See the pairings and info about each team after the CIF's announcement.
De La Salle and Centennial will meet for the Open Division title, just like they did in 2012.
File photo by David Hood
The California Interscholastic Federation has announced the 18 teams that will be moving on in the quest for state titles. Note that there are no longer Regional Bowl Games in the Open Division.
Click here to see the final California Bowl Game Rankings.
Stay tuned to MaxPreps this week for coverage of all the big games.
Open Division
Centennial (Corona) vs. De La Salle (Concord)Saturday, Dec. 20 at 8 p.m., StubHub Center (Carson)
How the Huskies got here: The 12-2 Huskies won the Big VIII League title and the Southern Section Pac 5 Division title. They beat Serra (Gardena), Mater Dei (Santa Ana), Bishop Amat (La Puente) and St. John Bosco (Bellflower) in the playoffs.
Who got them here: The Huskies use a two-quarterback system and it has worked wonderfully.
Nate Ketteringham and
Anthony Catalano alternate series and do it well. Star wide receiver
Javon Mckinley has been unstoppable in the postseason and
Sammonte Bonner has done a masterful job filling in for
JJ Taylor, who is still out after an appendectomy.
Why they were chosen: Winning the Pac 5 is pretty much a stamped ticket to the bowls. Centennial is on a 12-game winnings streak after starting 0-2, showing exceptional resiliency. Their losses are quality ones as well: Mater Dei and Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas).
Their bowl history: Centennial lost the Open Division Bowl Game to De La Salle in 2012, lost the Division I Bowl Game to Palo Alto in 2010, won the Division I Bowl over De La Salle in 2008 and lost the Division I Bowl to De La Salle in 2007. Also, they lost to St. John Bosco in last year's Open Division Regional Bowl.
How the Spartans got here: The 13-0 Spartans played a freelance regular season schedule and then won the North Coast Section Division I crown. They beat San Ramon Valley (Danville), California (San Ramon) and Pittsburg in the playoffs.
Who got them here: Andrew Hernandez and
Antoine Custer split the rushing duties and keep the ball moving on the ground.
Keanu Andrade posted 90 tackles and
Damon Wiley has 10.5 sacks.
Why they were chosen: Because they are De La Salle and nobody from Northern California can beat them. Their nonleague schedule was also commendable.
Their bowl history: De La Salle has played in the bowl games every year since their inception. Last year they lost to St. John Bosco in the Open Division, in 2012 they beat Centennial in the Open Division, in 2011 they beat Westlake in the Open Division, in 2010 they beat Servite in the Open Division, in 2009 they beat Crenshaw in the Open Division, in 2008 they lost to Centennial in Division I, in 2007 they beat Centennial in Division I and in 2006 they lost to Canyon in Division I.
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Division I
Matthew Romero leads Oceanside at quarterback.
File photo by Kirt Winter
The 13-0 Pirates won the Avocado League West and earned the San Diego Section Open Division title. They beat Carlsbad, Mission Hills (San Marcos) and Helix (La Mesa) in the playoffs.
Who got them here: The defense as a unit is pretty solid, and running back
Josh Bernard averages more than 100 yards per game.
Matthew Romero manages the game well at quarterback and has only thrown five interceptions all year.
Jordan Miller is a highly ranked recruit at cornerback.
Why they were chosen: A perfect record and a title in the toughest playoff division in your section is always a good method when you want to play on. They played a solid nonleague schedule with wins over Mission Viejo and St. Augustine.
Their bowl history: Oceanside won the 2009 Division I title over Bellarmine Prep (San Jose) and won the 2007 Division II title over Novato.
How the Tigers got here: The 12-1 Tigers shared the County/Metro League title with Sanger and won the Central Section Division I crown. They beat Centennial (Bakersfield), Clovis and Liberty (Bakersfield) in the playoffs.
Who got them here: Vance Sams is regarded as one of the best players in the section (linebacker and tackle), while
Hunter Swearingen passes to
A.j. Greeley and hands off to
Khai Williams. The defense has saved this team many a time this season.
Why they were chosen: There are only five teams to choose from in South Division I and since Centennial was picked for the Open Division, that got Edison in. The Tigers beat Bakersfield this season and did prove themselves as the top team in their section.
Their bowl history: Edison has never played in a Bowl Game.
North: Folsom vs. Grant (Sacramento)
Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Sacramento State University
How the Bulldogs got here: The 14-0 Bulldogs won the Sierra Foothill League title and earned the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I crown. They beat Stagg (Stockton), Franklin (Elk Grove), Monterey Trail (Elk Grove) and Tracy in the playoffs.
