Top 10 CIF-California high school section final playoff games this week; Analysis, breakdowns, predictions

National No. 1 Mater Dei looks for repeat performance; St. John Bosco seeks revenge; Newbury Park-Murrieta Valley might require track shoes; Pittsburg-San Ramon Valley hints at instant classic

Mater Dei 4-star linebacker Nasir Wyatt with a big hit on St. John Bosco freshman QB Koa Malau’ulu, during a surprising 59-14 lopsided victory over St. John Bosco at Santa Ana Stadium on Oct. 25. The teams rematch Friday for the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship, the seventh time they've met since 2016 / Photo: Heston Quan

Thanksgiving is a date to circle for many high school football coaches around the land. Not because it's a treasured holiday to spend with family, chow a meal and watch NFL games.

No for high school teams, this is a benchmark, meaning if you practice on this day then it's been a truly successful season.

In California, it means you've made it to your section finals, and with a victory, your team vaults into the CIF Regional Championships, which are 30 games divided between the North and South, Dec. 6-7.

Those winners play for the State Championships, Dec. 13-14 divided between three venues: Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, where the top five divisions square off, along with Long Beach City College (five middle division games) and Fullerton Union High School (five smalestl divisions).

But to qualify for any of the regional championships, teams must win section titles first, which are all this week. Four teams have already qualified for the state championships after section titles won last week: Lincoln (San Diego Open), De La Salle (North Coast Open), St Ignatius (Central Coast Open) and McClymonds (Oakland).

Of the 46 remaining section title games being played up and down the state, here are the 10 best we picked out in order, with brief backgrounds and predicted scores from Calpreps.com and yours truly.

Feel free to weigh in by emailing mitch@scorebooklive.com or tweet something on X @mitchbooklive.

CALIFORNIA GAMES OF THE WEEK

1. Mater Dei (11-0) vs. St. John Bosco (11-1)

Mater Dei senior quarterback Dash Beierly threw for 308 yards and four touchdowns and added a 40-yard TD run in the Monarchs' 59-14 win over St. John Bosco Oct. 25 at the Santa Ana Bowl. / Photo: Heston Quan

WHAT: Southern Section Division 1 championship
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Veterans Stadium, Long Beach City College

Of course it is. What other game would it be. These national powerhouses will meet in this game for the seventh time since 2016, not only with a regional berth and state title on the line, but often both were battling for mythical national championships as well. Mater Dei cemented its No. 1 national ranking this year with a 59-14 throttling of Bosco last month.

The winner of this game has gone on to win the state Open Division title every seasons since 2015 (there were no state championships in 2020 due to the pandemic), including Mater Dei last season. Fittingly, in the six previous meetings for the section crown, the teams are split 3-3. This will serve as a rubber match.

Six of the last eight seasons, Mater Dei (11-0) and St. John Bosco (11-1) have played twice. The first always coming inTrinity Leagueplay, and each second-time matchup coming in the Division 1 final.

In that span, Mater Dei is 6-2 in Trinity League play against the Braves. In the six seasons the two have played twice, five have resulted in a swap of victories. Only in 2017 did Mater Dei win the league matchup and the final.

In fact, losing the Trinity League matchup humorously seems to be a recipe to go on and win the Division 1 title, which happened in 2016, '18, '19, '22 and '23.

Considering how convincingly Mater Dei won this season — it led 45-0 at halftime — the Monarchs are big favorites. Then again, last season St. John Bosco won the regular season game 28-0, then lost in the section finals to the Monarchs by 28.

Ultimately it will be decided by an elite group of players, with nearly 60 on the field with Division 1 scholarship offers, including Mater Dei QB Dash Beierly (Washington commit), Oregon-bound RB Jordon Davison and Oregon-bound DE Nasir Wyatt.

Bosco counters with the lethal WR junior tandem of Madden Williams and Daniel Odom, along with DE Epi Sitanilei (UCLA).

CALPREPS PREDICTION: Mater Dei 41, St. John Bosco 13
MITCH STEPHENS: Mater Dei 35, St. John Bosco 21
MATER DEI VS. SJB AT GLANCE/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE

2. Newbury Park (13-0) at Murrieta Valley (11-2)

Newbury Park's Shane Rosenthal (left) and Brady Smigiel celebrate after a play this season / Rene Morales

WHAT: Southern Section Division 2 championship
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Murrieta Valley High School

Hard to believe anythng could match Murrieta Valley's wild 55-52 semifinal win over Oaks Christian, but this one could, considering Newbury Park's potent passing duo of sensational junior QB Brady Smigiel (2,986 passing yards, 43 TDs, 3 interceptions) to Shane Rosenthal (69 catches, 1,303 yards, 22 TDs). Murrieta Valley QB Bear Bachmeier accounted for 336 yards and six touchdowns and Dorian Hoze rushed 27 times for 183 yards and two TDs. A big case for this one not being quite the shootout as last week is Newbury Park's defense, which has record two shutouts and given up just 111 points all year.

