Fryer breaks down second round of playoffs

If South Coast League schools do try to make their case that they no longer belong in CIF-Southern Section football’s Pac-5 Division, they might want to request that the 2011 playoffs be stricken from the record.

Three teams in the Pac-5’s final four are South Coast League teams. Mission Viejo got to the semifinals with a 41-31 victory Friday over Huntington Beach. San Clemente advanced on a 42-24 victory over St. John Bosco of Bellflower.

San Clemente’s victory could be viewed as an upset, to some. There is no other way to view, or label this one from Friday’s score list: Tesoro 24, Servite 20.

Servite had played near mistake-free football all season. Friars quarterback Cody Pittman had thrown only two interceptions and lost only one fumble coming into this week. He surpassed those totals Friday, throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble.

Huntington Beach’s splendid season ended with a 41-31 loss to Mission Viejo.

So, the semifinals --- the final four --- in the Pac-5 and most other CIF Southern Section playoff divisions are set. This season all semifinal games are played next Friday.

Pac-5: San Clemente at Tesoro (San Clemente soundly defeated Tesoro, 31-6, at San Clemente in the final regular-season game for both); and Santa Margarita at Mission Viejo.

Southwest: There still is a game to be played in this division, with Cypress-Foothill tonight. Whoever wins that one will play Tustin in the other semifinal. The other semifinal should be terrific --- El Toro at La Habra.

Southern: Beckman at Estancia, and Corona del Mar at Laguna Beach. Beckman lost in the final seconds of the Southern Division’s championship game last year.

Whittier Christian and St. Margaret’s lost their second-round games, leaving Orange County with no teams participating in the small-schools divisions’ semifinals.

Some quick observations …

• Tesoro coach Brian Barnes has beaten two teams that his dad John has coached --- Los Alamtios, which Tesoro defeated in the 2008 Pac-5 Division second round en route to the division’s championship game, and Servite, which Tesoro beat Friday. OK, John Barnes never coached Servite in a game, but there were those two hours in February of that year in which Barnes was the Servite head coach before he changed his mind and returned to Los Alamitos.
• Brian Barnes gave up home-field advantage to play Friday’s Tesoro home game against Servite at Orange Coast College.
• Santa Margarita just might have played its best game of the season with its 49-16 victory over Long Beach Poly.
• Tustin does this every season. The Tillers struggled at the start of the season, but is playing its best football this time of year.
• El Toro has scored 99 points over two playoff victories.
• The Chargers won’t score that many against La Habra next week. But then, who figured that Tesoro would beat Servite?