Buena Park's Jaylinn Hawkins and San Clemente's Sam Darnold meet in the Super Bowl

Orange County had a player on both sidelines of the Super Bowl. Buena Park native Jaylinn Hawkins was representing on defense for the New England Patriots, while San Clemente's Sam Darnold was leading the Seattle Seahawks at quarterback.

Juice Unlocked flagged the OC matchup on the evening of Feb. 8, 2026, and put the question straight to followers: who do you got?

Two OC natives, one game

With the two on opposite teams, one Orange County native was guaranteed to end the season as a champion. For local fans, the pick came down to more than team loyalty: Buena Park in north county against San Clemente in south county.

The post's graphic paired Hawkins in a Patriots No. 21 jersey with Darnold in Seahawks blue, football in hand, under the headline that both were in the Super Bowl.