Five Teams Leading in the Race for No. 1

One of the best high school football seasons in several years in Southern California might leave many fans wondering about the Southland’s best team.

With one week remaining in the regular season, there are nine undefeated teams in The Times top-20 poll. At least five of them--La Puente Bishop Amat, Rialto Eisenhower, Quartz Hill, Los Alamitos, and Newbury Park--have a good chance to finish No. 1.

The contenders:

--Bishop Amat: The Lancers extended their winning streak to 24 games with a 10-3 victory over Loyola last Friday before 10,000 at Bishop Amat. The defending Division I champions have two of the top offensive players in the area in running back Rodney Sermons and receiver Daylon McCutcheon.

--Eisenhower: The Eagles are ranked No. 2 in two national polls, so Coach Tom Hoak figures he has more at stake than a Southern Section Division I title. Eisenhower played the toughest nonleague schedule in the area, including games against Newhall Hart, Long Beach Poly and Pasadena Muir.

--Quartz Hill: The Rebels have quietly moved up the Division I rankings this season, but proved they are worthy of top consideration after beating Antelope Valley, 13-9, on Friday. Quartz Hill, which lost to Loyola in the section championship in 1990, is off to its best start in school history.

--Los Alamitos: Any doubts about how good the Griffins are were erased Friday after the team’s 49-0 rout of Anaheim Esperanza. Los Alamitos, unbeaten in its last 30 games, is the top-ranked team in Division II.

--Newbury Park: Quarterback Keith Smith and receiver Leodes Van Buren are setting all kinds of state and section records this season and might move into the national record books before it is all over. The Panthers, averaging 41 points, are No. 1 in Division III.

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Here are the finalists for coach and player of the year. The winners will be announced next month.

Coach of the year--Mike Walsh, San Pedro; Mark McElroy, San Clemente; John Barnes, Los Alamitos; George Hurley, Newbury Park; Pat McCarthy, Fontana A.B. Miller; Kenneth Robinson, Pomona, and Rob Dearborn, Moorpark.

Player of the year--Leodes Van Buren, receiver, Newbury Park; Daylon McCutcheon, receiver-defensive back, Bishop Amat; Glenn Thompkins, quarterback, Eisenhower; Tony Gonzalez, tight end, Huntington Beach; Keith Smith, quarterback, Newbury Park, and Steve Campbell, quarterback, Norco.

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The Southern Section Division I championship in football has been moved from Anaheim Stadium to Cerritos College to save money.

Bill Clark, the section’s football administrator, said that because the game is going to be televised live on Channel 13, it made more sense to play at a stadium that was going to cost less.

Anaheim Stadium’s rental fee is $50,000, compared to Cerritos College’s $15,000. The drawback is that Cerritos holds only 13,000, which means fans might be turned away.

The Santa Ana Mater Dei-Eisenhower Division I championship matchup two years ago drew 33,204 at Anaheim Stadium.

Prep Notes

Football playoff pairings will be released this weekend. First-round games are Nov. 19 and the finals Dec. 10-11. . . . Braulio De La Torre caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from David Guerra with 46 seconds remaining to lift Garfield to a 26-21 victory over Roosevelt before 25,000 at East Los Angeles College on Friday night. . . . Crenshaw’s 35-8 victory over Harbor City Narbonne on Friday was stopped with 11:55 remaining because of darkness. . . . Ventura Buena running back George Keiaho, one of the leading rushers in the state with 1,334 yards, sat out Friday’s game against Santa Barbara San Marcos because of a strained knee ligament. . . . The early signing period for basketball begins Wednesday.

Times’ Top 20 Football Poll

The Times’ top 20 high school football poll, with teams from the City and Southern Sections.

School Sect. Div. Rec. LW 1. Bishop Amat SS I 9-0 1 2. Eisenhower SS I 9-0 2 3. Los Alamitos SS II 9-0 4 4. Newbury Park SS III 9-0 3 5. Hart SS II 8-1 7 6. LB Poly SS I 8-1 8 7. Quartz Hill SS I 9-0 12 8. Antelope Valley SS I 7-2 5 9. Loyola SS I 7-2 6 10. Hunt. Beach SS II 9-0 9 11. Hawthorne SS III 8-1 10 12. Norco SS V 9-0 11 13. Taft City 4-A 9-0 13 14. Mater Dei SS I 8-1 16 15. Irvine SS IV 8-1 14 16. Paramount SS II 9-0 15 17. Sylmar City 4-A 7-1-1 18 18. San Clemente SS I 8-1 19 19. Muir SS II 7-2 20 20. Edison SS II 7-2 NR