2021 CIF Playoff Preview
Riverside Match-Ups
Sunbelt Champions take on 2nd Place team out of Sea View League, in Division 5 7/10 match-up. Huskies won CIF Titles in both 2006 & 2007, going undefeated in 2006, and also won CIF Championships in 1995, 2001 and 2003. Capistrano Valley has CIF Titles in 1980 and 1990 to their credit, and the last time they came to Riverside, they won a Division 5 Semi Final match-up with ML King in 2016. The Cougars reached three straight CIF Semis in D5, D4 and D3 from 2016-2018. JW North hasn’t advanced as far as the Semis since their 2007 CIF Eastern Division Title run.
OFFENSE:
The Cougars have a wide-open passing game that has put up some prodigious numbers in 2021. Their Junior QB, Tre Kukuk threw for over 3,000 yards and 31 TD, leading a unit that averaged 424 yards and 34.1 points a game, including a record-setting performance in an October 22nd game, where he threw for 615 yards and 6 TD in a 59-56 shootout against Trabuco Hills. Kukuk also ran for 728 yards and 11 TD for good measure. Senior Wideout Owen Taylor, led Capo Valley with 70 catches and nearly 1,300 yards on the season, scoring 10 TD and averaging 18.4 yards per catch. Taylor is one of three Cougars’ WR with 10 TD, both Junior Dane Benedix (66 rec 1,016 yards) and Senior Mark Hopkins (36 rec 655 yards) joining the party.
The Huskies displayed balance this season, averaging 356 yards and 36.8 points per game, en route to their unblemished season. Senior QB Jaidyn Gamble threw for over 1,400 yards and 18 TD, while completing 63% of his passes. The pulse of the offense is four-year starter, Senior RB Venasio Mika’ele, who ran for 1,112 yards on the season with 16 TD, and over 3,400 yards and 45 TD in a career spanning 36 games at 3rd and Chicago. Ahson Elliot provided a nice change of pace with 434 yards and 10 TD on the ground. The Huskies’ leading receiver was Ashar Granger, with 41 catches for 480 yards and 6 TD. Elliot made 28 receptions for nearly 500 yards and 5 TD, while Junior Damien Allala had 6 TD amongst his 19 catches.
DEFENSE:
The Cougars run an active 4-2-5, anchored by Sophomore LB Jackson Sievers, while Junior Dane Benedix was a two-way standout for Capo Valley, with his ball-hawking skills on the defensive side. And while they did give up a lot of points (37.8 per game), Capo Valley won their last two games by a combined six points, to clinch the AQ in a very tough Sea View League. The scoring numbers were also distorted by two games (Orange and San Juan Hills) where they allowed a combined 133 points. Opponents rushed for over 200 yards per game against the Cougars, which will be the primary method of attach for the Huskies.
John W. North’s defense is anchored by their line backing group of Johnny Tupou (72 Tackles 5 Sacks), Le’o Tupou (64 Tackles 2 sacks) and Devon Toki (39 tackles 2 sacks). The Huskies have recorded 25 sacks and forced 15 turnovers. Junior Christian Wilson (3 Sacks) and Senior Henry Abacherli (5 Sacks) anchor the defensive line, while Seniors Rohan Preston (39 tackles) and Elijah Hughes (38 Tackles) are the playmakers in the secondary. The Huskies allowed just 9.3 points per game, and weren’t really challenged through the air all season. Orange Vista threw for 199 yards against the Huskies, and Rancho Verde rang up 399 in the season finale, with 209 through the air.
SCHEDULE:
D5 Summit (28.5) and D8 Orange Vista (15.8) were the two highest-rated teams that JW North has played on this season. 7 of their 10 wins came against teams that were Division 11 or higher. D9 Rancho Verde did give them a pretty good tune-up in Week 10, ahead of the match-up with Capistrano Valley.
The Cougars played a monstrous schedule, without an opponent lower than Division 8. Seven of their ten games were against Division 6 or above, topping out with Division 3 Newport Harbor. They played three league champions, and six teams with CalPreps ratings above 30. Aliso Niguel was the lowest-rated team they played, at 16.8.
