Division X at a Glance

Defending champion: Los Angeles Baptist.

Top teams: Mary Star (9-1); Serrano (8-1-1); Orange Lutheran (8-2); Valley Christian (8-2); Kilpatrick (8-2); Rosamond (8-2); Ontario Christian (8-2); Big Bear (7-2-1).

Dark horse: Montclair Prep (7-1) and Los Angeles Baptist (3-7). Montclair Prep does not play in a league, and might be a mystery to the lower bracket teams it faces. Baptist spent the season adjusting to 22 players lost to graduation and several key injuries. The team is healthy now and could be peaking at the right time.

Top players: Russ Anderson, Serrano, QB. Che Holloway, Orange Lutheran, RB. Michael Carmona, Serrano, RB. Jon Deverian, Los Angeles Baptist, R. Tim Drombosky, Silver Valley, RB. Raul Espitia, Serrano, RB. Tony Franklin, Silver Valley, R. Joe Juliano, Orange Lutheran, QB. Harlan Miersma, Ontario Christian, QB. Mario Qualls, Kilpatrick, RB. Robbie Wood, Paraclete, QB.

Best draw: Big Bear. There is only one other top-seeded league champion (Rosamond) in the lower bracket. It’s remarkably similar to the draw Big Bear had en route to winning the 1992 Division X title.

Worst draw: Orange Lutheran. The road to the title has several land mines from Mary Star to Serrano to Ontario. And their opener is against defending champion L.A. Baptist.

Notes: Orange Lutheran won a share of the Olympic League title by beating co-champion Valley Christian. It was Lutheran’s first Olympic championship. . . . All three of Baptist’s victories were in league. They are the only team in the playoffs with an under-.500 record. . . . There has not been a repeat champion since Division X was formed in 1990. . . . Only three teams--Big Bear, Rosamond and Village Christian--had unbeaten, untied league seasons. . . . Eight was the magic number. Six teams won that total of games. Four won seven; Mary Star was the lone team to win as many as nine games.