CALPREPS PREDICTIONS: Newbury Park 34, Murrieta Valley 31
MS: Murrieta Valley 29, Newbury Park 28
NEWBURY PARK-MV AT GLANCE/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE

3. San Ramon Valley (11-1) vs. Pittsburg (10-2)

Marco Jones (23), the Bay Area's top recruit for 2025 from San Ramon Valley, takes down De La Salle's Derrick Blanche Jr., the region's No. 43 recruit. Jones has racked up 430 career tackles and 13 sacks to go along with six interceptions, 10 pass deflections, five fumble recovers and seven forced. / Photo: Eric Taylor

WHAT: North Coast Section Division 1 championship
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Diablo Valley College

A rematch of last year's same game, a Pittsburg 37-21 victory. Pittsburg almost snapped De La Salle's 32-year run of NCS titles and 277-game unbeaten streak against NCS opponents last week, losing 10-7 in the rain. The Pirates are loaded with Division 1 talent, including future UCLA defenders, safety Jadyn Hudson and DE Juju Walls. San Ramon Valley has what its longtime coach Aaron Becker says is the most dominant and best player in school history in Texas A&M-bound LB-TE Marco Jones.

CALPREPS PREDICTIONS: Pittsburg 28, San Ramon Valley 19
MS: Pittsburg 31, San Ramon Valley 28
SRV-PITT AT A GLANCE/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE

4. Edison (9-4) at Simi Valley (12-1)

Edison star running back Julius Gillick won't be able to play in the team's CIF Southern Section Division 3 final against Simi Valley after picking up two unsportsmanlike penalties in the semifinal. / Terry Jack

WHAT: Southern Section D3 championship
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Huntington Beach High

On its own, this was an intriguing matchup pitting two of the region's top running backs in Simi Valley's Brice Hawkins (1,633 yards, 30 touchdowns) against Edison's Julius Gillick (1,862, 26). But as of Tuesday, Gillick will not be able to play due to receiving two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in a 42-14 win over Vista Murrieta. One was for spinning the ball in the end zone, the second was going out on the field to congratulate a reserve for a long run late in the game, which was nullified by a holding call. The decision has caused quite a stir. Edison, lost back to back games to powerhouses Mission Viejo (49-24) and San Clemente (21-17) have since won three straight bya 90-14 count. Simi Valley's only loss was Oct. 25 to Pacifica, 28-0. Its high-powered offense has piled up 514 points while averaging 418 yards per game.

CALPREPS PREDICTIONS: Edison 31, Simi Valley 26
MS: Simi Valley 28, Edison 27
EDISON-SV AT A GLANCE/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE

5. San Marcos (11-1) vs. Granite Hills (10-2)

Granite Hills running back Max Turner carries the ball past defenders in the 2023 Open Division championship game / Justin Fine

WHAT: San Diego Section Division 1 championship
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Southwestern College

San Marcos goes for its first outright San Diego Section title after defeating El Camino 28-14, giving the Knights their first 11-win season. Quarterback Kreet Makihele leads the way with 44 touchdown passes. Granite Hills, the state 2022 D2-A champion, has outscored foes 467-284 behind the punishing running attack of Max Turner (1,686 yards rushing, 24 TDs) and passing of sophomore Zachary Benitez (2,400 yards passing, 26 TDs).

CALPREPS PREDICTIONS: Granite Hills 34, San Marcos 26
MS: Granite Hills 35, San Marcos 24
SAN MARCOS-GH AT A GLANCE/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE

6. Narbonne (6-6) vs. San Pedro (9-3)

San Pedro High football players after a big win over Granada Hills Kennedy High in Week 1 of the 2024 season. / San Pedro/X

WHAT: Los Angeles City Section Open championship
WHEN: 6 p.m. Friday
WHERE: El Camino College

Talk about an unlikely final. Despite seemingly endless off-the-field issues that included forfeit losses and teams from its own league refusing to play them during the regular season, Narbonne ended Birmingham's 48-game win streak last week against LAC opponents with a 27-7 semifinal victory. San Pedro, meanwhile, fought back from a 24-0 deficit to beat Carson 40-34 on a walk-off 30-yard touchdown strike from Marcus Jeronymo to Elias Redlew.

