California high school football Games of the Week (8-22-2024)

Six games pit two California Top 25 teams in Week 0 bonanza of big showdowns

Mitch Stephens | Aug 22, 2024

The California high school football season starts with a bang as No. 1 Mater Dei hosts No. 8 Centennial on Thursday in a nationally-ranked showdown. /

Talk about a kickoff.

The high school football season in California opens up with a humdinger of a week with six games pitting two Top 25 teams.

The opener of the season openers features the best of the best, No. 1 Mater Dei hosting No. 2 Corona Centennial at the Santa Ana Bowl on Thursday.

The week concludes with another heavyweight matchup as defending state D1-AA champion Mission Viejo hosts upstart and No. 12 Santa Margarita in a game that will feature top division I prospects galore.

In what might be the most watched game of the week, No. 3 St. John Bosco travels to South Florida to face Chaminade-Madonna, the second-ranked team in the Sunshine State.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

THURSDAY

No. 2 Corona Centennial vs. No. 1 Mater Dei

Corona Centennial 2025 Husan Longstreet is one of the top 50 California QBs to watch in 2024. The big question is whether he is healthy enough to play on Thursday night. / Photo: Heston Quan

Where: Santa Ana Bowl
When: 7 p.m.
How to Watch: NFHS
Top prospects: Centennial — QB Husan Longstreet (Texas A&M commit), WR Cory Butler (Arizona State), WR Tavian McNair (Utah), CB LaRue Zamorano (Michigah State), CB Kuron Jabari Jr. (UCLA). Mater Dei — WR Chris Henry (Ohio State), Jr.; OT Kodi Green (Oregon), Jr.; CB Chuck McDonald (Alabama), CB Daryus Dixson (Penn State), DE Nasir Wyatt (Oregon).
Notes: There's a chance Longstreet won't play (foot injury). ... Mater Dei has won the last five meetings by scores of 28-14, 43-20, 21-16, 42-12 and 48-14. .... Centennial won the previous five of 8. ... Mater Dei is ranked No. 1 in the nation and Centennial No. 8 by SBLive.

FRIDAY

No. 6 Sierra Canyon at No. 11 JSerra Catholic

Wyatt Becker of Sierra Canyon / Nick Koza

When: 7 p.m.
How to Watch: NFHS
Top prospects: SC — WR Jaden Nickens, ATH Jae'on Young (Cal), QB Wyatt Becker (Utah), OT Ashdon Wnetrzak (San Diego State), RB Dane Dunn. JSC — LB Madden Faraimo, OL Jake Flores (Washington), ATH Logan Christensen (UNLV), OL Daniel Tuliau, DE Simote Katoanga.
Notes: Sierra Canyon actually opened its season last week with a 30-7 win at Punahou behind 135 yards rushing and a touchdown from Dunn. ... Becker threw for 217 yards and another score. ... Madden Riordan had three interceptions and sophomore Myles Baker and Sean Jones each had nine tackles. ... JSerra has a score to settle with the Trailblazers, having lost three of four in the series, all since 2021. Sierra Canyon won a rather shocking 9-7 game last season after JSerra won in 2022, 31-17. ... Sierra Canyon swept JSerra in all three meetings in the series including a 35-28 classic last season. In 2022 the teams met twice, with Sierra Canyon prevailing both games, 40-14 and 42-35.

No. 7 Orange Lutheran at No. 13 Gardena Serra

Orange Lutheran 2025 TJ Lateef is one of California's Top 50 QBs to watch in 2024. / Photo: Dennis Lee

When: 7 p.m.
How to watch: NFHS
Top prospects: OL — QB TJ Lateef (Nebraska), TE AJ La (Arizona State), S Benjamin Alefalo (Arizona State), DL Jireh Moe (San Jose State), LB Talanoa Ili. Serra — S Tre Harrison (Cal), DL Robert James III, WR Jadyn Robinson, QB Jimmy Butler, ATH CJ McBean
Notes: Orange Lutheran started fast last season, winning three straight including a 47-19 home win versus Serra, which now wants to return the favor. ... Injuries to Lateef and the rigors of playing in the Trinity League caught up with the Lancers (5-6), who lost six of their final eight. ... Longtime Serra coach Scott Altenberg likes his team makeup after going 9-4 last season. .... Returning QB Butler helps immensely.

No. 14 Murrieta Valley at No. 21 Rancho Cucamonga

Murrieta Valley 2025 QB Bear Bachmeier has already committed to Stanford / Photo: Bodie DeSilva

When: 7 p.m.
How to watch: NFHS
Top prospects: MV — QB Bear Bachmeier (Stanford), OL Drew Nichols (Michigan State), TE Brandon Gilbert (Cornell), CB Derrick Johnson II. RC — WR Kamryn Jones, CB Tahj Crutchfield, DL Kal-El Togafau (UNLV), ATH Cameron Sermons, QB Emiliano Villarreal.
Notes: Bachmeier (6-2, 225) is ranked the No. 7 QB recruit in the state after completing 198 of 273 (73%) for 2,853 yards and 26 touchdowns as a sophomore and 203-310-2,613-21 last season. He’s also rushed for 644 and 631 yards (1,275 total yards) along with 25 total touchdowns in those two seasons. ... Rancho Cucamonga has had its way with MV winning seven of eight, however the Nighthawks won the last one, a 53-52 double-overtime thriller last season in perhaps the regular-season game of the year. ... In that game Rancho piled up 589 yards in defeat but couldn't quite contain Bachmeier who accounted for 283 yards and two scores.

