Notable this week: Santa Margarita won the championship of the top division in the Desert Holiday Classic. …  Mater Dei went 4-0 in its division of the Desert Holiday Classic. … Los Alamitos won the championship of the Diamond Division of The Classic at Damien tournament. … Huntington Beach makes its season debut in the Top 25 … Transfers who had to observe the sit-out period became eligible to play on Dec. 26.

BOYS BASKETBALL TOP 25

1. Santa Margarita 19-2: The Eagles won the championship of the top division in the Desert Holiday Classic. They also beat Roosevelt and Fairfax. They are home against St. John Bosco (11-4) in a Trinity League opener Friday.

Previous ranking: 1

2. Crean Lutheran 14-5: The Saints lost to Redondo Union in the semifinals of the Platinum Division in The Classic at Damien. They beat Cypress 72-60 in a Crestview League opener.

Previous ranking: 2

3. JSerra 13-8: The Lions lost to Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks in the championship game of the National Division of the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic.

Previous ranking: 3

4. Corona del Mar 16-1: The Sea Kings finished second in its division of the Desert Holiday Classic. They beat Fountain Valley 64-46 in a Sunset League game, the first loss of the season for the Barons.

Previous ranking: 4

5. Los Alamitos 8-6: The Griffins won the championship of the Diamond Division in The Classic at Damien. They beat Auburn of Washington 60-53 in the division final.

Previous ranking: 7

6. Canyon 11-6: The Comanches went 2-2 in the Diamond Division of The Classic at Damien, then beat Arizona’s No. 3-ranked team Brophy Prep.

Previous ranking: 5

7. Mater Dei 12-7: With their roster improved by recently eligible transfers, the Monarchs won their division of the Desert Holiday Classic.

Previous ranking: 10

8. Cypress 14-7: The Centurions won the championship of the Governors Division in the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic, and lost to Crean Lutheran in a Crestview League game.

Previous ranking: 6

9. Fairmont Prep 10-7: The Huskies went 2-2 in the Diamond Division of The Classic at Damien.

Previous ranking: 8

10. Orange Lutheran 14-5: The Lancers won the consolation championship in the Silver Division of The Classic at Damien.

Previous ranking: 11

11. Pacifica Christian 13-4

Previous ranking: 9

12. Tesoro 17-3

Previous ranking: 12

13. Servite 15-5

Previous ranking: 17

14. La Habra 15-4

Previous ranking: 14

15. El Dorado 16-3

Previous ranking: 13

16. Edison 14-3

Previous ranking: 15

17. Esperanza 18-1

Previous ranking: 16

18. Sonora 15-5

Previous ranking: 20

19. Fountain Valley 16-1

Previous ranking: 21

20. Newport Harbor 13-4

Previous ranking: 19

21. San Clemente 10-9

Previous ranking: 18

22. Huntington Beach 10-7

Previous ranking: Not ranked

23. Villa Park 12-9

Previous ranking: 24

24. Aliso Niguel 11-8

Previous ranking: 25

25. Woodbridge 12-6

Previous ranking: 23

Michael Echaves of Troy and Mark Nolan of Trabuco Hills will coach the North and South teams, respectively, in the annual Orange County all-star football game Jan. 31 at Newport Harbor High.

The Orange County North vs. South All-Star Football Classic is scheduled for 7 p.m., organizer Frank Albers confirmed.

Echaves and Nolan will coach the all-star teams for the first time.

This past season, Echaves guided Troy (10-2) to a second consecutive outright Iota League title. The Warriors lost in the CIF-SS Division 5 quarterfinals to eventual champion Rio Hondo Prep, which finished as the Division 2A runner-up in state.

Trabuco Hills went 4-6, including 1-4 in the Delta League, this past season. The Mustangs reached the CIF-SS Division 5 playoffs under Nolan in 2024.

The South has a 10-game winning streak in the all-star game.

The event is organized by non-profit Costa Mesa United and sponsored by the Chargers.

The second annual O.C. all-star girls flag football game will be played before the football game. The game is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Newport Harbor High.

Esperanza’s Jimmy Valverde and Newport Harbor’s Jason Guyser will coach the North and South, respectively, in the girls flag football game.

And, if she’s shelling out her own money for new stuff, the Trabucco Hills High junior has a set budget for how much she’s willing to spend, which, frankly, she said, is often for clothes not as cool as the vintage pieces she finds for a significantly reduced cost while thrifting with her friends.

