With a fourth consecutive trip to Dodger Stadium as the ultimate goal, the Chancellors begin that quest by playing host to the Verdugo Hills Dons on Wednesday at 3 p.m. in a first-round game of the Los Angeles City Section Championship Division playoffs.

 

The top-seeded Chancellors are chasing their seventh City title and sixth under Coach Tom Meusborn (pictured), who is in his 17th season at the helm, and also are seeking the fourth 30-victory season in the program's history.

 

Chancellors (27-2): They are on a nine-game winning streak and are coming off their 25th West Valley League title and fourth in a row... Under Bob Lofrano from 1981 to 1989 and Meusborn from 1990 to 2005, Chatsworth has never lost a first-round playoff game, a streak of 25 victories... Meusborn's playoff record is 43-11... From 2000 to 2005, the Chancellors have won 18 Championship Division playoff games, more than any other team. El Camino Real is second with 11, Kennedy is third with nine and Roosevelt is fourth with seven.

 

Verdugo Hills (18-6-1): The Dons finished second to Poly in the Sunset Six League... They were seeded No. 14 last year in the Championship tournament and lost to No. 3 Kennedy, 5-1, in the first round... The Dons are coached by Richard Johannsen.

 

Series against Verdugo Hills: The Chancellors and Dons have played only twice from 1980 to the present, with Chatsworth winning, 17-3, on March 17, 2001, at Verdugo Hills and 19-6 on April 8, 1989, at Chatsworth.

 

Common opponents: The Chancellors and Dons played two common opponents this year, Granada Hills and L.A. University. Chatsworth swept Granada Hills in WVL play, 7-0, 6-2 and 4-0, and beat University, 10-0, in a Chatsworth tournament game. Verdugo Hills beat Granada Hills, 7-4, and split with University, losing, 7-3, and winning, 3-2.

 

Chatsworth all-time playoff results (championship years in bold): 1963-68 -- did not qualify; 1969 -- Roosevelt W 10-0, Lincoln L 5-4; 1970-71 -- dnq; 1972 -- Carson W 10-3, Manual Arts W 7-3, Venice L 2-1; 1973 -- dnq; 1974 -- Carson L 6-4; 1975-78 -- dnq; 1979 -- Banning W 3-0, Crenshaw L 11-3; 1980 -- dnq; 1981 -- Huntington Park W 10-2, Grant W 6-3, Banning L 5-1, Sylmar L 1-0 (third-place game); 1982 -- Fremont W 4-1, Franklin W 13-0, Palisades L 9-7, Banning W 5-3 (third place game); 1983 -- Fairfax W 9-0, San Pedro W 7-0, Granada Hills W 7-2, Sylmar W 8-7 (final); 1984 -- San Pedro W 19-5, Banning L 3-0; 1985 -- Gardena W 4-3, North Hollywood W 4-1, Kennedy L 4-2; 1986 -- Sylmar W 8-5, San Fernando L 10-4; 1987 -- North Hollywood W 16-5, Kennedy W 5-1, Poly L 6-4; 1988 -- Gardena W 28-5, Sylmar W 7-3, San Fernando L 5-2; 1989 -- Gardena W 9-1, Grant W 11-6, Palisades L 9-8; 1990 -- Carson W 6-1, Palisades W 11-0, Taft W 6-1, El Camino Real W 3-2; 1991 -- Carson W 11-0, Poly L 17-1; 1992 -- Sylmar W 4-2, Venice W 7-4, Poly L 3-2; 1993 -- Venice W 10-0, Sylmar W 4-1, Taft W 17-1, El Camino Real L 7-6 (final); 1994 -- Grant W 3-0, Birmingham W 11-10, Taft W 5-0, El Camino Real L 7-6 (9) (final); 1995 -- San Pedro W 4-1, Banning L 6-3; 1996 -- University W 6-5, Carson W 6-4, Poly L 6-4; 1997 -- Reseda W 16-9, Cleveland W 9-5, El Camino Real L 9-6; 1998 -- Van Nuys W 8-0, Monroe W 9-7, Kennedy W 5-2, El Camino Real L 5-2 (final); 1999 -- San Pedro W 13-1, Roosevelt W 5-4, South Gate W 12-2, Poly W 17-7 (final); 2000 -- Grant W 4-2, Kennedy L 11-4; 2001 -- University W 4-0, Narbonne W 2-1, Banning W 4-0, Roosevelt W 2-1 (final); 2002 -- Kennedy W 2-1, El Camino Real W 13-6, Cleveland L 4-0; 2003 -- Fremont W 12-0, Kennedy W 2-0, Banning W 4-3, Carson W 3-0 (final); 2004 -- Narbonne W 7-3, Sylmar W 6-4, Kennedy W 10-7, San Pedro W 7-1 (final); 2005 -- Fremont W 11-0, Palisades W 5-4, South Gate W 15-5, El Camino Real L 5-1 (final).

 

Wednesday's first-round playoff matchups: (Upper bracket) No. 16 Verdugo Hills (18-6-1) at No. 1 Chatsworth (27-2), No. 9 Poly (22-8) at No. 8 Banning (20-10), No. 12 San Fernando (12-12) at No. 5 Narbonne (20-9), No. 13 Westchester (16-10) at No. 4 Roosevelt (31-3-1); (Lower bracket) No. 14 Bell (19-9) at No. 3 Kennedy (22-10), No. 11 San Pedro (19-11) at No. 6 Cleveland (19-10), No. 10 Sylmar (14-11) at No. 7 Palisades (17-11), No. 15 University (16-11-1) at No. 2 El Camino Real (24-5). All games at 3 p.m.

 

Friday's quarterfinal matchups: Verdugo Hills-Chatsworth winner vs. Poly-Banning winner, San Fernando-Narbonne winner vs. Westchester-Roosevelt winner, Bell-Kennedy winner vs. San Pedro-Cleveland winner, Sylmar-Palisades winner vs. University-El Camino Real winner. All games at 3 p.m. at home site of higher-seeded team.

 

Playoff tidbit: Of the 16 teams that participated in last year's Championship bracket tournament, 13 are back. The three not returning: Franklin, Fremont and South Gate.