OC Game of the Week

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El Dorado (5-1, 1-0) vs. Anaheim Canyon (6-0, 1-0), at El Modena HS, 7 p.m.

It’s not 1 vs. 2 in the Southland, or in Orange County, but it is the two teams atop the Southern Section Southwest Division rankings. El Dorado, whose defensive tackle, Anthony Laurenzi, has 11 sacks, comes in with a powerful defense that has surrendered only 44 points. Canyon has scored 256 points behind QB Jordan Thomas, who has thrown for 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Esperanza, ranked No. 18 by The Times, is the best opponent either has played; the Aztecs beat El Dorado, 16-3, in the season opener. This game may well be decided by the team that performs best on the ‘other’ side of the ball: How well Canyon’s defense does against El Dorado’s offense. ED’s offense has been hot of late, having scored between 31 and 37 points in its last four games, while Canyon is coming off a shutout of Villa Park and a 28-14 victory over Laguna Hills. The higher-scoring game it is, the more it favors El Dorado, the reigning section champion. For a look at Laurenzi from last season, when he had 16 sacks, check out the YouTube video below.

- Martin Henderson