2026 CIF LA City Section Playoffs: Quarterfinal Predictions

Playoff football is officially in full swing in Southern California as all four divisions in the CIF LA City Section playoffs will play this week after a bye week for the Open Division.

The Open Division will see a long-awaited rematch between Cleveland and Crenshaw, while Division 1 will see two run heavy teams, University and Garfield, take on pass heavy teams in their respective matchups.

Division 2 and 3 has games that can potentially come down to the wire as the weather forecasted for Friday night will surely impact games across all the four divisions as well.

Here is a closer look at the top matchups in the quarterfinals, a quick analysis, and predictions,

Open Division

No. 7 Dorsey at No. 2 San Pedro

After a bye week, The CIF LA City Section Open Division officially kicks off this Friday. Dorsey will travel to San Pedro and hope to pull off an upset. San Pedro is an established contender and has years of experience in the Open Division.

Dorsey is still relatively new to the Open Division which adds a chip on their shoulder to prove that they are a new contender in the City Section. San Pedro has shown more consistency this season.

The pick: San Pedro

No. 6 Crenshaw at No. 3 Cleveland

Cleveland, who is making their debut in the Open Division, will host a familiar opponent on Friday when they host Crenshaw.

Earlier this season, Cleveland upset Crenshaw 24-18 which ultimately led to a 10-0 record, West Valley League title, and a berth in the Open Division.

Crenshaw will be motivated to avenge their regular season loss and come out of the gates shooting. Crenshaw has momentum on their side as they ended the regular season on a two-game winning streak and have key players returning from injury.

Cleveland already has the win over Crenshaw once but it is hard to beat a team twice. If anyone can scheme a successful game plan against the same team on two separate occasions, it is Cleveland Head Coach Mario Guzman.

The pick: Cleveland

Division 1

No. 6 Garfield as No. 3 Venice

Both Garfield and Venice won their first round matchups by landslide margins. Garfield beat Taft 49-7 and Venice beat Bell 37-0.

For Venice, the gameplan is straightforward. Stopping the run. If Venice can stop the run and force Garfield to open up their playbook, Venice has a legitimate chance to beat Garfield.

However, Garfield’s offense has shown no signs of slowing down but Venice can provide a real test for the Bulldogs.

Venice has shown difficulty stopping the run at times and will need to be disciplined in order to keep senior star running back Ceasar Reyes quiet.

The pick: Garfield

No. 9 University at No. 1 Kennedy

Kennedy lived up to their No.1 seeding after a 57-22 thrashing of Fairfax. The Golden Cougars high-powered offense is undoubtedly one of the reasons Kennedy is a contender to win the title.

Kennedy will face their biggest test of the year, so far, when University, who prides themselves in being physical, tough, and disciplined comes to town. University scraped a win against Granada Hills 28-26.

University has impressive size on their line as all of their linemen are at least 6-foot tall and over 220 pounds. That is something that University will try to use to their advantage.

Something to keep an eye on is the weather. Rain is forecasted on Friday night which favors run-heavy teams. University, a run-heavy team, will hope to use the weather to their advantage.

However, Kennedy has shown time and time again that they can score at will and regardless of weather.

The pick: Kennedy

Division 2

No. 9 Arleta at No. 1 Jefferson

Jefferson is on a roll after a 43-0 victory over Gardena. Jefferson has a group of athletes that will be hard to contain in Division 2.

Senior Akiel Miller, Junior Shai Gant who transferred from Cathedral, and Sophomore Roshaun Brown make up Jefferson's core of skill positions.

Those are the type of athletes that do not normally play for a Division two program in the City Section. Arleta, who has years of experience in Division two, is up for the challenge and will look to pull off an upset.

The pick: Jefferson

No. 12 Marquez at No. 4 Franklin

Marquez has the best player in this division, and arguably the City Section, 4-Star Cal Commit Elyjah Staples. He alone gives defensive coordinators headaches to scheme around.

Marquez is battle tested after playing a tough non-league schedule and the coliseum league. On the other hand, Franklin is entering this game on a 4-game winning streak after defeating Hollywood 47-13. Whoever establishes a run game will come out victorious.

The pick: Franklin

Division 3

No. 6 Westchester at No. 3 Van Nuys

After finishing the regular season winless, Westchester won its first round matchup 18-12 against Rancho Dominguez. They will travel to Van Nuys to face a disciplined opponent.

Van Nuys is coming off a 20-15 victory over DMAC in the first round. This game will be evenly matched. Van Nuys is hosting and will have home field advantage.

The pick: Van Nuys

No. 7 Wilson at No. 2 South East

Two high-powered offenses will clash on Friday night. South East is coming off a 40-7 victory over Fremont, while Wilson is coming off a 48-8 victory over Fremont.

South East has more athleticism, while Wilson has the size advantage on the offensive and defensive line.

The pick: South East

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