CIF-SS releases Southern California high school football divisional playoff groups

CIF Southern Section
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Out with the old, in with the new.  The CIF-Southern Section, California’s most powerful high school football section, released the new CIF-SS playoff divisions on Friday.

Earlier this year, the CIF-SS membership voted to change the playoff format that used to place teams in playoff divisions based on what league they played in.  Under the new plan, which goes into effect for the 2016 season, teams will be placed in divisions based upon power-point profiles that are developed on how well the teams performed over the past two seasons.  What this means is that three from the same league could now be placed in three different divisions.

Related: CIF-SS Commissioner Rob Wigod discusses new competive equity high school football playoff system

All eyes will be on Division 1, which replaces the PAC 5 division, which has always been considered one of the best in America.  Division 1 is made-up of 18 teams with 16 playoff spots available.  All six Trinity League schools — JSerra, Mater Dei, Orange Lutheran, Santa Margarita, St. John Bosco and Servite — were placed in the division.  Bosco finished #8 in our national Top 25 last season.

Corona Centennial, which played for the state’s Open Division state championship last season and finished #5 in the nation after losing to #2 De La Salle in the championship, had the highest power points ranking during the 2014 and 2015 seasons, followed by St. John Bosco, who the Huskies beat in the PAC 5 title game last year.

Defending CIF Division I-AA champ Mission Viejo, third in power points, moves-up to Division 1.

Below is how the divisions stack-up for the upcoming season per the CIF-SS news release.

Division 1

Corona Centennial

St. John Bosco

Mission Viejo

Mater Dei

Bishop Amat

Vista Murrieta

Serra (Gardena)

JSerra

Orange Lutheran

Servite

Long Beach Poly

Loyola

Santa Margarita

Tesoro

Upland

Rancho Cucamonga

Alemany

Chaminade

Division 2

Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks)

Chino Hills

San Clemente

Oaks Christian

Norco

Redlands East Valley

Westlake

Citrus Hill

St. Bonaventure

La Habra

Crespi

El Toro

Camarillo

Arroyo Grande

Great Oak

Valencia (Valencia)

Heritage

Murrieta Valley

Division 3

Palos Verdes

Thousand Oaks

Buena Park

Edison

Rancho Verde

Los Alamitos

Newbury Park

St. Francis

Villa Park

Hart

La Serna

Oak Hills

Cathedral

Serrano

Corona Santiago

La Mirada

San Juan Hills

Paso Robles

Atascadero

Division 4

Charter Oak

Lompoc

Etiwanda

Glendora

Palm Springs

Downey

Colony

Lakewood

Corona del Mar

Dominguez

Damien

Carter

Trabuco Hills

Valencia (Placentia)

Cajon

Sierra Canyon

Chaparral

Redondo Union

Murrieta Mesa

Division 5

ML King

Moorpark

Harvard-Westlake

Capistrano Valley

Temecula Valley

Ventura

Sonora

St. Joseph (Santa Maria)

Corona

Redlands

Calabasas

Fountain Valley

Roosevelt (Eastlake)

Los Osos

Foothill

San Jacinto

Salesian

Bishop Diego

Riverside Poly

Troy

Paloma Valley

La Quinta (La Quinta)

Division 6

West Covina

San Marino

Yucaipa

Bonita

West Torrance

Mira Costa

Paramount

Saugus

Summit

Newport Harbor

Palmdale

Oxnard

Los Altos

Paraclete

Elsinore

Crescenta Valley

Canyon (Canyon Country)

Lawndale

Nipomo

Long Beach Wilson

Simi Valley

Pomona

Division 7

Long Beach Cabrillo

Huntington Beach

Pacifica (Oxnard)

Diamond Ranch

South Hills

Royal

Canyon (Anaheim)

San Gorgonio

El Segundo

St. Margaret’s

Monrovia

Ayala

Norte Vista

Righetti

Tustin

Warren

Golden Valley

St. Paul

Millikan

North Torrance

Claremont

Fullerton

Linfield Christian

Division 8

Moreno Valley

Brea Olinda

Grace Brethren

Yorba Linda

Burroughs (Burbank)

Burbank

San Dimas

Don Lugo

Chino

Temescal Canyon

Garden Grove

Laguna Hills

Kaiser

Saddleback Valley Christian

Chaffey

Buena

Northview

Pioneer Valley

Jordan

El Modena

Hemet

Sunny Hills

Citrus Valley

Rio Mesa

Vista Del Lago

Division 9

Palm Desert

Esperanza

Silverado

Woodbridge

La Salle

Antelope Valley

Santa Barbara

Notre Dame (Riverside)

