Irvine Wins Flip, Will Host Tustin in Division VI Semifinal Game

The game is nearly a week away, but undefeated Irvine High got the first break in its impending showdown against once-beaten Tustin.

Irvine, seeded second in the Southern Section Division VI football playoffs, won a coin flip Saturday morning and will host the third-seeded Tillers in a semifinal game Friday.

The winner will play for the championship against No. 1 La Mirada or No. 4 Newport Harbor. The Sailors, who host La Mirada Saturday, defeated Irvine in last season’s championship, 19-18.

In the Division I semifinals, top-seeded Long Beach Poly will host No. 4 Esperanza on Saturday at Long Beach Veterans Stadium. On Friday, third-seeded Rialto Eisenhower will play No. 2 Los Angeles Loyola, which will host the game at a site to be determined.

In Division IX, third-seeded Brea Olinda plays Friday at Covina District Stadium against No. 2 West Covina South Hills. La Habra, seeded fourth, plays Saturday against Covina, also at Covina District Stadium.

Second-seeded Los Angeles Cathedral is scheduled to host No. 3 Orange Lutheran on Friday in a Division XI semifinal. However, Cathedral’s campus field does not have lights; the game could be played at an alternate site, or on Saturday afternoon. In the latter case, top-seeded Ventura St. Bonaventure would play host to Carpinteria on Friday instead of Saturday.