championship

It doesn’t hurt that the championship game is played in Las Vegas on Dec. 17.

It’s championship or bust, and the Gauchos earned the right to play on with a dominating 27-7 semifinal victory over defending champion Birmingham on Friday night, ending the Patriots’ 48-game win streak against City Section opponents.

It means Narbonne, despite its off-the-field problems, is set to play San Pedro in the Open Division championship game at El Camino College on Nov. 29.

Much like 2017 — and many years since — St. John Bosco secured a spot in the Southern Section Division 1 championship with a 20-17 victory over Orange Lutheran.

There may be some unease in the stadium on Saturday after Maresca opted to leave Leicester in the summer after winning the Championship title in his only season at the club.