Week 9 High School Football Preview: Corona del Mar vs. Irvine

When/where: Friday, 7 p.m. at Newport Harbor High

Key Sea Kings: Sr. QB Nathaniel Espinoza (83 of 128 passing for 1,444 yards, 18 TDs, and one INT; 57 carries for 360 yards and four TDs); Sr. RB J.T. Murphy (76 carries for 597 yards and 11 TDs; 16 catches for 266 yards and two TDs); Sr. WR TaeVeon Le (34 catches for 717 yards and 10 TDs)

Key Vaqueros: Jr. QB Marc Filia (142 of 235 passing for 2,074 yards, 17 TDs and six INTs; 32 carries for 40 yards and three TDs); Sr. FB-OLB Zeke Alleman (31 carries for 138 yards and eight TDs; 17 catches for 216 yards and three TDs; 88 tackles, nine sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one INT); Sr. WR-OLB Rian Fields (41 catches for 611 yards and seven TDs; 59 tackles, five sacks, five fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles)

Breakdown: Corona del Mar looks to move forward with its swan-song assault on the Pacific Coast League. Two regular-season games remain before CdM moves to the Sunset League next year. The Sea Kings (7-1, 3-0) can stretch their winning streak in league games to 29 with a win over Irvine … CdM has outscored PCL opponents 160-16 through three games. The last loss for CdM against Irvine came in 2009, a winless season for CdM in the PCL. Last season, CdM put up 70 points against Irvine, a school record for points in a single game … At 5-3 overall and 2-1 in league, the Vaqueros have their most wins since they went 6-5 during the 2014 season. Irvine is averaging 36.4 points per game to CdM’s 42. The Sea Kings’ defense is far more stingy, allowing 16.5 points per game, while the Vaqueros have been in five one-possession games despite their potent offense.

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