It’s called “home-field advantage.”
Mater Dei might need every advantage it can get.
The Monarchs play top-seeded, undefeated and defending champion Centennial of Corona in the CIF-SS Pac-5 Division semifinals next Friday.
It is Mater Dei’s home game, thanks to a coin flip.
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. If the teams have played the same number of playoff home games a coin flip determines the home team.
Mater Dei and Centennial each have played one home game and one away game in these playoffs, so a coin flip was required to identify the home team.
Mater Dei usually plays football home games at Santa Ana Stadium. If the stadium already has been leased by another party, then Mater Dei would have to look elsewhere.
Mission Viejo lost its coin flip against Chino Hills. The Diablos will play at Chino Hills in a West Valley Division semifinal Friday.
In the Southwest Division, Villa Park has had two playoff home games and La Habra has had one. So for their semifinal game Friday La Habra automatically is the home team. Same with the other Southwest semi; Buena Park has had two playoff home games and San Clemente has had one, so San Clemente is home against Buena Park.
Garden Grove won the coin flip, so it is home against Brea Olinda in a Southern Division semifinal.
Brethren Christian is home against top-seeded and undefeated Grace Brethren of Simi Valley in the other East Valley Division semifinal. Brethren regularly uses Ocean View High as its home field.
Like Villa Park, Saddleback Valley Christian remains undefeated. The Warriors play host to another O.C. team, Crean Lutheran, in an East Valley Division semifinal Friday. Site is TBA; Saddleback Valley Christian this season has played home games at Capistrano Valley, San Juan Hills and Tesoro high schools.
All games are scheduled for Friday at 7:30 p.m. Game times would change to 7 p.m., as they frequently do, if the change is agreed upon by both teams and approved by the CIF-SS office.
The schedule for semifinal games involving Orange County teams:
Friday
Pac-5 Division: Centennial of Corona (12-0) vs. Mater Dei (10-2), site TBA
West Valley Division: Mission Viejo (12-0) at Chino Hills (10-2)
Southwest Division: Villa Park (12-0) at La Habra (11-1); Buena Park (10-2) at San Clemente (10-2)
Southern Division: Brea Olinda (7-5) at Garden Grove (10-2); El Modena (8-4) vs. Katella-Canyon winner
East Valley Division: Grace Brethren (12-0) vs. Brethren Christian (11-1), site TBA; Crean Lutheran (9-3) vs. Saddleback Valley Christian (12-0), site TBA
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
