Rugged Schedule Could Work to Advantage for Dana Hills

Scott Orloff, coach at Dana Hills (4-6), said he was a bit surprised to find his third-place team going up against the top-seeded team in the division, Downey (10-0), in the first round, “because of our strength of schedule.” However, “I think our strength of schedule is going to help us compete in the first round,” Orloff said. Dana Hills’ nonleague schedule included three playoff teams--Fountain Valley (5-5) and Edison (8-2) from the Division I Sunset League and Newport Harbor (8-2) from the Division VI Sea View League.

“We definitely had a tougher schedule than West Covina,” Orloff said, drawing comparison with the only other 4-6 team in the division. West Covina, third in the Sierra League, lost to Mission Viejo, 62-28, while Dana Hills lost to Mission Viejo, 28-14. West Covina plays Mt. Baldy champion Alta Loma (8-2) in the first round and the winner plays second-seeded Upland (9-1) or the at-large team, Paramount (5-5). If Dana Hills manages an upset, the Dolphins could face Etiwanda (6-4) in the second round; Etiwanda has a 34-26 victory over Capistrano Valley, a team Dana Hills defeated, 35-21. Still, a Dana Hills upset would take some doing. Downey defeated Huntington Beach, 35-14, and Huntington Beach defeated Dana Hills, 21-3. . . .

Upland, seeded second, has won nine in a row since losing to Esperanza, 28-14, in its season opener. . . .

Third-seeded Diamond Bar (9-1) has a strong-armed quarterback in Ryan Maine and reliable receivers in Felipe Garcia, a tight end, and Dominic Robinson, who is being recruited by Florida State as a defensive back. . . .

San Clemente (8-2) has both quarterbacks, Dan Coviello and Beau Budde, available for its first-round game against Compton Dominguez (7-3). If the Tritons win, they could face Diamond Bar in the second round. Diamond Bar defeated San Clemente last season in the second round, 49-21. . . .

By winning the South Coast League title, Mission Viejo (8-2) got the No. 4 seeding and plays the third-place team from the Mt. Baldy League, Rancho Cucamonga (5-4-1). The Diablos’ second-round opponent could be Chino (9-1), which posted three shutouts but lost to second-seeded Upland in the Baseline League, 33-7. . . .

Upland was section runner-up last year to Diamond Bar, which won the final, 17-14.

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Key Player

Name: Billy Hart

School: Mission Viejo

Key stat: 12 TDs, 4 ints.

Notable: Threw only 12 passes in win over San Clemente, but had eight TDs in four previous games.

At a Glance

1999 winner: Diamond Bar

Seeded teams: 1. Downey (10-0), 2. Upland (9-1), 3. Diamond Bar (9-1), 4. Mission Viejo (8-2)

County teams: Dana Hills (4-6), Mission Viejo (8-2), San Clemente (8-2)