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Summit won the school's first-ever CIF title in any sport, defeating Menifee Heritage 24-17 in the Eastern Division football championship game on Saturday night at Heritage. QB Bernard Porter's 5-yard touchdown run with 8:33 to play snapped a 17-17 tie and sent Summit to victory.

Here are some stats, notes and observations, much of which didn't make it into my story.

First, the stats:
SUMMIT
Sr. Jamaal Williams 16-187 rushing, 1 TD
Sr. Donte Deayon 13-66, 0 TD, 1 reception-10
Sr. QB Bernard Porter 1-4-0, 10 yards passing, 9-23 rushing, 1 TD
Jr. Tarik Myles 5-29, 1 TD before leaving with an injury.
Total yards: 315
First downs: 12
Penalties: 4-20
Fumbles-lost: 4-1

HERITAGE
Sr. QB Chad Virgil 8-14-0, 120 yards passing 0 TD, 0 INT, but 2-6 for 46 yards in the second half.
Jr. RB Jamal Morrow 23-carries, 113 yards, 1 TD
Sr. FB Tony Hifo, who at 5-10, 255, was talked up by many before the game as the second coming of Mike Alstott. He was a nonfactor on offense with six carries for 5 yards.
Total yards: 281
First downs: 13
Penalties 4-22
Fumbles-lost 2-1

Key moments:

1. Late in the second quarter, Summit was protecting a 10-7 lead and looking to extend it to 17-7, when Deayon fumbled and Heritage recovered on the Heritage 4 with 2:49 left in the half. Two plays later, Morrow fumbled and Summit's Charles Okonkwo recovered at the Heritage 9. The two turnovers were the only two in the game. Two plays later, Jamaal Williams scored to make it 17-7 with 1:09 left in the half.


2. Now trailing 17-7, Heritage drove down the field for a first-and-goal at the 2 after Summit misplayed a long pass into a 28-yard completion to the 2. After one pass was barely called incomplete in the end zone, only 2.8 seconds remained. Summit coach Tony Barile called timeout, to set up a field goal block. Instead given more time to think about it, Heritage coach Kraig Broach decided to go for it and Morrow scored on a 2-yard run on the final play of the half to make it 17-14.


3. Heritage took its second drive of the second half from its 19 to a fourth-and-1 at the Summit 13. Broach decided to go for it, and Morrow's 4-yard run made it a first-and-goal at the 9. But after Hifo ran for 2 yards, Morrow was thrown for a three-yard loss to the 10 on a hit by Summit's Cody Pantages. Looking to avoid a costly turnover, Heritage kept it conservative on third down and Morrow only got to the 9. Deciding it was too far to try to go for it on fourth down again, Heritage then had Logan Nutter's successful 26-yard field goal to make it 17-17 with 10:29 to play in the game.


4. I'm not sure if this was intentional or not, but Heritage then kicked very short on the kickoff. The ball eventually was pitched to Deayon, who ran about 40 yards back to the Heritage 40. Four plays later, Porter was in the end zone with a go-ahead score. Heritage's next drive was a three-and-out so when Heritage got the ball back with 3:04 to play, it was panic time. And the panic did not win.

Just got back in town from Thanksgiving and will get these done real quick before heading out to Ramona High School for Cajon-Arlington.

Inland Division

Corona Centennial at Upland
In the battle between defending CIF champions last week, Upland took down Chaparral to help the Baseline League to a 3-0 mark. While that victory was impressive, Centennial is a different, more potent beast. Upland will score some, but not nearly enough to keep up.
Centennial 52, Upland 21

Chino Hills at Etiwanda
Can the Eagles pull off another upset? The Etiwanda defense stepped up huge in the win at Redlands East Valley, but Chino Hills just put up 10 touchdowns on Corona. The Huskies are humming on that side of the ball and should win a shootout.
Chino Hills 45, Etiwanda 35

Rancho Cucamonga at Roosevelt
The Cougars are playoff-savvy and looked good against Murrieta Valley, while Roosevelt had to scratch and claw against Claremont. Look for Rancho to keep the Baseline contingent alive.
Rancho Cucamonga 34, Roosevelt 28

