The Union-Tribune’s John Maffei picks this weekend’s state championship games:

California State Football Championships

Division 1-AA: Pittsburg (12-2) vs. Lincoln (11-2) at Saddleback College

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Preview: Pittsburg won its third Northern California championship with a nail-biting 28-27 win over Folsom. The Pirates stopped a Folsom 2-point PAT attempt with 2:03 to play, then held on after Folsom forced a three-and-out. Marley Alcantara leads the Pirates, completing 71.1% of his 270 passes for 2,825 yards and 40 TDs. He was 22 of 29 for  227 yards and four touchdowns vs. Folsom and has 87 TDs in his high school career. He’s committed to NAIA power Southern Oregon. James Searcy has rushed 166 times for 1,470 yards and 18 TDs, averaging 8.9 yards a carry. He has signed with Washington State. Junior WR Rolph Mosley has 46 catches for 580 yards and eight TDs. He had eight catches for 145 yards and two TDs vs. Folsom. He is drawing interest from major colleges, including Georgia. Kenneth Ward averages 26.6 yards on 21 catches. TE/MLB Etene Pritchard has signed with San Diego State. Edge rusher Jewelous Walls had 17 tackles vs. Folsom and has 100 tackles, 19 tackles-for-loss and six sacks on the season. He has signed with UCLA. FS Jayden Hudson has signed with UCLA and SS/WR Dominik Calhoun has signed with Boise State. The Pirates have 21 sacks as a team, 102 TFL — 18 by OLB Japheth Tofaeono — and 18 interceptions. The Pirates have scored 70 points in a game once, 50 once and four five times. The defense has three shutouts. … Lincoln, winners of nine in a row and the CIF San Diego Section Open Division champion, rallied to beat Newbury Park 34-27 to win the Southern California Championship. The Hornets are 1-1 in state championship games, beating Concord De La Salle 33-28 in 2022 and losing 21-7 to Menlo-Atherton in the 3-AA game in 2018. Lincoln is led by Oregon-bound Aikili Smith Jr., who has thrown for 2,302 yards and 21 TDs. He has also rushed for 468 yards. Aden Jackson, who has signed with UC Davis, has 190 carries for 1,462 yards and 20 TDs while Junior Curtis has 89 carries for 780 yards and nine TDs. Ty Olsen leads the receivers with 51 catches for 862 yards and 11 TDs. Courtney Miller-Thompson has 62 catches for 792 yards while Isaiah Grant has 30 receptions for 537 yards. All are college prospects. King David Dunn leads the defense with 121 tackles and 11 TFLs. Eugene Rice has 107 tackles and Niko Ta’a 101. The Hornets have 63 TFLs, 18 interceptions and 47 sacks. Prince Pavion leads the team with 11 sacks, and Benjamin Jair has eight. The defense has three shutouts.

Rankings: Pittsburg is ranked No. 72 in the nation and No. 10 in the state by MaxPreps. Lincoln is ranked No. 64 in the nation and No. 10 in the state.

Prediction: Lincoln 31, Pittsburg 24

Division 5-AA: Carmel (14-0) vs. El Capitan at Fullerton Union High School District Stadium

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Preview: Carmel, which has won 24 of its last 25 games, won its first Central Coast Section title in 15 years, then beat Alcalanes for the Northern California title when Simeon Brown stopped a 2-point PAT attempt with no time left in the game. Quarterback Hudson Rutherford leads an offense that has scored 639 points. The Padres have scored 60 points in a game twice, 50 twice and 40 seven times. Brown is a force at receiver, and also plays defense. Ty Arnold and Matt Maxon are Rutherford’s other targets. Ashton Rees is the RB. Arnold, Maxon and Rees also play defense. Maxon has committed to Stanford to play baseball. Offensive tackle Jackson Lloyd, who checks in at 6-foot-7 and 290 pounds, has signed with Alabama. The defense has allowed 380 points.  … El Capitan has won 10 in a row after a 1-3 start to the season. The San Diego Section Division 4 champions beat Victorville Silverado 33-19 last week to win the Southern California title. The Vaqueros are 0-1 in the state finals, losing 35-28 to Moraga Campolindo in the Division III game in 2014. Brandt Barker has thrown for 2,560 yards and 24 TDs with only five interceptions. Brady Joraleamon has struggled with an injury, so Ayden Benegas has stepped in and has 209 rushing yards. A receiver, Benegas has 61 catches for 817 yards and nine TDs. Michael Valencia has 45 catches for 706 yards and six TDs. OLB Aaron Altamirano leads the defense with 133 tackles and 11 TFLs. OLB Lucas Garcia has 108 tackles and 19 TFLs. DE Evan Ortega has 11 sacks and Marlon Ames has 10 1/2. The team has 103 TFLs and 41 sacks.

Rankings: Carmel is ranked No. 143 in the state. El Capitan  263rd.

Prediction: El Capitan 31, Carmel 28

Division 6-A: Tuolumne Summerville (13-1) vs. Monte Vista (10-5) at Fullerton Union High School District Stadium

When: 3 p.m. Saturday

Preview: Summerville won its first Sac-Joaquin Section championship with a 38-12 win over Stone Ridge Christian, then beat Atherton Sacred Heart Prep 45-28 to capture the Northern California title. The Bears, who have won eight in a row, are led by a number of juniors — QB Bryce Leveroos, TE/LB Luke Larson, K Bryson Benites, OLB Owen Herrera and DB Richie Hanely. Senior WRs Colton Cash and Mathew Hike are Leveroos’ main targets. LB Bryce Rathmel and DB Malekai Fromm are big contributors to the defense. Summerville has outscored its opponents 602-168, scoring 60 once, 50 twice and 40 five times. The defense has pitched four shutouts. … Monte Vista won the San Diego Section Division 5 championship, beating Bonita Vista, then topped Pasadena 41-21 to take the Southern California crown. The Monarchs are led by RB Alexander Villanueva, who had 297 yards and five TDs against Bonita Vista and is the San Diego Section’s single-season record holder with 3,151 rushing yards and counting. He has rushed for 100 or more yards in 13 of 15 games. Pasadena put as many as 10 players at the line of scrimmage to stop Villanueva, so the Monarchs took to the air. Derrick Taylor completed 8 of 10 passes for 235 yards and scored three rushing TDs. Rahshawn Florence has 38 catches for 926 yards and had a big game against Pasadena. Villanueva had a 97-yard TD return on an interception to seal the game. After a 1-4 start, Monte Vista has won six in a row and eight of its last nine.

Rankings: Summerville is ranked No. 239 in the state. Monte Vista is No. 497.

Prediction: Monte Vista 27, Summerville 24

Last week: 3-3

Season: 122-56