Strange bedfellows make marquee match-up in Pac-5
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Some might contend that the first-round matchup between two league champions -- Tesoro vs. Mater Dei -- would be the highlight of the first weekend of the Pac-5 playoffs. It’s intriguing, to be sure. But it’s not the marquee matchup.
That distinction belongs to two teams from opposite ends of Orange County that are perceived in far different ways.
Even though Mission Viejo (6-3-1) tied for second place in the South Coast League, its game against fourth-seeded Orange Lutheran (8-1) -- the Trinity League tri-champion but the designated second-place team -- is the biggest game of the first round of the Southern Section playoffs.
Lutheran is the defending champion of the division, and Mission Viejo has OC’s best program of the decade. The Diablos were in the finals four times from 2001-04, and won three titles.
“When you think of Orange County the last seven or eight years, Mission Viejo has been the No. 1 power,” said Jim Kunau, who coached Lutheran to last year’s Division II state bowl championship. “It’s sort of bad news/good news. On one hand, you feel like you draw a team that you would normally see in the semifinals or finals, but because they’re such a great power, our kids will be excited to play such a great team.
‘It doesn’t seem like a normal first-round game.’
Bob Johnson, Mission Viejo’s coach, said he was surprised at such a first-round matchup, but he’s not used to being a second-place team, either: ‘We’ve got to play the defending CIF champs and one of the best teams in the division, everyone knows that. They had that one hiccup against Servite, but they’re a very talented group. We’re one of the few schools they haven’t played, and we’ve been ranked ahead of them. I’m sure that will be a point of emphasis for them.’
Lutheran has some terrific players such as TE/DE Blake Ayles and RB/LB Ricky Pemasa, while Mission Viejo counters with junior QB Allan Bridgford and WR Warren Reuland.
There are contrasts, too. Lutheran is from North OC, and Mission Viejo is from the South. One is a Christian school, the other’s nickname means ‘Devil’ in Spanish. People don’t confuse the personalities of the head coaches, either.
There’s a lot of interesting things about this pairing, and it has the makings of a great matchup.
PAC-5 (I)
Santa Margarita (At-large/Trinity 4, 5-4) at Long Beach Poly (Moore 1, 9-1)
Newport Harbor (Sunset T3, 7-3) at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (Serra 2, 8-2)
Compton (Moore 3, 8-2) at Edison (Sunset T1, 7-3)
Mission Viejo (South Coast T2, 6-3-1) at Orange Lutheran (Trinity T1, 8-1)
San Clemente (South Coast T2, 7-2-1) at Servite (Trinity T1, 7-2)
Lakewood (Moore 2, 7-3) at Esperanza (Sunset T1, 9-1)
Mater Dei (Trinity T1, 8-1) at Tesoro (South Coast 1, 7-3)
Millikan (Moore 4, 7-3) at Crespi (Serra 1, 8-2)
- Martin Henderson