Southern Section Division 1 football playoff bracket breakdown: Will Mater Dei go undefeated?

Here's a look at the top storylines, players to watch, and first-round matchups in the CIFSS Division 1 playoffs.

The Southern Section released its 2021 high school football playoff brackets for all 14 divisions on Sunday, Oct. 31. Since all 13 divisions played their first of four rounds last week, we saved the Division 1 breakdown for last.

Here’s everything you need to know about the D1 bracket:

DIVISION 1 BRACKET | ALL CIF-SS FOOTBALL BRACKETS

TOP STORYLINES:

Will Servite – or anyone else – change the status quo?

We start with this question because it includes a breakdown of the recent history of the CIFSS Division 1 playoffs.

The current era, from 2016 to present, has been defined by Mater Dei and St. John Bosco winning the first two seeds, and going on to make the Division 1 finals every season. The Braves won section titles in 2016 and 2019 – which makes them the reigning champions – and Mater Dei won the championship in 2017 and 2018. Had there been a 2021 spring season playoffs, 5-0 Mater Dei would've been the top seed as the Trinity League champion and top-ranked team in California. And, since 2017, the winner has gone on to be named the national champion – which is a fairly likely outcome this season too.

Additionally, Corona Centennial consistently being ahead of the rest of the pack has also been a defining characteristic of the "era". The Huskies won back-to-back Division 1 titles in the two seasons before 2016, and they made the semifinals in all four of the last postseasons. Additionally, their 49-47 loss to Bosco in an instant classic in 2016 is the only instance from 2016 onward that any other team almost knocked the Braves or Monarchs out.

In terms of the construct of the eight-team field, almost everything is the same this season as in those past postseasons; the Monarchs and Braves enter ranked atop not only the section, but also the country; the next few seeds, which include No. 4 Corona Centennial and No. 5 Mission Viejo in familiar positions, are all ranked well within the top 50 nationally; and the last few are still ranked inside or near the nation's top 100.

The exception, of course, is Servite being a legitimate finals contender at No. 3 now, as the Friars would've been last season had there been a playoffs. They lost to both MD and SJB in two-score games this season, and are a clear underdog to win it all. But having a third top-10 or top-5 team in the country in the mix, one that's undoubtedly a threat to shake things up, makes this postseason unique.

If another team were even able to put a scare into one of the top two seeds, it would be borderline-historic. Other than the aforementioned Bosco/Centennial showdown in 2016, the lowest margin of victory between the Monarchs or Braves and any other team was 25 points, a Mater Dei blowout of Mission Viejo in 2019 that they at one point led 49-10.

So, whether or not Servite can make the finals, or if any other team can put even a mild scare into Mater Dei or St. John Bosco – those are huge storylines before a champion is even crowned.

Will the 4th/5th seed game be another thriller?

No. 4 Mission Viejo's 38-35 victory against No. 5 Servite in 2019 was one of the most exciting games of that season, and arguably the second-most exciting game of that entire postseason. It was also the only game of the entire Division 1 playoffs that wasn't an absolute blowout, for what it's worth.

So, there's a lot of hope for this season's iteration to be another instant classic. Either No. 4 Corona Centennial or No. 5 Mission Viejo is about to get knocked off in the first round for a change, and neither one of these powerhouses is going to go down without a major battle. These have been two of the best public school programs in the country for a long time now, and they've been looking forward to the opportunity to play each other. Even though unbeaten Cen10 comes in at 10-0 in the midst of yet another dominant season, the 9-1 Diablos rounded into good enough form this season to be a legitimate semifinals threat.

On that note:

Can Centennial keep its semifinals streak (and other playoff streaks) alive?

The Huskies have made at least the Division 1 semifinals (or its equivalent in the prior system) every postseason since 2012. And they've won at least one playoff game going back every postseason to at least 2004. That's generational consistency. Nobody would be crazy enough to say that Cen10's pedigree of generational consistency is at stake in the upcoming match against Mission Viejo, but the two aforementioned streaks are.

Will the national championship stay in California?

Obviously it'll take more than just the section playoffs to answer that question, but the national championship picture – relative to the CIFSS Division 1 playoffs – is pretty clear. Partially because whoever wins the section title will be a massive favorite to finish it up with a CIF State Open Division title two weeks later.

