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Cypress Coach Rick Feldman leads his squad in a game last season. (Photo courtesy Cypress football).
It all comes down to one game Thursday night for the Empire League championship as two undefeated teams, Cypress and Crean Lutheran, clash for the league title.
Kick-off is at 7 p.m. at Crean Lutheran’s on-campus stadium.
Both teams are 9-0 overall and 4-0 in league play and have qualified for the CIF playoffs, most likely in two different divisions.
Cypress, coached by Rick Feldman, is the defending league champion and has won a share of the title three years in a row.
The Centurions, ranked ninth in this week’s poll by OC Varsity, rolled through league competition, defeating Tustin 44-20, Pacifica 50-7, Kennedy 56-17 and Valencia 41-20.
“We feel fortunate to be 9-0, considering the schedule that we have played,” Feldman said.
Cypress also had non-league victories over San Juan Hills, Western, Foothill and Capistrano Valley.
The Centurions have been led by quarterback Aidan Houston, who earned the job after a strong summer and fall. Cypress has plenty of offensive weapons.
“Aidan Houston has had a great year throwing and running,” Feldman said. “Trevor Monteleone has been great on both sides of the field. Matthew Morrell has been special for the third year in a row. Rocco Burdett (linebacker), Jesse Mauldin (defensive back) and Nate Schneider (linebacker) have stood out on defense.
“Blake Cousimano (wide receiver) and linemen Elijah Gomez, Hayden Frazier and Matt Fonseca have played well on offense.”
Crean Lutheran is having its best season in years under Coach Rick Curtis.
The Saints last league title came in 2015 when they captured the Academy League title. Crean Lutheran, tied with Capistrano Valley for 25th in the county rankings, defeated Kennedy 42-7, Valencia 35-14, Pacifica 35-7 and behind quarterback Gavin Rogers, rallied for a 29-28 victory in overtime over Tustin Friday night.
“Cypress has been the kingpin for several years now in the Empire League,” Curtis said. “Cypress is a large school, they have excellent athletes and they are well-coached. It has been a winning combination for quite some time under the direction of head coach, Rick Feldman.
“Obviously, it is a very big challenge for us with them coming in ranked No. 9 in Orange County and with us cracking the top 25 for the first time in school history.
“The key to our winning the game is for us to slow down their big-play offense and for us to take care of the ball and be efficient on offense. Our kids and coaching staff have embraced the challenge and we are excited about this championship game.”
The Saints have earned respect from Feldman.
“Crean Lutheran is also 9-0 and this should be a great championship game,” Feldman said. “They are well coached, have outstanding skill players and are tough up front. We are going to have to play our best game if we want to win the league.”
CIF playoff pairings are scheduled to be released Sunday and Feldman said, “if the playoffs started today, we would be in the middle of Dvision 4.”
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
