The 2026 Central Section high school football playoffs are officially HERE, and if you aren’t paying attention to Tulare Western, you need to be. These guys are sitting pretty at 9-1, locking up that No. 2 seed in Division II and getting ready to host Justin Garza for the first round. This team is *hot* and coming off a huge win, so everyone else better be on notice.
Tulare County Teams Ready to Go
Fifteen teams from Tulare County are jumping into the section postseason, spanning across eight different divisions, from the top-tier Division I-AA all the way down to 8-player. This isn’t some small-time showing, folks; our county is repping hard! We’ve got Tulare Union in Division I-A, Tulare Western, Redwood, Central Valley Christian, Dinuba, and Golden West all duking it out in Division II. Then there’s Porterville in Division III. Mt. Whitney, Monache, and Exeter are in Division IV. Orosi and Woodlake are in Division V, while Granite Hills and Lindsay are in Division VI. And let’s not forget Alpaugh holding it down in 8-player.
Postseason play kicks off with first-round games this coming Friday, November 6. Get ready! Championship games for 8-player, Division I-A, and Division I-AA are set for November 20. Then, Division II through IV finals will be played on November 27, the day after Thanksgiving. Talk about some intense holiday weekend football!
First-Round Matchups to Watch
Seriously, there are some battles brewing right out of the gate. In Division I-A, No. 5 Tulare Union (4-6) is heading to No. 4 Liberty-Bakersfield (6-4). That’s a tough road trip for the Union.
Division II is stacked! We already talked about No. 2 Tulare Western (9-1) hosting No. 15 Justin Garza (4-6). You also have No. 3 Redwood (8-2) welcoming No. 14 Bullard (5-5). No. 5 Central Valley Christian (4-6) gets No. 12 San Joaquin Memorial (4-6). No. 10 Dinuba (6-4) is on the road at No. 7 San Luis Obispo (7-3), and No. 13 Golden West (3-7) has a tough one at No. 4 Kingsburg (8-2).
Down in Division V, you’ve got No. 3 Orosi (9-1) at home against No. 14 Torres (3-7). Orosi is another team with an incredible record, don’t sleep on them! And No. 5 Woodlake (8-2) is hosting No. 12 Caruthers (4-6).
These teams are not just showing up; they’re bringing records that speak for themselves. Tulare Western’s Juju Hernandez already lit up the scoreboard celebrating a touchdown in their 62nd annual Bell game just last Friday, October 30, where Tulare Western beat Tulare Union 28-17 and clinched the outright EYL title. That’s the momentum you need heading into the playoffs!
What’s Next
It all goes down this Friday, November 6, when these first-round games hit the field. The stakes are everything now. It’s win or go home, and you know these teams are leaving it all out there. Which Tulare County squad is gonna make a deep run and lift that championship trophy? We’re about to find out!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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