A look at the matchups involving Southland teams in CIF state championship bowl games this weekend:
FRIDAY
Division 2-AA: Oxnard Pacifica (11-4) vs. Sacramento Grant (11-3) at Saddleback College, 4 p.m. Pacifica blocked three punts last week against Narbonne. Offensively, it’s all about whether quarterback Dominic Duran can receive enough time to get the ball to receivers Alijah Royster, Savion Taylor and Isaiah Dillon. Grant relies on its offensive and defensive lines to create scoring opportunities. The pick: Grant.
Division 4-AA: Palmdale Highland (11-4) vs. Petaluma St. Vincent de Paul (13-1) at Veterans Stadium, 4 p.m. Highland quarterback Justin Wyatt, a Nevada commit, has been passing and running his way to success. Junior quarterback Gabe Casanovas has 36 touchdown passes for the Mustangs. The pick: St. Vincent de Paul.
SATURDAY
Open Division: Concord De La Salle (12-0) vs. Mater Dei (12-0) at Saddleback College, 8 p.m. Mater Dei is ranked No. 1 in California as well as the nation by several organizations. The Monarchs haven’t come close to losing all season thanks to a dominating defense and an offense that relies on running back Jordon Davison and quarterback Dash Beierly, who are committed to Oregon and Washington, respectively. De La Salle has speed on both sides of the ball but the representative from Northern California hasn’t scored in this game the last two years. CalPreps.com has Mater Dei winning by 41 points. The pick: Mater Dei.
Division 1-A: Huntington Beach Edison (11-4) vs. Fresno Central (12-2) at Saddleback College, 3 p.m. Edison has come on strong with a team approach featuring quarterback Sam Thomson, running back Julius Gillick and an aggressive defense. Brandon Smith is the player to watch for Central. He had five touchdowns last week in the regional final. The pick: Edison.
Division 2-A: Palos Verdes (10-5) vs. Lincoln Twelve Bridges (14-0) at Saddleback College, 11:30 a.m. The Sea Kings have reached their first final behind sophomore quarterback Ryan Rakowski and a defense that has produced two pick-six touchdowns the last two weeks. Twelve Bridges, in its fourth year of playing football, had a big game last week from running back Braeden Ward, who rushed for 206 yards. The pick: Twelve Bridges.
Division 3-A: Rio Hondo Prep (13-1) vs. Fairfield Vanden (12-2) at Veterans Stadium, 3 p.m. The Kares, with 16 Southern Section championships, have never won a state title. With a student body of 71 boys, the Kares will turn to junior running back Noah Penunuri, who’s closing in on 1,800 yards rushing. Vanden counters with prolific quarterback Kalani Mcleod, who has passed for 4,090 yards and 36 touchdowns. The pick: Rio Hondo Prep.
Division 4-A: St. Pius X-St. Matthias (6-9) vs. Sonora (12-2) at Veterans Stadium, 3 p.m. St. Pius made the Southern Section playoffs with a 1-9 record, didn’t lose any games in November and is trying to finish off as state champions. This is a team that had two interceptions against Brady Smigiel, the quarterback for Division 2 champion Newbury Park. Quarterback Jassi Williams is nearing 3,000 yards passing. Sonora has strong special teams and produces turnovers on defense. The pick: St. Pius X-St. Matthias.
Division 5-A: Palmdale (10-5) vs. American Canyon (12-2) at Veterans Stadium, 11 a.m. Junior quarterback Joshua Suarez passed for 293 yards and four touchdown in the regional final for Palmdale, which faces a tough task on defense going against a team with two running backs who have gained more than 1,500 yards each. The pick: American Canyon.
Division 6-AA: Portola (9-6) vs. Arcata (13-1) at Fullerton, 7 p.m. Portola won an overtime thriller last week against King/Drew and has come back from an 0-5 start to reach its first state final. The Bulldogs will try to control the clock with their rushing attack. Arcata relies on versatile quarterback Luke Lemke. The pick: Arcata.
Division 7-A: Pioneer (10-5) vs. San Francisco Balboa (8-5) at Fullerton, 11 a.m. Sophomore running back Joseph Smith leads Balboa. Adrian Lopez has rushed for more than 1,000 yards for Pioneer. The pick: Balboa.