Two undefeated teams face off in Division 6, as Rio Hondo Champion Monrovia, is matched up against River Valley Champion Norte Vista on the 5/12 line. Norte Vista has reached CIF Finals in 2013 and 2016, and were Eastern Division Semi Finalists in 2009. Monrovia won three straight Mid-Valley Titles under Head Coach Ryan Maddux in 2010, 2011 & 2012, and reached the 2009 as well. The Wildcats reached six straight CIF Semi Finals from 2008 to 2013 and seven of eight between ‘08 and ‘15.
OFFENSE:
Monrovia averaged 442 yards per game (311 Pass / 131 Rush), and 47.4 points per game. Over their last three games, they rolled up 58 points per game, as they secured the Rio Hondo League Title. Head Coach Chris Williams brought over the air raid-style offense from Northview, where he was offensive coordinator from 2013-2018. The Wildcats played in Division 9 in 2019, where they won a first-round game against Santa Fe 41-0, before bowing to Newport Harbor 24-20, in the 2nd Round, on a Harbor TD, scored with forty-seven seconds left on the clock.
Senior QB Noah Ramieriez threw for over 3,000 yards, and 37 TD, while only throwing four picks in 205 attempts. Senior RB Isaac Hernandez ran for 630 yards and 9 TD, and amassed 90 yards or more in three of his last four games, scoring six of his nine TDs in the month of October. Junior WR Carlos Hernandez latched on to 66 passes for over 1,500 yards, averaging twenty-three yards per reception, while totaling 22 TDs. Four of the Wildcats’ five receivers with double-digit receptions averaged twenty or more yards a catch. Senior Josh Barron found the end zone on seven of his 28 catches, averaging 18.3 yards per snag.
As for the Braves, you know what Ken Batdorf does. For him, RPO stands for “Run Power Often.” The one-two punch of Seniors Eddie Allain (6,000 career yards 89 TD) & Jessie Carvajal (1,177 yards and 9 TD on the season) is like trying to fight Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in alternating rounds. Allain floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee, while Carvajal is the bruiser, working between the tackles. The No Vi offense evokes an old quote from Jim Harrick about the UCLA Double Post: “Easy to scout, but hard to defend.” The Braves rolled up nearly 500 (477.8) yards per game on the ground.
Norte Vista averaged 510 yards per game overall (478 Rush 32 Pass) while scoring 34.7 points per game over their schedule. Seniors Isaac Gaines and Dominick Garcia split duties at QB, with Garcia being more the throwing option, while Gaines will run a more option-style version of the No Vi offense. Although the formula for the Braves hasn’t changed, Batdorf has full confidence in Garcia’s arm, if he needs to use it. The Braves scored nearly two hundred points in five league games, averaging 38.4ppg in the month of October. NoVi reached the second round in 2019, playing in Division 10, knocking off Rancho Mirage 46-20, before being stopped by Simi Valley 41-24.
DEFENSE:
The Wildcats surrendered just 150 points all season, 15 per game, but really tightened it up on league play, where they gave up just 10.8 points per game. On the season, Monrovia gave up about 253 yards per game, with about 150 of that passing and 103 rushing. San Dimas had the best day on the ground this season against Monrovia, racking up 293 yards in a 36-17 loss, back on September 24th. The Wildcats did hold three of five Rio Hondo opponents to under thirty yards rushing. Traveon Young and Sonny Jaramillo were among the defensive standouts, along with Freshman LB Ian Howard, who came on strong recording 43 of his 54 tackles over the last six games.
The Norte Vista defense was, in a word, stifling. The Braves’ D, led by coordinator Andy Martinez, spun five shutouts over their last six games, and six total in nine games on the season, allowing just thirty-one points all told. Teams were able to do better against them in the air, than on the ground, but they also played most of their games with a lead, that might have bolstered opponents’ passing numbers. The Braves forced 14 turnovers and recorded 17 sacks on the season as well. Their main asset was the speed of their back seven, many of whom play two ways. They were able to get a rotation going, though, to keep guys like Eddie Allain and Jessie Carvajal fresh to play offense. Marcus Lane and CJ Richardson are a couple of the defense-only standouts for the Braves.
SCHEDULE:
The two highest-rated teams that Monrovia played were D9 West Covina (9.1) and D9 San Dimas (13.5). The best team the Braves played, was River Valley League foe D8 Ramona (17.1), and they also played D9 Claremont (10.4). Both squads went 7-0 against Divisions 12, 13 and 14.
