In Southern California, the excitement of high school football playoffs is reaching a fever pitch as each CIF Southern Section division quickly narrows down to just eight teams. The opening round of these intense battles was played on Friday night, setting the stage for the upcoming quarterfinals across all divisions, from 1 to 14.
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the top teams. In a surprising turn of events, two No. 1 seeds were knocked out of contention. West Torrance faced off against West Valley in Division 7 and came up short, losing 24-20. Similarly, Don Lugo, also a top seed in Division 11, fell to Portola with a score of 31-20.
One of the standout games of the opening round took place in Division 3, where No. 1-seeded Simi Valley narrowly defeated Notre Dame 49-47 in a thrilling contest. This nail-biter was closely followed by a heart-pounding double overtime matchup in Division 10, where Brentwood triumphed over St. Monica with a score of 38-32.
As we head into the quarterfinals, here are the matchups for each division:
- DIVISION 1
Sierra Canyon at Mater Dei
Corona Centennial at Mission Viejo
JSerra at Orange Lutheran
Santa Margarita at St. John Bosco - DIVISION 2
Murrieta Valley at Los Alamitos
San Juan Hills at Oaks Christian
Serra at Yorba Linda
Newbury at San Clemente - DIVISION 3
La Habra at Simi Valley
Crean Lutheran at Loyola
Edison at Bonita Vista
Murrieta at Cajon - DIVISION 4
Redondo Union at St. Bonaventure
Culver City at Apple Valley
Long Beach Poly at Oxnard Pacifica
El Modena at Thousand Oaks - DIVISION 5
Huntington Beach at Summit
Rio Mesa at La Serna
Lakewood at Foothill
Mayfair at Palos Verdes - DIVISION 6
Muir at St. Francis
Northwood at Murrieta Mesa
Glendora at Rancho Verde
Dana Hills at San Dimas - DIVISION 7
West Torrance at Oak Park
Rio Hondo Prep at ML King
Golden Valley at Warren
Peninsula at Yucaipa - DIVISION 8
Beckman or Rancho Mirage vs. Lancaster
Serrano at Hemet
Salesian at Irvine
St. Pius at Segerstrom - DIVISION 9
Highland at Burbank
Quartz Hill at Sonora
Long Beach Wilson at Village Christian
Great Oak at St. Genevieve - DIVISION 10
St. Anthony at Shadow Hills
Pacifica/GG at Brentwood
South Pasadena at Valley View
Silverado at Chino - DIVISION 11
Crespi or Santa Paula vs. Portola
Baldwin Park at Big Bear
El Rancho at Los Amigos
San Gorgonio at Grand Terrace - DIVISION 12
Mary Star at Dos Pueblos
Palmdale at Chaffey
Carter at Canyon Springs
Estancia at Wilson/HH - DIVISION 13
Gahr at Artesia
Arrowhead Christian at Anaheim
Lynwood at El Monte
San Marino at Pasadena - DIVISION 14
Nordhoff at Duarte
San Gabriel at Costa Mesa
Century at Ganesha
Pioneer at La Quinta
The incredible action continues as high school teams fight for their place in history in the CIF playoffs. Make sure to stay updated and cheer for your favorite teams as they make a run for the championship!
