All games at 7 p.m.

DIVISION 2

Murrieta Valley (6-4) at Bishop Amat (7-3)

Outlook: Bishop Amat is going to have to deal with one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the Southland in Murrieta Valley’s 6-foot-2 sophomore Bear Bachmeier, who has thrown for 2,348 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for 611 yards and 17 TDs. Bachmeier leads a high-powered offense that averages 48 points a game. The Nighthawks have four losses and give up a ton of points too, allowing an average of 37 points a game. They had a 77-76 loss to Norco a few weeks ago. That’s where Amat can take advantage. Lancers running back Aiden Ramos will be key on scoring drives and keeping the Nighhawks’ offense off the field. Amat doesn’t have a lockdown defense, but it should be good enough to allow its offense to score enough and advance to the second round. Look for Amat receiver Delano Franklin and QB Richie Munoz to have a big night.

The pick: Bishop Amat

DIVISION 3

Palos Verdes (7-3) vs. La Serna (9-1) at California HS

Outlook: The Lancers haven’t had a competitive game since a 7-0 win over Damien on Sept. 15, but we know they’re tested. Early in the season they had big wins over Pasadena and Tesoro and a close loss to Warren. Quarterback Jake Long and running back Owen Long lead the way, and their defense has done a good job when it was needed. But they will have their hands full with the Sea Kings, who are even more battle tested. One of their losses was 14-7 to Corona del Mar, which is the top seed in Division 3. They also have losses to powers Edison and Santa Maria St. Joseph. And winning the Bay League kept them sharp from start to finish. This will be a close one and the Lancers have won nearly every close game they’ve been in this season, but this feels like too tall of an order.

The pick: Palos Verdes

Charter Oak (10-0) at Yorba Linda (10-0)

Outlook: The Chargers went undefeated in the regular season, yet they have to go on the road and face the undefeated and fourth-seeded Mustangs, who are 20-1 over the past two years. Their only loss was to Bishop Amat in last year’s Division 2 playoffs. The Mustangs have a polished quarterback in Reyn Beal, who has thrown for 1,740 yards and 15 touchdowns, and they can run the ball with authority, too. The Chargers will have to get several stops to compete, and quarterback Richie Munoz, who has thrown for 2,739 yards and 37 touchdowns, will need another highlight-reel performance, which he has done in all of the Chargers’ big wins. But this will be tough. Everything that Charter Oak is good at, Yorba Linda is just a tad better, and Yorba Linda has the sour taste of going 10-0 last year and losing in the first round of the playoffs. Hard to imagine that happening to them again.

The pick: Yorba Linda

DIVISION 5

St. Francis (7-3) at Silverado (8-2)

Outlook: The Golden Knights might have to go on the road and win a shootout, which is something they’ve had to do several times this season. QB Jack Jacobs has thrown 28 touchdowns passes and threw for 400 yards in last week’s loss to Loyola that left them in a three-way tie for first in the Angelus League. RB Devyn Turner came back from injury during the middle of the season and scored 17 touchdowns. St. Francis has allowed 30 points a game and Silverado averages nearly 30 points, so this is a toss-up. But you have to like that St. Francis has been in these types of games all season and has shown it can be clutch in crunch time.

The pick: St. Francis

DIVISION 6

La Habra (6-4) at Calabasas (6-4)

Outlook: The Highlanders lost four of their first five games while taking on Bishop Amat, Upland and undefeated El Modena, then settled down and went undefeated in the Freeway League to make the D6 playoffs. Highlanders quarterback Justin Gil is capable of leading them on a playoff run and his favorite target, Jacob Apodaca, has 12 touchdowns. Calabasas finished fourth in the tough Marmonte League that includes St. Bonaventure and Oaks Christian. According to CalPreps, the Highlanders are seven-point underdogs. But we think they’re underrated and will go on the road and get a big win.

The pick: La Habra

Northview (8-2) at Ramona (9-1)

Outlook: The Vikings went on a surprise run to win the Division 10 title last season, but they had a better regular season this year and find themselves in a tougher division with a tough opener that is on the road. Ramona won the River Valley League and its only loss was 36-35 to Kaiser, a team that is in Division 8. The Vikings can run the ball with authority and showed it despite losses to Charter Oak and Bonita. Quarterback James Arellanes has become much more impactful and the Vikings are best when you count them out. But moving up four divisions is tough, even for them.

The pick: Ramona

DIVISION 8

Northwood (9-1) at Monrovia (8-2)

Outlook: The Wildcats are hoping step-up games against Bonita and Ayala will help them in the first round of the playoffs. Last season, the Wildcats went 10-0 and lost in the first round of the D6 playoffs. They’re in a better spot in D8, but Northwood is a solid team from the Pacific Hills League with an impressive resume. Its only loss was to Laguna Beach. The Wildcats should be able to score with QB Brian Salazar Jr. leading the way and Carlos Hernandez at wideout. But the concern is their defense, which has given up a lot of points in games against quality teams. Can the Wildcats win a shootout? They might have to.

The pick: Monrovia

DIVISION 9

West Covina (5-5) at San Dimas (6-4)

Outlook: This is a fun area matchup between two teams that didn’t finish the season strong. West Covina was blown out by Claremont in Week 10, and San Dimas fell to Los Altos and Northview in its final two regular-season games. Both teams rely on their running game, and the Bulldogs probably have the best back in this game with Zach Requena, with 1,451 yards and 17 TDs. West Covina averages 266 yards a game on the ground. The Saints put up similar numbers, but they haven’t looked right in their last two games.

The pick: West Covina

— Fred Robledo