“Anything over $25 is crazy for a T-shirt; most sweatpants should cost about $40,” the 16-year-old from Lake Forest said, adding that she’ll sometimes splurge up to $100 for jeans or sweats that are a better quality. And if, by chance, somebody gave her a designer pair of jeans for over $200, she’d be thankful, of course, she said, but she might question the person’s choices. “It’s crazy to spend that on something that could be bought cheaper.”

She shares that mindset with her twin sister, Shelby Kwon, and their friends and classmates, Sofia Kim, 17, and Chloe Park, 17, who together have undertaken a special project to create a thrift store at their high school.

In October, with help from teacher Kara Johnson, they opened Monty & Millie’s Exchange, a thrift shop set up in a classroom and open to students at lunch on Wednesdays. Besides clothes, there are also shoes, household items and toys.

Each student who shops can get up to two things for free. Since opening, the shop and its concept have been hugely popular with students, teachers and other school staff. When open, a wait line often extends outside the building the shop is in. Donations come from the school community and the broader Mission Viejo and Lake Forest communities. Word about it is spread via social media, the school’s PTSA and its Associated Student Body.

Johnson, a special education teacher, said she introduced the thrift store idea to the four girls during the summer.

The Kwon twins, Kim and Park each participate in Johnson’s unified track program, which pairs special education and general education students for sports. The four girls, who play on the high school’s soccer team in the winter, joined the track program and trained alongside students with special needs for the California Interscholastic Federation or CIF.  Johnson is also on the board for Special Olympics Southern California and the CIF Advisory Committee for Unified Sports for the Southern Section and CIF State.

The thrift exchange was created with two goals in mind: to give THHS students a convenient way to shop, thrift, and exchange clothes on campus and to provide students with disabilities some hands-on experience learning the ins and outs of retail operations.

Johnson said she was inspired by a program at a San Diego school where a thrift shop was opened to help adult students with disabilities learn useful skills. While she saw the benefit to her special education students, she also wanted to take advantage of the teen thrifting craze.

Teens see the activity as a cool way to spend time together — instead of malls, thrift stores are the hangout now — while also being financially savvy and finding creative ways to style themselves with vintage clothes. Social media and influencer inspirations are also fueling the trend.

“It played a huge factor,” Johnson said. “It was a combination of providing work skills for our students, providing a trendy shopping experience for all students, and keeping it free rather than charging students, to make it accessible for all.”

When she ran the idea by the Kwon sisters, Kim and Park, each was enthusiastic and loved the idea.

“Thrifting is just really popular because of how expensive things are, and it’s a way to get clothes and still have good style,” said Park. “A lot of it is having good style by getting something vintage.”

Park explained that what makes vintage clothes so attractive is that the items are often one-of-a-kind, not available anywhere else.

To get things going, the four teens gave up their free time over the summer to collect donated clothes. Johnson had put the word out to other teachers and school staff, and by August, they had more than 50 gigantic bags filled with inventory.

“We thought it was a really good idea and it was also a way to give back to our community and school,” Olivia Kwon said, adding that she and the others then washed, folded and hung the clothes.

As they sorted through the clothes, they discovered some highly coveted items, like anything from Free People and Brandy Melville, said Kim.

“They’re really good quality,” Park chimed in.

Other finds were prom and high school dance dresses that typically get worn once and then discarded. Some students can’t afford those, Kim said, adding that investing in one dance isn’t a good financial idea either.

As luck would have it, a nearby home goods store, At Home, was shutting down and donated tables, hangers, shelves, and a variety of retail supplies to the project. Those, Johnson said, help make Monty’s & Millie’s Exchange — named after the school’s two mustang mascots — more authentic.

The store officially opened in October and is staffed by Johnson’s special education students, who are building real-life skills through folding, organizing and decorating the store and keeping eager shoppers at bay. Students get 10 minutes each to shop.

Controlling those shoppers falls partly to Brady Sugg, one of Johnson’s standouts, who keeps the students in line while they wait for their turn to come in.

“I try to keep them from rushing the line,” the 17-year-old said, ” and I tell them to be quiet.”

Besides his other duties of sorting by size and gender, stocking clothes and doing laundry, managing the students coming in helped prepare him for an internship at Walgreens this fall.

