Now comes the challenging part of the season for the Lompoc High football team.
After dominating the Los Padres League (outscoring their six opponents 356-59), the Braves gear up for what they hope is a long run in the CIF Western Division playoffs. They’re seeded third in the division behind Mission League teams Serra at No. 1 and Chaminade at No. 2. St. Francis, another Mission League team, is fourth.
Lompoc finished as the No. 1 team in the Presidio Sports County Football Fab 5. The Braves won eight in a row after losing a non-league game at Frontier of Bakersfield. They have steamrolled opponents with their punishing running game and ferocious defense.
They get their first crack at a Mission League team right off the bat, hosting Cathedral in first-round game on Friday night.
The remaining four teams in the Fab 5 are all playoff bound.
No. 2-ranked Bishop Diego and No. 3 Carpinteria received at-large berths in the CIF Northwest Division playoffs after finishing third and fourth, respectively, in the rugged Tri-Valley League.
Fourth-ranked St. Joseph and No. 5 Righetti got bids into the Northern Division playoffs.
THE RANKINGS
Lompoc (9-1) — Congratulations to the 2013 County Fab 5 champion.
Bishop Diego (8-2) — The Cardinals finish the regular season on a winning note and get a rematch with North Torrance, the school that knocked them out in the CIF Northwest Division semifinals last year.
Carpinteria (7-3) — The Warriors gave Northwest Division top-ranked Oak Park a battle before receiving a much-deserved at-large berth into the playoffs.
St. Joseph (7-3) — A good pre-league record and a 3-3 finish in the tough Pac-7 get the Knights into the playoffs.
Righetti (5-5) — The Warriors break into the Fab 5 and make the playoffs under first-year coach Ed Hermann. They face top-seeded Palos Verdes in the first round.
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