CIF Southern California Regional football championships

When: Friday and Saturday

Tickets: Only through GoFan.co. $12 for adults, $8 students and seniors.

Streaming: NFHS Network Winners advance to the State Championship

Division 1-AA:  Newbury Park (14-0) vs. Lincoln (10-2) at Southwestern College

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Preview: The CIF Southern Section Division 2 champion, Newbury Park beat San Clemente (24-13), Yorba Linda (20-14) and Murrieta Valley (31-28) in the playoffs. The Panthers are led by junior QB Brady Smigiel, who has committed to Florida State. A four-star player, Smigiel has completed 208 of 310 for 3,314 yards and 46 touchdowns with only three interceptions. He has also rushed for 416 yards and 10 TDs. Smigiel threw for 322 yards and three TDs vs. Murrieta Valley. Tyler Stromsoe has rushed for 796 yards. Shane Rosenthal, a 3-star player who has committed to Princeton, has 76 catches for 1,423 yards and 23 TDs. Drew Cofield had touchdown catches of 27 and 66 yards against Murrieta Valley. Tight end Blake Bryce is committed to BYU. Linebackers Carter Taylor, Balen Bethancourt and Ryder Sheehan lead the defense. The team has 36 sacks and 17 interceptions. … Lincoln is the  San Diego Section Open Division champion, beating Mission Hills (13-7 OT) and Cathedral Catholic (31-13) in the playoffs. The Hornets losses are to JSerra (28-19) and Nevada Arbor View. Lincoln is led by Oregon-bound Aikili Smith Jr., who has thrown for 2,039 yards and 18 TDs. Aden Jackson has 180 carries for 1,423 yards and 20 TDs while Junior Curtis has 74 carries for 717 yards. Ty Olsen leads the team with 48 catches for 814 yards and 11 TDs. Courtney Miller-Thompson has 54 catches for 707 yards. King David Dunn leads the defense with 112 tackles. Eugene Rice has 106 and Niko Ta’a 92. Prince Pavion and Benjamin Jair both had eight sacks. The team has 40 sacks and 18 interceptions.

Rankings: Newbury Park is ranked No. 73 in the nation and No. 10 in the state by MaxPreps.com. Lincoln is ranked No. 87 in the nation and No. 12 in the state.

Up next: The winner plays the winner of Folsom (12-1)-Pittsburg (11-2) on Dec. 13 at Saddleback College.

Prediction: Lincoln 31, Newbury Park 28

Division 1-A: Granite Hills (11-2) at Huntington Beach Edison (10-4)

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Preview: Granite Hills is the San Diego Section Division 1 champion and is a three-time San Diego champion, having won Division 2 in 2022 and the Open Division last season. Sophomore Zach Benitez has thrown for 2,282 yards and 27 TDs. Max Turner, who has signed with Utah Tech, makes the offense go, rushing for 1,606 yards and 29 touchdowns, including 211 yards and four TDs in a championship game win over San Marcos. Gage Spalding has 431 yards. Brenden Lewis, an Arizona State baseball commit, leads the team with 62 catches. Defensive back Trevor Smith leads the defense with 107 tackles. Parker Vance has 77 tackles and a San Diego Section-leading nine interceptions. Defensive end Gavin Taylor has eight sacks. … Edison is the Southern Section Division 3 champion, defeating Simi Valley (35-21) in the title game. Sam Thomson threw for 223 yards and three TDs vs. Simi Valley and has 1,294 yards and 11 TDs in 11 games. Julius Gillick has 2,112 yards and 32 TDs. The team has rushed for 3,003 yards and 40 TDs. Linebackers Matt Lopez (122 tackles) awnd Jeremiah Ross (121 tackles) lead the defense. The team has just 20 sacks and six interceptions.

Common opponent: Granite Hills beat Helix 35-21. Edison beat Helix 42-14.

Ranking: Granite Hills is ranked No. 34 in the state. Edison is No. 18.

Up next: The winner plays the winner of San Francisco St. Ignatius (10-2)-Fresno Central (11-2) on Dec. 14 at Saddleback College.

Prediction: Granite Hills 35, Edison 27

Division 3-A: Arcadia Rio Hondo (12-1) at Poway (6-7)

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

Preview: Rio Hondo Prep, a private school with just 71 boys, beat Downey Warren (43-16) to win the Southern Section Division 3 title. The Kares run the ball behind Nathaniel Cutris, who has 79 carries for 943 yards and 13 TDs. Noah Penunuri had 228 yards rushing vs. Warren. The team … After going 0-6 in the Avocado League, Poway won the San Diego Section Division 2 championship, beating Mater Dei Catholic 62-24 in the title game. The Titans scored 63 in the semifinals. Luke Jorgensen has rushed for 1,156 yards and 18 TDs. Colin McCann has 40 catches for 759 yards and 12 TDs. Plus, he has 763 yards in kickoff return yardage, including a 99-yarder vs. Mater Dei Catholic. Oliver Vera leads the defense with 71 tackles.

