AM: Cypress seems to have become that team you just don’t want to play.

LP: Yes, I’m sure Valencia coach Mike Marrujo is aware of that.

LP: He knows not to take them lightly.

AM: At the same time, Valencia’s got to be feeling confident right now. Wes Fletcher has been dominant in the playoffs. Now he goes up against a team that has given up some points.

LP: True. Fletcher has rushed for seven touchdowns and close to 500 yards in two playoff games. He is the Tigers’ main weapon, for sure. But I was also impressed with RB Mason Schmidt.

LP: Schmidt is big and will get carries on short-yardage situations.

LP: And their QB, Dave Pina, has stepped up to assume the starting role late in the season and done a great job.

AM: That’s the thing, Valencia has won without Fletcher. And now that he is healthy (and not suspended), he just seems to dictate the flow of the game.

AM: Cypress did well against Anaheim’s Matt Contreras last week, but Valencia is a different kind of O-line.

LP: Yes. That is true. And Pina has really done a great job at QB. He had to assume the starting role very late and seems comfortable now.

AM: You just said that.

LP: I wasn’t sure if you caught it or not.

LP: Marrujo will keep a defense honest by throwing a few times.

AM: Valencia is the safer pick, but Cypress has the playmakers in Taylor Coe, Ryan Saumur and Mike Vanderipe. And after how this team played Anaheim, you get the feeling it’s not afraid to lose.

AM: This is not an easy call.

AM: I’m going with Valencia because of its consistency. Fletcher better play, though.

LP: True. The one thing that Valencia might be vulnerable to is the big play. I saw the Tigers play Savanna in the first round and Savanna was able to score on big plays: a long run, and a long fumble return.

LP: That’s the only way I would see Valencia losing. But if the Tigers play their game, over the long haul, they are the better team, in my opinion. ... It would take mistakes on their part and a stellar performance by Cypress if it is to pull off the upset. ... And Marrujo has like 25 years experience and has prepared teams for many big games. You can’t discount that.

AM: Yeah, that’s longer than my experience on this earth.

Contact the writer: amaya@ocregister.com