Open Division

No. 8 Serra (5-5) at No. 1 Pioneer (10-0), 7 p.m.

CCS titles

Serra: 1990

Pioneer: None

The Padres lost to Valley Christian, 34-21 last week. The Mustangs squeezed past Leland, 6-0 to cap an undefeated season and win the ultra-competitive Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.

Serra started the season 3-1, but went 2-4 over its last six games. As hard as it is to believe, the Padres finished second-to-last in the WCAL in offense at 277.8 yards per game. Only Sacred Heart Cathedral’s 275.7 was lower. The Padres defense, on the other hand, was third in the league, giving up 287.2 yards per game.

Pioneer completed a fairly significant rise from a middle-of-the-pack squad to a CCS championship contender. In 2002, the Mustangs went 6-4 and were beaten by Burlingame in the first round of the playoffs. The Mustangs are only one of two public schools in the Open Division (Palo Alto being the other). Pioneer led the Mt. Hamilton Division in both offensive and defense, averaging 30 points scored while allowing less than 12.

Division III

No. 8 Live Oak (4-6) at No. 1 Terra Nova (7-3), 7 p.m.

CCS titles

Live Oak: 1980, 1981, 1987, 1988

Terra Nova: 1982, 1988

The Acorns finished the regular season with a 22-14 win over Santa Teresa. The Tigers slipped past rival Half Moon Bay, 27-26.

How big was Live Oak’s win last week? Without it, the Acorns would not have qualified for the playoffs. The win gave them a 4-3 record on the Mt. Hamilton Division, a team needs to .500 or better in league play or overall. The Acorns lost their first four games — two of those teams qualified for CCS.

Terra Nova got off to a similar start — the Tigers lost their first three games to teams that all qualified for the playoffs. But that tough scheduling got them ready for league play and the Tigers ran the table. Of the 10 Tigers’ opponents, seven made CCS.

No. 6 Saratoga (5-5) at No. 3 Burlingame (7-3), 7 p.m.

CCS titles

Saratoga: 1973, 1976, 1980, 1987, 1996

Burlingame: 2004

The Falcons beat Homestead last week, 10-7. The Panthers fell to archrival San Mateo, 25-20.

Much like Live Oak, Saratoga needed to win its last game to qualify for CCS. The Falcons went only 2-4 in the ultra-tough DeAnza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, which includes Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Milpitas and Wilcox — all of which made CCS. Those four teams crushed Saratoga. The Falcons finished the season with a flourish, winning their last three.

Burlingame, on the other hand, lost 2 of its last 3, but the Panthers made hay early. The Panthers won 6 of their first 7. Throw out a 48-21 loss to Palo Alto in Week 2, and the most points the Panthers allowed this season was 27 in a 38-27 win over Carlmont.

No. 7 Hillsdale (7-3) at No. 2 Seaside (7-2-1), 7 p.m.

CCS titles

Hillsdale: 1981, 1991

Seaside: 2006

The Knights gave a valiant effort before losing to rival Aragon 34-26 last week. The Spartans held off Monterey, 7-6.

Hillsdale had a banner year this season. QB John Warburton passed for 2,307 yards, with 27 TD passes and just seven interceptions. RB Garret Hutnick, in only half a season, rushed for over 1,000 yards. The Knights have one of the most varied aerial assaults in CCS, with four or five receivers contributing every game.

Seaside has been one of the best small-school programs in the history of CCS. The Spartans have been to several finals and were a hook-and-lateral, Burlingame miracle away from being a two-time CCS champ in 2004. The Spartans won four of their last five.