PREP FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PAIRINGS : Servite Is the County’s Only Top-Seeded Team

Servite emerged as the county’s only top-seeded team in the Southern Section football playoff pairings released Sunday, but it was a possible second-round Division I game that was among the most notable events in the playoff schedule, which begins Friday.

Fourth-seeded Los Alamitos (9-1) and unseeded Mater Dei (9-1) could meet Nov. 24 if both get past their first-round opponents; Los Alamitos plays host to Lakewood (4-6), while Mater Dei didn’t get any breaks--the Monarchs play host to Bellflower St. John Bosco (7-2-1), the third-place team from the all-parochial Del Rey League.

“The CIF is pretty wise and money is always important, and that’s a money game, and they aren’t going to miss out on it,” Los Alamitos Coach John Barnes said. “I was shocked we got the fourth seed--I thought Mater Dei would [as the first-place entry from the South Coast League], but it wouldn’t have made any difference because I thought we would have switched places with them and still played in the second round. It’s a big game for Orange County.”

Mater Dei beat Los Alamitos in last year’s semifinals, snapping the Griffins’ unbeaten streak at 46; the game at Anaheim Stadium raised $26,000 for each school, Barnes said, and $52,000 for the Southern Section.

Mater Dei followed with a victory over La Puente Bishop Amat in the championship game, and the Monarchs finished No. 1 nationally in the USA Today poll.

Los Alamitos began this year ranked No. 1 nationally, but tumbled to 16th when Esperanza beat the Griffins, 21-17.

The Los Alamitos-Mater Dei winner could face Fontana (10-0)--currently ranked ninth nationally--in the semifinals.

Esperanza (8-2), the top-ranked team in Orange County and the only team to beat Los Alamitos, was seeded third. Long Beach Poly (10-0) was seeded second; Poly opens against Edison (6-4), the division’s one at-large team.

Division V has Servite (8-2) opening against Loara (4-6), which made the playoffs after Cypress had to forfeit its victory over the Saxons, and No. 2 Western (10-0) opening against Canyon.

“I don’t really think Canyon is the second-worst team in the division,” said a disappointed Jim Howell, Western’s coach who had the county’s only undefeated team.

El Toro (8-2) is seeded third and drew the unenviable task of facing Savanna (7-3) and the county’s leading rusher, Eric Shine, in possibly the best first-round area matchup. Fourth-seeded Kennedy (9-1) opens against Westminster (6-4).

Irvine (6-4) was given the division’s at-large berth and opens against Santa Ana Valley (7-3) on Saturday.

Fullerton (9-1) was seeded fourth in Division VII and faces Covina Northview (4-5-1) at home. Troy (6-4) opens against top-seeded Covina (10-0) and Rancho Alamitos (4-5-1) travels to play second-seeded Lompoc (9-1).

Pacific Coast League champion Laguna Hills (9-1) is the fourth-seeded team in Division VIII and plays host to La Puente (6-4). The fourth-place team from the PCL, Estancia (6-4), received the at-large berth and plays at La Mirada (8-1-1).

Capistrano Valley Christian (4-3) is the only local team in a seeded game in the two smallest divisions; the Eagles play fourth-seeded Anza Hamilton (9-1) in Division XI.