Fountain Valley Has Shot at Major Upset

Anyone looking for a dark horse doesn’t need to look far from the top of the bracket. Fountain Valley, which plays top-seeded Long Beach Poly in the first round, is the choice among coaches.

Among the Barons’ victories is a win over No. 4 Los Alamitos. “They can upset Poly,” said Esperanza Coach Gary Meek, whose team also lost to Fountain Valley. “They play good defense. And they have good team speed. Nobody’s as quick as Poly, but they can run with them.”

Also, Fountain Valley Coach Eric Johnson is familiar with Poly. As defensive coordinator at Mater Dei, Johnson prepared for Poly the last three years. “And they know me,” Johnson said. . . .

The best game of the first round could be Fontana (6-4) at Loyola (7-3). “Two historic powers,” Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said. “That’s blood and guts football.” . . .

Marina faces third-seeded Rialto Eisenhower. Obvious mismatch, right? Not so fast. Marina has a bruising ground game. Ray Mietkiewicz (1,679 yards) averages 8.1 per carry, mostly by running over people. Eisenhower’s defense? Quick, but small. . . .

Meek said the parity in the division is the best he has ever seen. “There are 14 teams that could win it, and in those 14, you’re talking about some of the best teams in the nation,” he said. “Mater Dei and Poly can play with anyone in the country, and this year, there are teams that can beat those teams.” . . .

Esperanza could get its chance at Mater Dei in the second round, should the Aztecs defeat Mission Hills Alemany, one of three at-large teams. “We’re starting to play better the last three or four weeks,” Meek said. “We’re getting over some early injuries, gotten some confidence.” . . .

Santa Margarita has struggled defending the run, and in Fontana A.B. Miller, the Eagles face a team that lives by the option. . . .

Santa Margarita could present problems that opponents haven’t seen in awhile--like an explosive offense. Quarterback Chris Rix was moved to wide receiver last week against Servite. Rix, who passed for three touchdowns--and had eight interceptions--in nine games, caught two touchdown passes from Matt Dlugolecki, covering 69 and 40 yards.

Only five teams in the division had a better record than Edison (7-3), the fifth-place team from the Sunset League. However, section rules prohibited taking a second at-large team from a league until all eligible fourth-place teams were taken (third place in the case of the Serra and Del Rey leagues).