TOP 10 CIF-SS TITLE CONTENDERS

1. Mater Dei (9-1) Division 1

Why the Monarchs will win: Mater Dei has won the CIF-SS Division 1 championship or been a finalist in every season since 2015. The Monarchs suffered their first shutout loss since 2011 against St. John Bosco earlier this year, so some of the mystique around Mater Dei is lacking compared to previous seasons.

That 28-0 loss shouldn’t cause people to write off the Monarchs in the Division 1 bracket. Elijah Brown is 38-2 as a starting quarterback and the Monarchs are loaded with top talent at nearly every position.

2. Whittier Christian (7-4), Division 14

Why the Heralds will win: Whittier Christian won the Division 14 championship last season and dominated Duarte 41-14 in round one of the playoffs last week. Jake Martinez ran for over 1,000 yards this season and had 90 yards against Duarte.

Quarterback Caleb Mer had a completion percentage below 50 this season but had a big game against Duarte. The senior completed 10 of 16 passes for 197 yards with four touchdowns. John Rojas had 16 tackles with an interception to lead the defense.

3. San Juan Hills (10-1), Division 3

Why the Stallions will win: San Juan Hills was very impressive in its convincing first-round win over St. Francis. The defense took advantage of three turnovers in the first half and scored off all three of them.

The linebacking duo of Weston Port and Jake Javorsky is among the best in the county and the secondary stepped up against St. Francis. Christopher Williams had two interceptions and Isaiah Bennett recovered a fumble. Javorsky had 14 tackles with three sacks in the win.

If the Stallions keep winning the turnover battle, they have the talent on both sides of the ball to make a championship run.

4. Mission Viejo (8-3), Division 2

Why the Diablos will win: The Diablos scored eight touchdowns in a win over previously undefeated Palos Verdes in the first round. Sophomore quarterback Luke Fahey had the best game of his young career with 236 yards and three touchdown passes.

Draiden Trudeau also threw three touchdown passes and Hinesward Lilomaiava had two touchdown runs. Vance Spafford had 173 yards receiving with three touchdowns.

If the offense keeps rolling the way it did in the first round, the Diablos can beat anybody in the bracket.

5. Los Alamitos (9-2), Division 2

Why the Griffins will win: Defense and special teams were big for Los Alamitos in its first-round win over Upland. Isaiah Rubin returned an interception for a touchdown and on the ensuing kickoff, Jackson Bennett recovered a fumble and scored for a 14-point swing.

On offense, Alonzo Esparza is an All-County candidate at quarterback and the running back duo of Anthony League and Lenny Ibarra can score at any time.

6. El Dorado (6-5), Division 7

Why the Golden Hawks will win: El Dorado held a high-powered Laguna Beach offense to just seven points last week and 22 yards rushing. The Golden Hawks are physical and dominated Laguna Beach at the line of scrimmage.

Nate Bento completed all 10 of his pass attempts for 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns. El Dorado ran for 171 yards with Isaiah Quintero leading the way with 84.

El Dorado is healthy at the right time. If it can physically bully teams the way it did in the first round, the Golden Hawks could make a playoff run.

7. La Habra (7-4), Division 6

Why the Highlanders will win: The La Habra quarterback duo of Kenneth Saucedo and DJ Mitchell completed 13 of 14 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns in a first-round win over West Ranch. Saucedo also ran for a touchdown.

La Habra has a tough quarterfinals matchup against Murrieta Mesa, which is coached by former JSerra, Tesoro and Servite assistant coach Oscar McBride.

8. Western (10-1), Division 5

Why the Pioneers will win: Western dominated Colony of Ontario in the first round of the Division 5 playoffs and ran for 246 yards. Malachi Alatorre ran for 140 yards and Joshua Faulkner ran for 102 with a touchdown.

Anthony Luna performed well at quarterback with 195 yards passing and three touchdowns. Clayton Corbett had a team-high 14 tackles and Alatorre added 12 tackles with an interception.

9. Buena Park (6-5), Division 12

Why the Coyotes will win: Buena Park has the talent at the skill positions to overwhelm a lot of teams in Division 12.

Jaden Moore ran for 262 yards with three touchdowns in round one against Arroyo Valley. Running back Danny Washington had over 100 yards of offense with two touchdowns. Anthony Irons returned an interception for a touchdown.

Buena Park has more talent than a lot of teams in Division 12 and playing a tough Freeway League schedule will pay off for the Coyotes.

10. Aliso Niguel (7-4), Division 8

Why the Wolverines will win: Hunter Najm is a dual-threat quarterback who ran for two touchdowns in a first-round win over Lawndale. Jarett Sabol ran for a touchdown against Lawndale.

Aliso Niguel will face Jurupa Hills and its high-powered running offense in the quarterfinals. The Wolverines have experience against teams who run the ball well, having faced Capistrano Valley and San Juan Hills this season.

Senior Dylan Fingersh booted a 42-yard field goal as time expired to lift Capistrano Valley’s football team past Downey 37-34 in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 4 playoffs Friday.

The sixth-seeded Cougars (8-3), who played host to their first postseason game since 2018, scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to rally from a 27-20 deficit against the Vikings (8-3).

Tommy Acosta passed for three touchdowns and also rushed for 101 yards and two scores.

Linebacker Jackson Sievers, a UC Davis commit, led the Cougars’ defense with 15 total tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Capistrano Valley advanced to face Culver City, which beat Ayala 38-28, in the quarterfinals next week. Culver City will be the host team.

Also in Division 4:

Yorba Linda 34, Moorpark 30: The host Mustangs (8-3) erupted for 21 points in the fourth quarter to rally past the Musketeers (9-2).

Yorba Linda, the eighth seed, trailed 27-13 entering the fourth quarter before sprinting to the finish.

Quarterback Holden Nagin completed 13 of 22 passes for 301 yards and five TDs.

His top target was again Dylan Gardner, who had six catches for 157 yards and two scores.

The Mustangs will face top-seeded Loyola, a 35-7 winner against Norte Vista of Riverside, in the quarterfinals next week.

Yorba Linda, the reigning Division 3 champion, will be the home team.

In Division 5:

Western 42, Colony 14: The visiting Pioneers (10-1) avenged a loss in the 2021 playoffs to the Colony (7-4) by posting an impressive victory on the road.

Two seasons ago, Colony beat Western 52-27 in Anaheim in the first round of the Division 9 playoffs.

“Big win for our program responding from them beating us up two years ago,” Western coach Dan Davidson said.

Juniors Malachi Alatorre and Johannes Klein returned interceptions for touchdowns to lead the Pioneers’ defense.

Anthony Luna paced the offense with three touchdown passes while Joshua Faulkner rushed for 102 yards and scored two TDs.

Western advanced to play Apple Valley, a 35-32 winner against Hesperia, in the quarterfinals next week. The Pioneers, who have won an Orange County-leading 10 consecutive games, will be the host team.

In Division 6:

Huntington Beach 29, Glendora 21: The host Oilers (5-6) posted their first postseason victory since 2013 to advance to the quarterfinals next week.

Freshman quarterback Brady Edmunds completed 13 of 22 passes for 274 yards and two TDs and also rushed for a score for Huntington Beach.

His top target was Hunter Gray, who collected seven receptions for 164 yards and two scores.

Tyler Young added 93 yards on 23 carries and scored a touchdown and 2-point conversion.

Huntington Beach, an at-large team from the Sunset League, advance to play top-seeded Ontario Christian, which beat Dana Hills 45-13. The Oilers will be the home team.

Crean Lutheran 37, Hart 21: Justin Dominguez rushed for 192 yards and scored three TDs and Ben Byszewski intercepted two passes and added five receptions to help lead the visiting Saints (8-3) into the quarterfinals.

Linebacker Carter Jones racked up 13 tackles and added an interception.

Crean Lutheran, the third-place team from the Empire League, will next meet Simi Valley, which beat Rancho Verde 40-34.

Simi Valley will be the home team as the Saints will make their second consecutive long bus trip.

La Habra 41, West Ranch 21: The host Highlanders (7-4) scored at least 40 points for the fourth consecutive game to reach the quarterfinals.

Next week, La Habra will play host to Murrieta Mesa (5-6), which knocked off reigning state champion Laguna Hills 45-14.