If Mater Dei wins the section championship, it's almost a lock that the natty stays in California. They're already the undisputed top-ranked team in the country going into the playoffs, and section and state titles wouldn't change that. Even if they lost to a Northern California team in the state finals in an all-time upset, that NorCal team in most likely scenarios would then have a great chance at being named the national champ.

If St. John Bosco wins the CIFSS title and then goes on to win a state title, the odds are great that they win another national title, but not quite a lock. In both 2018 and 2019, the eventual champion had previously lost this matchup in league play, and still was named national champion with a loss to its record. If the Braves beat Mater Dei but lose in the state championship game, however, the state champion from NorCal would have very little shot at being named national champion.

If Servite wins the section title, especially by having to go through both the Braves and Monarchs, and then wins the state chip, there's a reasonable chance of the Friars at least garnering some national championship votes. Maybe even more of them than anyone else. Two losses and still a national title is almost unheard, but if they're against arguably the two top-ranked teams in the country, and those are the only teams they lost to because it's one of the only times in history that three teams this good were all in one league... maybe there's a chance the natty stays in California.

Since the Huskies are undefeated, if they come out of the Southern Section then there's a reasonable chance of a California team winning the national title.

If it's anyone from the bottom half of the bracket, the football world would be turned on its head, but it would be hard to see the national championship votes not going to an undefeated elsewhere in the country.

Can Mater Dei be stopped?

For what's not the first time, Mater Dei is on another level from every team in the country heading into the playoffs. Early in league play, St. John Bosco played the Monarchs evenly for a half, and then fell off completely in the second half. Servite played them down to the last two minutes or so in Week 9, but with a two-score lead, Mater Dei put it away before it officially came down to the wire. Additionally, the Friars looked absolutely worse for wear in their matchup the next week against the Braves.

And other than those two, no team in the section has been able to touch them dating back to 2016. For what it's worth, Centennial played them competitively in a scrimmage this pre-season. But it's another season where Mater Dei is a cut above the rest heading into playoff time.

That said, Mater Dei was a cut above the rest heading not only into its 2019 championship match against St. John Bosco, but heading into the waning minutes of the first half as well. The Monarchs would lose that game for losing their edge for not even a full game, but just over a half. And that's despite having built a 28-5 lead shortly before halftime as well.

So, whether or not they're a few weeks from to extending their dynasty, this postseason should be as exciting as usual.

FIRST ROUND (QUARTERFINALS) MATCHUPS AND PLAYERS TO WATCH:

No. 1 Mater Dei (8-0) vs. No. 8 Norco (8-2):

It's been an outstanding year for the Cougars, making Division 1 with fewer huge names than in some previous seasons in which they didn't make the top division. Norco had semi-competitive losses against Centennial and Sierra Canyon during the regular season, and its wins include Santa Margarita, Rancho Cucamonga, Murrieta Valley, Roosevelt, and Vista Murrieta.

The Cougars are led by the dominant QB/RB duo of 3-star San Diego State commit Kyle Crum and 4-star former Cal commit Jaydn Ott. Throw in a very good offensive line and WR duo of Grant Gray and Elijah Rodriguez, and this offense is one of the section's best. Norco has also had a better defense in 2021 than in some previous campaigns, and LB Austin Logan is having an all-state caliber season.

That said, we already covered what recent history says about anyone taking on the Monarchs before the finals. Unbeaten Mater Dei, unanimously No. 1 in the country, is the star-studded football factory it always is on both sides of the ball. 4-star sophomore QB Elijah Brown, like Crum, is one of the most efficient passers in high school football, and 5-star Oklahoma commit Raleek Brown is the only RB prospect in California who's more highly touted than Ott. 4-star Notre Dame commit C.J. Williams and 3-star Harvard commit Cooper Barkate are the Monarchs' top receivers, and their O-line might be the best in high school football. Mater Dei's defense includes reigning Trinity League DPOY S Josh Hunter, 4-star OLB/DE David Bailey, and 3-star ILB Malaki Te'o. Bailey and Te'o have 24.5 combined tackles for loss out of MD's 79, but no other Monarch has more than six TFLs. That's just how deep this defense is.

