HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : The Season Comes Down to a Game of Elimination : City Section: San Pedro, seeded second in 3-A, does not want to take its opening opponent for granted.

Led by a defense that has three shutouts and given up an average of nine points a game, San Pedro High’s football team enters its City Section 3-A Division playoff opener understandably optimistic.

The second-seeded Pirates (8-1-1), champions of the Southern League, bring a five-game winning streak into their game with Grant of Van Nuys (3-6-1), the second-place team from Mid-Valley League, at 7:30 Friday night at Daniels Field in San Pedro.

One of the questions facing San Pedro is the health of fullback Ambrose Russo, the team’s leading rusher with 1,081 yards and 14 touchdowns. He injured his right ankle in Friday’s 35-6 victory over Washington.

Coach Mike Walsh said Russo’s status is “day-to-day,” but indicated he plans to utilize more players than usual on offense.

“I don’t envision us changing much,” Walsh said. “We might divvy the ball up a little more.”

Grant started 0-4-1, but upset Van Nuys and Poly in conference play to move into playoff contention. The Lancers are led by quarterback Raymond Singleton. The previous quarterback, Roy Rodriguez, was switched to tailback. Rodriguez leads the team in rushing with 361 yards and three TDs.

San Pedro’s defense, led by end Mike Spelich (63 tackles, including 11 sacks), has given up an average of 137 yards a game. Grant’s offense is averaging 152 yards.

Some consider San Pedro the favorite for the 3-A title after five players for top-seeded Bell (9-1) were kicked off the team by Coach Ray Galarze. The players, including the team’s quarterback and two starting running backs, were found by police during school hours at a party where alcohol was present.

Walsh said Galarze’s decision to suspend the players for the rest of the season might demoralize or pull the Eagles closer together.

“I wouldn’t want to be on either side of that scenario,” Walsh said. “I’m somewhat glad Bell is not in our bracket. You never know how a team is going to take something like that.”

The following is a rundown of other City Section playoff openers involving South Bay teams. All games start at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

4-A DIVISION

Carson (6-3-1) vs. Lincoln (9-1) at Garfield High--Despite being seeded second, Carson opens the playoffs on the road because Lincoln (6-1) had a better league record than the Colts (5-1), who won the Pacific League title. Lincoln finished in a three-way tie with Belmont and Marshall for the Northeastern League title.

Both teams have been led by their quarterbacks. Lincoln’s Gerardo Roman has passed for more than 1,800 yards and 18 TDs. Carson’s Jamie Sander has passed for 2,014 yards and 16 TDs.

Carson, after an 0-2-1 start, won five consecutive games before losing to rival Banning, 17-13, on Nov. 7. But Carson Coach Marty Blankenship said the loss didn’t break the Colts’ stride.

“We played a little flat, but I don’t think that affected us,” he said.

“Our players are not looking behind.”

Carson’s defense, led by middle linebacker James Pepe and lineman Sipo’u Mareko, has limited opponents to 104 yards and nine points a game.

Garfield (6-4) vs. Banning (7-3) at Gardena High--Banning had problems early in the season, but the first-year Coach Ed Paculba says the team is prepared as it enters the playoffs. The fourth-seeded Pilots won their last four regular-season games to finish second in the Pacific League.

“We’re going to emphasize not making mistakes,” Paculba said. “We had a lot of breakdowns early in the season, but now the kids have confidence in what (the coaches) are doing.”

Two Banning players rejoined the team last week after missing the early part of the season because they were academically ineligible. Paculba said senior linebackers Brian Felix and Johnson Lutili will play in Friday’s game, and Lutili will also see action at fullback.

Banning’s veer offense relies on quarterback Vaimagalo Faavi-Tua’au, tailback Damin Hurst and fullback Melvin Blue, who scored the winning TD on a one-yard run with 27 seconds left Saturday in a 21-17 victory over Dorsey. Hurst leads the team in rushing and had a 28-yard average on kickoff returns.

Van Nuys (6-4) at Westchester (9-0-1)--Westchester won the Western League title with a 7-0 record, but Coach Larry Wein says the third-seeded Comets can’t afford to overlook Van Nuys.

“They have a wide-open offense that seems to be pretty dangerous,” Wein said. “They score a lot of points, but they give up a lot of points too.”

Wein, in his 11th year at Westchester, rates this team as one of his best. Quarterback Seka Edwards has passed for 1,426 yards and 22 TDs, and running back Oliver Baines has rushed for 826 yards and five TDs.

“This team has responded well to pressure,” said Wein, who used the Comets’ 33-33 tie with San Fernando as an example. Westchester rallied from a 20-point deficit in the third quarter.