In Division 2:

Servite 48, Valencia of Valencia 24: Junior running back Quaid Carr scored three touchdowns, including runs of 58 and 67 yards in the fourth quarter, to lead the Friars (6-5) at Cerritos College.

Senior tight end Aidan O’Callaghan added two touchdowns and senior safety Beau Jako had two interceptions.

Servite advanced to the quarterfinals to play No. 2 Long Beach Poly, a 30-21 winner against Vista Murrieta. The Friars will be the host team at Cerritos College.

— Dan Albano

In Division 8:

Aliso Niguel 28, Lawndale 7: Aliso Niguel ran for 190 yards with three touchdowns in its first playoff win since 2019.

Quarterback Hunter Najm ran for 78 yards with two touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass. Jar ett Sabol ran for 64 yards with a touchdown for Aliso Niguel (7-4).

Sophomore Finley Torrico had a touchdown reception. Raidon Jones led the Wolverines’ defense. Aliso Niguel will play at Jurupa Hills in the second round of the Division 8 playoffs.

In Division 9:

Orange 19, Diamond Bar 12: Hype Grand threw two touchdown passes and ran for another in Orange’s win over Diamond Bar in the Division 9 playoffs.

The junior quarterback ran for 102 yards with a touchdown and threw for 99 yards with two touchdowns. Ardwon Morris ran for 120 yards on 21 carries for Orange (7-4).

Wesley Lundell had all 99 receiving yards for Orange with two touchdowns. The Panthers will host Rio Hondo Prep in round two.

Sonora 35, Rancho Mirage 34, OT: Anthony Abad ran for four touchdowns in Sonora’s overtime win in the first round of the Division 9 playoffs.

The junior scored the game-tying touchdown in overtime. Landon Martin threw a pass to Tyler Robertson to complete the 2-point conversion to win the game. Martin also ran for a touchdown.

Abad finished with 209 yards on 32 carries three catches for 31 yards.

Sonora (9-2) will host Vista del Lago in the second round.

Troy 41, Monrovia 28: Ethan Mundt ran for 181 yards with four touchdowns for Troy in a win over Monrovia in the first round of the Division 9 playoffs.

The sophomore also had seven tackles on defense with an interception. Declan Healey had a touchdown run and reception for Troy (7-4). Friday was the first home playoff game for Troy since 2006.

Troy will host Santa Monica in the second round.

In Division 10:

Beckman 14, Capistrano Valley Christian 9: Austin Shepard had a touchdown pass and ran for a touchdown in Beckman’s win over Capistrano Valley Christian at Tesoro High.

The senior quarterback threw the go-ahead touchdown pass to Dominic Thompson late in the second quarter.

JP Synnott ran for a 52-yard touchdown on a fake punt for Capistrano Valley Christian (8-2).

Beckman (9-2) will host West Covina in the second round of the Division 10 playoffs.

Kennedy 28, Crescenta Valley 14: Devin Almazan threw for 169 yards with three touchdowns in Kennedy’s first round win over Crescenta Valley.

Rider Street ran for 115 yards on 16 carries. John Bivens had a receiving touchdown, an interception and a fumble recovery for Kennedy (7-4).

Kennedy’s defense held Crescenta Valley under 200 yards of total offense. Tomasi Togia had a forced fumble and Deon Bynum had a big game at cornerback. The Fighting Irish will play Xavier Prep in round two.

In Division 11: 

Westminster 21, Schurr 10: Westminster had three rushing touchdowns in a win over Schurr.

Jason Mejia had two touchdowns and Ezekiel Cedillo added one. Edwin Hopkins had seven tackles with a fumble recovery. Kiso Logoleo had four tackles, two forced fumbles and a sack.

Westminster (8-3) will host Cantwell-Sacred Heart in round two.

In Division 12:

Buena Park 62, Arroyo Valley 30: Jaden Moore ran for 262 yards with three touchdowns and added a receiving touchdown for Buena Park (6-5).

Danny Washington ran for 88 yards with a rushing and receiving touchdown. Lacey Saxton threw three touchdown passes. Raheem Moorehead had a receiving touchdown and Aaron Rodriguez added a rushing touchdown.

Anthony Irons had eight tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown. Jeron Johnson had eight tackles with an interception. Leonardo Martinez had seven tackles with a forced fumble and returned a fumble for a touchdown.

Buena Park will play at Yucca Valley in the second round.

In Division 13: 

Los Amigos 28, San Gabriel 20: Maysen Navarro threw two touchdown passes and added a rushing touchdown for Los Amigos in a first round win over San Gabriel.

Pedro Hernandez ran for 145 yards with two touchdowns. Chris Flores led the team in receiving and had a touchdown.

Rocco Rivera led the Los Amigos (7-4) defense with 12 tackles and an interception.

Los Amigos will host Walnut in the second round.

In Division 14:

Ocean View 35, Bolsa Grande 28: William Pardue IV ran for 217 yards with three rushing touchdowns for Ocean View in a win over Bolsa Grande.

Jayden Trujillo ran for 128 yards with two touchdowns for Ocean View (6-5). The offensive line of Zach Wojtasek, Randy Leal, Elijah Armenta, Emmanuel Cantoran and Pedro Maldonado led the Seahawks to 370 rushing yards.

David Nguyen and Ethan Nguyen each ran for touchdowns for Bolsa Grande (6-5). Ethan Nguyen also threw two touchdown passes to Marc Navarro and Eddie Zarate.

Ocean View will host Bell Gardens in the second round.

— Michael Huntley

The Stallions entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in Division 3. San Juan Hills (10-1) will play Citrus Valley on the road in the second round Friday, Nov. 10.

St. Francis (8-3) was the co-champion in the Angelus League this season with Loyola. The Golden Knights had reached a CIF-SS championship game each of the last two seasons, losing to Long Beach Poly in Division 4 and Etiwanda in Division 5.

“This is a really good division and all the teams can beat each other,” San Juan Hills coach Rob Frith said. “We knew that St. Francis was a really good football team who has had a lot of success. We narrow our focus to one play at a time and try to go 1-0 each week.”

San Juan Hills took advantage of three turnovers by St. Francis in the first half. Isaiah Bennett recovered a fumble and Christopher Williams had two interceptions, both in St. Francis territory.

“That got our momentum going and it was just what we needed,” Williams said. “I saw their tendency to throw to their tight end. They wanted to get the ball to him and I wasn’t going to let them do that.”

“We capitalized and got points on all three of those turnovers which was huge for us,” Frith said.

Sophomore quarterback Timmy Herr completed 17 of 25 passes for 203 yards and four touchdowns. Herr also ran for 46 yards with a touchdown.

“He had a great week of practice and is mature beyond his years,” Frith said of Herr. “He came out and balled for us in the biggest game of the year.”

Washington commit Jason Robinson Jr. caught eight passes for 67 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Stallioins. Jake Javorsky had a sack and led the Stallions in tackles.

St. Francis quarterback John Sanders completed 24 of 40 passes for 219 yards with a touchdown pass and two interceptions. Tim Murphy led the Golden Knights in receiving with 81 yards on five receptions.

The Stallions scored first on a 1-yard touchdown run by Herr that was set up by the fumble recovery by Bennett.

After the first interception by Williams, Herr threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Sullivan Land to increase the lead to 13-0.

St. Francis answered with an 80-yard scoring drive capped by a 3-yard touchdown run by John Calmette.

Herr found Washington commit Jason Robinson Jr. open in the endzone for a 12-yard touchdown. After another Williams interception, Manuel Maganda made a 38-yard field goal to make the score 23-7.

St. Francis made it a one-score game late in the first half. Sanders found Princeton commit Preston Jernegan for a 5-yard touchdown. The pair connected again for the 2-point conversion to make the score 23-15 at halftime.

Herr threw touchdown passes to Robinson Jr. and Elijah Ayala in the second half for San Juan Hills.

Freshman Shawn Sanders made a 27-yard field goal for St. Francis late in the third quarter. He also threw a 27-yard pass to Murphy on a fake punt in the quarter to set up the field goal.

If it is, you came to the right place, because OCVarsity has a preview for that game — in fact, OCVarsity has a preview for all 44 of the first-round playoff games that involve an Orange County team.

Dan Albano, Steve Fryer, Michael Huntley and David Delgado have put together a complete look at the local games taking place Thursday and Friday.