Who got them here: Quarterback
Jake Browning set the national record for career touchdown passes on Saturday. He has a copious number of weapons on offense to work with.
Why they were chosen: Folsom has obliterated every team on its schedule and breezed through the SJS playoffs. It was an easy choice.
Their bowl history: Folsom won the 2010 Division II title over Serra (Gardena). The Bulldogs also have played in the last two Regional Bowls in the Open Division, each time losing to De La Salle.
How the Pacers got here: The 14-0 Pacers won the Delta League title and the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II crown. They beat Patterson, Downey (Modesto), Vacaville and St. Mary's (Stockton) in the playoffs.
Who got them here: Deshawn Collins and
Mike Green ii are the two-headed rushing monster that has dominated games.
Jacques Cheatham,
Carl Granderson and
David Moala all have at least 13 sacks.
Why they were chosen: Grant dominated a very tough league and also won out of the section twice during the nonleague schedule. Its final two playoff games were against very solid opponents.
Their bowl history: Grant won the 2008 Open Division title over Long Beach Poly.
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Division II
The Ridgeview football team takes the field.
File photo by Larry Aronat
Saturday, 7:30 at Citrus Valley High School (Redlands)
How the Wildcats got here: The 13-1 Wildcats won the Citrus Belt League and won the Southern Section Inland Division title. They beat JW North (Riverside), Elsinore (Wildomar), Citrus Hill (Perris) and Poly (Riverside) in the playoffs.
Who got them here: Armando Herrera is just a sophomore but passed for 2,917 yards.
Joey Harman has rushed for 1,339 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Khris Vaughn has 1,014 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.
Why they were chosen: They beat Citrus Hill and Poly in the playoffs, and Poly was undefeated coming in. They also felled Rancho Verde in the regular season and their loss was to St. Bonaventure (Ventura), a Pac 5 team.
Their bowl history: The Wildcats have never played in a Bowl Game.
How the Wolf Pack got here: The 12-1 Wolf Pack won the South Yosemite League title and the Central Section Division II crown. They beat Tulare Union, Sanger and Dinuba in the playoffs.
Who got them here: Sheldon Croney has run for 1,978 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Jaron Stewart has four interceptions and
Byron Mendoza and
Frank Zavaleta each have 7.5 sacks.
Why they were chosen: They beat Sanger, which beat Central Section D-I champ Edison. They also beat Liberty (Bakersfield), and their only loss was to Bakersfield.
Their bowl history: Ridgeview has never played in a Bowl Game.
North: Clayton Valley Charter (Concord) vs. Oakdale
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. at Clayton Valley Charter High School
How the Ugly Eagles got here: The 14-0 Ugly Eagles won the Diablo Valley League title and the North Coast Section Division II title as well. They beat Newark Memorial, Montgomery (Santa Rosa), Casa Grande (Petaluma) and Concord in the playoffs.
Who got them here: Miles Harrison has run for 2,140 yards and the team as a whole has 81 rushing touchdowns, a testament to a great offensive line. The defense has 20 interceptions, and
Sean Vaisima has 5.5 sacks.
Why they were chosen: An undefeated record and a title in a decent playoff division got the Ugly Eagles into the bowls.
Their bowl history: Clayton Valley Charter lost to Oakdale in a 2012 Division II Regional Bowl.
How the Mustangs got here: The 13-1 Mustangs tied for first in the Valley Oak League and won the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III title. They beat Pacheco (Los Banos), Vista Del Lago (Folsom), Rio Linda and Inderkum (Sacramento) in the playoffs.
Who got them here: The offense averaged 40 points per game in the playoffs.
Why they were chosen: The Valley Oak League was very tough this season and they came back to beat then-undefeated Inderkum in the section title game.
Their bowl history: Oakdale lost the 2012 Division II game to Serra (Gardena)
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Division III
Adam Remotto carries for Campolindo.
File photo by Greg Jungferman
The 13-0 Vaqueros won the Grossmont Hills League and the San Diego Section Division II title. They beat Mt. Carmel (San Diego), Brawley and Rancho Bernardo (San Diego) in the playoffs.
Who got them here: Brad Cagle passed for 28 touchdowns and
Dj Smith is the featured running back, though Cagle can run too.
Isaiah Capoocia is a weapon at receiver and the defense has 48 sacks.
Why they were chosen: They beat Open Division finalist Helix during the regular season and finished undefeated.