There, he’s frequently asked to help people find something they’re looking for.

While Sugg said working with “older people is scarier,” he said the experience he’s gained at Monty & Millie’s Exchange has made him more confident. He also said he likes the “good vibes” from the happy shoppers and said the shop has a “nice smell.”

And, while he’s waiting to score some of the school’s popular spirit gear, Sugg said he’s watched a lot of students walk away with great finds.

Among those on a recent day was Ava Wong, who happily showed off a plaid skirt and knitted sweater.

“I figure I can make a cute outfit with these,” she said as she was checking out. “I usually find a lot of gems I wouldn’t find anywhere else.”

And, Keitha Stowers was checking out the racks with long dresses. Though she didn’t find any she liked that day — she prefers long sleeves, and most were strappy — she did score two sweaters.

A fan of thrifting, she really liked that it was also something she could do at school.

“Thrifting is so popular, especially among women my age,” she said. “It’s a cheap teenage activity, and you get something nice.”

Johnson said she’s not surprised by the shop’s success and credits it to the students’ hard work.

“I still think a ton of kids don’t know about it, but we wanted to start small and manageable,” she said. “Once everyone knows about it, we will get another classroom for backstock. I want to sustain it.”

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Summer Wilson, Irvine, Senior 

Irvine senior Summer Wilson had a record-setting season.

Wilson set a CIF State Championships record with her winning time of 16 minutes, 20 seconds over the 5,000-meters course at Woodward Park, which has hosted the CIF State meet since its inception in 1987.

She won the CIF Southern Section Division 2 race in the CIF Southern Section Championships in November with a time of 15:14.50 on the “rain course” at Mt. San Antonio College. That is the best time for any high school girl in national cross country history for a 3-mile course.

Wilson also set the course record at Irvine Regional Park with her winning time of 15:47.3 on the 3-mile course for the Orange County Championships in October.

Wilson was proud of all of her achievements, especially the state meet record.

“Being a state champion was a huge goal for me,” Wilson said. “But also breaking the state record and the course record was special.”

She competed in the Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon earlier this month. Her 23rd-place finish in 17:49.70 on a 5,000-meter course was not the greatest finish of her senior year, but qualifying for that national event was a major accomplishment.

Wilson will continue her high school running endeavors in the spring with the track and field season. She was a CIF Southern Section champion last season in the 3,200 meters. Wilson finished seventh in that event at last season’s CIF State Championships.

Next fall she will attend Duke University, which has been a lifelong goal.

“As a kid I envisioned myself attending Duke,” said Wilson, who has a 4.42 grade-point on a weighted scale. “I’ve always wanted to go to a strong academic school.”

Wilson went into this season ready to pursue her huge goals, including pursuing the CIF State finals record of 16:25 set by Sadie Englehardt of Ventura in 2024, a record Wilson broke by an impressive margin.

“It comes down to talent but mostly how hard you’re willing to work,” Wilson said. “I feel like I came in super dedicated. This year meant a lot to me.”

COACH OF THE YEAR

Chase Frazier, JSerra

Chase Frazier led JSerra to CIF State and CIF Southern Section championships this season. The Lions also won the Woodbridge Invitational team championship, the first Orange County girls team to accomplish that.

JSerra became only the second Orange County school to win a CIF Southern Section girls country championship for the fifth season in a row. (Corona del Mar is the other county school to do so.)

Frazier, 40, completed his fifth season as JSerra’s girls cross country coach. He also coaches the school’s boys cross country team, which also won a CIF-SS title this season.

ALL-COUNTY FIRST TEAM

Emma Alba, Beckman, So.

Millie Bayles, Trabuco Hills, Sr.

Taryn Coulston, Santa Margarita, Jr.

Anna Desormeau, Trabuco Hills, Sr.

Carol Dye, Santa Margarita, Jr.

Maya Pawlowicz, JSerra, Fr.

Monserrat Santillan-Silva, Century, Sr.

Lilly Schroeder, El Toro, So.

Brooklyn Tennant, JSerra, Fr.

Summer Wilson, Irvine, Sr.

ALL-COUNTY SECOND TEAM

Ava Crocker, El Toro, So.

Amber Dazey, Tesoro, Sr.

Mackenzie Forrest, Tesoro, Sr.

Reese Holley, JSerra, Jr.

Sedona Sweginnis, San Clemente, Jr.

