The CIF-Southern Section football playoffs begin this weekend with several Catholic schools among the favorites to bring home titles.
Notre Dame, the only unbeaten Catholic school (10-0) and ranked No. 2 in the state by MaxPreps.com, is among the Division I title favorites, although traditionally strong Mater Dei, Santa Margarita and Servite --- survivors of the fiercely competitive Trinity League --- also merit consideration.
Meanwhile St. Bonaventure (9-1 and No. 7 statewide) and Santa Clara (9-1) have looked strong all season as they prepare for Division IV and XI playoff action, respectively. Nor can Damien in Division II, Serra and St. Joseph in Division X, and Chaminade in Division III be counted out of the title picture.
Last Week's Results:
Camino Real: La Salle, capped an amazing turnaround, winning its fifth straight after losing its first five, to win the league title with a perfect 4-0 mark, 34-7 over winless St. Monica. Verbum Dei took the runnerup slot by trouncing Cantwell-Sacred Heart 56-0, which left the Cardinals out of the playoffs despite a 7-3 overall record. Mary Star made the playoffs when it edged Vasquez 28-27 in a non-league game.
Channel: St. Bonaventure beat Ventura 37-14 to win another league crown.
Del Rey: Serra defeated St. Bernard 21-14 to earn the No. 2 spot behind Harvard-Westlake which beat Bishop Montgomery 49-0. In what resembled a track meet more than a football game, Cathedral outscored Bosco Tech 73-44, but missed out on a playoff berth.
Frontier: A three-way tie for the league title resulted when Bishop Diego topped Fillmore 24-14 and Santa Clara beat Villanova Prep 35-23.
Los Padres: St. Joseph capped an unbeaten league season beating Nipomo 33-14 to win the title.
Mission: Chaminade won the title by beating Alemany 38-13. St. Paul's 21-9 win over St. Francis put both in the playoffs.
Olympic: Paraclete tied for third in the league with a 35-18 win over Kilpatrick to make the post-season.
Santa Fe: Salesian stopped St. Anthony 34-6 to win the title, while St. Genevieve's 34-14 win over Daniel Murphy put the Valiants and idle Bellarmine-Jefferson in the playoffs.
Serra: Notre Dame posted a 21-3 win over Crespi to decide the league title. The annual Bishop Amat-Loyola classic ended with the Cubs on top, 31-24, but both missed the playoffs.
Sierra: Damien edged Chino Hills 23-21 in the title decider.
Trinity: Servite toppled Santa Margarita 36-16 to split the league title with Orange Lutheran (which Servite beat). Lutheran's 28-8 win over St. John Bosco knocked the Braves from the playoff picture in this, probably the toughest league in the Southern Section. Mater Dei was idle, having posted a forfeit win over JSerra.
Following are a recap of recent action, a listing of this week's games, and a teams' current overall and league records.
Playoff Schedule (all Nov. 17):
Division I (Pac-5):
Dana Hills (5-5) vs. Notre Dame (10-0)
Mater Dei (8-2) vs. Long Beach Poly (9-1)
Santa Margarita (8-2) vs. Lakewood (7-3)
Crespi (6-4) vs. Edison (8-2)
Long Beach Wilson (3-7) vs. Servite (7-3)
Division II (Inland):
Carter (7-3) vs. Damien (8-2)
Division III (Western):
Lynwood (4-6) vs. Chaminade (7-3)
St. Francis (6-4) vs. Culver City (8-1-1)
St. Paul (5-5) vs. Downey (7-3)
Division IV (Northern):
Paso Robles (5-5) vs. St. Bonaventure (9-1)
Division X (Northwest):
St. Bernard (3-7) vs. Oaks Christian (10-0)
El Segundo (6-4) vs. Serra (8-2)
Torrance (5-5) at St. Joseph (8-2)
Division XI (Mid-Valley):
Verbum Dei (6-4) vs. L.A. Baptist (5-4)
Paraclete (5-4) vs. Santa Clara (9-1)
Mary Star (4-6) vs. Village Christian (7-2)
Workman (7-3) vs. Bishop Diego (7-3)
Fillmore (7-2) vs. La Salle (5-5)
Division XIII (Northeast):
St. Genevieve (4-6) vs. Lucerne Valley (5-5)
Fairmont Prep (8-1) vs. Salesian (6-3)
Bellarmine-Jefferson (5-5) vs. Boron (9-1)
TEAM RECORDS: Overall, League
Camino Real League
La Salle, 5-5, 4-0
Verbum Dei, 6-4, 3-1
Mary Star of the Sea, 4-6, 2-2
Cantwell-Sacred Heart, 7-3, 1-3
St. Monica, 0-10, 0-4
Channel League
St. Bonaventure, 9-1, 5-0
Del Rey League
Serra, 8-2, 4-1
St. Bernard, 3-7, 3-2
Cathedral, 6-4, 2-3
Bishop Montgomery, 3-7, 1-4
Don Bosco Tech, 3-7, 0-5
Frontier League
Santa Clara, 9-1, 3-1
Bishop Diego, 7-3, 3-1
Villanova Prep, 4-5, 1-3
Los Padres League
St. Joseph, 8-2, 7-0
Mission League
Chaminade, 7-3, 3-0
St. Paul, 5-5, 2-1
St. Francis, 6-4, 1-2
Alemany, 4-6, 0-3
Olympic League
Paraclete, 5-4, 2-2
Santa Fe League
Salesian, 6-3, 4-0
St. Genevieve, 4-6, 3-1
Bellarmine-Jefferson, 5-5, 2-2
Daniel Murphy, 4-6, 1-3
St. Anthony, 3-7, 0-4
Serra League
Notre Dame, 10-0, 3-0
Crespi, 6-4, 2-1
Loyola, 5-5, 1-2
Bishop Amat, 4-6, 0-3
Sierra League
Damien, 8-2, 5-0
Trinity League
Servite, 7-3, 4-1*
Santa Margarita, 8-2, 3-2*
Mater Dei, 8-2, 3-2*
St. John Bosco, 6-4, 1-4*
JSerra Catholic, 1-8, 0-5
*: includes forfeit wins over JSerra |