California (CIF) Central Coast Section football high school playoff brackets (11/9/2025)

Top seeds in the 40-team, 5-division playoffs are Riordan (Open/D1), St. Ignatius (D2), Woodside (D3), Branham (D4) and Piedmont Hills (D5)

Riordan 2026 QB Michael Mitchell leads the top-seeded Crusaders in the Open/Division 1 Central Coast Section playoffs. The Vanderbilt-bound quarterback has thrown for 9,613 career yards and 116 career touchdowns. / Photo: Eric Taylor

The Central Coast Section released its football playoff brackets Sunday, and there’s plenty of San Francisco interest. 

Archbishop Riordan (10-0), which captured its first West Catholic Athletic League title Friday with a 42-35 win at Serra, is the top seed in the Open/Division 1 bracket. 

Riordan opens with a first-round game at home at 1 p.m. Saturday against Salinas (7-3). All but five of the 20 first-round playoff games are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday. The rest are 1 p.m. on Saturday. 

The teams could very well face off again in two weeks. In the Open/D1 division, the top two seeds — Serra (6-4) is No. 2 — are placed into the top half of the bracket with the winner of the Week 2 game claiming the Open championship. The loser of that game advances to face the bottom half bracket winner for the D1 championship in Week 3. 

In Division 2, St. Francisco rivals St. Ignatius (No. 1) and Sacred Heart Cathedral (2) are the top two seeds and are hoping to repeat 2011 when the Wildcats and Irish met for a section title. St. Ignatius won that year, 21-14 for the D3 championship in front of 12,000 fans at then Pac Bell Park (now Oracle). 

St. Ignatius earned the top seeds and third straight win with a 23-14 win over the Irish in the Bruce-Mahoney Game at Kezar Stadium. 

Other top seeds are Woodside (D3), Branham-San Jose (D4) and Piedmont Hills-San Jose (D5). 

Defending champions are St. Ignatius (Open), St. Francis (D1), Wilcox (D2), Carmel (D3), Sacred Heart Prep (D4) and Leland (D5).

2025 CENTRAL COAST SECTION BRACKETS

(All first-round games below are 7 p.m. Friday Nov. 14, unless noted)

* Click on each header to see entire bracket/playoff pick'em

OPEN/DIVISION 1

No. 8 Salinas (7-3) at No. 1 Riordan (10-0), 1 p.m. Saturday

No. 7 Mitty (6-4) at No. 2 Serra (6-4), 1 p.m. Saturday

No. 6 St. Francis (5-5) at No. 3 Los Gatos (7-3)

No. 5 Soquel (9-1) at No. 4 Palma (10-0)

Note: First-round winners in top half of bracket play for Open championship in Week 2, with loser advancing to face bottom half bracket winner for D1 championship in Week 3.

DIVISION 2

No. 6 North Salinas (5-5) at No. 3 Santa Teresa (10-0)

No. 7 Wilcox (6-4) vs. No. 2 Sacred Heart Cathedral at CCSF, 1 p.m. Saturday

No. 5 King’s Academy (9-1) at No. 4 Menlo School (8-2), 1 p.m. Saturday

No. 8 Alisal (5-5) at No. 1 St. Ignatius (4-6)

DIVISION 3

No. 6 Stevenson (9-1) at No. 3 Menlo-Atherton

No. 7 Sacred Heart Prep (5-5) vs. No. 2 Carmel at Monterey Peninsula College

No. 5 King City (9-1) at No. 4 Live Oak (8-2)

No. 8 San Mateo (7-3) at No. 1 Woodside (10-0)

DIVISION 4

No. 6 Scotts Valley (8-2) at No. 3 Lincoln-San Jose (7-3)

No. 7 San Lorenzo Valley (8-2) at No. 2 Willow Glen (8-2)

No. 5 Half Moon Bay (7-3) at No. 4 Burlingame (6-4)

No. 8 Christopher (5-5) at No. 1 Branham (5-5)

DIVISION 5

No. 6 South San Francisco (5-5) at No. 3 Terra Nova (7-3)

No. 7 Santa Cruz (7-3) at No. 2 Sobrato (6-4), 1 p.m. Saturday

No. 5 Pioneer (6-4) at No. 4 Jefferson (8-2)

No. 8 San Jose (7-3) at No. 1 Piedmont Hills (7-3)