MISSION VIEJO – Summer ended and fall began at Mission Viejo High School on Monday.
Monday was the first practice day for Orange County high school football teams that play their 2025 season-opening games the week of Aug. 21-23.
Summer 7-on-7 passing tournaments and linemen competitions started in June and continued through mid-July, but the “first official day of football practice,” as the CIF Southern Section words it, was Monday.
The day started early at Mission Viejo, with player-coach meetings at 7:30 a.m. The players started to matriculate to the school’s on-campus stadium for their on-field work at 8:20 a.m. Stretching began at 8:30 and various drills followed under a welcomed early-morning marine layer.
Music, starting with Michael Jackson’s “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” and later the Commodores’ “Brick House” and more, added to the energy.
Quarterback Luke Fahey, a senior who was All-Alpha League first team last season and an Ohio State commit, threw to receivers short and long, and offered instruction to receivers to make sure they were running the correct routes. He led Mission Viejo to great success during the summer passing tournaments, including the championship of the Battle at the Beach at Edison High.
Senior receiver Vance Spafford’s work was limited to a few routes. Spafford, All-Orange County first team for a second year in a row last season, is recovering from mononucleosis that kept him out of summer passing activity.
Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson said Spafford’s progress is such that the University of Miami commit could be cleared later this week to resume full participation.
All-County second-team defensive lineman JD Hill (6-2, 270) wore a plain black T-shirt and beige sweatpants to Monday morning’s workouts, which drew some good-natured ridicule from an assistant coach because every other player was in a practice jersey and more traditional football pants. Hill, committed to Northern Arizona and also Diablos basketball player, is such a jovial guy, one of those kids loved by everyone on campus, that it’s got to be difficult to ever get mad at him.
The first week of football practice is not the grueling, two-practices-a-day ordeal it was years ago. Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson, who went through all of that as an All-County player at Trabuco Hills, is fine with that because he sees it as being good for the game and its players.
“i think our sport has been under attack,” Johnson said. “Instead of letting it go into a downward spiral and having fewer kids playing football, we’ve changed the way we deal with concussions and head injuries and heat-related illnesses. This makes our sport safer and will help it survive the test of time, and for that I say ‘Bravo, we did the right thing.’ “
Helmets are the only type of protective gear that can be worn on the first three days of practice. On the fourth day, shoulder pads can be worn. A couple of days later, full gear and tackling and blocking will be added.
Mission Viejo has a big opening game to kick off the season. The Diablos play Santa Margarita on Aug. 22, a Santa Margarita home game at Trabuco Hills High. Mission Viejo is No. 14 in the MaxPreps.com preseason national rankings and Santa Margarita is No. 16.
Santa Margarita has revved up its football program, starting with the hiring of alum Carson Palmer as head coach. Palmer won the Heisman Trophy at USC before a long and fruitful NFL career.
Santa Margarita has a fine group of returnees led by All-Orange County receiver Trent Mosley who will be a senior this school year. The Eagles got a transfer with outstanding potential, senior quarterback Trace Johnson (6-0, 180), who passed for 6,366 yards 64 touchdowns over his two years of varsity football in Florida. He has committed to Tulane.
Mission Viejo has plenty of work to do to get ready its season opener, work that officially got underway Monday.