18 Area Prep Teams Brace for First Round of Playoffs : Football: CIF office in Cerritos was hub of speculation as coaches got the good (and bad) news on opponents.

“Who’d you get?”

That was the most frequent question Southern Section coaches had for one another last Sunday as they crowded into the CIF office in Cerritos for the posting of high school football playoff pairings.

Some coaches cringed, others smiled broadly when they scanned the draw sheets.

“I’m afraid to look,” said Ken Davis of Schurr High. When told his team had drawn powerful Mission Viejo in the first round, he cursed and said: “That’ll be a massacre.”

After the coaches received the good (or bad) news concerning whom they would play, they picked up tickets and adjourned to the parking lot where they exchanged game films and congratulations, and swapped stories of past glories.

Here is a look at the games involving the 18 Southeast/Long Beach area teams that made the playoffs. All games will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday unless otherwise indicated.

Division I

Poly vs. St. Paul at Wilson High: Poly, second-seeded behind Fontana, has won eight consecutive games since an opening 21-7 loss to Banning.

The Moore League champions have their usual impenetrable defense, one that has posted four shutouts and allowed opponents less than 6 points a game.

Team sack leader Willie McGinest and Lawrence Calhoun are outstanding outside linebackers, Don Sasa is a leader on the line and Jason Jones is an All-CIF cornerback.

The Jackrabbits’ main offensive threat is Andre Green, who has run for 840 yards. Quarterback Chris Tupulola likes to pass to tight end Chris Love or split end David Jackson, both of whom have 13 receptions.

The Swordsmen, coached by Miguel Olmedo, have a 4-6 record but own an impressive victory over Servite and have averaged 26 points in their last three games.

Quarterback Albert Borunda, a 5-foot-9, 145-pound junior, has passed for more than 1,200 yards for St. Paul, but was sacked four times and threw four interceptions last week in a 38-21 loss to Bishop Amat. Steve Corpus has 40 catches.

Defense is the Swordsmen’s weakness--they have given up 30 or more points in three games.

Lakewood vs. Loyola at Glendale High: In its brightest season since 1983, Lakewood was 4-6 overall but finished third in the Moore League with a 3-2 record. “We’ve steadily improved every game,” said first-year coach Mark Rose. “We did far better than anyone thought.”

Lancer quarterback Robert Fonseca has thrown for 1,200 yards. Other top players are wide receiver and cornerback Theo Wright (three interceptions), strong safety Jamual Johnson (50 tackles) and two-way lineman Chris Trimble.

All will have to be at their best for the Lancers to have a chance against third-seeded Loyola, 8-1, champion of the Del Rey League.

The Cubs, coached by Steve Grady, have given up 8 points and 60 yards rushing a game. The defense is sparked by inside linebacker Kevin Dell’Amico. Quarterback Brian Dennis runs an option offense.

Wilson at Alemany of Mission Hills: The Wilson Bruins (5-5) lost five of their first six games, then won four in a row to finish second in the Moore League.

The Bruins are a young team that suddenly has come together, Coach John Brennan said. Their strong ground game is led by Mike Steward, who has gained 600 yards, and fullback Ben Polk. They run behind 6-6, 275-pound tackle DeMario Vaughn and veteran center Buster Layton.

The defense, which allowed 18 points in the last four games, features linebacker David Arias, tackle Jermaine Busby and back Curtis Douglas.

Alemany (6-4), which finished second in the Del Rey League, is a team with 2,205 passing yards.

Division III

El Modena at Paramount: Paramount, 9-1, begins defense of its Division III title against 3-6-1 El Modena of Orange.

The Pirates won the San Gabriel Valley League championship last week, edging Dominguez, 29-28, when fullback Daniel Godfrey ran for a 2-point conversion. Quarterback Jack Manu has thrown for more than 800 yards and 14 TDs, and tailback Leon Neal averages 12.5 yards a carry.

“I feel like physically we’re in good shape, and our attitude is real good,” Paramount Coach Ken Sutch said.

El Modena is a run-oriented team that finished third in the Century League. Adam Garcia, who was moved from quarterback to running back two weeks ago, threw two touchdown passes on option plays for the Vanguards in a 35-21 win over Foothill last week.

