Division 10 Southern Section football playoff bracket preview: Best first round matchup, players to watch, who wins?

Segerstrom and Palmdale got the top seeds, but are they the favorites?

The Southern Section released its 2021 high school football playoff brackets for all 14 divisions on Sunday. Ahead of the first round games on Nov. 4-5, we’re previewing every playoff division from D1 to D14. Since Division 1 won’t begin until next week, we started with D2, and are continuing to work our way down the list.

Here’s everything you need to know about the D10 bracket:

DIVISION 10 BRACKET | ALL CIF-SS FOOTBALL BRACKETS

TOP D10 FIRST-ROUND GAME:Segerstrom (4-6) vs. Salesian (7-3)

For getting a top seed, Segerstrom gets to face... the team with the most established D-1 talent in the bracket. Coincidentally, both of these teams share a loss against Marina (D11), and Segerstrom's other losses came against teams in higher divisions. The Jaguars have wins over Katella and Garden Grove which are both in this division, and their win against Thousand Oaks (Division 7) is one of the best of any team from Division 8 down. FS Eric Martinez and LB Isaiah Valdivia lead one of the division's top defenses, and dual-threat QB Frankie Gonzalez carries a heavy load offensively. This team has all the tools needed to go all the way, but its first round matchup could be one of its toughest.

Salesian started the season with a blowout loss against Brentwood School (D11), and even with the loss to Marina, they still have the resumé of a potential D10 or D9 contender other than that ugly season-opener, which includes a win against St. Anthony. The Mustangs have four nationally-ranked players: the outstanding battery of QB Marcus Martin and WRs Anthony Redix and Marvin Denson, plus 3-star DL Ruben Adams, a key member of a well-balanced defense. It's hard to pick against Segerstrom here, but if Salesian wins, they might be the team to beat.

The pick: Segerstrom 24, Salesian 21

TOP PLAYERS TO WATCH & FIRST ROUND PREDICTIONS:

Fillmore (7-3) vs. Coachella Valley (8-2):

With all three of its losses coming narrowly against solid teams, and few other close calls, Fillmore is a bit of a wildcard. With the outstanding QB/RB duo of Joey Holladay and Anthony Chessani running the show, the Flashes' offense doesn't lack firepower. Coachella Valley also checks in somewhere around the middle of the pack, with losses coming against La Quinta and Twentynine Palms, both of whom are ranked lower, and a key league win over Cathedral City, which is in this bracket. Like Fillmore, the Mighty Arabs have a standout QB/RB duo in Hugo Sandoval and Tony Carreon, and their receiving production is by committee. They also have one of the top LB tandems in any of the lower divisions with Rene Valdana and Joe Montoya both over 120 tackles already this season. There's not much to split between these teams, but we'll take Fillmore because of CVHS' 200-mile schlep to get there.

The pick: Fillmore 24, Coachella Valley 20

St. Anthony (6-4) vs. Schurr (7-3):

The Saints' 43-25 win against St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy is one of the best wins any team in the lower divisions has to its name, and only the two-point loss against Salesian kept them from finishing the year on a 7-0 run after losses against San Pedro, Mayfair, and Millikan. Schurr has a standout win of its own, 48-29 over South (Torrance) which is in this bracket. The Spartans' losses came against teams in higher divisions, although 30 points seems like a little much to lose to San Dimas by. They have a nice big three on offense with dual-threat QB Jesse Preciado, RB Isaiah Candelaria, and WR Matthew Salazar, plus some serious playmaking on defense, as the team totaled 20 interceptions (six by Candelaria) and 12 forced fumbles in the regular season. This one's a tossup, with the likelihood of a high-scoring game being the safest aspect of the match to count on.

The pick: St. Anthony 36, Schurr 32

Katella (5-5) vs. Cathedral City (7-3):

With a double-digit win against Laguna Hills to start the season and very close losses against Segerstrom and Garden Grove towards the end of it, Katella is clearly a contender if it brings its A-game every time out. The Knights play heavily through RB Gabriel Dawson, who runs for over 100 yards per game on well over 10 yards per carry, and is also the team's leading receiver (and a standout DB for that matter). Segerstrom beat them by shutting him down, and Garden Grove beat them by letting him get his and shutting down everyone else. DE Daniel Viramontes has probably been their best defensive player this season, but Katella has nice balance on that end. Without any signature wins, and a 28-21 loss against another D10 team, Coachella Valley, Cathedral City is definitely an underdog in this bracket. But with the dominant 2-star QB/RB tandem of Oshea Wallace and Frank Valentino torching everyone in sight, and no shortage of a supporting cast on offense, plus some zany defensive figures, the Lions might have the making of a dark horse contender. What are those zany defensive figures? Wallace and Valentino have also combined for 10 interceptions (seven by Valentino), DE Luis Hernandez' 111 tackles, 29.5 TFLs, and 15 sacks, and three other DLs (led by Diego Castaneda) combining for 41 of the team's 56 other tackles for loss.

