Top seed's loss opens race in Southwest

Notes from Orange County high school football:

It took the first week for the Southwest Division to lose one of its top four seeds whenPacifica knocked off top-seeded Foothill, 35-7.

La Habra, Western and Fullerton are the remaining top seeds.

How will they fare this week?

"This is the week where it gets interesting," Canyon coach Brent McKee said. "Other than Foothill (losing), in my opinion, everything held true to form.

"That (Pacifica's victory) showed how wide open it is."

McKee's Comanches defeated the defending Southern Division champion, Cypress, 35-17.

"We went in there confident and with a business-like attitude," McKee said. "I felt that we played the tougher schedule than them and the price we paid in the preseason was much more steeper one than they did."

Canyon quarterback Nick Mercurio passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another in the victory.

Canyon will now play host to Fullerton in a quarterfinal game Friday night at El Modena High.

Canyon defeated Fullerton, 42-21, in the season opener for both teams, Sept. 5.

• Also in the Southwest Division, Friday's game between Western and host Trabuco Hills will begin at 7 p.m.

Due to ongoing construction on the Trabuco Hills campus, parking will be available on the upper fields above the stadium.

The rest of the schedule includes Pacifica playing host to Tustin and La Habra visiting El Dorado.

Not only did Mater Dei quarterback Matt Barkley break the county career passing yardage record in Friday's 35-15 CIF-SS Pac-5 first round victory over Long Beach Jordan, but the night also was special for Coach Bruce Rollinson.

Rollinson became the seventh coach to record his 200th career Orange County victory.

He joins John Barnes (Los Alamitos), Mike Marrujo (Valencia), Bob Johnson (Mission Viejo), Bill Craven (Pacifica), Dick Hill (Santa Ana Valley, Santa Ana, Orange) and Terry Henigan (Irvine) as the only county coaches to reach the 200-victory plateau.

• Tickets for the Mission Viejo-Lakewood game in the CIF-SS Pac-5 quarterfinals will go on sale Tuesday from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the football stadium at Mission Viejo High.

Tickets will also be sold Wednesday at 4 p.m.

The game will be played Friday at Lakewood at 7:30 p.m.

• Here is how I would have voted in this week's county top 10 poll: 1. Tesoro; 2. Orange Lutheran; 3. Mater Dei; 4. Mission Viejo; 5. Esperanza; 6. Servite; 7.Newport Harbor; 8. Los Alamitos; 9. Edison; 10. La Habra.

Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com