CIF-SS FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
DIVISION 2
Los Alamitos (11-2) vs. San Clemente (9-4)
Where, when: San Clemente High, Saturday, 7 p.m.
TV: Spectrum News1
Live coverage: NFHS network
Outlook: This is a rematch of an Alpha League game that San Clemente won 28-9 on Oct. 24 at San Clemente High. Los Alamitos was 8-0 going into that game and the Tritons were 4-4.
In that game, San Clemente sophomore quarterback Preston Beck, in his third game as the starter, threw for 181 yards and three touchdowns. Junior receiver Jaxson Rex caught three touchdown passes among his eight receptions for 107 yards. Junior safety Cade Hogan had 10 solo tackles and senior defensive lineman Joshua Kerst had three sacks.
Griffins senior multi-purpose star Lenny Ibarra had eight receptions for 105 yards and rushed for 47 yards and a touchdown against San Clemente.
The Oct. 24 game was only the second time that Los Alamitos and San Clemente have played each other in football. The first Griffins-Tritons matchup was in the 2024 season when San Clemente won 28-27 in an Alpha League game.
San Clemente coach Jaime Ortiz is in his 14th season as the team’s coach. He has coached football in some capacity at the school for 33 seasons.
Los Alamitos coach Ray Fenton is in his 10th season at the school after replacing John Barnes in 2016. Fenton also was head coach at Cypress and Fountain Valley.
The previous CIF-SS football finals appearance for Los Alamitos was in 2004 when it lost to Long Beach Poly 21-6 in the Division 1 championship game at Angel Stadium.
San Clemente’s previous CIF-SS football championship game was in 2016 when the Tritons defeated Murrieta Valley 45-35 in the Division 2 final at Murrieta Valley High.
This season Los Alamitos finished third in the four-team Alpha League with a 1-2 league record. In the playoffs the Griffins beat Yorba Linda 35-28 in the first round, San Juan Hills 35-10 in the quarterfinals and Murrieta Valley 23-10 in the semifinals.
San Clemente finished second this season in the Alpha League with a 2-1 league record. The loss was to league champion Mission Viejo. In the playoffs the Tritons beat Beaumont 38-21 in the first round, Vista Murrieta 32-7 in the quarterfinals and Leuzinger 35-7 in the semifinals.
Los Alamitos is averaging 37 points a game while allowing 24 points a game. San Clemente is averaging 26 points a game while giving up 19 points a game.
San Clemente is 4-2 at its on-campus stadium this season. Los Alamitos is 7-1 in away games this season.
In this week’s Orange County Top 25, San Clemente is No. 6 and Los Alamitos is No. 7.
The winner advances to a CIF Southern California Regional game on Dec. 5 or 6. Regional games will be announced Sunday.
Prediction: Los Alamitos. The San Clemente defense is outstanding and the Tritons offense has found a gear in recent weeks. But if Los Alamitos can play with at or near the close-to-perfection level the Griffins displayed in their 35-10 win over San Juan Hills in the Division 2 quarterfinals, they will win this game.