Editor’s note: We were on hiatus last week. My wife and I were celebrating our anniversary on a cruise, so we’ll try to catch up.
Most of the 18 league champions had byes as playoffs in five of six divisions (Open opens Friday) got underway.
They were first in 2019:
| TEAM | LEAGUE | REGULAR SEASON | PLAYOFF DIVISION |
| Carlsbad | Avocado | 9-1 | Open |
| Serra | Central | 8-2 | IV |
| Citrus | San Diego Jewish | 8-0 | 8 MAN |
| City | Scripps Ranch | 10-0 | III |
| Coastal | The Bishop’s | 10-0 | II |
| Eastern | La Jolla | 6-4 | IV |
| Grossmont Hills | Helix | 9-1 | Open |
| Grossmont Valley | Monte Vista | 6-4 | II |
| Imperial Valley | El Centro Central | 8-2 | III |
| Manzanita | Calexico Vincent Memorial | 9-1 | V |
| Metro Mesa | Eastlake | 5-5 | I |
| Metro Pacific | Montgomery | 9-1 | IV |
| Metro South Bay | Hilltop | 9-1 | III |
| Ocean | Foothills Christian | 9-0 | 8 MAN |
| Pacific | Francis Parker | 5-5 | V |
| Palomar | Vista | 7-3 | II |
| Valley | San Pasqual | 9-1 | II |
| Western | Cathedral | 8-2 | Open |
WHERE DO THEY RATE?
Something to chew on as the season moves into the playoff quarterfinals.
Have regular-season championships taken a back seat and become less important?
Yes, because of:
—Power ratings, which examine overall records and teams’ level of competition, judged by computer input.
—Mass participation in the playoffs (68 of the 98 playing teams in the San Diego Section received postseason invitations this year).
—Multiple divisions, resulting in league alignments that bring together the higher and the lower, i.e., D-II San Pasqual is in the same circuit with D-IV Escondido and Fallbrook.
Leagues no longer are organized based on enrollment or neighborhood boundaries.
No, because:
–They make everyone feel good, coaches, players, and the student body.
–Despite evolution and continual tinkering with the system, they still look good, especially with the visual acknowledgment seen on letterman jackets or sweaters.
–They enhance coaches’ and players’ resumes.
What do you think?
NOVEMBER MADNESS
Favored teams won 16 of 20 first-round games and one championship contest in Week 11.
Foothills Christian (10-0), arguably outgrowing its competition, blew out San Diego Jewish Academy, 62-0, for the eight-man championship.
“If we have thirty-five players out for three straight years, we’ll go to eleven-man,” was Coach Joe Mackey’s answer to the question from Steve Brand of The San Diego Union-Tribune.
“With smaller schools like ours, you’ll never know how many kids you’ll get out,” said Mackey, who noted that six seniors played for the first time this season.
UPSETS?
There were four games in which the lower seed won first-round games.
–No. 10 Torrey Pines defeated No. 7 Rancho Bernardo, 34-7 in Division I.
–No. 10 Coronado knocked off No. 7 Mount Miguel, 29-27, in D-IV.
No. 9 Oceanside topped No. 8 Eastlake, 10-0, in D-I.
No. 9 Poway won a mismatch with No. 8 Monte Vista, 47-0, in D-II.
