san pedro

It’s championship week in the high school football playoffs.

Here’s a look at top matchups on Friday and Saturday:

Southern Section

FRIDAY

DIVISION 1

Santa Margarita (9-3) vs. Corona Centennial (11-1) at the Rose Bowl, 7 p.m.

The last team standing will be the one able to execute on offense in a showcase of two aggressive, physically tough defenses. Santa Margarita has an advantage with versatile linebacker Dash Fifita and a defensive line second to none. Coach Carson Palmer twice played in the Rose Bowl as a player for USC. Centennial must find a way to run the ball or quarterback Dominick Catalano will have a long night. The pick: Santa Margarita.

DIVISION 3

Oxnard Pacifica (13-0) at Palos Verdes (10-3), 7 p.m.

Pacifica’s speed will cause Palos Verdes problems, especially if quarterback Taylor Lee can get the ball to his playmakers. Any team with quarterback Ryan Rakowski will not go down easily, but Rakowski suffered a broken thumb last week. Backup Giorgio Di Mascio has shown he can fill in when needed. The pick: Pacifica.

SATURDAY

DIVISION 2

Los Alamitos (11-2) at San Clemente (9-4), 7 p.m.

No team has turned around its season quicker than San Clemente, which has gone from unranked to playing in the championship game with a five-game winning streak. And the teams they’ve beaten were good — Los Alamitos, Edison, Beaumont, Vista Murrieta and Leuzinger. Defense has been key. Patrick Norman leads the team with 109 tackles. The Tritons will have to make sure Los Alamitos running backs Lenny Ibarra and Kamden Tillis are held in check. The pick: San Clemente.

DIVISION 5

Rio Hondo Prep (13-0) at Redondo Union (9-4), 7 p.m.

With a student population of just 150, Rio Hondo Prep faces its toughest challenge yet going for a 17th championship. Coach Mark Carson has schemes and strategies taught to players once they arrive in seventh grade. Running back Noah Penunuri (1,203 yards, 22 touchdowns) is recovering from an ankle injury. Redondo Union, with a student body of nearly 3,000, is in its first title game since 1944. Quarterback Cole Leinart is the son of Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart. The pick: Rio Hondo Prep.

City Section

FRIDAY

DIVISION III

Hawkins (10-2) vs. Santee (9-4) at Birmingham, 2 p.m.

It’s been a long road back for Hawkins after the program hit rock bottom in 2016 with forfeits, the firing of the coaching staff and an exodus of players during a season that ended up 0-13. Coach Ronald Coltress has stayed the course. Senior Jamarieah Wallace is closing in on 900 yards rushing. Santee’s Darnell Miller gets the chance to put on a show. He has rushed for more than 3,000 yards and 31 touchdowns. The pick: Santee.

DIVISION II

San Fernando (10-3) vs. Cleveland (5-8) at Birmingham, 6 p.m.

Everything changed when Cleveland quarterback Domenik Fuentes came back from an injury in Week 1 to lead the Cavaliers in the playoffs. San Fernando’s Julian Sarzo has passed for 1,500 yards. The pick: Cleveland.

SATURDAY

DIVISION I

Marquez (11-2) vs. South Gate (10-3), at L.A. Southwest College, 2 p.m.

It will be the passing of South Gate quarterback Michael Gonzalez vs. the all-around game of junior Elyjah Staples, perhaps the top college prospect in the City Section. He gets sacks, catches passes and makes plays. The pick: Marquez.

OPEN DIVISION

Crenshaw (10-1) vs. Carson (8-3) at L.A. Southwest College, 6 p.m.

These two defenses have given up a combined 14 points in the playoffs. As impressive as Crenshaw has been, Carson has reached another level behind quarterback Chris Fields III. Crenshaw’s speed on defense and resiliency should make for a defensive battle. The pick: Carson.

With heavy rain expected this weekend, the chance for high school football players in Los Angeles to run, tackle and enjoy playing in the mud is more than possible. There’s eight City Section teams hosting playoff games Friday night with grass fields that have little grass left.

That means fun times ahead.

“It’s not going to be pretty,” Venice coach Angelo Gasca said of his field’s condition for a game against Franklin.

The coaches might not like mud, but Gasca said his players are excited.

“Everyone is looking forward to it,” Gasca said.

San Pedro, Venice, Eagle Rock, Cleveland, San Fernando, Santee, Jefferson and Wilson have either not changed their fields into all-weather turf or chose to keep grass. Eagle Rock next season is switching to all-weather, so coach Andy Moran might have a final home game in the mud against Dorsey.

San Pedro lost to Eagle Rock in the rain in 2022. Pirates coach Corey Walsh has not forgotten. He prepared with wet footballs in practice this week for Friday’s game against Crenshaw.

“We’re super excited,” he said.

The people who aren’t excited are the bus drivers who will have to clean their buses; fans who will break out umbrellas, plastic hats and boots; parents who will have to clean uniforms; sportswriters trying to keep stats with no covering.

Yes, Southern California is not used to playing high school football in the rain. One of the most famous games was Servite beating Edison 16-6 in the 2009 Pac-5 championship game at Angels Stadium. The lead sentence in the Los Angeles Times story was, “Playing in conditions more suitable for sea gulls and ducks.”

Look for ducks and mud on Friday night.

A look at two of this week’s top high school football playoff games in the Southland:

FRIDAY

Leuzinger (8-1) at Crean Lutheran (10-0), 7 p.m.

Leuzinger, the Bay League champions, has a top offensive line and an aggressive, hard-hitting defense that will try to contain Crean Lutheran’s athletic quarterback, Caden Jones, who has 29 touchdown passes. This Division 2 opener is part of a division loaded with tough first-round matchups. The pick: Leuzinger.

Laguna Beach (9-1) at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (5-5), 7 p.m.

Can Laguna Beach deal with Notre Dame’s huge offensive line? That’s the big question in this Division 3 playoff opener. Versatile quarterback Wyatt Brown has run for 19 touchdowns. If the Knights can throw around their weight, things will look good. Laguna Beach has talented junior quarterback Jack Hurst, who has 41 touchdown passes. The pick: Notre Dame.

Carson High, an 11-time City Section champion, has been seeded No. 1 for the City Section Open Division playoffs under first-year coach William Lowe.

Birmingham, which has a 54-game winning streak against City Section opponents, was seeded No. 2. San Pedro is No. 3 and unbeaten Palisades is No. 4.

Carson will host No. 8-seeded King/Drew on Nov. 14. Palisades is the home team against No. 5 Garfield, while San Pedro hosts No. 6 Crenshaw and Birmingham hosts No. 7 Kennedy.

There was no City Open Division champion last season after Narbonne had to vacate the title for rule violations.

Venice is seeded No. 1 in Division I. Cleveland is No. 1 in Division II and Santee is top seeded in Division III.

In girls’ flag football, San Pedro was given the No. 1 seed for the Open Division. Games begin on Friday, with San Pedro hosting No. 8 Verdugo Hills; No. 4 Marshall is at No. 5 Banning; No. 6 Wilson visits No. 3 Panorama; and No. 7 Narbonne travels to No. 2 Eagle Rock.