Alahna Thomas, Santa Margarita, Sr.

Skylar Watts, Trabuco Hills, Sr.

Gweneth Williams, El Toro, Jr.

Kate Woodside, Esperanza, Sr.

Isabella Wrobleski, Yorba Linda, Jr.

Corona del Mar proved that Tuesday. Five players for the Sea Kings scored in double figures in their 74-71 win over Cypress in the Orange County North/South Challenge at Tesoro High.

Junior guard Maxwell Scott scored 17 points. Senior guards Aiden Cole and Oliver Nakra scored 14 points each, senior guard Luke Mirhashemi scored 13 points and sophomore guard Nolan Scott added 11.

The Sea Kings, No. 4 in this week’s Orange County Top 25, are undefeated at 12-0. No. 6 Cypress is 10-5.

Cypress took a 54-53 lead into the fourth quarter. A 3-point basket by Nakra was an important one, giving Corona del Mar a 64-60 lead. Nakra made another 3 a couple of minutes later, and a basket by Maxwell Scott later pushed the Sea Kings’ lead to 71-64.

The Centurions twice trimmed their deficit to three points in the fourth quarter but did not get closer.

Mirhashemi liked the Sea Kings’ effort Tuesday.

“We played super hard,” Mirhashemi said. “Our coaches do a great job of getting us prepared for every game.”

Junior guard Brennen De La Cruz led Cypress with 18 points. Senior guards Ryan Gov and Ethan Mai scored 13 points each for the Centurions.

The Orange County North/South Challenge is being played for the 26th time. The event is dedicated to the late Tim O’Brien, who coached at Northwood, Estancia and elsewhere in Orange County boys basketball.

Also in the Orange County North/South Challenge on Tuesday:

No. 2 Crean Lutheran 72, No. 7 Los Alamitos 69: Hunter Caplan made four free throws in the final 17 seconds to keep the Saints ahead in the final game of the eight-game event.

Crean Lutheran is 10-3. Los Alamitos is 4-6.

Caplan, a junior guard, scored a game-high 24 points including five 3-point baskets. Crean Lutheran 6-11 senior Chadrack Mpoyi scored 16 points.

Los Alamitos was led by sophomore guard Isaiah Williamson’s 19 points. Senior forward Tyler Lopez scored 17 points and sophomore guard Riley Bowers 15 added 15 points for the Griffins.

The Griffins led at various times during the fast-paced game, including a 67-66 lead with 1:35 left in the fourth quarter. Los Alamitos’ frenetic style bothered Crean Lutheran, but Crean Lutheran’s size advantages were in a large way responsible for the Saints’ victory.

No. 12 Tesoro 61, Irvine 46: Max Draper scored 18 points with 17 rebounds for the Titans (13-2).

Carson Hatch added 15 points for Tesoro.

No. 18 San Clemente 59, No. 23 Woodbridge 49: Bryan Blake scored 24 points and Desi Gutierrez scored 23 for the Tritons (7-7) in their win over the Warriors (10-4).

No. 21 Fountain Valley 67, Trabuco Hills 65 (OT): Kenneth Nguyen made two 3-point baskets in overtime for the Barons (12-0) in their victory over the Mustangs (9-7).

Nguyen finished with a team-high 21 points including four 3-pointers. Nguyen made his other two 3s in the fourth quarter. Isaac Chinchilla scored 17 points and James Pennington contributed 13 points for Fountain Valley.

Ryan Hull scored 24 points for Trabuco Hills. Devon Williams added 19 points for the Mustangs.

San Juan Hills 68, Tustin 51: Rocco Jensen’s 27 points led the Stallions (9-5) over the Tillers (8-8).

Stallions coach Jason Efstatiou said Tuesday’s game was a rare one for San Juan Hills because the team finally had a full-health roster.

San Juan Hills got off to a solid start and had a 27-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.

In other North/South Challenge games Huntington Beach defeated Dana Hills 69-39 and Northwood defeated El Toro 74-57.

The Orange County Football Conference has released the county’s leagues for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

The football-only leagues are based on the HSratings.com power ratings from the past two seasons.

Besides the power ratings moving teams to new leagues, there are other changes made by the conference.

The top-rated Alpha League has expanded into a six-team group from four. The Tango League will have the nine teams at the bottom of the Orange County power ratings.