CALPREPS PREDICTIONS: Narbonne 34, San Pedro 21
MS: Narbonne 42, San Pedro 20
NARBONNE-SAN PEDRO AT A GLANCE/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE

7. Saint Francis (9-3) vs. Los Gatos (10-2)

Los Gatos senior quarterback Scotty Brennan (14), shown here in a game versus Palo Alto earlier this month, Saturday threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns in the Wildcats' stirring 35-28 win at third-seed Riordan in a CCS Division 1 semifinal game on Nov. 23. / Photo: Scott Dinn

WHAT: Central Coast Section Division 1 championship
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: San Jose City College

Los Gatos attempts a tough trifecta of sweeping West Catholic Athletic League opponents after wins over Serra (14-7) and Riordan (35-28). Both teams seeking their 17th CCS crown, more than any other programs. St. Francis hasn’t won a title since 2014, losing four straight title games. This is the fifth time the programs have met in the finals, each winning two. Los Gatos in 1985 (14-12) and 2013 (31-14) and St. Francis in 1994 (34-7) and 2012 (17-0). Cumulative score: St. Francis 77, Los Gatos 52. .

CALPREPS PREDICTION: Los Gatos 26, Saint Francis 21
MS: Saint Francis 21, Los Gatos 20
LOS GATOS-SF AT A GLANCE/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE

8. Folsom (11-1) vs. Oak Ridge (8-4)

Folsom junior quarterback Ryder Lyons passes during Friday's season-opening victory over visiting Long Beach Poly. The SBLive State Offensive Co-Player of the Year as a sophomore has just as good in 2024 with 2,636 passing yards and 43 touchdowns in 11 games to go along with 548 rushing yards and 11 more scores. He's considered the top QB prospect in the country for the Class of 2026. / Photo: Todd Shurtleff

WHAT: Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 championship
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Sacramento City College

By the records, not much intrigue, but Oak Ridge, under one of the most successful coaches in SJS history Casey Taylor, started 0-3 before rattling off eight of nine wins behind an absolute stellar defense which has record three shutouts. Since stubbing its toe in a 22-21 loss to Serra in Week 2, the Bulldogs have been perhaps the best team in Northern California, spearheaded by 5-star junior QB Ryder Lyons. Among their 10 straight wins was a 35-7 win over Oak Ridge.

CALPREPS PREDICTION: Folsom 38, Oak Ridge 17
MS: Folsom 42, Oak Ridge 14
FOLSOM-OR AT A GLANCE/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE

9. La Serna (10-3) at Palos Verdes (8-5)

La Serna head coach Andy George holds up the state championship trophy after his team won its first state title with a 21-19 2-AA win over Grant at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. / Photo: Joe Bergman

WHAT: Southern Section D5 championship
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Palos Verdes

La Serna's season has a very similar trajectory as last year when it started 2-3 and then rattled off 11 straight wins including a 21-19 win over favored Grant-Sacramento in the state 2-AA title game. "You can't measure La Serna's heart. It's off the charters," La Serna head coach Andy George said. This season the Lancers started 3-3 and have won seven straight. Palos Verdes is on a comeback trail of its own, having started 2-4 before winning six of seven and four straight including last week's 27-24 semifinal over Foothill when sophomore QB Ryan Rakowski threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns and ran 11 times for 11 yards and another score.

CALPREPS PREDICTION: La Serna 27, Palos Verdes 14
MS: La Serna 21, Palos Verdes 17
LA SERNA-PV AT A GLANCE/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE

10. Lincoln (9-1) vs. Balboa (6-5)

Lincoln tight end and linebacker Kevin Zhao hopes to bring the Mustangs their third Turkey Day/San Francisco Section championship when they face Balboa for a fifth straight year at Kezar Stadium on Thanksgiving. / Photo: Ernie Abrea

WHAT: San Francisco Section championship/Turkey Day Game
WHEN: 11:30 a.m., Thursday
WHERE: Kezar Stadium, San Francisco

This won't draw the crowds or attention many of the other title games will, but this holds tradition like no other. In the 100th season of the Academic Athletic Association, which the San Francisco Section maintains, this game has been played since the 1920s on Thanksgiving. In 1927 the game drew more than 25,000 fans at old Kezar, that when expanded to more than 50,000 the following year, reportedly was filled as well. Lincoln and Balboa, led by longtime coach Phil Ferrigno and Fred Velasquez, have met the last five Turkey Day Games, with Lincoln winning three of 4. Balboa won in 2021, 21-0, then won a state title. Lincoln won state crowns in 2018, 2019 and 2022. Great matchup of RBs in Lincoln’s Michael Washington (1,872 yards, 27 TDs) and Balboa sophomore Joseph Smith. Lincoln won the regular season game, 14-13. 

CALPREPS PREDICTIONS: Lincoln 21, Balboa 8
MS: Lincoln 28, Balboa 14
LINCOLN-BALBOA AT A GLANCE/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE