And then there were three.

Three area football teams are left in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Playoffs, and they’re all from the Los Padres League. The representatives are St. Joseph, Pioneer Valley and Nipomo.

Those three, in order, were also the top three Los Padres League teams.

St. Joseph, the third-ranked team in the Northwest Division, and Pioneer Valley, No. 4, are playoff veterans. Nipomo is a relative post-season newbie. The Titans are in the post-season for the second time, and both those appearances have come the last three years.

Nipomo and St. Joseph both play 7:30 p.m. games Friday night, while Pioneer Valley starts at 7:00 p.m. Pioneer Valley, against Los Angeles Cathedral, and Nipomo, against second-ranked Gardena Serra, have home games.

The unbeaten Knights will play at El Segundo. A live webcast of the game, audio only, will be available at www.santamariatimes.com. Elliott Stern and Kevin Klein will call the action. The pre-game show will start at 7 p.m.

Here’s a look at the three local playoff teams.

St. Joseph at El Segundo

The 11-0 Knights and 7-4 Eagles have a history. El Segundo knocked St. Joseph out of the playoffs in the quarterfinals last year. That game was at El Segundo, too.

The Pioneer League runner-up earned the home game in the rematch by winning 24-7 at Tri-Valley League runner-up Ojai Nordhoff. El Segundo finished second in the Pioneer League.

St. Joseph senior K.J. Cusack was injured before his team’s Los Padres League game against Morro Bay and didn’t play then. Every other defense has seen a bunch of the area’s second-leading rusher who doubles as a dynamic return man.

El Segundo figures to see a lot of him too, but the Knights have plenty of other weapons. Behind a big and powerful offensive line, quarterback Jacob Cano can hand the ball with confidence to Jacob Rivera or Anthony Ibarra. He can also do damage by running the ball himself.

The more Cano has thrown the ball this year, the better passer he’s become. His favorite receivers are Jason Buchanan and Mitch McNulty.

The defense has five shutouts this year. Linemen Zach Perron and Keith Bendixen, linebacker Taylor Sanders and defensive back Shane Conway help anchor the group.

Cathedral at Pioneer Valley

The 10-1 Phantoms’ lone loss was a 21-7 Del Rey League one to Serra.

The 9-2 Panthers finished second in the Los Padres League. They will come at Cathedral with Dan Ando, one of the top rushers in the area. His big, sturdy line has been adept at opening holes. Veteran Nick Rucobo is a savvy quarterback who’s capable with the run and with the pass.

Defensive end Anthony Jackson has a knack for busting up other teams’ running plays. Fellow lineman Alex Grandy is another anchor on defense.

Jonathan Fuentes and Jordan Nieto are a formidable linebacker duo. Chris Cardenas helps anchor the secondary.

KSMX 1240 AM will broadcast the game live.

Serra at Nipomo

The seven-year Titans earned their first playoff win in school history when they beat Los Angeles Verbum Dei 39-12 last week. They will host a playoff game for the first time Friday night.

The opponent is a tough one. Nipomo will come at the Cavaliers with, among others,  Josh Correia and Eric Penningroth.

Correia is one of the best passers in the area. Penningroth is one of the best runningbacks. He’s also good coming out of the backfield for a pass.

Correia’s favorite deep target is Kevin Britt. Akeem King is another good receiver. Duane Hanna anchors the defense from his linebacker spot.