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Column: Summer football gives clues as to what you can expect this fall

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Column: Summer football gives clues as to what you can expect this fall

When best friends unite, the power they unleash can be magical in terms of chemistry, unselfishness and determination. That’s what Mission Viejo’s football team has going for it when the season begins in six weeks.

You could see it and feel it Saturday during the Edison seven-on-seven passing tournament. The two quarterbacks who alternate playing every other series, Luke Fahey and Draiden Trudeau, are like brothers. Trudeau showed up and greeted Fahey’s father by offering a hug and saying, “What’s up, pops?”

They’ve embraced rooting for each other as they share playing time in the name of winning. And when it comes to skill-position players, the Diablos are ending the summer second to none. Their receiver group, which includes highly recruited senior Phillip Bell, 4.35-second 40-yard runner Vance Spafford (junior), terrific 6-foot-4 sophomore Max Markofski and dependable senior Cash Semonza — is as good as it gets. Star cornerback Dijon Lee also helps out at receiver.

“It’s beautiful,” Fahey said. “It’s the best in the country.”

Mission Viejo won the Edison tournament championship Saturday over St. John Bosco, with Spafford making a walk-off touchdown catch.

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Of course, in 11-man football, it takes blockers to help propel a team to success in Southern Section Division 1 against the likes of Mater Dei and St. John Bosco. That will be the focus when the pads come on in August to see if the defending Division 2 champion Diablos can compete in the big-boy playoff division this fall.

Mr. Mosley

Make sure you show respect for junior Trent Mosley of Santa Margarita by calling him “Mr. Mosley.” He’s that good. He won MVP honors in the Trinity League as a sophomore. He will concentrate on being a receiver but also take snaps at running back as the Eagles look to get him the ball any way they can.

Trent Mosley of Santa Margarita.

(Craig Weston)

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He’s 5-11 with speed, agility and instincts.

Tight ends rising

Tight ends are valuable in the NFL, not as much in college and certainly have been disappearing in high school offenses. But there are some high schools still embracing tight ends as important.

Murrieta Valley could have three tight ends in a game this fall as part of an attack that can take advantage of quarterback Bear Bachmeier’s running and passing skills. Brandon Gilbert, Jacob Alvarez and Jonny Fuentes are the tight ends to watch.

Zach Giuliano (81) scores a touchdown for Corona del Mar in 2022.

Zach Giuliano (81) scores a touchdown for Corona del Mar in 2022.

(James Carbone)

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Corona del Mar has been producing one top tight end after another. Senior Zach Giuliano, 6-6, 230 pounds, is a Stanford commit. The Sea Kings also have two other tight ends in Sebastien Boydell and Breck Clemmer.

Underrated

CJ McBean of Gardena Serra.

CJ McBean of Gardena Serra.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

If my eyes are telling me the truth, there’s no more underrated football player going into the 2024 season than CJ McBean of Gardena Serra.

He’s a terrific safety, a dependable receiver and makes field goals from 40 yards and longer thanks to his days as a youth soccer player. He’s also learning how to punt, which could lead to him taking off on fake punts like the days of Adoree’ Jackson.

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“Knowing I’m not going to get off the field, I have to be ready,” he said of his summer conditioning program.

When colleges are looking for someone who’s versatile and can contribute anywhere and everywhere, McBean is the answer. He’s 6-2, 190 pounds and can run a 4.6 in the 40.

Coach Scott Altenberg will plug him in wherever he’s needed.

Kicker working hard

Kicker Dylan Freebury of Palos Verdes.

Kicker Dylan Freebury of Palos Verdes.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

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Before entering high school, Dylan Freebury was an elite soccer player. Then he tried out for kicker at Palos Verdes and found his love. This summer going into his senior season, he has reached a skill level so impressive that he was named to the Polynesian Bowl.

He had only four field-goal attempts last season, making three. But he has expanded his range to 60 yards, thanks to a private trainer working twice a week on his leg strength and another private trainer working three days a week on kicking technique.

“Hopefully I get more chances this season,” he said.

Considering Palos Verdes has a nice ocean breeze, expect him to try some long field-goal attempts at home games this fall in the right situation.

Brick wall up front

Defensive end Hayden Lowe of Oaks Christian.

Defensive end Hayden Lowe of Oaks Christian.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

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Oaks Christian has a group of defensive linemen that wants to be a brick wall when teams try to run the ball.

There’s USC commit Hayden Lowe at defensive end, plus 310-pound Joseph Peko, 275-pound Zayne Reed and 250-pound Tolo Tuihalamaka. Coach Charlie Collins said it will be tough to run on the Lions.

Etc.

Edison coach Jeff Grady lives so close to campus that he uses a golf cart or bike to get to work. His two assistants, Dave White and Troy Thomas, were head coaches at Edison and Servite, respectively, in 2009 when Servite beat the Chargers 16-6 in the Division 1 final on a rainy night at Angel Stadium. White insists with better field conditions the Chargers would have won. Thomas just smiles. He did have quarterback Cody Fajardo, who’s still playing in Canada.

Tom Telesco, the former Chargers general manager who’s now general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders, was at the Edison passing tournament. His son, Nick, will be a senior at Corona del Mar. Telesco said the talent level at the tournament was impressive.

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Taylor Swift shows up to support Travis Kelce for possible final home game

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Taylor Swift shows up to support Travis Kelce for possible final home game

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Taylor Swift showed up to Arrowhead Stadium Thursday night to watch fiancé Travis Kelce in what could be his final home game with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Swift, wearing a red leather jacket, was shown on the Amazon Prime Video broadcast hugging a friend. 

