CIF Southern Section Division 5 Playoffs Quarterfinal Recap

Posted by: Tyler Feinstein in Home Town Station November 22, 2024 - 2:46 pm 0 657 Views

The CIF Division 5 Playoffs in the Southern Section has been quite the frenzy, with many high-scoring affairs and even a few upsets.

Summit 45 VS. Huntington Beach 14

We start off the game slate with a blowout. Summit had no problem against 9-seeded Torrance in a 37-7 smackdown in the first round and cruised past Huntington Beach 45-14, scoring 45 unanswered points after trailing 14-0.

The Skyhawks shut down the Oilers offense, which had scored 30+ points in 8 of their 11 games, including 56 in their first-round win over the Western Pioneers.

Summit has now won nine straight games and will look to win their third playoff game against 4 seed La Serna for a spot in the Division 5 Championship game on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m.

Rio Mesa 35 VS. La Serna 56

The Division 5 playoffs has seen plenty of shootouts so far, and here is another one in La Serna’s 56-35 victory over Rio Mesa.

This game was close for most of the first half. The Spartans tied the game at 21 apiece with two minutes remaining in the second quarter, but the Lancers were able to rush down the field quickly and scored a touchdown with 30 seconds remaining.

Instead of kicking off to Rio Mesa, La Serna Head Coach Andy George made the decision to go for an onside kick.

It paid off for the Lancers as they recovered the football at midfield. They capitalized on this very rare opportunity and scored a passing touchdown in the final seconds of the second quarter to increase the lead to two scores.

La Serna was able to pull away for the rest of the second half as their offense proved to be too much for Rio Mesa to handle.

It was definitely a closer game than the score suggests. Still, the Lancers ultimately capitalized on more opportunities, which sealed them a spot in the semi-finals, where they will play the aforementioned Summit Skyhawks on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m.

Foothill 38 VS. Lakewood 35

A contest between the two lowest seeds remaining ended up being the most entertaining in the Knights’ 38-35 victory over the Lancers.

The game was competitive for the first half, with Foothill leading 21-14, but the Knights would score two touchdowns to take a commanding 35-14 lead halfway through the third quarter.

Three-touchdown leads are very hard to come back from, especially in the playoffs, but Lakewood refused to throw in the towel, scoring two touchdowns of their own and cutting the lead within a single possession with eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Foothill would respond with a field goal to increase their lead to 10, but Lakewood continued their second-half surge and scored their fifth touchdown to cut the lead to three with one minute left.

The Lancers would attempt an onside kick, but the Knights recovered the football. But as they say, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Using their three timeouts, Lakewood played strong defense and could pin Foothill deep in their own territory. They forced a punt with 33 seconds left and had a favorable field position at the Knights’ 40-yard line.

As the score would suggest, though, Foothill played soundly in their final defensive stand to pull out a 38-35 victory.

The Cinderella story continues for Foothill, but they will have their hands full as they face the highest seed remaining in Palos Verdes during the semi-finals, which will dictate who will play for the Division 5 Championship.

Mayfair 13 VS. Palos Verdes 27

The final game of the quarter-final slate was also the lowest-scoring affair, as Palos Verdes suffocated Mayfair 27-13.

The Sea Kings’ defense stood strong the entire game and held the Monsoons to their lowest-scoring game of the entire season.

Palos Verdes’ controlled the pace for most of the game and pulled away with a 27-6 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Mayfair was able to get a rushing touchdown to cut the lead to two scores with 4 minutes left. They were able to force a punt to get the ball back with two minutes remaining, but Palos Verdes’ defense proved too much for them to handle.

Unlike the previous games that had some twists and turns, this game only flowed in one direction.

With the quarter-finals in the books, we are now down to the final four: Summit, La Serna, Foothill, and Palos Verdes, who all have a chance to punch their tickets to the big dance when the semi-finals begin on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m.