The Orange County Register boys athlete of the week for Sept 24, 2018:

Name: Ike Love

School: Newport Harbor

Sport: Water polo

Noteworthy: The 6-foot-7, 250-pound junior center scored four goals, drew an early penalty that Makoto Kenney converted and earned two fourth-period exclusions to lead the Sailors to a 13-11 victory against Harvard-Westlake – then ranked No. 1 in Division 1 – in the finals of the South Coast Tournament. Love, who played basketball as a youth, also attracted extra attention from the defense to help open the Sailors’ outside shooters. “It made a tough matchup (for Harvard-Westlake),” said Newport Harbor coach Ross Sinclair, whose team claimed its first South Coast title since 2007.

Please send nominees for Athlete of the Week to preps@ocregister.com, dalbano@scng.com or @ocvarsityguy on Twitter

ANAHEIM — The Angels announced Tuesday that two-way star Shohei Ohtani will undergo Tommy John surgery, as had been expected. Dr. Neal ElAttrache will perform the surgery in Los Angeles next week, the first week of the offseason.

The Angels first recommended that Ohtani receive Tommy John earlier this month after an MRI exam revealed new damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching (right) elbow. Undergoing the surgery now will likely sideline Ohtani from the mound until the 2020 season, but the 24-year-old, who throws right-handed and bats left-handed, has said he hopes to be available to hit during much of the 2019 season. Ohtani could perhaps spend significant time as the Angels’ designated hitter next year while still allowing his elbow to recover for an eventual return to the mound.

Position players typically return to the field in less time following Tommy John. Yankees rookie infielder Gleyber Torres, who missed about half of the 2017 season after tearing the UCL in his non-throwing elbow. Dodgers star Corey Seager underwent Tommy John surgery this past May, and he’s expected to be on the team’s Opening Day roster in 2019.

Ohtani has been one of the biggest storylines in MLB this season and is a contender for American League Rookie of the Year honors. Ohtani is hitting .280 with 21 home runs and 56 RBIs in 307 at-bats.  Entering Tuesday, his .564 slugging percentage ranked seventh among hitters with at least 300 plate appearances. On the mound, he posted a 3.31 ERA over 10 starts while striking out 63 hitters in 51-2/3 innings.

More to come on this story.

The Prodigal Son returns. Sort of.

Jon Lovitz goes back to his roots Saturday, Sept. 29, by bringing his stand-up routine to his alma mater, UC Irvine, where the Irvine Barclay Theatre is located.

Although this will be his Irvine Barclay debut, the comedian/actor/stand-up comic will recognize the surrounding campus.  Or not.

“Boy, the campus sure changed,” said an amazed Lovitz, 61, a UCI alumnus (drama major) who attended 1975-1979.  “I don’t really recognize it.  The Irvine Barclay wasn’t here when I was here.  A lot of it wasn’t here.  The campus has grown so much.  The buildings seem to swallow up the campus I remember.”

Which had far fewer buildings — and students.

“That UCI was small, but fun, like we were there in the beginning,” Lovitz reminisced.  (Actually, the campus was a decade old when Lovitz first attended.)  “It was a unique and great experience here. It was like a private school almost, like we were doing our acting for us. There were only 90 drama students and I was doing seems like 21 plays a year, plus staged readings, acting scenes, workshops.

“At first, I said I was here for the applause. But after awhile, I said I didn’t want applause, I was here for the acting. And there were great teachers here, like (founding drama chairman) Robert Cohen, who was brilliant and really cared about acting and teaching us how to act.  He taught this class, Great Acting, where we analyzed actors to find out what made their performances great.  He’d say, ‘Don’t be good, strive to be great!’ and had us incorporate those traits that made their performances great into our own acting.  A very kind and terrific teacher — and I was dying to learn.

“It was a very exciting time.  Lucky I got in: this was the only college I ever applied to.”

After his UCI days, Lovitz joined the Groundlings, the Los Angeles-based improvisation-and-sketch- comedy group, from 1979 to 1985.  An appearance on “The Tonight Show” in 1984 as a Groundling member led to a five-year run on “Saturday Night Live” (1985-1990), where he created many memorable characters, such as Tommy Flanagan, the Pathological Liar.  From that show, which garnered him two Emmy nominations, he received all kinds of film and TV offers (“City Slickers II,” “A League of Their Own”), including voiceover work (“The Simpsons,” “The Critic”).

Lovitz realized a dream when one movie, “Small Time Crooks” (2000), had him working alongside Woody Allen, one of his idols.

“I was just beaming: there I was, with Woody Allen on the set!” Lovitz recalled.  “He said how funny I was and that I made him laugh.  And he was flattered when I said, ‘You’re why I’m here!’”

Lovitz fulfilled another dream involving another idol when, in 2001, he was cast in “The Dinner Party,” the Neil Simon comedy that ran on Broadway 2000-2001.

“I got cast to replace Henry Winkler,” he recounted.  “I was reading with Neil Simon for three weeks!  On Opening Night, he hugged me and said, ‘You’re terrific!’

“When I was 18, my mother got me ‘The Collected Plays of Neil Simon’; now here I was, reading one of his plays with him!  It’s surreal!”

Despite these heady memories, Lovitz feels most at home with stand-up comedy, a late addition to his résumê — he’s been doing it only since 2003 —  that nonetheless gives him the most satisfaction.

“I always wanted to do stand-up,” said Lovitz, whose inspirations have included Allen and Lenny Bruce.  “I’ve been encouraged by the likes of Dana Carvey (‘Saturday Night Live,’ ‘Wayne’s World’) and many others.  Finally, at 46, I decided I’d do it and asked my manager — who discouraged me.  So I went out by myself.  At the time, I was facing financial hardship.  I had to do something!  So it felt like I was starting over again:  it took me about two years and a lot of practice before I started headlining.”

Now, he loves it.

“You write and perform your own material, like a singer-songwriter, and you feel you can do anything,” he said.  “I enjoy doing the other things — movies are fun, if you have a good part and have a lot to do.  But with stand-up, the whole show is you.  It’s nonstop.  I really like performing before a live audience and making people laugh.  It’s most thrilling.

“So yeah, I’m looking forward to doing the show at the Irvine Barclay.”

Jon Lovitz

Where: Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Dr., University of California, Irvine.When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29.Suitability: Not for those under 18Tickets: $55-$110.Information: 949-854-4646, tickets@thebarclay.org.

Violent and property crimes ticked upward in many Orange County cities last year, according to the FBI’s annual report released this week, but overall remained near the historic lows of recent years.

Local crime rates among Orange County communities in 2017 were slightly out of step with the national trend – which saw modest drops in both violent and property crimes – but were largely in line with statewide crime rates.

Most local cities last year saw a slight uptick in crime compared to 2016, or remained flat. But those crime rates are still a far cry from peaks in the late 1980s and early 1990s, experts noted.

“Violent crime rates are essentially flat, property crime rates have declined a little bit, crime is still low in the United States overall,” said Emily Owens, an associate professor of criminology, law & society at UC Irvine. “We are still in a historic low in terms of violent crime and property crime.”

