Top 10 Southern California high school football games to watch this week (Oct. 27-29)

The Southern, L.A. City, and San Diego Sections are all filled with league championship games

Unbelievably, the playoffs are already just a week away. That means it's already time for the last 'games of the week' edition of 2022. And it's ripe with exciting league games – mostly title games – across all three of SoCal's CIF sections.  

Here are the top 10 games to watch this week (Oct. 27-29) in Southern California high school football.

FULL SECTION SCHEDULES: SOUTHERN | LA CITY | SAN DIEGO

TOP 10 SOCAL FOOTBALL GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEK:

(Games are 7 p.m. Friday unless noted otherwise.)

10. Vista Murrieta at Murrieta Valley

While the battle for Murrieta doesn't have a league title on the line this year, it's still a high-profile showdown between two good teams, and it rarely disappoints.

After Vista Murrieta spoiled MVHS' senior night in the spring season by a score of 51-41, the Nighthawks avenged the loss by winning 49-48 on the road last season. This year, unlike the last few, they come in as a clear favorite. But the Broncos are potent, and it wouldn't be surprising if they play their best football yet in this one.

9. Central (El Centro) at Brawley

An intriguing three-horse race for first place in the Imperial Valley League comes to a head this week. After winning in overtime at Imperial two weeks ago, the Wildcats look to pull what would be a bit of an upset at home on Friday against Central. Unlike Brawley, Central took care of third place Imperial without much of a problem, routing the Tigers 34-0. Still, they'll need to bring their A-game here.

8. Edison at Corona del Mar

Photo by Heston Quan

For the third straight season, Edison versus Corona del Mar is the silver medal game in the Sunset League. And it might prove to be a very good game for the third straight season as well. 

Edison won a quintuple-overtime thriller in the COVID-shortened spring season before winning another one-score game last season. That one was a 28-20 final that wasn't quite as close as the score indicated, but was well-contested nonetheless.

This time, the Chargers are the favorite to win by more than one score, but Corona del Mar is still hitting its stride. Injuries slowed the Sea Kings down through more than half the regular season, and there's a good chance that this year's group is still showing what it can do. If they have another gear, this is probably the week they reach it, in which case another instant classic might be in store.

7. Serra (Gardena) at Chaminade

If the Cavaliers didn't forfeit their league-opening win over Notre Dame, there would be a three-way tie atop the Mission League right now and this would be a league championship game. As a result, it doesn't have the hype it otherwise would, but it should still be an outstanding game between two teams looking for a big dub before the playoffs. Between these defenses, first to 20 points probably wins.

6. JSerra at Orange Lutheran

Currently at 4-5, the Lions are at risk of being by far the best team in the Southern Section to miss the playoffs. A loss on Friday, and a losing record, wouldn't officially eliminate them from playoff contention, but it would make their path to getting an at-large bid significantly less likely.

The good news for JSerra is that a win this week is far from out of the question. The bad news is, the odds will be against them facing Orange Lutheran on the road. OLu is looking to cement an undisputed top-three finish in Trinity League play for the first time since 2009, and is unlikely to slow down during the home stretch.

5. Venice at Palisades – Friday at 7:30 p.m.

There are two "Western League" title bouts this week taking place roughly 150 miles away from each other, and both are in our top five games of the week. In this one, Gondoliers are tasked with riding through a den of Dolphins as both teams try to prove that they are title-worthy.

Palisades currently projects as a Division 1 contender in the L.A. City Section, but a win against Venice would boost it well into the Open Division. And maybe into Open Division contention. The Dolphins already have a loss to another LACS foe in Cleveland by 20 points, but if they're a much better team than they were six weeks ago, a conference title and Open Division playoff run might be in the question. And a well-contested loss would help solidify them as a heavyweight in Division 1.