The 2nd Place team out if the River Valley, takes on the Olympic champions. Ramona made an unlikely run to the D13 Finals in 2019, while the Defenders won a D9 CIF Title under Woody Grayson in 2016, which was their first in twenty years. The Rams enjoyed their last CIF crown back in 1989. Valley Christian opted not to field a team in the Spring season, so their last competition came in 2019, when they won the Olympic, and fell in the first round of D11 Playoffs to Pasadena. (Should be noted that Valley Christian was actually 8-1 on the field, as their 45-0 win over Santa Rosa Academy in Week1, was ruled a forfeit, in favor of Santa Rosa.)
OFFENSE:
Senior Rocco Calderella (283 pass yards, 568 rush yards 11 TD) is a two-way threat for the Defenders, running and throwing the football, as part of a platoon at QB with Logan Lemonnier (724 pass yards 9 TD), a third QB, Senior Colin Abrahams, hasn’t played since Valley Christian’s Week 4 game against Beckman. Junior Major Brown (485 yards 6 TD), with three 100-yard performances, anchors a running-back-by-committee approach that averaged over 200 yards per game, while Junior WR Nick Bozanic led the receiving corps with 27 and 6 TD, while averaging a dozen yards per snag. Valley Christian averaged 41.1 points per game on the season, and hung 62 points on both Artesia (10/1) and Heritage Christian (10/22).
Ramona Head Coach Ken Mushinskie managed a balanced attack in 2021. Led by Junior RB Beau Bruins (1,794 yards 31 TD), first-year starter at QB Nathan Johnson (1,523 yards 15 TD) added a passing dimension for the Rams, while also running for 157 yards and 2 TD. Ramona averaged 372 yards and 41.5 points per game. Senior Zach Sinar (24 receptions) and Junior Manny Villa (23 receptions) were leading receivers on the season, while Sophomore Jake Valenzuela was the big-play threat for the Rams, with 7 TD, while averaging 21 yards per catch. Sophomore Royce Mendoza has stepped in for the injured Jordan Daniels. The Rams outscored their opponents by an average score of 30-7 in the first half, over the course of the season.
DEFENSE:
The Ramona defense allowed an average of under 18 points per game, and as referenced above forced opposing teams to play from behind. They only trailed at the half in one game, that was on October 15th, against Norte Vista. They allowed around 226 yards per game, but Hillcrest lit them up for nearly 400 in Week 10, 349 of those through the air. Corona also ran for 335 yards against the Rams, back in Week 5. The defense is lead by Junior LB Dezmen Watkins and Junior CB Nicky Chavez, while the defensive line is anchored by Senior Marcus Perez, who missed six games with a foot injury, which allowed Junior DE Javier Castaneda to emerge. Ramona will be missing Senior LB Joseph Martinez for Friday’s game.
Valley Christian only surrendered more than twenty points four times, and allowed just 15.2 ppg for the season. After allowing 41 points in the season opener against St. Paul, they scaled it down, allowing just 12 points per game the rest of the year. Three league opponents scored 34 points (11.3 ppg) against Valley Christian. The Defenders have a number of players playing both ways. Coordinator Randy Williams directs the defense for first-year head coach Kevin McCarthy, who was a fifteen-year assistant at the school, before ascending to the top spot for the 2021 season. He was on the staff for the 2016 CIF Title.
SCHEDULE:
The Defenders opened with D4 St. Paul (33.1) for their lone on-field loss, and played D9 Ontario Christian (9.9) in Week 3. Of their remaining seven games, five were played against either D13 or D14 opposition. They also defeated D11 Village Christian (2.9) and D12 Gahr (-9.3) to round out the schedule.
The Rams best opponent was in Week 8, against D6 Norte Vista (22.6). They defeated D9 ML King (13.2) to open the season, for their best win. Ramona also won a shoot-out against D10 Corona (4.9) in Week 5. The Rams also played two opponents each, out of D12, D13 and D14, going 6-0 against them all.
Champion from Mt, Baldy 4 against 2nd Place Team out of Inland Valley, in D11 2/15 match-up. Winner matches up with winner of Northwood-Big Bear. Braves first trip to CIF Playoffs since 2015, they last won a game in 2014. Bears last won a CIF game in 2014, the year they reached the Inland Division Final, against Redlands East Valley. They ended a three-year playoff drought, in 2019.
