Front-Runners Begin to Show in Prep Football League Races

After five weeks of play, most of the area’s prep football leagues swing into full gear Friday night. Here is a look at prospects for postseason berths in the divisional races of the CIF Southern Section.

MOORE LEAGUE

Defending champion Wilson of Long Beach visits Lakewood on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. encounter, and the winner will have the inside track for the league championship. Lakewood (4-1) is the Cinderella team. The Lancers recorded four consecutive wins before being crushed last week, 56-0, by undefeated Los Alamitos, the second-ranked team in Division II. Wilson, ranked eighth in Division I, is a veteran club that has performed inconsistently. The Bruins (3-1-1) have recorded two shutouts, but tied St. John Bosco (1-3-1 overall) and lost to Huntington Beach (2-3).

Long Beach Poly has played a tough schedule with mixed results. The Jackrabbits (2-3) defeated perennial City Section power Banning of Wilmington, 14-12, and battled the second-ranked Division I team, Bishop Amat of La Puente, before falling, 20-12. Jordan of Long Beach (0-5) may be the sleeper, if it has anything left after a killer preseason played against teams with a combined record of 23-2. The Panthers have been outscored 180-42.

Millikan (1-4) and Compton (0-4 are not expected to claim one of the league’s three playoff spots.

SAN GABRIEL VALLEY LEAGUE

Dominguez (5-0, 2-0) is fourth-ranked in Division II and has bolted into the front-runner position for one of three playoff spots. But Lynwood (3-2, 1-0), which plays at Dominguez on Oct. 30, and Downey (4-1, 1-1), which was defeated by Dominguez, 27-7, two weeks ago, are considered playoff contenders. Injury-plagued Paramount (2-3, 1-1), which plays at Dominguez on Friday, has the spoiler role.

Downey is led by multipurpose senior quarterback John Macon, who kicked two field goals and passed for a 2-point conversion Friday to help the Vikings defeat Paramount, 14-6. Dominguez and Downey shared the league crown last season.

Warren High of Downey (2-3, 1-0) has equaled the number of league and overall wins it had all last year, but faces a tough four-game stretch against better teams, beginning Friday at Lynwood. Cerritos (0-5, 0-2) and Gahr (1-4, 0-2), which has lost four straight, are not considered playoff contenders.

WHITMONT LEAGUE

Eighth-ranked Whittier (4-1) was upset, 7-6, by Northview High of Covina last week and tumbled four spots in the Division VI polls. Whittier still rates a slight edge over sixth-ranked Santa Fe, which shared second place with Whittier last season. The Chiefs are 4-1 and play at Whittier on Nov. 6 in a game that could decide the league title.

La Serna and Pioneer are 3-2. They also meet Nov. 6 in a game that could decide the final playoff spot. California (2-3) could be the spoiler, while the fortunes of the league’s sixth team, El Rancho (0-5), have been puzzling. The Dons, who have a strong winning tradition and were 11-2 overall last season, have held leads in four of their five games this year.

SUBURBAN LEAGUE

For the first time in several years, the race is wide open in this Division VII league which is a showcase for some fine quarterbacks. Surprising Bellflower (4-1) was 2-8 last season, but rates the edge. The eighth-ranked Bucs were defeated by unbeaten Duarte, 36-14, last week.

Perennial favorites La Mirada (2-3), with senior quarterback Matt Moschetti, and injury-plagued Artesia (2-3), led by senior quarterback Aaron Flowers, have struggled. Moschetti passed for two touchdowns and kicked two extra points last week for the 10th-ranked Matadores in a 49-20 loss to Valencia of Placentia. Santa Fe swamped Artesia, 50-30, sacking Flowers six times.

Mayfair (2-3) is led by quarterback Derek Brown, who has thrown for 956 yards and five TDs. Don’t count out Glenn (2-3). The Eagles surprised everyone last season by finishing third and advancing to postseason play. The Lancers play host to Bellflower on Friday.

“Bellflower is the favorite for the first time in a long time, and that is good for this league,” Norwalk Athletic Director Terry Bales said. “This way it spreads things around.” Norwalk is 0-4-1 and does not figure to place in the playoff race.

ALMONT LEAGUE

The three Montebello Unified schools are expected to dominate this new Division III alignment for years. Fifth-ranked Montebello (5-0), sixth-ranked Bell Gardens (4-1) and Schurr (2-3) have been traditional powerhouses, while the other three teams, Keppel, San Gabriel and Alhambra, have a combined record of 1-14 this season.

The league title could be decided Oct. 30 when Bell Gardens plays at archrival Montebello. The Lancers’ only loss was to Downey, 33-8. Four Bell Gardens starters who were suspended for horseplay on campus during the summer have been reinstated in time for the league race.

Schurr has won two consecutive games under new coach Tim Salter. who replaced 21-year veteran Ken Davis. Davis is now athletic director.

PIONEER LEAGUE

Perennial cellar dweller Centennial (3-2) has won three straight and is the talk of the town. “We haven’t had three wins in a row in about 20 years,” second-year Coach Joe Hembrick said. Centennial was 1-9 a year ago.

Last week, the Apaches held the South Bay’s top offense to 177 total yards in a 33-8 defeat of Redondo Union of Redondo Beach, the sixth-ranked team in Division VII.

Top-ranked North Torrance (5-0) and fifth-ranked West Torrance (4-1) are expected to battle for the title, however, in this Division IX league. They meet Oct. 30. Others include El Segundo (3-2), South Torrance (2-3) and Torrance (1-4).

OLYMPIC LEAGUE

“The league is more balanced this year,” said Coach Mike Wunderley of second-ranked Valley Christian of Cerritos. The defending league champions are 5-0 after holding El Segundo to 68 net yards in a 24-3 victory. Valley Christian is expected to repeat as league titlist, but Wunderley thinks it will take another 5-0 run to do it.

Several other teams figure to battle for the other two Division X playoff spots. Fourth-ranked Orange Lutheran (4-1), 10th-ranked Ontario Christian (3-1-1), fifth-ranked Whittier Christian of La Habra (3-2), Calvary Chapel/Santa Ana (3-2) and Brethren of Cypress (3-2) all have a shot.

CAMINO REAL LEAGUE

Southeast-area teams are winless in this seven-team Division VIII alignment. St. Anthony is 0-4-1, 0-1. Pius X is 0-5, 0-1. Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary is 0-5, 0-2.

St. Anthony Coach Dave Radford remains optimistic. “If we hang in there we’ll be OK,” he said. But the Saints play Friday at favored Serra of Gardena (4-1, 1-0). Serra is ranked third. Verbum Dei (2-3, 2-0) has won two consecutive games and is the surprise team in the league.

Other contenders are St. Monica of Santa Monica (2-3, 1-0) and Mary Star of San Pedro (0-5, 0-2.).

DEL REY LEAGUE

St. Paul (2-3) and St. John Bosco (1-3-1) are in deep against the likes of the top-ranked team in Division I, Loyola (5-0), second-ranked Bishop Amat (5-0) and sixth-ranked Crespi of Encino (5-0). Bishop Amat and Crespi meet Friday. Alemany of Mission Hills, which travels to St. Paul on Friday, is 0-4-1. St. John Bosco opens at Loyola.