Six local Catholic school teams remain alive heading into this weekend's CIF-Southern Section football semifinals, after several teams with success in recent years fell by the wayside last weekend.
In the Division I quarterfinals, previously undefeated Notre Dame was knocked off by perennial power Long Beach Poly, but Santa Margarita edged out Mission Viejo to gain the semis. In Division IV, St. Bonaventure was upended by Hart of Newhall.
On the other side, three Catholic school teams made it into the Division XI semifinals, led by Verbum Dei which posted its second straight rout and will go against favored Duarte. The other semifinal will match resurgent La Salle, which won its seventh straight after an 0-5 start, and resurgent Bishop Diego, enjoying its best season in years.
An all-Catholic final is a possibility in Division III, as Mission League rivals Chaminade and St. Paul moved into the semis with touchdown-margin wins last weekend. Both, however, will have their hands full: Chaminade plays Dominguez of Compton, whose only loss this season was to Loyola, while St. Paul takes on West of Torrance, whose record is marred only by a tie to city rival South.
A rundown of last week's results and this week's action:
Last Week's Results:
Division I (Pac-5):
Long Beach Poly 31, Notre Dame 21
Santa Margarita 25, Mission Viejo 24
Edison 28, Servite 21
Division II (Inland):
Temescal Canyon 42, Damien 16
Division III (Western):
Chaminade 26, Lancaster 19
St. Paul 13, Mira Costa 7
Division IV (Northern):
Hart 27, St. Bonaventure 14
Division X (Northwest):
Oak Park 23, Serra 21
Covina 47, St. Joseph 32
Division XI (Mid-Valley):
Verbum Dei 50, Temple City 13
Duarte 41, Santa Clara 38
Bishop Diego 20, Village Christian 14
La Salle 35, Monrovia 28
Division XIII (Northeast):
Maranatha 52, Salesian 6
Playoff Schedule:
Division I (Pac-5):
Santa Margarita (10-2) vs. Edison (10-2), Dec. 1
Division III (Western):
Chaminade (9-3) vs. Dominguez (11-1), Dec. 2
St. Paul (7-5) vs. West (11-0-1), Dec. 1
Division XI (Mid-Valley):
Verbum Dei (8-4) vs. Duarte (10-2), Dec. 2
Bishop Diego (9-3) vs. La Salle (7-5), Dec. 1 |