If Cathedral City's defensive dominance around the line of scrimmage is as legit as the numbers suggest, that's a good recipe for shutting down Dawson, so we'll pick the upset.

The pick: Cathedral City 18, Katella 14

Palmdale (6-3) vs. West Torrance (4-6):

Palmdale, the top-ranked team in the division, is the clear favorite here. Other than an early loss against Canyon (Canyon Country) that cost them a spot in D9, if not D8, the Falcons only have respectable losses against Oak Hills and Highland to their name. Somehow, RB Anthony Woods runs for over 130 yards per game on 12.2 yards per carry despite being the focus of every opposing defense, and that's probably the result of a passing game around him that functions very well in middling volume. There's not much to point to on West's behalf with the exception of a 28-7 win against another D10 team, South (Torrance), which means the Warriors have to be at least a little dangerous. Still, Palmdale is a top seed for a reason.

The pick: Palmdale 25, West 14

Covina (7-3) vs. Laguna Hills (7-3):

With its only losses coming against Glendora, El Rancho, and Claremont, Covina has been spotless against teams D10 and down this season. They've beaten another D10 team, Northview, and also beat Chino of D9 by 10 points. While the 29-0 margin against El Rancho was bad, there's an argument to be made that the Colts are underrated, and one of the bigger threats to go on a run. QB Jake Duronslet has been one of the top freshman signal callers in the section, and while more playmaking would go a long way, especially in the running department, there's a handful of guys on Covina that can find the end zone at any given time. Other than a season-opening loss against Katella, Laguna Hills' only losses came at the end of the season against Dana Hills and Irvine, both by over 30 points. Before that, they picked up a tremendous shutout win against D9 contender Portola, so the Hawks are dangerous even if not particularly consistent. Offensive balance is one of their best attributes, but RB Nick Ferlauto is their top threat.

Laguna Hills is capable of knocking off anyone in this field, but we like Covina to make some serious noise this month.

The pick: Covina 32, Laguna Hills 24

Kaiser (4-5) vs. South Torrance (5-5):

The Cats have an offensive formula that works great in the playoffs: a lot of running, with RB Donovan Price as the main threat, followed by Kiyel Tyler and Jonathan Marshall Jr., and a mistake-free passing game when they do opt to pass. QB John Quiroga only attempts five or six passes a game, but he's thrown for 554 yards and eight touchdowns to zero interceptions this season, good for a passer rating of over 140. While they've gotten beaten up pretty badly against teams a few divisions higher, Kaiser's defense has been very consistent against teams around their division. 2019 Division 14 champion South has already played two Division 10 teams, West (Torrance) and Schurr, and lost by a total of 40. That doesn't bode well, nor does their lack of offensive playmaking outside of QB Matt Espinoza and pass-catching RB Carter Hollandsworth. With head coach Matt Mishler still at the helm though, the Spartans do have some serious pedigree.

The pick: Kaiser 21, South 14

Garden Grove (7-3) vs. Northview (4-6):

Garden Grove has a lot of blowout wins, an overtime win against Katella, two blowout losses by teams in much higher divisions, and a 24-13 loss against Segerstrom to its name. The Argonauts also have a very solid QB in Vany Rodriguez, a workhorse at RB in Malachi Bey, and a good few receiving threats led by Dominick Brito. On defense, they have 82 TFLs on the season, with LB Issac Delgado providing one of the top defensive anchors in the division.

Whereas Garden Grove seem like a safe bet to be one of the better teams in the division on any given night, Northview has been unpredictable. Led by a staunch defense, the Vikings played a host of teams in higher divisions closely, such as Bonita, Mayfair, and California. They also lost to Covina by two points in pre-league play, which doesn't move the needle. They seemed to be gaining steam down the stretch and pulled off an upset of San Dimas in the penultimate week of the regular season, just to lose to Los Altos (D11) when they had an opportunity to clinch an undisputed league title. Their passing game is solid, led by QB Jimmy Arellanes, but without a star-studded receiving corps, playing through RB Cheo Medina as much as they can has been their best bet.

We'll take Garden Grove, but Northview definitely has the tools to shock some people this month.

WHO WILL WIN THE D10 TITLE?

In this division, the top seeds generally seem to be the clear favorites (in addition to Covina), even if there isn't much of a gap behind them. With the exception of the Salesian game, Segerstrom has a slightly easier path to the finals than some of the other top contenders, so we will roll with the Jaguars.