Just how big of a recruit is Monrovia (Calif.) defensive tackle Ellis McCarthy? The Wildcats hosted Glendora (Calif.) in a Thursday night game and two coaches a piece from USC and UCLA were on hand to check things out. Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel made the road trip as did Trojans recruiting coordinator and DL coach Ed Orgeron. Much like with AAU basketball, football coaches attend a game more to be seen by a prospective prospect than to actually scout. Both local schools, barring a collapse on the field, will likely be on the short list until signing day for the tackle.

High school games to watch

The biggest high school game out West is actually taking place on the other side of the country. Here's a preview of some of this weekend's top games.

Mission Viejo (Calif.) vs. Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep

Both teams are loaded and ranked in the top 10 in the country in the Fab 50. The Diablos are ranked No. 6 while Don Bosco is the No. 1 team in the land and is riding a 35-game winning streak.Players to watch: The Diablos have one of the states top offensive lines led by highly recruited tackle Colby Cyburt and San Diego State commit Austin Maas. Fullback Jaleel Pinner, a USC commit, is one of the states top backs and junior safety Max Redfield should be a national recruit next spring. Don Bosco is simply loaded on both sides of the ball. DB Yuri Wright is the No. 3 corner in the nation and the No. 41 player nationally in the ESPNU 150. DL Darius Hamilton is the No. 6 defensive end in the nation and No. 67 ranked player in the 150. Safety Elijah Shumate has offers from schools coast to coast including USC, UCLA, Miami, Michigan, Penn State, Georgia and about 40 others. Offensively, WR Leonte Carroo leads the way and committed to Rutgers over offers from Notre Dame, Cal, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State and several others.

Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure vs. Corona (Calif.) Centennial

These are two traditional powers that have each won state titles in the last five years and annually send multiple players to the college ranks. Players to watch: The Seraphs are led offensively by quarterback Marc Evans and sleeper running back Shaun Wick. Both players have Division I talent but are still waiting for their first offers. OL David Barajas is a three-year starter and has an offer from UCLA. The Huskies graduated a lot of talent but are strong in the trenches, led by Colorado commit Milo Jordan, one of the top defensive tackles in the region. On the offensive line, massive guard Lio Lafaele is a three-year starter and a Utah commitment.

Las Flores (Calif.) Tesoro vs. Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Santa Margarita

This game has been one of the most highly-anticipated events in Orange County for weeks and sold out a few days after tickets went on sale.Players to watch: Tesoro has a young but talented team led by one of the states top linebackers in Washington commit Blake Rodgers. WR Kyle Woolbright is a three-year starter and has an Air Force offer. The Eagles are loaded on both sides of the ball and could have the top offensive line in the state. USC commit Max Tuerk is a tremendous talent and junior OL Riley Sorenson should be a national recruit next year and has an early offer from Colorado.

Gilbert (Ariz.) Mesquite vs. Chandler (Ariz.)

This game is loaded with FBS prospects as both teams have multiple players who will play at the next level.Players to watch: Mesquite is led by RB Anthony Lopez, who just committed to Arizona earlier this week, and rushed for 1,500 yards and 21 TDs last season. Arizona State commit Kody Kohl is a talented tight end and will see time at linebacker as well. Chander is always loaded and has a pair of FBS receivers in Javon Williams and Lloyd Mills. Williams has offers from half the Pac-12 along with Arkansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma State. Mills has committed to San Diego State and Zach Hemmila is an Arizona commit and the No. 2 rated OL in the state.

Long Beach Poly (Calif.) vs. Carson Calif.)

See game to watch in the west notebook for complete details of this game.

Murphy dominant in win

San Clemente (Calif.) beat up on Fountain Valley (Calif.) Thursday night 40-13, rushing for almost 400 yards on the night. Many of those yards came from running behind standout tackle Kyle Murphy, the No. 26 player in the nation in the ESPNU 150."Kyle was brutal, he was killing people," Triton coach Jaimie Ortiz said. "When youre on the sideline watching the whole team, you cant always tell but people in the stands came down afterwards and said he was just abusing people. Thats Kyle, hes a great player and has taken his game to another level this year."USC offensive line coach James Cregg was on hand to watch Murphy. The big lineman is close to narrowing his list down to a final five and many close to his recruitment feel this could end up a USC-Stanford battle in the end.