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 X

Defending champion: Cerritos Valley Christian, which defeated Orange Lutheran, 21-17.

Seeded teams: 1. Ojai Nordhoff (9-0-1), 2. Orange Lutheran (9-1), 3. Ventura St. Bonaventure (8-1-1), 4. Santa Barbara Bishop Diego (8-1-1).

Dark horse: Cerritos Valley Christian. Assuming they survive a severe first-round test against Santa Monica St. Monica, the Crusaders have gotten back many of their players who were injured early and are peaking at the right time.

Notes: The question facing Orange Lutheran Coach Jim Kunau is whether he has a team that can reach the championship game a third consecutive year. “I can’t say that yet,” Kunau said. “But to get there we have to make fewer mistakes.” Top Orange Lutheran players include wide receiver Michael Crawford (50 receptions, 942 yards, 14 touchdowns), quarterback Nick Odenath (1,607 yards, 18 touchdowns), and running back Travis Freeman (792 yards, nine touchdowns). . . . Four Olympic League teams are in the playoffs; Brethren Christian, which received an at-large berth, is the only other county team in this division. The Warriors are led by quarterback Jason Priestley (1,456 yards, nine touchdowns), who is headed to Ohio State. . . . Moorpark, Orange Lutheran’s first-round opponent, is not big. Only 14 of the 63 players listed on its roster weigh 200 pounds or more. The biggest is junior lineman Jaime Villa at 240. . . . Nordhoff is celebrating the school’s first unbeaten regular season, but Coach Cliff Farrar said, “I think [the playoffs are] wide open. There are at least six teams that feel they have a legitimate shot at the title.” Nordhoff’s tie was with Bishop Diego. The two could meet again in the semifinals. . . . Said Cerritos Valley Christian Coach Mike Wunderly: “I don’t have a feel for the playoffs this year. There are many teams that we haven’t played in years, except for St. Anthony.” . . . Rosamond, evicted before the Division X title game against Orange Lutheran last year for tampering with game film, is in the Division XI playoffs this year with a first-round game against Banning.