Among the four largest cities in the county, the number of violent crimes rose slightly in Santa Ana, Anaheim and Irvine, and jumped higher in Huntington Beach. The number of property crimes decreased slightly in Anaheim, Irvine and Huntington Beach, while rising slightly in Santa Ana.

For the 13th year in a row, Irvine touted itself as the safest city of its size – more than 250,000 residents or more – in the country. The FBI itself cautions against using the annual statistics for ranking purposes.

Over a five-year span between 2012 and 2017, the number of violent crimes rose in about two-thirds of Orange County cities, while property crimes dropped in more than half. The picture was more mixed going back 10 years, with about half the cities showing increases in both categories and half showing drops.

Comparing violent crime rates is complicated by the FBI in 2013 revising the definition of rapes included in their statistics, leading to a significant jump in the number of incidents included in the annual reports, pushing up significantly the number of violent crimes reported by some communities.

Some communities have seen a steady drop in violent crime.

Anaheim, which reported 1,423 incidents of violent crime in 2007, saw that number drop to 1,253 in 2017. According to Anaheim police Sgt. Daron Wyatt, that included a 53 percent drop in gang-related crimes, allowing the department to focus on community policing efforts involving residents and businesses, and to devote resources to other areas. Wyatt noted that according to the 2017 numbers, Anaheim was tied with Lexington, Kentucky for third lowest crime rate for cities with at least 300,000 residents.

“The job has shifted significantly,” Wyatt said. “Before we were just crime fighters. Now there is stuff like the homeless issue or the number of mental health issues were are facing.”

In other cities, crime rates have fluctuated. In Santa Ana, the number of violent crimes dropped from 1,947 in 2007 to 1,334 in 2012, but has since risen to 1,640 in 2017.

“We don’t like to see even the slightest increases in any crime category,” David Valentin said. “We continuously strive to be a responsive department that is strategically and effectively looking to address crime patterns as reported by and in partnership with our community members.”

Owens said the relatively lower crime rates in recent years compared to past decades have allowed police agencies to be less reactive than in the past.

“I think that has led to an interesting position for law enforcement officers, who have been able over the past 10 years to think about better policing and smarter policing,” Owens.

Ice cream crazy fans who can’t wait for Salt & Straw to open at Downtown Disney in October won’t want to miss these pop-ups.

The Portland-based gourmet ice cream brand typically consults with local businesses to create new flavors and Sidecar Doughnuts in Costa Mesa has inspired an Apples & Sidecar Doughnuts flavor. Salt & Straw co-founder Tyler Malek also collaborated with Sidecar to develop a Salted, Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Doughnut after his ice cream of the same flavor, so customers can do a side-by-side tasting of the new doughnut with the ice cream.

Salt & Straw will be serving $1 scoops from a kiosk outside Sidecar from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29 and Friday, Oct. 5. Proceeds benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.

If you can’t make the pop-ups, you can still taste the new doughnut through the end of September at Sidecar locations at 270 E. 17th St., #18, Costa Mesa and 631 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. Some proceeds from those sales will be donated to Second Harvest.

RAMS (3-0) vs. VIKINGS (1-1-1)

When: Thursday, 5:20 p.m. PT

Where: The Coliseum

Line: Rams by 6.5 points

TV/radio: Fox/Ch. 11, NFL Network; 710-AM, 93.1-FM, 1330-AM (Spanish)

RAMS OFFENSE vs. VIKINGS DEFENSE

Todd Gurley put up 156 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown last week and it somehow felt like a disappointment. This Rams offense, which scored the second-most points in the NFL last season, seems even more potent this season. Quarterback Jared Goff has been carving up opposing defenses, particularly with throws over the middle. The Rams will need balance against the Vikings, who held them to 254 yards in last season’s meeting in Minnesota and totally bottled Gurley (37 yards on 15 carries) in a 24-7 victory. The Vikings’ run defense seems fairly stout again this season, but they will be without standout defensive end Everson Griffen, who has some troubling off-field issues. EDGE: RAMS

VIKINGS OFFENSE vs. RAMS DEFENSE

Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins might be well served to just take three-step drops and then heave the ball down the field to talented receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. The Vikings’ offensive line hasn’t been very good, while the Rams’ defensive front is itching for more sacks. The clear problem for the Rams is the secondary. One cornerback (Aqib Talib) is out with a ankle injury and the other (Marcus Peters) might miss the game with a calf injury and, at best, isn’t going to be in top form. Vikings running back Dalvin Cook also has been dealing with a bad hamstring, so that could even things, but Latavius Murray is a solid fill-in and center Pat Elflein is expected to return from an injury. EDGE: VIKINGS

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Vikings have gone through kickers as quickly as the Rams have gone through returns. Minnesota cut Kai Forbath in favor of Dan Carlson, then cut Carlson after early-season struggles. Now the Vikings are on Dan Bailey, who made his debut in last week’s loss to Buffalo but didn’t attempt an extra point or field goal. The Rams aren’t any more stable, although they did block a Chargers punt for a touchdown last week. Fill-in kicker Sam Ficken missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt last week and also sent a kickoff out of bounds for a penalty. The Rams also lost returner JoJo Natson with a broken hand, so now they will have receiver Cooper Kupp handle punts and defensive back Blake Countess return kickoffs. EDGE: VIKINGS

COACHING

The Rams’ Sean McVay, last year’s NFL Coach of the Year, continues to be the talk of the league because of his new, innovative offensive sets and plays. After some questionable play-calling in the season opener against Oakland, McVay was stellar against Arizona and the Chargers. The Rams are playing on short rest for the second time in three weeks, and McVay has been hyper-aware of maximizing player rest and keeping his guys in top form as much as possible. The Vikings, favored to win the NFC North are off to a surprising 1-1-1 start, and are coming off a historically bad home loss to Buffalo. EDGE: RAMS

INTANGIBLES

These Thursday-night games often are sloppy and can come down to which team prepared the best. Both teams are short-handed because of injuries but the Vikings have to make a fairly long flight, so give the Rams the slight edge there. Plus, the Rams just did this two weeks ago, when they came off a Monday night game against Oakland and then decimated the Cardinals six days later. The biggest thing in the Vikings’ favor is motivation. They have to be steamed after getting creamed by the Bills, and now they get a chance to redeem themselves in front of a national television audience. EDGE: RAMS

MATCHUP TO WATCH

Rams cornerback Sam Shields vs. Vikings receiver Adam Thielen: Last November, Thielen had a breakout game against the Rams, when he caught nine passes for 123 yards and one touchdown. The Rams lost two cornerbacks, Kayvon Webster and Nickell Robey-Coleman, to injury in that game, and got sliced up by then-quarterback Case Keenum. Now, the Rams are short-handed again in the secondary, and the task of containing Thielen most likely will fall to Shields. He inherits a bigger role and will make his first start since the 2016 season opener with Green Bay, so he is familiar with the Vikings.

