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Get ready for dramatic finishes and perhaps a few coin flips to settle ties as Orange County football concludes the regular season on Thursday and Friday. Here’s a league by league look at the top storylines to watch in Week 10:
Alpha League (2 automatic CIF spots): In this four-team league, if Edison (6-3, 1-1), Los Alamitos (5-4, 1-1) and San Clemente (4-5, 0-2) each finish tied at 1-2 behind Mission Viejo (9-0, 2-0), a coin flip would determine the league’s second and remaining automatic playoff berth. That scenario kicks in late Friday if San Clemente beats Edison and Mission Viejo defeats Los Alamitos.
Edison will feature sophomore left-hander Sam Thomson at QB after a season-ending injury to senior Savelio Niumata. Mission Viejo, meanwhile, enters with a 17-game winning streak.
Bravo (3 CIF spots): Villa Park (6-3, 2-2) plays host to Newport Harbor (3-6, 2-2) at El Modena High on Friday in a game that appears to be for third place behind San Juan Hills (8-1, 4-0) and Yorba Linda (8-1, 3-1).
Delta (3 CIF spots): Tustin (8-1, 4-0) plays host to Capistrano Valley (8-1, 4-0) on Friday for the outright league title. On Thursday, El Modena (7-2, 2-2) plays host to Cypress (2-7, 0-4) with a chance to secure third place.
Epsilon (3 CIF spots): On Thursday, Huntington Beach (5-4, 2-2) appears to have a chance to grab third place by defeating visiting El Dorado (3-6, 1-3). La Habra (8-1, 4-0) and Crean Lutheran (7-2, 3-1) have the inside track on first and second place, respectively.
Foxtrot (3 CIF spots): Has there been a more entertaining league in Orange County? The game to watch is Northwood (7-2, 2-2) at Dana Hills (8-1, 3-1) on Friday. If the Timberwolves win, along with Aliso Niguel (6-3, 2-2) and Laguna Beach (8-1, 3-1), they’ll grab second place based on the result and a previous win against Aliso Niguel. Dana Hills, which earlier beat Aliso Niguel, would take third place with Laguna Beach the champion. There’s also a chance of a five-way tie at 3-2, so keep an eye on Orange (2-7, 2-2) at Laguna Beach.
Ironwood (3 CIF spots): Capistrano Valley Christian (4-5, 1-3) looks outside of the top-three but could help its chances of receiving an at-large berth to CIF with a victory at Heritage Christian (4-5, 0-4).
Iota (3 CIF spots): On Thursday, Sonora (5-4, 2-2) plays host to Irvine (6-3, 3-1) at La Habra High in a critical game. If the Raiders pull the upset, they could force a three-way tie for second place with the Vaqueros and El Toro (5-4, 3-1), if the Chargers fall to Troy (8-1, 4-0). How would second and third place be settled? Coin flip.
Sonora showed its ground attack last week with 667 rushing yards in a 71-54 win against Canyon.
Kappa (3 CIF spots): The playoff spots have been locked up. It’s Brea Olinda (9-0, 4-0), Segerstrom (6-3, 3-1) and Esperanza (6-3, 3-1). The matchup to watch is the Wildcats playing host to the Aztecs on Friday for the outright title.
Lambda (3 CIF spots): The showdown to watch is Beckman (9-0, 4-0) against Marina (8-1, 3-1) at Westminster High on Friday. The Patriots — off to their best start in school history — are aiming for an outright title but Kennedy (6-3, 3-1) can earn a share by defeating Sunny Hills (2-7, 2-2) and a win by the Vikings.
Mesquite (3 CIF spots): Whittier Christian (4-4, 1-3) is outside the top-three but can improve its chance of earning an at-large bid for the playoffs by defeating Maranatha (4-5, 1-3) on Friday at Whittier College.
Omicron (3 CIF spots): This race remains intense to the end. On Thursday, Pacifica (4-5, 4-0) plays host to Portola (4-5, 4-0) at Bolsa Grande High for the league championship. On Friday, Buena Park (4-5, 2-2) plays host Woodbridge (3-6, 2-2) in a game for third place and the final automatic playoff berth. The Omicron also produced the controversial Woodbridge-Pacifica game that wasn’t finished and led to the suspension of Warriors coach Aaron Craver.
Sigma (3 CIF spot): Los Amigos (9-0, 4-0), Estancia (7-2, 3-1) and Calvary Chapel (4-5, 3-1) have claimed the top-three spots but there’s still one big game to watch. On Friday, the Lobos — off to the best start in school history — take on the Eagles at Segerstrom High with a chance to clinch the outright title.
Tango: On Thursday, longtime Garden Grove League rivals Bolsa Grande (4-5, 2-2) and Santiago (4-5, 2-2) face off in a huge game at Garden Grove High. The winner could join Anaheim (7-2, 4-0) and Costa Mesa (6-3, 2-2) in the top-three.
Trinity (3 CIF spots): Top-ranked Mater Dei can’t relax despite its dominance of St. John Bosco last week. The Monarchs (8-0, 4-0) play host to Orange Lutheran (7-2, 3-1) on Friday at Santa Ana Stadium with a chance to claim the outright league title. Orange Lutheran, ranked No. 15 in the nation, toughened its schedule with the aim of competing with Mater Dei and St. John Bosco (8-1, 3-1). The Lancers came within a minute of beating the Braves earlier this season.
Zeta (2 CIF spots): Vastly-improved Saddleback (5-4, 3-0), which went 0-10 last season, can clinch the league title outright with a win against visiting Magnolia (2-7, 1-2) on Friday. The Roadrunners have already claimed a share of their first league crown since 1986.
The second and remaining automatic CIF berth could be determined by the Godinez (5-4, 2-1) and Century (5-4, 1-2) clash at Santa Ana Valley on Friday. Century owns the longest active playoff drought in the county with its last appearance in 2004.
Please send football news to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or @ocvarsityguy on X and Instagram