Football: Pac-5 quarterfinal predictions

It’s time for Pac-5 quarterfiinal predictions. These could be the games of the year.

St. John Bosco at Norco: St. John Bosco players are going to know so much about Norco quarterback Victor Viramontes by game’s end. They’re going to respect him and want to shake his hand. The question is can they stop him? Viramontes’ running and passing took out St. Bonaventure, 71-70, last week. The Braves will score lots of points on Norco, but can the St. John Bosco defense stop Viramontes enough times? The pick: St. John Bosco.

Long Beach Poly at Crespi: Poly’s defense was built to sack the quarterback and cause havoc in the secondary. But Crespi runs the ball again and again. Everyone knows what’s coming, but few have stopped the Celts. Poly’s no-huddle offense means the Jackrabbits will have plenty of opportunities to score and score fast. This game will be about which team can limit its mistakes and penalties, because the margin for error will be so close. The pick: Crespi.

Corona Centennial vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Bowl: It’s the great rematch. Centennial never looked weaker and Mater Dei never looked better back in August when Mater Dei beat the Huskies, 38-18. That game taught Centennial lots of lessons. The Huskies are a different team, but they still have to deal with the best defense in the Southland. And their defense gave up 64 points last week in a 68-64 win over Gardena Serra. It’s going to be a wild one. “This is going to be a flat-out 48-minute war,” Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson siad. The pick: Centennial.

Bishop Amat vs. JSerra at Saddleback College: Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said there’s always one upset in the Pac-5 quarterfinals, and this could be it. Bishop Amat has been surging, because of its big-play offense. But JSerra has something the Lancers haven’t seen lately _ a secondary that can cover its talented receivers. The key is whether JSerra can shut down the Lancers’ running game and allow its secondary players to take charge. The pick: JSerrra.

Twitter:@LATSondheimer