PREDICTION: RAMS 35, VIKINGS 31

Even before all the injuries, this would have been a tough call. Thursday night games are notoriously fickle because both teams are tired and not in top form. There’s a huge danger that the entire Rams’ defense could break down if their cornerbacks can’t handle the Vikings’ receivers, but there’s also no indication that the Vikings can slow Goff, Gurley and a trio of receivers that has been highly effective. The Vikings certainly can’t play as poorly as they did Sunday, and if the Rams commit two turnovers, as they did against the Chargers, they might pay for it this week, but this one comes down to the Rams’ offense.

Three years before Arizona sex crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell was thrust into the national spotlight this week, she advised the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Safe Sport program.

“Rachel explains that the first step in the process is selecting a victim, or targeting a victim, and that there are a lot of different things that offenders look for. She says that offenders are looking for vulnerability in that particular child,” according to a summary of a 2015 video titled ““Safe Sport Refresher Course” that Mitchell took part in. The video was part of a USOC Safe Sport training course.

Mitchell was hired by Republican members of the Senate judiciary committee to question Christine Blasey Ford during the committee’s hearing Thursday about her allegations that she was sexually assaulted by Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh when they were teenagers in 1982.

Mitchell will question Kavanaugh separately during Thursday’s hearing.

Mitchell is currently on leave from her position as a deputy county attorney and chief of the Special Victims Division in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Phoenix. The Special Victims Division handles sex crimes and domestic violence.

She has prosecuted cases involving adult sexual assault, child molestation and child prostitution since 2005.

Mitchell caught the attention of the USOC earlier this decade. She was brought in by the organization’s SafeSport program, which was “designed to help us recognize emotional, physical and sexual misconduct.”

Mitchell participated in a training video that “examines the coach-athlete relationship; it defines the six primary forms of misconduct: bullying, harassment, and hazing, as well as emotional, physical, and sexual misconduct. It describes sexual abuse and identifies the signs and symptoms of sexual abuse and discusses how to respond and report misconduct.”

Mitchell outlined “Grooming Behaviors” in the video, outlining “the distinctive and identifiable behavior grooming process.”  She covers six key steps in the grooming process: targeting a victim, gaining trust, recognizing and filling a need, isolating a child, sexualizing the relationship and maintaining control.

In Step 2, Mitchell “ explains that next, the predator will work on gaining the trust of the athlete, since one of the key things that predators need in order to accomplish their crime is the trust of the victim.”

The Safe Sport training also states that “Predators frequently target athletes in ‘private’ spaces, such as locker rooms, bathroom facilities and other unmonitored spaces, such as a personal office.”

There are similarities to the led to Thursday’s hearing and Mitchell’s first major sexual abuse case in 2005. That case involved the prosecution of former Catholic priest Paul LeBrun, who was charged with sexually abusing six boys between the ages 11 and 13 in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Mitchell, in her first case as chief of the Maricopa County sex crimes unit, convinced the trial judge to hear the testimony of two men LeBrun had sexually abused in Indiana before being transferred to Phoenix. Although the statute of limitations in the Indiana cases had expired, Mitchell maintain the men’s accounts established a pattern of sexually abusing young boys by LeBrun. The judge agreed.

LeBrun was sentenced to 11 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of three counts of sexual contact with a minor and three counts of child molestation.

His lap bar down and secured, Sindarius Thornwell is on one heck of a roller coaster ride, determined to keep it moving.

He’s getting after it at Clippers training camp, which tipped off Tuesday at the University of Hawaii exactly one week after Thornwell’s father, Gregory Wade, died in his sleep, the victim of a heart attack at age 46.

Five days before he lost his dad, Thornwell’s daughter, Skyla-Love, was born.

Thornwell arrived in Honolulu, where he’s competing for a job, thinking about them.

“I’ve been up and down the last month or so, but it’s life,” Thornwell said by phone from Hawaii following the team’s first official practice. “Today was fun. It’s easy to come out and practice because that’s what my dad would have wanted; it was his dream to see me play (in the NBA) and have success in basketball. That’s my motivation – to keep making him proud, you know?”

Thornwell, 23, enters his second NBA season as one of 17 players fighting for 15 spots on the Clippers’ roster. He’s among the team’s nine listed guards, though Coach Doc Rivers seems open-minded about it, having indicated that the 6-foot-5 Thornwell, “whatever he is,” could also be useful as a small forward.

In 15.8 minutes per game last season, Thornwell averaged 3.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists. He also collected nine “Did Not Plays,” including seven in nine games in February. The appearances he made on the floor in that span lasted 32 and 33 seconds, respectively.

At media day, he spoke openly about how much that stung, what a reality check it proved to be, and how it led to important professional development.

“When I was getting those DNPs … I knew I was in a hole and Doc wasn’t calling on me, so I came in every day and treated my workouts like games,” Thornwell said. “My worst experience ever was in Phoenix, we were up 30 the whole game and I didn’t get in the game until like the last 10 seconds. I never wanted to feel like that (again), so I took everything more seriously, I came in and started to act like a pro. And it translated when I got my shot again, and I finished the year pretty strong.”

After playing in only three games the previous month, Thornwell played every game in March, starting seven of them.

Ups and downs, you know?

Thornwell also lost his uncle, Dajuan Thornwell, with whom he was especially close, just before the 2015 basketball season, on Sept. 17 – three years and a day before Wade’s death last week.

Sindarius Thornwell was a junior at South Carolina then, and he went on to make the SEC All-Defensive Team that season, foreshadowing for the following year when he threw college hoops for a loop, leading the seventh-seeded Gamecocks to a second-round upset of second-seeded Duke and then all the way to the Final Four.

For his efforts, Thornwell became South Carolina’s first player in 11 years to be drafted into the NBA, selected 48th by the Milwaukee Bucks and traded to the Clippers for cash considerations.

Last week, Thornwell posted footage from the celebration that followed his selection on social media. Wade is at the center of it, glowing, telling people how proud he is.

“He was the light in the room,” Thornwell said of his dad, who loved motorcycles and the Dallas Cowboys. “He was the guy who came in and made everybody laugh. If you were in a bad mood, he’d bring a smile to your face – that’s what you saw on Instagram in the video.”

Thornwell said he’s doing all right, and that his family is doing OK, too.

“We have each other’s back and we’re holding each other up,” Thornwell said. “We can’t bring him back, so we’re just taking it one day at a time.”

On the court, Thornwell said that means getting to work, having fun “just coming in and trying to mix it up a little and stay active.”

“It’s like nothing matters when you’re on the court but basketball,” he added. “Whatever problems or whatever’s happening, when you’re able to step onto the court, you’re able to separate from it, you know?”

UCLA forward Alex Olesinski will be sidelined for two to three months with a stress fracture in his right foot, the school announced Wednesday.

The redshirt junior who played in all 33 games for the Bruins last year was forced to redshirt the 2016-17 season due to a stress reaction in his left foot. He also underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right hip in April, although he was expected to return in time for the season after that procedure.

