MaxPreps Southern California Regional Bowl Game matchups, predictions

Here are the names, numbers and places you need to know for this week's Regional Championship Bowl Games.

Be sure to also check out the Northern California previews as well.

Open Division
St. John Bosco (Bellflower) vs. Centennial (Corona)
Cerritos College, 7:30 p.m. Saturday


Top recruits. Big point totals. National recognition. Yes, this game has it all.

Nobody can doubt that each team has a great offense. Where this one will be decided is on the defensive side of the ball. The Huskies don't have anything to prove when it comes to offense, as they set a national record for total offense (943 yards) against Upland in the playoffs and scored 86 points in that game. The four-headed monster of quarterback Robert Webber (181-for-385, 3488 yards, 37 TDs, 9 INTs), running back Tre Watson (371 carries, 3498 yards, 48 TDs) and wide receivers Barry Ware (43 catches, 1065 yards, 13 TDs) and Greyson Bankhead (63, 889, 10) is as prolific a group as you will find.

But it was the defense that came up big in a 26-12 win over a high-powered Vista Murrieta offense in the Inland Division final, forcing three turnovers. If the defense plays well, Centennial will be in the game. A poor defensive effort could spell doom. Linemen Jaylen Johnson (Boise State) and Austin Maloata (USC) are big-time players.

St. John Bosco also knows how to score. The difference is that its defense averages 13.5 fewer points per game allowed. The Braves might just be the most complete team in the state along with De La Salle. They are solid in every area and nobody has been able to find a way to even come close to beating them. Their closest win was by 14 points with their backup quarterback playing.

Josh Rosen (167-245, 2753, 33, 7) leads the offense behind center, running back Sean McGrew (159, 1536, 15) finds holes all over the place and gets into the open field fast, and receivers Shay Fields (73, 1459, 17) and Jaleel Wadood (71, 1149, 18) force teams to pick their poison when it comes to focusing on one weapon. The offensive line features 350-pound, five-star recruit Damien Mama as well. On defense, lineman/defensive end Malik Dorton is a USC commit, defensive back Naijiel Hale is a shutdown corner committed to Arizona and linebacker Chandler Leniu is committed to Washington State.

The Braves can also help themselves with some extended drives that eat up clock, keeping the Centennial offense off the field. In its two losses to Long Beach Poly and Alemany, Centennial scored 28 points in each, just slightly better than their season-low 26 against Vista Murrieta.

Records: St. John Bosco 14-0, Centennial 12-2.
Rankings: St. John Bosco (3 Xcellent 25, 1 National, 1 State), Centennial (23 National, 5 State).
Averages: St. John Bosco (47.5 for, 14.4 against), Centennial (53.6 for, 27.9 against).
Comparing schedules: Each team played Alemany, with Bosco winning 56-14 and Centennial losing 45-28. Also, Centennial lost to Long Beach Poly, which lost to Mater Dei 30-0. St. John Bosco beat Mater Dei twice, allowing one total touchdown.
Comparing coaches: Jason Negro is making his first state playoffs appearance and is 35-14 at St. John Bosco with four of those losses via forfeit. Centennial coach Matt Logan is 123-17 since 2004 including a state title win over De La Salle in 2008.
History: These teams have not played each other in the MaxPreps era (pre-2004).
Prediction: St. John Bosco 46, Centennial 27.

Division I
Mission Hills (San Marcos) vs. Bakersfield
Mission Hills High School, 7:30 p.m. Friday

It's no secret what the Drillers will go down to San Diego County to do: Run the ball. They average 342 rushing yards per game with 64 rushing touchdowns this season. Mission Hills will try to counter that with a stellar core of linebackers in BYU commit Fred Warner and Oregon State commit Ricky Liuchan, who has also starred at running back.

The Drillers blasted their way through the Central Section Division I bracket, eliciting a running clock in all three games. They lost an extremely tough 51-50 game at Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) to start the season and Long Beach Poly thumped them at home 27-7, but otherwise have been dominant. Mission Hills is unbeaten in regulation, as its lone loss came to San Pasqual (Escondido) in league play, 13-10 in overtime. San Pasqual reached the SDS Division I title game and lost in overtime in that contest.

The Grizzlies won the inaugural Open Division in the San Diego section by toppling Steele Canyon, Helix and Oceanside. Bakersfield pasted Clovis North 60-21 to win the Central Section Division I title.

It's easy to say that Mission Hills must stop the run and force the pass if it wants to slow down the Drillers. But Asauni Rufus (a defensive back commit to Nevada) is very good in his few opportunities to throw. He's 77-for-117 this year with 1,280 yards, 10 touchdowns and just one interception. He's much more dangerous running the ball, toting 190 carries for 1,568 yards and 28 touchdowns. The defense, meanwhile, plays a 3-3-5 scheme.

