FOOTHILL (9-1) vs. PACIFICA (5-5)
Site, time: Tustin High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Outlook: The Knights went undefeated in the Sea View League on the way to earning the No. 1 seed. Foothill lost to Dana Hills in the season opener. In its nine victories, the Knights have allowed just two teams (Santa Margarita and Northwood) to score more than 20 points. Senior linebacker Jordan Winger (94 tackles) leads the defense. Quarterback Zach Griffith has had a successful first season as a starter. Griffith passed for 2,094 yards and 17 touchdowns. Ben Douglas (720 rushing yards) and Brandon Dupre (578 receiving yards) are the playmakers.
Pacifica, a CIF Southern Division finalist last year, finished third in the Empire League this season. Quarterback Raymond Huizar (elbow) returned in the final game of the regular season against Cypress. Josh Brannon, the county’s second leading rusher with 1,842 yards, is averaging 184 yards per game.
MAGNOLIA (6-4) vs. TUSTIN (6-4)
Site, time: Tustin High, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Outlook: Tustin finished in a three-way tie for first in the Century League after losing to El Dorado in the final game of the regular season. The Tillers are led by Anthony Wilkerson is the seventh leading rusher in the county with 1,456 yards. Wilkerson has scored 21 touchdowns. Ameer Webb, will also see his share of the carries rushed for 821 yards and 11 touchdowns, giving the Tillers a feared 1-2 rushing combination.
Magnolia is making its first playoff appearance since 1985. Robert Cruz has topped the 300-yard plateau five times this season. He leads the county with 2,567 yards. The Sentinels finished second in the Orange League.
CANYON (6-4) vs. CYPRESS (7-3)
Site, time: Western High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Outlook: The Centurions, the defending Southern Division champion, finished first in the Empire League this season. Last year, Cypress finished fourth. Quarterback Max Reza (broken rib) missed last week’s game with Pacifica. Zach Ortiz filled in for Reza. Cypress outscored its final three opponents by a combined score of 124-28. Akeelie Muhammad leads the Centurions in rushing (822 yards). Defensively, Cypress has a veteran core, led by middle linebacker Vince Perry (102 tackles).
Canyon finished in a three-way tie for the Century League title, but was slotted to third after the coin flip. Canyon has the speed (Jared Gobert, Tubotein Taylor) to score from just about anywhere on the field. After losing to Tustin in Week 7, Canyon went on a three-game winning streak, outscoring its opponents by a combined 112-37. Linebacker Jay Kirschner (102 tackles) is a force on defense.
FULLERTON (8-2) vs. SANTA ANA VALLEY (6-4)
Site, time: Fullerton High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Outlook: Another matchup involving top quality running backs. Fullerton’s Michael Allain is third in the county in rushing with 1,654 yards and Darius Nacoste is fourth with 1,625 yards. The Indians finished second in the Freeway League, while the Falcons finished third in the Orange League. Fullerton advanced to the Southeast Division final last year before losing to La Habra.
The Falcons’ passing combination of quarterback Carlos Acevedo (1,281 yards and 13 touchdowns) and wide receiver Joe Garcia (554 receiving yards and nine touchdowns) has been very productive this season.
SUNNY HILLS (6-4) vs. WESTERN (8-2)
Site, time: Western High, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Outlook: Western split its four games as it played divisional foes (Canyon, Valencia, Fullerton and Tustin). After a 14-13 victory over Marina, the Pioneers went into Orange League play and outscored their five opponents 210-49. Ruben Ortega (1,231 yards, 16 touchdowns) and Mookie Cooksie (776 yards, six touchdowns) will keep the chains moving. Ortega will also play a prominent role on defense at linebacker. The Lancers finished third in the Freeway League and made the playoffs for the first time in four years. The Lancers are one of the most improved teams in the county this season. Sunny Hills went 1-8 overall and 0-4 in league last year. Brett Trump (543 yards, six touchdowns) is the leading rusher for the Lancers.
VALENCIA (8-2) vs. TRABUCO HILLS (6-4)
Site, time: Valencia High, Saturday, 7 p.m.
Outlook: The Mustangs advanced to the semifinals last year. Trabuco Hills started the season 0-3, but regrouped to win six of its final seven games. Quarterback Jason Mayer (106 of 172, 1,627 yards, 14 touchdowns) and running back Shane DeCillo (1,242 yards and nine touchdowns) lead the Mustangs. The Tigers finished second in the Empire League. Valencia went 3-0 in league after losing to Cypress. Isaac Dominguez leads the Tigers in rushing (543 yards). The Tigers’ defense is led by Julio Chavez (72 tackles) and Karsen Garcia (58 tackles and five interceptions).
EL DORADO (5-5) vs. HUNTINGTON BEACH (5-5)
Site, time: Valencia High, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Outlook: The Golden Hawks finished in a three-way tie for the Century League title. El Dorado recovered after a 1-5 start to win four consecutive games. El Dorado is the two-time defending division champion. The Golden Hawks are led by senior quarterback Kane Wilson (666 rushing yards and 1,318 passing yards). The Oilers lost their first two Sea View League games, but rallied with three consecutive victories to finish third. The offense is led by junior quarterback Sean Guite, who is seventh in the county in passing yards with 2,046.
LA HABRA (8-2) vs. ANAHEIM (5-5)
Site, time: La Habra High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Outlook: The Highlanders were last year’s Southeast Division champion. La Habra was the top-ranked team in the division until consecutive losses to Pac-5 powers Los Alamitos and San Clemente dropped it to No. 4. The Highlanders eventually made their way up to No. 2 and even drew the at-large team, which usually goes to the top seed. The Highlanders finished first in the Freeway League. Look for Joshua Quezada (1,015 yards) and Ronnie Hillman (1,538 total yards) to play key roles in the offense. The Colonists earned the lone at-large berth for the division. Anaheim finished fourth in the Orange League after losing its final two games of the season.
- DAMIAN CALHOUN/OCVarsity
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
Play-off time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good Luck 2 all teams!!!!!!!
Rumor of the day….The Fullerton football team has chickenpox approximately half the team. All the way from the quarterback down.
It is my understanding they are trying to convince CIF to move there game until they are healthy.
How long does it take for someone to get over chicken pox?
Bad timing, and to bad for the boys.
But what comes around goes around. If you know what I mean.
does nobody in fullerton get chicken pox when they’re little like the rest of the world?
Trabucho hills went all the way to final last year! not semifinal! We made to semifinal 2 years ago!
Good Luck tonight Magnolia. Wish I could be there to cheer you guys on . Let’s take it to them. Individual good luck go to Robert Cruz, Jose Pineda, Desmond Taletiga, Raymond Casco, Sergio Ruelas, Elijah Laulu.
I too believe in the Golden Rule, Karma etc… wait and see.
Fullerton will be just fine. They have gotten-earned what they deserve, a 4th place seed. They will be playing to win tomorrow night!
PS… love the stories you tell! Only 5 players are ill. And its not an illness that should be taken lightly, especially at their ages. No one should be making light of these players. Shame on you.
Hey Truth….No body is making light of the Fullerton players. It is a serious illness and I heard that some of the boys actually became very ill from it.
What I said….I felt bad for the boys and it was bad timing. They all should be able to experience the emotions of the playoffs. Unfortunatly some can’t now.
But as rumors go, it was first announced as half the team was ill, I was told it is alot less that became ill. My mistake you know how rumors are. I just thought it was news worthy. I believe they will be fine and overcome this obstacle and succeed and move on.
Karma, I also believe in it.