OFFENSE:
Baldwin Park rung up 43.3 points per game, while averaging 418 (261 pass/157 rush) yards of offense per game. Junior QB Drew Knight, who emerged as a Freshman, put it all together, throwing for 2,300 yards and 26 TD, against just 1 INT. He also ran for 128 yards and TD. Junior Josh Gonzales led the Braves with 571 rushing yards and 7 TD. Sophomore Corey Lacy also found the end zone six times on the ground, to go with his 284 yards. The receiving corps was led by Junior Tec Nunez, who caught 45 balls for 1,099 yards and 15 TD, while averaging more than 24 yards per catch. Three other Baldwin Park receivers had twenty catches, led by Junior Isaiah Ariza, who caught 7 YD passes averaging 21.1 yards per snag, while rushing for another 159 yards and 4 TD. Ariza was part of El Monte’s 2019 undefeated 5-AA State Championship team, as a Freshman, before transferring to Baldwin Park. (El Monte was awarded 2019 D12 Title when Semi Final between Orange Vista and Adelanto ended in a brawl, disqualifying both teams.)
Riverside Poly worked through some adversity with personnel and injuries on offense, and ended up averaging 245.9 yards per game. Senior Angel Sanchez and Sophomore Taejon Henderson formed a “Fire and Ice” backfield combo, running for over 600 yards and 10 TD between them, while Senior QB Michael Lina also ran for 256 yards and 4 TD. Junior Will Cloake provided that extra dimension on offense, splitting time with Luna, and throwing for over 1,000 yards and 6 TD. Cloake threw for over 800 yards and 4 TD in their three league wins, completing nearly 70% of his passes in those games. Senior WR Bailey Brown caught 46 passes for 654 yards and 3 TD, and had big games for the Bears in wins over Canyon Springs, Moreno Valley and Lakeside down the stretch. Head Coach John Rice ran the offense this season, with help from Bill Powell.
DEFENSE:
Bears tightened up their D down the stretch, allowing 18.8 points per game, and just 12.2 over the last six games of the year, where Poly went 4-2. They gave up 91 points in back-to-back losses to Ramona and King in Weeks 3 & 4, while allowed 12.1 points per game in their remaining eight contests. Offensive standouts Michael Luna and Angel Sanchez were 1st and 3rd in tackles, respectively, for the Bears, while two-way Senior WR/CB Bailey Brown (5) and Junior S Ben Medure (4) combined for nine picks in the secondary, while Poly also recovered six fumbles. Sophomore Keaton Stokely was a presence on the D Line, with 4 sacks and 8 tackles for loss. The Poly D allowed fourteen points, or less, in five of their ten games. D12 Lakeside rolled up 321 rush yards against the Bears in Week 10, while D11 Vista Del Lago went for 331 on the ground, in Week 9. D9 ML King’s Freshman QB, Noah Harros, threw for 268 yards against Poly in Week 3, which might be a tape Coach Ibis Aguilar might want to take a look at.
Baldwin Park allowed 12.2 points per game on the season, allowing 20 points or more in just three games, and allowed 7 points or less in five of nine contests. The Braves were larcenous on defense, forcing 24 takeaways in nine games, lead by Junior DB Isaiah Ariza, who had four picks and two fumble recoveries on his own. Senior Christian Rocha and two-way Freshman Caleb Calvin also recorded four interceptions apiece. Overall the stingy D limited opponents to 192 (69 pass/123 rush) yards per game. Poly will likely look at tape from D13 Rowland, who ran for 243 yards against the Braves, and D13 Montclair. who put up 385 yards (214 on the ground). D12 Rosemead also ran for 172 yards against Baldwin Park, in Week 4.
SCHEDULE:
Neither team has a win against an opponent above Division 12. The Braves only played D12-14 this season, while Poly played and lost to D8 Ramona and D9 King, while also going 0-2 against D11 teams (Vista Del Lago & Hesperia). Highest-rated team the Bears defeated was D12 Lakeside (-1.5), while Baldwin Park’s highest-rated opponent was D12 Rosemead (-8.4). The Braves beat three teams with records of .500 or better (Rosemead, D13 Bassett & D13 Montclair) while the only team Poly with a record about .500 beat was Lakeside (6-4).