Mission Hills will counter with Connor Wynn at quarterback and Scott Higgins (63 catches) on the outside. He also has returned three punts for scores, according to UT San Diego. Dechaun Holiday is a stellar athlete who can give Bakersfield fits.

Records: Mission Hills 12-1, Bakersfield 11-2.
Rankings: Mission Hills (55 National, 10 State), Bakersfield (56 National, 11 State).
Averages: Mission Hills (35.8 for, 12.8 against), Bakersfield (44.5 for, 15.7 against).
Comparing schedules:  These teams had no common opponents and none of their opponents have ties to the other team.
Comparing coaches:  Chris Hauser is the only coach in the Mission Hills' history (opened in 2004) and is 80-39-2. Paul Golla has led Bakersfield to a 92-28 record since he arrived in 2005, including a 13-0 season in 2011 that included what many consider a bowl snub.
History: These teams have not played each other in the MaxPreps era (pre-2004).
Prediction: Bakersfield 31, Mission Hills 27.



Division II
Hart (Newhall) vs. Chaminade (West Hills)
College of the Canyons, 7:30 p.m. Saturday


We've seen this before. Will we see the same thing again?

Hart and Chaminade have already met this season, a 55-54 offensive-laden shootout that Hart won in overtime when Donovan Lee was stopped on a 2-point conversion that would have won the game. Defenses were powerless in the battle on Sept. 6. Click here to see the stats from that game.

There's no reason to expect anything less than a barn burner Saturday, as two prolific offenses with studs abound will do battle. Hart quarterback Brady White tied the school record held by former NFL player Kyle Boller when he threw for a seven touchdowns against Chaminade, and he has romped to an impressive 3,991 yards and 37 touchdowns this season compared with 13 interceptions. Running back Connor Wingenroth missed a pair of games yet still has run for 1,506 yards and 20 touchdowns. And on the receiving side, Trent Irwin is a dangerous deep threat with 66 catches for 1,361 yards and 19 touchdowns.

It's not just those guys. Hart has depth at all its skill positions with players who have put up big stats.

Then you see Chaminade, led by Miami commit Brad Kaaya at quarterback (3,488 yards and 24 scores). Lee grabbed the majority of the carries this season with 229 for 1,804 yards and 36 touchdowns, while Cory Watkins has run 90 times for 623 yards and 11 scores. A deep receiving group is led by Dymond Lee (43 catches, 826 yards, 9 scores).

After that game in September, Chaminade has gone 11-1 with its lone loss coming in league play to Serra. But the Eagles definitely got revenge and won the school's first section title, winning 38-35 on a last-second Ben Kreitenberg field goal to beat the Cavaliers (See video highlights from the game). Kreitenberg is a weapon as well, as he holds the CIF Southern Section record for career extra points.

Hart, meanwhile, hit adversity during the Foothill League season and lost in back-to-back weeks. In fact, the Indians finished third in their league behind Valencia (lost 24-19) and Canyon (lost 45-38), in part due to Wingenroth fighting back from a shoulder injury. They avenged the loss to Valencia in the Northern Division final, taking a 28-21 triumph when Wingenroth intercepted a pass in the end zone in the waning seconds.

Records: Hart 12-2, Chaminade 12-2.
Rankings: Hart (78 National, 15 State), Chaminade (36 National, 7 State).
Averages: Hart (42 for, 22.9 against), Chaminade (47.8 for, 23.6 against).
Comparing schedules: Hart won 55-54 in overtime over Chaminade on Sept. 6. Also, Chaminade beat Valencia 56-34 while Hart played the Vikings twice, losing 24-19 in league play and winning 28-21 for the Northern Division title.
Comparing coaches: Mike Herrington has a 249-70-1 record at Hart during a 23-year tenure that includes seven section titles. Ed Croson is 52-14 since coming to Chaminade to start the 2009 season. Before that, he led Birmingham (Lake Balboa) to four Los Angeles City Section titles in a six-year stretch.
History: This year is the first since 2003 that the teams have met.
Prediction: Chaminade 40, Hart 34.

Division III
Corona del Mar (Newport Beach) vs. Nordhoff (Ojai)
Orange Coast College, 7:30 p.m. Saturday


Sure, it's Division III, which many will automatically assume is less compelling than games in the higher divisions. Don't make that mistake, though. These teams are extremely good and have dominated the opposition for two years.

