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The past four seasons have seen the Serrano football team progress an additional step toward a CIF championship. The Diamondbacks have gone from losing in the first round in 2006 to the quarterfinals in 2007 to the semifinals in 2008 to the Eastern Division championship game last year. Serrano fell in that game, 24-14 to Palm Springs, but logical progression suggests that the Diamondbacks will win a CIF championship this year. Don't expect Serrano coach Ray Maholchic to subscribe to that line of thinking though.

"We haven't talked about the CIF title game since it happened," Maholchic said. "That's not something we are thinking about. It takes a lot of good fortune to get to that point once you get in the playoff. We talk about winning the league title first and then worry about the other stuff when it comes."

Serrano lost two Division I athletes in defensive end Everett Beed (San Diego State) and running back Dionza Bradford (UNLV) from last year's CIF runner-up, but the Diamondbacks won't be hurting for experience, as they return four-fifths of their starting offensive line, their quarterback and their leading tackler.