Even without the likes of Vance Spafford and Jeron Jones, Mission Viejo won one of high school football's most prestigious passing tournaments.
New year, new faces, same old Mission Viejo football.
4-star senior quarterback and Ohio State commit Luke Fahey led the way without most of his familiar running mates as the Diablos won Edison's Battle at the Beach passing tournament on Saturday, July 12.
In 2024, five of Mission Viejo's six leading receivers were seniors. The exception was their very top receiver, 4-star Miami commit Vance Spafford, who had team-bests of 57 catches for 1,017 yards and 14 touchdowns. But even Spafford wasn't available on Saturday due to illness. And 4-star cornerback Jeron Jones (Washington) and safety Zachary Foeldi, both of whom grabbed three interceptions in 2024, were two of a handful of top defensive players out with injuries.
But the Diablos got it done anyway. Their top players besides Fahey included 3-star running back Davonte Curtis, promising junior receiver Luke Karby, blue chip sophomore corner Jordan Hicks, and 3-star linebacker Brady Bowman.
To reach the finals, Mission Viejo won its bracket over Servite, Millikan, Corona del Mar, and Cathedral Catholic, held off JSerra and Cathedral in the quarterfinals and semifinals, and cruised past Mission Hills 23-6 for the title.
Triple Crown champs @missionfootball beats Mission Hills 23~6 pic.twitter.com/YYEdGskPxa
— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) July 12, 2025
Mission Viejo doesn't have as many national recruits as usual this season, and missing a handful of its premier players wasn't enough to stop the team from winning one of the nation's preeminent high school football passing tournaments. It's unclear exactly how high the Diablos potential is for the 2025 season, but health permitting, you can bet the house that they'll be good enough to be relevant at a national level – as always.
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Category: General Sports
