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Sondheimer: City Section football quarterfinal playoff predictions
Narbonne High's football team, idle since Sept. 27 after four forfeits by Marine League opponents protesting alleged rule violations, is scheduled to return to the field Friday night with a home game against Dorsey in the City Section Open Division playoffs.
Coach Malcolm Manuel has continued to have his team practice and stay in shape while waiting for this week to finally arrive. Dorsey won the Coliseum League championship. Manuel said there could be some mistakes by his team after weeks of inaction, but the Gauchos are healthy and hungry as the No. 1 seed in the Open Division. Freshman running back Derrick Jackson will be tough to stop. The pick: Narbonne.
Also uncertain is whether anything will come about from a Los Angeles Unified School District investigation. The City Section has turned over matters to LAUSD. The team would still be able to play if any players are found ineligible this week. But if an ineligible player is found after the Dorsey game, then the team would be replaced.
The rest of the schedule for Friday's quarterfinals is here.
Open Division
Gardena at Birmingham: The Patriots haven't lost to a City Section team since 2017 and won City titles in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. With a 47-game section winning streak, they started the season being the underdog after going 0-4 in nonleague games against Southern Section opponents. But a group of young players have gotten better, and they have one of the best running backs in Dredon Fowles. Birmingham will have to deal with Gardena running back Xavier Grant. The pick: Birmingham.
Banning at San Pedro: These two teams went into overtime at the Coliseum on Oct. 18, and San Pedro won 34-33. Stopping Steven Perez of Banning will be the Pirates' challenge. The pick: San Pedro.
Garfield at Carson: The Bulldogs probably deserve to be in Division I, but they have a history of being an Open Division team and certainly can't be overlooked offensively with sophomore Ceasar Reyes running the ball. Carson won the Marine League games it played and, like Birmingham, has a group of improving young players. The pick: Carson.
Division I
Cleveland at Eagle Rock: The Cavaliers knocked off Bell with a strong defensive performance and balance on offense in the first round. They'll need to do the same against Eagle Rock quarterback Liam Pasten, who has passed for more than 2,500 yards. The pick: Eagle Rock.
Palisades at North Hollywood: The Huskies are unbeaten and keep winning with their double-wing attack. Palisades has a rising quarterback in Jack Thomas. Can North Hollywood play well enough on defense to win? The pick: Palisades.
Franklin at King/Drew: Franklin pulled off the biggest upset of the opening round, eliminating No. 3-seeded Venice. King/Drew has made progress after its usual slow start. The pick: Franklin.
Westchester at Kennedy: Junior quarterback Diego Montes continues to be a standout in running and passing for the Golden Cougars. Westchester has lots of offensive weapons in running backs Justen Key and Landon Davis. There will be lots of points scored. The pick: Kennedy.
Division II
Angelou at Arleta: Erik Favela had a big game offensively and defensively last week for Arleta in eliminating defending Division III champion Jordan. Angelou has a talented running back in Nicholas Quintanilla. The pick: Arleta.
Wilson at South Gate: Wilson has embraced the double wing, running the ball again and again. South Gate has more balance and was toughened up playing in the Eastern League. The pick: Wilson.
Verdugo Hills at Chatsworth: The Chancellors' offensive line has been performing well and creating opportunities for running backs Chris Saucedo and Jahari Moore. Sophomore quarterback Jered Smith is nearing 2,000 yards passing for Verdugo Hills. The pick: Chatsworth.
Sylmar at El Camino Real: Receiver Rafael Cortez has been delivering for El Camino Real. Quarterback Jacob McDonald leads Sylmar. The pick: El Camino Real.
Division III
Washington Prep at Panorama: It's rematch time. Panorama defeated the Generals 61-37 in the second game of the season. Washington Prep stunned top-seeded Poly 33-26 last week. The pick: Panorama.
Fremont at Los Angeles: The Romans have standout linebacker Arturo Arguello, a four-year contributor with 134 tackles this season. Fremont has shown signs of life with consecutive wins over Dymally and Manual Arts. The pick: Los Angeles.
Fulton at Chavez: It's another rematch, with Chavez having beat Fulton last month 20-0. Fulton opened the playoffs with a 14-6 win over University. The pick: Chavez.
Van Nuys at Taft: Seven wins this season is a huge improvement for a Van Nuys program that was 0-9, 2-8 and 4-7 the last three seasons. Carlos Herrera has passed for 20 touchdowns. Taft went 0-5 in the West Valley League but quarterback Nathan Swinson is showing improvement. The pick: Van Nuys.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