Click here to check out Fryer’s previews and predictions for the top five games in the first round.

The other previews are shown below by division.

DIVISION 2

Palos Verdes (10-0) at Mission Viejo (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.: Click here to see Fryer’s preview and prediction for this game.

Upland (8-2) vs. Los Alamitos (8-2) at Westminster High, Friday, 7 p.m.: Click here to see Fryer’s preview and prediction for this game.

Edison (6-4) at Rancho Cucamonga (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.: The Chargers will attempt to join La Habra as the only county teams to knock off a No. 1 seed in the first round of the new playoff system. (La Habra did it in 2021.) Edison junior quarterback Save Niumata returned last week from a three-game absence but the offense struggled in a 21-10 loss to Los Alamitos. The Sunset League runner-up will need to get running back Julius Gillick (1,486 yards, 15 TDs) back on track and lean on linebacker Hoi Hansen (county-leading 144 tackles) to help anchor the defense.

Palos Verdes (10-0) at Mission Viejo (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.: The fourth-seeded Diablos are in Division 2 for the first time since they won it in 2015 en route to a state title and 16-0 record under former coach Bob Johnson. Since a 20-10 loss to San Clemente on Oct. 13, Mission Viejo has outscored its two opponents 88-6. Quarterbacks Luke Fahey and Draiden Trudeau have combined for eight touchdown passes and no interceptions while junior cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. has become more involved in the offense with nine receptions for 79 yards and two scores.

Valencia of Valencia (9-1) vs. Servite (5-5) at Cerritos College, Friday, 7 p.m.: The seventh-seeded Friars are looking to bounce back quickly after a 49-0 loss against JSerra last week. Servite aims to cut down on the turnovers after committing four in Week 10 and sustain longer drives to help its defense with field position. The Friars have good options to accomplish both goals in quarterback Leo Hannan (64 percent completion rate) and running back Quaid Carr (three straight 100-yard rushing games).

–Dan Albano 

DIVISION 3

Warren (8-2) at Tustin (10-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: Click here to see Fryer’s preview and prediction for this game.

St. Francis (8-2) at San Juan Hills (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.: San Juan Hills finished second to Trabuco Hills in the Sea View League. The Stallions beat Orange County Top 25 teams El Modena, Newport Harbor and Tesoro. San Juan Hills sophomore quarterback Timmy Herr has passed for 1,723 yards and 16 touchdowns and has rushed for 451 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Millikan (7-3) vs. Villa Park (9-1) at El Modena High, Friday, 7 p.m.: Villa Park shared the Crestview League championship with Foothill and Yorba Linda. The Spartans’ only loss was to Foothill 22-21. Villa Park senior running back Carter Christie has rushed for 968 yards and 13 touchdowns and is averaging 9 yards a carry.

–Steve Fryer 

DIVISION 4

Trabuco Hills (7-3) at Newport Harbor (5-5), Friday, 7 p.m.: Click here to see Fryer’s preview and prediction for this game.

Paraclete (7-3) vs. Corona del Mar (5-5) at Newport Harbor High, Thursday, 7 p.m.: The fourth-seeded Sea Kings recovered from a narrow loss to rival Newport Harbor to defeat Huntington Beach 42-28 last week en route to landing an at-large berth. Corona del Mar’s offense showed balance as Boise State commit Kaleb Annett matched his season-high with four TD passes while the ground attack gained 145 yards on 22 carries. The defense, led by linebacker Christian Brooks, produced four sacks and two interceptions, a positive sign for a program that hasn’t lost a first-round playoff game since 2004.

Moorpark (9-1) at Yorba Linda (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.: The eighth-seeded Mustangs showed a well-rounded effort in Week 10 that could lead to another postseason run. In a 45-29 victory against Foothill, the reigning Division 3 champion continued to move the ball well with running back Chase Jones (1,092 yards, 18 TDs for season) and quarterback Holden Nagin (22 TDs), stuffed the Knights’ ground attack and received a field goal before half by Bradley Staveley. The Crestview League co-champion will add standout Dylan Gardner, who missed the Week 10 game due to injury, to the mix Friday, Mustangs coach Jeff Bailey said.

Downey (8-2) at Capistrano Valley (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.: The sixth-seeded Cougars, an at-large team from the South Coast League, are hosting their first playoff game since the Division 3 semifinals in 2018. The Cougars went 0-3 in the rugged South Coast League but have developed junior dual-threat QB Tommy Acosta (1,407 yards passing, 825 rushing) to lead the offense. UC Davis-committed linebacker Jackson Sievers (132 tackles, seven sacks) anchors a defense that will need continued contributions from linemen Andrew Herrera and Ryan Isenhart.

–Dan Albano

DIVISION 5

Aquinas (7-3) vs. Foothill (6-4) at Tustin High, Thursday, 7 p.m.: Foothill shared the Crestview League championship with Villa Park and Yorba Linda. The Knights handed Villa Park its only loss. Foothill senior quarterback Nicholas Miali has passed for 1,981 yards and 19 touchdowns and senior running back Aaron Mitchell has rushed for 1,149 yards and 19 touchdowns.

El Modena (6-4) at Thousand Oaks (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.: El Modena went 3-0 in the North Hills League to capture the league championship. Junior quarterback Xzavior Guess has thrown for 1,806 yards and 10 touchdowns and has rushed for 602 yards and 18 touchdowns. El Modena junior defensive lineman Shane Whitehill has a team-high 65 tackles.

Western (9-1) at Colony (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.: Western went 5-0 in the Orange League to win the league championship. The Pioneers have won nine in a row since a season-opening loss to Los Alamitos. Western senior quarterback Anthony Luna is second in county passing yardage with 2,773 and has thrown 40 touchdown passes.

–Steve Fryer

DIVISION 6

Laguna Hills (9-1) at Murrieta Mesa (4-6), Friday, 7 p.m.: Laguna Hills finished second in the Pacific Coast League to Dana Hills, the only team to beat the Hawks. Laguna Hills senior linebackers Tyler Guzman and Ryder Simmons were All-CIF last year. The Hawks were Division 7 champions last season.

West Ranch (7-3) at La Habra (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.: La Habra tied with Sonora and Troy for the Freeway League championship. Highlanders junior defensive back Gabriel Jimenez has 105 tackles, 52 of those solo tackles. Eight of the teams La Habra has played this season are in the playoffs.

Rio Mesa (7-3) vs. Cypress (6-4) at Western High, Friday, 7 p.m.: Cypress finished second to Tustin in the Empire League. Centurions senior quarterback Aidan Houston has passed for 1,442 yards and has rushed for a team-high 632 yards. Senior linebacker Rocco Burdett has 105 tackles of which 80 are solo tackles.

–Steve Fryer

Dana Hills (8-2) at Ontario Christian (8-2), Friday, 7 p.m.: The Dolphins captured their first outright league title in school history last week in the Pacific Coast and enter as the No. 16 seed. They’ve averaged 47 points the past two games behind emerging sophomore quarterback Jace Lowe (eight TDs in Week 9-10) and the dynamic receiver duo of Noah Kucera (50 catches for 784 yards) and Chase Berry (10 receptions in Week 9-10). The key for Dana Hills will be receiving strong efforts on defense from linebackers Dominic Barto and Cooper Walsh and ends Mitchell Hill and Nate DePierro.

Glendora (6-4) at Huntington Beach (4-6), Friday, 7 p.m.: The eighth-seeded Oilers are playing host to a playoff game for the first time since their CIF Division 6 title season of 2013, also the last year they won a postseason game. Huntington Beach features freshman QB Brady Edmunds (1,786 yards 18 TDs) but is a senior-dominated squad. Running back Tyler Young leads the team with 927 rushing yards, Hunter Gray and Musashi Ray have combined for 65 receptions and Brandon Soleau has racked up 90 tackles.

Crean Lutheran (7-3) vs. Hart (7-3) at College of the Canyons, Friday, 7 p.m.: The Saints placed third in the Empire League to grab the No. 12 seed in Division 6, which is two divisions higher than they played last season. Freshman Caden Jones starred at quarterback last week, completing 18 of 24 passes for 148 yards and three TDs in a 39-6 win against visiting Kennedy. Crean Lutheran’s defense, led by linebacker Carter Jones (125 tackles) and safety Ben Byszewski (six INTs), has been solid in holding opponents to about 15.8 points per game.

