Division 3 Southern Section football playoff bracket preview: How far will Braydon Brus take Glendora?

The Southern Section released its 2021 high school football playoff brackets for all 14 divisions on Sunday. Ahead of the first round games on Nov. 5, we’re previewing every playoff division from D1 to D14.

The Southern Section released its 2021 high school football playoff brackets for all 14 divisions on Sunday. Ahead of the first round games on Nov. 5, we’re previewing every playoff division from D1 to D14. Since Division 1 won’t begin until next week, we started with Division 2 and have now moved to Division 3.

Here’s everything you need to know about the D3 bracket:

DIVISION 3 BRACKET | ALL CIF-SS FOOTBALL BRACKETS

TOP D3 FIRST-ROUND GAME

Every opening round game in Division 3 should be close, but the Chaminade (5-4) vs. Serra (5-4) rematch has the most intrigue. When these two teams first met in October, Serra used a pulverizing running game to win 16-12. The Cavaliers carried the ball 45 times for 284 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Cincere Rhaney had 18 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown. Serra QB Maalik Murphy only threw ten passes because he was coming back from a shoulder injury. He's healthier now and should be more involved in the offense on Friday.

Chaminade had trouble moving the ball on offense all night and defensively, although they came up with a few stops, the Eagles couldn't slow down the Serra run game when they needed to in the second half. Chaminade head coach Ed Croson is one of the best in the business and will have a few adjustments up his sleeve in this one. Look for Eagles' senior running back Paul Holyfield to have a big night.

The pick: Chaminade 24, Serra 23

TOP PLAYERS TO WATCH & FIRST ROUND PREDICTIONS

Apple Valley (7-3) vs. Citrus Valley (8-2): Apple Valley QB Jayden Denegal, a Michigan commit, missed last week's game against Burroughs with an injury and was replaced by sophomore Noah Celie. If Denegal is out again this week, that will make an already challenging road playoff game even tougher for the Sun Devils. Citrus Valley junior Brockton Lium has done a little bit of everything for the Blackhawks in 2021 including throwing ten TD passes, rushing for seven scores and catching seven touchdowns. He's Citrus Valley's main offensive threat.

The pick: Citrus Valley 28, Apple Valley 21

Downey (8-2) vs. Glendora (10-0): Tartans' senior Braydon Brus, a Northwestern commit, is one of the top high school football players in Southern California. Brus plays both running back and linebacker at an elite level. He's arguably the best individual player in Division 3. For Downey, senior QB Noah Paez has had a great season completing 78 of 124 passes for 1,221 yards, 15 touchdowns and two picks. His favorite target is senior receiver Isaiah Blair.

The pick: Glendora 24, Downey 21

Rancho Cucamonga (5-5) vs. Saugus (9-1): Rancho Cucamonga has been one of the most unpredictable teams in the Southern Section this season. On their good nights, they've won games that on paper they probably should have lost and on their bad nights, they've lost games that they probably should have won. Senior Cougars' QB Xavier Washington will be the x-factor against Saugus. He's had some incredible performances for Rancho Cucamonga in victories like when he tossed four TD's in last week's 45-44 overtime win over Damien. But when the Cougars fell to Chino Hills 20-6 last month, he had an off night. On the Saugus' side, the Centurions breezed through Foothill League play but haven't faced as tough of a schedule as Rancho. That could prove to be costly.

The pick: Rancho Cucamonga 35, Saugus 28

Roosevelt (6-4) vs. San Clemente (7-3): Roosevelt has the better offense, but San Clemente has the better defense. Which unit will win out? The Tritons playing at home gives them an advantage.

The pick: San Clemente 21, Roosevelt 20

Ayala (9-1) vs. Foothill (9-1): Foothill is a dark horse title contender with Brody Jones under center. The senior's completed 92 of 156 passes for 1,411 yards, 17 touchdowns and only two picks against a fairly tough schedule this season. Ayala's had a great year as well, but it looks like the Bulldogs are a year away from a deep playoff run. They have a lot of underclassmen contributors.

The pick: Foothill 28, Ayala 20

Loyola (7-3) vs. Villa Park (7-3): These two teams have a lot in common. For starters, both are .500 in games decided by one score. Loyola is 3-3 in those games and Villa Park is 2-2. Both teams also lost their final league game by one point last week. This one feels like a "whoever has the ball last will win" type of game. Cubs' running back Tahj Owens should have a big night after finishing over the 1,000-yard mark during the regular season.

The pick: Loyola 30, Villa Park 28

Oak Hills (9-1) vs. Etiwanda (10-0): Etiwanda's reward for going 10-0 and winning the Baseline League is a home playoff game against a scrappy Oak Hills team. The Bulldogs have one of the best defenses in Division 3 led by senior linebacker Buddha Peleti. Slowing down Etiwanda's offense has been a challenge for the majority of teams on the Eagles' schedule so far this season though. Senior running back/receiver Jordan Williams has scored 14 touchdowns for the Eagles this year. This game should be a fantastic matchup.

The pick: Oak Hills 24, Etiwanda 21

WHO WILL WIN THE D3 TITLE?

From the top half of the bracket, Citrus Valley, Glendora and Rancho Cucamonga are all title contenders. From the bottom half, the Oak Hills-Etiwanda winner has a great chance to make the title game. In all honesty, this division is as wide open as it gets. When picking a winner is this challenging, going with the No. 1 seed makes a lot of sense, so Citrus Valley gets the nod. That's the pick.