October marks the beginning of Trinity League insanity month. It’s five weeks of competition so physical and exhausting that moms and dads will need to wake up their sons on Saturday morning to count the bumps, bruises, scratches and cuts.
It’s like being a teenage WWE wrestler except it’s real. Players in the trenches should be wearing GoPros to document the fierce battles taking place.
And don’t forget the pressure being felt by the coaches at Mater Dei, St. John Bosco, JSerra, Servite, Santa Margarita and Orange Lutheran. If friends or family run into them, have some sympathy.
“It’s five weeks full of stress and anxiety,” St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro said. “I don’t think there’s anything like it. I know a lot of times people can get geared up for a rivalry game or they get geared up for the one big game on their schedule. In our league, you have to get geared up each and every week.”
Yes, Mater Dei and St. John Bosco have dominated the top of this league for the last 10 years, but every coach believes the league has never been stronger this season from top to bottom.
“Everybody has elevated their level of play,” Negro said. “Everybody has made a greater commitment on their own campus to try to get better. And everybody has closed the gap.”
The expectation is that all six teams will make the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. They have a combined record of 26-3 in nonleague games.
But with league play starting Friday, teams will be tested in many ways. Depth is always the key to surviving the gauntlet. The “next man up” philosophy will come into play.
Let’s examine where things stand going into the first week of games that has St. John Bosco (5-0) hosting Orange Lutheran (4-1), Mater Dei (4-0) playing Santa Margarita (3-2) at Trabuco Hills and JSerra (5-0) hosting Servite (5-0).
Mater Dei: First-year coach Raul Lara is doing what the administration wanted — winning and holding players accountable. Fans would like the offense to do a little better. The defense, led by its unreal talent at linebacker, has exceeded expectations. The offense has struggled at times but has plenty of upside as quarterback Dash Beierly becomes more comfortable. The Monarchs remain the team to beat with their strong line play and defense that doesn’t bend and doesn’t break.
St. John Bosco: The Braves have their youngest team in Negro’s 22 years of coaching, which is a warning of how much better they could get by the time they face Mater Dei on Oct. 25. A group of talented sophomores and freshmen keep delivering. How they will respond to the weekly grind ahead is the most intriguing question. “It’s not like we padded the schedule to get to 5-0,” Negro said. “I’m happy because we’ve overachieved and exceeded expectations.” Freshman quarterback Koa Malau’ulu will get immediate experience because of an injury to starter Matai Fuiava.
JSerra: A 35-7 rout of Sierra Canyon in the first game of the season offered early evidence of how good the Lions might be. Junior quarterback Ryan Hopkins continues to get better as a runner and passer. The line play has been solid and the defense, featuring linebacker Madden Faraimo, can produce stops. The favorite to finish third in the league.
Orange Lutheran: One of the toughest nonleague schedules in the state has prepared the Lancers for anything. It will be up to quarterback TJ Lateef to limit his mistakes behind a veteran offensive line. The defense will need more consistency in stopping the run. This is a team loaded with big-time college prospects.
Santa Margarita: The reigning Trinity League player of the year, Trent Mosley, must get healthy. Without him, the Eagles lost to Leuzinger. With him, the offense can be unpredictable and explosive, as it was in a rout of Corona Centennial. The line play must be raised in the coming weeks.
Servite: With two freshmen starting on the offensive line, the Friars won all five of their nonleague games, an impressive achievement. Running back Quaid Carr is an effective weapon. Quarterback Leo Hannan has been sidelined because of a lower-leg injury, so getting him back will be important.
Whatever happens, just know the teams are only going to get better because of the competition.
“I certainly wouldn’t want to play any of us come playoff time,” Negro said.