–Dan Albano

DIVISION 7

El Dorado (5-5) at Laguna Beach (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.: Click here to see Fryer’s preview and prediction for this game.

DIVISION 8

Fountain Valley (3-7) at Brentwood (8-2), Friday, 7 p.m.: Fountain Valley went 0-5 in the Sunset League but qualified as an at-large team. The Barons beat two playoff teams, Freeway League co-champion Troy and Bellflower. Fountain Valley senior quarterback Noa Banua has passed for 1,724 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Lawndale (5-4) at Aliso Niguel (6-3), Friday, 7 p.m.: Aliso Niguel finished third in the four-team Sea View League and qualified for the playoffs as an at-large team. The Wolverines won five in a row before losing three of their final four regular-season games. Aliso senior running back Luke Jones has rushed for 729 yards and eight touchdowns.

Jurupa Hills (4-6) at Irvine (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.: Irvine won the championship of the Pacific Hills League with a 3-0 league record. Two of the Vaqueros’ losses were to league champions, Dana Hills and Trabuco Hills, and the other loss was to 9-1 Laguna Hills. Irvine junior running back Brandon Figueroa has rushed for 995 yards and 13 touchdowns.

–Steve Fryer

DIVISION 9

St. Margaret’s (6-4) at Rio Hondo Prep (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.: St. Margaret’s shared the Orange Coast League championship this season with Santa Ana and Orange. University of Chicago commit Max Ruff averages 228 yards passing per game this season with 28 touchdown passes. Battle Gideons leads the defense with 100 tackles and 13 for a loss.

Orange (6-4) at Diamond Bar (4-6), Friday, 7 p.m.: Orange won its last four games of the season including a 14-0 win over Santa Ana to capture a share of its third consecutive league championship. Sacramento State commit Ardwon Morris leads the Southern Section in rushing yards with 2,147 and 26 touchdowns. Quarterback Hype Grand is also a running threat with 562 yards and seven touchdowns and Wesley Lundell is an emerging sophomore receiver.

Marina (6-4) at Vista del Lago (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.: Marina was the Big 4 League champion this season and is on a four-game winning streak. Anthony Fabian ran for 185 yards with two touchdowns against Garden Grove and 138 yards with three touchdowns in the league title game against Segerstrom. Junior center Emitt Been leads the offensive line and lefty Garrett Hunnicutt is a dual-threat quarterback.

Sonora (8-2) at Rancho Mirage (7-2), Friday, 7 p.m.: Sonora won a share of its first Freeway League championship since 1994 this season. Anthony Abad is one of the leading rushers in the county with 1,175 yards with 16 touchdowns. Sonora’s defense has forced 20 turnovers this season and Gabriel Bagdonoff leads the group with 85 tackles.

Santa Ana (7-3) at Santa Monica (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.: Santa Ana won a share of the Orange Coast League title but ended the season on a sour note with a 14-0 loss to Orange. Charles Hughes has 1,051 yards rushing with 20 touchdowns. Sergio Torres averages 161 passing yards per game with 17 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

Monrovia (6-3) vs. Troy (6-4) at Fullerton High, Friday, 7 p.m.: Troy beat La Habra earlier this season to win a share of its first Freeway League championship since 2006. Vander Ploog has 920 yards receiving with 12 touchdowns and Declan Healey has over 1,200 yards of offense with 19 touchdowns. Troy’s offense is very balanced with 189 passing yards per game and 208 rushing yards per game.

–Michael Huntley

DIVISION 10

Segerstrom (6-4) vs. Torrance (6-4) at Zamperini Stadium, Friday, 7 p.m.: Segerstrom spreads the ball around so effectively that while the team averages 229 rushing yards per game, no individual averages over 78. Isaiah Valdivia is the team’s biggest playmaker on offense along with Ayden Morales. Mokey Leuma leads the defense with 72 tackles and Gilbert Peralta has a team-high six sacks.

Brea Olinda (5-5) at Elsinore (5-5), Friday, 7 p.m.: Brea Olinda was overmatched in the Crestview League against teams in much higher playoff divisions. Nathan Aceves has 1,057 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns this season for the Wildcats. Josh Patton led the Brea defense with eight tackles and two for a loss last week in its loss to Foothill.

Beckman (8-2) vs. Capistrano Valley Christian (8-1) at Tesoro High, Friday, 7 p.m.: Austin Shepard is a good quarterback for Beckman with 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He has three quality targets in CJ Bertoni, Sean O’Rourke and Dominic Thompson. Drexel Gibson has four sacks for Beckman’s defense and Bertoni has three sacks with two forced fumbles. Capistrano Valley Christian has the third-leading passer in the county in Nate Richie who has 2,359 yards with 30 touchdowns. Max Krosky is the second leading receiver in the county with 991 yards and a county-high 16 touchdowns. JP Synnott has over 1,300 yards of offense with 16 touchdowns.

Crescenta Valley (7-3) vs. Kennedy (6-4) at Glover Stadium, Friday, 7 p.m.: Kennedy was the fifth-place team in the Empire League but earned an at-large spot due to its 5-0 start to the season. Junior quarterback Devin Almazan completed 68 percent of his passes for 183 yards per game with 20 touchdowns. Rocco Street leads the Fighting Irish in rushing and interceptions on defense.

–Michael Huntley

DIVISION 11

Riverside Poly (4-6) vs. Esperanza (6-4) at Yorba Linda High, Thursday, 7 p.m.: Esperanza is in the playoffs for the first time since 2019 when it won the Division 13 championship. Aaron Forsgren has the third-most rushing yards in the county with 1,499 yards and 18 touchdowns. Esperanza head coach JP Presley was the head coach at Orange Lutheran and led the Lancers to four playoff appearances from 2016-2019.

Westminster (7-3) at Schurr (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.: Westminster has two playmaking running backs in Ezekiel Cedillo and Jason Guzman. Benny Burns has 20 passing touchdowns and just five interceptions for the Lions. Cedillo also leads the defense in tackles (77), sacks (6) and forced fumbles (2).

–Michael Huntley

DIVISION 12

Arroyo Valley (8-2) at Buena Park (5-5), Friday, 7 p.m.: Buena Park is in the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and had a 22-game losing streak just a year ago. Jaden Moore ran for 1,002 yards with 12 touchdowns this season to lead the offense. Anthony Irons has six interceptions to lead the defense and is the team’s leading receiver.

–Michael Huntley

DIVISION 13

Los Amigos (6-4) at San Gabriel (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.: Los Amigos earned a share of the Garden Grove League championship for the second consecutive season. Maysen Navarro had three touchdown passes in Week 10 against Santiago and Rocco Rivera is the team’s top rusher. The Lobos are on a four-game winning streak.

Santa Ana Valley (5-5) at St. Monica Prep (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.: Santa Ana Valley is the second-place representative from the Orange League for the second consecutive season. Damian Rolldan is the team’s leading rusher and Diego Quiroz is a scoring threat as well. Julian Pimentel was one of the best receivers in the Orange League this season.

Baldwin Park (3-7) at Estancia (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.: Riley Witte is a dual-threat quarterback who threw for 13 touchdowns this season and ran for eight. Estancia’s defense forced 25 turnovers this season with seven coming from interceptions. Ryan Carrasco had 83 tackles, 3.5 sacks and four forced fumbles to lead the defense.

–Michael Huntley

DIVISION 14

Rancho Alamitos (7-3) at Santa Rosa Academy (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.: Rancho Alamitos earned a share of the Garden Grove League title by winning its final three league games after losing to co-champs Los Amigos. The Vaqueros rely primarily on the run so backfield mates Jesus Diego and Cruz Gonzalez will need big games. Freshman Osvaldo Ramos could be an X factor in the passing game for QB Henry Garcia.

Bolsa Grande (6-4) at Ocean View (5-5), Friday, 7 p.m.: Bolsa Grande secured its first winning season since 1987 with a victory over La Quinta in the regular-season finale. The Matadors will need their quarterback Ethan Nguyen to continue his stellar play (6 total TDs last week) if they look to get a road playoff win. Bolsa Grande lost in the second round of the Division 14 playoffs last season to eventual champions Whittier Christian. Ocean View defeated the Matadors back in September, 34-7. The Seahawks secured an at-large playoff spot a year after going 2-8. First-year coach Daniel Hernandez will lean on running backs Jayden Trujillo and William Pardue IV and also QB Frankie Armenta and Oswaldo Lozano to lead the offense.

