Maybe the San Diego Section has finally gotten the high school football seeding procedure down.

There were few complaints after Commissioner Dennis Ackerman posted the five brackets, which were selected by a committee of former coaches using the current coaches' advisory committee recommendations as a guide.

As expected, La Costa Canyon earned the No. 1 seed in Division I; Oceanside topped Division II; Cathedral Catholic was deeded the top berth in Division III; and Francis Parker was first in Division V.

Even Madison coach Rick Jackson, whose Warhawks posted a 10-0 record but were seeded behind defending champion Valley Center (8-2) in Division IV, said he understood why and wasn't that upset.

“Going 10-0, I thought we had a chance, but Valley Center is good,” Jackson said. “Getting seeded No. 1 should be a reward for not losing during the season, but look at who they lost to – Oceanside and Ramona.

“When you've won two of the last three championships, you are the team to beat, and overall our league isn't as strong as theirs, so I understand.”

The playoffs start Friday in four divisions leading to the section championships Dec. 12 (Division I-IV) at Qualcomm Stadium. The Division V title game will be Dec. 13 at Southwestern College.

In many cases, it was how you finished the season that determined not only if you got in but where you were seeded.

Ramona's stunning 33-33 tie Friday with No. 1-ranked Oceanside assured the Bulldogs the No. 2 seed in Division III.

Francis Parker's impressive 45-21 win over Christian made the Lancers No. 1 in Division V and is expected to have an impact on the state rankings.

For El Camino, a 23-13 win Friday over Carlsbad earned the Wildcats (3-7) a playoff berth in Division I. Two weeks ago, it appeared the players would be handing in their gear at the end of the regular season.

“We got some kids back and solved some internal issues,” El Camino coach Trace Deneke said. “Four games ago, we moved Collin Jones from wide receiver to quarterback, and he has just been awesome.”

Oceanside's tie, however, makes a scenario that Ackerman was championing much tougher.

He was thinking that if Oceanside won out and Long Beach Poly and Corona Centennial were upset in the Southern Section playoffs, the Pirates might be chosen for the new Open Division game. And Cathedral Catholic, if the Dons went undefeated, could be the Division II selection.

It now would take a lot of major upsets for that to unfold.

The five State Championship Bowl games will be played Dec. 19-20 at The Home Depot Center in Carson.