Central Section playoff preview and schedule
The brackets are out, the matchups are set - it's time for playoff football.
The Central Section high school football postseason kicks off Thursday night when Centennial (Bakersfield) visits Buchanan in Division 1-A action.
This is the first year with two Division I's: 1-AA features the top eight teams in the Section ranked by CalPreps.com, and 1-A is made of the next eight teams.
The computer-based seeding format also includes base divisions, from which a team cannot rise or fall more than one division above or below.
That is why base-Division II schools Sanger, Hanford and Tulare Union find themselves in the 1-AA bracket, facing TRAC powers Clovis North, Clovis and Clovis East.
It should make for an interesting month of playoffs.
Sports Reporter Gabe Camarillo breaks down the Central Section playoff schedule with the help of ESPN Radio host Paul Meadors.
Meadors hosts the "Central Valley Sports Report" for 1430 AM ESPN Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m, a program all about high school sports.
Below is the full first round of playoff games for local Central Section high schools.
