There is a common feeling among head football coaches that it is very tough to defeat the same team twice in one season. That is the assignment that St. Francis has in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Playoffs
The Golden Knights (9-1), which finished second in the Angelus League, will host La Serna (6-4) in the first round of the Division 3 playoffs on Friday. Both teams played each other back in Week 2 (at St. Francis, ironically) with St. Francis easily defeating the Lancers, 49-20.
“That game seems like a lifetime ago,” St. Francis head coach Jim Bonds said. “In our division, there is no easy draw. If we don’t come ready to play on Friday, we’ll be turning in our pads.”
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St. Francis is led by junior quarterback Darius Perrantes. A transfer from Crespi, Perrantes has thrown for 1,607 yards in only eight games. He had a back injury that kept him off the field a small portion of the season.
“What Darius has done is been pretty darn impressive,” Bonds said. “He has a great mental personality; the game doesn’t seem too big for him. He is a competitor and we very pleased to have him on our team.”
The Golden Knights will have to get reacquainted to La Serna’s discipline driven offense scheme that rushed for 1,566 yards as a team. It is a variation of the Wing-T with many passing game elements. “Our biggest challenge is to get back into rhythm on what they do offensively,” Bonds said.
Arcadia (7-3) was seeded third in Division 11 and will be on the road for its first-round game against Hillcrest (7-3) from Riverside. The Trojans finished the season tied for first in the River Valley League with four other teams.
The game will feature two of the top quarterback in the area in the Apaches’ Max Davila and Hillcrest’s Jalen Jefferson. Davila (who has thrown for 1,325 yards) has only thrown one interception in his last seven games. Jefferson has thrown for 1,565 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Monrovia (4-6), the Rio Hondo League champions, will host Yorba Linda (7-3) in a Division 7 game. The Mustangs, who finished second in the Crestview League, are coached by one of the top coaches in Orange County in Jeff Bailey.
“We’ve been inconsistent all year and it has led to some sleepless nights,” Monrovia head coach Jerry Chou said. “We know that Yorba Linda a really good team that comes from a very tough league. We’ll have our work cut out.”
San Marino (7-2) will host a Division 6 first round-game against Summit (5-5). The Skyhawks, who finished fourth in the Sunkist League, are led by senior quarterback Troy Temmink who has thrown for 1564 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Titans will rely on running backs Blake Cabot and Beau Hobbie who have rushed for a combined total of 2,200 yards.
Pasadena Poly (8-1-1), who won the Prep League title on Friday, will host Montebello (7-3) in a Division 10 game. The Panthers are led by senior quarterback Graham Olsen, who has thrown for 768 yards and nine touchdowns. They’ll face a Montebello team that is led by one of the top quarterbacks in Southern California in Gabriel Tapia.
In Division 13, Rio Hondo Prep (6-3) will be playing Azusa (5-5) at South Pasadena High School. Azusa finished second in the Montview League.
Maranatha (6-4), who got in the playoffs through the “At-Large” process in Division 9, travels to San Bernardino to play top-seeded Aquinas (10-0). The Falcons feature one of the top running backs in the state in Branden Rankins. The senior has rushed for 1,675 yards.
