Previews and predictions for the CIF-SS football championship games on Friday and Saturday for teams in the San Gabriel Valley, Whittier and Pasadena areas.
FRIDAY’S GAMES
DIVISION 4
Corona del Mar (8-5) vs. La Serna (10-3) at California HS, 7 p.m.: The Lancers are in their first championship game since 2019 and hoping to win their third championship and first since 2013. The Lancers are a juggernaugt on offense, averaging nearly 50 points per game in the playoffs and coming off a 52-31 victory over Culver City in the semifinals. Owen Long and Adrian Castro each rushed for two touchdowns last week and Long has over 1,100 yards and 22 touchdowns this season. On defense, Castro has over 100 tackles and leads a defense that has allowed an average of only 16 points a game. The Sea Kings knocked off Yorba Linda 28-14 in the semifinals, hail from the tough Sunset League and are looking for their seventh CIF-SS title. QB Kaleb Annett is dangerous, having passed for over 2,100 yards and 25 TDs, and they have nearly 25 sacks as a team. However, the Lancers are averaging more than 300 yards on the ground, and QB CJ Ceron is playing well too. Hard to bet against the Lancers.
The pick: La Serna
Listen to the CIF-SS football finals predictions with @ChemicalAT and @SGVNSports. We tell you how La Serna, Charter Oak, Rio Hondo Prep, West Covina and Walnut will do in this week’s finals. Book It! https://t.co/zP5OXOPjSM
— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻💻 (@SGVNSports) November 21, 2023
DIVISION 8
Charter Oak (5-8) at Jurupa Hills (7-6), 7 p.m.: Both of these teams entered the playoffs with sub.-500 records and now they are playing for the championship. The Chargers are looking for their sixth championship and first since 2009. If they win, they will become the first SGV team to win a championship with just six wins. On defense, the Chargers are dominant behind junior LaVar Arrington Jr., who has 11 of the team’s 24 sacks. The Chargers haven’t allowed more than two touchdowns to an opponent in the playoffs, and they are coming off their most complete game, a 42-16 win over Highland. In that win, sophom*ore QB Corin Berry threw for 220 yards, three touchdowns and ran for another score. Junior receiver Legend Lyons had 10 catches for over 100 yards and a TD. The Spartans are formidable. They knocked off St. Pius X-St. Matthias, 31-21, in the semifinals and have a dangerous dual-threat quarterback, Caleb Ruiz, who has thrown for over 2,000 yards with 20 TDs and rushed for 11 TDs this season. Still, it feels like the Chargers should add to their storied tradition.
The pick: Charter Oak
DIVISION 9
Rio Hondo Prep (12-1) at Santa Monica (9-4), 7 p.m.: The Kares have won 14 CIF-SS football championships. They trail only Long Beach Poly, which who has 20. The Kares are a true small school with just 66 boys on campus, but they have been able to play with the big schools. They are the No. 1 seed and beat Orange in the quarterfinals, 22-13, then went on the road again in the semifinals and beat Vista del Lago 31-14. Noah Penunini, Caden Holcumb and Nate Curtis lead a rushing attack that has averaged 284 yards on the ground in the playoffs. On defense, the Kares have 25 sacks. Santa Monica hails from the tough Bay League and has a quarterback, Wyatt Brown, who has thrown for over 2,700 yards and 20 touchdowns. RB Caden MacCallum has rushed for over 1,200 yards and 20 TDs. The Vikings beat Kaiser 35-21 in the semifinals. They are at home for Friday’s game and they have a size advantage. That might be difficult for the Kares to overcome.
The pick: Santa Monica
DIVISION 13
St. Monica Prep (10-3) at Walnut (7-6), 7 p.m.: The Mustangs defeated Bellflower in last year’s Division 11 final to win their first CIF-SS title. Now the Mustangs have a shot at back-to-back titles. The Mustangs are playing well on defense, and have not allowed an opponent to score more than two TDs against them in the playoffs. They are coming off their most complete performance, a 35-13 win over San Bernardino in the semifinals. Mustangs senior RB Demetrius Stampley rushed for 121 yards and a TD in the semifinals. The Mariners are in their first final since 1997. QB Bradley Cassier has passed for over 1,700 yards and 25 touchdowns. RB Elijah Wilson has rushed for 1,300 yards and 13 TDs. The Mustangs have seniors like Nathan Chung, who leads them with over 100 tackles, and they should benefit from last year’s title win. Plus they’re at home.
The pick: Walnut
SATURDAY’S GAME
DIVISION 10
Torrance (9-4) at West Covina (11-2), 7 p.m.: Both teams have played stout defense in the playoffs. Torrance has allowed just 28 points in three playoff games, and the Bulldogs have allowed 33 points. The Bulldogs defense was excellent in the semifinals as they beat Xavier Prep 19-3. Expect another grind-it-out playoff game where the team that controls the clock and finishes drives will likely be raising a trophy afterward. The Bulldogs are back in the title game after winning back-to-back championships in 2010-11. The Bulldogs average nearly 300 yards rushing behind Zander Requena, who has nearly 1,400 yards, 17 touchdowns. He is finally healthy after playing through two ankle injuries most of the season. The Tartars are the top seed and have won two close games in the playoffs, beating Redlands 21-14 in the quarterfinals, then holding off Hemet 10-7 in the semifinals. We expect the Bulldogs to pull through behind their defense, which is led by Daniel Carillo Jr. (11.5 sacks) and Isaiah Ruiz (over 100 tackles).
The pick: West Covina