No. 4 Corona Centennial (10-0) vs. No. 5 Mission Viejo (9-1):

After rival Norco snapped its Big VIII League winning streak dating back to 2009 in the spring season, the Huskies delivered as dominant a regular season as we are accustomed to seeing from them this fall. They started their season with lopsided wins against Cathedral Catholic and Sierra Canyon, also obliterated Long Beach Poly and JSerra, and pulled away in the second half to defeat Norco decisively in league play. So, Cen10 is as good as usual, even with many of its best players being less experienced than usual for the Huskies.

They have some dozen nationally-ranked recruits, including the QB platoon of Izzy Carter and Carson Conklin, WRs Malachi Riley and Eric Denham, CBs Jaden Mickey, Aaron Williams, and Eric Butler Jr., and DLs Gavriel Lightfoot and Lucas Conti. Additionally, in typical program fashion, some of their most important players are not big names in terms of recruiting. Examples would be RB1 and RB2 Jayden Cortes and Cornell Hatcher Jr., leading receiver Nathan Jimenez, DB Carter Plewe, and LBs and leading tacklers Ethan Wenzel and Jesse Schumaker. Centennial is a well-oiled machine per usual.

Like Centennial, the Diablos have a less experienced squad than we've seen from them in recent seasons. They also don't have as many big recruits, mostly on the defensive side of the ball. After falling to rival San Clemente in the final game of the spring season and getting crushed by Servite in their second game of this season, the conversation around them was about whether or not they could contend in Division 2. But they immediately rebounded with statement wins against Long Beach Poly, Alemany, and Sierra Canyon, and they finished their league title run with a 45-0 obliteration of San Clemente. It turns out that getting back to the Division 1 semifinals is a real possibility after all.

Mission Viejo's offense is complete with 2-star and 3-star prospects leading the way, in QB Kaden Semonza, RB Kenny Manassero, WRs Mikey Matthews, Jonah Holman, and KJ Reed, and OLs Shlomo Bass and Thomas Haney. And it's defense has been stellar this season without the national recruits to show for it, with a wild line of 89.5 tackles for loss, 47.5 sacks, and 70 QB-hurries already this season. The laundry list of impact players making it happen is long. DE Finley Weinheimer leads the team with 17.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, and also has 70 tackles and 14 QB-hurries. SS Jake Higgins has a team-high 92 tackles for loss to go with 12 TFLs, five sacks, two interceptions, six pass break-ups, and a forced fumble. FS Ruben Lopez, OLBs Jack Matranga and Daniel Dominguez, and CB Trey Tolmaire have all put up impressive numbers too.

The Diablos face a tall order on Friday in keeping their season alive, as outstanding as it's been. Some are predicting a Centennial rout. But there's a very good chance that Mission Viejo will rise to the occasion to at least make this one of the better games of the playoffs.

No. 2 St. John Bosco (9-1) vs. No. 7 Los Alamitos (9-1):

Los Al has three 5-star prospects, five 3-star prospects, and a handful more 2-star or unranked D-1 prospects – that's more top-end talent than plenty of entire states have – and is still at an enormous disparity of established D-1 talent against the 2019 national champion. The Griffins were one bad half of football against Santa Margarita away from entering the playoffs as the 5th seed – and also unbeaten on the calendar year – but they have to face a juggernaut in the first round while they have almost no playoff experience at all themselves. Still, with reigning Gatorade California Player of the Year QB Malachi Nelson, and WRs Makai Lemon, DeAndre Moore, and Gavin Porch leading one of the most explosive passing games in the country, with numerous other talented X-factors in the fold, the Griffins don't lack firepower. Most of their top players go both ways, and many of the ones who do, such Lemon, FB/TE Sinn Brennan, and WR Ethan O'Connor, are even better on the defensive side of the ball at their respective positions. S Isaiah Dorsey and DL Adam Tomczyk are also nationally-ranked standouts on that end. So, Los Al is crazy fast everywhere, beyond loaded at the skilled positions, and has as deep a core of WR/DBs as you'll find.

For numerous reasons, St. John Bosco seems like a very tough matchup for Los Alamitos. Needless to say, the Braves are also crazy fast everywhere, overflowing with talent at the skill positions, and as deep as it gets, not only in terms of backs but everywhere. And, unfortunately for Los Alamitos, they also have elite size. The Griffins are very good on both lines, but they're certainly one of the smallest teams in the D1 field.

