Season Preview: Big West Lower
PREP FOOTBALL 2023
BIG WEST LOWER LEAGUE PREVIEW
(Records in parenthesis)
Great Oak (6-5, 4-1) was able to escape with a 13-7 win over Murrieta Mesa in Week 8 last year but it’s going to be a different story this season. The offense is senior QB Cole Vasquez’s to run but he lost four of his five top receivers to graduation. There’s hope senior RB Jefferson Roberts steps up to provide some balance.
Murrieta Mesa (6-5, 4-1) dropped three of its first four games in 2022 so a strong start this season is imperative. One big problem, the Rams’ nonleague schedule is probably tougher than it was last year. If he can get his TD-to-INT ratio trending toward the positive, junior QB Julian Silva is going to be a problem.
Temecula Valley (6-5, 3-2) was competitive in all but two games last season (blowout losses to Centennial in Week 4 and to Alemany in the playoffs). Coach Bert Esposito has swapped Brown and Yellow for Teal and Black, however.
Santiago (2-8, 2-3) struggled in Scott Morrison’s eighth and final year as coach, so now Esposito enters with a new perspective on being the city’s No. 2 team.
Riverside King (6-6, 2-3) advanced the deepest into the CIF-Southern Section playoffs of any Big West Lower team last season but will that translate in 2023?
Corona (0-5, 0-10) continues to make folks wonder why the school still has a football program.
PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH:
Murrieta Mesa
Santiago
Temecula Valley
Riverside King
Great Oak
Corona
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
LB Derek Castellon, Jr., Santiago
LB/DE Cole Holt, Sr., Temecula Valley
ATH C.J. Moran, Sr., Murrieta Mesa
QB Julian Silva, Sr. Murrieta Mesa
SS Talon Solis, Jr., Great Oak
QB Cole Vasquez, Sr. Great Oak
PROMINENT GAMES:
Aug. 24 — Rancho Verde at Santiago, 7 p.m.
Sept. 9 — Riverside Poly at Riverside King, 7 p.m.
Oct. 12 — Santiago at Temecula Valley, 7 p.m.
Oct. 13 — Murrieta Mesa at Great Oak, 7 p.m.
INLAND FIELDHOUSE 