The Bruins open their season on Nov. 6 at home against Purdue Fort Wayne. Olesinski, who averaged 4.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game off the bench last year, would likely not be ready until at least the final month of the nonconference season.

Although UCLA graduated center Thomas Welsh and forward G.G. Goloman, the team restocked its frontcourt with five-star center Moses Brown and four-star forward Shareef O’Neal, who will join redshirt freshman forwards Jalen Hill and Cody Riley, who were suspended all of last season.

LOS ANGELES — A man with an attempted murder conviction and a woman who has seven convictions for driving under the influence were among 150 people arrested this week in the Southland by federal agents targeting “criminal aliens” and other immigration violators, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Wednesday.

In announcing the arrests, ICE officials said in a statement that “the lack of cooperation from local jails is negatively impacting public safety.”

About 40 percent of those arrested in the Sunday-through-Tuesday sweep had previously been released by local law enforcement agencies despite ICE detainers asking arresting agencies to notify immigration officers prior to the suspect’s release from custody, according to the ICE officials, who said that nearly all arrestees had prior criminal convictions.

“The state laws preventing ICE from working in the jails is significantly impacting public safety by letting serious repeat offenders back out onto our streets,” said Thomas Giles, acting field office director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Los Angeles. “Our presence would be focused in the jails, rather than in the streets, and safer for all involved, if ICE could again coordinate transfers of criminal aliens with local jails.”

Of those arrested, 76 were taken into custody in Los Angeles County, 34 in Orange County, and 16 in Riverside County. The arrestees — 138 men and 12 women — are from a dozen countries, with the majority of them — 123 — from Mexico, according to ICE.

In interviews with reporters at the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles, Giles said he wanted to clarify “the misconception that ICE goes out there and does random raids and sweeps and just picks people up.”

The 150 arrestees were “targeted,” he said, and agents had performed surveillance and done background checks before making the arrests.

Giles said the agency is continually hampered by Senate Bill 54 — the so-called “sanctuary state” bill — which, among other things, prohibits state and local law enforcement from using resources to investigate or arrest people for immigration enforcement purposes.

As a result of the lack of cooperation from local jails, “we have to go out in the communities to find these people — and it puts community members and officers at risk,” Giles said.

ANAHEIM – The tattooed inscription on Cassius Savage’s left bicep partially hides beneath the sleeve of his blue, Western football jersey. The message pays homage to his namesake but also traces to the heart of a rejuvenated team.

“It means a lot,” the soft-spoken junior shares before lifting his shirt to reveal the cursive writing.

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life

The quote is from legendary boxer and activist Muhammad Ali, who was born Cassius Clay.

“He’s an inspiring person,” Cassius said of Ali, a favorite of his mother, Ebony. “He changed a lot.”

In his own way, and with plenty of help, Cassius is helping bring those words of wisdom to life at Western.

He has teamed with his twin brother and fellow wide receiver Caine Savage and quarterback Anthony Munoz to change the fortunes and culture of a once struggling football program.

The Pioneers take a 4-1 record into an intriguing game at higher-division Garden Grove (5-0) on Friday. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

Munoz, a senior, ranks second in Orange County in passing yards (1,674 yards) and touchdowns (24). He has only been intercepted once.

Caine, a blazing junior, ranks third in the county in receptions with 33 and also has 568 yards and eight touchdowns. He plays the “Z” receiver on the far right in Coach Dan Davidson’s spread attack that averages just over 50 points per game.

Cassius, ever the competitive sibling, is nipping at the heels of his brother. He has collected 20 catches for 377 yards and seven TDs.

Laguna Beach coach John Shanahan, whose Breakers are part of the new Pac 4 League with the Pioneers, believes Western is passing the ball as well as any team in the county.

Garden Grove coach Ricardo Cepeda said this week that Western – ranked No. 1 in Division 11 – will “probably win CIF.”

“They are a good team,” said Cepeda, whose team is ranked third in Division 9. “Very good offense with lots of weapons.”

How significant is the chatter about the Pioneers? They haven’t made the playoffs or even had a winning season since 2008. They won four games all of last year.

“We have a long season ahead still …. (but) we’ve come a long way,” Munoz said before practice this week, “a long way.”

Munoz and the twins have helped shape Western’s transformation by trusting their own gamble. In the spirit of the Ali’s passage, they chose to enroll at Western during its football doldrums in the Empire League.

Munoz, who played quarterback as a youth player in Buena Park, arrived as a freshman in the fall of 2015. The Pioneers posted a 1-9 record in 2014, the first season for Davidson.

“I love being doubted,” Munoz said of his decision. “I want to be part of a change.”

The Savages, who played youth football in Cypress, felt the same way when they started at Western as freshmen in 2016. The Pioneers were 2-8 the previous fall but the brothers saw an opportunity that matched their inner drive.

“I like being an underdog,” Cassius said. “Most people think coming into the games that we’re going to lose. But when we come in there, we step it up.”

Munoz first had to conquer his failures to find success. As a first-year starter during his sophomore year, Western went 2-7-1.

The 5-foot-9 quarterback said that season was challenging mentally and physically but he maintained a belief that Western’s script would change.

“I always believed deep down that we had potential,” he said.

Davidson saw the 2016 season as his Ali moment, a chance to be courageous and stick with the commitment to run the spread attack.

“We knew where we could probably get to (with the offense), but you got to have that vision and you sometimes got to take your lumps a little,” said Davidson, who coordinates the offense with Tramaine Brown.

It certainly helped Davidson and Munoz knowing that after 2016, more help was on the way courtesy of the Savages, who played on the freshmen team as ninth-graders.

Caine (5-11, 170) brings 4.5 speed and athleticism that reminds Davidson of a certain former Cypress High star now making highlight grabs for the Washington Huskies.

“His upside is as good or better than Quinten Pounds,” Davidson said of Caine, who has received recruiting interest from Eastern Washington, Fresno State and Nevada among others.

The same colleges also are recruiting Cassius (6-1, 160), who Davidson positions opposite of his brother on the far left of the field as the “X” receiver. Cassius also plays safety.

Munoz’s moving parts on offense are slot receivers such James Mendoza, Jacob Domino and Rahsaan Hester, all of whom are also dangerous.

“Everybody gets the ball,” Caine said. “It’s not just one person.”

Western focuses on more than its offensive numbers. Davidson has incorporated outreach activities with special needs groups and school organizations as part of the Pioneers’ regular schedule.

Several players participated in the school’s 5K “Color Run” on a recent weekend. Munoz serves as the senior class president, he’s the school ambassador at the district and he leads a few clubs. He also maintains a 4.0 grade-point average.

“It’s a culture,” said Davidson, who counts his son, Jeremy, Joe Conway and Dexter Taylor as key assistants.

“We want to teach these guys to be very successful, good young men. … We haven’t turned the corner (as a program), but we’re on the corner of turning a program all the way around.”

