Orange County Prep Football : Western, Fullerton Compare Their Similarities

Two of Orange County’s most evenly matched high school football teams--Western and Fullerton--play in a nonleague game at 7:30 tonight at Fullerton District Stadium.

Both teams are 3-1 overall and enter tonight’s game coming off big wins. Last week, Fullerton beat Dana Hills, 43-27, and Western beat Los Amigos, 15-0.

“You’ll probably see two of the better teams from the Orange League (Western) and Freeway League tonight,” Western Coach Jim Howell said. “They’ve got good size, but we do too. They’re very physical and well coached. I’m sure they’ll just want to shove the ball down our throats.”

Playing on Thursdays is nothing new for Fullerton, said Coach Martin Luczaj.

“It sure makes the preseason go faster,” he said. “We’ve played all Thursday games so far this season except one, and that’s the one we lost (to Damien, 13-7).

“As far as this game goes, well, we’ve scouted them and they’re very impressive. They’ve got good speed, too. It should make for an interesting game.”

In other nonleague games tonight:

La Quinta (2-2) vs. Servite (3-1) at Hanford Rants Stadium in Cerritos--Both schools won close games last week, but Servite has played more consistently. Servite had to rally last week on two fourth-quarter touchdown passes by Jason Messersmith to edge Fountain Valley, 14-10. La Quinta held off Marina, 27-21. This should be a battle of quarterbacks with La Quinta’s Derek Debbs against Messersmith.

Foothill (3-1) at Westminster (1-2-1)--Foothill was upset by Tustin last week, 21-6, but the Knights remain a power. John Fischbeck has gained 497 yards in 99 carries (5.0 average) this season and the Lions will be hard pressed to stop him. Westminster lost to Crespi last week, 23-6, so a victory tonight would help get the Lions’ confidence back going into Sunset League play next week.

Rancho Alamitos (0-3-1) vs. Magnolia (1-2-1) at Glover Stadium in Anaheim--Magnolia has played the better football recently, tying Mayfair last week and beating Buena Park, 14-7, the week before. Rancho Alamitos, still looking for its first victory, has scored only 15 points in four games. The Vaqueros will need at least three touchdowns if they hope for an upset.

Woodbridge (4-0) vs. Estancia (0-4) on Davidson Field at Newport Beach--Junior Eric Brougher threw two touchdowns in the Warriors’ 24-15 victory over Corona del Mar last week. Estancia has struggled all season.

Dana Hills (2-2) vs. University (2-2) at Irvine High School--This matchup of .500 teams should provide plenty of scoring. Dana Hills lost at Fullerton last week, 43-27, and University beat Laguna Hills, 35-13. Craig Belle and David Liebke lead the Trojans’ ground game.

Newport Harbor (3-1) vs. El Toro (4-0) at Mission Viejo High School--The Sailors have played well since opening with a loss to Santa Ana. Newport Harbor, which beat Costa Mesa last week, 21-7, must find a way to stop El Toro quarterback Brett Johnson, Orange County’s third-ranked passer. Garden Grove (0-4) vs. Mayfair (1-2-1) at Bellflower High School--Mayfair relies on quarterback Bob Partin, who has completed 48 of 96 passes for 477 yards and 5 touchdowns. Winless Garden Grove lost to Anaheim last week, 35-0.

In Empire League play tonight:

Katella (2-2, 0-1) vs. Pacifica (2-2, 1-0) at Bolsa Grande High School--Pacifica opened league play last week with a 24-0 victory over Kennedy. The Mariners’ defense recorded nine sacks and held the Irish to 107 yards offense. Pacifica should be challenged by Katella, which has played fairly well this season in spite of last week’s 23-9 loss to Cypress.