The Trinity League remains the same with JSerra, Mater Dei, Orange Lutheran, St. John Bosco, Santa Margarita and Servite.

The Tango League will receive four automatic playoff berths while the 10 six-team leagues will have three apiece.

Here’s a look at the county’s football leagues for the next two seasons:

Alpha: Edison, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, San Juan Hills, Yorba Linda

Bravo: Capistrano Valley, Corona del Mar, Crean Lutheran, La Habra, Tustin, Villa Park

Delta: Dana Hills, El Modena, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Troy, Western

Epsilon: Aliso Niguel, Brea Olinda, Foothill, Newport Harbor, Tesoro, Trabuco Hills

Foxtrot: Beckman, El Dorado, El Toro, Irvine, Orange, Segerstrom

Iota: Cypress, Kennedy, Laguna Hills, Marina, Northwood, Pacifica

Kappa: Canyon, Esperanza, Fullerton, Portola, St. Margaret’s, Sunny Hills

Lambda: Calvary Chapel, Fountain Valley, Sonora, Valencia, Westminster, Woodbridge

Omicron: Buena Park, Estancia, Garden Grove, Los Amigos, Santa Ana, University

Sigma: Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Katella, Ocean View, Rancho Alamitos, Saddleback

Tango: Bolsa Grande, Century, Godinez, La Quinta, Loara, Magnolia, Santa Ana Valley, Santiago, Savanna

Please send football news to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or @ocvarsityguy on X and Instagram

The team of the season was the Santa Margarita football team. The Eagles won the top division championships in the CIF Southern Section and the state. They won those two championships while dominating their opponents.

Just as impressive was the manner in which Santa Margarita won those games: with class and discipline.

Touchdown celebrations were free of antics and not the over-the-top, in-your-face gyrations that have become too common among some of Southern California’s championship teams of the last several years.

What was unacceptable years ago has become acceptable to some.

It was refreshing to see Santa Margarita prove that winning with dignity is still attainable. Eagles first-year coach Carson Palmer coaches the way he played.

NOTES

• Santa Margarita senior receiver Trent Mosley is Orange County’s best football player. Mission Viejo senior quarterback Luke Fahey had the best season, so Fahey is the Orange County offensive player of the year. Mosley missed 36 percent of his team’s games, but of course when Mosley did play he usually was the best player on the field. …

• Beckman and Woodbridge advanced to CIF State championship football games. Both teams lost, but just getting to a CIF State championship game is a huge achievement. If you’re a high school football team playing a game after Thanksgiving, you’ve had a great season. …

• The CIF-SS places football teams into playoff divisions according to the current season’s performance, as measured by computerized ratings. It is fine and yet, like every system before it or to come, it is imperfect. It would be great if league champions were guaranteed first-round home games. But if a 16-team division has nine league champions because that’s how the ratings set up a division – Division 7 had eight league champions this season – that’s going to be difficult to accomplish. …

• Mater Dei’s football team lost three games, an astonishing total to some. A closer look: one loss was to Corona Centennial by seven points in a nonleague game; the Monarchs lost to Santa Margarita by one point; and the final loss was to Centennial by one point in the Division 1 playoffs. …

• JSerra hired former NFL star linebacker Hardy Nickerson as its football coach this week, a few days after Nickerson coached Oakland’s Bishop O’Dowd to a state championship. Nickerson’s JSerra roster does not have the talent that Palmer inherited at Santa Margarita, so don’t expect the same sort of immediate success. The competition for high school football talent in south county is wild, with Santa Margarita certainly in a position to attract more great players, Mission Viejo and San Clemente will continue to be great destinations and the area’s other public and private schools are viable alternatives, too. …

• Orange County has set its football leagues for the 2026 and ‘27 seasons. The Alpha League, again the county’s top-ranked league — not counting the Trinity League — will be a six-team league, with holdovers Edison, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo and San Clemente being joined by San Juan Hills and Yorba Linda. The next league, the Bravo League, will include Capistrano Valley, Corona del Mar, Crean Lutheran, La Habra, Tustin and Villa Park. …

• The lowest-ranked league is the Tango League. It will have nine teams: Bolsa Grande, Century, Godinez, La Quinta, Loara, Magnolia, Santa Ana Valley, Santiago and Savanna. The Zeta League is no more. …

• The CIF-SS office has figured out a way to discover whether or not a student-athlete who transfers actually has made the change of residence required for immediate athletic eligibility. The office folks won’t say what that method is, because they want to make sure the method remains effective. CIF-SS commissioner Mike West said it best when he told league representatives: “Don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ to a transfer.”