Previews and predictions for Thursday’s football games:

SUNSET LEAGUE

NO. 8 CORONA DEL MAR (4-1, 0-0) VS. NO. 14 EDISON (2-2, 0-0)

Where, when: Huntington Beach High, Thursday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: This league opener is the Sunset League debut for Corona del Mar, which for the past several years dominated the Pacific Coast League. Corona del Mar took its bye week last week after a comeback win over San Clemente 21-20 two weeks ago. Corona del Mar has a superb passing attack led by quarterback Ethan Garbers (1,395 yards, 16 touchdowns) and receivers John Humphreys (38 receptions for 665 yards and 12 touchdowns) and Bradley Schlom (25 catches for 352 yards and two touchdowns). Edison, which lost starting quarterback Patrick Angelovic to a broken collarbone, lost to San Clemente last week 31-24. Corona del Mar and Los Alamitos look like the league favorites.

Winner: Corona del Mar

GARDEN GROVE LEAGUE

SANTIAGO (3-2, 0-0) VS. RANCHO ALAMITOS (2-3, 0-0)

Where, when: Garden Grove High, Thursday, 7 p.m.

Anaylsis: Two playoff contenders meet in this league opener. Santiago last week beat Anaheim. That’s a good sign for the Cavaliers because Anaheim beat Loara, a Garden Grove League co-favorite with Rancho Alamitos. Rancho Alamitos also beat Anaheim. Santiago has one of its better teams in recent years. Rancho Alamitos, though, should be be 4-0 in league when on the final night of the regular season it play Loara, which should also be 4-0 going into that Oct. 26 game.

Winner: Rancho Alamitos

Also Thursday

Games 7 p.m. unless noted

GARDEN GROVE LEAGUE

Bolsa Grande (1-4, 0-0) vs. Loara (3-2, 0-0) at Western High

EMPIRE LEAGUE

No. 22 Valencia (4-1, 0-0) vs. Crean Lutheran (4-1, 0-0) at Irvine High

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Portola (2-3, 0-0) vs. Beckman (3-2, 0-0) at Tustin High

ORANGE COAST LEAGUE

Santa Ana (3-2, 0-0) at Costa Mesa (0-5, 0-0)

Estancia (3-2, 0-0) vs. Calvary Chapel (0-5, 0-0) at Segerstrom High

ORANGE LEAGUE

Savanna (4-1, 0-0) vs. Anaheim (2-3, 0-0) at Glover Stadium

SAN JOAQUIN LEAGUE

Saddleback Valley Christian (1-5, 0-0) vs. Webb (5-1, 0-0) at Damien High

NONLEAGUE

Foothill (1-4) vs. No. 7 Villa Park (4-1) at El Modena High

8-MAN

EXPRESS LEAGUE

Calvary Chapel of Downey (2-0, 1-0) at St. Michael’s Prep (4-0, 1-0), 3:30 p.m.

With about one-third of the season already over, there’s still a lot unknown about how the Pac-12 will shake out, but so far, UCLA has looked like one of the worst teams in the conference by many statistics.

Below is a rough look at how efficiently teams have performed on offense and defense both in the passing and running game. The horizontal, x-axis on each graph represents a team’s ranking in the conference in terms of yards per pass attempt or yards allowed per pass attempt. The vertical, y-axis represents a team’s Pac-12 ranking with respect to yards per carry or yards allowed per carry. The grid does not show each team’s performance in yardage, just in ranking, with the best teams being on the far right (for passing) or at the top (for running). So the spacing of lines represents the first-, second-, third-, nth-best team in the conference in each category, not the differences in statistical performance from team to team.

You’ll notice that there are no teams that stay in the top left quadrant, which denotes the theoretical “best” performers, in both graphs. The teams that stay in (or close to) the red area, which denotes the better half, are Washington, Stanford and Oregon. It supports the fact that those teams are the only Pac-12 teams that appear in the AP poll this week.

UCLA is in fact the only team that stays in the same quadrant in both graphs. Unfortunately for the Bruins, it’s the worst quadrant. The Bruins are last in rushing yards per carry and second-to-last in passing yards per attempt. They’re seventh in rushing yards allowed per carry and 10th in passing yards allowed per attempt.

You can view the specific stats of each category in the tables below.

When Music Tastes Good Vol. 3 kicks off Saturday afternoon it will do so with all the confidence of a festival that has found its footing, its organizers say.

Headliners include legendary electronic rock band New Order on Saturday and singer-songwriter James Blake on Sunday, with an eclectic undercard that includes the likes of Joey Bada$$, Broken Social Scene and Santigold on Day 1, and Janelle Monáe, the Black Angels, and the Church on Day 2.

The Taste Tent returns but this year it will be open to all attendees, not just those who paid extra for passes to the food tent, as it was a year ago. And with the return for a second year at Marina Green Park near the Long Beach waterfront the festival fits its footprint comfortably.

“I think it feels different this year,” says Abbie Peyton Fischel, whose late husband Josh Fischel founded the festival in 2016 but died just a few days after its successful debut.

A year ago, she and others who worked on the festival felt the importance of honoring Josh Fischel’s legacy not only as the creator of Music Tastes Good but as a longtime Long Beach musician and advocate for his adopted hometown’s music scene.

“It made sense in year two,” Abbie Fischel says. “But we also know Josh didn’t want the festival to just be about him. A lot of what we might have done in year two if we hadn’t suffered that loss we got the opportunity to do this year.”

She and talent booker Jon Halperin say that having made it through the first two years this time out Music Tastes Good has refined the things that made it such a wonderful food-and-music party in the past.

“I’m really excited about the Taste Tent being open to everyone,” Fischel says. “I think we all knew that was going to be cool last year, but we didn’t know how crazy cool that would be. Now it’s more reflective of the community feel that we want Music Tastes Good to have. Everyone can have a taste of these exciting things.”

Halperin says that in contrast to the festival’s debut in 2016 when he and Fischel sometimes had to work hard to persuade bands to take a chance on a brand-new festival this year the bands and their agents know it well.

“There’s no elevator pitch on what the festival’s about,” he says. “The managers are familiar with it, and people across the country know the name.”

As before, Halperin says the goal in booking bands was to focus on acts that hadn’t already played the festival circuit this year.

“There’s a million music festivals across this country and to try to differentiate ourselves a little bit, and to grab two headlining artists who aren’t doing the circuit was really meaningful to us.

“New Order was a huge get, and James Blake and Janelle Monáe, a little on the younger side,” he says. “Janelle Monáe is playing a show in New York and then flying to us the next day. And New Order is flying from the United Kingdom to play for us.”

Both of those acts required a bit more effort than most of the others, Halperin says.

“It certainly wasn’t just sending an offer and confirming it,” he says. “There are very special things that we agreed to do. Without wanting to ruin any of the surprises, we had to build some stuff for Janelle Monáe and our stage is going to look a little different for New Order because of things they wanted.”

Halperin says the success of Music Tastes Good in Long Beach, his home for the last 18 years, is just one of the many things he loves about it.

