It’s a season for all seasons

After months of no high school sports, a bunch of them are coming together in a rush. Athletics typically divided into fall, winter and spring seasons are flooding the fields, pools and even some gyms with games, meets and matches.

There’s too much to keep track of, but we’re doing our best, focusing on the stuff with the most fan interest.

So here’s this week’s schedule of varsity football games for high schools serving the communities of Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Stanton and Westminster.  As always, times, locations, dates and opponents are subject to change without notice. Game times are at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

THURSDAY

• Millikan at Orange at Fred Kelly Stadium (El Modena HS)
• Rancho Alamitos at Santiago at Monsoor Stadium (Garden Grove HS)
• Loara at Bolsa Grande

FRIDAY

• Ocean View at Laguna Beach
• Garden Grove at Marina at Boswell Field (Westminster HS)
• Los Alamitos at Huntington Beach
• Los Amigos at La Quinta at Bolsa Stadium
• Edison vs. Fountain Valley at Ocean View High

SATURDAY

• Anaheim at Western.

High Five returns; Chargers, Panthers on top

Our weekly High Five rankings for area high school football return today. Edison (2-1) lost last week – narrowly – to a powerful Los Alamitos squad but nevertheless is deserving of our top rating.

Orange (3-0) with its 59-6 win over Estancia, earns the second spot, followed by Rancho Alamitos (3-0) which defeated Loara in a key Garden Grove League match.

Rounding out the top five are Western (2-0) and Huntington Beach (2-1). On the bubble are Marina (2-1) Garden Grove (2-1) and Loara, 1-1. The best-looking matchups for this coming week include Garden Grove vs. Marina in the Big 4 opener which could determine that league title, as well as Millikan (2-1) vs. Orange in a non-league contest.

What would normally be a big game – and still may be for the teams involved – is Friday’s Sunset League battle between Edison and Fountain Valley. Not only are the Barons (0-3) having a rough year, but also because of COVID-19 restrictions, the venue is moved from Orange Coast College’s LeBard Stadium to the much-smaller field at Ocean View High School.

Standouts on the gridiron

Some impressive performances last week for area high school football teams. They include:

• Nico Brown of Edison High caught three touchdown passes and intercepted two passes in the Chargers’ 27-20 loss to Los Alamitos
• Braeden Boyles of Edison threw for 268 yards and three scores in that loss to the Griffins
• Jack Miller of Marina passed for four touchdowns and 183 yards in the Vikings win over Laguna Beach
• Brantt Riederich of Marina rushed for 167 yards and two TDs against Laguna Beach
• Isiah Muniz of Loara passed for 140 yards in the Saxons’ loss to Rancho Alamitos
• Anthony Barbosa of Western passed for 141 yards and two scores in the Pioneers’ win over Savanna
• Vany Rodriguez of Garden Grove passed for 191 yards and three TDs in the Argonauts’ win over Westminster
• Czaln Lobaugh-Gibbs of Garden Grove caught three scoring passes and gained 117 yards receiving. He also made 11 tackles and blocked a punt
• Daylen Pedroza of Orange passed for 439 yards and five TDs as the Panthers defeated Estancia. He can run, too, gaining 61 yards on the ground and scoring once.

And on the diamond …

Xochitl Esparza singled, tripled, scored two runs and excelled as catcher for La Quinta’s softball team in its 6-5 win over Magnolia. Melissa Rodriguez drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the seventh and scored the winning run on Ryann Nadeau‘s triple. Aztcs are now 2-0.

Head for the polls

A sure sign that prep sports are returning (sort of) to normal is the reappearance of polls and rankings. These came out today (Tuesday) and we list local teams that are ranked, or mentioned.

Baseball: No local teams

Girls’ soccer

• Division 1: Pacifica (seventh)
• Division 5: Garden Grove (fourth)

Boys’ soccer

• Division 1: Edison (fifth), Huntington Beach (sixth)
• Division 3: Loara (seventh)

Girls’ tennis

• Division 1: Huntington Beach (fourth)
• Division 5: Ocean View (fifth).

Prep Sport Spotlight is posted on Tuesdays during the high school athletic year. Coaches, fans, parents and players are encouraged to send scores, stats, story ideas, etc. to us at orangecountytribune@gmail.com .