Four locals in CIF playoffs

This is the time of the year when football players hope hard work and commitment pay off in a new season. Four local high school programs earned the right to continue playing.

Three of the four are more than happy to return to the CIF Southern Section playoffs after a one-year hiatus.

Newport Harbor is clearly one of those.

One minute Friday night, the Sailors jumped up and down, celebrating a victory in the regular-season finale to keep their chances to make the playoffs alive. Minutes later, they collapsed after a tiebreaker process eliminated them from receiving one of the Sunset League’s remaining two guaranteed berths into the postseason.

The Sailors got their morning pick-me-up on Sunday, when they, along with Costa Mesa, Sage Hill and Estancia, learned of their respective first-round opponents at section headquarters in Los Alamitos.

The day turned out to be one of celebration again for Newport Harbor, which was rewarded for finishing in a three-way tie for second place in the competitive Sunset League.

Newport Harbor, Sage Hill and Estancia return to the postseason after missing it last year.

The Sailors received the lone at-large entry into the Pac-5 Division playoffs, considered the toughest in the state. Newport Harbor (6-4) starts with a challenge at No. 4-seeded Lakewood (9-1) at 7 p.m. The Moore League champion Lancers’ lone slip-up was a one-point loss in the season opener to Crenshaw, which is ranked No. 3 in the state by CalHiSports.com.

Of the four locals qualifying for the playoffs, Sage Hill, the Academy League runner-up, is the only one playing host to a first-round game. The Lightning (7-3) open the East Valley Division playoffs against Grace Brethren of Simi Valley at 7:30 p.m. Grace Brethren (5-5) is the No. 2 entry from the Frontier League.

Costa Mesa goes on the road in the Southern Division playoffs after falling short in the Orange Coast League championship showdown with Laguna Beach Friday. The Mustangs (6-4) play Santiago (8-2) at Bolsa Grande High at 7 p.m. Santiago placed second in the Garden Grove League.

Estancia played its way into the Southern Division playoffs by winning its league finale to clinch the Orange Coast League’s No. 3 entry. The Eagles (6-4) play at defending champion Laguna Hills (8-2) at 7 p.m. The Hawks, the Pacific Coast League champions, are the No. 3 seed.

Estancia and Newport Harbor face the biggest obstacles in the first round.

In recent years, only Newport Harbor and Sage Hill have won opening-round playoff games, the Sailors in 2007 and the Lightning in 2005. Estancia and Costa Mesa have suffered many setbacks, with the Eagles last postseason victory coming in 1980.

Costa Mesa has lost in the first round six straight times. The last playoff victory for the Mustangs was in 1997. They have a legitimate shot to end their drought against Santiago.

These two teams met in the first round last year with the Cavaliers pulling out a 17-14 victory. Costa Mesa tries to rebound after losing an opportunity to win three straight league titles for the first time in the program’s history.

Five turnovers Friday plagued the Mustangs in their 49-34 loss at Laguna Beach.

Penalties were a problem for Estancia before it overcame 15 of them for 144 yards and beat Calvary Chapel, 23-12, to earn the league’s third playoff entry.

“Way too many,” Estancia Coach Mike Bargas said of the penalties. “We have to correct that part of the game to have a chance against [the Hawks]. They like to hold the ball. They’re physical and they like to run the ball by pounding it on every down.

“This is going to be David vs. Goliath.”

The ground game is crucial for Estancia. Bargas said Alex Abalos looked better last week in his second game back from an ankle injury the senior suffered in the league opener on Oct. 16.

The Sailors are hoping their starting tailback is healthy for the playoffs.

Junior Cedric Whitaker injured his knee in the second quarter of the Sailors’ 13-10 road victory against Esperanza. Whitaker missed the rest of the game.

To make it a game against Lakewood, ranked No. 6 in the state, Newport Harbor figures to need its rusher closing in on 1,000 yards for the season. The Lancers last year advanced to the semifinals before losing, 20-10, to eventual champion Long Beach Poly.

Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley said Monday that Whitaker would undergo an MRI today, but Brinkley is hopeful the junior could play Friday.

The Sailors are used to facing upper-echelon competition after having played Edison and Dana Hills, teams ranked No. 5 and No. 25 in the state, respectively. Newport Harbor also played Los Alamitos and Fountain Valley, two teams that cracked the state’s top-25 poll at one time during the season.

The Sailors have never played Lakewood in a football game. The last time Newport Harbor faced a team for the first time while in the playoffs was in 2007. That year, Newport Harbor pulled off a 7-3 upset at Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks.