Division 7 Southern Section football playoff bracket preview: Best first round matchup, players to watch, predictions

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 D7 bracket:

DIVISION 7 BRACKET | ALL CIF-SS FOOTBALL BRACKETS

TOP D7 FIRST-ROUND GAME:El Rancho (9-1) vs. Leuzinger (6-4)

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Leuzinger is ranked near the bottom of Division 7. But let it be clear that the Olympians are not one of the least dangerous teams in this bracket. If anything, they're among the more potent. They got blown out by Mission Viejo and Inglewood, but they actually were able to remain competitive against Long Beach Poly, and to some extent, Bishop Amat, which very few teams in this division could. Leuzinger does lack wins over quality teams, but they did beat Birmingham, and crushed the lesser foes on their schedule. The Olympians could stand to have more top-tier offensive threats, but 3-star QB Ashley Tucker can carry a heavy load, and there are a lot of solid skill players on the team who can step up if asked, plus a secret weapon in 3-star TE John Vanisi. Leuzinger's defense is among the division's best, with 4-star OLB/DE Kevonte Henry and OLB Nate Hafoka anchoring a front seven that has amassed 94 tackles for loss, 30 sacks, and another 38 QB hurries.

So, that's a really tough draw for El Rancho, which blew out essentially everyone in sight this season other than a 42-7 rout at the hands of Serna to close the regular season. How will that loss, in conjunction with playing a season without close games, affect the Dons? They're going to be at a significant size disadvantage, with some key personnel going both ways, but they're fast and tough. With QB Elijah Mitchell and RB Anthony Bonilla supplemented by WRs Angel Diaz, Eliseo Bojorquez (both of whom are stars on defense), and Jacob Jimenez, they have the playmaking to go all the way. First, though, they'll have to survive a steep task in Leuzinger.

The pick: Leuzinger 24, El Rancho 23

TOP PLAYERS TO WATCH & FIRST ROUND PREDICTIONS:

Pasadena (7-2) vs. Thousand Oaks (6-4):

How scary is Pasadena? WR Mekhi Fox, a 4-star UCLA commit, didn't play in the Bulldogs' last two games, and they still have a fighting chance to go all the way even if he's out. Missing arguably the top player in the bracket would certainly downgrade them from "frontrunner" to "solidly in the pack" if he's out, as Fox has already caught for nearly 800 yards and surpassed 1,000 all-purpose yards this season in just seven games. But nationally-ranked senior QB Kaden Taylor is ready to lead this offense either way, not only as a great passer (1,667 yards and 25 TDs on a passer rating of 132.2), but also as the top rusher on the team (599 yards, seven TDs, eight yards per carry. And the Bulldogs are loaded with other playmakers, many of whom shine in all three phases, particularly WR/SS Jason Sanford Jr., WR/CB Cameron Mitchell, RB/LB Ahmad Jolley, and WR/DB Idrique Carmichael.

However, Thousand Oaks is one of the more dangerous teams in this bracket, and could prove to be one of the biggest tests for the top seed. The Lancers have some puzzling losses, but when they're on, they can beat the likes of Westlake and Agoura. Should their defense play at its peak level, they could absolutely go all the way. On that end, they have a nice spread of talent around the field, with LB Chase Martin and DL Jackson Volk leading the front seven, and eight different players contributed to their 14 regular season interceptions. Offensively, they'll only go as far as dual-threat QB Charlie Spencer and WR Jonathan Abarzua can carry them, so their work is cut out for them against teams with more weapons. Pasadena is one of those teams.

The pick: Pasadena 33, Thousand Oaks 26

La Mirada (6-4) vs. Golden Valley (4-5):

The Matadores' resumé is pretty impeccable within this division. They almost beat Division 5 playoff threat El Toro in their season-opener, and also suffered a close loss in league play against Division 6 contender Mayfair. Their only other losses came against Mater Dei and Foothill (Santa Ana), and they have an impressive win over Division 6 heavyweight Millikan. La Mirada doesn't lean too heavily on any one player or facet offensively, but 2-star QB Neheul Garcia is a budding star, and Xavier Hicks is his top target. Golden Valley lacks signature wins, although they did play competitively against Rio Mesa and Valencia (Valencia). It's no secret that the Grizzlies want to play offensively through RB Jared Giles, but their passing game is good enough to keep defenses honest, and TE/MLB Nick Machado and WR/DB Ajani Smith are two of their best players on both ends. While an upset is far from impossible, it's a tall order for Santa Clarita.

The pick: La Mirada 26, Santa Clarita 19

Aquinas (5-5) vs. Xavier Prep (6-3-1):

In a division with loads of general parity, Aquinas is a very tough draw for the Saints. Not only is Aquinas one of the most dangerous teams in the division, but Xavier Prep already lost to them 33-14 before league play. That said, maybe this is a different Saints team now. In their three first games, they lost to St. Pius X-St. Matthias (another Division 7 contender), had a tie with Ontario Christian (Division 9), and then came the loss to Aquinas. After that though, they won six of their last seven to finish tied atop the standings of the very competitive Desert Empire League. They're led on offense by QB Ryder Ruiz, a true dual-threat playmaker, and have numerous other threats such as RB Jarvis Crawford, who's also a standout CB, and WR Quentin Pellum. LB Daniel Sanchez is another one of their best players.

