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2024: Eddie Olsen, 89, Baseball Lifer

The hand shake was a vise grip. I first shook that hand in September, 1964, when Eddie Olsen was hired to manage the Billiard Den, a trendy, new watering hole and pool parlor at 58th Street and El Cajon Blvd. I last saw Eddie months before he passed recently at age 89 and the handshake […]

2024: Nick Barkett, Original San Diego Section basketball player of year

Nick Barkett was determined to improve his lot in the Hoover basketball program after serving as the fifth of five guards on the 26-2 team of the 1959-60 Cardinals. “He lived at Muni Gym all Summer with (John) Bocko,” remembered Cardinals coach Charlie Hampton. Barkett and Bocko spent many days, and evenings, in the vintage […]

2024:  Dallas Evans, Football and Track Standout

Dallas Evans , who passed away recently, was a star end on the 1953 San Diego High football  team, a sub 49-second quarter-miler at San Diego State, and a coach and teacher more  than 30 years in the South Bay area. Dallas earned all-City Prep League honors on the 7-3 San Diego team that won […]

2024 Week 9: Section Athletes End Great Track Season

I’ve seen at least 40 state meets since my first in 1957 at Edwards Field in Berkeley and they evolve each year, becoming arguably one of the best high school events in the country. Buchanan High in Clovis has been the venue since 2009 and the site of some of the San Diego Section’s finest […]

2024 Week 8 Girls Track: San Diego Section’s Top 25 in California

There were three competitors, hurdlers Anisa  Bowen-Fontenot and Morgan Herbst, and distancer Jaelyn Williams, with No. 1 rankings, and 15 performances that ranked in the top five, as compiled by Athletic.net. EVENT MARK NAME, SCHOOL STATE OTHER NAME SCHOOL 100 :11.50w Shaheed, Madison 4th :11.38w Wright Temecula Chaparral :11.64w Gilhooly, Coronado 14th :11.83 Smith, La […]

2024 Week 7: No Poll Change From No.1 Through No. 7

MAFFEI FEELS IT John Maffei’s The San Diego Union Week 7 poll: Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. *First-place votes. Previous ranking in (italics). Bold indicates latest. NR–Not ranked. MaxPreps‘ and Cal-Hi Sports‘ are state rankings. RANK TEAM/RECORD POINTS MAXPREPS CALPREPS.COM CAL-HI SPORTS+ 1. Lincoln (4-2) 26* 296 (1) 14 (16) 55.5 (54.2) 14 (16)  2. […]

2024 Week 1A: Arcadia Invitational Results, Second Day

GIRLS EVENT NAME SCHOOL MARK PLACE Seeded 100 Lauren Gilhooly Coronado :11.70 First Open 100 Ily Barclay Steele Canyon :12.20 — Taylore Hoagland Rancho Bernardo :12.29 — Tianna Rustkovich Mt. Carmel :12.32 — Chanel Burton Helix :12.36 — Laraigh Allen Helix — — Open 220 Gilhooly :24.82 11th Rustkovich :25.26 — Arynn Sanders Otay Ranch […]

2024 Week 1: Arcadia Invitational, First Day

Opening event of the marathon 56th Arcadia Invitational was Friday afternoon, April 4, followed by a Saturday spectacular that goes from not long after sun-up to late-night TV. San Diego Section boys and girls Friday participated in many events, some with four classifications, Invitational, Open, Seeded, and Rated.  “Rising Stars” events below, usually are reserved […]

2024 Track Week 7: 10 Victories, 4 Section Records by Boys and Girls

104th STATE TRACK FINALS CLOVIS BUCHANAN HIGH San Diego Section medal winners in bold. BOYS 4×100 Relay—Pittsburg, :40.77. 1600—Dybdahl (Santa Barbara), 4:08.23. 110HH—McFarland (Elk Grove Consumness Oaks), :13.6. Wind 3.1.  3. Tseko-Biffle (El Capitan), :13.99w. 4. Martin (Helix), :14.07w. 400—Ricks (L.B. Poly), :46.79. 100—Arrington, Jr. (Mount Miguel), :10.33.  Wind 1.3. Section No. 3 all-time. 800—Evans (Carlsbad), 1:50.21. […]

