No. 16 Calabasas at Newbury Park
The Coyotes are undefeated, and they aren’t ready to let that record include a loss anytime soon. The latest opponent to try to upset Calabasas is Newbury Park, which puts its 3-1 home record on the line. The Panthers are coming off a two-touchdown loss to Oaks Christian, which snapped a two-game winning streak. Senior running back Ryan Matlock leads the Panthers’ offense with 785 yards rushing and a stunning 15 touchdowns on the year. Calabasas will counter with a passing attack led by senior Tristan Gebbia, who has completed 70.4 percent of his passes for 2,146 yards and 25 touchdowns. The Panthers will face an uphill battle against a Calabasas defense that has allowed just 140 points in seven games.
No. 8 Servite at No. 9 Orange Lutheran
The Lancers are coming off a crushing loss to No. 1 Mater Dei last week, but there’s no time to dwell on what could have been, because Servite awaits. The Friars are riding high after a big win over JSerra Catholic and will look to make it two straight against Orange Lutheran. Quarterback Ryan Hilinski leads a Lancers offense that thrives through the air, completing 86 of 167 passes for 1,268 yards and nine touchdowns, while the ground game is paced by senior Dominik Austin (128 carries, 679 yards, six touchdowns). Senior running back Steven Muise leads the Friars in rushing, gaining 483 yards and scoring six touchdowns on 68 carries. Quarterback Tyler Lytle has completed 59.1 percent of his passes for 1,646 yards and eight touchdowns with a blemish-free zero interceptions. The Friars have plenty of experience in close games, seeing three finish by a margin of nine points or less, including a one-point loss to De La Salle. Servite will look to add this one to the win column, but not without quite a fight from Orange Lutheran.
No. 22 Santa Margarita vs. No. 14 JSerra Catholic
Serra Catholic and Santa Margarita will meet in a battle of two teams coming off losses last week. The Lions fell to Trinity League opponent Servite, while the Eagles saw a matchup with St. John Bosco end in massive defeat. No matter to the two schools, which take the field with each team looking to record win No. 5 on the year. Santa Margarita brings a duo of running backs to the field with junior Chad Magyar (79 carries, 532 yards, six touchdowns) and senior William Green (58 carries, 380 yards, four touchdowns). The Lions are led on offense by junior quarterback Matthew Robinson, who has completed 59.5 percent of his passes for 948 yards and nine touchdowns and has rushed for 224 yards and four touchdowns. The two balanced teams are nearly even in point differential, with Santa Margarita outscoring opponents 223-221, and JSerra Catholic ahead of opponents 207-186.
