamitos has beaten the Chargers in Sunset League play the last two seasons. Griffins tailback Nick Richardson is averaging 181 yards and has 13 rushing touchdowns. “He’s very, very fast and no one’s stopped him,” White said. The same could be said for Chargers quarterback Matt Viles, who has completed 62.7% of his passes for 1,976 yards with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. Dylan Lagarde will be making his second varsity start at quarterback for Los Alamitos since transferring from Long Beach Poly. The sophomore completed 10 of 21 passes for 198 yards last week during the Griffins’ 52-0 win over Huntington Beach Marina. The pick: Edison.
Long Beach Millikan (6-2, 3-1) at No. 4 Lakewood (7-1, 4-0), 7 p.m. -- These Moore League rivals have something unusual in common: a victory against longtime nemesis Long Beach Poly. Millikan pulled out a 35-34 triumph last week -- the Rams’ first against the Jackrabbits since 1985 -- when defensive back Derek Mireles knocked away a two-point conversion pass during the second overtime. Alden Darby has been a one-man force for Millikan, leading the Rams in passing and rushing yardage. He’s also one of the Rams’ top receivers. Lakewood continues to rely on USC-bound quarterback Jesse Scroggins, who has helped the Lancers outscore their first four league opponents by a combined 168-22. The pick: Lakewood.
Encino Crespi (4-3, 0-0) at No. 12 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (6-1, 0-0), 7:30 p.m. -- Even though Crespi has three losses before its Serra League opener, Coach Jeremiah Ross says he feels better about this year’s team than he did about the one that started 6-1 a year ago and missed the playoffs. “We had to handle some adversity and some losses and some things that forced our team to really look inside itself and make sure we’re playing for each other,” Ross said. Oregon-bound two-way lineman Hroniss Grasu suffered a torn knee ligament in practice last week, but Crespi still has quarterback Bryan Bennett, who has been as prolific as Notre Dame’s Ryan Kasdorf, passing for 1,468 yards and 20 touchdowns with only four interceptions. The pick: Notre Dame.
Woodland Hills Taft (4-3, 2-0) at Woodland Hills El Camino Real (7-0, 2-0), 7 p.m. -- El Camino Real hasn’t beaten Taft since 1991, but the Conquistadors are off to what is believed to be the best start in school history. El Camino Real Coach Kevin Williams’ team uses a double-wing offense in which quarterback Ryan Meier is as likely to run the ball as and running backs Rashon Harper and Kawan Rally. “As we’ve gotten better at it,” Williams said of an offense that also relies on misdirection, “we became a problem for a lot of teams.” Taft tailback D.J. Morgan is averaging 145 yards rushing a game. The pick: Taft.
-- Ben Bolch