Vista Murrieta 41, Norco 27

Central Division

Rancho Verde at San Gorgonio
Rancho Verde is the top seed in the bracket, but they had to scratch and claw to get past the Spartans in week one. And that's before San G caught fire with its current seven-game win streak. I still like Rancho Verde though.
Rancho Verde 29, San Gorgonio 21

La Quinta at Chino
This is easily the toughest test that 11-0 Chino has had to face this year, as La Quinta is perennially among the top teams in whatever division it is playing in. Chino has been quite the story, but I'm not sure it's fully prepared for this.
La Quinta 28, Chino 22

Cajon at Arlington
The second-hottest team in the county goes against a red-hot player, as the Cowboys' 8-game winning streak will be tested by Arlington and their star RB Superiorr Reid, who has 32 touchdowns. Cajon is good but I like Arlington's smashmouth style.
Arlington 35, Cajon 24

Palm Springs at Colton
While both of these teams put up ridiculous point totals last week, I think we'll see some defense in this one. Both of these teams are stout on that side of the ball, though I feel Palm Springs has a bit more oomph.
Palm Springs 20, Colton 14

Eastern Division

Kaiser at Granite Hills
The Cats have apparently declared war on the city of Apple Valley, as they took out Apple Valley High last week. Granite Hills is scrappy, but they don't have the firepower to challenge Kaiser.
Kaiser 36, Granite Hills 6

Victor Valley at Elsinore
The Jackrabbits resurgence continued last week with another last-minute win, this time against Norte Vista. But Elsinore on the road is a tough task and I'm not sure if the Jackrabbits will be able to wave their magic wand again.
Elsinore 28, Victor Valley 24

Heritage at Summit
Heritage has been impressive this year, running off 11 wins to grab the No. 3 seed. But player for player, Summit might be the most talented team. I like the SkyHawks to come through with a mild upset.
Summit 30, Heritage 27

Serrano at Ridgecrest Burroughs
Going up to Ridgecrest is a tough task for anyone. But if there's any team that can handle it, its' the Diamondbacks. The Serrano D is playing at a high level, which should be the difference.
Serrano 17, Burroughs 9

East Valley Division

Paraclete 42, Grace Brethren 24

St. Margaret's at Big Bear
This has already been played, with St. Margaret's prevailing 17-6.

Twentynine Palms at Sierra Canyon
The Wildcats were impressive in rolling over Sage Hill, but going out to the San Fernando Valley from the High Desert is a lot to ask. Sierra Canyon will pull away late in this one.
Sierra Canyon 34, Twentynine Palms 16

Rubidoux at Yucca Valley
The Trojans pulled off the shocker of the playoffs, heading to San Bernardino and shocking No. 2 Aquinas. Now they face a Rubidoux team that they tied in September. I think Cinderella has another dance after this one.
Yucca Valley 20, Rubidoux 18

Now off to the Eastern Division, where the game is "Catch Kaiser if you can."

Apple Valley at No. 1 Kaiser
If I'm the Sun Devils, I'm pretty bitter right about now. While Apple Valley's 5-5 record wasn't ground-breaking, the Sun Devils are hardly the worst team and shouldn't be the sacrificial lamb to the undefeated Cats. But that's precisely what they are. Apple Valley is intriguing on offense, but Kaiser has murdered people all year and will do the same tomorrow.
Kaiser 45, Apple Valley 6

Granite Hills at Beaumont
Granite Hills, which lost to Apple Valley in the regular season and had the exact same league record and finish in league as the Sun Devils, got a winnable draw, at least for the first round, as Beaumont isn't exactly a dominating opponents. But the Mountain Pass League champs are good and will win a low-scoring, hard-hitting duel.
Beaumont 14, Granite Hills 12

Norte Vista at Victor Valley
This is a rough draw for the Jackrabbits, as Norte Vista's grind-it-out, ball-control style netted it a trip to the semifinals a year ago. You can bet that the Braves will rely on Ryan Ruiz to play keep away from Victor's potent offense. However, the Jackrabbits took a huge step in beating Burroughs for the Desert Sky League title last week and that confidence will carry over.
Victor Valley 24, Norte Vista 16

