Southern Division
First Round Games
Santa Ana (7-3) at La Mirada (9-1)
The Saints enter the Southern Division playoffs as a strong third-place team from the Golden West League. RB Frankie Nerida has run for 810 yards and 11 touchdowns and paces a rushing attack that averages 214.3 yards per game. QB Chris Avila (582 yards, 6 TD, 6 interceptions) throws enough to keep the competition honest and is likely to look for WR Mario Martinez (187 yards, 2 TD). Santa Ana's defense had held opponents to 22.5 points per game. The Matadores have won 8 in a row and are the No. 2 seed in the division. Senior QB Daniel Poncedeleon runs La Mirada's potent offense with efficiency and ability (1,945 yards, 17 TD, 3 interceptions). The Matadores throw a lot of screens and passes to the flat with Julian Matta (573 yards, 10 TD) and Ralph Gramajo (348 yards, TD) as the favorite targets. Max Gama (479 yards, 5 TD) and J.T. Torres (369 yards, 7 TD) are the top rushers. La Mirada's defense has held its last 2 opponents to 10 total points. LB Cooper Weatherly leads the team with 63 tackles and Torres has added 62. Gramajo has 3 interceptions to go with 59 tackles and DE R.J. Lujan has 11.5 sacks. The winner of this game will face either Garden Grove Santiago or Costa Mesa in the second round.
Rancho Alamitos (6-4) vs. Norwalk (9-1) at Excelsior Stadium
The Vaqueros, the 3rd-place team from the Garden Grove League, enter the playoffs on a 3-game winning streak. They will put the ball in the air early and often tonight. Senior QB Matt Frank has thrown for 2,730 yards and an impressive 32 touchdowns. Senior WR Juan Cruz (871 yards, 13 TD) has been his main target and senior RB Miguel Carrion (764 yards, 6 TD) is Rancho Alamitos' top rusher. The Vaqueros average 33.2 points per game. The 4th-seeded Lancers are coming off an impressive 28-7 victory over Mayfair that clinched second place in the Suburban League. Norwalk's Double Wing offense averages a whopping 423.2 rushing yards per game and has reached the end zone 59 times. Adrian Gonzales (1,151 yards, 16 TD), Billy Moore (973 yards, 13 TD) and Elijhaa Penny (844 yards, 12 TD) do the majority of the damage on the ground. QB Dominique Diaz will throw only occasionally - the Lancers average just 32.4 passing yards per game. Norwalk's defense has allowed just 16.3 points per game and has held opponents to a TD or less 6 times. DT Justin Burrowes has 8.5 sacks while Penny and Victor Vargas each have 4 interceptions. Penny also leads the team with 49 tackles. The Lancers got all the way to the Southern Division semifinals a year ago in Jesse Ceniceros' first season as head coach. Tonight's winner will face either Irvine or Westminster in the next round.
Mayfair (4-6) at Segerstrom (6-4)
The Monsoons, who got all the way to the Southern Division title game a year ago, enter the postseason as the No. 3 seed from the Suburban League. Junior RB Dominique Small has been Mayfair's most consistent offensive threat with 989 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. Senior RB Keith Harvey has added 427 yards and 6 scores. Junior QB Evan Hunko has 1,067 passing yards and 6 touchdowns but has been intercepted 10 times. WR Tyler Nicks leads the team with 29 receptions, 468 yards and 4 touchdowns. Senior SS Joshua Gavert, who has committed to San Diego State, has 138 tackles, 3 interceptions and 2 sacks, all of which lead the team or are tied for the lead. Sophomore MLB Bryan Kvapil has 114 tackles. The Jaguars, champions of the Golden West League, will run the ball as much as possible. Four different players have at least 500 rushing yards, led by Matt Navarro (719 yards, 11 TD) and Aaron Amrine (582 yards, 14 TD). QB Brian Murrietta has thrown for just 479 yards with 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Senior DE Hector Diaz has 10 sacks. Segerstrom has won 5 games in a row and has averaged 43.0 points per game.
Bellflower (3-7) at Garden Grove (10-0)
The Buccaneers, who finished fourth in the Suburban League, have won 3 of their last 5 games and return to the playoffs after a 1-year hiatus. Junior RB Larreon White (559 yards, 2 TD) and senior FB Benny Perez (494 yards, 5 TD) lead a rushing attack that averages almost 200 yards per game. Senior QB Jeremy Allen (715 yards, 4 TD) will look for sophomore WR Dijon Barnes (326 yards, 2 TD) when he drops back to pass. Bellflower's defense has improved as the season progressed and allowed just 18.0 points in its 3 victories. Top-seeded Garden Grove is the only unbeaten team in the Southern Division and features a stingy defense. The Argonauts have recorded 2 shutouts and held opponents to a TD or less 8 times. Senior DE Stephen Meredith and senior OLB Christian Trejo each have 2 sacks to lead the team. QB Sean Young leads Garden Grove in both rushing (1,065 yards, 14 TD) and passing (1,190 yards, 10 TD). The Argonauts average nearly 240 rushing yards per game.
-- David Felton
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