Thu / Sep 26 / 2013

California Week 5 High School Football Previews

CA HS Football: Week 5 Previews

It’s another week in high school football and there are bound to be some great games going on. CLA takes a look at some of the exciting action taking place this weekend. Castro Valley vs Freedom, St. Bonaventure vs Alemany, Oaks Christian vs Crenshaw, Canyon vs Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), Edison vs Mater Dei and more.

Castro Valley vs. Freedom (Freedom HS)

The Castro Valley Trojans will head to Oakley, CA to take on the Freedom Falcons in a battle of 1-3 teams.

Castro Valley began the season with a 57-56 shootout victory over Monte Vista, but they have dropped their last 3 to Acalanes, California and Liberty. The Trojans are giving up 36.5 points per game and need their defense to step up even more to stop Freedom.

For Freedom, it hasn’t been an easy road either.

They dropped their first three games before breaking that skid with a 27-21 victory over San Leandro last week. Star running back Joe Mixon has averaged 143.5 rushing yards per game and has six rushing touchdowns. The Falcons will need to feed their star player anyway possible and get out to an early rhythm on offense.

St. Bonaventure vs. Alemany (Alemany HS)

The Seraphs of St. Bonaventure travel to Mission Hills, CA to take on the Alemany Warriors in what is sure to be a ‘Game of the Week’ contender.

Despite quarterback, and Alabama commit, Ricky Town being out the past few games, the Seraphs are holding a 3-1 record; their sole loss coming to Corona Centennial in a hard fought 69-55 battle. Town is not expected to return in time for the game against the Warriors, but if they can keep utilizing their weapons (Bryce Dixon), they can put up a big challenge to Alemany.

The Warriors are on a huge roll, though.

Quarterback Alif Grayes has led a potent offense and their bevy of talented players -- Quentin Tartabull, Desean Holmes, Dominic Davis, Colin Samuel, Brandon Boyd,etc. -- have helped push them to a 4-0 record including huge wins over Corona Centennial and Narbonne. With a win over St. Bonaventure, the Warriors can cement their position as one of the top teams in the state and in the nation.

Oaks Christian vs. Crenshaw (Crenshaw HS)

The Cougars of Crenshaw are sitting on a 1-2 record with tough losses to Long Beach Poly and Edison, but they are looking to rebound against a talented Oaks Christian team. Ajene Harris is leading the Cougars and the next two games will be huge for them as they take on St. John Bosco after this matchup with Oaks. They need to make sure they do not look past the Lions, though, or the consequences can be major.

Quarterback, and Arizona commit, Brandon Dawkins has been solid for Oaks Christian so far this season, taking them to a 3-1 record with their only loss coming to Chaminade last week.

In 4 games, Dawkins has thrown 14 touchdowns to five interceptions and has been making tons of connections to Chris Davis, who has 39 receptions for 644 yards and seven of those touchdowns. Oaks needs to put their focus forward and not dwell on last week’s loss if they want to continue with their stellar play.

Canyon vs. Notre Dame (Notre Dame HS)

Currently 3-0, the Canyon Cowboys are one a roll behind quarterback Cade Apsay who has passed for 639 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Canyon began their season with a 23-16 win over Westlake before turning up the power and beating Clovis West and Quartz Hill by scores of 48-0 and 55-14 respectively. They are going up against their toughest opponent yet, however, with the Knights.

Notre Dame is 3-1 with their sole loss coming against Gardena Serra in a 20-13 thriller. The Knights’ defense has given up just over 13 points per game, though, behind strong performances by Cal commit Koa Farmer and Mike Little.

Quarterback Grant Kraemer and running back Chris Colarossi have also been making names for themselves. Little and Farmer join Daniel Khan and Cameron Page on the receiving end, all having over 150 yards each showing the Knights’ ability to distribute the ball all over.

Edison vs. Mater Dei (Santa Ana Bowl)

Edison Chargers are currently 2-1 and have wins over Compton Centennial and Garfield, but a tough loss to Servite last week. Now, they have to go up against an undefeated Mater Dei team.

Edison is about even on offense, running the ball for 119 yards per game and throwing for about 114 yards per game. They will need their defense to stop the high powered offense that Mater Dei brings to the table in order to take home a win.

Mater Dei has rolled out wins against Upland, St. Paul, Carson and Santa Monica; all while giving up just 20 total points. Quarterback Chase Forrest has averaged 165 passing yards per game and hasn’t thrown a single interception to this point. Ben Humphreys and Matt Rockett both have over 220 yards receiving, with Rockett hauling in three touchdowns.