Game Night: CIF Playoffs – 2nd Round

Abraham Shalash and the La Serna Lancers travel to St. Paul for the 2nd round of the Division 5 Playoffs. (Photo by Duane Barker.)

All kickoffs are at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise indicated 

Friday November 9  

DIV 5 

La Serna (Del Rio #1) at St. Paul (Del Rey #1) 

Both teams rolled in the first round. La Serna routed Colony 38-8 while St. Paul was dismantling Corona 51-0. Both teams also won their respective leagues and are coming in at 10-1. The difference? There might not be one. St. Paul’s only loss was to powerful Paraclete by a touchdown and La Serna fell a buck short against a solid Warren team. Expect a back and forth affair that goes down to the wire. Home field doesn’t always make a big difference in high school football but it may be the only thing to go on in this one. The Swordsmen win at home.

St. Paul 31 La Serna 30      

 

DIV 6 

South Hills (Hacienda #1) at Mira Costa (Bay #2) 

South Hills struggled early last week against Tustin but in the end the Huskies showed why they are 11-0 by dominating in the fourth quarter. Also they were playing without their starting quarterback Kahlil Ali who was held out for disciplinary reasons. Ali should be back this week but even if he’s not South Hills can do enough damage with Juaquin Elliott, Thonye Charles and Jordan Sanchez. The Huskies have seen Mira Costa before. They beat the Mustangs 50-20 September 21 at Mira Costa. They had no trouble then and won’t have any here. South Hills stays perfect.

South Hills 38 Mira Costa 13          

 

Damion Thompson and the Northview Vikings host Warren.

DIV 7 

Warren (SGV #2) at Northview (Valle Vista #1) at Covina District Field  

The Vikings are still working on a perfect season. Warren, which has had a nice year of its own, would like nothing better than to ruin Northview’s run. The Vikes cruised last week over Santa Ynez while Warren had to fight off a gallant Crescenta Valley squad.  Northview has plenty of weapons. James Jimenez,  Deshon Thompson, Damion Thompson and Jamier Johnson can all beat you with a quick strike. Warren quarterback Chris Venegas can burn you with his arms and legs as he threw for nearly 2,400 yards and ran for over 500. Don’t even think about leaving early. This one won’t be settled until late. When the dust clears the Vikings remain perfect.

Northview 38 Warren 31  

 

DIV 8 

Arcadia (Pacific #1) at Temescal Canyon (Sunbelt #2) 

Temescal Canyon escaped with a win over Arroyo. If a fumble is ruled to be recovered by Arroyo, a 27 yard field goal is made or a two point conversion is successful then it’s the Knights that face the Apaches. But it’s the Titans that are here and now they get the reward of facing Arcadia. Reward? It may be a punishment. The Apaches ran roughshod through the Pacific and then dropped 56 on Agoura in the opening round. They have more weapons than the New Orleans Saints. Temescal has a nice back in Brandon Clemons and a couple of big boys up front, but I’m not sure how that will help to stop Arcadia. The Apaches will have a long bus ride out to Temescal Canyon but it will seem a lot shorter on the way home. Apaches win big.

Arcadia 41 Temescal Canyon 17        

 

Kaiser (Sunkist #1)  at San Dimas (Valle Vista #2) 

The long awaited rematch is here. Last year the Saints hosted Kaiser in the first round of the playoffs and fell 35-34 in overtime. San Dimas was stopped at the goal line on a two point conversion run to end the game on a play that to this day remains controversial. But the running back was ruled stopped short, Kaiser celebrated and here we go again. The Cats won the Sunkist League and improved to 10-1 overall with a 41-24 win over Sultana last week. Kaiser loves to ground and pound and are led by Christian Hunter who rushed for over 2,500 and 36 touchdowns. The Cats rushed for 3,671 yards overall compared to 722 passing. The Saints keep it on the ground as well with 3,820 yards rushing including 1,311 yards by Austin Rivera. It will probably come down to who makes the most stops. There will be some nervous moments on both sides. It could come down to a two-point try again. This time the Saints are the last team standing.

San Dimas 37 Kaiser 34  

 

DIV 9 

San Marino (Rio Hondo #1) at North Torrance (Pioneer #1) 

It was a war but San Marino got it done last week against Segerstrom. Division 9 is a nice fit for the Titans. Not too low that they will blow everybody out and not too high that they are overmatched. They just might make a run to the Finals. North Torrance won the Pioneer League and is 9-2 overall. Last week the Saxons held on to beat Orange 19-16. Both teams can go toe to toe defensively but San Marino is a little more explosive on offense. It won’t be a picnic but the Titans get it done and advance to the semis.

