Football: CdM, Newport Harbor and Estancia make CIF playoffs
Corona del Mar High and Newport Harbor reached CIF Southern Section finales in their respective football divisions last year. The road back to the championship game will be a lot more rigorous for the Back Bay schools.
The Sea Kings and Sailors moved up divisions this year, and they open the postseason on Friday at 7 p.m., CdM as the top seed in the Southwest Division and Newport Harbor is in the West Valley Division.
Estancia is the area’s third team in the playoffs, in the Southern Division, the division CdM conquered in each of the past three years. The Sea Kings look to make a run in the Southwest Division, Newport Harbor’s old division.
Corona del Mar (9-1) plays host to Tustin (6-4) at Davidson Field. The Sea Kings completed a third straight undefeated Pacific Coast League campaign, while the Tillers placed third in the Empire League.
Newport Harbor (5-5) travels to No. 4-seeded Tesoro (8-2) to face the runner-up finisher from the South Coast League. The Sailors took third in the Sunset League.
Estancia (8-2), the Orange Coast League champion, is at home against Santiago (7-3), an at-large entry from the Garden Grove League.
Of the three local teams in the playoffs, only CdM and Newport Harbor have won section titles, the Sea Kings in 1988 (Division VI), ’89 (Division VI), ’11 (Southern Division), ’12 (Southern Division), ’13 (Southern Division), and the Sailors in ’94 (Division V), ’99 (Division VI) and ’05 (Division VI).
In new divisions, CdM is in what is equivalent to Division 4 and Newport Harbor in Division 2. The competition will be stiff, with CdM seeded with the likes of No. 2 San Clemente (9-1), No. 3 La Habra (7-3) and No. 4 Villa Park (8-2). The top four seeds in the West Valley Division are Upland (8-2), Mission Viejo (8-2), Chino Hills (8-2) and Tesoro, Newport Harbor’s first-round opponent.
The Sailors are making their 23rd postseason appearance in Coach Jeff Brinkley’s 29 years. A year ago, the Sailors upset the top seed, La Habra, 49-48, in the quarterfinals of the Southwest Division, before losing in the final.
If the Sailors get past Tesoro, they most likely will play host to Vista Murrieta, an Inland Division finalist the previous five seasons, in the quarterfinals.
The Sea Kings have won 14 consecutive playoff games, 12 in Southern Division play and two in CIF State Division III play. The last time CdM dropped a playoff game was on Dec. 4, 2010, losing to Beckman, 24-3, in the Southern Division semifinals. Since that loss, CdM hired Scott Meyer as it coach, and he’s led the program to a 49-5 overall record, including a CIF State Division III crown last year.
The Sea Kings have to claim an unprecedented fourth straight section championship for a shot to earn a berth into the CIF State Division II playoffs. In CalHiSports.com’s CIF State Division II South poll, CdM is No. 4.
Estancia was a spot out of the top four in the Southern Division poll going into last week’s first-place showdown with Saddleback. The Eagles’ 44-13 win earned them the outright league title, but not one of the top four seeds in the playoffs.
With a couple of wins in the postseason, Estancia can match the program’s best run, a semifinal appearance. The Eagles made it to the semis three years ago under Coach Mike Bargas.
Bargas believes his team can go all the way. With CdM out of the Southern Division, the division is up for grabs.