Anaheim (5-5) at Hawthorne (4-6), Friday, 7 p.m.: The Colonists are making their first postseason appearance since 2021, when they advanced to the semifinals before falling to Arlington. Anaheim quarterback MJ Fernandez and wide receiver Jason Garrett will look to wreak havoc on opposing secondaries. The duo has connected for eight touchdowns this season.

Duarte (6-4) at Whittier Christian (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.: No. 2 seed Whittier Christian, the defending Division 14 champion, begins its quest to repeat with a home game against Duarte. The Heralds offense is led by quarterback Caleb Mer and running back Jake Martinez. Martinez, a senior, has rushed for 1,085 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. If Whittier Christian advances, it could face Lynwood next, the team it beat in the finals last season.

–David Delgado 

We rank the teams with the best chances, and, yes, a certain Trinity League team is No. 1 in these rankings, too.

TOP 10 O.C. TEAMS LIKELY TO WIN A CIF-SS TITLE  

1. Mater Dei (9-1), Division 1

Why the Monarchs will win: Speculating about playoff results is fun but there’s a very good chance that Mater Dei and St. John Bosco will meet in the Division 1 championship game for the seventh consecutive season. The Monarchs suffered their lone loss of the regular season to Bosco 28-0, but the two teams split the season series more often than not.

Mater Dei has the ability to suffocate teams with its pass rush. The Monarchs had five sacks and 12 tackles for a loss in their Week 10 win over Santa Margarita. Monarchs linebacker Nasir Wyatt leads the Trinity League with 11 sacks and Ramere Davis has six. The pass rush leads to turnovers and Jeilani Davis leads the league with five interceptions.

The Monarchs will need to fix some offensive inconsistencies in order to beat Bosco the second time around. Mater Dei was shut out for the first time since 2011 in that first game and it’s one of just two games where quarterback Elijah Brown did not throw a touchdown pass in his four year career.

2. Whittier Christian (6-4), Division 14

Why the Heralds will win: Whittier Christian beat Lynwood last season in the Division 14 championship game and is the No. 2 seed in the bracket this season.

Jake Martinez has rushed for 1,085 yards with 16 touchdowns this season. Quarterback Caleb Mer was also the team’s starter last season and he takes care of the football.

John Rojas leads the team in tackles with 107, which is the fifth most in the county. Adrian Hernandez has five interceptions and Cash Ramos has three.

3. San Juan Hills (9-1), Division 3

Why the Stallions will win: The decision to make Division 1 an eight-team bracket greatly benefited San Juan Hills, which fell to the top seed in Division 3.

San Juan Hills has one of the best linebacker duos in the county in Weston Port and Jake Javorsky. On offense, the Stallions run the ball well with Sullivan Land and dual-threat quarterback Timmy Herr. When they need to throw, Washington commit Jason Robinson Jr. runs great routes and can make plays after the catch.

Division 3 is a loaded bracket and includes two other top county teams, Tustin and Villa Park. But San Juan Hills is on the other side of the bracket and wouldn’t see either of those teams until the championship game.

4. Mission Viejo (7-3), Division 2

Why the Diablos will win: This is the first year Mission Viejo is not in the Division 1 playoffs since 2015 when the team won the Division 2 championship.

Mission Viejo is good on the offensive line, led by UCLA commit Mark Schroller, and that helps the running back duo of Hinesward Lilomaiava and Chase Valousky. Vance Spafford is a receiver who can make plays after the catch.

Jaden Williams has 23 tackles for a loss with 10.5 sacks this season. Jack Matranga and Jonavan Asuncion clean up on tackles in the running game. Boise State commits Travis Anderson and Treyvon Tolmaire patrol the secondary with safety Dijon Lee and emerging sophomore Zachary Foeldi.

5. Los Alamitos (8-2), Division 2

Why the Griffins will win: Los Alamitos has one of the best defenses in the county. Oregon commit Kamar Mothudi and defensive linemen Dre Taylor, Liki Lotulelei and Manoah Faupusa are an underrated trio. USC commit Isaiah Rubin and San Diego State commit Foster Slaughter lead the secondary.

Alonzo Esparza is a dual-threat quarterback who can hurt defenses with his legs. Anthony League is healthy at running back after missing a few games and Lenny Ibarra is also a quality running back. Oklahoma commit Davon Mitchell is a tough matchup at tight end and Hayden Eligon has been heating up at receiver.

Los Alamitos lost to Servite and Mission Viejo, who are also in the division, but the Griffins are healthy and clicking at the right time.

6. Laguna Beach (9-1), Division 7

Why the Breakers will win: Laguna Beach won its first championship since 1946 last season when it claimed the Division 9 championship. That Breakers team was young and a ton of major contributors from that team are on this year’s team.

Junior quarterback Jackson Kollock is the county’s leading passer and recently got a scholarship offer from Washington. BYU commit Ryner Swanson is the tight end and looks like Travis Kelce when you watch Laguna Beach on film.

Nick Rogers is a running back who can make plays in the running and passing game. Marcus Heins is a great defensive player who the coaching staff is very high on.

Laguna Beach is the No. 2 seed in Division 7 and has a fun matchup against El Dorado in the first round.

7. La Habra (6-4), Division 6

Why the Highlanders will win: La Habra was excellent last week against rival Sonora and captured a share of the Freeway League championship with its victory.

Kenny Saucedo threw nine touchdowns and zero interceptions during Freeway League play. He can also run the ball effectively alongside running back Brandon Giron. Bryce Whitley averages nearly 20 yards per catch and has 12 touchdowns at receiver.

Gabriel Jimenez leads the Freeway League with 105 tackles and Jesse Vargas has 89 tackles. Richie Estrada has five interceptions and has returned one for a touchdown.

La Habra potentially has fun Orange County matchups on its side of the bracket, possibly with Laguna Hills in round two and Cypress in the semifinals.

8. Capistrano Valley Christian (8-1), Division 10

Why the Eagles will win: Capistrano Valley Christian sneakily has one of the best offenses in the county.

Nate Richie averages 262 passing yards per game and has 30 touchdowns with just four interceptions this season. JP Synnott averages 103 rushing yards per game with 10 touchdowns. Max Krosky has 991 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns.

Krosky also leads the team in interceptions alongside Landon Agosto.

The Eagles’ only loss this season was a close setback to St. Margaret’s, a team in a higher division. CVC also has prominent former head coaches on its coaching staff in longtime Saddleback College coach Mark McElroy and former Capistrano Valley coach Chi Chi Biehn. Experienced coaching staffs win playoff games.

9. Tustin (10-0), Division 3

Why the Tillers will win: Tustin is the lone undefeated team in Orange County and has beaten quality teams during the process.

The Tillers have elite speed at the skill positions and that’s a major factor in their success. MacKenzie Alleyne is a threat to score whenever he touches the ball and Eimesse Essis averages over 11 yards per carry.

UCLA commit Khristian Dunbar-Hawkins is a shutdown cornerback and teams avoid throwing the ball anywhere near the vicinity of him. Freshmen Khalil Terry and Taven Epps are two of the team’s leading tacklers.

The reason Tustin isn’t higher on this list is because of the gauntlet it will face in the Division 3 bracket. In the first round, Tustin will play Warren, which features Colorado State commit Jordan Ross and top prospect quarterback Madden Iamaleava.

10. Western (9-1), Division 5

Why the Pioneers will win: Western has an incredibly tough road to the championship in Division 5, but the team is experienced and well-coached.

Anthony Luna is the second-leading passer in the county with 2,773 yards and 40 touchdowns. The team does not have a high-profile rusher, but runs for 186 yards per game with 21 touchdowns. Desmin Joshway-Fairley and Joshua Faulkner are high-level playmakers on offense with 32 touchdowns between the two of them.

Clayton Corbett has 96 tackles to lead the defense and Malachi Alatorre has 81. Malik Benjamin has 10.5 sacks and the team has forced 16 turnovers this season.

The concern with Western is the difference in difficulty between the Orange League and the teams in Division 5. It’s a major jump in opposing skill level, but the Pioneers reached the semifinals in Division 7 last season.

