2018 Week 18: Cathedral State’s No. 7 Team

Despite defeat, Cathedral got respect and cred in Cal-Hi Sports’  final rating of the state’s top 2018 teams.

Coach Sean Doyle’s team could not take down mighty Folsom, losing, 21-14, in overtime to the Sacramento-area power that had punished San Diego clubs in the past, but Cathedral’s stout performance in the Division 1-AA final at Cerritos College in Norwalk elevated the Dons from eighth to seventh behind, in order,  blue bloods Santa Ana Mater Dei, Bellflower St. John Bosco, Concord De LaSalle, Corona Centennial, and Folsom.

Westlake Village Oaks Christian nosed out the Dons for sixth.

Doyle’s clubs hit a bump in the road every once in a while but they travel with the elite and schedule the big boys.

Cathedral figures to make another run in 2019, returning several battle-tested players, starting with quarterback D.J. Ralph.  They’ll have to replace running back Shawn Poma, the San Diego Section player of the year who hit with howitzer force and was the heartbeat of the Dons’ offense.

Torrey Pines was 14^th in Cal-Hi Sports’ final,  St. Augustine 48^th, and Helix 52^nd.  Carlsbad, Eastlake, and Lincoln each was given honorable mention.

Cathedral ranked ninth in the state and 35^th in the country, according to Max Preps.  Torrey Pines was 23rd in California, St. Augustine 35^th, and Helix 45^th.

Cal Preps.com gave Cathedral a 64.7 grade, Torrey Pines 53.8, St. Augustine 49.0, and Helix 44.7.

CAVERS PREVAIL

San Diego was the only champion of the four San Diego Section finalists.  The Cavers, after traveling 563 miles, overcame an early, 10-0 deficit to defeat favored Colfax, 21-10, in D5-AA.

The victory revived memories of the Hilltoppers’ illustrious past.

While the Cavers had not done much in football the last 50 or so years, they still had their followers.

A Go-Fund-Me page with a goal of  $14,000 to help defray the Cavers’ expenses for the trip was met so quickly that many graduates couldn’t respond. Many in the school’s vast number of alumni had stepped up in support of the Park Boulevard mainstay.

Lincoln dropped a 21-7 decision to Menlo-Atherton in D3-AA and Orange Glen was defeated in D6-A by San Francisco Lincoln, 24-13.

VALLEY CENTER RUNNER TOPS

Mateo Sinohui of Valley Center led the section with 31 touchdowns and 18 two-point conversions for 222 points, according to the unofficial statistics annually provided by Max Preps.

Rancho Buena Vista’s Dorian Richardson had 34 touchdowns and 204 points and Orange Glen’s Cael Patterson, who returns in ’19, had 200, followed by Torrey Pines Mac Bingham with 158.

Go to the Football menu, search Top Performances, and then scroll to Annual Individual Performers for a list of the top 15.

San Diego Section squads are 10-16 since in state championship games were reintroduced in 2006:

CIF sections:

+–Central. ++–Northern.  +++–Oakland.  *–North Coast.  **Sac-Joaquin. ***–San Francisco. ##Central Coast. >Overtime.

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