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We made it — the last Friday night of the high school football regular season. But it never comes without drama ...
The final week of the season is highlighted by winner-takes-all league title matchups and must-win games for teams trying to earn an automatic playoff berth from their respective leagues.
Tarek Fattal and Aram Tolegian will host a special edition FATTAL FACTOR on Sunday morning, November 1 where we'll reveal the 2026 CIF Southern Section football playoff brackets and pairings.
The broadcast will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the playoff brackets will be revealed at 10 a.m. sharp starting with Division 1.
Winner will lift the Mission League crown. Sierra Canyon is a heavy favorite at home and has won the Mission League each season since it joined in 2022. Amat hasn't won a league title since 2021.
High school football fans and pundits will keep an eye on this one for a few reasons:
Sierra Canyon will want to keep its computer ranking as high as possible before embarking on the Division 1 playoffs, so that could mean the Trailblazers run the score up.
For Amat, the question becomes, 'How do you play this one?'
If the game gets out of hand quickly, do you pull your starters and set your eyes on a legit Division 2 championship run? Do you keep your starters in no matter what and risk injury?
The pick: Sierra Canyon
Winners takes the Alpha League title in this one. San Juan Hills already took down previously-unbeaten San Clemente last week, 16-0, so why not Mission Viejo?
The result of this game could impact the shape of the Division 1 playoffs, especially if San Juan Hills win. Mission Viejo is currently ranked No. 7 in the computer rankings. San Juan Hills is No. 13.
The pick: Mission Viejo
A winner-takes-all tilt for the Gateway League. Downey is the more battle-tested team with losses to Long Beach Poly, Capo Valley and Inglewood — which makes them the favorite in this game.
But La Serna has been gearing up for this game, seemingly, all season. This will be a business trip on the road Friday night. I think Grady Long and Landon Armenta get it done for the Lancers.
The pick: La Serna
Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme ... Valencia and Hart battling for a Foothill League title. Both teams are 5-0 in league play with everything to play for out in the Santa Clarita Valley.
The Vikings are more balanced with a young quarterback in Evan McCalister and experienced running back Nico Funez. Hart is star heavy on do-it-all senior Matix Frithsmith.
The pick: Valencia