It’s time for the high school football season to begin. The season officially starts this weekend for a group of teams traveling to Hawaii. Other teams will hold scrimmages on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
For Sierra Canyon, the toughest schedule in school history starts on Friday with a 3 p.m. game in Honolulu against Punahou, which opened its season with a 35-0 victory. The Trailblazers also have nonleague games against JSerra, Oaks Christian, St. John Bosco and Orange Lutheran, not to mention a Mission League game against Gardena Serra.
Coach Jon Ellinghouse knows that his team’s depth will be tested when the inevitable injuries occur, but there’s lots of talent on the roster, led by Utah commit Wyatt Becker at quarterback. The Trailblazers are holding a 6 a.m. practice on Tuesday before taking buses to LAX and flying to Hawaii.
Mission Viejo, which was unbeaten in summer passing league competitions, opens on Saturday against Kamehameha Kapalama, then will fly home Sunday morning to get ready for an Aug. 24 game against Santa Margarita. The Diablos are loaded with top skill-position players, but coach Chad Johnson said he’s waiting to see how the line play develops on both sides of the ball.
“I’m more optimistic after pads came on and fall camp,” Johnson said.
Other teams in Hawaii include Palos Verdes, Beaumont, Viewpoint and Redlands.
Simi Valley, the defending Southern Section Division 6 champion, opens Friday in Reno against Spanish Springs.
Among scrimmages taking place include Thursday matchups of Santa Margarita at Chaminade and Birmingham at Bishop Amat and on Friday, Norco is hosting St. John Bosco. Players who are in the sit-out period for transferring without moving are allowed to play in scrimmages because it is considered a practice.