Gahr vs. El Toro at Irvine High: Gahr High of Cerritos, in the playoffs for the first time in 13 years, takes a 7-3 record into its game against 9-1 El Toro, the No. 2 seed.

“Our defense has to stop their passing game; they’re real explosive,” Gahr Coach Steve Silberman said.

El Toro lost its first game last week, 22-21, to Capistrano Valley in a game that decided the South Coast League title. Steve Stenstrom of the Chargers, the top-rated quarterback in Orange County, has completed 65% of his passes for 2,074 yards and 18 TDs.

Gahr’s stars warmed up for the playoffs last week in a 21-6 win over Downey. Quarterback Randy Donisthorpe threw for 154 yards and three touchdowns and Donn Cunnigan ran for 102 yards and caught five passes for 135 yards.

The Gladiators have given up an average of 8 points in their last five games.

Dominguez vs. Los Alamitos at Gahr High: Los Alamitos Coach John Barnes told the Long Beach Press-Telegram, “We’re going to beat their ass.” Dominguez Coach Willie Donerson facetiously responded: “This is America, land of the free and home of the brave. More power to him.”

Barnes was upset by the quote but did not deny it. “I’m about as nice a man as you can meet,” he said Tuesday. “I told my team, ‘Boys, I guess I’ve made it tough on you.”’

Dominguez (7-3), which finished in a three-way tie for second place in the San Gabriel Valley League, will be tough enough without added incentive for the 9-1 Griffins. The Dons have an array of outstanding players, including 6-4, 240-pound fullback-linebacker Bruce Walker, who has gained more than 1,200 yards; linebacker Malculm Hunt; offensive linemen Cleve Aiona and Santonio Denton, and defensive backs William Johnson and Isaac Walker.

Second-seeded Los Alamitos, the Empire League champion, has Todd Gragnano, who leads Orange County quarterbacks in passing yardage with 2,315. The Griffins are 33-4-1 in Gragnano’s three seasons.

“We haven’t played good defense the whole year,” Donerson said.

Mission Viejo vs. Schurr at Montebello High: Schurr’s Davis is not optimistic about meeting 8-2 Mission Viejo, a strong defensive team whose only losses were to Capistrano Valley and El Toro.

“Golly, their smallest lineman is 225 pounds . . . and they move around,” Davis said. “They’ve got some real ballplayers.”

The Diablos are led by quarterback Tim Snowden (1,222 yards) and running back Mike Gaw (15 TDs).

Schurr, which has little size, had a 7-3 record and finished second behind Hart in the Foothill League. Quarterback Jay Macias has thrown for 1,997 yards and David Hernandez has 30 catches.

Davis is happy that the game will be on Schurr’s home field at Montebello High. “Our field’s so bad maybe it will psyche all those rich boys out,” he said.

Division IV

Damien vs. Whittier at Whittier College: Whittier High won the Whitmont League championship last week with a turnover-free 29-21 win over Bell Gardens. The Cardinals celebrated by walking down Philadelphia Street from Whittier College to the high school, accompanied by the band and cheering bumper-to-bumper motorists.

Whittier (7-3) averages 5 yards a running play with Chris Carr, Albert Gonzalez, Eric Somelleda and Ray Garcia. Quarterback Josh Gregory has completed 27 of 54 passes for 380 yards and has been intercepted only once.

With nose guard Puna Peko and end Chris Emch, the Cardinals have a strong defense that has allowed 12 points a game. In his career, the 6-foot-7 Emch has blocked three field goal attempts, nine extra point attempts and a punt.

Damien, of La Verne, has won six of its last seven games. Chad May, the Spartans’ 6-3, 205-pound quarterback, has thrown for 1,500 yards.

Bell Gardens at Ramona of Riverside: “We couldn’t tackle,” said Coach Dave Newell, explaining why the 7-3 Lancers lost to Whittier, 29-21, last week, for the league title. “We’ve had a rough time playing defense all year with a lot of green kids. You can’t play championship football trying to outscore the other team.”

Ramona (6-3-1) may be hard to outscore, despite having only 18 players. Averaging 37 points a game, the Rams are led by Troy Thomas, whom Coach Myron Miller calls “the best back in CIF.” Thomas is averaging 8 yards a carry.