“It would be farther for me to drive to the festival than to walk,” he says. “Who would have thought that (New Order) would play here on the grass where I walk my dog the rest of the year?”

As Music Tastes Good goes forward, Fischel says she feels it can grow and improve by building on the foundation created so far.

“People get what we’re about now,” she says.

‘Music Tastes Good Vol. 3’

When: Noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Where: Marina Green Park, 386 E. Shoreline Dr., Long Beach

Tickets: General admission is $85 daily or $150 for the weekend in advance, increasing to $100 daily or $170 weekend day of show. VIP is $175 daily or $300 in advance, increasing to $200 daily or $325 for the weekend day of show.

Information: mtglb.co

The mailman’s boss is hiring for the busy holiday delivery season.

The Santa Ana and Los Angeles Districts of the United States Postal Service will host upcoming job fairs to recruit new hires and veterans.

Available positions include city and rural mail carriers, mail processing clerks, transportation assistants, mail handlers and clerk assistants. Hourly wages range from $16-$18.62 per hour.

Area hiring fairs include:

Oct. 2: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Golden West College Students Services Patio, 15744 Goldenwest St, Huntington Beach.

Oct. 12: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Harbor City Recreational Center, 24901 Frampton Ave, Harbor City.

Oct. 24: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Los Angeles Air Force Base, El Segundo. This fair is aimed at veterans switching to civilian work opportunities.

Oct. 26: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Fourth annual Veterans & Persons with Disabilities Career Fair, 5151 State University Drive, Cal State University, Los Angeles (in the Golden Eagle ballrooms).

Oct. 26: from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tri-City Job Fair, 1403 N. Garvey Ave, Pomona.

Oct. 30: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Pacific Gateway, 4811 Airport Plaza Drive, Long Beach. This job fair is bilingual.

Applicants must be 18 years old (or 16 with a high school diploma) and must pass drug screening and a criminal background investigation. Some positions require an exam. Any position that has a driving requirement will also require a valid driver’s license and a clean DMV two-year driving history.

Citizenship or permanent resident status also is required.

Interested applicants should go online to apply or talk to recruiters at the jobs fairs on how best to proceed. More information is available at usps.com/careers.

EL SEGUNDO — It takes more than lightning speed and the right personality to make it in the NHL. Kings forward Austin Wagner has plenty of both, so he’s got a good head start.

It was late in the first period Wednesday night at Honda Center in Anaheim. Wagner, starting in the neutral zone, blew by Ducks defenseman Marcus Pettersson to gather a loose puck inside the blue line. He finished by beating future Hall of Fame goalie Ryan Miller on a breakaway into the left corner of the net.

Even though the Kings lost the exhibition game 7-4, Wagner’s goal was a hot topic afterward. Wagner’s teammate, defenseman Paul LaDue, spoke in awed tones.

“I’m just glad he wasn’t doing that to me, because I could not have kept up with him,” LaDue said. “That was fun to watch, fun to a part of.”

LaDue sees Wagner’s speed all the time in practice.

“I do, and I hate it every time,” LaDue said, laughing.

Wagner, 21, is not a lock to make the Kings out of training camp, which has a week left. But he has opened eyes, including those of Coach John Stevens.

“He missed half a year last year with an injury, so he’s just understanding his responsibility,” Stevens said. “But he’s got great speed, he gets on a lot of pucks, he’s physically, I think, mature. … He’s an explosive athlete, so he’s got extreme quickness and speed.

“But he knows he has to be able to extend his shift. He has to be able to go to 45-second shifts at times and not be exhausted and I think he’s made great strides.”

Wagner played five seasons of junior hockey for the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League. He missed the first two months of this past season for the Ontario Reign – the Kings’ AHL affiliate – because of a torn labrum and dislocated biceps tendon. He then got off to a slow start before finishing with 10 goals and seven assists in 50 games.

Wagner had 30 goals and 36 assists for 66 points in 64 games in 2016-17 with Regina.

Wagner was approached by several reporters after Wednesday’s game. They all wanted to talk about his dazzling goal. He didn’t. Not at first, anyway.

“Yeah, it was a good play,” he said. “But, obviously, we wanted to get a win tonight and it didn’t happen.”

He was asked about his showing thus far in training camp. He still didn’t want to give himself too much credit.

“Tonight was one of my better games, but I’ve got a long way to go,” he said. “I’m learning lots being around these pros. They’re very good and they bring everything every day. I’ve got a lot of stuff to learn, but it’s coming.”

Finally, he opened up about the goal. But only when queried as to how many of his goals come on breakaways.

Kings forward Dustin Brown sized up Wagner after practice Thursday.

“Obviously, he had a really nice goal last night,” Brown said. “I think there are not many guys with speed like his. If he can learn to use that in particular ways, he can be a really effective player.”

Then there’s his personality.

“But more important, I think, off the ice he’s really fit in well and for a younger guy, he’s very comfortable in a good way,” Brown said. “He also understands his role, whether it’s on this team or in the minors, the opportunity he has this year to be an impact player for whatever team.

“He has the right attitude, which is the most important thing.”

That speed is really something, though.

“I guess it’s just God’s gift,” Wagner said. “I’m trying my best to use it out there and use it in the right ways.”

NEXT STOP, VEGAS

The Kings are 1-4-1 in exhibition play. They will close out the preseason by playing Friday at Vegas and hosting the Ducks on Saturday night at Staples Center. The Kings open the regular season Oct. 5 when they host the San Jose Sharks.

Oh my speed, Austin Wagner @LAKings | #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/ntlIg6mkmo

— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) September 27, 2018

COSTA MESA – With Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa out this weekend against San Francisco and possibly through late October, it’s going to be a lot harder for the team to get to opposing quarterbacks.

That’s the reality the Chargers have been dealing with during their 1-2 start to the season.

Through three games, the Chargers have seven sacks, tied with six other teams for 17th in the NFL. Los Angeles finished last season tied for fifth in the league in that category last season.

With Bosa gone, Chargers like defensive end Melvin Ingram are facing more double teams, stunting their productivity. So when an opportunity presents itself, it can’t be squandered.

“We challenged the defensive line that when you have one-on-ones, you’ve got to win those,” defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said.

But Bradley also acknowledged that there may need to be some adjustments in strategy in how to approach the pass rush. There are different techniques and stunts that can be employed to manufacture more one-on-one opportunities for defensive linemen. He also believes it’s imperative for the linebackers and secondary to provide the line adequate time to win its matchups.

“In our room, we talk about how rush and coverage work together,” Bradley explained. “If you have good coverage, you’ve got to have the rush. And in order to get a good rush, you got to have good coverage.”

Bradley isn’t known as a guy who likes to deploy linebackers and defensive backs in blitzes. Even with Bosa out, he says the temptation to blitz doesn’t increase.

“We don’t look at it that way,” Bradley said.

But one candidate to blitz more is safety Derwin James, who is the second defensive back in the past 30 years with two sacks and an interception in his first three games. James is working more on being able to play back and make plays in pass coverage.

