PLAYOFF PUSH

An unusually high number of local football teams could either be flipping out or hoping for a wild finish as the push for postseason berths concludes tonight.

Southern Section playoff participants from the Mission, Pacific and Alpha leagues could ultimately be determined by coin flips, while several more area teams could leave the field tonight unsure if their seasons are over or if they will be selected as their respective division’s wild-card entries.

St. Francis High’s victory over Chaminade on Thursday night leaves the possibility that the Division III Mission League could finish in a three-way tie among Notre Dame (7-2, 3-1 in league play), St. Francis (7-3, 4-1) and Serra (5-4, 3-1).

Should Notre Dame defeat Harvard-Westlake and Serra beat Bishop Montgomery, the official order of league finish would be determined by a series of coin flips.

Conceivably, Notre Dame, at one time the division’s top-ranked team, could lose two coin flips and be forced to play on the road against another league’s champion in the first round of the playoffs.

Crescenta Valley’s victory over Arcadia on Thursday night guaranteed the Falcons (10-0, 5-0) the Pacific League’s No. 1 seeding into the Division III playoffs and averted a three-team logjam atop the standings between Crescenta Valley, Arcadia (6-3, 3-2) and Muir (6-3, 3-1), which plays tonight.

Had Arcadia won, first, second and third places also would have been determined by coin flips, held Thursday among school administrators. League coaches were not to be told of the results until after all games had been played.

“That way, we won’t coach the games any differently,” Crescenta Valley Coach Alan Eberhart said. “If you already know that you’ve won the flip, you might be tempted to coach more conservatively.”

If Kilpatrick (4-4, 2-1) beats L.A. Baptist (7-1, 3-0) tonight, it could leave the Division XI Alpha League in a three-way tie for first. Village Christian (7-2-1, 3-1) beat Maranatha on Thursday night, forcing league administrators to schedule a blind draw today to determine the league’s order of finish if Kilpatrick wins tonight.

If L.A. Baptist wins, the Knights will claim the league championship, Village finishes second and Kilpatrick would advance as a third-place team.

Other leagues are more clear.

DIVISION I

Crespi (5-4, 1-3) cannot claim a guaranteed berth in the Division I playoffs, but a Del Rey League victory tonight over Alemany would clinch fourth place and strengthen the Celts’ chances of securing the division’s at-large berth.

The Celts still are considered longshots against fourth-place teams from the South Coast and Sunset leagues.

DIVISION II

Hart (8-1, 4-0) has clinched the top seeding in the Foothill League. Canyon (6-3, 3-1) meets Valencia (7-2, 3-1) to determine second and third places.

Palmdale (7-2, 4-0) is guaranteed the top spot in the Golden League and Antelope Valley (5-3, 3-1) has locked up second.

Littlerock (6-3, 2-2) can clinch third place and its first postseason berth since 1992 by beating Quartz Hill tonight. If Littlerock loses and Highland (5-4, 2-2) upsets Palmdale, Highland would finish third.

If Littlerock and Highland win, Highland could claim Division II’s at-large entry.

DIVISION III

Newbury Park (9-0, 6-0) has clinched a tie for the Marmonte League title and the league’s No. 1 seeding. Agoura (7-2, 5-1) plays Westlake (6-3, 5-1) to determine second and third places.

Channel League teams Oxnard (7-1-1, 5-0-1) and Buena (7-2, 5-1) are in the playoffs, but the order remains to be determined.

Oxnard can clinch the Channel League title by winning tonight at Dos Pueblos. If Oxnard loses, Buena can win the title by beating Santa Barbara.

If Buena (7-2, 5-1) and Oxnard (7-1-1, 5-0-1) lose and San Marcos (5-3-1, 4-1-1) wins, Oxnard and San Marcos tie for the title but Oxnard goes as the No. 1-seeded team because the Yellowjackets defeated Buena, which beat San Marcos.

DIVISION IX

At least one local team will qualify in this four-league, 16-team bracket. Like other divisions, the top three finishers from each league automatically qualify. The four remaining spots will be selected from among the division’s four fourth-place teams and Montclair Prep (5-1-1), a free-lance school. La Canada (5-4, 1-3) needs a victory over winless Blair tonight to secure fourth place in the Rio Hondo League.

DIVISION X

Moorpark (8-1, 3-0) and Nordhoff (6-3, 3-0) meet tonight for the Frontier League title. Santa Paula (3-6, 2-2) is assured third place.

Because there are only four leagues in the division, the top four teams from each league will fill the 16-team bracket. Calabasas (5-4, 0-3) and Santa Clara (1-8, 0-3) play tonight for fourth place in the Frontier League.

Fillmore (1-8, 1-3) will move on to the postseason as the No. 4 entry from the Tri-Valley League. St. Bonaventure has wrapped up a tie for the championship and the league’s No. 1 seeding.

DIVISION XI

Paraclete (8-1, 4-0) has clinched a tie for the High Desert League title and the No. 1 seeding.