Sierra Canyon Leads Local Field as CIF-SS Football Playoffs Open

The regular season has ended, and the road to CIF Southern Section football championships begins. First-round games are set for Friday night in every division except Division 1. Twenty-seven teams from the Los Angeles Daily News coverage area made the field, and they will compete for titles across 14 divisions.

The local qualifiers are Sierra Canyon, Notre Dame, Chaminade, Crespi, Valencia, Hart, Westlake, Calabasas, Newbury Park, Quartz Hill, Moorpark, Agoura, Oaks Christian, Simi Valley, St. Francis, Paraclete, Saugus, Oak Park, Fillmore, Harvard-Westlake, Royal, Grace, Crescenta Valley, Viewpoint, La Canada, Lancaster and Antelope Valley.

Sierra Canyon enters as the headliner after winning the Mission League, a circuit that also includes Chaminade, Loyola, Serra, Notre Dame and Bishop Amat. The Trailblazers outscored those opponents 259-13. Their defensive line is led by Under Armour All-American Marcus Fakatou, an Ohio State commit, along with Kasi Currie (Texas) and Brayden Tautolo (Wyoming). The secondary is headed by Myles Baker (UCLA) and uncommitted three-star recruit Faruq Muhammad.

The offense has now caught up. Senior quarterback Demarco Hernandez completed 12 of 16 passes for 297 yards and an interception in the league-clinching win over Bishop Amat on Friday, and he has shown more confidence and poise in the pocket. Juniors Lance Brown and Sir Homer King Webb lead the receivers. Sierra Canyon next faces Mission Viejo in the Division 1 quarterfinals on Nov. 13.

The best local first-round pairing sends Hart to Quartz Hill, two teams with explosive offenses. Hart relies on running back Matix Frithsmith and quarterback Camren Ketner, and stayed on a high trajectory despite a loss to Valencia last week. Quartz Hill is led by senior quarterback Deshawn Laporte, a Delaware State commit who sat out the mandatory period after transferring from Burbank. He completed 15 of 19 passes for 331 yards and five touchdowns, with no interceptions, in a 62-14 rout of Lancaster. Nine receivers caught passes, including seniors Jaivyn Nelson and Tyler Hudson.

Outside of Sierra Canyon, Crespi may be the most dangerous team. It has already played Notre Dame, St. Francis and Oak Park. Junior quarterback Chase Curren directs the offense, and linebacker Noah Sanchez anchors a defense with 85 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and three interceptions. Sophomore receiver Harlem Bullock, juniors Blue McFarland, Stephen Nunez and Oliver White, and junior running back Amir Morton add further weapons.

A second-round matchup to watch could involve Oaks Christian and Simi Valley. The Lions began Marmonte League play 0-5, with blowout losses to Serra and Notre Dame, before freshman quarterback Cody Bird grew into a leader. He grew up less than two miles from Simi Valley, and he led Oaks Christian to a 42-35 double-overtime win over that school. The rivals could meet in Division 5 on Nov. 13 if Oaks Christian beats Temecula and Simi Valley beats El Dorado.

Viewpoint faces the longest trip of the first round, a 119-mile, 2 1/2-hour bus ride one way to play Hemet. The team has senior running back Ben Burkin (694 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns) and quarterback Magnus Merriman (1,593 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, two interceptions). Senior Shane Anderson and sophomore Liam Stocker lead the defense.

Valencia may be the most underrated playoff team. It had to replace running back Brian Bonner, who moved on to Washington, yet sophomore quarterback Evan McCalister completed 99 of 138 passes for 2,033 yards, 24 touchdowns and three interceptions. Senior running back Nico Funez added 1,245 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns.