Local football teams enter playoff brackets with varied seeds

The CIF Southern Section released its football playoff brackets for all 14 divisions on Sunday morning. Thirteen schools from the Long Beach area qualified for the postseason.

Long Beach Poly enters the tournament as a No. 15 seed in Division 3. The Jackrabbits finished the regular season with a 6-4 record. They were placed just two spots above the threshold for the No. 1 seed in Division 4.

First-round action begins Friday evening at 7 p.m. Long Beach Poly will travel to Norco, the No. 2 seed in Division 3. Norco finished the season 7-3 and is on a four-game winning streak. The Moore League champions shut out their four league opponents by a combined score of 199-0. Poly’s best win this season was a 24-7 victory over Downey on Aug. 21.

Travon Patterson, the first-year head coach at Long Beach Poly, said the staff accepted the bracket as it came. “I like the draw,” Patterson said. “Honestly, it wasn’t in our control. So whatever bracket they placed us in we just had to be ready. Now that we’re aware that we’re in Division 3, we just approach this game like any other. One game at a time and play Poly football.”

St. John Bosco, the No. 4 seed in Division 1, received a first-round bye. The Braves finished 7-3 and third in the Trinity League. They will host Orange Lutheran, the No. 5 seed, in the quarterfinals on Nov. 13. Bosco defeated Orange Lutheran 28-14 in league play on Oct. 9, avenging a 20-19 loss to the Lancers in the 2025 playoffs.

Other local teams also have first-round games scheduled for Friday. Downey, the No. 4 seed in Division 4, hosts Newbury Park. The Vikings finished 6-4 and second in the Gateway League. La Mirada, the No. 4 seed in Division 7, hosts Paloma Valley. Millikan, the No. 16 seed in Division 7, travels to La Cañada. Paramount, the No. 16 seed in Division 7, plays at San Dimas.

Bellflower, the No. 2 seed in Division 8, hosts Valley Christian. The Buccaneers are on a two-game winning streak after a 42-0 win over Gahr. Compton, the No. 1 seed in Division 9, hosts Ramona. The Tarbabes are on a four-game winning streak. Gahr, the No. 1 seed in Division 10, hosts Norte Vista. Dominguez, the No. 2 seed in Division 11, hosts Pacific. Artesia, the No. 1 seed in Division 12, hosts Heritage. Centennial, the No. 4 seed in Division 14, hosts Pioneer.

All first-round games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. The St. John Bosco quarterfinal against Orange Lutheran is set for Nov. 13. The brackets determine the path for each team through the tournament.