By Joe Snyder
El Camino College’s football team will begin its 2025 season at home in a non-conference game against Santa Barbara City College on Aug. 30 at 6 p.m.
Last season, the Warriors won the National North Conference and will move to the National South Conference with Rancho Cucamonga Chaffey College, Mt. San Jacinto College of Hemet, Kearny Mesa San Diego Mesa, San Marcos (North San Diego County) Palomar, Chula Vista Southwestern, Riverside City College and Mission Viejo Saddleback.
Following Santa Barbara, which ECC was in the National North with over the past two seasons, the Warriors host College of Canyons from Valencia, another former National North rival, on Sept. 6. On Sept. 13, El Camino will visit Mt. San Antonio College, a team that eliminated the Warriors in the Southern California Regional semifinals last year, in Walnut on Sept. 13 for their non-conference finale.
ECC begins the conference at home against Chaffey on Sept. 20 before visiting Mt. San Jacinto on Sept. 27. The Warriors, then, have a Thursday game at San Diego Mesa at 7 p.m. on Oct. 9 before coming home to face Palomar on Oct. 18. El Camino is at Southwestern on Oct. 25 before returning home for a brutal contest against powerful Riverside on Nov. 1. ECC closes its regular season at Saddleback College on Nov. 8 at 1 p.m.
All games, except for against San Diego Mesa and Saddleback, begin at 6 p.m.
In high school football, Torrance High will be seeking to be in strong contention for the Pioneer League title. The Tartars appear to be in a tight race with defending three-time league champion North Torrance and Redondo.
The Tartars begin their season at top CIF-Los Angeles City Section and Marine League championship contender San Pedro on Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. Torrance, then, visits cross town rival and defending Ocean League champion West Torrance on Aug. 29 before its first home game against St. Anthony High from Long Beach on Sept. 5. Following that are two more home non-league games against Cypress on Sept. 12 and El Segundo on Sept. 19.
Torrance will start the Pioneer with a bang at Redondo, who many consider as the league favorite with several top players back from last season’s Pioneer runner-up squad and Southern Section Division IV quarterfinalist, on Oct. 3. The Tartars, then, host Rolling Hills Estates Peninsula on Oct. 10 before visiting cross town rival South Torrance on Oct. 17 and Santa Monica on Oct. 24. Torrance closes league with a brutal one against rival North Torrance on Oct. 30.
West Torrance, last year’s Ocean League champion and CIF-Southern Section Division VII semifinalist, begin at home against Torrance on Aug. 29. The Warriors, then, visit Peninsula High on Sept. 5 at 4:30 p.m. before returning home against North on Sept. 12. West hosts another cross-town rival, South Torrance, on Sept. 26 and visit Cerritos High on Oct. 2 in its non-league finale.
The Warriors begin the five-team Ocean at home against Hawthorne on Oct. 10 before visiting Beverly Hills on Oct. 17. West has its only home league game against Centennial High from Compton on Oct. 24 before closing league at El Segundo on Oct. 30. The reason for the league being down to five teams is due to the closure of Inglewood Morningside High last June.
All games, where time was not indicated, are at 7 p.m.
Carson, one of the top contenders for the CIF-L.A. City and Marine League crowns, will have a rigorous non-league schedule beginning with on the road against Villa Park High at Fred Kelley Stadium in Orange on Aug. 23. The Colts host Dorsey on Aug. 28 at 7:30 p.m., then visit a premiere Palos Verdes squad, one of the top overall teams in the CIF-Southern Section, on Sept. 5 at 3:30 p.m. Carson, then, hosts Huntington Park on Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. and North Torrance on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. before its non-league final at St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy in Downey on Sept. 26 at 7 p.m.
After a week break, the Colts open the Marine League at Gardena High on Oct. 9 at 4 p.m. Carson, then, has league home games against traditional rival Wilmington Banning (Oct. 17), Harbor City Narbonne (Oct. 24) and at San Pedro (Oct. 30). All the final three games begin at 7:30 p.m.
