California: Nothing semi about these high school football semifinals

Lakewood or Huntington Beach Edison? Anaheim Servite or Mission Viejo? Something has to give, not just in the Southern Section Pac-5 Division, but everywhere around the Southland, where this weekend's semifinal games should ensure the best two nights of high school football this year.

Matt Viles, Edison

File photo by Louis Lopez

"I love it, the Friday and Saturday games," said Matt Logan, coach at Corona Centennial and one of 10 teams that remain after two rounds of playoffs with a chance to successfully defend their titles.

In the case of Centennial (10-2), it is trying to win its third Inland Division championship in a row, but must beat the team it defeated last year, Temecula Chaparral (9-3). Centennial beat fourth-seeded Rancho Verde (11-1) to advance, and Chaparral scored a 14-7 upset of top-seeded Redlands East Valley (11-1).

Ventura St. Bonaventure coach Todd Therrien agrees with Logan, that "every division has great games." He even believes the Northwest Division could be competitive this week, and that Westlake Village Oaks Christian (12-0) "will have to show up" to win at Los Angeles Cathedral (11-1). "I can't wait until we get our game done and watch the replay of the Fox game," Therrien said. It doesn't even matter what the Fox game is; it will be a good one.

There's a lot to love about this season's semifinals, including the stakes. Forget about the team on the other side of the line, Logan said; "the magnitude of the game is scary itself, you're one win from the championship game, one loss from the season being over. There's a lot riding on it."

What's not to like about Edison (12-0), which continues to do just enough – sometimes more than enough – to remain undefeated. Last week it beat Dana Hills (9-3) for the second time this season, 47-16, and did so convincingly. The first time they played, Edison had trailed at halftime. Perhaps no team has been tested nor risen to the occasion more than the Chargers have behind quarterback Matt Viles and linebacker Jordan Zumwalt.

At Orange Coast College on Saturday, Zumwalt and his teammates will be pressed against Lakewood (11-1) and its USC commit, Jesse Scroggins. Since 2005, USC-bound quarterbacks Aaron Corp (1-0 at Orange Lutheran) and Matt Barkley (2-2 at Santa Ana Mater Dei) are 3-2 against Edison; Scoggins is dangerous, but can't afford any kind of inconsistency against a solid Chargers defense.

Scoggins and his teammates are trying to become the first Lakewood team to reach the section finals. After ending Long Beach Poly's League winning streak at 80 games earlier this season, the Lancers continue to break new ground: Lakewood and La Puente Bishop Amat had played each other nine times in the playoffs prior to Lakewood's 34-17 victory in the second round, and its only other victories were in 1970 and 1982.

When it was announced during second-seeded Mission Viejo's 40-14 victory over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (9-3) that Mission would play Servite in the semifinals (Friday at Cerritos College), a cheer went up in the stands. After a season in which Mission Viejo (12-0) mostly played teams that didn't challenge them – or couldn't challenge them – it will face a known quantity that can validate their undefeated record. The starters, including safety/running back Jake Marshall and tailback Exavier Edwards – who has four consecutive 120-yard games – should be getting a workout into the fourth quarter. Mission Viejo isn't used to having to make plays under pressure; through 12 games its defense has allowed only 24 points in the first quarter, 16 in the second, seven in the third and 50 in garbage time.

Like Lakewood, Mission Viejo is trying to break new ground: It has not beaten a Trinity League opponent in the playoffs in two tries, and Servite is the first outright champion of the Trinity League.

Cody Fajardo's performance against Long Beach Poly (6-6) again showed why the Servite quarterback is a player of the year candidate in Orange County. Servite had to come from behind to snare a 21-18 victory over the vastly improved Jackrabbits. Fajardo ran for 93 yards and one touchdown, and passed for 179 yards and two touchdowns – including the game-winner on fourth down to Chris Nicholls that covered 10 yards with 1:35 left. Servite ensured the victory when John Paul Onorato blocked Poly's game-tying field goal attempt with three seconds remaining.

Servite should get a lift with the return to the lineup of defensive tackle Kirifi Leuta-Taula, who missed five games with a broken arm.

As they are ranked currently by MaxPreps, Edison, Mission Viejo, Servite and Lakewood are ranked 1-2-3-6 in the state.

In addition to Centennial and Chaparral, which could be a high-scoring game, the Inland Division has third-seeded Norco (11-1) at second-seeded Vista Murrieta (12-0), which could be a very low-scoring one.