San Marino 24 North Torrance 17

 

DIV 10 

Knight (Golden #2) at El Rancho (Del Rio #2)  

El Rancho gets a break here. It’s much easier staying home than having to load up a bus and make a drive out to Palmdale. That alone is worth a touchdown. If the Dons can get an early lead and establish a ground game with Ramon Rojas and Richie Amaya they might be able to keep Knight at bay. If they can force a couple of turnovers and get Knight back on its heels early the home crowd could make a big difference. Knight will compete, even into the fourth quarter, but a home crowd and a big play on defense gets ER to the semis. The Dons move on.

El Rancho 27 Knight 24  

 

 

DIV 13 

El Monte (MVL #1) at Fairmont Prep (Academy #2) at Yorba Linda H.S. 

El Monte won’t be tested until the semi finals. The Lions rolled in the first round and they’ll cruise again in this one. Fairmont Prep may put up some resistance early, but again…maybe not. El Monte’s ground attack is just too devastating. Fairmont Prep scored 54 in the first round but also allowed 42. That’s a good half for El Monte. Lions on to the semis.

El Monte 49 Fairmont Prep 14         

23 Comments to "Game Night: CIF Playoffs – 2nd Round"

  1. Knightwatch's Gravatar Knightwatch
    November 9, 2018 - 11:06 pm | Permalink

    Final Div 9
    North Torrance scores with 7 seconds to go to beat San Marino 33-28

  2. Salazar Alumni's Gravatar Salazar Alumni
    November 9, 2018 - 2:12 pm | Permalink

    Thanks Koomba for your kind words!

  3. SGV's Gravatar SGV
    November 9, 2018 - 1:45 pm | Permalink

    Just my assumption that you probably haven’t seen PHS play the past two weeks.

  4. Anonymous's Gravatar Anonymous
    November 9, 2018 - 1:44 pm | Permalink

    I agree. That kid mehki Fox is a beast on the outside. He catches the ball and he’s gone to the house. But the qb is also been playing good as of late. But I like the underdog aspect. I think if we play smart and use our speed we’ll have a shot to shock another team tonight.

  5. Crown City underdog's Gravatar Crown City underdog
    November 9, 2018 - 1:38 pm | Permalink

    Last but not least, PHS @Beaumont at 730p. Yes the Bulldogs made the playoffs. Yes the Bulldogs won the first round and beat Santa Paula handedly. We gotta nice qb and we got playmakers in the skilled positions. Beaumont has blown most opponents out the water… but I doubt they have gone up against a team with some skilled fast athletic athletes. Speed kills in this match up. Bulldogs in an upset 32-20! GO BULLDOGS! #inmyOgeronvoice

  6. CIF's Gravatar CIF
    November 9, 2018 - 10:57 am | Permalink

    just to be clear most teams will get a gift from us to win a title. A few years ago it was “Arroyo” and this year it’s “El Monte ” Just wait your turn and your time will come. For the rest of you teams your just going to have to deal with our (no sense) of Divisions and try your best.. It seemed to work for basketball. Hum

  7. Spectator's Gravatar Spectator
    November 9, 2018 - 8:15 am | Permalink

    In division 13 action, Loara went down hard against orange vista. 43-0. Which sets up orange vista vs the winner of tonight’s Garey vs St Benards matchup

  8. Local HS Football fan's Gravatar Local HS Football fan
    November 8, 2018 - 3:39 pm | Permalink

    LS vs SP back in the day that would have been a huge blowout for St.Paul. But this is 2018 not 1998. La Serna wins 34-20 LS has it share of players from other communities. That is the climate of HS football these days. If you have a good program kids will get to that school if it is logistically to manage!

  9. Anonymous's Gravatar Anonymous
    November 8, 2018 - 2:48 pm | Permalink

    @SP, no they actually didnt want him back if you can believe that. The funny part is they still think they made the right choice, hahahahaha.

  10. SP's Gravatar SP
    November 8, 2018 - 2:25 pm | Permalink

    Yeah, some coaches just get burnt out and want to do other things. They should have enticed him to stay because they had something going.

