Long Beach Poly

For the Windward High girls' basketball team, winning a state championship last season wasn't enough. "We haven't gotten any respect," said Texas-bound senior Imani Stafford. That's what happens when you're a Division 4 school in California, a hotbed for girls' basketball. And that's why Windward, which has fewer than 400 students in grades ninth through 12th, has added to its schedule this year a game against perennial superpower Long Beach Poly, which has more than 4,000 students.

There was an earthquake that shook the prep football world in Southern California on Friday night, and when the ground stopped shaking after the realization that Anaheim Servite had been eliminated from the Pac-5 playoffs, there was much to consider. Servite's 24-20 loss to Tesoro in the quarterfinals ends the Friars' two-year reign as Pac-5 Division champions and moves unbeaten Westlake Village Westlake (12-0) into the driver's seat to be the Southern California representative in the CIF state championship bowl game for the Open Division if the Warriors keep winning in the Northern Division.

Santa Margarita (9-2) vs. Long Beach Poly (10-1) at Veterans Stadium, 7 p.m. FoxSportsWest.com: This quarterfinal playoff game is good enough to be for the Pac-5 Division championship. There's talent everywhere, and it's going to come down to making adjustments at the right time. Poly relies on speed and big plays. Santa Margarita tries to control the clock behind its big offensive line and versatile quarterback Johnny Stanton. Poly has tremendous athletes, such as receiver Richard Smith, defensive end Alonzo Williams and linebacker Matthew Rowe.

Santa Ana Mater Dei: A year ago, the Monarchs were a big surprise in winning the state Division I championship. They got hot in the Southern California regionals and celebrated Coach Gary McKnight's eighth state title in Sacramento. With Katin Reinhardt (committed to UNLV), Xavier Johnson (Colorado) and rising sophomore Stanley Johnson back, Mater Dei starts out as everyone's No. 1 team. Los Angeles Loyola: Four starters are back from a Southern Section Division 1A championship team.

Jahmal Wright was a 17-year-old starting free safety in 1994 for No. 1-seeded Culver City when the Centaurs were beaten in the opening round of the Southern Section Division VII football playoffs by No. 16 Santa Maria. On Friday night, Wright was able "to get rid of that memory" after Culver City, seeded No. 16 in the Western Division playoffs, turned the tables and upset No. 1 Gardena Serra, 21-14. "To be on the other side is sweet redemption," said Wright, in his third year as coach.

Encino Crespi's Tyler Foreman saw the opposing wide receiver break on a slant toward the end zone. The pass, thrown on fourth down from about 10 yards away with less than a minute to play in the fourth quarter, was right on target, headed straight for Sherman Oaks Notre Dame's Sam Robinson. A sold-out stadium, more than 5,000 fans who had been through ups and downs of a thrilling back-and-forth game Friday night, held its breath. A catch and Notre Dame would re-take the lead.

Thursday Santa Margarita (5-0) vs. Santa Ana Mater Dei (2-3) at Santa Ana Stadium, 7:30 p.m. Mater Dei thrives in its underdog role, so don't think for a minute that the Monarchs can't pull off the upset in this Trinity League opener. They have won two in a row after an 0-3 start. Quarterback Ryan McMahon and his young teammates are getting better every week. Santa Margarita will rely on its huge offensive line to provide openings for quarterback Johnny Stanton and running back Ryan Wolpin.

Alex Bridgford did not need to have his best game Friday to beat a mistake-prone Long Beach Poly. The Mission Viejo quarterback had two touchdown passes but also threw three interceptions as the host Diablos (3-1), ranked No. 3 by The Times, held on to beat the No. 8 Jackrabbits (3-1), 17-12, in a Pac-5 Division showdown. Bridgford found success early, connecting on touchdown passes to give the Diablos a 14-6 halftime lead. An injury to running back Jahleel Pinner slowed Mission Viejo in the second half, but Bridgford strung together a series of completions on the Diablos' final possession to run out the clock.

Friday's top games Bellflower St. John Bosco (3-0) vs. Los Angeles Loyola (3-0) at L.A. Valley College, 7 p.m. — Two years ago, St. John Bosco and Loyola replaced their head coaches with Jason Negro and Mike Christensen, respectively, and now both square off hoping to convince the alumni that their programs are headed in the right direction. And they are. St. John Bosco is loaded with outstanding skill-position players, led by receivers Bryce Treggs and Dalis Bruce. Loyola has found a new running back in junior Wyatt Bradford, along with a stingy defense led by cornerbacks Chaz Anderson and Cameron Walker that has given up only 21 points in three games.

It wasn't for a lack of chances. Harbor City Narbonne started three drives in Long Beach Poly territory in the final 9 minutes 6 seconds Friday night at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach, needing a touchdown to pull out a come-from-behind intersectional victory. But the Gauchos couldn't even muster a first down in the final quarter of a 19-16 defeat. Narbonne's best chance came on its final drive when a long third-down pass glanced off Greg Clark's fingertips in the end zone.