Seedings for the Southern California Regional playoffs that begin Tuesday reflected the San Diego Section’s strength in the lower divisions.
But the big boys got no respect, as usual.
San Diego teams are favored seeds in only two of nine Open, D-I or D-II contests. They are the choice in five of seven games in D-III through D-V.
Montgomery is the number one seed in Division III and San Diego Southwest is second in D-V.
FALCONS’ FEET PUT TO FIRE
Torrey Pines is the eighth and lowest seed in the Open Division and Foothills Christian, Mission Bay, and St. Augustine, which generally alternated as the top teams in The San Diego Union‘s weekly, regular-season poll, were ranked fifth, 13th, and 16th. respectively, in Division I. Vista is a 14th.
Torrey Pines defeated Foothills, 51-47, for the San Diego Section Open Division title and will make the 140-mile jaunt to Chatsworth to take on the No. 1 seed Sierra Canyon Trailblazers, also considered the No. 1 team in the country in some quarters.
Getting to Chatsworth should be a two-and-a-half-hour ride for Torrey, if it is lucky and eludes the often brutal Los Angeles-area traffic that could make the trip 3 or 4 hours, or more..
Falcons coach John Olive, one of the best, is up for the assignment.
“They’re one of the best teams in the country, but my team likes challenges,” Oliver told John Maffei of the Union. “We’re going to go up there and give it our best shot.”
UPSETS HAVE HAPPENED
Torrey Pines has conquered a daunting playoff challenge before. The Falcons were behind, 43-40, at the end of three quarters on the road at favored Long Beach Poly but pulled out a 54-49 victory in 2015 as a number 6 seed.
There’s other precedent. Seventh-seeded Cathedral knocked off No. 2 Sierra Canyon, 83-80, on the road in 2016, and No. 6 St. Augustine scrapped out an 88-81 win over the No. 3 Trailblazers in 2017.
| BOYS | ||||
| DIVISION | TEAM | RECORD | OPPONENT | RECORD |
| OPEN | 8 Torrey Pines | 25-6 | @1 Chatsworth Sierra Canyon | 28-3 |
| I | 16 St Augustine | 22-7 | @1 Etiwanda | 25-5 |
| 5 Foothills Christian | 23-6 | 12 Woodland Hills El Camino Real | 18-10 | |
| 13 Mission Bay | 18-12 | @4 Rancho Santa Margarita | 23-10 | |
| 14 Vista | 21-9 | @3 Bellflower St. John Bosco | 21-9 | |
| II | 8 Poway | 22-7 | 9 Santa Clarita Christian | 10-22 |
| 12 Cathedral | 23-9 | @5 La Canada | 27-6 | |
| 14 Francis Parker | 20-10 | @3 Ontario Colony | 27-5 | |
| 11 San Marcos | 17-10 | @6 Palos Verdes Rolling Hills Prep | 25-6 | |
| III | 1 Montgomery | 27-4 | 16 L.A. University | 19-10 |
| 8 La Jolla Country Day | 18-13 | 9 Carlsbad | 25-6 | |
| 10 Rancho Buena Vista | 27-5 | @7 Capistrano Valley Christian | 26-7 | |
| IV | 8 Valhalla | 28-4 | 9 Visalia Central Valley Christian | 19-8 |
| 6 San Diego | 22-8 | 11 San Luis Obispo | 21-11 | |
| V | 13 San Pasqual | 13-18 | @4 Oxnard Santa Clara | 27-6 |
| 2 San Diego Southwest | 25-7 | 15 Santa Monica New Roads   15-16 |
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There are no girls’ teams in the Open Division, but D-I Cathedral and D-5 Madison are top seeds, and San Diego Section clubs are favored in 10 of the 14 opening-round games.
San Marcos, despite a 15-17 record, is a second seed in D-III and favored over Ventura St. Bonaventure, which is 26-3.
The seeming anomaly in won-loss records is because San Marcos played a consistently tougher schedule than the Seraphs. That also is reflected in other contests up and down the schedule of 30 first-round games involving area squads.
As in football, who you play is just as important as who you beat.
| Â | Â | GIRLS | Â | Â |
| DIVISION | TEAM | RECORD | OPPONENT | RECORD |
| I | 1 Cathedral | 25-6 | 16 Woodland Hills El Camino Real | 17-11 |
| 5 La Jolla Country Day | 19-11 | 12 L.A. Westchester | 17-9 | |
| 9 Christian | 21-9 | @8 Riverside King | 29-2 | |
| II | 3 The Bishop’s | 18-11 | 14 L.A. Eagle Rock | 16-8 |
| 11 La Costa Canyon | 20-10 | @6 Palos Verdes Rolling Hills Prep | 23-4 | |
| 10 Bonita Vista | 18-10 | @7 Eastvale Eleanor Roosevelt | 27-5 | |
| III | 5 Serra | 14-10 | Cathedral City | 24-3 |
| 3 Poway | 23-8 | Lakewood Mayfair | 21-5 | |
| 7 Carlsbad | 20-12 | 10 Santa Monica Crossroads | 17-12 | |
| 2 San Marcos | 15-17 | 15 Ventura St. Bonaventure | 26-3 | |
| IV | 5 Grossmont | 22-7 | 12 Temecula Linfield Christian | 24-3 |
| 14 San Dieguito | 22-7 | @3 L.A. Carson | 14-8 | |
| 6 Mission Vista | 21-2 | 11 Irvine Crean Lutheran | 25-6 | |
| V | 1 Madison | 27-3 | 16 Santa Ana Saddleback | 18-12 |
JUMP SHOTS
San Diego High (22-8) won its second consecutive boys division championship, 75-56 over 28-4 Valhalla in the D-III finale at Mira Mesa…the Cavers won the D-IV title in 2017-18 before losing to Santa Clarita Christian, 67-48, in the Southern California D-V regional semifinals …the Cavers are 46-16 in last two seasons under Basil Fontenot after going 7-20 and 13-15 in prior two years…the Cavers have won 12 in row…San Pasqual (13-18) under Erik Meek, who led Eagles to a 1990-91 title, won their 4th in row after losing previous 6, 49-41 over 15-17 Clairemont…Mission Vista coach Jerry Garrett quarterbacked Oceanside to a 9-4 season in 1980, including a 36-34 upset in Santa Ana over Santa Ana Mater Dei….
