The top players and season outlook for all four teams in the Big 4 League.
BIG 4 LEAGUE
GARDEN GROVE
Top players: Malachi Bey, RB/LB, Sr.; Jonas Boateng, WR, Sr.; Dominick Brito, WR/DB, Sr.; Isaac Garcia, QB/LB, Sr.; Isaac Guerrero, OL/DL, Sr.; Mykel Isguerra, RB/LB, Sr.; Malik Peah, OL/DL, Jr.
What to expect: The Argonauts have a large supply of returning players from last year’s team that was 7-4 overall and shared the Big 4 League championship with Segerstrom with their 2-1 league records. They have nine returnees on offense and seven on defense. Malachi Bey (5-8, 175) was the league player of the year as a junior last season when he rushed for 1,249 yards and 19 touchdowns. Bey, No. 76 on the the Register’s Hot 150 list of Orange County’s top football players, will continue to play multiple positions. Ricardo Cepeda, in his ninth season as the Garden Grove coach, said Bey also will play quarterback this season. Cepeda expects Bey and Mykel Isguerra to lead a solid running game that will benefit from an experienced offensive line led by Isaac Guerrero and Malik Peah. The defensive line will be good, too; Peah had a team-high 5.5 sacks in 2021. Garden Grove might have a rotation at quarterback unless someone separates himself as the No. 1 player at the position.
KATELLA
Top players: Gabriel Dawson, RB/CB, Sr.; Marques Guzman, WR/DB, Jr.; Daniel Viramontes, FB/DE, Sr.; Ray Perez, LB/HB, Sr.; Isaac Diaz, QB, Sr.; DeQuan Green, TE/DL, Sr.
What to expect: It’s easy to focus on what the Knights lost via transfer but that doesn’t do the team justice. Yes, starting quarterback Daunte Bell (6-5, 210) transferred to Huntington Beach but Katella returns an intriguing blend of speed and skill from a team that reached the second round of the Division 10 playoffs last season. Gabriel Dawson returns as one of the best running backs in Orange County after rushing for 1,209 yards last season. He also had 33 receptions and six interceptions. Junior Marques Guzman is another speed-burner to watch. The wide receiver/defensive back won the 200 meters (22.55 seconds) in the Golden West League track finals in the spring. And count tight end DeQuan Green and wide receiver William Leapart as under-the-radar weapons. On defense, the Knights have a pair of tough linebackers in seniors Daniel Viramontes and Ray Perez, who combined for 167 tackles last season. The team will turn to improving senior Isaac Diaz at quarterback. If the Knights’ speedy players find their stride and the team stays healthy, they’ll be a scary foe in league.
MARINA
Top players: Peter Kim, QB, Sr.; Rune Mickelson, TE/LB, Sr.; Payton Ekstedt, WR, Jr.; Noah Vaafuti, LT/C/DE, Sr.; Shawn Phillips, OLB/TE, Sr.; Luke Lastra, WR/CB, Sr.
What to expect: The Vikings, coming off a 3-7 season, aim to contend in the Big 4 League with offensive improvements and a solid group of linebackers. Former St. Anthony coach Mario Morales takes the reins as offensive coordinator and is one of three key assistant coaches added on the offense. Quarterback Peter Kim has a trio of strong receivers in Luke Lastra, Ty Green and Payton Ekstedt. The group looks to pick up the slack left by the transfer of top returning wide receiver Aidan O’Callaghan to Servite. The Vikings also are counting on their depth at tight end and running back Anthony Fabian. Marina added Noah Vaafuti (6-4, 275), a transfer from Long Beach Wilson, to the offensive and defensive lines. “He looks great,” Marina coach Jeff Turley said. The Vikings’ defense lost middle linebacker and leading returning tackler Grant Benton, who has decided not to play, Turley said. But the ninth-year coach is excited about linebackers Shawn Phillips (6-4, 200), Rune Mickelson (6-4, 230) and promising sophomore Jake Russell (6-3, 215). If Marina rises to the challenges of its nonleague schedule, keep an eye on the Vikings in league.
SEGERSTROM
Top players: Noble Acosta, RB/DB, Jr.; Jalen Cervantes, TE/DE, Sr.; MJ Leuma WR/DL, Sr.; Mokey Leuma, RB/LB, Jr.; Brian Silva, OL/DL, Sr.; Noah Tagaloa, RB/LB, So.; Isaiah Valdivia, RB/LB.
What to expect: The Jaguars return many players from last season’s team that shared the Big 4 League championship with Garden Grove, including seven starters on defense. Segerstrom was 4-7 overall and 2-1 in league. Jalen Cervantes (6-1, 230) was the league’s lineman of the year in 2021. Noah Tagaloa, son of seventh-year coach Joseph Tagaloa, rushed for 110 yards on 26 carries as a freshman last season. He will get the large majority of the carries this season. Bryan Silva (6-1, 245) leads the reliable offensive line at left tackle. Segerstrom has seven returning starters on defense where the new players, Tagaloa said, “are as good as last year’s guys, if not better.” The Jaguars have inexperienced sophomore Jesse Lopez assigned to play quarterback. Tagaloa said Lopez has the skills and only needs experience to play at a high level.
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