La Costa Canyon and Carlsbad both cracked the MaxPreps California top 25 after dominant Week 1 wins, and both face ranked opponents Friday night in non-conference play.
No. 18 La Costa Canyon (1-0) hosts No. 32 Clovis West (1-0) at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, while No. 23 Carlsbad (1-0) travels to No. 33 Oceanside (1-0) at 7 p.m. the same night. The two Carlsbad schools are among only three San Diego-area programs in the state's top 25, alongside No. 22 Mission Hills in San Marcos.
LCC looks to build on shutout
The Mavericks opened Aug. 21 with a 35-0 rout of Central Union, their first opening-game shutout since blanking Baldwin Park 42-0 in 2012, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. LCC went 9-2 last season and reached the CIF San Diego Section Open Division semifinals.
Clovis West arrives from Fresno after routing Bishop Manogue of Reno 48-14 in its opener. The Golden Eagles rank No. 32 statewide with a 31.7 strength-of-schedule rating, per MaxPreps. The game will stream live on the NFHS Network.
Carlsbad heads to Oceanside
The Lancers beat Las Vegas Arbor View 24-17 on Aug. 21 behind an offense that features running back Kai Brown and receiver Travis Jeffery, according to a Sports Illustrated preview that flagged both as key weapons entering the season. Carlsbad won 10 games in 2025 and is ranked No. 4 in the San Diego county media poll.
Oceanside presents a stiffer test than the score suggests. The Pirates upset county No. 2 Granite Hills 44-29 on Aug. 21, fueled by running back Neke Letuli (153 yards, three touchdowns), quarterback Anthony Barquinero (11-of-22, 208 yards, one touchdown) and receiver Darien Mahoney (six catches, 122 yards, one touchdown), The Coast News reported. Defensive end Jameson Garrison added three sacks.
A trick play sealed that win: receiver Izaiah Austin faked a reverse and threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Kapena Sado with 1:19 left in the fourth quarter.
"I was so open that it was a little scary," Sado told the Union-Tribune after the Granite Hills game. "But you tell yourself, 'I gotta catch this ball. I'm wide open. The team is depending on me.'"
Senior lineman Lincoln Mageo, a University of Michigan commit, told The Coast News that the locker room wasn't surprised by the blowout. Head coach Fale Poumele's squad ranks No. 33 statewide with a 40.2 strength-of-schedule rating heading into the Carlsbad matchup.
What's next
Both games are non-conference, but wins against ranked opponents would boost each team's strength-of-schedule number in the MaxPreps computer, which factors into CIF playoff seeding later this fall. Kickoff for LCC-Clovis West is 6:30 p.m. Friday at La Costa Canyon; Carlsbad-Oceanside kicks at 7 p.m. Friday at Oceanside.