The clear favorite this week, Venice is already ranked near the top of the City Section, with its only intra-section loss coming 20-7 against top-ranked San Pedro. A win here would give the Gondoliers a league title and seven-game winning streak heading into the playoffs. But an upset loss would be very ill-timed.

4. Granite Hills (El Cajon) at Helix

Even though the Grossmont Hills League slate is only three games per team, it's culminated in what should be an outstanding championship on Friday. 

Granite Hills has once again gone under the radar to turn in an excellent regular season, and Helix has once again been in the discussion of San Diego's best teams all season long. Both squads currently project as Division 1 title threats, and on paper, they couldn't be more closely matched. With a league title on the line, this is a must-watch.

3. Oaks Christian at St. Bonaventure – Thursday at 7 p.m.

It's been a great Marmonte League race this season, and the Lions and Seraphs have both managed to remain unbeaten within it. While Oaks Christian is the clear favorite to finish the job this week, the gap is thin, and it's hard to imagine anyone counting St. Bonaventure out. Especially after they've beaten all their common opponents by particularly similar scores/margins.

This may or may not be significant, but St. Bonaventure is unbeaten at home on the season. Its 3-0 home record to 3-3 road record might be a major factor this week in such a close matchup. But seeing as those losses came to highly-ranked foes Lincoln (San Diego), Inglewood, and Oak Hills, it might be dismissible. Either way, Thursday should be a movie.

2. San Pedro at Banning (Wilmington) – Friday at 7:30 p.m.

The aforementioned Pirates are one win away from entering the playoffs as the unquestionable team to beat in the City Section. A win on Friday against rival Banning would also solidify a sweep of the Marine League and undefeated regular season. Their chances are good, but the rival Pilots have taken care of league competition just as easily as Pedro has. 

Banning is the clear underdog here, but this could be the game of the year in the LACS. And maybe a finals preview to boot.

1. Madison at Lincoln (San Diego)

Phot by Steven Silva

We've had quite a few "potential San Diego Section game of the year" candidates near or at the top of this list. Here's another.

There's been a sense since before the season started that it might just be senior-heavy Madison's year. Whether that means a league title, an Open Division section title, or both, the Warhawks' opportunity to clinch both a Western League title and an undefeated regular season has arrived. But the Hornets are also having an outstanding 2022, in addition to having a very talented core. 

With neither team having any losses against CIFSDS competition, it's a tossup. And whoever wins this game will be a favorite to make the Open Division finals a few weeks down the road.

MORE GAMES TO WATCH:

In any given week of California high school football, there are dozens of great games to watch between top programs. Here are some other exciting SoCal matchups happening this week:

Granada Hills Charter at El Camino Real

Poway at Rancho Bernardo

San Clemente at Tesoro

South Gate at Roosevelt (L.A.)

Chaparral at Roosevelt (Eastvale)

La Costa Canyon at Torrey Pines

Newbury Park at Camarillo

Santa Fe Christian at Bishop's

El Dorado at Canyon (Anaheim)

La Jolla at Mira Mesa

Santa Margarita at St. John Bosco

Gardena at Carson

Great Oak at Temecula Valley

Bishop Diego at Simi Valley

Cypress at Crean Lutheran

Valley Center at Ramona

Upland at Rancho Cucamonga

Eagle Rock at Lincoln (L.A.)

Peninsula at Palos Verdes

Del Norte (San Diego) at Thousand Oaks

Ayala at Bonita

Etiwanda at Damien

San Marcos (Oceanside) at Mission Hills

Norco at Corona Centennial

Beaumont at Yucaipa

Newport Harbor at Huntington Beach

Quartz Hill at Highland

Golden Valley (Santa Clarita) at Saugus

Downey (Downey) at La Mirada

Rio Mesa at Ventura

Redondo Union at Mira Costa

Buena at Pacifica (Oxnard)

St. Francis at Loyola

Orange Vista at Rancho Verde

Villa Park at Foothill (Santa Ana)

Summit at Jurupa Hills