SAN CLEMENTE (8-2) VS. ESPERANZA (7-3)
Site, time: Valencia High, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Outlook: San Clemente finished third in the South Coat League, with a 3-2 league record. The Tritons’ losses were to Tesoro and Mission Viejo. San Clemente’s passing game is among the county’s best. Graham Tenney leads Orange County in receptions with 69, for 913 yards and eight touchdowns. Quarterback Duke DeLancellotti is 153 for 256, for 1,963 yards.
Esperanza finished in a five-way tie in the Sunset League. At a draw of team names to break the tie, Esperanza’s name was pulled first from a bowl to make the Aztecs the league’s No. 1 playoff representative, which guaranteed them a first-round home game. Esperanza concluded the regular season with a 16-3 victory over Edison, after losing back-to-back games to Los Alamitos and Newport Harbor. The Aztecs’ defense has been excellent at times. Their offensive leader is running back Jared Moore, with 1,016 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. The winner of this game plays the winner of Bishop Amat of La Puente-Long Beach Poly in the second round. Poly is the division’s top-seeded team
LOYOLA OF LOS ANGELES (6-4) VS. MISSION VIEJO (9-1)
Site, time: Mission Viejo High, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Outlook: Loyola finished second in the Serra League, with a 2-1 league record in the four-team league. The Cubs beat Crespi of Encino and Bishop Amat of La Puente in league, and lost to Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks. Loyola running back Anthony Barr has rushed for 1,458 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Mission Viejo finished second in the South Coast League. The Diablos’ only loss was to Tesoro, in a league game. They won their final four league games. Their high-scoring offense is averaging 45 points a game. Cal-bound quarterback Allan Bridgford is second in Orange County in passing yardage, with 2,509 yards and has completed 62 percent of his throws. He has thrown a county-high 35 touchdown passes. Kevin Chandler leads the county in reception yardage with 1,276 on 67 receptions. The winner of this game plays the winner of Lakewood-Servite in the second round.
LAKEWOOD (4-6) VS. SERVITE (7-3)
Site, time: Cerritos College, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Outlook: Lakewood is the No. 4 representative from the seven-team Moore League (seven-team leagues get four guaranteed berths in the CIF-SS playoffs). The Lances forfeited its first four games, all victories, when it was discovered that running back Jerry Stone played in those games while academically ineligible. Stone became eligible, and has 916 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Quarterback Jesse Scroggins is 137 for 247, for 1,944 yards and 19 touchdowns with seven interceptions.
Fourth-seeded Servite finished in a three-way tie, with Mater Dei and Orange Lutheran, for first place in the Trinity League then won a coin flip that designated the Friars as the league’s No. 1 playoff representative. Servite lost its league opener to Mater Dei then won its final four league games, including victories over St. John Bosco and Orange Lutheran. Servite running back Gregory Portis has rushed for 1,343 yards and 11 touchdowns. Quarterback Cody Fajardo has passed for 1,389 yards. The winner of this game plays the Loyola-Mission Viejo winner in the second round.
LOS ALAMITOS (8-2) VS. TESORO (10-0)
Site, time: Tesoro High, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Outlook: Los Alamitos was part of the five-way tie in the Sunset League. Its name was drawn third from the bowl of team names, which made the Griffins the league’s No. 3 playoff representative. Los Alamitos lost two of its final three league games, to Newport Harbor and Fountain Valley. The Griffins beat Edison, Marina and Esperanza in league, and defeated La Habra and Narbonne in nonleague games.
Los Alamitos quarterback Clark Evans is 131 for 220, for 1,944 yards. He also has rushed for 820 yards and 11 touchdowns. Third-seeded Tesoro went 5-0 in the South Coast League, for the second year in a row, to take the league championship. The Titans beat Mission Viejo and San Clemente in league games, and Fountain Valley in a nonleague game.
Titans quarterback Robbie Picazo is 131 for 208, for 2,094 yards. Receiver Preston King, also an outstanding defensive back, has 55 catches for 922 yards and nine touchdowns. The winner of this game plays the Long Beach Jordan-Mater Dei winner in the second round.
LONG BEACH JORDAN (7-3) VS. MATER DEI (7-3)
Site, time: Santa Ana Stadium, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Outlook: Jordan finished in a three-way tie, with Compton and Lakewood, for second in the seven-team Moore League. The results of a three-way coin flop made Jordan’s Panthers the league’s No. 2 playoff representative. Jordan lost to top-seeded Long Beach Poly, 29-13, in the regular-season finale. Panthers quarterback John Timu has thrown for 924 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Mater Dei finished in a three-way tie, with Lutheran and Servite, for first in the Trinity League. Coin flips made the Monarchs the league’s No. 2 playoff representative. Mater Dei went 4-1 in league, including victories over Servite and St. John Bosco and a loss to Lutheran. The Monarchs’ other losses were to Centennial of Corona and to Edison. Mater Dei’s USC-bound quarterback Matt Barkley is 159 for 277, for 2,502 yards and 20 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. Running back Jaron Hytche has rushed for 1,123 yards and 22 touchdowns. The winner of this game plays the Los Alamitos-Tesoro winner in the second round.
ORANGE LUTHERAN (8-2) VS. FOUNTAIN VALLEY (7-3)
Site, time: Orange Coast College, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Outlook: Orange Lutheran was part of the three-way tie for first place in the Trinity League. A series of coin flips made the Lancers the league’s No. 3 playoff representative. They beat Mater Dei and lost to Servite in league games. Their other loss was to Bishop Amat in a nonleague game. Lutheran quarterback Bobby Wheatley is 137 for 202, for 1,534 yards and eight touchdowns with five interceptions. Receiver Scotty Williams has 46 catches for 609 yards and four touchdowns.
Fountain Valley finished 3-2 in the Sunset League, as did four other teams. A draw of team names from a bowl resulted in the Barons’ designation as the league’s No. 2 playoff representative. The Barons beat Newport Harbor, Marina and Los Alamitos in league games, and lost to Edison and Esperanza. Their other loss was to Tesoro in a nonleague game. Fountain Valley junior running back Kyle Middlebrooks has rushed for 1,498 yards and 20 touchdowns, and is averaging 7.8 yards a carry. The winner of this game plays the Compton-Notre Dame of Sheman Oaks winner in the second round.
- STEVE FRYER/The Register
MORE CIF FOOTBALL PLAYOFF CAPSULES:
MORE ON FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS:
- Steve Fryer’s CIF football playoff predictions
- CIF football playoff brackets for all O.C. teams
- CIF playoff brackets - Non-O.C. teams
- The Calhoun Six: Best first-round playoff games
- Breaking down O.C. playoff divisions