Rankings: Rio Hondo Prep is No. 86 in the state. Poway is No. 95.

Up next: The winner plays the winner of Vaden Fairfield (11-2)-Chico Pleasant Valley (9-3) on Dec. 14 at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.

Prediction: Poway 35, Rio Hondo Prep 21

Division 4-A: St. Augustine (4-10) at Downey St. Pius X.-St. Matthias Academy (5-9)

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

Preview: St. Augustine went 0-10 in the regular season, got a berth in the playoffs and caught fire. The Saints, San Diego Division 3 champion, have won four playoff games by a combined score of 59-27, including 13-7 over San Pasqual in last week’s title game. Quarterback Vincent Smith has taken charge and running back Caelyn Aguirre has blossomed in the playoffs. Do-everything sophomore Pai Polamalu leads the defense with 133 tackles and seven interceptions, and he’s a force on offense. DB Charlie Berkley has 74 tackles and DL Jonathan Chavez 72. … St. Pius X-St. Matthias entered the Southern Section Division 8 playoffs with a 1-9 record. The Warriors ran the table, beating Serrano in the championship game, outscoring their playoff opponents 104-69. Jassi Williams has thrown for 2,888 yards and 19 TDs, but has been intercepted 13 times. He had 444 yards and four TDs vs. Serrano. Kenneth Peevy had five catches for 145 yards and two scores vs. Serrano. Linebacker Geremya Hood leads the defense with 106 tackles.

Rankings: St. Augustine is ranked No. 233 in the state. St. Pius X-St. Matthias is No. 201.

Up next: The winner plays the winner of Kerman (12-2)-Sonora (11-2) on Dec. 14 at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.

Prediction: St. Augustine 21, St. Pius x-St. Matthias 17

Division 5-AA: Victorville Silverado (9-5) at El Capitan (10-3)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Preview: Silverado beat Long Beach St. Anthony (30-14) to win the Southern Section Division 10 title. The Hawks, who have outscored three playoff opponents 175-88, are led by Jake Weiss, who has thrown for 2,998 yards and 37 touchdowns, including four vs. St. Anthony. He also has 570 yards rushing and 18 TDs. Dallas Kincherlow has 201 carries for 982 yards. Weiss has three top targets in Sire Forster, who has 52 catches for 1,044 yards and 14 TDs, and Jarmarri Tharpe and Jayden Pauling. Tharpe also has five interceptions. MLB leads the defense with 94 tackles, but the Hawks only have 11 sacks and 10 interceptions. … El Capitan has won nine in a row, including a 17-14 win over Westview in the San Diego Section Division 4 title game. Brandt Barker has thrown for 2,252 yards and 24 TDs with only five interceptions. Brady Joraleamon didn’t play against Westview, so Ayden Benegas is the top running back. Aaron Altamirano leads the defense with 126 tackles. Lucas Garcia has 97 tackles and 19 TFL. Marlon Ames has 11 1/2 sacks. The team has 35 sacks.

Rankings: Silverado is No. 261 in the state. El Capitan is No. 307.

Up next: Winner plays the winner of Lafayette Acalanes (10-3)-Carmel (13-0) on Dec. 13 at Fullerton UHSD Stadium.

Prediction: El Capitan 31, Silverado 28

Division 6-A: Pasadena (8-6) at Monte Vista (9-5)

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

Preview: Pasadena best Gahr for the Southern Section Division 13 championship. It’s Pasadena’s first CIF title since 1933. The Bulldogs are led by Josiah Rucker, who ran for 97 yards and the winning score vs. Gahr. Pasadena was 2-5 after its first seven games, but has outscored four playoff opponents 103-48. … Monte Vista won the San Diego Section Division 5 championship, beating Bonita Vista. The Monarchs are led by Alexander Villanueva, who had 297 yards and five touchdowns against Bonita Vista. Villanueva now has a San Diego Section single-season record 3,006 rushing yards. He has rushed for 100 or more yards in 12 of 14 games.

Rankings: Pasadena is No. 479 in the state. Monte Vista is No. 561.

Up next: The winner plays the winner of Tuolumne Summerville-Atherton Sacred Heart on Dec. 14 at Fullerton UHSD Stadium.

Prediction: Monte Vista 27, Pasadena 20

Last week: 3-2

Season: 119-53 

Originally Published: December 5, 2024 at 3:33 PM PST