A break down of the 2013 Dana Hills football schedule and opponents
By Steve Breazeale
Game One
August 30
Trabuco Hills
Location: Dana Hills High
Time: 7 p.m.
Coach: Scott Orloff
League: South Coast
2012-2013 record: 5-5 (1-3 league)
2012 vs. DH: Win, 17-14
Season Outlook: The Mustangs had a bit of turnover on their depth charts but have solid returning players to build around that could bring them out of the bottom of the South Coast League. Junior wide receiver Jacob Breeland and senior running back Jordan Hettinger should sure up some of the skill positions. Returning senior defensive end Nick Leduc had a nice junior season, racking up 75 total tackles while leading the team with five sacks. If Trabuco Hills can find the pieces to fill in the gaps, they could have a solid season.
Game Two
September 6
Fountain Valley
Location: Fountain Valley High
Time: 7 p.m.
Coach: John Shipp
League: Sunset
2012-2013 record: 4-7 (1-4 league)
2012 vs. DH: Win, 23-17
Season Outlook: Fountain Valley is a historic Southern California team that has struggled to find a foothold in the Sunset League in recent years. Playing against Edison, who won the CIF-SS Southwest title in 2012, has proven to be a difficult task to master for any team in the league. The Barons will be without their quarterback Chris D’entremont but will have one of his favorite targets, senior wide out Jacob Church, returning. Church proved he could make big plays last year and will be the core of Fountain Valley’s offense yet again.
Game Three
September 12
San Clemente
Location: Dana Hills High
Time: 7 p.m.
Coach: Jaime Ortiz
League: South Coast
2012-2013 record: 5-5 (1-3 league)
2012 vs. DH: Win, 42-14
Season Outlook: Youth is the name of the game over at San Clemente, as head coach Jaime Ortiz is set to lead a young roster in his second year at the helm. The Tritons are now two years removed from appearing in the CIF-SS Pac-5 Championship game and with the loss of several key players from last year’s effort, they will be an interesting team to watch as they attempt to rebuild.
Junior quarterback Sam Darnold turned a lot of heads last year, highlighted by a 22-point fourth quarter comeback, which he ignited, to beat rival Tesoro in a 29-21 win. Darnold is a versatile athlete that can throw and run and will be the focal point of the new-look Tritons offense.
Game Four
September 20
Villa Park
Location: Dana Hills High
Time: 7 p.m.
Coach: Dusan Ancich
League: Century
2012-2013 record: 12-2 (6-0 league)
2012 vs. DH: DNP
Season Outlook: Villa Park was dominant last season and seems to have a lot of the major pieces returning that will ensure another successful season. But one glaring hole that sticks out on the Spartans’ depth charts is the loss of running back Meki Tafuna, who ran for 1,374 yards and 27 touchdowns last year. The only player returning who had more than 10 carries last season will be junior Mike Vega, who ran the ball 14 times and scored twice in 2012.
Villa Park’s quarterback situation is not an issue, as senior Dylan Osborne returns after throwing for 2,371 yards and 18 touchdowns last year.
Game Five
September 27
JSerra
Location: Saddleback College
Time: 7 p.m.
Coach: Jim Hartigan
League: Trinity
2012-2013 record: 6-4 (1-4 league)
2012 vs. DH: Win, 21-6
Season Outlook: The recurring storyline following JSerra football has been their Trinity League results and the struggle with competing against some of the top teams in the state on a week-to-week basis. The Lions managed to pull off a convincing win over Orange Lutheran last year and nearly beat St. John Bosco in overtime, but were outgunned by Mater Dei, Servite and Santa Margartia. The Lions had a young team last year and will return solid numbers for the 2013 season. Look for senior running back Casey Eugenio to have another big year. He burst onto the scene as a junior, running for 773 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Game Six
October 4
Irvine
Location: Dana Hills High
Time: 7 p.m.
Coach: Eric Terry
League: Pacific Coast
2012-2013 record: 5-5 (2-3 league)
2012 vs. DH: Loss, 22-7
Season Outlook: It’s impossible to see Irvine on Dana Hills’ schedule as the last preseason game and not think back to what happened between these two teams in 2012. The Dolphins were 0-5 heading into Week 6 against Irvine but rattled off a 22-7 win which kick started a three-game win streak that bled into their Sea View League schedule. It looks like the Dolphins will face a lot of those same Irvine players this season as their quarterback, leading rusher and a good portion of their defense returns.
Game Seven
October 11
Aliso Niguel
Location: Dana Hills High
Time: 7 p.m.
Coach: Kurt Westling
League: Sea View
2012-2013 record: 5-5 (0-4 league)
2012 vs. DH: Loss, 20-18
Season Outlook: For the past two seasons Aliso Niguel built their offense around the prolific arm of standout quarterback Nathan Cole. Just how pass-oriented was the Wolverines no-huddle offense last year? Cole threw for 3,185 yards and 37 touchdowns while Ryan Walker, the team’s leading rusher, ran for 268 yards. The Wolverines allowed a lot of points to be scored against them last year, especially in league play, but seemed content with outgunning them with an offensive attack. With Cole gone it will be worth keeping an eye on how the Wolverines shift their style, if they end up shifting at all.
Game Eight
October 18
Capistrano Valley
Location: Capistrano Valley High
Time: 7 p.m.
Coach: Ernst Bucher
League: Sea View
2012-2013 record: 9-3 (3-1 league)
2012 vs. DH: Loss, 31-0
Season Outlook: The coaching situation at Capistrano Valley has been in flux for several years and the story is much of the same for this version of the Cougars football team. After guiding the program to their first league title since 1995, former Cougars head coach Matt Poston left to take the job at Tesoro, taking some of his coaching staff with him.
With standout quarterback Mason Dossey gone, senior Matt Gordon could be an option to take over. Gordon was an effective running back last year, where he rushed for 300 yards and scored four touchdowns but he also saw some time under center, displaying how he could possibly be a dual-threat quarterback this season.
Game Nine
November 1
Laguna Hills
Location: Dana Hills High
Time: 7 p.m.
Coach: Bruce Ingalls
League: Sea View
2012-2013 record: 6-4 (3-1 league)
2012 vs. DH: Win, 31-27
Season Outlook: Laguna Hills saw their grip on the Sea View League slip just a bit last year, as they were finally challenged by Dana Hills and Capistrano Valley for the league title. All three teams ended up with a share of first-place.
Laguna Hills was a big, physical team last year and relied on their senior-heavy roster and their defense’s ability to keep them in games. Six of their games last year were decided by 10 points or fewer, with the Hawks coming out on top in four of them.
Depth could be an issue for the Hawks as they were loaded with 20 seniors in 2012, many of whom were starters.
Game Ten
November 8
San Juan Hills
Location: San Juan Hills High
Time: 7 p.m.
Coach: Aaron Flowers
League: Sea View
2012-2013 record: 7-3 (2-3 league)
2012 vs. DH: Loss, 28-14
Season Outlook: There wasn’t a lot of turnover over at San Juan Hills this offseason but there will be plenty of changes on display when they start their season. The major change is the implementation of a no-huddle offense. After watching teams use it against them, the Stallions have adopted the approach and plan to have it fully implemented in the offense for the start of the season.
The Stallions have a lot to be optimistic about heading into 2013, as their quarterback (Jacob Gibson), leading rusher (Brad Kremer) and several veteran lineman return for their senior campaigns. Their defense also returns several impact players, including linebacker Brennan Walsh.
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