Due to illegal recruiting from last season, Narbonne High’s football team has been banned from postseason play for the next three seasons as well as having to forfeit its L.A. City championship win over Marine League rival San Pedro last year. The Gauchos, under first-year head coach Doug Bledsoe who replaced the controversial Malcolm Manuel (now head mentor at his alma mater high school, Long Beach Cabrillo), will continue to have a tough preseason beginning at Los Osos High in Rancho Cucamonga on Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. before hosting premiere team Los Alamitos on Aug. 28 at the same time. Narbonne is also at home against an always very good Culver City High program on Sept. 5, also at 7 p.m. The Gauchos visit Lynwood High on Sept. 12 before hosting Santa Paula from Ventura County on Sept. 19 and King-Drew Medical Magnet from Willowbrook on Sept. 26.
Narbonne begins the Marine League at home against San Pedro, which it routed 75-31 in the 2024 CIF-L.A. City Open Division Championship Game before forfeiting it due to several illegal players being used, on Oct. 3. After a week bye, the Gauchos host Gardena on Oct. 17 before visiting Carson on Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. Narbonne closes its season at Banning High in Wilmington on Oct. 30. All games with unindicated times start at 7 p.m.
Rams, Chargers show good depth in preseason
If one is dreaming of seeing the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers playing for the Super Bowl championship; both have potential to make that dream come true.
If not this season; possibly next of sometime in the near future.
Last Saturday and Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, both teams, playing with all reserves, rookies and those trying out for the teams, they both came out victorious. On Saturday, the Chargers downed the New Orleans Saints 31-21. On Sunday, the Rams began with a 27-13 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
Both teams’ reserve quarterbacks, Trey Lance of the Chargers and the Rams’ Stetson Bennett, each had fine games as head coaches Jim Harbaugh (Chargers) and Sean McVay (Rams) have high hopes if starters Justin Herbert (Chargers) and Matt Stafford (Rams) go down to injuries or other reasons. Bennett is a former all-American at University of Georgia.
Harbaugh was also pleased with the Chargers’ defense in their win over the Saints.
Both the Rams and Chargers will square off in their second preseason game on Saturday at 4 p.m. at SoFi Stadium.
The Rams have one more preseason game at Cleveland on Aug. 23 at 11 a.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) before beginning regular season play at SoFi Stadium against the Houston Texans on Sept. 7 at 1:25 p.m.
The Chargers begin their season in Sao Paulo, Brazil against their American Football League Western Conference rival and powerhouse Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 7. The Chargers, then, visit their rival Las Vegas Raiders at Legion Stadium on Monday Night Football on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. before their first regular season home game against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 21 at 1:05 p.m.
Their final preseason game is against the San Francisco 49’ers at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara on Aug. 23 at 5:30 p.m.
UCLA and University of Southern California football are preparing for the upcoming season, both with high hopes in the prestigious Big 10 Conference.
The Bruins start at home (Rose Bowl in Pasadena) against former PAC 12 foe University of Utah on Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. Utah is currently in the Big 12 Conference. UCLA, then, visits University of Nevada at Las Vegas, which is one of the colleges expected to be in “The New PAC 12” starting in the 2026-27 year, on Sept. 6 at 5 p.m. before hosting University of New Mexico on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. UCLA’s first conference game is at Northwestern University in Illinois on Sept. 27 and home Big 10 contest against Penn State University on Oct. 4.
USC begins its season at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Aug. 30 at 4:30 p.m. and the Trojans remain home against Georgia Southern on Sept. 5 at the same time. On Sept. 13, USC will visit Purdue in Indiana at 12:30 p.m. (Central Daylight Time) before coming home against Michigan State University on Sept. 20.
Here are my South Bay Top 10 prep football rankings: 1. Serra, 2. Palos Verdes, 3. Bishop Montgomery, 4. Inglewood, 5. Leuzinger, 6. Redondo, 7. Mira Costa, 8. Carson, 9. North Torrance, 10. San Pedro.
