SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone: End Zone to End Zone: Week 10 Edition
This is our annual playoff preview edition along with big news for the 2025 football season.
Photos by Taegan Maysami
We’ve reached the first finish line—the final week of the regular season. Week 10 has been anticlimactic in years past, with many league titles already determined and automatic births clinched.
That’s not the case in 2024.
A lot is at stake this weekend, especially in the east SGV. This speaks to the work done by Charter Oak Athletic Director and Football Coach Dom Farrar and his ad-hoc committee, which did a great job of bringing parity back to the SGV.
As we do every year in week 10, we break protocol and break down what is at stake in the area leagues this week.
Here is a look at all the leagues in the area.
ALMONT: It’s all on the line Friday night as Schurr (8-1, 4-0) will hit the road to take on Bell Gardens (4-0, 7-1) for the Almont League Championship. This is a huge game for the Spartans as we have them projected as a D-7 team with an aggressive rating from CalPreps. We have Bell Gardens projected as a #15 seed in D-11. The final Automatic Qualifier (AQ) from the league will also be on the line as San Gabriel (3-6, 2-2) will travel to Montebello (4-5, 2-2) with the winner earning a spot into the playoffs.
ANGELUS: It’ll be championship night in Santa Fe Springs, as Cathedral (8-1, 4-0) will travel to square off with St. Paul (6-3, 4-0). The winner will earn the league crown. This will significantly impact the seeding line for the CIFSS playoffs. We have Cathedral on the front end of the seed line in Div. 3, and St. Paul is also positioned on the front half of the seed line in Div. 4. St. Francis (2-7, 2-2) can also clinch the final AQ from the league into the playoffs with a win over visiting St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy.
BASELINE: In one of the more unlikely scenarios of the season, Damien (7-2, 4-0) can clinch the outright league title with a win over Rancho Cucamonga (6-3, 3-1). That’s not the surprising part. If RC loses and Upland (4-5, 2-2) defeats Chino Hills (6-3, 3-1), there will be a 3-way tie for second in the league standings, and a coin flip will need to be conducted to determine the two teams that will get the AQ’s into the playoffs. We feel confident in projecting that the league will have four teams making the playoffs. We have Damien and RC in D2, CH in D3, and Upland in D4.
CAMINO REAL: Bosco Tech (0-4, 0-8) will not make the playoffs regardless of their result against St. Genevieve on Friday.
DEL REY: Neither Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary (3-6, 1-3) nor La Salle (1-8. 0-4) will make the playoffs regardless of their result on Friday.
DEL RIO: For the second consecutive year, the Del Rio League Championship game will feature La Serna (6-3, 3-0) and Santa Fe (7-2, 3-0). This time, the game will take place at Pioneer HS and be considered a Santa Fe home game. La Serna comes in as a huge favorite, and it should earn a top-4 seed in D5 with a win. Santa Fe is currently projected as a high seed in Div. 11, and if they keep the game competitive, look for them to remain on the front end of the seed line in D11. Since there are only 2 AQs from the league into the playoffs (5 team leagues only get two AQs), El Rancho will look to improve on their 5-4 overall record as they take on Whitter at Cal HS. The Dons have the requisite five wins to be considered for an At-Large bid and are projected to be in D11.
EPSILON: It’s league championship night at La Habra (8-1, 4-0) as the Highlanders will attempt to make history as the first team to win an Epsilon League title with a win over Foothill (5-4, 2-2). If La Habra loses and Crean Lutheran (7-2, 3-1) wins, both teams will be considered co-league champions, and La Habra will get the top seed from the league into the playoffs based on head-to-head competition. Foothill would finish in a tie for third with Huntington Beach (5-4, 2-2), but the Oilers would get the AQ based on H-T-H criteria. La Habra is projected to be in D3, Foothill in D5.
GANO: With Don Lugo (4-5, 2-0) essentially wrapping up the league title with their win over Rowland last week, the focus of the attention in the league will center around the Rowland (6-3, 1-1) at Chaffey (3-5, 1-1) game. The winner of the game will earn the second and final AQ from the league into the playoffs. Both teams are projected to be in D13.
