Sports

Football: Trinity League Preview

Preview: JSerra comes into the season as one of the better teams in Orange County, but the Lions still have to win in the Trinity League to get a playoff berth.

By Martin Henderson

Taking a look at the Trinity League heading into the 2013 high school football season. 

TRINITY LEAGUE

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Coaches’ Predicted Order of Finish

1. St. John Bosco (8-5* in 2012, 5-0 in league)

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2. Mater Dei (11-3, 4-1)

3. Santa Margarita (9-3, 3-2)

4. Servite (3-7, 1-4)

5. Orange Lutheran (6-4, 1-4)

6. JSerra (6-4, 1-4)

* Lost four games by forfeit.

HOW IT SHAKES OUT: Former Trabuco Hills coach Jason Negro has one of the top-ranked teams in the country in St. John Bosco, which has 16 starters back—at least eight on each side of the ball. Mater Dei has seven returning starters on offense and defense. The two teams play Nov. 1 at Bosco in a game that will likely be standing room only. Santa Margarita—ranked No. 1 in the nation last year at the time of QB Johnny Stanton's season-ending injury—may break up the Bosco-Mater Dei party. The Eagles play Bosco in the league opener after a bye week, which is a week more to prepare than Bosco, which will play L.A. Crenshaw a week earlier. JSerra will be interesting; the Lions lost to Bosco last year in overtime, 44-41, and have several returning skill players who might catch Bosco looking ahead the week before the Mater Dei showdown. Servite is a bit untested in the sense it has unproven head coach A.J. Gass replacing Troy Thomas, who turned that program around but left for Encino Crespi (his alma mater). Orange Lutheran figures to be better than last year as well, but the rest of the league has improved, too. 

JSERRA CATHOLIC LIONS 

Home site: Saddleback College

Coach: Jim Hartigan (seventh year, 28-31)

All games at 7 p.m. unless noted

Last year: 3-7 overall, 1-4 in league (tied for fourth)

8/31 vs. Las Vegas Centennial at Mission Viejo, 11 a.m.

9/13 vs. Huntington Beach

9/20 vs. Buena Park

9/27 vs. Dana Hills

10/4 at Trabuco Hills

10/11 vs. Orange Lutheran at Orange Coast College

10/18 vs. Mater Dei

10/25 vs. St. John Bosco

11/1 vs. Servite at Cerritos College

11/8 vs. Santa Margarita Catholic

Notable: If they can’t finish third or better for an automatic playoff berth, the Lions are hoping to score a couple of upsets and get an at-large berth into the Pac-5 playoffs for the first time. Make no mistake, JSerra is good, but it lacks the depth and size on the line to hang for a season with the more established football powers. Still, Hartigan does as much with the talent available as anyone in Orange County. In its 44-41 overtime loss last season to Bosco, the Lions scored more than any opponent the Braves faced, and quarterback Nick Robinson, WR Dante Pettis, RB Casey Eugenio and WR Ethan Aguayo return. The game against Las Vegas Centennial is a good matchup: public school Centennial is the second-ranked team in Nevada to nationally ranked Bishop Gorman, which is essentially an area all-star team.

SANTA MARGARITA CATHOLIC EAGLES

Home site: Saddleback College

Coach: Harry Welch (fourth year, 31-8)

All games at 7 p.m. unless noted

Last year: 9-3 overall, 3-2 in league (third)

8/30 at Bishop Amat

9/6 vs. Las Vegas Bishop Gorman

9/13 vs. Dorsey at Aliso Niguel

9/20 at Carson

9/26 at Trabuco Hills

10/11 vs. St. John Bosco*

10/18 vs. Servite at Cerritos College, 7:30 p.m.*

10/25 vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium*

11/1 vs. Orange Lutheran*

11/8 at JSerra at Saddleback College*

Notable: It has already been announced this is Harry Welch’s last season, so expect the coach—who has won three State Bowl Championships with three different teams—to be motivated and for that to carry over to his team. Sophomore K.J. Costello will be the quarterback, and if Welch (24 years, 252-54-2) is willing to entrust  sophomore, the sophomore must be the right guy for the job, but he will have to adjust to the speed of the game at this level. Lakewood transfer Jeremy McNichols takes over in the backfield for the touchdown machine, Ryan Wolpin; both Costello and McNichols benefit from a strong offensive line that includes two outstanding juniors on the right side, tackle Austin Maihen (6-5, 290) and guard Will Sorenson (6-4, 305). LB Duncan Hume leads a defense that is untested. Everything leading up to the Bosco game is irrelevant as only two things matter: Qualify for the Pac-5 playoffs and, once there, get the job done. When the Eagles won the 2011 championship, they were the third-place team from the Trinity League. 


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