CdM football team opens CIF-SS Southwest Division playoffs against Trabuco Hills
The Corona del Mar High football team will have revenge on its mind when the Sea Kings open the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division playoffs on Friday night.
CdM (8-2), the No. 3 seed, will play host to defending champion Trabuco Hills (3-7) at Jim Scott Stadium at 7.
The Sea Kings lost to Trabuco Hills last year, 28-10, in the quarterfinals. That ended CdM’s 15-game winning streak in playoff contests.
This year, the Pacific Coast League champion Sea Kings head into the playoffs with great momentum, winners of five straight and averaging 50 points per game in their last four victories. CdM completed its fourth straight undefeated PCL title with a 58-13 win over Irvine on Friday.
CdM Coach Dan O’Shea believed his Sea Kings would receive the No. 3 seed after the win over the Vaqueros. That they did. San Clemente (8-2) is the No. 2 seed, and opens the playoffs against Sunny Hills.
La Habra (9-1), the Freeway League champion is the top seed and will play host to Kennedy.
CdM will be without right tackle Jake Berkey (knee) and defensive tackle Joe Anderson, who must sit out the playoff opener because he was removed from the Irvine game by officials.
Junior quarterback Chase Garbers leads the Sea Kings. He set the CdM single-season record for touchdown passes with 28 last week when he threw five against Irvine.
Senior Peter Bush, who was in competition to be the starting quarterback before the season, is the Sea Kings’ top receiver. He caught all five of Garbers’ TD passes last week to up his season total to 13, which is the record for most in a season at CdM.
“We don’t play for records,” O’Shea said. “We’re trying to execute and get ready for the playoffs. We’re not where we want to be as a football team.
“We have a lot of work to do next week to get prepared for an extremely competitive Southwest Division.”
Corona del Mar is the lone team from the Newport-Mesa area to have qualified for the CIF Southern Section playoffs.