HACIENDA: There is a lot of drama in this league. Let’s start at the top as Covina (8-1, 4-0) will attempt to win the outright league title with a win over host Chino (3-6, 3-1). With the win, Covina will not only win, but they should move into a top-four seed slot in D8. Chino is currently on the front side of the seed line in D12 but could move into D11 with a win. The other bit of drama will be for the final AQ bid from the league. It comes down to this scenario for South Hills (4-5, 2-2) and Diamond Bar (2-7, 2-2). If Diamond Bar wins against Walnut (0-4, 4-5) and South Hills loses, they will earn the AQ. If South Hills and Diamond Bar lose, a coin flip will decide who wins the AQ. South Hills will go to the playoffs with the AQ if they win over Los Altos (1-3, 4-5). Both games will be streamed on the NFHS Network on Friday night, and I will update both games. South Hills and Diamond Bar are both projected to be in D11.
IOTA: Sonora’s mind-numbing 71-54 win over Canyon/Anaheim last week was huge because it gave the Raiders the requisite five wins to become an At-Large team for the playoffs. Sonora (5-4, 2-2) could move into a 3-way tie for third place in the league standings with a win over visiting Irvine (6-3,3-1) and Troy (8-1, 4-0) defeating El Toro (5-4, 3-1). Even if the Raiders don’t earn an AQ in the playoffs, we like their chances of making it with an At-Large bid.
MESQUITE: Maranatha is the only area team in this league (4-5, 1-3). Even though they are not in line with the league's AQ bid, they can be considered for an At-Large bid with a win over Whittier Christian (4-4, 1-3) on Friday night at Whittier College. They have the requisite five wins to be considered for an At-Large bid.
MIRAMONTE: Compared to the other leagues in the area, this is pretty much cut and dry. La Puente (8-0, 4-0), Ganesha (4-5, 3-1), and Duarte (8-1, 3-1) have all clinched their spots into the playoffs. All that needs to be done is to decide the priority of the bids. If La Puente defeats Duarte, they will be the league champion. If La Puente loses and Ganesha defeats Bassett, there will be a three-way tie for first place in the league standings, with tiebreakers deciding on the order of preference for the playoffs. If Duarte wins and Ganesha loses, Duarte will go as the top seed from the league into the playoffs, with La Puente as the second seed and Ganesha as the third seed.
MISSION: Any chance of Bishop Amat (2-7, 0-4) earning an At-Large bid into the playoffs took a severe hit last Friday night when Chaminade (2-7, 1-3) defeated Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (31-30). If Chaminade wins against Amat on Friday, they should receive an At-Large bid in D4 (and could be a top-four-seeded team). We don’t think Amat or the ‘Nade will get a bid into the playoffs if Amat wins.
MISSION VALLEY: The facts are basic. If South El Monte (6-3, 4-0) defeats Arroyo (5-4, 3-1), they will win the outright MVL title. If El Monte (5-4, 3-1) defeats Mountain View (1-8, 0-4), they will finish second place and Arroyo will finish third. El Monte will also finish second if they lose to Mountain View, and Arroyo loses to SEM due to the head-to-head criteria.
MONTVIEW: Wilson (7-1, 4-0) can cap off one of the most successful seasons in program history with a win over Pomona (1-8, 0-4). They are projected to be either D12 or D13. If Wilson loses to Pomona and Nogales (3-1, 5-4) defeats Azusa (3-6, 1-3), Wilson and Nogales will be considered co-champions, with Wilson earning the top seed from the league into the playoffs with the head-to-head criteria in their favor.
PACIFIC: Muir (7-2, 6-0) has clinched a share of the league title and can clinch the outright league title with a win over Pasadena (4-5, 4-2) in the annual “Turkey Tussle” game at the Rose Bowl on Friday night. If the Bulldogs pull off the upset, they will claim the final AQ from the league into the playoffs over Burroughs/Burbank (6-3, 4-2) due to the head-to-head criteria. Muir would finish in a first-place tie with Burbank (7-2, 5-1) and still receive the top seed from the league into the playoffs. If Burbank loses to Burroughs, Burroughs, and Burbank will earn the AQs from the league into the playoffs. If Pasadena and Burroughs lose and Crescenta Valley (4-5, 3-3) defeats Arcadia (3-6, 2-4), there would be a three-way tie for third place and tiebreaking procedures would be entered into the situation. There will be a lot of scoreboard-watching on Friday night. Muir is currently projected to be at the front of the seed line in D6. We have Burbank projected to be in D9.
RIO HONDO: All the playoff spots have been clinched as South Pasadena (7-2, 4-0), Monrovia (7-2, 3-1), and La Canada (8-1, 3-1) will be the teams from the RHL going into the playoffs. The only thing that needs to be determined is the order of preference. If South Pasadena defeats La Canada, they win the outright league title. Suppose Monrovia defeats Pasadena Poly and La Canada defeats South Pasadena. In that case, there will be a three-way tie at the top of the league standings, and tiebreaking procedures will kick in. If Monrovia loses and La Canada wins, Monrovia and La Canada will be league champions, and Monrovia will be the top seed from the league into the playoffs. Monrovia is projected to be in D9, South Pasadena is slotted in D11, and La Canada is currently slotted in D-10. Temple City has a 6-4 overall record and has an excellent chance of being selected as a Wild Card team. Their chances would improve significantly with a win over San Marino (1-3, 4-5). If the Titans had the requisite five wins, they would be considered an At-Large team in the playoffs. They are currently projected to be in D13.
SIERRA: “Nuttiness November” continues in this league, and the madness only intensifies. All Bonita (9-0, 4-0) needs to do is defeat Colony (4-5, 3-1) to clinch the outright league title. If the Bearcats lose and Charter Oak (7-2, 3-1) defeats Glendora (5-4, 2-2), Bonita and Charter Oak would be co-champions, with Bonita going as the top seed from the league to the playoffs. If Charter Oak loses to Glendora and Colony loses to Bonita, there will be a three-way tie for the final two AQs from the league into the playoffs, and a coin flip will be conducted to determine the two teams selected as AQs. Bonita is projected to be in D3, Charter Oak in D4, Glendora in D6, and Colony in D7.
VALLE VISTA: Northview (9-0, 4-0) can cap off an undefeated season with a win over Baldwin Park (5-4, 3-1) on the road. Baldwin Park has already clinched a spot in the playoffs and has nothing to lose, so expect them to play loose and fast. If Northview loses and San Dimas (7-2, 3-1) defeats Diamond Ranch, there would be a three-way tie in the league standings with tiebreaking procedures kicking in. If Diamond Ranch defeats San Dimas and Northview defeats Baldwin Park, San Dimas would earn the second AQ from the league into the playoffs due to head-to-head criteria. Northview is safely slotted in Div. 4, with San Dimas in Div. 6 and Baldwin Park in D11.
Here are the links to the projected divisions. They are behind a paywall.
FINALLY
We have big news to announce.
For the last two years, when it comes to preview teams in the Whittier and San Gabriel Valley, no one has prepared you better for the football season than we have. For the 2024 season, 60 of the 62 teams in the area were previewed. That’s not a bad hit rate.
Not only did we get a high number of paid subscribers with our previews, but the number of subscribers from out of the area also grew substantially with our projected football divisional column, which was published during the back half of the season.
After much deliberation, we’ve decided to go bigger for our preseason football coverage for 2025. That’s right, we will run team previews for football teams IN THE ENTIRE CIF Southern Section.
That’s right from the 805 to the 951, from the 323 to the 562.
We aim to be So Cal HS football’s version of Phil Steele. In 2025, we want to be the one-stop shop for team football previews. Nothing will change for those in the SGV, and we will cover your area teams with the same intensity as we have since this venture started.
But, we feel that football teams in Southern California are not getting the publicity we think they deserve.
That is about to change.
A lot of the teams’ previews will be behind a PAYWALL, so there is no better time than the present to become a paid subscriber.
I can’t wait to get things started early in 2025 (right after we finish our first printed publication, SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone Baseball/Softball Prospectus), and I hope that you will continue to trust us to get you ready for the 2025 season.
LETS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!