The pop star has mostly been out of the NFL spotlight after the Chiefs lost the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles in February and the two announced their engagement.

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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift kiss after the AFC championship game against the Buffalo Bills in Kansas City, Mo., Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

But it was a special night for Kelce as he mulls his NFL future.

Amazon Prime Video aired an interview between him and Chiefs legend Tony Gonzalez before the game began.

“I think I’m still searching for those answers. I think, obviously, the way this one ended with a sour taste in my mouth, I feel motivated, but I got to make the right decision for me,” he told Gonzalez. “I’ve got to hope that, you know, if I do want to come back, the Chiefs are willing to bring me back.

2025 NFL WEEK 17 BUZZ: PACKERS’ JOSH JACOBS CLEARED; RAVENS QB JACKSON DOUBTFUL

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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is introduced before a game against the Denver Broncos Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

“So it’s a two-way street on that, but, at the same time, man, I am, at this point in this year, I’m just trying to finish out and give Chiefs Kingdom everything I got and go out there and do it with some of that flair that you said I play with.”

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was asked what it meant that it could be Kelce’s last game at home.

“I don’t know if it is or not. I haven’t talked to him,” Reid said. “I think his numbers and personality and the person, I think, speak for themselves. Phenomenal person (and) great for the community. He’s everything you want from a player representing an organization.”

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The Chiefs were taking on the Denver Broncos in the Week 17 matchup. Kansas City has already been eliminated from playoff contention.

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Lakers’ Austin Reaves will not return vs. Rockets because of calf soreness

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Lakers’ Austin Reaves will not return vs. Rockets because of calf soreness

Lakers guard Austin Reaves will not play in the second half against the Houston Rockets because of left calf soreness, the team announced Thursday.

Reaves missed three games with a left calf strain before coming back to play at Phoenix on Tuesday night. He scored 17 points off the bench in the Lakers’ loss to the Suns.

Against the Rockets at Crypto.com Arena, Reaves started and played 15 minutes in the first half, scoring 12 points on five-for-eight shooting.

With Reaves out, the Lakers struggled in the third quarter, giving up 29 points to trail 92-74 heading into the fourth. The Lakers are trying to avoid losing three consecutive games for the first time this season.

Reaves entered Thursday averaging 27.3 points per game, ranking him 11th in league scoring.

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Lakers coach JJ Redick said earlier this week that Reaves wasn’t on a minutes restriction, but the team would monitor his workload “in real time.”

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NFL’s Christmas games lose major star power as key quarterbacks sidelined with injuries

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NFL’s Christmas games lose major star power as key quarterbacks sidelined with injuries

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On paper, Netflix had great divisional matchups on Christmas Day for Week 17 when the season began.

Of course, the NFL season never goes as planned, and the three matchups scheduled for the holiday are not what anyone had planned.

The reason? Star quarterbacks won’t be playing in each game.

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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott walks off the field after the team’s NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)

Christmas Day’s first kickoff will be an NFC East battle between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders, with both teams already eliminated from playoff contention.

And while Dak Prescott and company are looking to finish the season strong, the Commanders shut down Jayden Daniels, their second-year quarterback who led them to the NFC Championship Game in his rookie season just a year ago, after reaggravating his elbow injury.

In fact, the Commanders won’t even see Marcus Mariota, Daniels’ backup who has had to start eight games this season, as he’s dealing with an injury as well. It will be veteran Josh Johnson making the start in Landover, Maryland, on Christmas Day for a 4-11 Commanders squad that hoped to at least make the playoffs after a fantastic finish in 2024.

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“When you do circle those matchups, that’s exactly what you’re thinking: This is going to be cool. How it’s all laid out — division games right here at the end between two games of Philadelphia with a Dallas game in between,” Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said.

“Playing these division games, they still mean a lot.”

Unfortunately for both squads, it will only be for bragging rights.

Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders looks on from the sidelines after leaving the game during the second half against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Dec. 7, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images)

In the 4:30 p.m. ET slate, the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, a storied NFC North rivalry, the home team in Minneapolis will be without its own second-year signal caller — J.J. McCarthy.

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McCarthy suffered an injury in the win over the New York Giants last week, and it will be Max Brosmer having to start again for Kevin O’Connell’s group.

The Minnesota product’s first career start didn’t work out too well in Seattle, as the Seahawks had their way on defense against Brosmer. Perhaps a home crowd will do him and the Vikings’ offense better, but the Lions at least still have something to play for.

Detroit heads into this game following a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where a game-winning touchdown was called back after Amon-Ra St. Brown was penalized for offensive pass interference, negating Jared Goff flying into the end zone after a pitch-back from the star receiver.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes chews his mouth guard during warmups before an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, File)

The Lions need to win their remaining two games, while also needing the Green Bay Packers to lose their last two games to secure the final NFC wild card spot.

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Finally, and perhaps the biggest disappointment for Netflix, is the Kansas City Chiefs not having Patrick Mahomes on the field this holiday season.

Mahomes suffered a torn ACL, which he quickly had surgery to repair, following a loss that knocked them out of playoff contention two weeks ago. The Chiefs were hoping that his backup, Gardner Minshew, could finish out the season, but he tore his ACL last week in a loss to the Tennessee Titans.

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That leaves USF alum Chris Oladokun, who filled in for Minshew last week, starting against Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos — a 12-3 squad who already clinched their playoff berth. Denver will still be playing hard, as they’re competing for the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC, which would ensure home games throughout the playoffs.

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These games were supposed to be potential division/playoff clinching matchups, but the NFL and its fanbase will be hoping these games are not as lopsided as some believe they could turn out to be.

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