Two schools that advanced to Central Section football championship games last season are back for more, while the third Kings County entry is looking for revenge for its last playoff appearance.

Hanford and Corcoran, which hosted - and lost - title games in Division III and V, respectively, will make return trips to this year's postseason circus.

They'll be joined by Hanford West, whose 3-7 record earned it a No. 11 seed in the Division III bracket.

Hanford (6-4) got the No. 5 seed in Division III and will play Golden Valley (Bakersfield) at 7 p.m. Friday at the Neighbor Bowl.

Golden Valley is 3-7 on the year, including a 50-20 drubbing by West Yosemite League champ El Diamante in Week 2, and 1-5 in Southeast Yosemite League action.

"We thought we'd be a 5 or 6. The El D loss really hurt us," said Hanford coach Josh Young on Saturday. "We've won five of our last six and have played well except for one hiccup against El D."

El Diamante ended up the No. 2 seed in Division II, behind Tulare Union.

Unlike last season, when the Bullpups were the top seed, Friday's game could be the only home game for Hanford. Friday's winner takes on the winner of the gbame between No. 4 Delano and No. 13 Highland.

For the second straight year, Corcoran is the No. 1 seed in Division V and has a first-round bye.

But there's the potential for a grudge match when the East Sierra League champion Panthers (8-2, 5-0 ESL) open the playoffs on Nov. 27.

Corcoran hosts the winner of Friday's first-round game between No. 9 Bakersfield Christian and No. 8 Mission Prep (San Luis Obispo).

Bakersfield Christian won the last two Divsion V titles with now-graduated Derek Carr at quarterback, including a 49-27 victory at Corcoran last season.

Corcoran's only two losses this year have been to Division IV teams, top-seeded Kingsburg and No. 4 Wasco.

Hanford West's decision to enter the playoffs was an easy one, coach Darryl Beck said.

"We felt we could play anyone in Division III and be competitive," he said.

The Huskies will play at Ridgeview (Bakersfield), which went 6-5 on the season, but just 2-4 in Southwest Yosemite League play, defeating South (Bakersfield) 34-18 Friday night in the regular season finale to snap a four-game losing streak.

This will be Hanford West's first playoff appearance since 2005 when, oddly enough, the Huskies lost 33-24 to Ridgeview in a second-round game.

Hanford West concluded the regular season on Nov. 5 with a 24-0 loss to Redwood at the Neighbor Bowl.

The Huskies took a couple of days off last week and held some workouts to keep in shape, Beck said.

Friday's winner meets the winner of the Independence at Porterville game Nov. 27.

(Nov. 14, 2009)