High School

CIF State Football Bowl Game pairings announced: De La Salle vs. Santa Margarita tops the list

Top Division 1-AA games feature Cathedral Catholic, Los Alamitos, Riordan and Folsom; 56 section champions will clash starting with regional play Friday and Saturday

Mitch Stephens

Santa Margarita (blue) will take on De La Salle in the CIF Open Division Bowl Championship on Dec. 13 at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo.
Santa Margarita (blue) will take on De La Salle in the CIF Open Division Bowl Championship on Dec. 13 at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. / Terry Jack

The California Interscholastic Federation just released its pairings for regional Football Championship Bowl games and there were few surprises.

That's because only champions from each of the 10 sections qualify for the next round of games. That's a whopping total of 56 teams.

Only two teams bypass the regional round and that's the Open Division game which pits the top two teams from each region, in this case De La Salle of Concord (North) against Santa Margarita from the South.

That game is already scheduled for 8 p.m. Dec. 13 at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo.

The regional games are slated for Friday and Saturday (Dec. 5-6) with the winners from the South playing the winners from the North in championship games, all scheduled for either Saddleback College, Buena Park High School Stadium or Fullerton Union High School District Stadium.

CIF REGIONAL FOOTBALL PAIRINGS

DIVISION 1–AA
North: Archbishop Riordan, San Francisco (12-0) at Folsom (12-1) – Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
*South: Cathedral Catholic (10-2) vs. Los Alamitos (12-2) at Long Beach CC – Fri., Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

DIVISION 1–A
North: Central East, Fresno (11-1) at Pittsburg (12-1) – Saturday, Dec. 6 at 6:00 p.m.
*South: Pacifica, Oxnard (14-0) at Granite Hills (10-3) – Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7:00 p.m.

DIVISION 2–AA
North: Serra, San Mateo (8-5) at St. Mary’s, Stockton (11-2) – Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
South: La Habra (11-3) at Bakersfield Christian (12-0) – Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

DIVISION 2–A
North: Woodcreek, Roseville (12-1) at Sonora (13-0) – Saturday, Dec. 6 at 6:00 p.m.
South: Rio Hondo Prep (14-0) vs. Santa Fe Christian (13-0) at Carlsbad HS – Sat., Dec. 6 at 6:00 p.m.

DIVISION 3–AA
North: Monte Vista, Danville (8-5) at St. Ignatius, S.F. (7-6) – Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:00 p.m.
South: Ventura (11-2) at Arroyo Grande (9-4) – Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

DIVISION 3–A
North: Roseville (11-2) at McClymonds (10-2) – Saturday, Dec. 6 at 6:00 p.m.
South: RF Kennedy, Delano (11-3) at Carson (10-3) – Saturday, Dec. 6 at 6:00 p.m.

DIVISION 4–AA
North: Sutter (12-1) vs. Ferndale (13-0) at Cal Poly Humboldt – Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
South: Immanuel, Reedley (13-0) at Barstow (10-3) – Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

DIVISION 4–A
North: El Cerrito (11-2) at Menlo-Atherton (7-6) – Saturday, Dec. 6 at 6:00 p.m.
South: Hillcrest, Riverside (8-5) vs. Beckman, Irvine (9-4) at Tustin HS – Saturday, Dec. 6 at 6:00 p.m.

DIVISION 5–AA
North: Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland (9-4) at Chico (11-2) – Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
South: Christian, El Cajon (7-7) at Valley Christian, Cerritos (11-3) – Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

DIVISION 5–A
North: Miramonte, Orinda (8-5) at Calaveras, San Andreas (11-2) – Saturday, Dec. 6 at 6:00 p.m.
South: Bishop Union (11-3) at South Gate (11-3) – Saturday, Dec. 6 at 6:00 p.m.

DIVISION 6–AA
North: Gridley (13-0) at Lincoln, San Jose (7-5) – Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
South: Valley View, Moreno Valley (9-5) at Valley Center (7-6) – Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

DIVISION 6–A
North: Winters (12-1) at Minarets, O’Neal’s (12-1) – Saturday, Dec. 6 at 6:00 p.m.
South: Morse, San Diego (9-4) vs. Grace, Simi Valley (11-3) at Moorpark College – Sat., Dec. 6 at 6:00 p.m.

DIVISION 7–AA
North: Redding Christian, Palo Cedro (13-0) at Middletown (11-2) – Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
South: San Fernando (5-8) vs. Woodbridge, Irvine (6-8) at University HS – Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

DIVISION 7–A
North: Piedmont Hills, San Jose (10-3) at Balboa, S.F. (10-2) – Saturday, Dec. 6 at 12:30 p.m.
South: Santee (10-4) at South El Monte (10-4) – Saturday, Dec. 6 at 6:00 p.m.

Published |Modified
Mitch Stephens
MITCH STEPHENS

Mitch Stephens is a senior editor at SBLive Sports for California, a state he's covered high school sports since 1984. He won multiple CNPA and CPSWA writing awards with the Contra Costa Times, San Francisco Chronicle and MaxPreps.com before joining the SBLive staff in 2022. He's covered the beat nationally since 2007, profiling such athletes as Derrick Henry, Paige Bueckers, Patrick Mahomes, Sabrina Ionescu, Jayson Tatum, Chiney Ogwumike, Jeremy Lin and Najee Harris as preps. You can reach him at mitch@scorebooklive.com.

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