Friday night’s CIF playoff football game between Garden Grove and Woodbridge will be a second round contest in more ways than one.
Not only does it follow the first round contests, but it pits two teams who played a close and exciting contest earlier in the season, in the very same stadium.
The Argonauts (10-1) are seeded number one in the Southern Division and therefore will be the favorite, but that might not count for much when the two teams clash at Irvine High School at 7 p.m.
The host Warriors (6-4-1) almost knocked off the Argonauts the third week of the season, falling 22-19 to a late Grove rally. In fact, the margin of victory came down to extra point conversions.
Both teams feature explosive offensives. The marquee player for Grove is Josh Webb, who has scored 28 touchdowns, run for 812 yards and passed for 292 more. He is ably seconded by quarterback Jovani Duran, who has passed for 1341 yards and 16 touchdowns. this season.
Woodbridge is led by Jalen Craver, who has 17 touchdowns, 1569 yards rushing and another 405 as a receiver. Max Neser is an outstanding quarterback for the Warriors, throwing for 1904 yards and 15 scores.
If anyone has an edge, it might be Grove on defense. Four teams scored 34 or more points against the Warriors, while only Pacifica did that well against Garden Grove.
On the other hand, some would argue that the Pacific Coast League, where the Warriors finished third, is stronger than the Garden Grove League.
The argument will be settled Friday and the winner advances to the Southern Division semifinals match on Dec. 3 against the winner of the Northwood-Segerstrom contest.