• Mater Dei’s girls volleyball team lost to Sierra Canyon in four sets in the CIF-SS Division 1 final. Sierra Canyon clearly was the superior team that day. Ten days later, Mater Dei clearly was the superior team as it defeated  Sierra Canyon in four sets in the CIF Southern California Regional final. Mater Dei went on to beat Rocklin in four sets in the CIF State Open Division championship match. …

• Newport Harbor boys water polo has enjoyed some splendid seasons in its history. This season is up there with the best of them. The mega-talented Sailors, including Orange County player of the year Kai Kaneko, beat Cathedral Catholic 14-12 in the CIF Southern California Regional Division I final to cap a 33-1 season that included winning the CIF-SS Open Division championship. …

• JSerra’s flag football teams went 28-0, including a 25-20 win over Orange Lutheran in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game. Orange Lutheran finished 24-3, with all three losses to JSerra: 21-20, 18-7 and 25-20. …

• Flag football is growing so rapidly it might be the next sport to have CIF State playoffs. …

• Irvine senior Summer Wilson won the CIF State Division II cross country championship with a course record of 16 minutes, 20 seconds at Woodward Park in Fresno. …

• JSerra’s girls cross country team won a CIF-SS championship for the fifth year in a row. The only other Orange County girls cross country program to do that was Corona del Mar, 2004-08. …

• Century senior Monserrat Santillan-Silva finished 56th in the Division 4 race at the CIF Southern Section Finals last year. She won the Division 4 title this year. …

• CIF-SS and CIF State divisions need to change for cross country. JSerra’s girls again were in Division IV, but in terms of competitive quality that is a top-division program. Divisions in cross country are set by enrollment, and now it’s time for the sport to seek a way to place teams in the correct divisions. …

• The girls golf teams at JSerra, Portola and Santa Margarita won CIF-SS championships. Santa Margarita also won the CIF State title. …

• Corona del Mar’s girls tennis team went undefeated through winning CIF-SS and CIF SoCal Regional championships before losing to Los Altos 4-3 in the state finals to finish 24-1.

The All-Orange County football team will appear in the Friday, Dec. 19, edition of the Orange County Register. 

The All-Orange County football selections for the 2025 season.

The selections were made by reporters Dan Albano, Steve Fryer and Michael Huntley.

ALL-COUNTY FOOTBALL  

Offensive Player of the Year: Luke Fahey, Mission Viejo, Sr.

Defensive Player of the Year: Dash Fifita, Santa Margarita, Sr.

Coach of the Year: Marcello Giuliano, Beckman

Second Team || Third Team

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE

QB: Luke Fahey, Mission Viejo, Sr.: Orange County offensive player of the year.

QB: Caden Jones, Crean Lutheran, Jr.: Jones, who was selected the Epsilon League MVP, completed 75 percent of his passes for 3,044 yards, 30 touchdowns and only one interception.

RB: Lenny Ibarra, Los Alamitos, Sr.: Ibarra earned co-offensive player of the year in the Alpha League. The Army commit rushed for 1,108 yards and 18 touchdowns, had 47 receptions for 666 yards and collected a team-high 136 total tackles.

RB: Ethan Mundt, Troy, Sr.: Mundt earned Iota League MVP. He rushed for 1,464 yards and 23 touchdowns on 196 attempts (7.5 per carry) to lead the Warriors.

WR: Troy Foster, Huntington Beach, Sr.: The Colorado State signee had 85 receptions for 1,510 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was the co-offensive player of the year in the Epsilon League.

WR: Chris Henry Jr., Mater Dei, Sr.: The Ohio State commit was selected co-offensive MVP in the Trinity League. He had 135 yards receiving and two touchdowns against St. Thomas Aquinas of Florida, 115 yards and a TD against Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas and 213 yards and two scores against St. John Bosco.

WR: Jack Junker, Mission Viejo, Jr.: He was the Alpha League co-offensive player of the year. He led the Diablos with 58 catches for 1,147 yards and 14 touchdowns.

WR: Trent Mosley, Santa Margarita, Sr.: The USC signee overcame an injury early in the season to deliver masterful performances in the CIF-SS Division 1 and CIF State Open Division finals. The co-offensive MVP in the Trinity League had 10 catches for 293 yards against Centennial and 11 receptions for 183 yards vs. De La Salle.

