All-County Football 2025: Luke Fahey is the offensive player of the year

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ALL-ORANGE COUNTY FOOTBALL 2025

Offensive Player of the Year: Luke Fahey, Mission Viejo, Senior

A wide receivers group that lost its top returner to injury. An offensive line with one returning starter and no seniors.

From an outside perspective, those appeared to be trials this fall for Mission Viejo quarterback Luke Fahey.

But internally, he saw his cast of football teammates much differently.

“I was super blessed,” Fahey said of his supporting cast. “Those guys played their hearts out for me and I have so much respect for them.”

It was that type of positive, team-oriented approach by Fahey that fueled the Diablos this season.

“To me, his leadership is what sets him apart,” Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson said of Fahey. “He was the best leader I have had in 25 years of doing this.”

“It was his leadership,” Johnson added, “that allowed us to do what we did offensively without our record-setting wide receiver, a brand new offensive line without one senior on it and new tight ends.”

Fahey, who signed with Ohio State in early December, completed 71 percent of his passes for 3,199 yards and 25 touchdowns in leading the Diablos (9-2) to the Alpha League title and the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs.

He also rushed for 340 yards and six touchdowns for a squad that spent much of the season ranked No. 1 in Orange County and beat three section champions, including two that became California state champions.

Fahey tossed a spectacular 33-yard touchdown while on the run to Jack Junker in a season-opening victory, 7-3, against Santa Margarita, the eventual CIF-SS Division 1 and CIF State Open Division champion.

Two weeks later, Fahey passed for 323 yards and five TDs in a 53-14 triumph against QB Ryder Lyons (BYU) and Folsom, the eventual state Division I-AA champion.

Fahey capped his run to Alpha League MVP by throwing for a school-record 569 yards and five touchdowns in a 76-49 win against Los Alamitos, the Division 2 champion in the Southern Section.

Mission Viejo played much of the season without injured receiver Vance Spafford, who signed with Miami.

Fahey praised targets such as Junker, Luke Karby, KJ Woodbury Jr. and Carson Vandermade for “stepping up.” He said the same about his linemen.

“It was a really remarkable and fun year,” Fahey said. “Of course, it didn’t go the way we wanted in our last game, losing to Mater Dei (in the playoffs), but other than that, the season was one to remember.”