Arlington in as an AQ out of the Inland Valley, after winning the coin flip to break the three-way tie with Patriot and Hillcrest for third place, takes on 605 Champion Cerritos. Coming into the season, the Lions had just one win in three seasons, coming in the Spring of 2021, and had last made the playoffs in 2017. Head Coach Kevin Argumosa reaches the CIF Playoffs in his first season at Arlington, after coming over from Covina High School, where he was the Defensive Coordinator.
Second-Year Head Coach Brad Carter has propelled the Dons to the CIF Playoffs for the first time since 2001. The five wins on the 2021 season are the most for Cerritos since back in 2003, when they went 6-4 and finished in 4th place in the Suburban League. The league championship is the first in more than two decades. The Dons will play with heavy hearts Friday, after the tragic loss of their Offensive Line Coach Webster Peters, who passed away, just before their Week 9 match-up with Glenn.
OFFENSE:
While there might me a new man in charge, Arlington’s offense goes back to when Pat McCarthy and Rich Lunsford were at the helm. When the Lions are humming, it’s because they can run the football. They racked up 273 yards in a 10-0 win over Hillcrest, on October 15th, and ran for 365 yards against La Sierra on October 22nd, a 59-14 win. Senior Ray Warhop leads the charge of the running attack, in tandem with Sophomore Christian Bozeman, being employed as a change-of-pace back. They run behind the Lions’ O-Line, which is anchored by a couple of two-way guys, who also play defense, in Seniors Anthony Gutierrez and Sami Abdul-Majid.
At the controls for Cerritos is dual-threat Senior QB David Sagun, who’s also the leader of the team. Sagun threw for 8 TD and ran for 3 more, in amassing over 1,000 total yards on the season, when you account for both passing and rushing. Senior RB Connor DeFrain led the Dons’ ground attack, with his 358 yards, and also accounted for 8 TD on the year, while Junior Quincy Monreal, rolled up 274 rush yards and 3 TD. Senior WR Mateo Martinez led the team with his 20 receptions, while Junior Alex Martinez averaged nearly 14 yards on his 13 catches, 3 of which went for TD. Senior Grant Fueston was 2nd on the team, with 16 receptions, two of which found the End Zone. The Dons averaged just over 200 yards per game on the season, but in 605 league play, that bumped up to 375 yards per game, and they averaged 247 rush yards per game over their last three contests. Their 17.8 points per game average jumped to over 40 points per game (42.7) in league play.
DEFENSE:
Cerritos allowed 31.6 points per game on defense, which they lowered to 22.3 in league play, while allowing 315 yards (105 pass/210 rush) per game. Over their last three games, all wins, they did allow nearly 253 yards per game rushing, and have allowed over 200 yards on the ground six times this season, but did win four of those six games. Senior LB Eric “Ace” Louie, leads the team in tackles, and has racked up 45 over his last four games. Senior Diego Rodriguez has also been a disruptive presence for the Dons’ D, which features a number of players that play both ways. If you want to identify an upward trend, Cerritos forced 13 turnovers on the season, seven of which have come over the last four games.
Arlington’s Defense allowed an average of 385 yards (143 pass/242 rush) per game, and 27.5 points, but really tightened it up down the stretch, going 2-1 over their last three games, while allowing just 30 points, even pitching a shutout against Hillcrest, on October 15th. Seniors Anthony Gutierrez and Sami Abdul-Majid flip over from the O-Line to help anchor the front seven of the Lions’ defensive unit. Matthew Meloni is there to restore Law & Order, playing all around the back seven, along with Ray Warhop switches over from RB to help out, as well. The Big Fella, Senior Gregory McDaniel is a presence on the line, when he rotates in as well.
SCHEDULE:
Cerritos played a couple of D7 teams in Troy (19.3) and Pius X (21.2), losing by a combined 106-6 score, as well as Banning (30.6) out of the City Section. Their best win is over D13 Buena Park (-23.2) in the season opener, their other four wins all coming against D14 opposition. Arlington’s two wins were against D12 Hillcrest (-3.9) and D14 La Sierra (-32.6). The highest rated team they played all season was D6 Norte Vista (22.5).