Their bowl history: El Capitan has never played in a Bowl Game.
How the Bearcats got here: The 13-1 Bearcats won the Pac-5 League and the Southern Section Northern Division title. They beat Royal (Simi Valley), Palmdale, Arroyo Grande and Newbury Park in the playoffs.
Who got them here: Justin Davis has passed for more than 2,500 yards and most of that went to
Bailey Gaither.
Why they were chosen: The Northern Division is solid in the Southern Section, and the Bearcats' only loss was a tight one to a good Atascadero team.
Their bowl history: Paso Robles has never played in a Bowl Game.
North: Sutter vs. Campolindo (Moraga)Saturday, 7:30 p.m. at Acalanes High School in LafayetteHow the Huskies got here: The 13-0 Huskies won the Butte View League and the Northern Section Division III title. They beat Wheatland, Orland and Lassen (Susanville) in the playoffs.
Who got them here: The defense has allowed just 62 points this season and five different players have posted significant rushing stats.
Randy Post has passed for more than 2,700 yards.
Why they were chosen: Sutter played all of its nonleague games outside of its section and blasted its way through league play and section playoff games. The Huskies played about as tough a schedule as they could, all things considered.
Their bowl history: Sutter lost to Marin Catholic in a 2012 Division III Regional Bowl.
How the Cougars got here: The 14-0 Cougars won the Diablo Foothill League title and won the North Coast Section Division III crown. They beat Ygnacio Valley (Concord), Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa), Analy (Sebastopol) and Marin Catholic (Kentfield) in the playoffs.
Who got them here: Jack Stephens passed for just less than 3,000 yards.
Nick Fadelli handled the rushing and
Max Flower caught 11 scoring passes.
Kevin Hull has eight sacks.
Why they were chosen: Campolindo beat two former bowl teams in the playoffs and had to fight to earn their perfect record. The NCS Division III group is full of solid teams.
Their bowl history: Campolindo lost the 2011 Division III Bowl to Washington Union (Fresno).
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Division IV
Capital Christian's Nick Valdez follows his blockers.
File photo by Ralph Thompson
The 13-0 Patriots won the Central League crown and the San Diego Section Division III title. They beat La Jolla, Morse (San Diego) and Hoover (San Diego) in the playoffs.
Who got them here: David Jeremiah has 30 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
Adrian Petty has rushed for 1,904 yards and
Trevor Howell has four interceptions.
Why they were chosen: Christian dominated its league, and its nonleague schedule did feature a couple solid victories. Their undefeated record was the kicker, of course.
Their bowl history: The Patriots have never played in a Bowl Game.
How the Tartans got here: The 14-0 Tartans won the Academy League and then ran through the Southern Section East Valley Division. They beat Excelsior Charter (Victorville), St. Genevieve (Panorama City), Saddleback Valley Christian (San Juan Capistrano) and Grace Brethren (Simi Valley) in the playoffs.
Who got them here: The offense posted 587 points overall.
Why they were chosen: They beat a then-undefeated team for the section title and played up a couple times in the nonleague part of their schedule.
Their bowl history: The Tartans won the 2008 Small Schools Bowl over Hamilton (Hamilton City).
North: Central Catholic (Modesto) vs. Capital Christian (Sacramento)Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Central Catholic High School
How the Raiders got here: The 10-3 Raiders were third in the Valley Oak League title and the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV title. They beat Natomas (Sacramento), Escalon and Sonora in the playoffs.
Who got them here: Justin Rice has rushed for 1,789 yards and
Jared Rice has eight touchdown receptions.
Why they were chosen: The Raiders played up all season long, booking a tough nonleague slate and playing in a league with mostly Division II teams. They may have lost three times, but no small school can boast the Raiders' schedule.
Their bowl history: The Raiders won the 2013 Division IV Bowl over Bakersfield Christian, they won the 2012 Division IV Bowl over Santa Fe Christian (Solana Beach) and they lost the 2007 Division III bowl to St. Bonaventure (Ventura).
How the Cougars got here: The 13-0 Cougars won the Golden Empire League title and the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI title. They beat Vacaville Christian, Ripon Christian and Modesto Christian in the playoffs.
Who got them here: They have four players with more than 600 rushing yards and
Edward Ware has seven touchdown catches.
Nic Aibodefe has 11 sacks.
Why they were chosen: The Cougars shut out four of their opponents and were only challenged twice - both times against Modesto Christian.
Their bowl history: Capital Christian has never played in a Bowl Game.
