The first ever Mission Viejo Classic takes place this weekend, Friday, September
2nd and Saturday, September 3rd at Mission Viejo HS. Six games, 12 teams,
three states will be represented, with the defending Washington 3A Champions,
Bellevue HS, the defending Utah 5A Champions South Jordan Bingham, and two
defending CIF Champions in City Section champs Los Angeles Crenshaw and Southern
Section Northern Division Champs Westlake Villlage Oaks Christian. Then
throw in the host Mission Viejo, a top 20 team nationally (one of three Scout
Top 50 teams in the Classic), and you have a loaded event. Two games will be
televised on FSN Prime Ticket, Friday night's contest between Bakersfield
Centennial and Mission Viejo (at 7:30 p.m.) and Saturday's matchup between
Bellevue and Oaks Christian (at 8:30 p.m.).
Scout.com takes a look at the weekend's slate of games.
FRIDAY
Bakersfield Garces vs. Cypress at 4:30 p.m.
Cypress made it to the CIF-SS Finals a year ago before falling and they'll
welcome Central Section Garces to the first game of the Mission Viejo Classic.
Senior quarterback Phillip Anspach leads Garces against Orange County school
Cypress.
Bakersfield Centennial at Mission Viejo at 7:30 p.m. on FSN Prime Ticket
Centennial will start life without Cody Kessler, who is now the backup at
USC as a true freshman. Senior lineman Chad Elmore and senior defensive
end Brodie Scott lead Centennial. Mission Viejo is one of the top teams in the
country and the host of the Mission Viejo Classic. The Diablos are led by
one of the best offensive lines in the region, headed by three-stars Colby Cyburt and Austin Maass (San Diego State commit), and they'll open holes for
quarterback Alex Bridgford and USC commit Jahleel Pinner and newcomer Buzzy Yokoyama.
SATURDAY
Bakersfield vs. Provo Timpview at 11:15 a.m. at Mission Viejo
Two traditional powers, who are down because of graduation, meet in the
third game, and first on Saturday, of the Mission Viejo Classic.
Bakersfield is led by senior athlete Kevin Elijah while hris Hannible, sr, QB/DB; Silas Nacita, sr, RB/DB/P; Garrett Black, sr, OL; Kevin Elijah, sr, WR/DB; Kenny Trueba, jr, LB.
Bakersfield Garces vs. Cypress at 2:20 p.m. at Mission Viejo
Crenshaw lost a ton of talent from its 2010 squad including do-everything athlete DeAnthony Thomas, but they always have young players ready to step in,
such as Jerry McConico and Jason King. They’ll need to grow up fast against a powerful Alta squad who travels to California from Utah brining BYU commits Rhett Sandlin and Steven Richards as well as Utah commit Austin Lee.
Orange Lutheran vs. Bingham at 5:25 p.m. at Mission Viejo
The Lancers are traditionally one of the strongest teams in the Southern
Section, and they won a state title in 2006. Bingham seems to win state
titles year after year, and head coach David Peck may have his best squad.
Orange Lutheran features a pair of ACC commits in four-star tight end Christo Kourtzidis (Florida State) and Duke pledge Deion Williams at linebacker as well
as Washington commit Darien Washington. Bingham is led by Jared Afalava, a
highly touted linebacker, 2013 defensive tackle Lowell Louteili and Keegan Hicks, a 2013 offensive linemen.
Westlake Village Oaks Christian vs. Bellevue at Mission Viejo at 8:30 p.m. on
FSN Prime Ticket
Bellevue, the three-time defending 3A state champs in Washington (and eight
of the last 10) travel to Southern California to take on CIF-SS Northern
Division champs Oaks Christian, who knocked off three-time Washington State
champs Skyline two years ago. The Wolverines featured their vaunted
Wing-T, which is never easy to stop for opposing defenses, especially early in
the season, and they'll use the offensive line featuring Jake Eldrenkamp and
Michael Kneip to lead the way for quarterback Tyler Hasty, who also plays
cornerback. The Lions welcome in new quarterback Luke Falk, who moved from
Utah to Southern California, and the junior already has an offer Florida State.
Oaks boasts four-star receiver Jordan Payton and four-star cornerback Ishmael Adams as well as three-star linebacker Mendoza, with Mendoza and Adams splitting
carries in the backfield.