OL: Kodi Greene, Mater Dei, Sr.: Greene, a left tackle, signed with Washington. He earned a share of the Trinity League’s most valuable lineman award for the second consecutive season.

OL: Cooper Javorsky, San Juan Hills, Sr.: Javorsky, a right tackle who signed with UCLA, was selected first-team All-Bravo League.

OL: Lex Mailangi, Mater Dei, Jr.: The first-team All-Trinity League lineman played guard, tackle and center en route to a second straight first-team All-County selection.

OL: Niniva Nicholson, Santa Margarita, Sr.: The Arizona State signee was an anchor at left tackle for the CIF-SS Division 1 and CIF State champion Eagles.

OL: Sam Utu, Orange Lutheran, Sr.: Utu signed with SMU. He played guard and center en route to first-team All-Trinity League honors.

All-purpose: Jaxson Rex, San Clemente, Jr.: Rex was named first-team All-Alpha League at wide receiver. He had 63 catches for 856 yards and 10 TDs. He also had five interceptions as a safety.

All-purpose: Jeremiah Williams, Tustin, Jr.: Williams earned Delta League MVP. He rushed for seven touchdowns at running back and had a team-leading 24 tackles for loss as a defensive tackle with seven passes defensed.

K: Kyle Donahue, San Juan Hills, Sr.: Donahue made 12 of 13 field goals, including a game-winner against Downey in the first round of the playoffs, and 44 of 45 PATs. He had 45 kickoffs for touchbacks.

— DAN ALBANO

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE

DL: Marcus Fakatou, Orange Lutheran, So.: Fakatou was a Trinity League Most Valuable Lineman after recording a team-highs of 17 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

DL: JD Hill, Mission Viejo, Sr.: Hill was an Alpha League lineman of the year. The Washington signee had a team-leading 25.5 tackles for loss with a team-high 13 sacks.

DL: Isaia Vandermade, Santa Margarita, Jr.: Vandermade was All-Trinity League first team. He was at his best in the Eagles’ three playoff games with eight sacks and two forced fumbles.

LB: Dash Fifita, Santa Margarita, Sr.: Orange County defensive player of the year.

LB: Leki Holani, Santa Margarita, Sr.: Holani was All-Trinity League first team and had a team-leading 108 total tackles.

LB: Jackson Renger, Los Alamitos, Sr.: Renger was All-Alpha League first team. He had 88 total tackles including 26 tackles for loss with 14 sacks, four forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.

LB: Shaun Scott, Mater Dei, Sr.: Scott was All-Trinity League first team and had a team-high 13.5 sacks. He signed with USC.

DB: Jayden Crowder, Santa Margarita, Sr.: Crowder was an All-Trinity League first team selection. The USC signee had two interceptions and averaged 27 yards a kickoff return.

DB: Jeron Jones, Mission Viejo, Sr.: He was an Alpha League defensive player of the year. The Washington signee had four interceptions.

DB: CJ Lavender, Mater Dei, Sr.: Lavender was a Trinity League MVP and had a team-leading seven interceptions. He signed with UCLA.

DB: Khalil Terry, Tustin, Jr.: The Notre Dame commit was the Delta League defensive player of the year. He had 62 total tackles and four interceptions and was the Tillers’ second-leading rusher with 261 yards and four touchdowns.

P: Star Thomas, Orange, So.: Thomas was a Foxtrot League MVP. He averaged 50 yards a punt. He was also the Panthers’ starting quarterback. He threw for 3,332 yards and 27 touchdowns and rushed for 814 yards and six touchdowns.

— STEVE FRYER

ALL-ORANGE COUNTY FOOTBALL 2025

Offensive Player of the Year: Luke Fahey, Mission Viejo, Senior

A wide receivers group that lost its top returner to injury. An offensive line with one returning starter and no seniors.

From an outside perspective, those appeared to be trials this fall for Mission Viejo quarterback Luke Fahey.

But internally, he saw his cast of football teammates much differently.

“I was super blessed,” Fahey said of his supporting cast. “Those guys played their hearts out for me and I have so much respect for them.”

It was that type of positive, team-oriented approach by Fahey that fueled the Diablos this season.

