Big Prep Football Game Moved to Friday at Big A

The Southern Section Division I playoff game between Mater Dei and Los Alamitos will be played at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Anaheim Stadium.

The game was originally scheduled for Saturday at Cerritos College, but was moved by Mater Dei officials to accommodate the expected crowd. Officials said they estimate at least 20,000 will attend.

An estimated crowd of 10,000 attended Los Alamitos’ 7-0 victory over Long Beach Poly in the quarterfinals Friday. Mater Dei drew an estimated 7,500 for its 31-7 victory over Los Angeles Loyola Friday.

A larger crowd is expected for the semifinal game because the matchup has been anticipated since the playoffs began. Los Alamitos (12-0) finished the regular season as the top-ranked team in Orange County. Mater Dei (12-0) was ranked second.

It’s the second consecutive season that the county’s top two ranked teams have met in the playoffs. No. 1 Los Alamitos defeated No. 2 Huntington Beach, 39-21, in the 1993 Division II final.

Los Alamitos has a 47-game unbeaten streak, a Southern Section record. The Griffins have won three consecutive section titles (Division III in 1991, Division II in 1992 and ‘93).

Mater Dei is a county powerhouse, dating to the 1950s. The school has won five section championships, the last one in 1991.

Last season’s Division I final between Mater Dei and Rialto Eisenhower drew 15,328. The teams played in the 1992 final, which drew 33,204, the third-largest crowd in section history.

Anaheim and Downey played before 41,383 at the Los Angeles Coliseum in the 1956 Major Division title game. Anaheim and Mater Dei played before 33,374 at Anaheim Stadium in the 1966 4-A semifinals.

The winner of Friday’s Los Alamitos-Mater Dei game will play the winner of the Trabuco Hills-La Puente Bishop Amat game in the final Dec. 10.

Trabuco Hills and Bishop Amat play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Orange Coast College.