Copyright Los Angeles Times
Seven area high school football teams have advanced to the CIF Southern Section playoffs, which kick off Friday with first round action. Edison and Huntington Beach will play each other at a stadium both teams call home, they learned when the section released the brackets Sunday morning. The Chargers (5-5) will face the Oilers (8-2) in a Division 3 first-round game at Cap Sheue Field on Friday night. Technically, Edison will be the home team. Other local teams earning postseason berths include Corona del Mar (Division 2), Laguna Beach (Division 3), Marina (Division 8), Costa Mesa and Ocean View (both Division 12). Each of these schools opens with a road game outside of Orange County. Edison, which finished winless in the tough four-team Alpha League but earned an at-large berth to the playoffs, finds itself in a familiar division. The Chargers are the defending Division 3 champions and also won a state title last year. Junior quarterback Sam Thomson leads the Edison offense, while junior Sam Edmisten and senior Anthony Godinez combine for more than 100 rushing yards per game. Huntington Beach lost a tight league title game to Crean Lutheran in the Epsilon League, so first-year coach Matthew Hatchette’s squad finished second in the league. Junior quarterback Brady Edmunds, an Ohio State commit, has thrown for 2,543 yards and 31 touchdowns against just two interceptions. Senior receiver Troy Foster is having another big season, with 71 catches for 1,393 yards and 18 touchdowns. Edison and Huntington Beach were Sunset League foes from 2010-2023, with the Chargers winning all of the teams’ league meetings during that span. Corona del Mar (9-1) lost in overtime at Yorba Linda in its Bravo League finale, initially causing a three-way tie for first in league. However, one of those three teams, San Juan Hills, was forced to forfeit nine games due to CIF violations. The Sea Kings, led by senior quarterback Brady Annett and receivers Dorsett Stecker, Garrett James and JJ Haley on offense, have a tough draw in Division 2. They’ll travel to play at top-seeded Murrieta Valley (7-3), the Big West North runner-up. The Nighthawks were also the top seed in Division 2 last year, when they advanced to the title game before losing to Newbury Park. CdM, meanwhile, is back in the playoffs after missing them last year for the first time since 2009. Foxtrot League co-champion Laguna Beach (9-1) travels in Division 3 to play Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks (5-5), an at-large team from the Mission Leauge. The Breakers beat Dana Hills in Week 9 in a key Foxtrot League game but share the league title with the Dolphins after falling to Orange in Week 10. Junior quarterback Jack Hurst has 2,560 yards passing, 41 touchdowns and four interceptions for Laguna Beach, with junior Brady Stringham (976 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns) as his favorite target. Marina (6-4), the third-place team from the Lambda League, will play at top-seeded Desert Empire League champion Palm Desert (7-3) to open Division 8 on Friday night. Junior receiver Carson Hunnicutt (805 yards receiving and five scores) is a threat for the Vikings. Costa Mesa and Ocean View will both vie in Division 12. The Mustangs (9-1) travel to play at top-seeded Yucca Valley (6-4), the Desert Valley League runner-up, in the first round on Friday night. Junior running back Gavin Garza leads Mesa, which won the Tango League title for its first league crown since 2013. Garza finished the regular season with 1,684 yards rushing and 24 touchdowns. Ocean View (7-3), which tied for second in the Sigma League, travels to play at Santa Paula (5-5), an at-large team from the Tri-County League. Sophomore running back Trevor Luapo has 1,009 yards rushing and seven scores for the Seahawks.
