2015-16 Week 8: Another Tough Assignment for Leaf & Co.
Foothills Christian’s national cred will be tested this week when the Knights take on Santa Ana Mater Dei in a Nike event Saturday night.
Foothills (16-3) is fourth in the latest Cal-Hi Sports rankings, 16th in USA Today, and No. 1 in San Diego.
Mater Dei (21-3) is fifth in Cal-Hi Sports and out of USA Today‘s Top 25, but the Monarchs are logical favorites in this last big game for Foothills before the upcoming run to the state playoffs.
The game will be played on Mater Dei’s home court, where the Monarchs have lost three games in 10 years, according to Cal-Hi boss Mark Tennis.
Foothills must bring its game and the 6-11 Leaf will have win his individual battle with 6-9 M.J. Cage, the Oregon-bound Mater Dei power forward and son of former San Diego State Hall of Famer Michael Cage.
The San Diego Section’s Big 4, Foothills, Cathedral, St. Augustine, and Torrey Pines, all eased by last week. Most significant achievement probably was Cathedral’s 75-59 win over visiting Wilmington Narbonne in the San Diego-Los Angeles Shootout.
Narbonne is ranked 20th in the Los Angeles Times Southern Section-L.A. City poll.
GIRLS
Mission Hills (16-3) advanced from ninth to eighth in the Cal-Hi Sports poll, La Jolla Country Day (16-4) from 10th to ninth, and Bishop’s (19-4) remained 14th. Torrey Pines (13-5) is on the bubble, joining boys bubbles Cathedral, St. Augustine, and Torrey Pines.
Records through Monday, Feb. 1.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Last Week |
| 1 | Foothills Christian (11) | 16-3 | 110 | 1 |
| 2 | Cathedral | 14-4 | 96 | 2 |
| 3 | St. Augustine | 17-4 | 83 | 4 |
| 4 | Torrey Pines | 17-4* | 81 | 3 |
| 5 | El Camino | 17-5 | 55 | 5 |
| 6 | Army-Navy | 16-7 | 53 | 6 |
| 7 | Kearny | 22-2 | 49 | 7 |
| 8 | Poway | 20-3 | 33 | 9 |
| 9 | Grossmont | 18-3 | 19 | 10 |
| 10 | La Jolla Country Day | 20-3 | 16 | 8 |
*Forfeited 57-37 victory Dec. 5 over Horizon.
Points awarded on basis of 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.
Others receiving votes, including record: West Hills (15-6, 4) Mission Bay (15-6, 3), San Marcos (14-6, 3).
Eleven media representatives vote, including John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune; Steve Brand (San Diego Hall of Champions), Terry Monahan, Jim Lindgren, Union-Tribune correspondents; Bill Dickens, Adam Paul, EastCountySports.com; Rick Willis, KUSI-TV; Rick Smith, partletonsports.com; Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com; Lisa Lane, San Diego Preps Insider; Aaron Burgin, fulltimehoops.com.