Southern Section Division 11 quarterfinals football preview: Recapping the first round, second-round matchups, best players, predictions

Jordan looks like the team to beat after one week of the CIFSS Division 11 playoffs.

The first round of the CIF Southern Section football playoffs is already behind us, so we're taking an in-depth look at the Division 11 playoff field from the quarterfinals onward. Here’s everything you need to know about the D11 bracket heading into the quarterfinals:

DIVISION 11 BRACKET | ALL CIF-SS FOOTBALL BRACKETS

BEST FIRST ROUND WIN: Jordan 46, Rim of the World 21

Rim of the World entered its first round playoff matchup 8-1 with its only loss coming against St. Margaret's (Division 9). After the Fighting Scots defeated Granite Valley – who's still a contender in this bracket – 42-36 in their regular season finale, it was no secret that they were one of the teams to beat in D11. But Jordan, battle-tested from a challenging regular season schedule, jumped out to a 27-7 lead and never looked back.

OTHER FIRST ROUND SCORES:

• Village Christian 35, Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary 20
• Twentynine Palms 33, Miller 6
• Granite Hills 47, Grand Terrace 42
• Torrance 19, Burroughs (Burbank) 14
• Vista del Lago 7, Nordhoff 0
• Northwood 35, Big Bear 21
• Riverside Poly 49, Baldwin Park 22

TOP PLAYERS TO WATCH & PREDICTIONS:

Village Christian (9-1) @ Twentynine Palms (8-1):

In its first round win against Cantwell-Sacred Heart, Village Christian had its work cut out for it against a vaunted front seven, but came out victorious. QB Nate Bennett threw for 293 yards and four touchdowns on over 60% completion, RB Logan Everett had 24 carries for 154 yards and a TD (no other Crusaders else ran the ball), and RB/WR Ryan Dellutri caught for 131 yards and three TDs. WR/SS Julius Oliver was their second-leading receiver, and also had an interception. Lastly, while Village Christian didn't rack up a ton of sacks/tackles for loss, they did total an impressive 11 QB-hurries of their own.

The Wildcats ran right over Miller led by dual-threat QB Luke Sidhu and RB Aiden Sullivan. They weren't able to establish their passing game in that one, but that didn't stop them from having an effective offensive night. Their defense was even better, holding the Rebels to a season-low six points, and here's a good reason to believe that they can replicate that success against other teams. Miller QB Andrew Ridge was able to complete 15 of his 24 passes, and found creases to run the ball 13 times, but was still held to 117 passing yards, 70 rushing yards, and one total touchdown for the team all game. Those numbers are indicative of a team tailoring a specific game plan and executing on it very well.

Village Christian has one of the most balanced offenses in the division and stops the run very well. On paper, that makes it a really tough matchup for run-centric Twentynine Palms.

The pick: Village Christian 32, Twentynine Palms 27

Jordan (6-5) @ Granite Hills (8-3) at Apple Valley:

Jordan is one of the fastest teams in the division, and that caused problems for Rim of the World on both sides of the ball last week. The Panthers did most of their offensive damage on the ground, where RBs Damian Henderson and Jordan Washington were in control, and QB Makhi Travis is also a major threat to use his legs. Their passing game isn't a primary strength, which it is for their upcoming opponent, but they can do enough aerial damage to keep defenses from completely loading up on the run game. Washington and Jeremie McGurn, another RB/SB, are not only offensive threats but leaders on defense as well at DB and DE, respectively.

The Cougars are led offensively by pro-style QB Byron Rivas, who's arguably the best passer in this field, RB Kameron Smith, and WR/RB Malik Kinney, who's also an important DB. They have more two-way impact players in star LB Lance Henderson, who also is a factor at OL, RB/DE Jeremy Hughes, and WR/FS Theodore Wiggins. They turn almost every game into a shootout, and they're comfortable executing on offense in close games – last week's barnburner against Grand Terrace was a good example.

The storyline coming in looks to be Granite Hills' offensive firepower against Jordan's swarming defense. Jordan's offense will have to keep up with a more consistently explosive group, but the Cougars' aren't a defensive dynamo, and the Panthers' offense is peaking at the right time. Their 46 points last week was pretty dang convincing, and even when their offense struggles, their special teams offense and ballhawking secondary both make plays. Another bad sign for Granite Hills is that Jordan's last victim, Rim of the World, beat Granite Hills the week before the playoffs. Either way, this could very well be the best game of the first round, and whoever wins has a strong case to make as the favorite to win it all.

The pick: Jordan 39, Granite Hills 34

Northwood (6-5) @ Riverside Poly (7-4):

The Timberwolves put an abrupt end to Big Bear's nine-game winning streak and outstanding season last week. They kept a well-balanced offense in check, and made a front seven that has given all its opponents nightmares look relatively harmless. Northwood played the toughest non-league schedule of anyone left in Division 11, and although they took their knocks, they saw some good competition and played some more talented teams closely before sweeping their four-team league. That's a good season construct for a playoff hopeful, and no one should want to play a squad that gave two D9 teams and a D10 team runs for their money.

Similarly, Poly's first round win was arguably its best of the year, and balance is a strength for the Bears as well. Their first round win was a testament to that, as RB Angel Sanchez ran for three touchdowns, QB/RB Michael Luna ran for two touchdowns, TE Ethan Jackson had a TD run and 97 receiving yards, WR Bailey Brown caught for 85 yards and a touchdown, and QB William Cloake V completed 21 of 27 passes for 270 yards. The Bears only had one turnover in their big win, and without forcing many turnovers themselves, they kept a very potent Baldwin Park offense in check. Many of those players are also impact players on defense, and Brown (DB) and Luna (ILB) are arguably the two best defensive players on the team, in addition to CB/ATH Ben Medure.

Riverside Poly has the edge here, especially as the home team, but don't count Northwood out from sending some Bears home for the second week in a row.

The pick: Riverside Poly 30, Northwood 28

Vista del Lago (8-3) @ Torrance (7-4):

Hope you like it low-scoring, because this is a battle of probably the two best defenses left in the field. VdL only scored seven points last week but that was fine – the Ravens won their third straight shutout win to beat Nordhoff. That's three straight games without allowing a single point, and the first of those three came against none other than Riverside Poly, 17-0, for a league title. They've got it on lock across the whole field, from star DE Tyree Mitchell leading them to 30 sacks as a team so far this season, to DB Kuestin Davis with five of the team's 15 interceptions. LB Thomas Kupka is one of numerous other impact players on that end. VdL's offense hasn't been firing on all cylinders lately, but they have enough talent to be competitive on that end too, led by dual-threat QB Jaylen Patterson and RB Hector Cerrato.

The Tartars are also dealing with their offense not peaking at the right time, but they're unbeaten outside of league play. And plus, while they only scored 19 points in their win against Burroughs last week, that's 19 points on another one of the best defenses in the division – and they might not allow 19 points again this season. Torrance has a whopping three nationally-ranked prospects on defense: DE Jesse Toilolo, DL Jordan Sanders, and S Marcus Tialavea, plus one on offense in OL Kavika Fitisemanu. The following might be our lowest-scoring prediction of the playoffs:

The pick: Vista del Lago 14, Torrance 10

WHO WILL WIN THE D11 TITLE?

Finals prediction: Jordan 21, Vista del Lago 14