The Sea Kings of Corona del Mar bring a 24-game winning streak in, which is second-best in the state, only behind De La Salle. And each team has won its section title in each of the last two seasons (three in a row for the Sea Kings). Need more? Each team owns a victory over a Pac-5 team, a big feat for smaller schools. Getting a Pac-5 team on the schedule is hard enough, let alone beating one on the road.

Each team's defense is prolific. The Sea Kings give up fewer than 10 points per game, and Parker Chase has netted 14.5 sacks this season to go alongside 10 from Harrison Carter. As a team, Corona del Mar has 43 sacks, 14 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries.

Nordhoff yields 11.1 points per game and has grabbed 17 interceptions and 15 fumbles.

The offenses bring firepower and balance as well. CDM has the edge in average yards and Cole Martin is the lead back with 252 carries for 1,635 yards and 21 touchdowns. Cole Collins is the leading receiver with 56 grabs for 961 yards and eight scores, while quarterback Luke Napolitano has thrown for 2,415 yards and 22 touchdowns against nine interceptions.

The Rangers feature two running backs who split the duty, with seniors Matt Woodcock (153 carries, 1134 yards, 17 touchdowns) and Tayler Livingston (188-947-14) behind quarterback Tanner Workman, a pocket passer with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Nordhoff played in the brutal Tri-Valley League, and the Northwest bracket was tough as well. While that goes in the Rangers' favor, they will be playing far from home at Orange Coast College.

Records: Corona del Mar 14-0, Nordhoff 13-1.
Rankings: Corona del Mar (614 National, 69 State), Nordhoff (680 National, 77 State).
Averages: Corona del Mar (43.9 for, 9.4 against), Nordhoff (35.1 for, 11.1 against).
Comparing schedules: Not much here. Corona del Mar beat Laguna Hills 35-14, and El Segundo lost 26-0 to Laguna Hills. Nordhoff beat El Segundo 49-21.
Comparing coaches: Scott Meyer is 38-4 at Corona del Mar in three seasons with three section titles. He was 21-39-1 at Jordan (Long Beach) in the past. Tony Henney is 58-16 at Nordhoff since he arrived in 2008 and has two section titles.
History: These teams have not played each other in the MaxPreps era (pre-2004).
Prediction: Nordhoff 19, Corona del Mar 17.

Division IV
Bakersfield Christian vs. View Park (Los Angeles)
Centennial High School (Bakersfield), 7:30 p.m. Friday

The undefeated team is still a major underdog in this one.

Yes, View Park has an unblemished 13-0 record and allowed only 21 points in four playoff games on the way to a Los Angeles City Section Division III title. But two of the wins came via forfeit, and the LA City Section Division III group pales in comparison to what Bakersfield Christian has had to get past.

Just to qualify for the Regional Bowl required the Eagles to knock off heavy favorite Mission Oak (Tulare) in the Central Section Division IV final, 35-34. The winning margin was an extra point from sophomore Nathan Dejager. Furthermore, the Eagles battled Southern Section Southwest Division winner Huntington Beach (a 32-10 loss) in their first game and lost by a point to Central Valley Christian (Visalia) in their second game. They avenged the CVC loss in the playoffs.

View Park's premier player is undoubtedly UCLA-committed linebacker Cameron Griffin. He's an all-around baller, scoring three touchdowns on eight carries (136 yards) on the ground to help beat Poly (Sun Valley) in the section final. Also watch out for Justin Kennedy, who has recorded 35 catches for 432 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, Dodrey Nevens has 11 sacks and Aaron Lewis has eight interceptions in 10 games. The team's defense is indeed tough and will present a challenge.

Bakersfield Christian brings quarterback Brandon Jones along with his 3,730 passing yards and incredible 49 touchdowns to go with nine interceptions. Matt Smith is the leading rusher with 1,567 yards and 18 touchdowns, while Josh Jackson is a formidable force at receiver with 56 catches for 1,240 yards and 14 scores.

Records: Bakersfield Christian 11-2, View Park 13-0 (11-0 on the field).
Rankings: Bakersfield Christian (1085 National, 120 State), View Park (5033 National, 381 State).
Averages: Bakersfield Christian (44.5 for, 16.8 against), View Park (38.5 for, 12 against).
Comparing schedules: These teams had no common opponents and none of their opponents have ties to the other team.
Comparing coaches: Jerald Pierucci is in his second season as the head coach and owns a 21-5 record. Robert Ambers (65-10) has been successful in 8-man and 11-man football at View Park, with 8-man section titles in 2008 and '09, and 11-man titles in 2010, '11 and '13.
History: These teams have not played each other in the MaxPreps era (pre-2004).
Prediction: Bakersfield Christian 42, View Park 17.