How Harvard-Westlake Stacks Up in the Mission League

Harvard-Westlake High’s football team made a big step up last year from the Del Rey League to the highly regarded Mission League, and the result was a 2-7-1 overall record, including a last-place finish and losses in the final six games of the season.

So as the Wolverines, plagued by a series of bad-luck injuries last year, head into their second season in the Mission League, the obvious goal is to be more competitive. But will it happen?

Chad Kanoff, a junior returning quarterback, believes Harvard-Westlake is going to be better.

“I think we’ll be good,” Kanoff said. “It’s like a whole new team because we lost a lot of seniors, so we’re pretty young, but I think we can. Last year, we lost a lot of games, but a lot of them were close. I just think we have a better shot this year.”

Some of Harvard-Westlake’s other top players are running back Jamias Jones, receivers Clinton Hooks and Chris Sebastian, running back Corry King, defensive backs Charlie Porter and Cameron Komisar, offensive linemen Tommy Oser and Ducan Shalfot, defensive linemen Andrew Green, Wade Clement and Dave Winfield, linebackers Richard Chung and Connor Kalantarid and kicker Jack Klempo.

But how will Harvard-Westlake measure up to the others in the Mission League. While the league might not be quite as strong as last year, it’s still tough from top to bottom, and it’s going to be hard to keep pace – though not impossible.

Here’s a rundown of some of the rest of the league, starting with the favorites:

You have to start with Serra. It’s hard to pick against the Cavaliers considering they’re 61-7 over the past five seasons, including consecutive CIF State Bowl appearances the past two years.

Overall, defending league and Western Division champion Serra returns seven starters, three on offense, and until someone knocks off the Cavs, they’ve got to be considered a strong favorite. Some of the top players are receiver/defensive back Raymond Ford, linebacker Patrick Wooten and 6-3, 275-pound defensive lineman Kris Cooper.

Chaminade reached the Western semifinals last year, and most of the key players are back, including quarterback Logan Scott, star running back Terrell Newby, receivers Brenden McKinney and Elijah Dunston, and the entire starting offensive lineman, including top prospect Taylor Hindy.

The Eagles, coached by Ed Croson, have a lot going for them, and they’ll be tough to beat.

St. Francis should be strong, too, as the Golden Knights have been bolstered by transfer quarterback Jared Lebowitz, a highly regarded junior. He’s 6-3 with advanced skills, and he figures to make a strong impact.

Some of St. Francis other top players include returning All-Southern Section receiver/defensive back Travis Talienko, along with linebackers Ryan McAleenan, receiver/defensive back Christian Hess and receiver/defensive back Parker Nieves.

The others are Cathedral and St. Paul, both traditionally strong programs.

Cathedral has a top quarterback in Hayden Rettig, who passed for 2,217 yards and 17 touchdowns last season.

St. Paul is no cupcake either, as eight returners are back on offense and eight on defense. The top names are running back/defensive back Michael Ortega, quarterback Paul Telles and 6-4, 280-pound offensive lineman Cristian Garcia.