Rudy Ramirez of Bell Gardens has run for 1,000 yards and scored 26 TDs.

El Rancho at Covina: Penalties have hurt the 6-4 Dons all season. In their 7-0 loss to Montebello last week, they were penalized eight times for 95 yards.

El Rancho is defensive oriented, giving up only 10 points a game. The best player is running back-linebacker Frank Ozuna.

Covina (9-1), which won its first league title since 1965, has a balanced attack with quarterback Steve Chadwick, who has passed for 1,349 yards, and running backs Richard Ward and Andrew Paredes, each of whom has gained 750 yards.

Montebello vs. Glendora at Citrus College: Montebello had to enter the playoffs as an at-large team after finishing in a tie for second place with El Rancho and Bell Gardens in the Whitmont League. The Oilers (8-2) finished strongly, led by quarterback Ray Maldonado, who has thrown for 1,579 yards and 15 TDs.

“We’ve played pretty good defense the last three weeks,” Montebello Coach Doug Rihn said.

Third-seeded Glendora (9-1), the Baseline League champion, also has a good quarterback in J.J. O’Laughlin, a preseason All-American.

Montebello will try to shut down running back Bill Zernicko, who has rushed for 1,200 yards.

Division VI

Newport Harbor vs. Glenn at La Mirada High: Glenn’s Eagles (9-1) won their first Suburban League title since 1970, thanks in good part to Travis Carter, a multipurpose player who scored 13 TDs. In the title game, he intercepted two passes and returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown in a 12-7 win over Norwalk.

Carter gets a lot of help from fullback Paseka Teo, who rushed for 900 yards.

Newport Harbor, the third-place team in the Sea View League, is 9-2. The Sailors have a good passing attack with quarterback Stephen Sheck. They also have the best kicker in Orange County in Josh Klein, who has 12 field goals.

Norwalk at Tustin: “We must stop their running game,” Norwalk Coach Ken Mardis said. Most of the running is done by Visko Ancich, who has carried 126 times for 633 yards. He’s the son of Tustin Coach Marijon Ancich, longtime coach at St. Paul.

Norwalk (8-2) has a strong passing game to throw against Tustin’s weak secondary. Quarterback Jose Perez has passed for 1,309 yards and 10 TDs. Wide receiver Chuck Stafford has 27 receptions for 625 yards and tight end Eric Peterson has 21 catches for 380 yards. Tustin is 6-4.

La Mirada vs. Estancia at Newport Harbor High: La Mirada, led by quarterback Chad Drown, fullback Joe Fernandez and wide receiver Eric De LaCruz, has won three straight and is 7-3 overall. John Mele’s Matadores finished third in the Suburban League.

Second-seeded Estancia of Costa Mesa won the Sea View League and was 10-0 for the first time in school history. The Eagles had six shutouts and gave up only 32 points. Their offensive star is running back Josh Wojtkiewivz, who rushed for 1,007 yards and 12 TDs.

Division IX

Leffingwell Christian vs. Whittier Christian at Whittier College: “It’s definitely a David and Goliath situation,” said John Sheppard of 3-5 Leffingwell Christian. “We hope to make a good showing.

The Lions are led by Jason Carpenter, who has thrown for 1,544 yards and 15 TDs.

Whittier Christian, the Olympic League champion and No. 2 seed, is 10-0. “We are taking this game very seriously,” Heralds Coach Phil Bravo said. “We want to sharpen our defense. The last couple of weeks it has been real sloppy.”

Ron Papazian has run for 1,236 yards and scored 28 TDs for the Heralds, and teammate Scott Jordan has 1,144 yards and 11 scores.

Valley Christian vs. Southern California Christian at Buena Park High: “We’re well-matched,” said Valley Christian Coach Mike Wunderley. “We certainly don’t feel like we have to play over our heads.”

Mark Kortenhoeven of the 9-1 Crusaders has gained 1,575 yards and needs 91 to break Rodney Bowman’s school record.

Southern California Christian, of Orange, is 7-3 and the champion of the Arrowhead League.

This game will be played at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.