Football: Now the real fun begins

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I have to admit after attending Friday’s Servite-Long Beach Poly game, I was exhausted trying to keep track of all the big plays while writing and rewriting an ending I didn’t know until the final second had ticked off. What a dramatic, unpredictable fourth quarter, with players from both teams refusing to accept defeat.

But next week’s semifinals in several divisions should be even more fun to watch. Those who put together the playoff brackets are looking pretty good today because the top four seeds are still alive in the Pac-5, Northern, Southern and Southwest divisions. That means there’s going to be some longtime issues finally resolved.

In the Northern, I don’t think there’s going to be a better game than Westlake taking on Ventura St. Bonaventure on Friday. In the Northwest, there are two great games, with unseeded L.A. Cathedral hosting No. 1 Oaks Christian and No. 2 Gardena Serra traveling to No. 3 Santa Maria to face a St. Joseph team that has the most underrated running back in the Southland, K.J. Cusack.

In the Pac-5, Edison keeps on winning, and at this point, I don’t know who’s going to stop the Chargers. Lakewood gets the latest chance on Saturday. The Servite-Mission Viejo game on Friday ought to be a defensive classic.

And of course, the City Section has its Division I semifinals Friday, with Carson hosting Narbonne in a Marine League rematch and Crenshaw hosting Dorsey in a Coliseum League rematch.

All I know is those thinking about bowl teams, Crenshaw is 12-0 and two of the teams it beat in nonleague games, Lakewood and Norco, are still alive for section titles. The Cougars control their own destiny, and if any City team beats them, it would be the biggest upset of the 2009 season.

-- Eric Sondheimer