“He’s still learning our system. We’re moving him different places and we have different run fits and different coverages,” head coach Anthony Lynn said. “He’s just a baby right now, but he’s growing like a weed.”

NEW QUARTERBACK TO WATCH

Following Jimmy Garoppolo’s season-ending knee injury, the 49ers are rolling out a new starting quarterback.

C.J. Beathard is the new man running the San Francisco offense. A second-year player selected in the third round of the 2017 draft out of Iowa, Beathard has yet to throw a pass this season.

“I’m sure he learned from his rookie season. They took him in the third round for a reason,” Lynn said. “I believe he can function well within that offense.”

The Chargers are watching tape of Beathard from last season to get an idea of his strengths. Beyond that, they will watch footage of the first three games of this season, because they don’t expect much to change with a new quarterback.

“It’s the same style offense,” Bradley explained. “It’s not like they hold back with him at all.”

INJURY REPORT

Wide receiver Keenan Allen did not practice for the second straight day as he deals with a knee injury. “I think he was pretty sore yesterday from the [Rams] game so we’re being cautious with him,” Lynn said. … Receiver Travis Benjamin was limited in practice. The seven-year veteran missed last week’s game with a foot injury. … Linebacker Kyzir White (knee) did not practice on Thursday. The rookie was not on the Chargers’ injury report on Wednesday.

The Costa Mesa Sanitary District is investigating allegations that it was potentially overbilled at least $200,000 over the last five years by its independent engineer, according to district officials and internal documents.

Under investigation is engineer Robin Hamers, who has been affiliated with the agency since 1981, serving at one time as district manager but now working as a private contractor providing engineering services.

Hamers remains on the job, though his duties have been pared down. Finance Manager Steve Hodges, who caught the discrepancies and reported them to his boss in July, has been placed on paid leave for investigation of unrelated misconduct, the district said.

General Manager Scott Carroll said he doubts Hamers did anything criminal.

“My best guess is that it was sloppy management by Rob,” Carroll said. “I don’t even think it’s a crime.”

Meanwhile, Carroll said Hodges was placed on paid leave because of an unrelated complaint by another employee. “This is not a witch hunt against Steve,” Carroll said.

Hamers, in an interview, denied overbilling and said his company actually charges the district less than any other engineering firm would. Specifically, the district is looking at sewer inspections conducted by an employee of Hamers. The district has since suspended inspections by Hamers’ private company and is using another vendor.

“I don’t believe we overbilled the district. I don’t know how (Hodges) came up with everything,” Hamers said.

In an interview, Hodges said he is being punished for whistle-blowing and that the misconduct allegation was a ruse. “It’s completely fictitious and made up,” Hodges said.

Costa Mesa Sanitary District provides trash collection and sewer services to 116,000 residents in Costa Mesa, small parts of Newport Beach and some unincorporated areas of Orange County.

This is not the first time Hamers has been questioned about his business practices. In 2013, Hamers was accused of misusing district resources by assigning an employee to do $700 worth of work for his private business, Carroll said. That employee no longer works for the district, Carroll said.

Hamers said he actually did something less serious, like asking a district employee to make copies for him.

In the latest discrepancies, Carroll said Hamers’ firm has been charging the district for more than 24 hours a day to, among other things, inspect sewer systems. There are 2,000 work hours in a year and, in one year, Hamers billed for 2,400 hours.

Hamers explained that many of the inspections are done at night and that he and works seven days a week.

A forensic accounting analysis is being performed for the district by public accountants Crowe Horwath LLP and interviews are being conducted by the law firm of Best, Best & Krieger .

Previews and predictions for Friday’s top high school football games:

GAME OF THE WEEK

Preview: No. 3 JSerra (5-0) vs. St. John Bosco (5-0)

Winner: St. John Bosco

OTHER TOP GAMES

Trinity League

No. 6 Santa Margarita (2-3, 0-0) vs. No. 4 Orange Lutheran (3-2, 0-0)

Where, when: Orange Coast College, Friday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: JSerra coach Pat Harlow has described the Trinity League as Mater Dei and St. John Bosco battling for first place and everyone else fighting for third. (Of course, JSerra can prove the coach wrong this week.) Santa Margarita has wins over Downey and Mayfair, losses to Mission Viejo and to Cherry Creek of Colorado and Orem of Utah. Orange Lutheran has lost close games to undefeated teams Mission Viejo and Centennial of Corona, and has wins over San Juan Hills, Vista Murrieta and Heritage of Romoland. Heritage upset Cajon last week. Orange Lutheran has the veteran quarterback in this one, South Carolina-committed senior Ryan Hilinski. That is a major advantage for the Lancers.

Winner: Orange Lutheran

No. 1 Mater Dei (4-1) vs. No. 8 Servite (3-1)

Where, when: Santa Ana Stadium, Friday, 7 p.m.

Live streaming: foxsports.com/west/prep-zone

Analysis: This is Servite’s home game because Servite and Cerritos College could not agree on the rental fee for Servite’s usual home stadium, Falcon Stadium at Cerritos College. That gives Mater Dei an advantage it does not need. The Monarchs looked good enough to win another state championship last week in their 28-24 win over IMG Academy of Florida. Servite might be the sixth-best team in the six-team Trinity League. That’s not a knock on Servite – the Friars are good enough to win the championship of about 95 percent of the leagues in the CIF-Southern Section, and they will as always fight to the end in this game. Sports are all about matchups, and Mater Dei has matchup advantages all over the field.

Winner: Mater Dei

South Coast League

No. 11 San Clemente (2-4, 0-0) vs. No. 13 Tesoro (4-2, 0-0)

Where, when: Tesoro High, Friday, 7 p.m.

Live streaming: foxsports.com/west/prep-zone

Analysis: San Clemente and La Habra are the two best sub-.500 teams in O.C. football. The teams the Tritons have lost to are 16-4. They got a good win last week, 31-24 over Edison. San Clemente’s Oklahoma State-committed senior quarterback Brendan Costello passed for 179 yards and rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown against Edison. Tesoro’s offense had a nice three-game run going until it got stuck in the mud the past two weeks in losses to San Juan Hills and Los Alamitos. It looks like San Clemente has its mojo back.

Winner: San Clemente

No. 20 El Toro  (4-2, 0-0) vs. No. 2 Mission Viejo (6-0, 0-0)

Where, when: Mission Viejo High, Friday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: El Toro’s wins are over teams that are a combined 4-19. The Chargers’ losses are to teams that are 8-2, including a 56-6 loss to Villa Park last week. Mission Viejo beat Villa Park 28-13. Diablos quarterback Joey Yellen leads O.C. in passing yardage with 1,727. He will not be the best player on the field, though. That will be Mission Viejo defensive back/receiver Akili Arnold who will do about 238 things to help his team win again.