Oak Hills at No. 4 Elsinore
The continuation of the Bulldogs' building process has Oak Hills in a tough spot, as the Bulldogs didn't get much respect for being the No. 2 team in their league. Elsinore held it own in recent years in the Central Division, advancing to the finals in 2006, and will be a tough go of it. Marshaun Coprich and Jeremiah Armstead will have success, but not quite enough.
Elsinore 26, Oak Hills 17

Silverado at No. 3 Heritage
If there was any proof necessary to validate the theory that tough nonleague schedules mean something, it came with the selection of 5-4-1 Silverado to the playoffs over 7-3 San Jacinto. The Hawks' philosophy of taking on all comers worked once again, albeit in a different way than normal. However, a 10-0 Heritage team is a tough draw for the Hawks, who just don't have the guns this year for a long run.
Heritage 34, Silverado 20

West Valley at Summit
West Valley has been a playoff underachiever recently, getting bounced in the first round as a higher seed in each of the last three years. They don't have to worry about that, as they'll be the clear underdogs against a Summit team with the best skill-position talent in the division. Summit is prone to lapses, but if the SkyHawks are on, this will get ugly quick.
Summit 38, West Valley 6

Ridgecrest Burroughs 35, Citrus Hill 30

Temescal Canyon at No. 2 Serrano
Kaiser is getting the hype in this division, and for good reason, but seasonal progression indicates that it's the year of the Diamondback. Serrano has gone from losing in the first round (2006) to the quarters (2007) to the semis (2008) to the championship game last year (2009). So the logical progression is a title. While that may not happen, a comfortable win over Temescal Canyon will.
Serrano 28, Temescal Canyon 7

Now to the Eastern Division, which sees Citrus Hill as the bully that's won 38 games in a row. They have to be due right? Guess we'll see.

Summit at No. 1 Perris Citrus Hill
The SkyHawks ramped up their nonleague schedule so they'd be prepared for playoff action after being disposed of rather easily by Palm Springs in the first round last year. However, it's hard to believe that their schedule has properly prepared them for the juggernaut which is Citrus Hill. Deontae Cooper will get his and Summit will have it take it.
Citrus Hill 45, Summit 17

Barstow at Palm Springs
The Aztecs pulled off the upset of the then-No. 3 seeded Cardinals on the way to the CIF title game last year and Palm Springs will be looking for revenge. But looking for it and getting it are completely different things. Barstow's offense is one of the hardest in the area to prepare for and even harder to stop in practice. Going with the Aztecs to force a rematch of last year's title game.
Barstow 28, Palm Springs 17

Palm Desert at Kaiser
I've actually gotten a chance to see Palm Desert in action and they can score at a pretty high clip. However, they were overpowered by Silverado when I saw them and seem like a finesse squad. Finesse squads do about as well with Kaiser as I do wooing supermodels. Look for the Cats to punch Palm Desert in the mouth quite a few times.
Kaiser 26, Palm Desert 13

San Jacinto at No. 4 Rim of the World
A dangerous game for the Fighting Scots, as San Jacinto always has talent and athleticism and is capable of putting up some big point totals. Whether they are capable of stopping the Rim rushing attack, namely junior RB Dillon Pretzinger, is the million-dollar question. Only one has so far and I don't think No. 2 will come this week.
Rim of the World 28, San Jacinto 22

Apple Valley at No. 3 Silverado
This is where I'll be tomorrow night, as the Sun Devils will try to ride RB Daryon Mosley and play keep away from the Silverado offense. That hasn't been the best strategy, as the Silverado D has steadily improved throughout the Hawks' 8-game winning streak. I think the Hawks have a few too many weapons.
Silverado 31, Apple Valley 18

Riverside Norte Vista 30, Riverside Notre Dame 20
La Quinta 27, Ridgecrest Burroughs 16

Menifee Heritage at No. 2 Serrano
The Diamondbacks have won seven in a row coming in. The Patriots have lost three in a row and four of five. In Snowline Stadium with the temperature falling and the fans at full-throat, I see no reason why either trend would reverse. Serrano wins in a romp.
Serrano 34, Heritage 10

QUARTERFINALS
Citrus Hill over Barstow
Kaiser over Rim of the World
Silverado over Norte Vista
Serrano over La Quinta

SEMIFINALS
Citrus Hill over Kaiser
Serrano over Silverado

CHAMPIONSHIP
Serrano over Citrus Hill