Weekend Offers Last Chance for Football

A guide to a weekend of championship football games, starting with the matchups and predicted outcomes:

CITY SECTION

Division 4-A--Sylmar 31, Crenshaw 14. Crenshaw is proving it is more than a basketball school, but the Cougars’ lack of playoff experience will hurt them.

Division 3-A--Bell 24, Birmingham 14. The magic runs out for Birmingham, which opened the playoffs with a losing record.

SOUTHERN SECTION

Division I--La Puente Bishop Amat 35, Santa Ana Mater Dei 10. Bishop Amat is in a class by itself, and Mater Dei is emotionally drained after beating Los Alamitos.

Division II--Newhall Hart 38, Antelope Valley 21. There is no stopping Hart’s offense, which has averaged 49 points per game during the playoffs.

Division III--Ayala 28, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 24. Ayala Coach Mark Pasquarella has done wonders at a school in only its fourth year of varsity competition.

Division IV--Canyon Springs 28, Norco 13. Canyon Springs has been on a roll since losing its opener to Fontana.

Division V--Anaheim Servite 23, Newport Harbor 17. Newport Harbor will have to wait another season for its first football title.

Division VI--Alta Loma 27, Ontario Chaffey 10. These teams met in a Mt. Baldy League game last month and Alta Loma won, 22-14. Look for a repeat.

Division VII--Arroyo Grande 35, Manhattan Beach Mira Costa 21--Defense, which has carried Mira Costa this far, finally gives in.

Division VIII--Bloomington 45, La Mirada 14. The battle between two undefeated teams is no contest. The game is over at halftime.

Division IX--Nordhoff 31, Atascadero 17. Nordhoff denies Atascadero its second title in a row.

Division X--Montclair Prep 35, Orange Lutheran 17--Free-lance entry Montclair Prep should have been put in a higher division.

Division XI--Morro Bay 28, Boron 21. Morro Bay cashes in on a major home-field advantage.

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Rating the schedule:

1. Bloomington at La Mirada, Friday, 7:30 p.m.--Start a hectic weekend by watching the nation’s all-time, single-season scoring champion. Bloomington set the record Saturday with its 34-21 victory over Laguna Hills. The Bruins have scored 832 points in 13 games for a 64-point average.

2. Sylmar vs. Crenshaw at El Camino College, Saturday, noon--The weekend’s only afternoon game will yield the major division champion in the City Section. Sylmar, which won the title two years ago, hopes to finish with its best record.

3. Bishop Amat vs. Mater Dei at Anaheim Stadium, Saturday, 7:40 p.m.--Although this attractive matchup of 13-0 teams will be televised live on Channel 13, what better way to watch a game than in person? Southern Section officials are hoping for a bigger crowd than the 30,065 that witnessed Mater Dei’s 28-24 comeback victory over Los Alamitos last Friday at the Big A. That crowd was the fifth-largest in section history.

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Player-of-the-year candidates still playing:

1. Daylon McCutcheon, Bishop Amat--The three-year two-way starter is only 5 feet 10, 175 pounds, but he is at the top of everybody’s recruiting list. He rushed for 2,251 yards and is equally impressive on defense and special teams. Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said McCutcheon is the best back he has ever faced and that’s saying quite a bit.

2. John Flynn, Mater Dei--As the starting quarterback, Flynn has led the Monarchs to consecutive title game appearances. He has passed for more than 2,000 yards this season and rallied Mater Dei to a pair of late touchdowns against Los Alamitos last week.

3. Kory Minor, Bishop Amat--Minor is another two-way starter for the Lancers, but he is best known for his skills in the defensive line. He has 20 sacks and seems to be in on every tackle.

Honorable mention: Ted Iacenda, running back, Hart; Chris Sailer, kicker, Notre Dame; Ryan Roques, quarterback, Canyon Springs, and Greg Oliver, running back, Bloomington.

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Playoff leftovers: Mater Dei’s Rollinson, attending a football media luncheon Monday, said his administrators could not attend because they were preparing for a rosary Saturday night. Bishop Amat hopes the joke proves true. . . . Chaffey Coach Bart Goldstein said his team has been so impressed with McCutcheon this season that it wanted a group autograph.

The Division I title game had been scheduled for Cerritos College, which holds 12,000. Southern Section Commissioner Dean Crowley said he planned to bring in extra bleachers to boast capacity to 15,000. That idea was scrapped last week when it appeared the finalists would be big draws. Crowley said the section is on the verge of signing a five-year contract with Anaheim Stadium for its Division I championship. A contract could help lower operating expenses.

Prep Note

Newport Harbor concluded one of the most dominating seasons ever by an area girls’ volleyball team. The Sailors defeated Stockton St. Mary’s, 15-4, 16-14, 15-10, in the State Division I championship last Saturday at Cal State Fullerton. They lost only one game in four state tournament matches to finish with a 33-1 record. Senior Misty May is expected to be chosen the nation’s top player this season. She has signed with Long Beach State.

Times’ Top 20 Football Poll

The Times’ top 20 high school football poll, with teams from the City and Southern sections.

School Sect. Div. Rec. LW 1. Bishop Amat SS I 13-0 1 2. Mater Dei SS I 13-0 3 3. Los Alamitos SS I 12-1 2 4. Hart SS II 13-0 4 5. Sylmar City 4-A 13-0 5 6. Canyon Springs SS IV 12-1 6 7. LB Poly SS I 10-2 7 8. Bloomington SS VIII 13-0 10 9. Newport Harbor SS V 13-0 11 10. Antelope Valley SS II 10-2 13 11. Trabuco Hills SS I 10-3 9 12. Loyola SS I 8-3 8 13. Peninsula SS II 11-2 8 14. Westlake SS III 10-2 14 15. Fontana SS I 8-4 15 16. Ayala SS III 12-1 17 17. St. Paul SS I 7-3 16 18. SO Notre Dame SS II 12-1 20 19. Crenshaw City 4-A 12-1 19 20. Norco SS IV 11-2 NR