QUICK KICKS
The Bishop’s became the first team in area history to score at least 70 points in three games in the same season…several have done it twice…93 games have resulted in the winner scoring at least 70 in 11-man competition…Grossmont’s Tom Karlo (108-65-2) and Ramona’s Damon Baldwin (100-69-1) became the 42nd and 43rd coaches to win their 100th career game…a very deep playoff run could result in The Bishop’s Joel Allen (96-34-1) joining the group…Scripps Ranch’s City League title was the first since the school opened in 1993…La Jolla’s Eastern League title was its first since 1995…
The San Diego Union-Tribune Week 11, final, regular-season poll:
First-place votes in parenthesis. NR–Not ranked. *Includes forfeit loss.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS |
| 1. | Helix (31) | 9-1 | 310 | 1 |
| 2 | Carlsbad | 9-1 | 274 | 3 |
| 3. | Cathedral | 8-2 | 241 | 2 |
| 4. | St. Augustine | 8-2 | 219 | 4 |
| 5. | Steele Canyon | 9-1 | 182 | 5 |
| 6. | Mission Hills | 8-2 | 163 | 6 |
| 7. | Lincoln | 7-3 | 82 | NR |
| 8. | Madison | 6-4 | 734 | 9 |
| 9. | The Bishop’s | 10-0 | 53 | 10 |
| 10. | Vista | 7-3* | 40 | 8 |
Others receiving votes: Scripps Ranch (10-0, 25 points), La Costa Canyon (5-5, 16), Oceanside (6-4, 9), Grossmont (7-3, 7), San Pasqual (9-1, 6), Montgomery (9-1), 3.
Voting panel of 31 sportswriters, sportscasters, various County football honchos:
- John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune
- Jim Lindgren, Rick Hoff, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Thomas Gutierrez, freelance contributors.
- Paul Rudy, Brandon Stone,Ted Mendenhall, KUSI Chl. 51
- Adam Paul, ECpreps.com
- Ramon Scott, EastCountySports.com
- Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com
- Taylor Quellman, The Mighty 1090
- Steve Brand, San Diego Hall of Champions
- Troy Hirsch, Kaylyn McMakin, Tabitha Lipkin, Fox 5, San Diego
- Rick Smith, PartletonSports.com
- Jerry Schniepp, John Labeta, Ron Marquez, CIF San Diego Section
- Joe Heinz, Coordinator, Athletics, Sweetwater School District
- Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net
- Bob Petinak, free lance.
- John Kentera, Brandon Suprenant, 97.3 FM The Fan
- Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM
- Mike Dolan, John Carroll, San Diego Section Tournament Directors.
- Christian Pederson, SoCal Prep Insider.
- Joe Heinz, Athletics Director, Sweetwater School District.
- Eric Williams, WBK Sports/San Diego Friday Night Lights Magazine.
AS OTHERS IN CALIFORNIA SEE SAN DIEGO’S TOP 10
| Team | Record | Cal.Preps.Com | Max Preps | Cal-Hi Sports |
| Helix | 9-1 | 60.2/60.7 | 13/9 | 8/8 |
| Carlsbad | 9-1 | 51.5/49 | 24/26 | 33/36 |
| Cathedral | 9-1 | 61.4/66.8 | 10/5 | 18/19 |
| St. Augustine | 8-2 | 51/52.7 | 26/18 | 30/30 |
| Steele Canyon | 9-1 | 43/43.9 | 49/41 | 38/40 |
| Mission Hills | 8-2 | 47/44.5 | 33/40 | 46/46 |
| Lincoln | 7-3 | 38.2/35.7 | 79 | Bubble |
| Madison | 6-4 | 37.735.4 | 83/89 | Bubble |
| The Bishop’s | 10-0 | 32.5/39.7 | 112/120 | NR |
| Vista | 7-3* | 35.8/30.6 | 93 | NR |
The second set of numbers or scores in the three columns to the right represent last week’s rankings. Cal Preps.com and Max Preps ratings are based on computer algorithms. Cal-Hi Sports ratings are product of publisher Mark Tennis’ eye test and information from Tennis’ correspondents throughout the state..
We used to say “Everyone gets a trophy”, now it’s “Everyone wins a title.” I coached for 40 years and always believed that you had to be one of the best teams in the section to make the playoffs. That philosophy no longer exists. The argument is that more athletes are getting the “CIF” experience. That should mean that their team was one of the top squads in the county and played other quality teams in the playoffs. That does not happen. One year there were two teams with records of 1-9 and 0-10 meeting in the 1st round of the CIF football playoffs! I saw a water polo team with a losing record getting a 1st round bye. There is no shame in not making the playoffs. In the old days you just weren’t good enough. We also did not have jackets, we wore sweaters . Just your letter , emblem and bars on the arm showing how many years you lettered. It is a different world.
Preaching to the choir, Don. Thanks for the note.