Rankings : Los Alamitos Appears Vulnerable

Los Alamitos has its biggest test of the season this week and the Griffins’ immovable object seems to have budged. It couldn’t have come at a worse time.

They face Edison Friday in the second round of the Southern Section Division II playoffs. The Chargers are led by running back Michael Graham, who gained 210 yards and scored four touchdowns in Edison’s 40-20 first-round victory over Canyon Country Canyon.

It has been all but impossible to gain yards on the ground against Los Alamitos this season. That is, until last week. Downey Warren’s Jarvis Watson gained 90 yards and Jeff Stephens added 52, but Los Alamitos prevailed, 31-13.

Part of the Griffins’ problem was the loss of defensive tackle Robert Torres, who played little because of an injured foot.

Mater Dei, which pulled out a 17-14 victory over Santa Fe Springs St. Paul in the final two minutes, faces an even tougher test this week against third-seeded Long Beach Poly in the Division I playoffs.

Four Orange League teams remain in the Division VIII playoffs, and two play top-seeded teams. Western faces No. 2 Pomona Ganesha and Savanna plays No. 4 Covina. Top-seeded Valencia and unseeded Anaheim are the other two league teams still alive.

Another all-Orange County quarterfinal matchup features Foothill at Irvine, a Division IV semifinal rematch from last season. The Vaqueros won that game, 35-14.

Foothill is looking for redemption from a 35-14 loss to the Vaqueros a year ago. This season, the Knights have rebounded from an 0-3 start to win eight consecutive games and the Century League championship.