Aliso Niguel, Cypress to Get an Early Start

Orange County high school football teams open practice Monday with the exception of Aliso Niguel and Cypress, which started Aug. 14 in preparation for early-season games.

Aliso Niguel opens its season Aug. 31 against Sebastian River of Sebastian, Fla. The game will be played at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

The Wolverines, coming off a 5-6 season that included a loss in the first round of the Division VI playoffs, are led by quarterback Joel Smith. Smith completed 47.6% of his passes for 921 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, though he did have 12 passes intercepted.

Aliso Niguel Coach Joe Wood is no stranger to early-season games, having taken his Wolverines out of Southern California for one in 1996--the same season the team went on to win the Southern Section Division VIII title.

“A trip like this is just a real nice experience for the kids and helps to bond your team a little bit,” Wood said. “Away from home you get to do more things together.”

Wood’s players will also attend the college football game between Florida and Ball State on Sept. 2 in Gainesville.

Cypress plays its first game Sept. 2 against Handsworth of North Vancouver, British Columbia. The game will be played at 1 p.m. at Handsworth.

The Centurions, who were 4-6 last season, will rely on quarterback Justin Rice, who passed for 1,626 yards and 16 touchdowns a year ago.

Other county teams open the season with games Sept. 7-9.