No longer out of their league

-- Compiled by Mike Sciacca

The final weekend of the nonleague season is upon four local high

schools, who get one last tuneup before league play begins next week.

Edison is out to cap an unbeaten nonleague record heading into the

tough wars of the Sunset League while Huntington Beach, Marina and Ocean

View are looking to get back on the winning track.

TONIGHT

Valencia (0-4) vs. Ocean View (1-3)

(at Westminster High, 7 p.m.)

Both Ocean View and Valencia will be looking for some momentum heading

into their respective league races. The Tigers need a victory, period.

Valencia suffered loss No. 4 of the season last week, falling 17-13 to

Kennedy. Despite their winless record, this traditionally strong program

has some talented players. Junior running back Trevor Smith has rushed

for nearly 300 yards, quarterback Robert Hernandez has thrown for 523

yards and receiver Keith Allen has 160 yards in receptions. Sophomore

Brian Blackley rushed for two touchdowns last week. Ocean View has

dropped three of four nonleague games, the most recent being last week’s

53-12 loss to Costa Mesa. Aaron Gonya scored on a short run and

quarterback Alex Hickerson hit Andre Valenzuela with a 15-yard touchdown

pass in the loss.

FRIDAY

Servite (4-0) vs. Edison (3-0)

(at Huntington Beach High, 7 p.m.)

For the second straight week, Edison will be meeting a perennial

parochial school power.

Servite won by forfeit over Long Beach Wilson last week. The Friars

are now 4-0 behind junior quarterback Ryan Coffelt. They also have scored

wins over Damien, Orange Lutheran and Tustin.

Edison is coming off a stirring 20-13 victory over Mater Dei, the

Chargers’ first win over the Monarchs since 1988. Junior quarterback

Tommy Grady threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns and senior receiver

Denny Flanagan had 102 yards and a touchdown in the win. Last year, the

teams met twice. Edison won both games by scores of 35-33 and 24-19, the

latter in the first round of the Division I playoffs.

Marina (2-2) vs. El Toro (0-3)

(at Trabuco Hills High, 7 p.m.)

One week after dropping a wild 42-35 game to highflying Orange

Lutheran, Marina looks to enter league play on a winning note against an

El Toro squad that is in search of its first win. The Chargers fell to

0-3 after dropping a 17-13 decision to Woodbridge last Saturday. In that

game, El Toro committed four turnovers and had a punt blocked. The

Chargers offense is averaging just seven points per game. If things go

true to form, this would be Marina’s week to win. The Vikings have

alternated a win with a loss during the first four weeks of the season. A

running game featuring Adam Hayward and Turill Engleman should exploit El

Toro’s defense, which has given up 67 points in four outings. Engleman

rushed for 162 yards and Hayward had 126 yards (a 12.6 average) in the

loss to Orange Lutheran.

Last year’s score: Marina 19, El Toro 10

Huntington Beach (1-3) vs. Dana Hills (2-2)

(at Dana Hills High, 7 p.m.)

Huntington Beach takes on its third consecutive foe from the South

Coast League in Dana Hills. The Oilers hope they get a different result

in this one following a one point setback to Capistrano Valley and last

week’s 40-14 loss to the county’s top rated team, Mission Viejo. Phil

Amico rushed for a touchdown and hooked up with Skylar Lopez on a 28-yard

scoring pass. Leading rusher Pat Harrigan (398 yards) sat out the game

with an injury. The past two weeks have been tough on Dana Hills, which

is on a two game losing streak following losses to Edison and most

recently, to Newport Harbor. The Dolphins have surrendered 92 points in

their last two games. Junior quarterback Trevor Walls has thrown for 402

yards this season.

Last year’s score: Huntington Beach 21, Dana Hills 3