However, Aquinas is a defensive stalwart with size on both ends and just too much pedigree for a lot of good teams in this bracket on paper. The Falcons weren't considered a frontrunner to win Division 5 in 2019, but they went on to win the title, beat Division 4 champion San Juan Hills in the state semifinal, and nearly defeat East Bay powerhouse Clayton Valley Charter in the CIF 2-AA state championship. And Jordan Brusig is still at the helm Their O-line, perhaps the best in the division, includes 6-5, 335-pound Power-5 prospect Junior Faumui, they have a talented QB/RB duo in Dre Robles and Jojo Solis, and 3-star S Kaden Willerford is one of numerous studs on that end. The Falcons played Etiwanda, Spanish Springs (NV), Upland, and Damien all competitively this season. Watch out for an Aquinas team that knows how to peak at the right time.

The pick: Aquinas 27, Xavier Prep 18

St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy (8-2) vs. Heritage (5-5):

PMA is a safe bet to look the part of a Division 7 contender this month. The Warriors did have one disappointing loss against St. Anthony before league play, but their only other loss came narrowly to a St. Genevieve, an unbeaten title threat in Division 5. Having a lack of close wins entering the postseason is a legitimate gripe against their chances, but they did beat another team in this field, Xavier Prep, by two touchdowns in their season-opener. QB Dieter Barr has had a great junior season under center, RB Dejour Menefee averages 9.6 yards per carry and is the team's third-leading receiver, RB/WR Nate Frazier has three Pac-12 offers, 3-star CB Jordan Shaw, who has six interceptions, is also the team's leading receiver, and they have another player with over 500 receiving yards on the season in WR Geoffery Brown. This team has weaponry and lots of athleticism.

There's not a huge case to make for Heritage here, but the Patriots do have a win over Santiago (Corona) in their season-opener, which would prove to knock Santiago out of the Division 7 playoff race. So despite a few underwhelming results, Heritage is undoubtedly a threat. The Patriots are a run-first offense behind dual-threat QB Hayden Lara and RBs Angelo Serena and Jason Chupany, but throw well enough to keep defenses honest. It would be a major upset if they win, but nobody should want to face them if they bring their A-game.

The pick: St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 31, Heritage 16

Charter Oak (5-5) vs. Rio Hondo Prep (9-1):

As far as teams in this bracket go that are appropriately ranked towards the bottom, Charter Oak is among the most dangerous. While the Chargers lost half their games, not one of them was a bad loss, and they picked up valuable experience in competitive losses against opponents such as Glendora (Division 3), Bonita (Division 4), and Alta Loma (Division 7). Against everyone else they played, they won without a scare. Plus, with the 3-star battery of QB Solomon Davis and WR Sam Mason leading the offense which is complemented by a very steady defense, they have the top-end playmaking to go far.

Rio Hondo, on the other hand, has one loss by seven points against Division 6 frontrunner Campbell Hall, and otherwise would be a prime candidate to make noise in Division 6 itself. The Kares do have the disadvantage of not playing in any other close games, and with so much emphasis on star RB Jonathan Guerrero, their offense is a bit more predictable. They can throw when they need to, though, and Gio Ortega is a threat to put up numbers no matter how he gets the ball, whether handoff, pass, punt, or kick. DE Ryan McCullough, who is also a standout FB, leads a defense where all 11 guys are liable to knock you down behind the line of scrimmage. These are two solid teams who could make some real noise, and a pick on either side would be defensible.

The pick: Rio Hondo 24, Charter Oak 22

Pacifica (Garden Grove) vs. Mira Costa: Mira Costa defeated Pacifica 35-14 on Thursday.

Alta Loma (7-3) vs. Troy (7-3):

This battle features a couple sneaky good teams that could be ready to turn some heads. The Braves don't dominate any one part of the game in particular, but they've already picked up a win against another good Division 7 team in Charter Oak, beaten some other solid teams such as Serrano in close games, and played teams like Ayala and Rancho Cucamonga much more competitively than the scores would indicate. The only major knock on them is a loss against Bonita that wasn't at all close, but even then, Bonita (Division 4) is a very good team. That makes Alta Loma a threat to win against anyone and everyone in this bracket, with 3-star S Nick Pasquarella (who's also the team's top wideout) and LB Eric Boen leading one of the most solid defenses in the division. Pass-catching RB Braden Lynch and QB Trevor Tedesco run the show on offense.

Like Alta Loma, Troy has a clean resumé and a balanced roster. Only 11 total points in losses against La Habra and Sunny Hills separated the Warriors from a Freeway League title, and their only other loss also came narrowly against a team in a higher division, Irvine. The knock on Troy is that all their other games were blowout wins against overmatched foes, but if they're ready to come up big in close games, they could be the cinderella team of the division. While the Warriors run the ball a ton through Kieran Klingsberg and Fischer Huss, they pass the ball well, with QB Ryan Maturo having a very solid season in middling volume. LB Daniel Everest leads a well-rounded defense that could prove to be among Division 7's best. They'll be the underdog against Alta Loma, but if they pull off the upset, the whole division should be on notice.

The pick: Alta Loma 20, Troy 17

WHO WILL WIN THE D7 TITLE?

There are many legitimate title contenders in Division 7, and the majority of them are in the top half of the bracket. It could shake out any way, but the prediction is... Aquinas defeats St. Pius X-St. Matthias 20-17 in the championship game.