HOT TEAMS

San Clemente: San Clemente is 9-1 and its lone loss was by one point to a strong Murrieta Valley team. The Tritons won the South Coast League for the first time since the spring 2021 season, which was shortened due to the pandemic.

Aiden Rubin is second in the county in rushing yards and has a strong case to be an All-County running back this season. He had 22 touchdowns this season which ties the school-record set by Josh Ferrell in 2006.

Dylan Mills showed off his speed in Week 10 with a 59-yard rushing touchdown against Tesoro. He also completed 73 percent of his passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns.

San Clemente’s defense has speed up front and in the secondary. Puka Fuimaono leads the team in tackles and Stanford commit Connor Bachhuber is quick off the edge. Matai Tagoa’i leads the team in tackles for a loss and the duo of Riley Kelley and Max Gonzales each has five interceptions.

Dana Hills: Dana Hills beat Northwood in Week 10 to earn its first outright league championship in the school’s 50-year history.

Noah Kucera is an All-County candidate at receiver and safety for the Dolphins. The senior has over 1,000 yards of offense with 13 touchdowns, an interception return for a touchdown and a kick return for a touchdown.

Sophomore quarterback Jace Lowe is averaging 180 passing yards per game with 19 touchdowns. San Clemente transfer Owen Walz has been good at running back, but missed the Week 10 game due to injury.

Dominic Barto leads the defense with 82 tackles and Noah Brown has six sacks. The Dolphins are on a six-game winning streak that includes snapping a 15-game winning streak by Laguna Hills.

Los Amigos: The Lobos are co-champions in the Garden Grove League for the second consecutive season.

Maysen Navarro is a dual-threat quarterback for Los Amigos who had three touchdown passes in a win over Santiago in Week 10. Chris Flores is a top receiver who is healthy after missing some time due to injury.

Alejandro Carrillo is the team’s best pass rusher and Rocco Rivera is the team’s leading tackler. The Lobos have won four consecutive games including a 13-12 win over Co-League champion Rancho Alamitos.

Los Amigos lost to Arrowhead Christian in the first round of the Division 13 playoffs last season.

HOT PLAYERS

Anthony Fabian, Marina: Fabian has been dominating the Big 4 League on the ground. He ran for 185 yards with two touchdowns against Garden Grove and 138 yards with three touchdowns against Segerstrom in Week 10.

The senior has over 1,000 rushing yards this season and is a big reason why Marina has won four consecutive games.

Anthony Luna, Western: The senior quarterback has not thrown an interception in his last six games and has 27 touchdowns in that span.

Luna has completed over 74 percent of his passes the last two games with 585 yards and 12 touchdowns in wins over Century and Anaheim. He has the second most passing yards in the county.

Jared Referente, JSerra: Referente had 11 tackles and returned an interception 47 yards to lead to an early score for JSerra in its 49-0 win over Servite in Week 10.

The senior also had a rushing touchdown for the Lions. He has 27 tackles in his last two games.

JSerra dominated Servite 49-0 Friday at Cerritos College to clinch the third automatic playoff berth from the Trinity League.

Kamar Garbourel ran for 157 yards with three touchdowns for JSerra (5-5, 2-3). Zander Singh completed 10 of 15 passes for 175 yards with three touchdowns.

Axel Olander had two touchdown receptions and Logan Christensen added a touchdown catch. Christensen also had an interception on defense.

Jared Referente and Grant Wood each had long interception returns to lead the defense and Marley Mckenzie recovered a fumble.

Referente and Madden Faraimo each had a team-high 14 tackles.

In other games Friday:

Mater Dei 35, Santa Margarita 19: Ramere Davis and Jeilani Davis each recorded defensive touchdowns for Mater Dei in its Trinity League win over Santa Margarita.

The Monarchs (9-1, 4-1) had three rushing touchdowns in the win.

Ramere Davis recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown to give the Monarchs a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. After a Zabien Brown interception, Ajon Bryant ran for a touchdown to extend the lead to 14-0 in the second quarter. Nathaniel Frazier also had a touchdown run in the first half for the Monarchs.

Santa Margarita (5-5, 1-4) cut the lead to 21-13 at halftime with two touchdown passes from John Gazzaniga to Trent Mosley and Skylar Lendsey.

Ryan Gass made two field goals for the Eagles to cut the lead to 21-19, but then Frazier broke free for a 48-yard touchdown run to make the score 28-19.

Jeilani Davis returned an interception for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

St. John Bosco 44, Orange Lutheran 22: Orange Lutheran wrapped the regular season with a loss to St. John Bosco at Orange Coast College.

Caleb Sanchez threw two touchdown passes to Daniel Odom and one to Chauncey Sylvester to give St. John Bosco (9-1, 5-0) a 23-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Orange Lutheran (5-5, 2-3) quarterback TJ Lateef threw touchdown passes to Chris Flores Jr. and Nicholas Bland to make the score 23-15 at halftime.

Steve Chavez ran for a touchdown for the Lancers in the second half.

Sanchez threw touchdown passes to Sylvester, Owen Tomich and Stacy Dobbins in the second half for the Braves.

San Clemente 38, Tesoro 24: San Clemente scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter to help the Tritons clinch the outright South Coast League championship.

Quarterback Dylan Mills threw two touchdown passes to Cole Herlean in the first half and had a long touchdown run for San Clemente (9-1, 3-0). Aiden Rubin had a touchdown run for the Tritons to give them a 28-17 lead at halftime.

Mills connected with Drew Shanley for a touchdown pass in the second half. Max Bollard and Max Kotiranta had interceptions for the San Clemente defense.

Tesoro (5-5, 1-2) quarterback Cash O’Byrne had 286 yards passing with a touchdown pass to Drew Wong. Running back Travis Wood had a touchdown run and completed a touchdown pass to O’Byrne.

Laguna Beach 42, Westminster 7: Jackson Kollock threw three long touchdown passes to lead Laguna Beach (9-1, 3-0) to the  Pac 4 League championship.

The junior quarterback threw touchdown passes of 86, 49 and 81 yards. Nick Rogers had two touchdown receptions and Charlie Hunt added one.

Rogers also had two rushing touchdowns for the Breakers while Kollock added a rushing touchdown. Marcus Heins had an interception on defense.

Ezekiel Cedillo had a 31-yard touchdown reception from Benny Burns for Westminster (7-3, 2-1).

Troy 36, Sunny Hills 13: Troy scored 36 unanswered points to clinch a share of the Freeway League championship.

Declan Healey had two touchdown runs for Troy (6-4, 4-1) and Ethan Mundt added one.

Caleb Huss threw a touchdown pass to Vander Ploog and Rudy Alcala threw one to Hayden Sanchez.

Dana Hills 42, Northwood 21: Dana Hills beat Northwood to win the Pacific Coast League championship, the first outright league championship in the school’s 50-year history.

Jace Lowe threw for 368 yards with five touchdowns for Dana Hills (8-2, 3-0). Noah Kucera had 145 yards receiving and Chase Berry had 115 with a touchdown.

Kucera and Niki Grguric each had two touchdown receptions. Kucera also had an interception on defense along with Mitchell Hill and Morgan Smith.

Cooper Walsh had a team-high 12 tackles, forced a fumble and recovered two fumbles.

Irvine 42, University 7: Irvine captured the outright Pacific Hills League championship with a rout of University.

Brandon Figueroa had three rushing touchdowns for Irvine (7-3, 3-0). Deacon Moss had a touchdown reception and returned a punt for a touchdown.

Sophomore Sina Saferzadeh threw touchdowns to Moss and Chase Russom.

Brooks Beckmann threw a touchdown pass to Blaine Anderson for University (4-6, 1-2).

— Michael Huntley

Villa Park 57, Brea Olinda 6: Junior quarterback Nate Lewis threw six touchdown passes for the Spartans in their Crestview League win over the Wildcats.

Senior safety Mark Meagher had a sack and an interception. Linebacker Carter Christie, also one of county football’s top running backs, made two touchdown-stopping tackles when he chased down cross-field style Brea ball carriers.

Villa Park went 2-1 in league and is 9-1 overall. The Spartans are league co-champions with Foothill and Yorba Linda. Their loss was a one-point league loss to Foothill 22-21.

