news-engine

The high school football season kicks off across the Southern California region on Friday night, and there are some excellent opening-week matchups. But who are we kidding? Every matchup this week is a great one, at least for the fans who have been hungry for some football action. Luckily, there is still time to get ready for the games. And the Southern California News Group has high school football analyst Michael Huntley ready to share his knowledge of the players, teams and matchups. Once the games start, we’ll be tracking scores from the top games throughout the region. If you’re ready for some football, grab a seat and enjoy the action with SCNG’s Friday night football guide. FRIDAY’S PHOTOS Photos: High school football returns under the lights on Friday night SCORE UPDATES Bishop Gorman 35, St. John Bosco 28 (4) Mater Dei 31, American Fork 11 (F) San Clemente 17, Tustin 0 (F) Mission Viejo 55, Chaparral 17 (4) Sierra Canyon 42, JSerra 21 (F) Santa Margarita 27, Jones (Florida) 0 (F) Orange Lutheran 22, Central (Florida) 16 (F) Palos Verdes 17, Serra 14 (F) Bishop Amat 55, St. Paul 0 (F) Bonita 20, Muir 6 (F) Yorba Linda 34, Laguna Beach 21 (F) Inglewood 20, Los Alamitos 7 (4) South Pasadena 35, Peninsula 8 (F) Arleta 40, Canoga Park 15 (F) HUNTLEY’S PLAYERS TO WATCH Charles Davis III, TE, Westlake Davis, who is 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, will be a tough matchup for Newbury Park in tonight’s game. The Cal commit had a strong year in 2025 with a team-high 11 receiving touchdowns and 526 yards. He had a breakout offseason on the camp circuit and earned an invitation to the Under Armour All-American Game. Will Brockermeyer, OL, Notre Dame Notre Dame should be able to establish the run against Crespi in tonight’s game and Brockermeyer will be a big reason why. Brockermeyer was a top performer at the Under Armour Next Camp and competed at the LSU camp this summer. Justin Clinton, RB, Bishop Amat Bishop Amat ran for 272 yards with five touchdowns last season in a 42-14 rout of St. Paul. Those two teams open the 2026 season on the field tonight. Clinton is expected to take on a bigger role this season as the Lancers’ primary running back. POSTGAME: Speaking with Bishop Amat running back Justin Clinton about his team’s 55-0 win over St. Paul. He had an 11-yard touchdown run in the win. @SGVNSports pic.twitter.com/bX35diIlkh — Gabriel Duarte (@GabrielNDuarte_) August 22, 2026 Javier Hernandez, LB, El Rancho Hernandez was the defensive MVP of the Del Rio League last season. He led El Rancho with 102 tackles, 3.5 sacks and eight tackles for a loss. Hernandez had a game-high nine tackles last season when El Rancho beat tonight’s opponent, South Hills, in a 13-7 defensive battle. Preston Leomiti, LB, Carson Carson opens the season tonight against Lincoln of San Diego, which features standout quarterback Xavier Cruz. Carson will need Leomiti to put pressure on Cruz and help stop Lincoln’s running game for the Colts to win this matchup. Leomiti had 99 tackles last season for a Carson team that won the City Section Open Division championship. Gibson Turner, QB, Torrance Torrance opens the season tonight with a tough matchup against Mira Costa. The Tartars will need a big passing game from Turner in order to pull off the upset. Turner passed for 2,289 yards and 27 touchdowns last season. JuJu Johnson, DB, Long Beach Poly Johnson missed all of last season with a leg injury. He looks healthy now and had a good showing at the Battle at the Beach passing tournament in July. Johnson ran the 100 meters in 10.34 seconds and is committed to UCLA. Long Beach Poly’s secondary has the challenge of trying to stop Downey’s excellent receiver Damani Porras. Jemel Grigsby, RB, Long Beach Wilson Grigsby could have a big game tonight against Mayfair to open his junior season. Wilson ran for over 196 yards per game last season with 21 touchdowns. The Monsoons allowed 323 rushing yards and five touchdowns in their CIF-SS playoff loss to Hart last season. Marjok Gustafson, QB, Riverside Poly Gustafson threw for 1,945 yards with 27 touchdowns a year ago as he led the Bears to the Sunbelt League championship. Along the way the Bears defeated tonight’s opponent, Hillcrest, 33-27. Gustafson threw for three touchdowns and ran for a TD in that win over the Trojans. Dannicco Louie, LB, Aquinas Aquinas opens the season tonight against a good Damien team that features Boise State commit Malachi McFarland at running back. Louie had six tackles when Aquinas lost to Damien 20-15 last season. He knows he will need to have a big game to slow down McFarland. Matthew Arroyo, WR/DB, El Toro Arroyo is one of the better two-way players in Orange County. He had 607 receiving yards with six touchdowns last season. On defense, he had 59 tackles with a forced fumble and a team-high four interceptions. Arroyo had one of those interceptions against tonight’s opponent, Tesoro. The Titans will be playing a sophomore at quarterback and Arroyo might have an opportunity for another interception. Wyatt Bogdan, LB, Laguna Beach Laguna Beach opens the season tonight against Yorba Linda, which ran for 166 yards per game with 28 touchdowns last season. The Mustangs feature Isaiah Trujillo, who ran for 13 of those touchdowns. Bogdan, a Portland State commit, will have to rack up plenty of tackles for the Breakers to keep Yorba Linda from controlling the game on the ground. HUNTLEY’S SIX PICKS St. John Bosco vs. Bishop Gorman: St. John Bosco quarterback Koa Malau’ulu is back for this third year as the starting quarterback with a loaded receiving corps led by junior star DJ Tubbs. The Braves’ linebackers and secondary will make it hard for Bishop Gorman to score consistently. The pick: St. John Bosco Oaks Christian vs. Chaminade: Chaminade ran for 227 yards with four touchdowns last season in its 42-27 win over Oaks Christian. Marquis Jones ran for 121 yards with two touchdowns in that game and should lead Chaminade to another win in this game. The pick: Chaminade Yorba Linda vs. Laguna Beach: This is a fun matchup with Laguna Beach having the edge at the skill positions and Yorba Linda having an advantage in the trenches. Laguna Beach’s front seven on defense led by Wyatt Bogdan, Garrett Byerly and Will Kimball will give Yorba Linda’s offense a tough test to open the season. The pick: Laguna Beach Rio Hondo Prep vs. Schurr: Rio Hondo Prep ran for 252 yards with two touchdowns in a 20-9 win over Schurr last season. All-CIF running back Christian Lee is back along with an offensive line led by Benito Nolaso, which should be enough to lead the Kares to a win. The pick: Rio Hondo Prep San Pedro vs. King/Drew: San Pedro returns quarterback Seth Solorio, who threw for 243 yards per game last season with 30 touchdowns. The Pirates added Mary Star transfer Johnny Rivera at running back and the offense is balanced enough to challenge a good King/Drew defense. The pick: San Pedro Roosevelt vs. Norco: Norco will have one of the best passing attacks in the Inland Empire with quarterback Julian Medina, who threw 35 touchdowns last season, and BYU commit Blake Wong, who had 1,470 yards receiving with 20 touchdowns. Roosevelt has rising talent on defense but stopping Wong is a tall order. The pick: Norco