Three very good teams, but only one can be the 1

It’s week nine of the high school football season, and I’m torn over whether Corona Centennial (9-0), Long Beach Poly (9-0) or Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (8-0) deserves to be recognized as the No. 1 team in Southern California.

I saw Centennial’s spread offense take apart Santa Ana Mater Dei. I saw Notre Dame’s passing attack wipe out Encino Crespi. And on Friday night, I saw Poly’s smothering defense drop Compton from the unbeaten ranks with a 40-13 victory at Long Beach Veterans Stadium.

Two of these three teams are going to end up 14-0, win section championships and play in CIF state championship bowl games at the Home Depot Center on Dec. 20. I just don’t know which two.

If defense wins championships, Poly is a cinch to hang its 18th Southern Section championship banner. The Jackrabbits are lacking an All-American-caliber player, but Coach Raul Lara has an 11-man unit that’s so quick, aggressive and fearless that it has given up only 58 points in nine games.

That’s how many points Notre Dame and Centennial can score in a single game.

“I truly believe all 11 guys are playing real well,” Lara said. “Usually, it’s a couple guys dominating. But this is probably the best team group.”

Defensive lineman Eli Edwards had a sack and recorded a safety against Compton (7-1).

What hasn’t been answered is how well this defense will perform against a legitimate top passing team.

In the Pac-5 Division playoffs, looming ahead are possible matchups against Notre Dame, Mater Dei or Orange Lutheran, each of which has demonstrated the ability to pass when needed.

And Santa Margarita Tesoro, a tough, well-coached team, can’t be overlooked either.

Centennial and Notre Dame are deserving of praise and respect because their flash, style and offensive firepower make them entertaining and tough to beat. But similar to the theory that good pitching stops good hitting in baseball, good defense can stop big-time offensive players in football.

Compton junior running back James McConico III learned the hard way what it’s like trying to pick up yards against Poly’s defense.

He came in averaging 28.8 yards a carry, with runs of 92, 90, 80 and 75 among his 13 touchdowns.

“There’s nobody in the state averaging that many yards,” Coach Calvin Bryant said earlier this week.

McConico, however, was limited to 14 yards in four carries in the first half and was tackled in the end zone for a safety. He finished with 57 yards in 11 carries.

At a minimum, his first year as a starting running back has been exceptional.

“It’s fun to see the open field and take it,” he said. “I really don’t care what the down and distance is. If I have a chance to break it, I will. I just like running the ball.”

He’s 5 feet 11, weighs 191 pounds, runs track and seems very level headed for a 16-year-old.

“Yeah, I am surprised,” he said of his success. “I wanted to play running back since I stepped on campus. I just played wherever they put me.”

He played mainly on defense last season, but he has found a permanent role in Compton’s double wing-T attack.

The good news for Poly is that its passing attack is showing signs of life. Quarterback Morgan Fennell teamed with junior receiver Kaelin Clay on touchdown passes of 53 and 44 yards, and Clay caught another 44-yard pass just short of the goal line. The Jackrabbits picked up their 78th consecutive Moore League victory.

Enough of the regular season. Let’s get to the playoffs and start the real action.

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eric.sondheimer@latimes.com