California Expands High School Football Playoffs for 2012

by Jeff Fisher
California High School Football Huddle

Starting with the 2012 season, there will be another round of football playoffs.

The California Interscholastic Federation has approved adding regional championship games in all five divisions that will determine, which teams will play for state championships.

Since state titles games began in 2007, section commissioners have been charged with selecting one team from Northern California and one from Southern California to play for the state championship.  Under the new plan, section commissioners will pick two schools from the each area that will play for the right to advance to the state championship games in Carson.

The 2012 schedule now calls for the regional championship games to be played the weekend of December 7th and 8th, with the state championships to be played the following weekend.  Section championships will have to be completed by December 1st.

With the addition of the regional championships, some teams could play as many as 16 games, which is similar to Pennsylvania and Texas.

Not everyone is happy with the new plan.  Click here to read a story from the North County Times on officials in the San Diego Section that aren't happy with the added round of playoffs.

Who's Better? De La Salle or St. Thomas Aquinas? We'll Find Out This Year

by Jeff Fisher

California High School Football Huddle

They've been two of the best high school football programs in their respective states for a long time...now De La Salle (Concord, CA) and St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) will square-off on the field for bragging rights.  And, ESPN will be there to capture the action and give a national audience a look at the California/Florida bragging rights battle.

ESPN officials have announced they will televise the September 23rd match-up live on one of their networks.  Last year STA won Florida's 5A championship; De La Salle, which is riding a 25-game win streak, won California's Open Division title.

Of course that 25-game win streak doesn't hold a candle to the Spartans' national record 151-game win streak that was set between 1992-2003.

Maybe the only disappointment about the game is that long-time Raider head coach George Smith won't be guiding his team.  Smith announced earlier this year that he had decided to retire.  If the legendary Smith, who led Aquinas to six state titles, hadn't stepped-down, the game would have matched two of high school football's best.  De La Salle's Bob Ladouceur owns a 372-23-3 record since he took over in Concord in 1979.

"Playing a great program like St. Thomas Aquinas is a positive opportunity. Win or lose, they'll make us a better team. It should be an exciting game," said Ladouceur in a news release.

Former defensive coordinator Rocco Casullo will take over for Smith, but it was the former coach who spoke about the match-up in the ESPN news release saying "To have the chance to play a program like De La Salle is a great challenge for our program and to us a great thing for high school football in both states. It should be an outstanding game for both schools, both states and fans of high school football nationwide."

California - 2011 National Signing Day

Brandon Andrews (Central Union, WR) - South Dakota St.
Jared Baker (Loyola, RB) - Arizona
Quinn Bauducco (Moorpark, LB) - Minnesota
Mike Bercovici (William Howard Taft, QB) - Arizona St.
Victor Blackwell (Mater Dei, WR) - USC
Zach Boman (Clovis North, DL) - Lafayette
Tra'Mayne Bondurant (Fairfield, CB) - Arizona
Charles Burke (Edison, LB) - USC
Amir Carlisle (Kings Academy, RB) - USC
Donnie Duncan (Alexander Hamilton, WR) - New Mexico
Michael Eubank (Centennial, QB) - Arizona St.
Faitele Faafaoi (Tustin, OL) - Arizona
George Farmer (Serra, WR) - USC
Andre Heidari (Stockdale, K) - USC
Ryan Henderson (Rancho Verde, DB) - USC
Christian Heyward (Point Loma, DL) - USC
Hank Hobson (Stockdale, LB) - Arizona
Cody Kessler (Centennial, QB) - USC
Devin Lucien (Crespi, WR) - UCLA
Marqise Lee (Serra, WR) - USC
Tre Madden (Mission Viejo, LB) - USC
Steven Manfro (Valencia, RB) - UCLA
Marcus Martin (Crenshaw, OL) - USC
Trent Mason (Dana Hills, LB) - South Dakota St.
David Moala (Junipero Serra, DL) - Arizona St.
Dame Ndiaye (Hoover, DE) - Arizona
Raymond Nelson (Christian, TE) - UCLA
Jerry Neuheisel (Loyola, QB) - UCLA
Sean O'Grady (Tesoro, DL) - Arizona St.
Patrick Onwuasor (Inglewood, WR) - Arizona
Jordan Perkins (Lodi, RB) - Northwestern
Junior Pomee (Rancho Verde, TE) - USC
David Richards (Palmdale, WR) - Arizona
J.R. Tavai (Mira Costa, DL) - USC
Cody Temple (Liberty, OL) - USC
Greg Townsend, Jr. (Beverly Hills, DL) - USC
Brandon Tuliaupupu (Claremont, DT) - UCLA
Soma Vainuku (Eureka, FB) - USC
Rashad Wadood (Lakewood, CB) - Arizona St.
Brent Walker (Norco, OL) - Arizona St.
Aaron Wallace (Rancho Bernardo, LB) - UCLA
Torian White (Lakewood, OT) - UCLA
Matt Wile (Francis Parker, K) - Michigan
DeVante Wilson (Corona, DL) - USC
Max Wittek (Mater Dei, QB) - USC
Antwaun Woods (Taft, DL) - USC
Ben Wysocki (Los Alamitos, OL) - UCLA

Wilson HS Football Coach Steps Down

by Jeff Fisher
California High School Football Huddle

After two seasons and a 4-16 record, Wilson head football coach Brian Zavala has stepped-down as head coach.

The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports that Zavala may have had something to do with the return of former football could Dave Merrill to oversee the program.