Four Teams Seek Semifinal Berths

Five of the six teams that qualified for the Division II playoffs from the Channel and Marmonte leagues were eliminated in the first round. Only Buena, the second-place Channel team, remains.

Three Frontier League teams survived the first round of the Division VIII playoffs, however, including Santa Clara and Santa Paula.

Meanwhile, Oak Park, the second-place finisher in the Tri-Valley League, won its first-round Division IX game, leaving 4 teams alive in the Southern Section playoffs, which resume Friday night at 7:30.

A look at each game follows:

Buena (9-2) vs. Muir (8-3) at Glendale High: Muir, a traditionally strong team from the Pacific League, eliminated a Rick Scott-coached Hart team from the Coastal Conference playoffs in 1985. “They had great athletes like Ricky Ervins then and they have great athletes now,” said Scott, the first-year Buena coach.

The best Muir athlete this year is quarterback Darick Holmes, who also plays cornerback and returns kicks. The Mustangs favorite play is simple enough: Holmes takes the snap and follows a lead blocker off tackle. Holmes has rushed for 1,188 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Santa Clara (11-0) vs. Woodbridge (10-1) at Irvine High: Woodbridge was co-champion of the Pacific Coast League and should offer Santa Clara its stiffest test so far. Quarterback Fred Schweer has completed 162 of 287 passes for 1,911 yards and 11 touchdowns for Woodbridge. Receiver Alex Zaldivar has caught 49 passes for 651 yards.

“They throw well, have a versatile offense and use multiple defenses,” Santa Clara Coach Steve Dann said. “They are difficult to prepare for.”

Santa Paula (9-2) vs. Trabuco Hills (9-2) at Santa Paula: Trabuco Hills has a passing game as high-powered as Santa Paula’s. “They throw the ball 40 times a game,” Santa Paula Coach Mike Tsoutsouvas said.

David Lowery, the Trabuco Hills quarterback, has completed 153 of 292 passes for 2,532 yards and 22 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Receivers Chad DeYoung and Tim Manning each have more than 40 catches and Manning also has 9 interceptions. Defensive back Rick Sparks has 8 interceptions.

Trabuco Hills is hot as well as good, defeating Woodbridge 2 weeks ago for a share of the Pacific Coast League title and whipping Yucaipa, 49-6, in a first-round game last week. Lowery was 24 of 37 for 360 yards and 6 touchdowns against Yucaipa.

Oak Park (10-1) vs. Kern Valley (9-2) at Oak Park: Kern Valley is the co-champion of the Desert-Inyo Large League and has outscored its opponents, 145-51. “They’ll stunt and blitz and do all kinds of things to disrupt your offense,” Oak Park Coach Ron Veres said. Kern Valley running back Mark Forkner has rushed for 1,081 yards.

Oak Park, which defeated Montclair Prep, 24-6, in the first round, counters with the backfield tandem of Jess Garner (1,007 rushing yards) and Jason Stein (971).