Black Friday
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Serra players take the field to start the Mission League football game against Chaminade, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. (Photo by Robert Casillas, Contributing Photographer)
Friday’s Daily Breeze CIF-Southern Section high school football semifinals.
The matches start at 19:00
CIF-Southern Section
division 2
SERVITE (7-5) at SERRA (9-3)
Outlook: The Friars finished fifth in the Trinity League and have playoff wins over Valencia (48-24) and Long Beach Poly (27-20). Quaid Carr rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown last week against Poly. The Friars scored four rushing touchdowns. Defensively, they allowed just 58 yards, but the Friars were able to find success through the air. It’s Serra’s third straight playoff home game. The Cavaliers defeated Los Alamitos 38-28 last week. It was another 200-plus performance from Cincer Rainey (212 yards) and Jimmy Butler completed 16 of 27 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns. Crime has been flying recently. Servite will have a big challenge to slow down this group.
Forecast: Sera
division 6
MIRA COSTA (5-7) at MURRIETA MESA (6-6)
Outlook: This is a good definition of how it’s not how you start, but how you finish that counts. Mira Costa lost its first seven games and Murrieta Mesa lost its first five games. Both teams are now one win away from making the CIF-SS finals. The Rams finished second in the Big West and have playoff wins over Laguna Hills (45-14) and La Habra (28-14). CJ Moran rushed for three touchdowns last week. Mira Costa beat Cypress 45-27 last week. Nico de la Cruz was accurate, completing 26 of 39 passes for 400 yards and five touchdowns. Reese Leonard had 15 receptions for 252 yards and three touchdowns. The combination would lead to a sixth straight win and a trip to the finals.
Forecast: Mira Costa
division 10
HEMET (9-3) vs. TORRANCE (8-4) at Zamperini Stadium
Outlook: The Bulldogs have won seven straight, including playoff wins over Rancho Christian (38-28) and Elsinore (38-13). They also scored 38 points in the final regular season game of the season, a 38-13 win over Valley View. Daniel Mendoza leads the Bulldogs with 13 rushing touchdowns. Torrance has wins over Segerstrom (30-7) and Redlands (21-14). Hemet will be introduced to Jake Silverman. The junior excelled on both sides of the ball. Against Redlands, he had seven tackles, 153 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Young rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown. If those two turn in another big game, Torrance will be headed to the CIF-SS finals.
Forecast: Torrance
Section 14
LYNWOOD (8-4) vs. HAWTHORNE (6-6) at Leuzinger HS
Outlook: The Knights finished fourth in the Mid-Cities League and have playoff wins over The Webb School (30-27) and Whittier Christian (42-20). The Cougars finished third in the Ocean League and advanced thanks to a pair of close playoff wins. Hawthorne beat Anaheim (22-20) and El Monte (44-37). Obie Brown completed nine of 11 passes for 231 yards with two touchdowns and one interception last week. Marcus Bindi had two rushing touchdowns, one receiving touchdown and a pair of two-point conversions.
Forecast: Hawthorne
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