Good morning, Corona! It is playoff Friday for our local high schools. Norco boys water polo is on the road at 5 p.m., then Norco and Santiago both host CIF football playoff games at 7 p.m. Centennial gets a bye this week and waits for Mater Dei next Friday. Here is everything we confirmed on MaxPreps this morning so families can plan the night — times, addresses, records and recent results, with no guesses.

For schedules, past recaps and more local coverage, start at our Corona-Norco Sports Central.

Friday Night Football: Two Home Playoff Games at 7 p.m.

CIF Southern Section football playoffs tip off tonight, and two of our stadiums get the first-round spotlight. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at both schools. No complete high school finals from Thursday, Nov. 5, appeared on the Centennial, Corona, Santiago, Norco or Roosevelt MaxPreps schedules we checked, so Friday night is the clear main event.

• Norco Cougars (7-3) host Long Beach Poly (6-4) at Norco High School, 2065 Temescal Avenue, Norco, in the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs. Poly finished first in the Moore League at 4-0 and comes in on a four-game win streak. Norco is 5-0 at home this season on MaxPreps after outscoring home opponents all fall, so Cougar fans, the band and the cheer team have every reason to make Temescal Avenue loud.
• Santiago Sharks (6-4) host Elsinore (5-5) at Santiago High School, 1395 Foothill Parkway, Corona, in the CIF-SS Division 8 playoffs. These teams already met once this fall: Santiago won 33-26 at Elsinore on Sept. 25. Tonight is a brand-new playoff game with no automatic carryover from September — and Shark families who watched that road win get a rematch under the Foothill Parkway lights.

A little more MaxPreps context for football night: Norco’s regular-season path included home wins over Roosevelt (55-14), Colony (56-7) and Orange Vista (49-0) early, then Big West–North games against Murrieta Mesa, Chaparral, Centennial, Vista Murrieta and Murrieta Valley. Poly’s Moore League run featured big late wins, including 55-0 over Lakewood, 44-0 vs. Woodrow Wilson, 42-0 at Millikan and 58-0 at Jordan. Santiago’s fall mixed early wins (Yucaipa, Temescal Canyon, Silverado, Bishop Montgomery and that Elsinore road win) with a tough Big West–South stretch. Elsinore enters at .500 overall and 3-1 in Mountain Pass league play. Both communities should be proud of teams that earned another Friday night together.

Game-day tips for football families: Arrive early — playoff crowds are usually bigger than regular-season nights, and campus parking fills quickly. Confirm gate times, student ID rules and parking with your school’s athletics office or social channels before you leave. Bring layers for a November Inland Empire evening, wear your colors, and cheer for every player on the field. If you are meeting grandparents or friends who do not know the campuses, share the addresses above and a pin from your maps app. You can also pass along the Norco football schedule or Santiago football schedule on MaxPreps for a quick shared link.

Norco Water Polo: Away Playoff at La Serna, 5 p.m.

Before the football kickoffs, the Norco Cougars boys water polo team has an away CIF-SS Division 3 playoff game at La Serna (Whittier) today at 5 p.m. MaxPreps lists Norco as the visitor and does not name a pool facility on the game page, so please check the Norco water polo schedule on MaxPreps or La Serna’s athletics updates for the exact pool before you drive into Whittier. La Serna High School’s MaxPreps address is 15301 Youngwood Drive, Whittier — use that as your starting point and confirm the pool once you are close. Give yourself extra time for Friday afternoon traffic so you can settle in and cheer.

Norco enters the game at 22-8 overall (13-3 at home, 8-3 away on MaxPreps) after two straight playoff wins at home: 14-9 over Burbank on Oct. 29 and 12-10 over Camarillo on Tuesday, Nov. 3. That is a two-game playoff win streak heading into Whittier. La Serna is 15-14 after a 9-5 playoff win at Millikan on Nov. 3 and is listed 2-0 in Del Rio league play. Congratulations to both teams for earning another week together — and a tip of the cap to Burbank, Camarillo and Millikan for proud seasons that pushed these Cougars and Lancers.

Centennial: Bye Week, Then Mater Dei on Nov. 13

Centennial (7-3) does not play tonight. The Huskies’ next MaxPreps game is Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. at Mater Dei in Santa Ana in the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs. Centennial has won five straight and went 5-0 in Big West–North league play, with recent scores that include 65-14 at Vista Murrieta, 42-20 over Murrieta Valley, 46-14 over Norco, 41-27 at Chaparral and 62-0 at Murrieta Mesa. Husky fans, mark the calendar, enjoy the rest this weekend, and we will have more next week when Santa Ana is on the schedule.

Quick Wrap: Corona Girls Tennis Season

One completed fall result still worth a kind shoutout: the Corona Panthers girls tennis team fell to Village Christian 3-15 (MaxPreps lists the dual as (L) 15-3) in Sun Valley on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Thank you to every Panther player and parent who made those dual-match trips all fall. Santiago’s and Roosevelt’s later tennis playoff details were still incomplete on MaxPreps this morning, so we are not guessing scores or Friday opponents for those teams.

Thank You, Corona Sports Families

Whether your athlete is in the pool, on the field or cheering from the stands, thank you for making local sports such a bright part of our community. Three playoff stages tonight — Whittier at 5, then Temescal Avenue and Foothill Parkway at 7 — is a big Friday for neighbors showing up for each other. Be kind in the parking lot, thank the officials and volunteers, and celebrate every kid who earned a playoff jersey.

If your child is not on a school team right now, our winter youth sports sign-up guide still has hometown options worth a look. You can also catch up on our previous recap, Corona Sports Today: Friday Playoff Guide.

Have a score, a standout player or a team photo to share? Send it to Corona Shoutouts and we will cheer them on. Go Cougars, go Sharks, go Huskies — and safe travels to every family heading to Whittier, Norco or Santiago tonight.