Winner:  Mission Viejo

Sunset League

No. 5 Los Alamitos (4-1, 0-0) vs. No. 21 Fountain Valley (4-1, 0-0)

Where, when: Huntington Beach High, Friday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: Los Alamitos emerged as the Sunset League favorite after beating Long Beach Poly four weeks ago (and if you say Corona del Mar is the league favorite, that’s justified). Fountain Valley was 4-0 before a loss to undefeated Adelanto two weeks ago. The Barons, who have one of the county’s better quarterbacks in Josh Stupin (his 1,336 passing yards is seventh-most in the county), have not played a team as good as Los Alamitos. Look for the Griffins to put pressure on Stupin and get the win.

Winner: Los Alamitos

No. 25 Huntington Beach (4-1, 0-0) vs. Newport Harbor (3-1-1, 0-0)

Where, when: Newport Harbor High, Friday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: Huntington Beach’s only loss was a close one, 10-7 to Long Beach Wilson when Oilers running back Arick McLawyer (541 rushing yards) was injured and unable to play. It’s nice to see Newport Harbor with a winning record after going 2-8 last season. None of the Sailors’ wins, though, is against an upper-division team. We can expect McLawyer to get plenty of carries as Huntington Beach goes the ball-control route to get a league-opening win.

Winner: Huntington Beach

Sea View League

Trabuco Hills (1-5, 0-0) vs. No. 14 San Juan Hills (3-3, 0-0)

Where, when: San Juan Hills High, Friday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: San Juan Hills got a good win two weeks ago, 7-6 over Tesoro and followed with a 24-0 triumph over Great Oak of Temecula last week. The Stallions are the favorites in the Sea View, with Aliso Niguel also a contender. Trabuco Hills has lost three in a row to fine teams El Toro, Capistrano Valley and Sunny Hulls. That’s OK. What’s not OK is that the Mustangs gave up 56 points to El Toro, 55 to Capistrano Valley and 61 to Sunny Hills. That can’t be good for Trabuco’s team morale.

Winner: San Juan Hills

Freeway League

Fullerton (2-3, 0-0) vs. No. 12 La Habra (1-4, 0-0)

Where, when: La Habra High, Friday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: Fullerton lost to El Modena 17-0 three weeks ago. That was predictable. But nobody could have predicted the Indians would get shellacked by Brea Olinda 62-34 like they did in their most recent game. Fullerton, coming of its bye week, could lose by a similarly large margin in this one. La Habra is a “don’t pay attention to the record” team. The Highlanders’ losses are to teams that are a combined 17-4. They got a much-needed win over Diamond Ranch 31-10 two weeks ago before taking their bye last week. Fullerton will finish third in the league, which could be good for a trip to the Division 6 playoffs. (It’s difficult to know now if there will be room in the Division 6 bracket for all of the division’s No. 3 teams.) La Habra is about to go 5-0 in league.

Winner: La Habra

Empire League

Pacifica (2-3, 0-0) vs. Cypress (2-3, 0-0)

Where, when: Western High, Friday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: Back in mid-August, this game looked like it would decide the league champion. Valencia has established itself as the best team in the Empire League. Cypress and Pacifica have been in the Orange County top 25. But injuries and tough opponents have been hard on these teams. Cypress and Pacifica might still be getting adjusted, too, to new players at important positions. This is going to be a close game. Cypress might get enough timely turnovers to make the Centurions the winners.

Winner: Cypress

Nonleague

Western (4-1) vs. No. 19 Garden Grove (5-0)

Where, when: Garden Grove High, Friday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: Boxing people often talk about a fight being “a mixture of styles” – one boxer is a jab-and-move guy, the other is a slugger. This game is a mixture of styles. Western has one of the county’s premier passers, Anthony Munoz. Munoz’s 1,684 passing yards is second-most in O.C. (behind Mission Viejo’s Yellen), he is averaging 16 yards a completion and 335 passing yards a game, and he has 24 touchdown passes with only one interception. Garden Grove has the county’s leading rusher Mike Carrillo who has collected 880 yards and is averaging 176 rushing yards a game and 11 yards a carry. Garden Grove is the best defensive team Western will play this year. The Argonauts will lean on that defense and Carrillo will keep the chains moving as they improve to 6-0.

Winner: Garden Grove

Fryer on football: last week 11-0, season 49-17

Fryer vs. Albano: Week 6 predictions

Other Week 6 games

FRIDAY

(7 p.m. unless noted)

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Dana Hills at Laguna Hills

FREEWAY LEAGUE

Sunny Hills at Buena Park

Sonora vs. Troy at Fullerton High

ORANGE LEAGUE

Santa Ana Valley vs. Katella at Glover Stadium

Magnolia at Century

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Woodbridge at Irvine

Northwood at University

EMPIRE LEAGUE

Kennedy at Tustin

GARDEN GROVE LEAGUE

Los Amigos vs. La Quinta at Bolsa Grande High

OLYMPIC LEAGUE

Village Christian vs. Whittier Christian at Whittier College

ACADEMY LEAGUE

Firebaugh vs. Capistrano Valley Christian at San Clemente High

Fairmont Prep at Ribet Academy

NONLEAGUE

Bellflower vs. Godinez at Santa Ana Valley High

Esperanza at El Modena

Canyon at Brea Olinda

El Dorado at Yorba Linda

Laguna Beach vs. Marina at Westminster High

Artesia at Segerstrom

Westminster at Ocean View

St. Margaret’s at Santa Fe Christian

8-man football

EXPRESS LEAGUE

Sage Hill at Avalon, 5 p.m.

SATURDAY

ORANGE COAST LEAGUE

Saddleback vs. Orange at El Modena High

This November, California voters will be presented with, among other things, requests to approve $16 billion in funds for what certainly seem like noble efforts.

One of the most eye catching is Proposition 4, the Children’s Hospital Bond Act, which requests $1.5 billion in bonds to help finance the construction, expansion and renovation of children’s hospitals.

Backed by the California Children’s Hospital Association, the measure would cost the public $2.9 billion with interest, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Ann-Louise Kuhns, president and CEO of CCHA, told us that while children’s hospitals are able to raise significant sums of money through fundraising, it’s difficult to raise enough to cover all infrastructure needs

While we appreciate the fact that raising $1.5 billion in bonds will make it easier for children’s hospitals to meet their construction and renovation goals, we question the wisdom of relying on bonds.

If most agree the projects covered by this bond measure are truly needed, why doesn’t the state save taxpayers $1.4 billion in interest payments and make room in its ever-expanding budget to help cover the costs?

The 2018-19 budget enacted this year calls for about $140 billion in general fund spending, with another $60 billion in spending by way of special funds and bond funds.

By comparison, the general fund budget just five years before, for fiscal year 2013-14, called for about $96 billion in spending. With special and bond funds, the state’s budget was roughly $145 billion.

Clearly, California’s leaders have no problem spending lots of money. They set new spending records every year.

Meanwhile, the state anticipates spending up to $100 billion for a high-speed rail project that should’ve been canceled years ago.

If the state made better choices and prioritized services and projects the public needs, there’d be no need to consider Proposition 4.

While we encourage people to donate to children’s hospitals, they should vote no on Prop. 4.