FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NOTES

Imagine: Mater Dei meets Esperanza for the large schools football title at Anaheim Stadium.

It could happen if Orange County forms its own section.

The way it stands, Mater Dei and Esperanza would never meet in Southern Section playoff competition because they are in different divisions. But if an Orange County section is approved--the process is moving along, organizers say--this matchup is possible.

Barbara Wilson, a private consultant hired to study the feasibility of a county section, said the next step for section approval will be the vote taken at the Southern Section general council meeting Jan. 15. From there, Wilson will take the proposal to the State section relations committee for further discussion.