Mater Dei will use Orange Coast College as its home field Friday when the Monarchs play Rancho Cucamonga in a CIF-Southern Section Division 1 football semifinal playoff game.
The Monarchs usually use Santa Ana Stadium as their home field. Santa Ana also has a semifinal home game Friday, in Division 13. Priority for first choice to use Santa Ana Stadium rotates from year to year, and this year Santa Ana has priority over Mater Dei.
Mater Dei (12-0) plays Rancho Cucamonga (12-0) in the Division 1 semifinal. Rancho Cucamonga, ranked No. 5 in CalHiSports.com’s California top 25, defeated state No. 4 Mission Viejo in the second round. Mater Dei, No. 1 in the state and in USA Today’s computer national rankings, defeated Vista Murrieta in the second round.
Santa Ana (12-0) plays Laguna Beach (8-4) in a Division 13 semifinal at Santa Ana Stadium on Friday. Santa Ana won a coin flip that designated the Saints as the home team.
Yorba Linda (10-2) won a coin flip to be the home team against El Modena (11-1) in a Division 8 semifinal Friday. That game will be at Yorba Linda’s on-campus stadium. El Modena defeated Yorba Linda, 42-21, in a nonleague game Sept. 30.
When two teams meet after the first round of the playoffs, the team with the fewest number of playoff home games at that point of the playoffs is the home team. San Clemente (9-3) has had one playoff game while Valencia of Valencia has had two, so San Clemente is the home team against Valencia in their Division 2 semifinal.
If the two teams have played the same number of playoff home games, then a coin flip selects the home team. Santa Ana and Laguna Beach have played one home game each so far in these playoffs. A coin flip made Santa Ana the home team.
Mater Dei won its coin flip with Rancho Cucamonga. La Habra (8-4) won a coin flip to be the home team against Murrieta Valley in Division 2. Corona del Mar (11-1) won a coin flip to be home at Estancia High against Lompoc in Division 4.
Capistrano Valley lost a coin flip so the Cougars will play at M.L. King of Riverside in a Division 5 semifinal.
Segerstrom (11-1) is at Arroyo of El Monte in a Division 12 semifinal. Edison (11-1) plays at Rancho Verde of Moreno Valley in a Division 3 semifinal.
Games are set for 7:30 p.m. starting times. Games will change to 7 p.m. starting times if both teams agree to the change and the change is approved by the CIF-SS office.
It’s been a while since Mater Dei played a playoff home game at Orange Coast College’s LeBard Stadium. The Monarchs lost to Quartz Hill in the 1990 Division 1 semifinals, 37-7.
The schedule for games involving O.C. teams:
CIF-SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL SEMIFINALS
(All games 7:30 p.m. unless noted)
Division 1 – Rancho Cucamonga (12-0) vs. Mater Dei (12-0) at Orange Coast College.
Division 2 – Valencia of Valencia (10-2) at San Clemente (9-3), 7 p.m.; Murrieta Valley (10-2) at La Habra (8-4), 7 p.m.
Division 3 – La Mirada (10-2) vs. Los Alamitos (9-3) at Veterans Stadium/Long Beach, 7 p.m.; Edison (11-1) at Rancho Verde of Moreno Valley (11-1), 7 p.m.
Division 4 – Lompoc (12-0) vs. Corona del Mar (11-1) at Estancia High.
Division 5 – Capistrano Valley (11-1) at M.L. King of Riverside (5-7).
Division 8 – El Modena (11-1) at Yorba Linda (10-2), 7 p.m.
Division 12 – Segerstrom (11-1) at Arroyo of El Monte (11-1).
Division 13 – Laguna Beach (9-3) vs. Santa Ana (12-0) at Santa Ana Stadium, 7 p.m.
Contact the writer: sfryer@scng.com