Burroughs (Ridgecrest)

West Ranch

Eastside

Aliso Niguel

Mayfair

El Rancho

Cypress

Perris

South Torrance

Maranatha

California

Norwalk

Muir

Hesperia

Kennedy

Valley Christian (Cerritos)

Lynwood

Arrowhead Christian

Diamond Bar

Morningside

Agoura

Division 10

Tahquitz

Rubidoux

Pacifica (Garden Grove)

Dana Hills

Apple Valley

Dana Hills

Nordhoff

Inglewood

Templeton

Alta Loma

Brentwood

Barstow

Whittier

J.W. North

University

Beaumont

Beckman

West Valley

Santa Ynez

Viewpoint

Brethren Christian

St. Anthony

Mission Prep

Irvine

Santa Fe

Grand Terrace

Gahr

Leuzinger

Arlington

Aquinas

Peninsula

San Luis Obispo

Torrance

Shadow Hills

Poly (Pasadena)

Dos Pueblos

Santa Monica

Northwood

South Pasadena

Division 11

Culver City

Bellflower

Heritage Christian

Ontario Christian

Pioneer

Coachella Valley

La Sierra

Eisenhower

Twentynine Palms

Quartz Hill

Crean Lutheran

Highland

Channel Islands

Covina

AB Miller

Valley View

Ramona

Katella

Xavier Prep

Oak Park

San Bernardino

Pasadena

Cabrillo (Lompoc)

Westminster

Victor Valley

Lakeside

Montebello

Arcadia

Bell Gardens

Morro Bay

Jurupa Hills

Bishop Montgomery

Canyon Springs

Capistrano Valley Christian

Sultana

Western

Rancho Alamitos

Rosemead

Division 12

Cathedral City

Carpineteria

Marina

Schurr

La Canada

Walnut

El Dorado

Montclair

Desert

Rancho Mirage

Banning

Patriot

San Marcos

Calvary Chapel (Santa Ana)

Arroyo

Village Christian

Compton

Calvary Murrieta

Artesia

Rim of the World

Fillmore

Colton

St. Genevieve

Adelanto

Hawthorne

Big Bear

Hillcrest

Segerstrom

Ontario

Fontana

Santa Paula

Desert Hot Springs

Baldwin Park

St. Monica

Compton Centennial

Vasquez

Whittier Christian

Estancia

Saddleback

Los Amigos

Verbum Dei

Bassett

Pacific

Silver Valley

Santa Ana Valley

Santa Maria

Division 13

Rio Hondo Prep

Rancho Christian

Knight

Ocean View

Beverly Hills

Cantwell-Sacred Heart

Webb

Rowland

Glendale

Godinez

Temple City

Cerritos

Santa Ana

Windward

Bloomington

Desert Mirage

Santa Clarita Christian

Indio

Azusa

El Monte

La Puente

Hueneme

Mary Star of the Sea

Malibu

Western Christian

McAuliffe

Campbell Hall

Anaheim

Granite Hills

Hoover

Ganesha

Jurupa Valley

Santiago (Garden Grove)

Costa Mesa

Nogales

Magnolia

Glenn

Lancaster

Boron

Alhambra

South El Monte

Laguna Beach

Littlerock

Wilson (Hacienda Heights)

Southlands Christian

Excelsior Christian

Santa Clara

Indian Springs

Gabrielino

Yucca Valley

Orange

St. Bernard

Garey

Arroyo Valley

Savanna

Rialto

Blair

Nuview Bridge

La Quinta (Westminster)

Mountain View

Loara

Fairmont Prep

Sierra Vista

Century

San Gabriel

Hamilton

Firebaugh

Gladstone

Mammoth

Desert Christian (Lancaster)

Duarte

Don Bosco Tech

California Military

Bolsa Grande

Keppel

Workman

Marshall

Riverside Prep

California School for the Deaf

Santa Rosa Academy

Sherman Indian

Temecula Prep

Trinity Classical Academy

Upland Christian

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About the Author

Jeff Fisher
Jeff is an award-winning journalist and expert in the field of high school sports, underscored with his appearance on CNBC in 2010 to talk about the big business of high school football in America.Jeff turned to his passion for high school football into an entrepreneurial venture called High School Football America, a digital media company focused on producing original high school sports content for radio, television and the internet.Jeff is co-founder and editor-in-chief of High School Football America, a partner with NFL Play Football.