The Los Alamitos football team had 19 players last season who received All-Sunset League recognition.
Seven of the 19 players were seniors, the other 12 were non-seniors.
Of those 12 non-seniors, only four are on the Los Alamitos roster for the 2024 season.
Kapono Mao, who was a Sunset League offensive lineman of the year and All-Orange County second team as a junior in 2023, transferred to Long Beach Millikan.
Others who also transferred to Millikan during the offseason are running back Anthony League (Cal commit), cornerback Josh Tuchek (Arizona commit) and offensive lineman Maki Stewart (Arizona State commit).
League, Tuchek and Stewart were all-league first team last season as juniors.
Carson Clark, an all-league first-team receiver last year as a sophomore, transferred to St. John Bosco. Ivrick Carrigan, all-league first team as a sophomore linebacker last season, is now at Santa Margarita. Zion Scrivens, all-league second team offensive lineman in ‘23, is at Loyola.
Sunset League 2023 defensive lineman of the year Manoah Faupasa, who was also All-County second team last season as a sophomore, is now at St. Ignatius Prep in San Francisco.
The four all-league returners for Los Alamitos are quarterback Alonzo Esparza, a Cal commit who was Sunset League MVP last season and All-Orange County first team last season as a junior, senior linebacker Jackson Raguse, junior multi-position player Lenny Ibarra and senior running back Jerod Terry, who stood out as a receiver and running back last year.
Despite the departures, Los Alamitos coach Ray Fenton is enthusiastic about the Griffins’ roster.
“I really like what we have,” said Fenton, who is especially excited about Esparza, a dual-threat quarterback.
“He is competitive and he has all the tools,” Fenton said. “His competitive fire is unmatched.”
Another top contributor for the Griffins could be Beckham Hofland, a junior tight end who recently landed an offer from Texas Tech.
Fenton used the word “accountability” to describe what he sees as the Griffins’ chief asset. The players have impressed him by doing everything they have been required to do in the offseason with minimal prodding from the coaching staff.
Los Alamitos this coming season will be in the Alpha League with Edison, Mission Viejo and San Clemente and has another challenging nonleague schedule.
New league alignments will be in place in Orange County for the 2024 football season, with the exception of the Trinity League that maintains the same six-team membership it has had since the league began in 2006.
