15 division titles will be on the line

Football championships will be decided in 15 City and Southern Section divisions this weekend. Here’s a look at some of the upcoming games:

CITY SECTION

CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION

Carson (11-2) vs. Lake Balboa Birmingham (12-1) at Coliseum, 8 p.m. Friday -- It’s a meeting between the top-seeded Patriots, seeking their fourth City title in six years, and second-seeded Carson, which has won 11 City championships with the last one coming in 2003.

Of the eight City teams that Birmingham has played and beaten, the closest any has come to the Patriots is 20 points. Last week in the semifinals, Birmingham defeated Crenshaw, 42-6.

The Patriots’ defense is one of the best in the Southland, led by ends Marquis and Malik Jackson, who have combined for 21 sacks. The offense is led by running back Milton Knox, who is seeking his third City title ring and has rushed for 2,031 yards and 36 touchdowns.

Carson has its own offensive weapons, including quarterback Dominique Blackman, running back Jack Sula and tight end Morrell Presley. Rain is expected, and that would be good news for the Colts since Sula rushed for 192 yards in the mud last week. Linebacker David Sausau was named defensive player of the year in Marine League.

Carson Coach Mike Christensen and Birmingham Coach Ed Croson coached in the Southern Section before turning around struggling City programs.

Birmingham comes in as an overwhelming favorite and wants to keep alive its hopes of being selected Southern California’s representative for the state Division I championship bowl game Dec. 15.

Carson has been improving each week after early season problems when it was missing key players because of injuries and disciplinary action.

-- Eric Sondheimer

SOUTHERN SECTION

PAC-5 DIVISION

Encino Crespi (11-2) vs. Long Beach Poly (12-1) at Home Depot Center, 8:10 p.m. Saturday -- This is a dream matchup for anyone who appreciates smothering defensive play.

Top-seeded Poly, bidding for its 17th Southern Section championship, needed only a safety to defeat Orange Lutheran, 2-0, in its semifinal. Second-seeded Crespi held Anaheim Servite to one first down in the first half of a 13-10 overtime victory in its semifinal.

Both teams also possess lots of speed, many top athletes and relative inexperience at the quarterback position. Since there doesn’t figure to be much scoring, the pressure will be on the teams to avoid turnovers and penalties. That means Poly’s junior quarterback, Morgan Fennell, and Crespi’s sophomore quarterback, Bryan Bennett, will face much scrutiny as they try to guide their offenses.

Crespi Coach Jeremiah Ross has emerged as a top candidate for coach of the year by virtue of helping his team overcome the loss of his standout senior quarterback, Kevin Prince, to a knee injury only six plays into the season.

Crespi is seeking its first major-division title since 1986.

There’s talent galore on both squads. Poly defensive backs Vince Telemaque and Herman Davidson are being heavily recruited, as is standout defensive tackle Jurrell Casey. Crespi tight end Joseph Fauria has committed to Notre Dame, and linebacker E.J. Woods is headed to UCLA.

Among common opponents, Crespi defeated Lake Balboa Birmingham, 20-6. Poly lost to Birmingham, 20-7.

This is a tossup game, but a slight edge goes to Crespi, whose offense has shown the ability to run and pass against top opponents.

-- Eric Sondheimer

INLAND DIVISION

Corona Centennial (12-1) vs. Corona Santiago (8-4) at Home Depot Center, noon, Saturday -- These teams met Oct. 19 in a Mountain View League game and the result wasn’t pretty, as Centennial scored a 69-7 victory.

Santiago, the lone wild-card team in the division, has picked itself up since then and found a rhythm in the postseason, knocking off second-seeded Vista Murrieta, 32-24, and third-seeded Redlands East Valley, 25-10, in the last two weeks.

The Sharks have been calling more plays for Anthony Dye out the offensive backfield and he has provided an effective change of pace, allowing starter B.J. Iverson to rush for 611 yards and 11 touchdowns in the last four games. Dye, who committed to UCLA as a defensive back last spring, is an important cog in Santiago’s defense.

Top-seeded Centennial is led by two Arizona-bound standouts, quarterback Matt Scott and running back Ryan Bass. Bass ran for four touchdowns and Scott for two in a 68-14 semifinal victory over Temecula Chaparral.

The Huskies also have one of the most talented linebacking corps in the Southland. Vontaze Burfict, a junior middle linebacker, will be one of the nation’s top recruits next season.

Centennial may not win by 60 points again, but it’s still five touchdowns better than Santiago.

-- Dan Arritt

NORTHERN DIVISION

Ventura St. Bonaventure (12-1) vs. Newhall Hart (12-0-1) at Home Depot Center, 4 p.m., Saturday -- Top-seeded St. Bonaventure is playing in its eighth divisional final in nine seasons, and a victory over the second-seeded Indians would mean an almost certain state Division III bowl game berth.

Coming off their 55-36 semifinal victory over Saugus, the Seraphs are also looking to avenge their loss to Hart in last year’s quarterfinals, which broke their string of two consecutive division championships.

Senior running back Darrell Scott, who transferred from Moorpark last spring, is one of the main reasons St. Bonaventure is back in the finals.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder, considered the nation’s top high school running back, has rushed for 2,126 yards and 27 touchdowns and became only the third player in Ventura County history to eclipse the 7,000-yard mark on Saturday.

Hart has lost only twice in 10 divisional final-game appearances and hopes to win its first title since 2003.

Stanford-bound senior running back Delano Howell has rushed for 2,159 yards and 28 touchdowns. He also is second on the team in receiving. Senior quarterback B.R. Holbrook has emerged as a talented leader, having passed for 2,373 yards and rushed for 750.

Hart’s defense, led by UCLA-bound linebacker Patrick Larimore, has held opponents to an average of fewer than 16 points a game.

This one is going to be close, but Hart figures to remain undefeated because its veteran coaching staff rarely falters in the divisional finals.

-- Austin Knoblauch