No. 18 Long Beach Poly at No. 4 Folsom

Ryder Lyons carries during CIF State Division 1-A title game. / Photo: Joe Bergman

When: 7:30 p.m.
How to Watch: NFHS
Top prospects: LBP — WR Kamarie Smith, CB Deon Jackson, RB Ben Harris, DB Julius Johnson, LB Damien Matau. Folsom — QB Ryder Lyons, WR Jameson Powell, DL Josiah Sharma (Texas), ATH Nela Tupou (Utah), RB Carter Jackson (Nevada).
Notes: First meeting between state powers who could meet at the end of the year. ... Lyons is ranked the second top 2026 recruit overall in the state and was SBLive Co-Offensive Player of the Year as a sophomore after accounting for more than 4,600 yards and 61 touchdowns, leading the Bulldogs to a state Division 1-A championship. ... Poly is very young, fast and physical and will likely play two QBs, in junior transfers Legend Galeai (from Mater Dei) and Colin Creason (Los Alamitos).

SATURDAY

No. 3 St. John Bosco vs. Chaminade-Madonna (Fla)

Where: St. Thomas Aquinas HS
When: 5 p.m. (PDT)
How to Watch: ESPN2
Top prospects: SJB — WR Daniel Odom, Jr.; WR Madden Williams, Jr.; DE Epi Sitanilei (UCLA), DE Austin Coronado (Columbia), S Jacob Holmes; C-M — WR Koby Howard (Penn State), WR Jabari Brady, Jr.; CB Chris Ewald (Miami), DL Donta Simpson (Miami). RB Jaquari Lewis (Appalachian State).
Notes: Great showdown of California and Florida super powers. ... Visiting Braves will feature a new QB after the graduation of State Breakout Player of the Year Caleb Sanchez, who threw for 3,341 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2023, including 356 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-7 win at St. Thomas Aquinas. SJB has beaten Chaminade in its only two previous meetings, including 56-20 in 2018 after a 31-17 victory in 2017.

No. 12 Santa Margarita at No. 5 Mission Viejo

When: 7 p.m.
How to Watch: NFHS
Top prospects: SM — WR Trent Mosley, DL J.J. Hanne (Georgia), OT Elijah Vaikona (USC), OL Jacob Maiava (SMU), WR Jonah Smith (UCLA). MV — CB Dijon Lee (Alabama), WR Phillip Bell, DE Jaden Williams (San Diego State), WR Vance Spafford, QB Luke Fahey.
Notes: Mission Viejo, the defending state Division 1-AA champion, already got its season underway last week with a 41-7 win at Kamehameha (Honolulu). They were one of two California top 25 teams to begin game with win in Hawaii. Mission Viejo holds a 4-3 series lead, breaking a 3-3 tie in 2019 with a 21-10 win. They've won 3 of 4 in the series. Mosley is one of the most explosive juniors in the state, if not country, after hauling in 81 passes for 1,282 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushing for 15 more.

OTHER BIG MATCHUPS

San Diego Section
SDS coverage from Bodie De Silva

No. 4 Mission Hills at No. 2 Granite Hills, 7:15 p.m. Friday, NFHS
No. 5 Cathedral Catholic at Mater Dei Catholic, 7 p.m. Friday., NFHS
El Camino at No. 8 Helix, 7:15 p.m. Frodau, NFHS

LA City Section
LAC coverage by Tarek Fattal

Franklin at Granada Hills, 7:30 p.m. Thursday
No. 9 Garfield at No. 1 Narbonne, 7 p.m., Friday
El Camino Real at No. 10 Kennedy, 7 p.m. Friday

Southern Section
SS coverage by Tarek Fattal

No. 14 Loyola at Cathedral, 7 p.m. Friday, NFHS
No. 12 San Clemente at No. 24 Chaparral, 7 p.m. Friday
No. 16 Oaks Christian at Chaminade, 7 p.m. Friday

Central Section

Clovis North at San Joaquin Memorial, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Clovis East at West (Salt Lake City), 5 p.m. Friday
Central Valley Christian at Clovis, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Sac-Joaquin Section

Casa Roble at Placer, 7 p.m. Friday, NFHS
Escalon at Vacaville, 7:30 p.m. Friday, NFHS
Edison at Grant, 7:15 p.m. Friday

Published Aug 22, 2024

MITCH STEPHENS