Centennial beat Chaparral, 31-27, when they played on Sept. 11, the fourth consecutive time the Huskies have beaten Chaparral since losing a 2006 playoff game while undefeated. Chaparral has some terrific offensive weapons such as running back Jonathan Diaz, quarterback Mitch Glassman and receiver Antoine Arnold. They are averaging 37.6 points. Logan, whose team is averaging 41.1, expects a different team than the one he faced three months ago.

Chaparral has new coordinators on both sides of the ball who have now found their way, he said, so "things are different than last year. We have different personnel playing for us from Game 1, and injuries. No way either of us are the same team we saw in Game 1. It comes down to who improved the most."

A key matchup could be Centennial's secondary of Anthony Goodman, Chris Gonzalez, Michael Aguon and Cedric Smith against Chaparral's receivers.

If the game comes down to the last play, you've got to like Chaparral, which stopped REV on the final play from the 1-yard line in the second round, and beat Eastvale Roosevelt on a last-second field goal in the first round.

Special teams and defense top second-seeded Vista Murrieta's calling card, and the Broncos are tailor-made to stop the run. Guess what third-seeded Norco does? Run, run, run with Arizona State commits Carl Bradford and Deantre Lewis, and junior Kelsey Young. "You can stop one or two, but stopping all three is pretty difficult," Logan said of the the trio who have a combined average of 370 yards.

Norco has been living on the edge with seven games decided by seven points or fewer. The most recent came in the second round when the Cougars beat Riverside Arlington, 26-20, in double-overtime. Will its luck – or is it skill – hold?

Norco presents the biggest test of the season for Vista Murrieta, and probably the biggest test in the school's history. Since both teams like to chew the clock, turnovers could prove crucial: An extra possession might be extremely valuable.

In the Central Division, three of the semifinalists are from the Baseline League. Defending champion Rancho Cucamonga, after its upset of top-seeded Colton, 28-21, will play host to fourth-seeded Rancho Cucamonga Los Osos (8-4) at Chaffey College on Saturday. When they played on Sept. 23, Los Osos scored a 31-28 victory.

The other Baseline team, Upland (10-2), defeated second-seeded Ontario Colony, 21-17, and will play at Chino Hills (10-2) on Friday. Rancho Cucamonga defeated Upland in last year's championship game.

In the Western Division, a Cinderella story could be unfolding in Compton Dominguez (6-5), which blasted second-seeded Culver City in the first round, 64-27, and then took down Redondo, 48-21, in the second. Dominguez switches as necessary between the spread offense and the double-wing, so opposing defenses need to be versatile. Next up is third-seeded Mission Hills Alemany (9-3), whose defense just held state rushing leader Jesse Callier of Downey Warren to his lowest output of the season, 147 yards on 23 carries, in a 28-7 victory; he finished with 3,021 yards.

Top-seeded Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (10-2) will play at fourth-seeded Palmdale (10-2), which overcame a 14-point deficit with three minutes remaining in regulation to beat La Canada St. Francis in double-overtime, 49-42. It will likely be cold, which is why the host Falcons mix in a couple of night practices each week looking for any edge they can get. It was at Palmdale that the Falcons beat St. Francis, as quarterback Josh Shaw passed for 222 yards and one touchdown and ran for 185 and three scores. It's a brutal trip for a No. 1 seed in the semifinals.

The top four seeded teams provide a spicy backdrop for the Northern Division, including top-seeded Valencia (12-0) getting a taste of its first legitimate powerhouse opponent when it plays host to fourth-seeded Moorpark (11-1) on Saturday.

Valencia quarterback Alex Bishop, only a junior, broke Michael Herrick's school single-season record for touchdowns by three when he passed for five in a 49-22 victory over Ventura Buena. Bishop now has 36. Valencia has never won a title, but it was under Herrick that the team reached the Division II finals in 2004. With running back Steven Manfro complementing him, the key is Valencia's offensive line and whether it can allow Bishop and Manfro to execute their magic.

On the other side of the bracket Friday, third-seeded St. Bonaventure (11-1) is tasked with going on the road and trying to slow the Nick Isham Show that plays out every week for Westlake Village Westlake (12-0). Isham, the quarterback, has thrown 29 touchdown passes with only two interceptions. The game will probably depend on whether St. Bonaventure can make Isham uncomfortable in the backfield. Westlake has been anything but uncomfortable in the playoffs, having scored 49 and 54 in successive games.