Despite Los Al's outstanding secondary and particularly athletic front seven, the Braves have big OT Earnest Greene anchoring a dominant offensive line, which should be able to provide ample support for their playmakers. As for those playmakers, they have practically a dozen guys who could make a big play or two (or 10) on any given night. With 4-star QBs Pierce Clarkson and Katin Houser, 4-star pass-catching RB Rayshon Luke, 3-star WRs Chedon James and Logan Booher, and 5-star TE Matayo Uiagalelei surrounded by countless more serious threats, doing it by committee is just fine. Bosco's D-line is as good as any, and it would be surprising if the likes of Uiagalelei (who's also 5-star DE), DT/NG Jairus Satele, and all-state DL Nate Burrell don't take over the game for chunks at a time. Bad news for a Los Al team that depends on aerial dominance almost every time out: SJB is building one of its most talented secondaries yet, featuring CBs Marcelles Williams and Jshawn Frausto-Ramos and safeties Sione Hala and Peyton Woodyard, and the Braves just held Servite to 10 points in their regular season finale. And, while their linebacking corps doesn't get quite as much hype as some of its past iterations, they still have one of the best middle 3/middle 4 groups in SoCal, led by Jalen Woods and Deven Bryant.

Maybe the Braves aren't a matchup problem for Los Al as much as they're just too good for almost anybody in the country to handle.

No. 3 Servite (8-2) vs. No. 6 Santa Margarita (6-4):

Santa Margarita is on a clear trajectory towards being a program that rises above the "enormous underdog" tier in the Division 1 playoffs. They played St. John Bosco just about evenly for a half in the spring season, and put together a very dominant second quarter this fall against Servite. SMCHS has one of the most well-balanced rosters in this field, and consistently plays with a rare combination of energy and chemistry. 4-star DT Hero Kanu is one of the very best DTs California has seen in the last few years, and this season has 51 tackles, 18 TFLs, nine sacks, and 15 QB-hurries despite being the focus of every opponent's game plan. Even without any other big-name stars with gaudy numbers on that end, the Eagles have an outstanding defense as usual, with underrated difference-makers all over the field. Some of the key names are CB Donovan Comestro, S Blake Wilson, DE LeVar Talley, and OLB Jake Bower. Their pass-heavy offense goes as 3-star QB Jaxon Potter does, with 3-star WRs Niko Lopez and Jalen Jones providing outstanding targets, and they can put points on just about anyone when everything is clicking. SM has a great O-line despite lacking huge names on it, and they run it just well to keep defenses honest. If someone said in 2019 that the Eagles would be the sixth seed in Division 1 and more year-over-year growth likely to come, some would've called them crazy, but here they are.

But the Friars have absolutely had their number this year, and there's no specific reason to point to expect that to change this week. In the spring, Servite won this matchup 42-13 without Tetairoa McMillan and Keyan Burnett – the best WR/TE duo in the country – and the Friars also owned the second half in this regular season's 48-21 win against SM. Those two plus 3-star QB Noah Fifita form an incredible big three, as if you haven't heard, and WRs Mikey Welsh and Wesley Taylor are key contributors to round out the passing game. Between Fifita's running ability and the emergence of RB Houston Thomas, defenses legitimate have to respect their running game even though they have the most big-play savvy passing in all of high school football. None of it would be possible against the competition they face if not for a great O-line led by Josiah Laban and Mason Graham. Graham, a 3-star Michigan commit for defense, is right up there with Kanu and Satele in terms of California's best IDLs of the last couple seasons, and LBs Jacob Manu and Aden Eckenweiler also anchor the hard-hitting, versatile front seven. McMillan has four picks in his first season starting at safety when he's not busy playing wideout better than anyone else in high school football, and CB Michael Hurst is an underrated lynchpin in the secondary, as is Emmett Mosley who missed Servite's last game with any injury.

When these two teams played last, Servite absolutely owned the first quarter to lead 21-0, Santa Margarita flipped the script in the second quarter and won it 14-0 – nearly by a good amount more – and finally the Friars pulled away pretty quickly in the third quarter. Servite is the heavy favorite to win by a good margin, but SM has had two games in the past seven months already to think about what they need to do to compete with the Friars. Was that second quarter rampage last time convincing enough for the Eagles to come out looking to be the aggressors this time around?