Marmonte Honors at Stake

The Marmonte League championship and a handful of playoff berths are up for grabs as Valley-area Southern Section football teams enter the final week of the regular season.

Newbury Park (6-1-2 overall, 4-0-1 in league play) will play at Thousand Oaks (8-0-1, 5-0) on Thursday with the Marmonte title on the line. Thousand Oaks is aiming for its fifth league title this decade.

Also primed to win league titles are Canyon (Golden), Hart (Foothill), Notre Dame (San Fernando Valley) and Montclair Prep (Alpha), all of which need to beat outclassed opponents to win championships outright.

Agoura, Chaminade, Quartz Hill and Westlake already have clinched playoff berths. Alemany, Crespi, L. A. Baptist and Palmdale look like probable qualifiers.

A league-by-league breakdown:

Division I

Del Rey League: Loyola (8-1, 4-0) has clinched the league title, and Alemany (5-4, 2-1) and Crespi (6-3, 1-2) can clinch the league’s other two playoff berths with wins Friday. The only combination that would knock Alemany from the playoffs would involve an Alemany loss to St. John Bosco (4-5, 1-2) and a Crespi win over St. Francis (1-8, 0-3). That would create a three-way tie for second among Alemany, Crespi and St. John Bosco, forcing a coin flip.

The Celts can make the playoffs even if they lose, provided Alemany beats St. John Bosco. Crespi wins the tiebreaker with St. John Bosco based on its 10-7 win in head-to-head competition.

Division II

Golden League: Canyon (5-3-1, 4-0) can clinch its seventh league title in eight years with a win Thursday over Saugus, a team that has not beaten the Cowboys in Coach Harry Welch’s eight years. Quartz Hill (5-4, 3-1) has clinched a playoff berth and will play Palmdale (3-6, 2-2) on Thursday for second.

Saugus (4-5, 1-3) can bump Palmdale from the playoffs if the Centurions upset Canyon and Palmdale loses. Based on a point system, Saugus goes to the playoffs in the event that the Centurions finish in a three-way tie for third with Palmdale and Antelope Valley (2-7, 1-3).

Pacific League: Arcadia (8-1, 4-0) and Muir (7-1-1, 3-1) have clinched berths, and Crescenta Valley (6-3, 2-2), Pasadena (2-6-1, 2-2) and Glendale (4-5, 1-3) are fighting for third. Crescenta Valley will go to the playoffs if it either beats Arcadia or finishes in a tie for third with Pasadena. Glendale’s only hope is to beat Hoover (0-9) while Crescenta Valley and Pasadena lose, forging a three-way tie for third that would be decided by a coin flip.

Division III

Foothill League: Hart (8-1, 4-0) and Schurr (6-3, 3-1) have clinched the top two places, and Burroughs (3-6, 2-2), San Gabriel (3-6, 2-2) and Alhambra (4-5, 1-3) are battling for third. To clinch third, Burroughs must defeat Schurr on Thursday and San Gabriel must lose to Hart.

Division VII

San Fernando Valley League: Notre Dame (8-1, 3-0) and Chaminade (7-2, 3-1) have clinched berths, and Harvard (1-8, 1-2) has the inside track on third place. The Saracens need a win over St. Genevieve (2-7, 0-3) on Saturday to clinch a playoff berth. Bell-Jeff (2-6-1, 1-2) needs a win over Notre Dame on Friday and a Harvard loss to place third.

Division VIII

Frontier League: Santa Clara (7-2, 4-0), Santa Ynez (8-1, 3-1) and Agoura (7-2, 3-1) have clinched playoff berths. Agoura will play at Santa Ynez on Thursday to decide second place.

Division IX

Alpha League: Montclair Prep (9-0, 4-0) has clinched a berth, and L. A. Baptist (7-2, 3-1) will play Western Christian (4-5, 3-1) on Friday to decide the league’s other playoff representative. The 16-team bracket also has two at-large entries. Moorpark (6-3, 2-2) needs a win over Tri-Valley foe Bishop Diego (3-6, 1-3) to improve its chances for a playoff berth.