After a 1 a.m. flight from LAX to Dallas/Fort Worth, I'm ready for a quick analysis of Friday night's first-round prep football playoff games.
Ready . . . set . . . go!
PAC-5
The only "upset" (albeit a minor one) was Poly knocking off Los Alamitos, 24-7. Major props are due Jackrabbits' defensive coordinator Jeff Turley and his lads. Quite impressive indeed!
The "best" game in the Pac-5 -- and this was expected -- saw Bishop Amat score late at home to knock off Mater Dei, 28-21.
Every second-round matchup next Friday night is "mildly" to "very" intriguing:
*Dana Hills at top-ranked Edison (probably at Orange Coast College) is a rematch of a third-week contest won by the Chargers, 34-17. I would think a comparable margin (with the Dolphins not having quite as much success, offensively) is a likelihood this time.
*Bishop Amat at Lakewood. I'm sure most pundits will tab this the "Game of the Week" in the division. Lancers vs. Lancers. These programs have a real playoff history, dating to Bishop Amat's victory over Lakewood in a 1970 championship game. These could be high-scoring.
*Servite vs. Poly at Veterans Stadium. Another rematch, this time from an opening week game won handily by the Friars. This should be a much more competitive contest this time around.
*Notre Dame at Mission Viejo. Wilson hung with the Diablos for a half before they cranked it up a couple of notches on the Bruins. Mission should win this one by a 2-3 touchdowns.
Other playoff observations:
*The Dominguez 64-27 Western Division victory over No. 2 seed Culver City was the shocker of shockers Friday night. Props to the Donerson, Willie and Keith, and the Dons who get a "winnable" second-round game at home against Redondo Friday night.
*Undervalued Warren (it should have been a Top 4 seed) blasted West Torrance (51-21) in a game that was expected to be much more competitive. It gets Alemany next and there could be an SGVL rematch (Warren vs. Dominguez) in the semifinals two weeks hence.
*As expected, Suburban League 1-2 finishers La Mirada (44-3 over Santa Ana) and Norwalk (63-8 over Rancho Alamitos) waltzed to first-round Southern Division wins en route to their ultimate championship showdown. Bellflower (41-13 to unbeaten Garden Grove) hung reasonably tough but Mayfair lost a gut-cruncher at Segerstrom (41-35 in OT).
*That was a very nice opening round win for Valley Christian (45-0 over La Canada) in the Mid-Valley Division.
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