It’s Time to Separate the Winners From the Losers : High school football: Twelve South Bay teams start play in CIF-Southern Section playoffs.

The CIF-Southern Section football playoffs get under way this week with 12 South Bay teams represented, including seven in Division VIII.

With area teams taking up nearly half of the 16 Division VIII spots, an all-South Bay semifinal round is a possibility. That prospect offers a mixed bag of blessings for area coaches.

On the positive side, preparation for a local opponent is relatively easy because most coaches have seen the teams play and are familiar with their strengths and weaknesses. Also, travel distance is often a playoff factor in the expansive Southern Section, which extends as far north as Mammoth Lakes. Playing a neighboring school eliminates that worry.

But some coaches are understandably wary of rematches.

“If we play someone that we’ve already beat, it’s a definite advantage for that team,” said Morningside Coach Ron Tatum, whose team is seeded second in the division. “They can make adjustments in their preparation for us, and our team might tend to relax too much.”

Despite that potential liability, though, Tatum said he would favor a local rematch over a long road trip.

“One year we had to play at Lompoc, and we were exhausted,” Tatum said.

West Torrance co-Coach Mark Knox said the Division VIII title chase promises to be exciting because all the teams appear to be evenly matched.

“I think it is wide open,” Knox said. “Anybody who plays well has a good shot at it.”

Following is a rundown of playoff openers involving South Bay teams:

DIVISION III

Leuzinger (7-3) vs. Crespi (8-2) at Pierce College, 7:30 p.m. Saturday--The Leuzinger offense has been boosted in the second half of the season by tailback B-Jon Sample, who came back from a serious knee injury to rush for 515 yards and eight touchdowns in five games. The last time Crespi won a CIF championship was in 1986, when the team was led by sophomore phenom Russell White (now at California). This season, the Celts’ title hopes will rest with Torie Lee, another sophomore running back. Lee has rushed for 670 yards and four touchdowns. Lee will be especially important because Crespi quarterback Cody Smith (1,694 yards, 18 touchdowns passing) is injured. Smith suffered a bruised kidney and ribs two weeks ago and will be burdened with a flak jacket.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (6-3-1) at Hawthorne, 7:30 p.m. Friday--Hawthorne comes into the playoffs on a low note following a 15-14 loss to Santa Monica. “But every break that could have gone against us did,” said Cougar Coach Goy Casillas, who still has confidence in his team’s abilities. The Hawthorne offense features 1,000-yard rusher Morell Ollis and big-play passer Jamil Williams. Notre Dame has a well-balanced attack led by quarterback Steve Colella (1,525 yards, 10 touchdowns) and running back Setefano Malieitulua, who averaged 6.8 yards a carry on his way to 969 yards and 12 touchdowns.

DIVISION VII

Trabuco Hills (4-5-1) at Serra (8-0), 7:30 p.m. Friday--Top-seeded Serra opens defense of its Division VII title riding a 22-game winning streak and a commitment to team unity. Last week, Channel 9 (KCAL) came to a Serra practice to honor running back-defensive back Jerald Henry as its prep athlete of the week, but Coach Leo Hand said that would go against his non-individualistic teachings. So, the entire team was honored. Trabuco Hills hasn’t lost a playoff game since 1987, having won the past two Division VIII titles. Quarterback Pat Barnes has passed for 830 yards and five touchdowns.

El Segundo (5-4-1) at San Marino (9-0), 7:30 p.m. Friday--Despite a 14-7 loss to St. Bernard last week, El Segundo was awarded an at-large berth. The Eagles’ reward is a date against a dominant San Marino team led by running back Al Montoya, who has rushed for 742 yards and 11 touchdowns.

DIVISION VIII

Mira Costa (5-4-1) vs. Yucaipa (6-4) at University of Redlands, 7:30 p.m. Friday--Mira Costa is playing its best football of the season. Last week the Mustangs secured a playoff berth and eliminated Redondo by winning, 28-11. They had 10 quarterback sacks in the game. Yucaipa is 8-2 on the field. Two games were forfeited due to the use of an ineligible player. Running back Mike Bukey is Yucaipa’s top offensive threat with 711 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Bloomington (8-2) at South Torrance (4-6), 7:30 p.m. Friday--South won its last three games to capture a share of the Pioneer League title. Running back Ryan Brady, who has rushed for more than 100 yards in three consecutive games, leads the Spartans. Bloomington quarterback Larry Humphreys leads San Bernardino County passers with 1,600 yards and 19 TDs.

Palos Verdes (5-5) at Santa Paula (8-2), 7:30 p.m. Friday--The Palos Verdes offense got rolling last week, as running back George Felactu rushed for three touchdowns in a 45-20 victory over Rolling Hills. Santa Paula is led by quarterback Ben Fausset (1,091 yards, 10 touchdowns) and running back Dustin Magdaleno (419 yards rushing and 33 catches for 350 yards).

Rolling Hills (6-4) at Temecula Valley (7-3), 7:30 p.m. tonight--The availability of Rolling Hills tailback Robert Coulter is questionable because of a sprained left ankle suffered last week against Palos Verdes. The injury was aggravated Sunday in a tragic accident that claimed the life of a passenger in Coulter’s car. If Coulter is unable to play up to his abilities, it will place more of a burden on quarterback Bill DeMucci, who has 11 touchdown passes. Temecula Valley wide receiver Greg Campbell leads Riverside County with 41 catches and quarterback David Gonzalez was third in the county with 1,358 passing yards.

West Torrance (8-2) at Paso Robles (6-3-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday--After winning several close games, West’s luck ran out last week in a 13-10 loss to Torrance. West has been among the South Bay’s most consistent teams, led by an always-tough defense and a grind-it-out offense. First-year Paso Robles Coach Bill Stansbury, formerly the coach at Beverly Hills, installed a pro-style offense. After a slow start, the team has responded with five victories in six games. Five-foot-8 quarterback Allen Jackson runs the show.

Torrance (7-3) at Fillmore (8-2), 7:30 p.m. Friday--Things are looking up for Torrance. Quarterback Jason Kendall engineered another late game-winning drive last week and the running game featuring Scott Hagerman and Tony Lomeli has improved. The down side is they have to travel this week to face a tough Fillmore team, led by running back Tony Cabral (984 yards, 12 touchdowns).

Atascadero (5-5) vs. Morningside (8-2) at Sentinel Field, 7:30 p.m. Friday--Morningside was able rest several players with injuries and play for statistics last week in a 51-8 victory over Centennial. It is a different story this week, though, as the Monarchs face an Atascadero team that is better than its record indicates. Of its five losses, four were by eight points or less, with last week’s 17-7 loss to Paso Robles representing Atascadero’s worst defeat of the year. Coach Larry Welsh has a 124-22-3 record. Six-foot-4 quarterback Robert Degnana (1,111 yards) and 5-foot-5 scatback Greg Pryor (977 yards) lead Atascadero.

DIVISION IX

Desert (7-3) vs. Mary Star (7-3) at Daniels Field, 7:30 p.m. Friday--After breezing to the Santa Fe League title, Mary Star faces a tough schedule again. Coach Mike Marinkovich is optimistic that the Stars’ off-the-field disciplinary problems are behind them. He suspended six players for a game two weeks ago. Running back Mike Williams is Desert’s top player with 837 yards and seven touchdowns.