Coin flips placed the Crestview League order of playoff representation as Yorba Linda at No. 2, Foothill at No. 2 and Villa Park at No. 3. Because only the top two teams in a four-team league like the Crestview League receive guaranteed playoff berths, Villa Park can only get into the playoffs if the Spartans are selected as an at-large team.

Brea Olinda is 5-5 overall and 0-3 in league. With a .500 overall record the Wildcats are eligible for at-large berth consideration.

El Dorado 31, Esperanza 7: Senior running back Isaiah Quintero returned to action by rushing for two touchdowns in the North Hills League win for the Golden Hawks (5-5, 2-1).

Quintero, also a state champion wrestler, had missed the past few games because of a broken fibula. El Dorado quarterback Nate Bento scored on a rushing touchdown and threw a touchdown pass to tight end Nathan Meek.

El Dorado finished second in the four-team league which guarantees a playoff berth. Esperanza at 5-5 overall and 1-2 in league and can qualify for the playoffs as an at-large team.

Laguna Hills 31, Portola 15: Ben Trocchio passed for 189 yards and threw touchdown passes to Mason Fromm, Jake Minotta and Drew Wade in the Hawks win over the Bulldogs in a Pacific Coast League game.

Linebacker Ryder Simmons led the Laguna Hills defense.

The Hawks, the CIF-SS Division 7 champion last season, finished the regular season 9-1 overall. Their one loss was a 21-20 loss to Dana Hills in league play. Laguna Hills finished second to Dana Hills in the four-team league.

Corona del Mar 42, Huntington Beach 38: Kaleb Annett threw four touchdown passes in the Sea Kings win over the Oilers in a Sunset League game.

Russell Weir caught two touchdown passes. Dorsett Stecker and Breck Clemmer each had a touchdown reception. Colin Pene rushed for a touchdown and Christian Brooks returned an interception for a touchdown.

It was a big win for Corona del Mar because it enabled the Sea Kings to finish the regular season 5-5 overall. The Sea Kings are the No. 4 team in the six-team league. A No. 4 team in a six-team league does not automatically qualify for the playoffs, so the at-large route is the only way Corona del Mar can get into the playoffs.

Huntington Beach finished fifth and with a 3-7 overall record is a longshot to qualify as an at-large team.

Newport 31, Fountain Valley 7: Josiah Lamarque had eight receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown and sophomore quarterback Jaden O’Neal threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns in the Sailors win over the Barons in the Sunset League.

Jordan Anderson caught seven passes for 57 yards. Jagger Blauwkamp and Cade Fegel had touchdown receptions. Garrett Marlin and Tanner Muir each made five tackles and Jimmy Lavin had two sacks.

Newport Harbor qualified for the playoffs with its third-place finish in the six-team Sunset League with a 3-2 league record. The Sailors are 5-5 overall. Fountain Valley went 0-5 in league, is 3-7 overall and unlikely to qualify for the playoffs.

Western 54, Anaheim 0: Desmin Joshway-Fairley had six receptions for 145 yards and three touchdowns in the Orange League game.

Western went 5-0 in league and won its final three league games by shutout. The Pioneers take a 9-1 overall record into the playoffs.

Pioneer quarterback Anthony Luna completed 16 of 21 passes for 302 yards and six touchdowns. Defensive end Dane Torrence had two sacks.

— Steve Fryer

Tustin (10-0, 5-0) finished the regular season undefeated for the first time since 2012.

The Tillers clinched their first Empire League championship since the 2021 spring season, which was shortened due to the pandemic. That season they shared the league championship with Cypress and Pacifica.

This is Tustin’s first outright league title since 2012.

“The kids have bought into what we were selling and my coaching staff has been phenomenal,” Tustin coach Anthony Lopez said. “I love these guys and I’m really proud of the whole group.”

Friday was the first time Tustin defeated Cypress (6-4, 4-1) since 2017, snapping a five-game losing streak.

Eimesse Essis ran for 139 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns for the Tillers.

Tustin quarterback Jack Stupin threw for 162 yards with three touchdown passes. MacKenzie Alleyne had two long touchdowns, an 80-yard run and an 86-yard kickoff return.

The Tillers jumped on Cypress by scoring 21 unanswered points in the first 13 minutes of the game. Stupin threw two touchdown passes to Kaden Carter, from 19 and 24 yards, to give Tustin a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

Essis ran untouched for a 39-yard touchdown on the second play of the second quarter to give the Tillers a 21-0 lead.

Cypress kicker Logan Kennedy made a 42-yard field goal to cut Tustin’s lead to 21-3 at halftime.

After an interception on the first play of the second half by William Leapart III, Stupin threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Marques Guzman to extend the lead to 28-3.

Cypress running back Rocco Burdett ran for two touchdowns in the second half.

Alleyne had both of his long touchdowns on the plays immediately after the Burdett touchdowns to keep Cypress at arm’s length.

“The kid is amazing and he needs to end up playing in college somewhere,” Lopez said of Alleyne. “The way he swings momentum into our favor is huge.”

Essis ran for a 10-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter for the Tillers.

Aidan Houston led Cypress in rushing with 76 yards on 17 attempts and threw for 80 yards.

Tustin’s defense had five sacks. Alex Hage had two sacks while Annas Davis, Guzman and Carter each added one.

Bruno Caldarella had a sack and a tipped pass to lead the Cypress defense. Tyler White and Matthew Fonseca had a sack for Cypress.

Cypress qualified for the playoffs as the second-place representative from the league. The Centurions reached the Division 4 championship game last season and fell to Downey.

Tustin has reached the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season.

The Tillers fell to Muir in the first round of the Division 10 playoffs last season and is expected to be in Division 3 this season. The CIF-SS pairings will be announced Sunday morning.

“We just have to keep practicing hard and trusting the process,” Lopez said. “We always preach that it’s not who we play, it’s how we play. We’ll let the chips fall where they may on Sunday and come out swinging next week.”

THE HIGHS

Kyle Bayle, Canyon: Bayle had a school-record 19 catches for 213 yards and three touchdowns for Canyon in a 34-27 loss to Esperanza.

Cade Fegel, Newport Harbor: Fegel had two touchdown receptions, including the go-ahead score in Newport Harbor’s 21-20 first win over Corona del Mar in 11 years.

Zachary Foeldi, Mission Viejo: The sophomore had two interceptions and six tackles for Mission Viejo in a 36-0 win over Tesoro.

Xzavior Guess, El Modena: The junior completed 24 of 30 passes for 331 yards and two touchdowns in El Modena’s 38-10 win over El Dorado. Guess also had two rushing touchdowns.

Leo Hannan, Servite: Hannan completed 21 of 28 passes for a career-high 343 yards and four touchdowns in Servite’s 50-42 win over Santa Margarita.

Ben Holland, Trabuco Hills: Holland had 9 tackles, an interception and recovered an onside kick in Trabuco Hills’ 24-17 win over San Juan Hills to clinch a share of the Sea View League championship.

Chase Jones, Yorba Linda: Jones ran for a career-high 306 yards and four touchdowns for Yorba Linda in a 34-33 loss to Villa Park.

Hunter Najm, Aliso Niguel: Najm had three rushing touchdowns for Aliso Niguel in a 35-14 win over El Toro. The senior also threw for 175 yards and added a touchdown pass.

Noah Puertas, Esperanza: The quarterback had 201 yards passing, 199 yards rushing with two passing touchdowns in a win over Canyon.

Isaiah Valdivia, Segerstrom: Valdivia ran for 141 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown in Segerstrom’s 31-14 win over Garden Grove. The senior also forced a fumble on defense.

Rylie Witte, Estancia: Witte threw for 275 yards with two passing and two rushing touchdowns for Estancia in a 29-28 win over Calvary Chapel.

Nasir Wyatt, Mater Dei: The junior had three sacks for Mater Dei in its 55-13 win over Orange Lutheran.

THE LOWS

The Register’s Orange County Top 25 Poll: Voting in the top 25 poll has become increasingly difficult every week. Four of the five Orange County teams in the Trinity League have all beaten each other. San Juan Hills, Newport Harbor, Corona del Mar, Tesoro and Trabuco Hills have all lost and won games against one another. A voter could justifiably have any of the top 15 teams in a variety of orders and would have a solid case for doing so.

