Sorry, Justin!

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.

They're leading at half but will have to play a much crisper brand of football in the second half to avert an upset.

This is a wild one!

Sophomore Buzzy Yokoyama took the opening kickoff and returned it 96 yards for a TD!

Come to think of it: 6 o'clock would be even nicer!

As I mentioned in my blog entry late last night, Newport Harbor is without leading rusher Cedric Whitaker (knee injury)

No. 3 Servite (9-1) vs. San Clemente (6-4), Cerritos College:
Frank Says: The Tritons may not be as good or Millikan or Wilson . . . but it's moot. Even if they were considerably stronger they would still get punched out. Friars 38, Tritons 10.
No. 6 Los Alamitos (8-2) vs. Poly (5-5):
Frank Says: This figures to be one of the two most competitive first-round games in the division (the other being Mater Dei at Bishop Amat in the upper bracket). There has been a lot of attention paid to Los Alamitos (and former Poly) sophomore quarterback Dylan Lagarde. But if the Griffins pull this one out, it will be because of their defense and the ability of Nick Richardson to run the ball on the Jackrabbits. Griffins 17, Jackrabbits 13.
No. 7 Notre Dame (8-2) vs. Fountain Valley (8-2):
Frank Says: The Knights were dominated by Bishop Amat in their Serra League finale but probably have too much offensive balance for a (relatively) one-dimensional FV offense -- although that one dimension, running back Kyle Middlebrooks, is pretty explosive. Knights 27, Barons 21.
No. 2 Mission Viejo (10-0) vs. Wilson (6-4):
Frank Says: The Bruins are about to discover what 10 other teams have found out this season: This Mission Viejo thumps opponents, whether it's a non-league, South Coast League or playoff game. Diablos 49, Bruins 14.

UPPER BRACKET
No. 1 seed Edison (10-0) vs. Millikan (6-4), Orange Coast College:
Frank Says: The Chargers have been the best team in this division all season -- wins over Pac-5 playoff teams Wilson, Dana Hills, Servite, Mater Dei, Newport Harbor, Los Alamitos and Fountain Valley point to that. It's been a sweet season for the Rams but it ends with this one. Chargers 35, Rams 14.
No. 8 Dana Hills (8-2) vs. Orange Lutheran (6-4):
Frank Says: Most of my O.C. buddies are picking the Dolphins in this one. Orange Lutheran has been injury-plagued most of the season. But I think the Lancers' season ends next Friday night vs. Edison. Lancers 27, Dolphins 21.
No. 5 Bishop Amat (9-1) vs. Mater Dei (6-4):
Frank Says: The Lancers (there are three versions of the Lancers in this field, by the way) handled Notre Dame last week to bag a share of the Serra League title and earn the league's top seed. I'm mildly surprised they weren't the No. 4 seed over Lakewood (based on wins over Notre Dame and St. Bonaventure). But I think the Monarchs are playing very well right and, remember, were the only team in position to beat Edison this season. Monarchs 24, Lancers 21.
No. 4 Lakewood (9-1) vs. Newport Harbor (6-4):
Frank Says: The Sailors got the one at-large bid to the field. But any hopes of stunning the Lancers are probably out the window now that their junior running back, Cedric Whitaker, is apparently sidelined with a knee injury. Unless the Lancers aren't focused, Coach Thadd MacNeal's team should breeze into the second round. Lancers 35, Sailors 13.

All-America Luke Harangody had 29 points and 12 rebounds for Notre Dame (3-0). Larry Anderson scored only four points after intermission to finish with 20.

The 49ers play at the University of Wisconsin in Green Bay Saturday. They're going to have to play much better than they did tonight in order to come back to Long Beach with a 3-1 record going into next week's 76 Classic in Anaheim.

Larry Anderson has 16 points for Long Beach and All-America Luke Harangody has 12 for Notre Dame.

If you want to get the live feed via Notre Dame, try this link http://channelsurfing.net/watch-notre-dame.html

http://www.anaheimconventioncenter.com/eventsOpen.cfm?id=1873

I'd suggest you get there early . . .