GAME DAY

DIVISION III

* NOTRE DAME (11-1) vs. MUIR (10-2)

At Pasadena City College, 7:30 p.m.

Notre Dame, which has won nine consecutive games, is trying to return to the Division III title game--which it won in 1994. Muir, playing in its first semifinal since 1992, hasn’t reached the final since the Mustangs won back-to-back championships in 1985 and 1986. The Mustangs, champions of the Pacific League, have plenty of speed. Sultan McCullough has rushed for 1,854 yards and 27 touchdowns. LaShaun Ward has passed for 1,922 yards and 19 touchdowns. Junior Anthony Kelley has 28 receptions for 477 yards and is among the team’s top defensive players. Notre Dame junior Justin Fargas, who has rushed for 2,536 yards and 29 touchdowns, has claimed the headlines but defense also is a strength. The Knights have allowed more than 14 points in only one game and have held five opponents to less than 10 points.

DIVISION X

* NORDHOFF (11-0-1) vs. ST. MONICA (9-3)

At St. Bernard High, Playa del Rey, 7:30 p.m.

Top-seeded Nordhoff seeks to return to a Southern Section final for the second time in three seasons, carried by its running game and defense. Fullback Russell Farrar has rushed for 732 yards and four touchdowns in the last four games, and has 1,353 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Kevin Zielsdorf has 763 yards and 13 touchdowns. Quarterback Jim Musick mostly directs traffic and hands the ball off. Also a safety, he leads Nordhoff with 97 tackles. St. Monica, third-place team from the Camino Real League, has won five consecutive games. Eliseo Capellino has completed 97 of 207 passes for 1,465 yards and 17 touchdowns. He has thrown six interceptions. Nate Anderson has 1,675 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns, and James Dunn has caught 49 passes for 694 yards and seven touchdowns.

DIVISION XI

* YUCCA VALLEY (6-6) vs. VILLAGE CHRISTIAN (10-2)

At Kennedy High, 7:30 p.m.

Both teams are unseeded. Six of Village Christian’s victories have been by four points or fewer, including one-point victories in its first two playoff games. Matt Ryburn made a game-winning kick for the third time this season last Saturday night with an extra point in overtime to give the Rangers a 21-20 victory over top-seeded Big Bear. Yucca Valley, which averages 6-foot-2, 240 pounds on the defensive line, has worn down opponents in two come-from-behind playoff victories. The Trojans defeated fourth-seeded Paraclete, 25-15, on two touchdowns in the final three minutes last Friday. The Trojans look to 1,200-yard rusher James Cunningham in their option offense. The Crusaders counter with speed and quickness on defense with cornerback Aaron Funk and linebacker Brian Agnor. David Romberger, who has 1,122 yards, will try to find or make holes in the large Trojan line.