Football Preview: Corona del Mar vs. Tustin

Corona del Mar (9-1) vs. Tustin (6-4)

When/where: Friday, 7 p.m. at Newport Harbor High

Key Sea Kings: Sr. DE Parker Chase (team-best 81 tackles, team-best 20 sacks); Sr. WR Cole Collins (42 receptions for 533 yards, six TDs); Sr. WR Bo St. Geme (40 receptions for 624 yards, five TDs); Soph. QB Chase Garbers (972 yards passing, 10 TDs, two INTs; nine rushing TDs).

Key Tillers: Jr. QB Alema Pilimai (1,095 yards passing, 10 TDs, three INTs; 351 yards rushing and seven TDs); Sr. WR George Wilson (34 receptions for 633 yards, nine TDs); Soph. RB Derek Soto (394 yards rushing, four TDs).

Breakdown: Top-seeded Corona del Mar opens its quest for its fourth straight CIF Southern Section title with this first-round Southwest Division playoff game ... The Sea Kings won three straight Southern Division titles from 2011-13 before being moved up ... Including last year’s run to a CIF State Division III title, fourth-year CdM Coach Scott Meyer is 14-0 in playoff games ... The Sea Kings, who won their third straight outright Pacific Coast League title after last week’s 14-0 win over Northwood, have won 35 of their last 36 games ... Garbers has remained the starting quarterback following the return of early-season starter Peter Bush, who was shifted to tight end ... Tustin is the third-place team out of the Empire League ... CdM and Tustin have two common opponents, Dana Hills and Beckman. The Sea Kings beat Dana Hills, 37-0, on Sept. 4 and Beckman, 35-13, on Oct. 30. Tustin beat Dana Hills, 20-14, on Aug. 29 and lost to Beckman, 20-17, on Sept. 26 ... Tustin, coached by Winter Welz, is back in the playoffs after missing them last year for the first time since 2007 ... The Tillers secured their berth by beating Kennedy, 19-17, last week in their Empire League finale ... Quarterback Pilimai had 200 combined rushing and passing yards and rushed for two touchdowns in the win over Kennedy ... Wilson is a play-making receiver who has committed to Utah.

— Matt Szabo