No. 1 Vista Murrieta hasn’t won a game by less than four touchdowns since its come-from-behind victory over Cathedral Catholic of San Diego on Sept. 21. South Hills wasn’t up to the Challenge as the Broncos cruised to a 34-6 victory. Next up is a dangerous Norco team who just hung 50 on the Citrus Belt champs Redlands East Valley. Norco is 4-0 since a one-point loss to No. 5 Corona Centennial and will not be taken lightly by Vista Murrieta.
No. 2 Mission Viejo wasted little time in ending Westlake’s misery. Westlake had a forgettable 6-5 season after winning the Pac-5 last year. The Diablos get a rejuvenated Long Beach Poly team in the second round of the Pac-5 playoffs after the Jackrabbits throttled Bishop Amat in the first round last week. Mission Viejo’s run defense will be tested for the first time since Oct. 19 against Tesoro. Poly’s Gerard Wicks had a huge game running the ball against Amat last week on Prep Zone.
No. 3 St. Bonaventure got off to a bit of a slow start before dispatching a pesky Cabrillo team, 39-7. Now the Seraphs get a chance to avenge their only loss of the season, a Sept. 21 touchdown loss to Santa Margarita. That was the last game that we saw Johnny Stanton suit up for Santa Margarita. Meanwhile sophomore quarterback Ricky Town of St. Bonaventure has continued to progress and is no longer a new starter, but a seasoned vet of sorts. This game is a duel of running backs though. St. Bonaventure features Arizona commit Zachary Green, while the Eagles' Ryan Wolpin is one of the Southern Section's best.
No. 4 St. John Bosco treated Tesoro like the Pac-5 interlopers that they were in a convincing 38-17 drubbing. Not that Crespi would have fared much better against the powerful Braves, but does anyone still think the South Coast is the second-best league in the Pac-5 this year? Bosco next lines up against Notre Dame, who is playing as well as anyone in the Southern Section right now. Bosco features a fast, physical defense capable of shutting anyone down. Notre Dame would do well to get it cranked up in the first half this week instead of waiting for the second half like they have much of the year. If the Knights don't show up in the first half, they may not have a chance in the second against the Braves.
No. 5 Corona Centennial put up nearly 600 yards of offense against Los Osos in a relatively easy win. Junior quarterback Robert Webber is a solid passer who gives the Huskies a variety of options on offense. Next up is the 10-1 Murrieta Valley Nighthawks. This game could be an interesting gauge of league strength as Murrieta Valley is a very good team, but they got rolled by league champ, No. 1 Vista Murrieta, 45-17 in October. I expect this one to be much closer and further testament that Vista Murrieta is simply on another level in the Inland Division.
No. 6 Upland didn't waste much time in sending Great Oak home in a 35-6 win. Great Oak got into the playoffs with a win over Murrieta Mesa on the last week of the season, but Upland made sure that Cinderella went home at midnight. This week Upland must contend with Redlands and their spectacular running back Craig Lee who is headed to UCLA. Upland has some weapons of their own including defensive end Joe Mathis, runner up for FOX Sports Next's Defensive Player of the Year award which went to Rancho Cucamonga's Viliami Latu.
No. 7 Mater Dei must have drawn one of the long straws as the brackets were being made in the Pac-5 as the No. 4 seed Monarchs got matched up with the Moore League No. 2 Lakewood. I'm not sure even the most critical of Moore League pundits would have predicted the 71-10 shellacking that Mater Dei put on Lakewood, though a blowout was inevitable. Mater Dei knows better than to let their heads get too big after a cakewalk first round, because Bishop Alemany has the firepower to beat anyone, and the Warriors are coming off of their own 42-14 win over Moorpark.
No. 8 Chaminade is more than just running back Terrell Newby, but it might be tough to believe that after Newby has run for 21 touchdowns in the last three games. Chaminade lost to Serra on Oct. 5, but after that game Brad Kaaya took over full time at quarterback. His passing has helped open up the defenses, and Newby is a special player who has taken advantage of the increased running room. Morro Bay is up next for Chaminade, but it's hard not to go ahead and pencil them into the Western Division Finals against either Lompoc or Serra.
No. 9 Edison is loving life in the Southwestern Division after having played in the Pac-5 the last several years. The Chargers got an easy 27-3 opening win against Esperanza in the first round. Valencia is up next and the 8-3 Tigers had an easy win over Sonora last week. Edison should cruise into the Southwestern Finals, and by that time, we'll have a better idea on just how good 11-0 Tustin is. The Tillers are the top seed on the other side of the Southwestern bracket, but they are untested to this point.
No. 10 Alemany was expected to win against Moorpark, but the Warriors jumped all over the No. 3 team from the Marmonte League. Alemany was up 35-0 before cruising to a 42-14 win. USC commitment Steven Mitchell's fingerprints were all over this game as he hauled in four passes for a whopping 226 yards. The road starts getting tougher right away as Mater Dei is up next in a battle of two teams who got easy matchups in round one.