FINAL WORD ON WEEK 9

Some results in Week 9 were surprising and threw league title races for a loop. Very few people expected Trabuco Hills to capture the Sea View League title away from previously unbeaten San Juan Hills.

We have some exciting league championship games to look forward to in Week 10. We have potential three-way ties in multiple leagues. If Yorba Linda beats Foothill, we will likely have a three-way tie for the Crestview League title. If La Habra beats Sonora, we will likely have a three-way tie for the Freeway League title.

Orange could beat Santa Ana to set up a three-way tie for the Orange Coast League title between the two schools and St. Margaret’s. Northwood has a chance to beat Dana Hills to force a tie in the Pacific Coast League.

Before you spend time pouring over CalPreps to try to predict the playoff pairings, just remember that we have seen many unexpected results this year. The only thing we know about what will happen in Week 10 is that we know nothing about what will happen. Famous philosopher Plato is the one who coined that phrase but I am going to steal it this week.

Dominic Ancich scored on a 2-yard touchdown run and Emiliano Salazar booted the extra point to lift Villa Park’s football team past Yorba Linda 34-33 in a dramatic Crestview League game Friday at El Modena High.

Villa Park (8-1, 1-1), ranked 16th in Orange County, scored on its first possession of overtime after No. 15 Yorba Linda (6-3, 1-1) opened the extra period with a touchdown run and missed extra point.

The Mustangs missed their extra-point attempt after a penalty negated a successful kick following a 1-yard touchdown run by Chase Jones.

Yorba Linda also missed an extra point in the first half that loomed significant as the teams finished regulation tied 27-27.

Villa Park junior quarterback Nate Lewis set up the winning score by scrambling and then completing a 9-yard pass to Carter Christie to move the ball to the 2.

Earlier in the drive, Ancich converted a fourth-and-1 at the Yorba Linda 16 with a 3-yard run.

The Spartans bounced back from a 22-21 loss against Foothill last week. They close out the Crestview League by playing at Brea Olinda (5-4, 0-2) on Friday, Oct. 27.

Yorba Linda finishes league on Thursday, Oct. 26, by taking on Foothill (6-3, 2-0), which has clinched at least a share of the league crown. The game will be played at Tustin High.

Foothill 55, Brea Olinda 0: Running back Aaron Mitchell rushed for three touchdowns in the first half to help the Knights (6-3, 2-0) clinch at least a share of the league title at Tustin.

Esperanza 34, Canyon 27: Quarterback Noah Puertas passed for 201 yards and rushed for 199, and Aaron Forsgren rushed for 103 yards and a score, as the Aztecs (4-5, 1-1) kept their playoff chances alive.

Canyon wide receiver Kyle Bayle hauled in a school-record 19 catches for 213 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Corin Rynders passed for 292 passing yards and three scores for the Comanches (1-8, 0-2).

La Habra 45, Fullerton 7: The visiting Highlanders (5-4, 3-1) posted their second consecutive impressive victory in league to move into a tie for second place with Troy (5-4, 3-1). La Habra takes on Sonora (8-1, 4-0) next week for a chance to earn a share of the league crown.

Buena Park 14, Sunny Hills 13: Jaden Moore scored on an 8-yard touchdown run with 26 seconds left and Anthony Irons intercepted a pass as the Coyotes (5-4, 1-3) beat the Lancers (4-5, 1-3) for the first time since 2016.

Buena Park’s Jeron Johnson blocked an extra point with about three minutes left for another key play.

Edison 56, Fountain Valley 7: Julius Gillick rushed for 158 yards and freshman Sam Thomson passed for 220 yards and three TDs as the Chargers (6-3, 4-0) continued to dominate its Bell Game rivalry and set up a showdown next week against Los Alamitos (7-2, 4-0) for the Sunset League title.

Edison has won 19 consecutive games in its rivalry with Fountain Valley (3-5, 0-3).

The Griffins defeated Huntington Beach 63-13 in a Sunset League game Friday.

Santiago 14, Loara 3: James Gonzalez passed 159 yards and a touchdown to lead the Cavaliers (4-5, 1-3) to their first victory in the Garden Grove League.

— Dan Albano

San Clemente 35, Capistrano Valley 18: San Clemente clinched a share of the South Coast League championship by beating Capistrano Valley.

The Tritons most recently won the league championship in the pandemic-shortened spring season in 2021.

Aiden Rubin ran for two touchdowns for San Clemente (8-1, 2-0) and Dylan Mills threw two touchdown passes. Rubin is one rushing touchdown shy of the school-record.

Cole Herlean had two touchdown receptions for the Tritons and Max Gonzales returned an interception for a touchdown for the second consecutive game.

Tommy Acosta and Cash Moormann had rushing touchdowns for Capo Valley (7-2, 0-2).

Laguna Hills 31, Northwood 28, OT: Laguna Hills blocked a potential game-tying field goal attempt in overtime to edge Northwood in a Pacific Coast League game.

The Hawks trailed 21-7 in the second half. Dylan Sciacca returned a fumble for a touchdown for Laguna Hills (8-1, 1-1) to tie the game.

Ryan McKevitt ran for over 120 yards with a touchdown. Ben Trocchio had a rushing touchdown and threw a touchdown pass to Mason Fromm. Tyler Guzman had an interception for the Hawks and Luke Whitfield made the go-ahead field goal in overtime.

Edward Ma threw for over 250 yards with four touchdowns for Northwood (4-5, 1-1). Joseph Harper had two touchdown receptions and multiple sacks on defense.

Dana Hills 52, Portola 13: Owen Walz had four rushing touchdowns for Dana Hills in a rout of Portola to clinch a share of the Pacific Coast League championship.

The four rushing touchdowns are the most for a Dana Hills (7-2, 2-0) rusher since Trent Mason in 2010. Walz also had a 90-yard kick return for a touchdown, his second in two games.

Jace Lowe threw three touchdown passes, two to Noah Kucera and one to James Leicester.

Rocky Palacio threw for 150 yards with a touchdown for Portola (4-5, 0-2).

Tustin 49, Pacifica 0: Tustin ran for 331 yards with five touchdowns in a win over Pacifica in an Empire League game.

Eimesse Essis led the Tillers with 112 yards on six carries with two touchdowns. Mackenzie Elleyne had a rushing touchdown and receiving touchdown.

Jack Stupin threw for 133 yards with two touchdowns for Tustin (9-0, 4-0). Khalil Terry and Drew Glymph each had interceptions for the Tillers. Tustin is the last remaining undefeated team in the county.

Aliso Niguel 35, El Toro 14: Aliso Niguel ran for 225 yards in a Sea View League win over El Toro to snap its two-game losing streak.

Quarterback Hunter Najm ran for 82 yards with three touchdowns and threw for 175 yards with a touchdown. Jarett Sabol ran for 89 yards with a touchdown for Aliso Niguel (6-3, 1-1).

Ayden Sanchez caught five passes for 84 yards with a touchdown. Ryu Davis had an 85-yard kickoff return and Cameron Levine had eight tackles with a sack.

Laguna Beach 50, Godinez 7: Jackson Kollock threw for 325 yards with seven touchdowns for Laguna Beach in a Pac 4 League win over Godinez.

Six different receivers had touchdown receptions for Laguna Beach (8-1, 2-0). Nick Rogers had 89 yards receiving with two touchdowns. Brock Donaldson had 93 yards receiving with a touchdown.

Nico Vidaurri Tucker had an interception for the Breakers and freshman Garrett Byerly recovered a fumble.

Orange 51, Costa Mesa 6: Ardwon Morris ran for 287 yards with four touchdowns for Orange in an Orange Coast League win over Costa Mesa.

Wesley Lundell threw for 120 yards on just three completions with two touchdowns for the Panthers. Isaiah Williams had all 120 yards receiving with two touchdowns.

Isaac Daniels had an interception for Orange (5-4, 4-1).

Estancia 29, Calvary Chapel 28: Rylie Witte threw for 278 yards with two passing and two rushing touchdowns for Estancia in an Orange Coast League win over Calvary Chapel.

Evan Urquiza led the defense with eight solo tackles and a forced fumble. He also had a touchdown reception and a successful two-point conversion attempt which clinched the game for Estancia (5-4, 2-3).

Joseth Zarate and Brandon Bettinghausen had touchdown receptions.

— Michael Huntley