Football: Mission Viejo will do just fine in Division 1

Mission Viejo Coach Bob Johnson continues to maintain that his team doesn’t belong in Southern Section Division 1 with the many private schools in the division.

But that doesn’t mean the Diablos, with a 28-game win streak, aren’t ready to do a little damage based on their scrimmage on Friday against Servite.

This is a team with a very strong defense and set to unveil a new defensive standout in sophomore cornerback Akili Arnold.

You should have been on the sideline after Arnold made a perfect tackle on a short pass.

“He’s a banger,” one teammate shouted.

“He’s a sophomore,” said another.

“You’re going to know about him.”

Offensively, the best Mission Viejo player is junior receiver Austin Osborne. He and new quarterback Matthew McDonald are going to take turns congratulating each other. The Diablos didn’t use standout running back Colin Schooler on offense. He made a brief appearance on defense in a controlled scrimmage that had each team running 12 consecutive plays.

Rob Johnson, a quarterback in the NFL for 10 years, is taking over calling the plays for Mission Viejo.

Servite has a very good quarterback in Tyler Lytle, but everything is going to depend on the offensive line giving him time to throw.

Mission Viejo opens next Friday night at home against Santa Margarita. Servite plays Fountain Valley at Huntington Beach.

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