Unbeaten San Pedro Gets Top-Seeded Spot in 4-A

The change of guard in City Section football was never more evident than Saturday, when the playoff pairings were released.

Traditional powers Dorsey, Carson and Sylmar were not in their usual high-seeded positions, displaced by relative newcomers San Pedro and Woodland Hills Taft.

Dorsey, the defending Division 4-A champion, barely made the 4-A playoffs as the 14th-seeded team with a 4-6 record. Carson, which has won more section titles than any other school, also finished 4-6 and was lucky to make the 4-A playoffs as the 15th-seeded team.

Sylmar, which won 4-A titles in 1992 and ‘94, is seeded fifth and has the toughest opener, playing host to Harbor City Narbonne.

With the usual dominant teams down a bit this season, the City Section committee turned to undefeated San Pedro (10-0), which has never won a major-division title and is having its best season in school history, as its favorite. The Pirates, ranked No. 15 in the Southland by The Times, won the Southern Pacific Conference--which placed six of its 10 teams in the 4-A playoff bracket--and will open against El Camino Real.

Taft, which has been battling Sylmar for supremacy in the San Fernando Valley in recent years, also finished 10-0 and is the second-seeded team.

Westchester (10-0) is seeded third and Franklin (9-1) fourth.

In the 3-A division, which is made up of the next 16 best teams not in the 4-A playoffs, Canoga Park (6-4) is the top-seeded team, followed by University (5-5) at No. 2, Verdugo Hills (7-3) at No. 3 and Locke (5-5) at No. 4.

The first round of the playoffs is Friday, with most games beginning at 7 p.m. The quarterfinals are Nov. 27, the semifinals Dec. 6 and the finals Dec. 13 at the Coliseum.