Murrieta Valley earned a spot in the CIF Southern Section football playoffs for the 15th straight season, beating Norco 55-38 on Oct. 29 to claim the Big West Conference-North Division's final automatic berth.

The Nighthawks closed league play on a three-game winning streak to finish 3-2 in conference and 5-5 overall, according to MaxPreps.

Two players carried the clinching win. Kayden Borden caught six passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns and returned a kickoff 83 yards for a score. Tahj Stevens rushed for 156 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Both were named among the Southland's top performers by the Los Angeles Times.

Quarterback Ty Isaia completed 10 of 20 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns, the Press Enterprise reported.

"We're heading in the right direction, and we're looking forward to going into the playoffs," Murrieta Valley coach George Wilson told the Press Enterprise.

The CIF Southern Section's football calendar lists the first round of playoff games for Nov. 6. Bracket pairings were scheduled for release at 10 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. Murrieta Valley's seed, division placement and first-round opponent had not been confirmed at publication time.

Vista Murrieta, Murrieta Mesa fall short in league

Vista Murrieta finished 0-5 in Big West-North play and 2-8 overall after losing five straight to close the season, per MaxPreps. The Broncos fell 49-14 to Chaparral on Oct. 29.

Murrieta Mesa went 1-4 in league and 3-7 overall, according to MaxPreps. The Rams lost 62-0 to Centennial on Oct. 29 to end the regular season on a three-game skid. Their lone league win came Oct. 9 against Vista Murrieta, 26-21.

Neither team earned an automatic berth. Whether the Broncos or Rams applied for or received at-large postseason spots could not be confirmed at publication time. Teams that do not earn automatic berths from their league can apply for at-large consideration, according to the Press Enterprise.

City matchups went to the Nighthawks

Murrieta Valley swept both city rivals. The Nighthawks beat Vista Murrieta 28-20 on Oct. 16 and Murrieta Mesa 20-7 on Oct. 23. Murrieta Mesa topped Vista Murrieta 26-21 on Oct. 9.

The CIF-SS calendar shows additional playoff rounds on Nov. 13 and Nov. 20, with finals scheduled for Nov. 27–28.