Four locals in CIF playoffs

This is the time of the year when football players hope hard work and commitment pay off in a new season. Four local high school programs earned the right to continue playing.

Three of the four are more than happy to return to the CIF Southern Section playoffs after a one-year hiatus.

Newport Harbor is clearly one of those.

One minute Friday night, the Sailors jumped up and down, celebrating a victory in the regular-season finale to keep their chances to make the playoffs alive. Minutes later, they collapsed after a tiebreaker process eliminated them from receiving one of the Sunset League’s remaining two guaranteed berths into the postseason.

The Sailors got their morning pick-me-up on Sunday, when they, along with Costa Mesa, Sage Hill and Estancia, learned of their respective first-round opponents at section headquarters in Los Alamitos.

The day turned out to be one of celebration again for Newport Harbor, which was rewarded for finishing in a three-way tie for second place in the competitive Sunset League.

Newport Harbor, Sage Hill and Estancia return to the postseason after missing it last year.

The Sailors received the lone at-large entry into the Pac-5 Division playoffs, considered the toughest in the state. Newport Harbor (6-4) starts with a challenge at No. 4-seeded Lakewood (9-1) at 7 p.m. The Moore League champion Lancers’ lone slip-up was a one-point loss in the season opener to Crenshaw, which is ranked No. 3 in the state by CalHiSports.com.

Of the four locals qualifying for the playoffs, Sage Hill, the Academy League runner-up, is the only one playing host to a first-round game. The Lightning (7-3) open the East Valley Division playoffs against Grace Brethren of Simi Valley at 7:30 p.m. Grace Brethren (5-5) is the No. 2 entry from the Frontier League.

Costa Mesa goes on the road in the Southern Division playoffs after falling short in the Orange Coast League championship showdown with Laguna Beach Friday. The Mustangs (6-4) play Santiago (8-2) at Bolsa Grande High at 7 p.m. Santiago placed second in the Garden Grove League.

Estancia played its way into the Southern Division playoffs by winning its league finale to clinch the Orange Coast League’s No. 3 entry. The Eagles (6-4) play at defending champion Laguna Hills (8-2) at 7 p.m. The Hawks, the Pacific Coast League champions, are the No. 3 seed.

Estancia and Newport Harbor face the biggest obstacles in the first round.