Mid-Valley Division Preview Capsule

Valley Christian (7-3) at Rosemead (8-2), 7 p.m.
The Crusaders went all the way to the semifinals last year, and coach Erick Streelman that might be harder to do this season. "I think, overall, the division is tougher," he said. "We lost some good teams like Bishop Diego and Santa Clara, but they added the Valle Vista League with teams like Northview. It's deeper, but I kind of feel it's anybody's ball game." Valley Christian comes into the playoffs having lost two of its last three and a disappointing third-place finish in the Olympic League. "We had a little slide there the last couple of weeks," Streelman said. "We had a couple off-days. We have to get past that now." So getting a tough draw like the Mission Valley champs won't be easy. But the Panthers' smash-mouth style of play, which rolled up 392 points on offense behind QB Angel Alejandra and 1,000-yard RB Tra Sumler, seems to suit the Crusaders. Howe well they play defense will likely be the key. "Our guys actually tend to be better with stuff like that. Counters and misdirection tend to hurt us more," Streelman said. "We have been defensively pretty solid, with the exception of three games, the three games we lost. If the defense from the seven games we won shows up, we have a chance for sure." V.C. counters with a balanced offense that still will rely heavily on QB Kyle Cameron (1,899 yards, 16 TDs). WR Jason DeKruyf has come on strong as of late, with 21 of his 49 catches (for 550 yards and 6 TDs) coming the last two games. Streelman is hoping last year's playoff run can help the team repeat its success this year. "I feel the seniors can draw from that experience," he said. "We can use that on Friday... knowing in the back of their minds that they've been here before."