  11. Football Fan's Gravatar Football Fan
    November 8, 2018 - 11:47 am | Permalink

    @SP The Swordsmen better not underestimate the Lancers. The amount of LS fans tomorrow night will negate the home field advantage. LS executes their offense extremely well and they have a great defense. They have plenty of experience in big games and are well coached. The keys for SP is to leverage the size advantage and keep pounding the ball and wear them down. On defense, honor the reads and don’t overcommit on their misdirection.

  12. Anonymous's Gravatar Anonymous
    November 8, 2018 - 11:13 am | Permalink

    @SP, Coaching. They were actually much more talented this year, but they made a coaching change.

  13. SP's Gravatar SP
    November 8, 2018 - 11:00 am | Permalink

    It will be a tough game this Friday, but we have home field advantage. La Serna is a good neighborhood team that plays well and some of the kids that live in that hood come to St. Paul. Talking about neighborhood teams what happen to Los Altos? They beat us handily last year. We only scored one offensive touchdown against them. I thought they would be in the mix this year.

  14. OC's Gravatar OC
    November 7, 2018 - 9:04 pm | Permalink

    Beaumont will roll PHS..Just my prediction

  15. James Markoya's Gravatar James Markoya
    November 7, 2018 - 7:57 pm | Permalink

    I believe you with the recruits they got from Las Vegas they should have a cakewalk to the finals order the Rings now

  16. Almont Fan's Gravatar Almont Fan
    November 7, 2018 - 7:34 pm | Permalink

    @MidValleySports

    Why is there no coverage or prediction on Division 12?

    Just curious.
    From T. Peterson: Both Division 12 playoff games are posted. They’re under CIF Football Playoff Parings: 2nd Round.

  17. BG's Gravatar BG
    November 7, 2018 - 4:05 pm | Permalink

    Won’t cover BG that’s ok I hope we pull off the upset.
    From T. Peterson: BG game is posted. It’s under CIF Football Playoff Pairings: 2nd Round.

  18. HOT ROD's Gravatar HOT ROD
    November 7, 2018 - 3:53 pm | Permalink

    What about Pasadena, they knocked off No.2 seed Santa Paula away and are going to Beaumont this week. They shut down a 1k yard receiver and potent run game while pounding them with 249 yards and 3 TD by Malachite Langley. PHS also boasts the SGV breakout freshman of the year Mehki Fox that has scored on KOs, punts, pass, runs and Int.

  19. Anonymous's Gravatar Anonymous
    November 7, 2018 - 3:33 pm | Permalink

    TP,
    If the match up was Arcadia v Arroyo would your prediction be any different?
    From T. Peterson: No, I would have still picked Arcadia by about three touchdowns. Arroyo and Temescal Canyon were evenly matched. Arcadia is on another level.

  20. Anonymous's Gravatar Anonymous
    November 7, 2018 - 1:49 pm | Permalink

    La serna with a stronger schedule and battle tested! Paraclete only strong team on st.paul schedule. Should be fun!

  21. What a Joke's Gravatar What a Joke
    November 7, 2018 - 1:26 pm | Permalink

    You guys are a joke! No Bell Gardens vs. Linfield Christian? I understand Linfield Christian should beat Bell Gardens, they are the #1 seed in Division 12 but to not write about the game at all is horrible! Bell Gardens is just as local as El Monte, EL Rancho, San Marino, San Dimas and whoever else you cover. I bet you will be quick to write an article about the game if Linfield Christian wins but won’t preview the game and definitely won’t write anything if Bell Gardens pulls off the upset!
    From T. Peterson: We’ve covered Bell Gardens for years dating back to the days of David Ramos. We still cover them now. For “Game Night” we choose eight games. It’s been that way for about three years now. This week we just didn’t pick BG- no specific reason why. The Bell Gardens -Linfield Christian game is posted under CIF Football Playoff Pairings: 2nd Round. Yes we will write a story on the game if Linfield Christian wins if we send someone there. A game story does usually mention who wins. I’m just not sure if we’re sending anybody there. Haven’t decided yet.

  22. Party Spoiler's Gravatar Party Spoiler
    November 7, 2018 - 12:49 pm | Permalink

    For those who think St. Paul versus La Serna is a great LOCAL slugfest, think again. The Lancers are the team with the home-grown kids; St. Paul is largely a team of imported mercenaries, recruited as a form of life support for a failed educational enterprise.

  23. NWO's Gravatar NWO
    November 7, 2018 - 12:17 pm | Permalink

    CIF rolled out the red carpet for EM.

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