The Southern Section football playoffs provide a...

The Southern Section football playoffs provide a smorgasbord for county high school football fans, with 22 first-round games scheduled Friday night and three more Saturday.

Mater Dei, the county’s top-ranked team, is the top-seeded team in Division I. The Monarchs (10-0) open the playoffs Friday at Santa Ana Stadium against Long Beach Jordan (5-5), a team they beat, 37-0, in the second week of the season.

The county’s other undefeated teams--Aliso Niguel and Rancho Alamitos--are ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in Division VIII. In Division V, which has only county teams, Servite (9-1) is seeded No. 1 and Santa Margarita (9-1) is No. 2. In Division X, Orange Lutheran (9-1) is seeded second behind Frontier League champion Ojai Nordhoff (9-0-1).

Here’s a division-by-division look at the playoffs:

Division I

Defending champion: La Puente Bishop Amat, which beat Los Angeles Loyola, 14-10.

Seeded teams: 1. Mater Dei (10-0), 2. Fontana (9-0-1), 3. L.A. Loyola (9-1), 4. Bellflower St. John Bosco (8-1-1).

Dark horse: Redlands (8-2). Even with losses to Bishop Amat in the second week and Fontana in Citrus Belt League play, this is the most talented Terrier team of the ‘90s.

Notes: Last year’s playoffs are remembered for having three of the top four seeded teams ousted by the second round. . . . For the second time in the last three years, Coach Bruce Rollinson brings an undefeated Mater Dei team into the playoffs. The 1994 team went on to win the title. “I wouldn’t compare the two teams until the year is over,” Rollinson said. “That 1994 team went undefeated for the season. The only comparison is that this team is coming into the playoffs undefeated.” Monarch receiver Rod Perry Jr., who has committed to USC, is six yards away from 1,000 for the season. . . . Fontana’s first-round matchup against Santa Fe Springs St. Paul (4-6) is no sure thing. The last 19 times that Fontana has reached the playoffs, the Steelers have lost 11 times to a Catholic school. Fontana has not defeated a Catholic school since 1986 and is 23-23 against Catholic schools. Running back Art Gibson leads Fontana with 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns in 176 carries. . . . La Puente Bishop Amat is considered a longshot to reach the final a third consecutive year. If it does, receiver Joey Getherall (37 receptions, 925 yards, 11 touchdowns) will be a big reason why. . . . Fountain Valley’s upset of Esperanza last week, making the Barons the Sunset League’s No. 1 entry, threw the entire playoff bracket into turmoil. And it may have been a break for Capistrano Valley. The Cougars (7-3) were placed in the lower half and have an excellent chance of reaching the semifinals and a possible matchup with Fontana. . . . Though they are geographical neighbors, Friday’s game will be only the second time Los Alamitos and Long Beach Poly have played. The last time was two years ago at Orange Coast College in the second round of the playoffs. Los Alamitos won, 7-0. “That was the biggest crowd I ever saw,” Griffin Coach John Barnes said. “All standing room, even on the scoreboard. And the fire marshal turned away another 2,000 people.” Los Alamitos quarterback Sean Stein is tied for second in the county with Bolsa Grande’s Doug Baughman with 24 touchdown passes. . . . Esperanza has not won a playoff game since 1992, when the Aztecs shared the Division II title with Los Alamitos. “Yes, I would like to win a game, but neither I or the team is feeling pressure,” Coach Gary Meek said. Esperanza quarterback David Parrish, who will attend Michigan on a baseball scholarship, is one of five county quarterbacks to pass for 2,000 or more yards during the regular season. . . . In its last four games Redlands has given up a total of nine points and recorded two shutouts. In the last 18 quarters, the Terriers have given up only one touchdown. . . . Loyola, which ruined St. John Bosco’s unbeaten season Saturday for the 500th victory in school history, is looking for its first section title since 1990. The Cubs are led by two junior running backs: Wesley Willard (818 yards, seven touchdowns) and Stephen Faulk, second cousin to Indianapolis Colt running back Marshall Faulk, (842 yards, 14 touchdowns). Tight end Antoine Harris is being hotly recruited by USC, UCLA and Oklahoma.