Coincidentally, St. Bonaventure has lost only two playoff games this decade, and one was to Westlake in the 2003 title game. St. Bonny has won four out of five championships since, including the last two.

Mira Costa may have drawn a brutal semifinal as a top-seeded team by facing the distinct homefield advantage enjoyed by fourth-seeded Palmdale, but three-time defending champion San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret's (11-1), despite being the No. 1-seeded team, will play at Bishop Union (7-4) on Saturday.

It's a little more than 304 miles from South Orange County to Bishop, which is farther north than Fresno and Santa Cruz, and is about even with San Jose. And who says the Southern Section is too big?

After another easy victory, top-seeded Los Angeles Crenshaw (12-0) will get a surprise visitor in its semifinal when it takes on Coliseum League rival L.A. Dorsey (9-3), which upset fourth-seeded Woodland Hills Taft, 24-20. The Dons, who are seeded No. 12, were beaten by Crenshaw, 44-7, on Nov. 6. Even though that game was determined by a 37-point margin of victory, Crenshaw has played only three games that were closer.

The other side of the bracket will have a Marine League feel to it when second-seeded Carson (10-2) takes on No. 11 Harbor City Narbonne (7-4). The Gauchos, who upset third-seeded Venice, 48-32, are the defending section champion having tied another Marine League rival, San Pedro, in last year's game. When they played on Nov. 6, Carson defeated Narbonne, 41-28.

In addition to Centennial, schools that are looking to successfully defend at least one Southern Section 11-man title are: Central: Rancho Cucamonga; East Valley: St. Margaret's (three); Northeast: Aracadia Rio Hondo Prep; Northern: Ventura St. Bonaventure (two); Northwest: Westlake Village Oaks Christian (six); Southeast: Covina Charter Oak; Southern: Laguna Hills; Southwest: La Habra (two).

In the Southwest Division, Anthony Wilkerson figures to get his toughest test of the season when second-seeded Tustin (11-1) plays third-seeded Mission Viejo Trabuco Hills (11-1). Tustin's schedule lacked pop, except for Orange Lutheran, and Wilkerson – who has 2,677 yards and is averaging 243.4 per game – missed that contest because of an injury.

Wilkerson will probably get his yards but it will be interesting to see how Tustin handles an opponent with a balanced offense; the Tillers didn't handle Orange Lutheran's very well in a 46-20 loss. On the other side of the bracket, two outstanding runners line up against each other, Josh Quezada of top-seeded La Habra (11-1) and Akeelie Muhammad of fourth-seeded Cypress (11-1).

Redlands East Valley (11-1), the Inland Division's top-seeded team, exited the playoffs about as painfully as you can exit in a 14-7 loss to Chaparral. The Wildcats thought they got a bad spot when receiver Chris Harvey knocked over the end-zone pylon at the end of a 33-yard reception with 1.4 seconds remaining; REV thought it was a touchdown, but instead it was marked at the 1-yard line.

No problem for REV, whose quarterback Tyler Shreve reached the end zone on the next play, but it was blown dead because of a penalty against Chaparral's defense: Too many men on the field. After believing it had scored twice, REV tried to make the third time stick, but Shreve – who scored on the last play of the game to beat Orange Lutheran earlier this season – was stopped short.

It was the third time in four seasons that Chaparral beat REV in the playoffs.

The basketball season takes its first step toward full bloom this week, and the 16-team Westchester Tournament is where most eyeballs will be pointed. If all works out according to plan, the host Comets will face Woodland Hills Taft in the title game; they are two of the top boys teams in the nation and the top-rated teams in the state. Other regional teams include L.A. Crenshaw and Lawndale Leuzinger.

The Redondo Tournament isn't shabby either. It features Gardena Serra, North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, L.A. Fairfax, Long Beach Poly and Santa Monica. On the girls' side, the Brea Olinda Tournament not only features the host Ladycats, but also Long Beach Poly, meaning there could be a meeting of the state's second- and third-ranked programs by the end of the week.

Martin Henderson began covering Southland preps in 1993 for the Los Angeles Times. He contributes to the Orange County Register, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and San Bernardino Sun, and offers up motorsports opinions at Racescribe.com. You can reach him at southlandpreps@yahoo.com.