2015-16 Week 0: Foothills No. 1 In Poll

Foothills Christian, No. 1 in the first Union-Tribune basketball poll, was 4-0 before being savaged by a piranha-like attack from the Chino Hills Huskies in finals of the Battle Zone Tournament at Corona Centennial Saturday night.

Final score, 106-86.

Foothills’ T.J. Leaf scored 44 points and was 21 for 27 from the field, but the Knights were swamped at the outset by  a withering, all-court press and trailed, 22-5, in  the first four minutes.

It was 40-13, at the end of the first quarter.

The El Cajon squad actually outscored the Chino Hills, 73-66, over the last three quarters, but it never really was in it, getting no closer than 18 points at 67-49.

The Huskies, aggressively rebounding at both ends of the court,  answered any attempted Foothills incursion with breakaways or some sharp three-point sniping.

Foothills Christian won its first four Battle Zone games, defeating Temecula Great Oak, 84-42, Etiwanda, 73-43, Corona Centennial, 69-61, and Temecula Rancho Christian, 96-58.

The Knights will get another chance at Chino Hills,  Max Preps‘ state No. 3-ranked team when they meet Jan. 9 in  the Sierra Canyon Super Showcase in Chatsworth.

Second-ranked Cathedral opens the season Thursday against San Francisco St. Ignatius in the Father Barry Tournament hosted by Carmichael Jesuit.

No. 3 St. Augustine is 4-0 after winning the Pasadena Rose City Classic at Maranatha Christian with a 52-50 victory over Montebello Cantwell Sacred Heart.

The Saints’ other tournament victories were 52-50 over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 58-47 over Pomona Diamond Ranch, and 62-42 over Valencia West Ranch.

 Rank (1st place votes in parenthesis)/Team/’14-15 Record/Points/Last Year

1. Foothills Christian (8)/ 24-8/ 96 / 1

2. Cathedral Catholic (1)/ 17-9/  85 / NR

3. St. Augustine/ 25-7/ 84 / 2

4. El Camino (1) / 20-6/ 54/ 9

5. Torrey Pines  / 31-4/ 49/ 3

6. Army-Navy/26-7/ 45/6

7. Escondido/23-7/34 /4

8. San Marcos /  26-4/  26 / 7

9. Grossmont/ 22-5/ 18/ NR

10. Mission Bay/21-5/ 17/ 10

NR–Not Ranked.

Points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis                                                                 Others receiving votes: Francis Parker (13 points, 19-8),  La Costa Canyon (11 points, 24-8), Kearny (10 points, 23-9), Valhalla (6 points, 22-10), San Ysidro (2 points, 16-13), La Jolla Country Day (1 point, 13-18). 

Ten sportswriters, sportscasters and CIF representatives from throughout the county vote in the weekly poll: John Maffei (San Diego Union-Tribune), Steve Brand, Terry Monahan, Jim Lindgren (San Diego 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).



2015 Week 16: Six Go For Southern California Titles

Helix defeated St. Augustine, 44-30,  in a terrific Open Division championship game before a standing-room  crowd of at least 10,000 persons at Southwestern College and six San Diego teams qualified for Southern California championship play.

It’s a brave new world in the state CIF.

Teams will compete in 13 divisions Dec. 11-12  and 50 teams will be playing this week. Winners this week move on to the state finals Dec. 18-19.

Officially titled “Regional Football Championship Bowl Games”, all teams this week were “slotted (placed in divisions) based on competitive equity and respective criteria.”

It’s all about the computerized ratings system that has been in place the last couple years. Enrollment numbers, seemingly used forever, are no longer a factor in determining divisional alignment.  It’s about who you played and how you did.

Helix (11-1) advances to a game in Division I-AA on Friday at Mission Viejo (14-0).  That game is one of the two top attractions this week.  Folsom (14-0) takes on San Jose Bellarmine (12-1) Friday in  the Northern California I-AA game.

Concord De La Salle (12-1), meets Corona Centennial (14-0) for the Open Division title on Saturday, Dec. 19.

Other pairings featuring San Diego Section squads:

III-AA                                                                                                                                               Oceanside (9-4) at La Mirada (11-3).

III-A                                                                                                                                                          Rancho Bernardo (11-2) at Hesperia Oak Hills (9-5).

IV-AA                                                                                                                                                 Anaheim Canyon (9-5) at Bonita Vista (11-2).

V-AA                                                                                                                                                   Riverside Notre Dame (14-0) at Mater Dei (12-1).

VI-AA                                                                                                                                               Los Angeles Belmont (14-0) at Coronado (9-4).

QUICK KICKS

Despite clearing the Southwestern College stadium after each game, the CIF smoothly ushered in the overflow crowd for the Saints-Helix finale, a game that lived up to its billing…the Highlanders broke from a 21-21 tie with a 16-point third quarter, running behind the slashing thrusts of Nate Stinson (243 yards, 4 touchdowns)…Bonita Vista’s championship was its first in the school’s 49 seasons…average margin of victory in the three Saturday finals at Southwestern was 23 points… Rancho Bernardo won its first championship since 1995 and is 21-5 in the last two seasons after a 2-19 slog in 2012-13…Mater Dei forfeited its opening game and then ran off 12 consecutive wins for its first title since 2003….