GARDEN GROVE HIGH’S boys’ basketball team is off to a fast start with four wins in their first five games. Above, Ethan Juarez (14) battles Los Amigos defenders in recent non-league home game (GGUSD photo).

Football season – at the high school level, anyway – is done with for our West Orange County area teams and the winter sports are taking center stage. Principal among these are girls’ and boys’ basketball, starting with non-league games and tournaments. League play will start in the new year.

But there are other “winter sports” such as boys’ soccer, volleyball, and wrestling, as well as girls’ soccer, water polo and wrestling.

Emerging sports such as traditional competitive cheer, and stunt will be in  the new year.

West County area football rewind

It was a good year for area teams, winning titles, competing strongly in the CIF-SS playoffs and featuring many outstanding athletes.

Winning (or tying) for league titles were Rancho Alamitos and Los Amigos (Garden Grove League), Western (Orange League), Marina (Big 4 League) and Orange (Orange Coast League).

Quarterback is almost always the featured position and the area featured several. Anthony Luna of Western passed for 3,499, best in Orange County. Brady Edmunds of Huntington Beach threw for 2,231 yards, but that’s not all: he accomplished that as a freshman.

Marina, which won the Big 4 league, was led by Anthony Fabian as league MVP. Shayden Sorochma was offensive MVP and Jett Jackman was named lineman of the year.

Fast out of the hoops blocks

Who’s starting off the 2023-24 hoops scene fast and strong? Here are some of them (records through Nov. 26).

• Garden Grove boys are 4-1 including four straight.
• Pacifica boys are 3-0.
• Pacifica girls are 4-0.
• La Quinta girls are 4-2.
• Marina boys are 5-1; Huntington Beach boys are 5-2.
• Marina girls are 1-0; Huntington Beach girls are 3-1.
• Orangewood girls are 3-0.
• Orange girls are 2-0.

Our High Five rankings for area girls and boys’ teams will begin in the new year. In the meantime we’ll track results and top performances. You can help by sending us scores and stats at orangecountytribune@gmail.com .