“To me, his leadership is what sets him apart,” Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson said of Fahey. “He was the best leader I have had in 25 years of doing this.”

“It was his leadership,” Johnson added, “that allowed us to do what we did offensively without our record-setting wide receiver, a brand new offensive line without one senior on it and new tight ends.”

Fahey, who signed with Ohio State in early December, completed 71 percent of his passes for 3,199 yards and 25 touchdowns in leading the Diablos (9-2) to the Alpha League title and the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs.

He also rushed for 340 yards and six touchdowns for a squad that spent much of the season ranked No. 1 in Orange County and beat three section champions, including two that became California state champions.

Fahey tossed a spectacular 33-yard touchdown while on the run to Jack Junker in a season-opening victory, 7-3, against Santa Margarita, the eventual CIF-SS Division 1 and CIF State Open Division champion.

Two weeks later, Fahey passed for 323 yards and five TDs in a 53-14 triumph against QB Ryder Lyons (BYU) and Folsom, the eventual state Division I-AA champion.

Fahey capped his run to Alpha League MVP by throwing for a school-record 569 yards and five touchdowns in a 76-49 win against Los Alamitos, the Division 2 champion in the Southern Section.

Mission Viejo played much of the season without injured receiver Vance Spafford, who signed with Miami.

Fahey praised targets such as Junker, Luke Karby, KJ Woodbury Jr. and Carson Vandermade for “stepping up.” He said the same about his linemen.

“It was a really remarkable and fun year,” Fahey said. “Of course, it didn’t go the way we wanted in our last game, losing to Mater Dei (in the playoffs), but other than that, the season was one to remember.”

Notable this week: Los Alamitos enters the Top 10 after a 57-50 win over state-ranked Rolling Hills Prep. … Orange Lutheran lost to Cypress 75-66 in the North Orange County Championships. … Corona del Mar (11-0) remains undefeated. … Two teams enter this week’s rankings: Fountain Valley (10-0) at No. 22 and Newport Harbor (8-3) at No. 19. … The Sailors won the Western Showcase tournament last week.

BOYS BASKETBALL TOP 25

1. Santa Margarita 11-1: The Eagles beat Village Christian and Millikan. Their next game is in the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas.

Previous ranking: 1

2. Crean Lutheran 9-2: The Saints beat state-ranked teams Archbishop Riordan and Crespi.

Previous ranking: 3

3. JSerra 6-5: The Lions went 1-2 last week. They are in the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas this week.

Previous ranking: 2

4. Fairmont Prep 6-4: The Huskies went 0-3 against some standout competition in the Bosco Classic.

Previous ranking: 4

5. Corona del Mar 11-0: The Sea Kings were 4-0 last week, including an 83-59 win over Villa Park.

Previous ranking: 5

6. Pacifica Christian 9-2: The Tritons went 3-0 in a tournament in Washington state.

Previous ranking: 6

7. Mater Dei 6-4: The Monarchs lost to Corona Centennial in the San Juan Invitational championship game. They are in the Tarkanian Classic this week.

Previous ranking: 8

8. Los Alamitos 3-5: The Griffins beat Rolling Hills Prep, the No. 25 team in last week’s CalHiSports.com state rankings.

Previous ranking: 13

9. Canyon 6-3: Canyon was 3-1 in the North Orange County Championships, finishing with a 65-52 win over Rancho Verde.

Previous ranking: 9

10. Orange Lutheran 8-4: The Lancers beat La Serna and Sonora, lost to Cypress in the North Orange County Championships.

Previous ranking: 7

11. Tesoro 11-2

Previous ranking: 10

12. El Dorado 10-1

Previous ranking: 11

13. La Habra 10-3

Previous ranking: 12

14. Edison 9-2

Previous ranking: 14

15. San Clemente 6-5

Previous ranking: 15

16. Esperanza 12-1

Previous ranking: 16

17. Cypress 8-4

Previous ranking: 18

18. Servite 10-3

Previous ranking: 17

19. Newport Harbor 8-3

Previous ranking: Not ranked

20. Foothill 5-5

Previous ranking: 23

21. Sonora 8-4

Previous ranking: 19

22. Fountain Valley 10-0

Previous ranking: Not ranked

23. Woodbridge 9-3

Previous ranking: 20

24. Villa Park 9-5

Previous ranking: 21

25. Aliso Niguel 8-4

Previous ranking: 22