2024 Track Week 3: Ninth and 10th Graders Hold Sway in Dick Wilkins Meet

Underclass youngsters took charge last week in the 38th Dick Wilkins Frosh-Sophomores meet at Del Norte as the season swung toward league championships this week. Mount Miguel’s Brandon Arrington, Jr., continued to run among the top echelon sprinters in the state with his :10.51 100 meters and :20.88 200.  Rancho Bernardo’s Brice Abawi announced his […]

2024 Track Week 2: Atilano Adds Distance, Earns No. 1 Ranking

Cathedral’s Vincent Atilano lost his California lead in the 300 hurdles, but gained a first, and national standing, in another at the 64th Mount San Antonio Relays over the weekend. Atilano eschewed his usual 300 race, in which his :37.42 ranked first until a runner from Eastvale Roosevelt ran :37.06.  The Dons’ senior instead entered […]

2024 Summer: Football is Coming! Hornets and Dons Line Up Impressive Schedules

Lincoln and Cathedral, traditional big shots in the Western League and San Diego Section, appear to be trying to outdo each other. The Hornets of coach David Dunn, 24-2 over the last two seasons, are signed to play road games at Long Beach Poly, Sacramento Grant, and Coronado High of Henderson, Nevada, plus home games […]

2024 Girls Track Week 7: They Set Pace in 6 Events on State Meet Day 1

Anisa Bowen-Fontonot, Payton Smith, Amirah Shaheed, Makenna Herbst, Kaitland Arciaga, and Morgan Herbst, won their first tests in trials at Clovis Buchanan High, the Central Section host of the 104th state meet. Twenty San Diego Section entries qualified for the next day finals. San Diego Section qualifiers for finals in bold: GIRLS 4×100 Relay (heat […]

2024 Girls Track Week 6: Sophomore Williams, Senior Buswell Lead Way

Sophomore Jaelyn Williams of Eastlake scorched a San Diego Section record 4:40.29 in the 1600 meters and eased to a 10:15.40 victory in the 3200, and veteran Tessa Buswell of Poway continued a late-season surge, her 2:07.12 in the 800 narrowing the gap between Buswell and record holder Hannah Riggins’ 2:06.69 in 2023. Williams and […]

2024 Girls Track Week 5: Brother Moves Over for Sister

Rashid Shaheed was a :48.54 standout in the 400 meters at Mt. Carmel in 2016 and now is one half of a virtually all-San Diego receiving corps with Chris Olave (Eastlake-San Marcos) for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints. Amirah Shaheed, Rashid’s younger sibling, also is creating a path at Madison.  She  tied for the state […]

2024 Girls Track Week 4: Divisionals Dot Landscape

San Diego Section athletes will convene in divisional meets this week at Del Norte (I), University City (II), and Valley Center (III). The road to Clovis Buchanan High and the 104th state track meet May 24-25 is getting shorter and steeper. Tessa Buswell knows the way.  The Poway senior was third in 2:08.53 in  the […]

2024 Football Week 9: It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Penalty Flags!

They were flying last week. John Maffei, The San  Diego Union high school expert, noted the many infractions and uneven play in the Western League showdown between Lincoln and Cathedral. “It was choppy,” observed Maffei. Perhaps that was because there was an officiating crew of seven instead of the standard six.  Play was interrupted 19 […]

2024 Football Week 8: It’s Winning Time for Hornets, Dons, Falcons, Centurions

Number 1 Lincoln is at No. 2 Cathedral and unranked Scripps Ranch visits No. 10 University City  Friday with the winners the likely  champions in the Western and Eastern leagues. By the numbers: Lincoln is No. 1 in the San Diego Section Top 10 and 13th in the state, according to MaxPreps.  Cathedral is No. […]

2024 Football Week 6: Hornets Roll in Sacto Intersectional, Stay No. 1 Here

No. 1 Lincoln is the only team in The San Diego Union’s Top 10 with two losses as action moves into the sixth week after many clubs took a mid-season bye.  The Hornets’ schedule is one of the most difficult in California and there’s still a game with legendary Southern Section opponent Los Alamitos this […]

2024 Football Week 4: San Diego Section Teams, Stay Away From the Trinity League

The Trinity League forms a 30-mile stretch of Orange County, with side trips to State 55 and the area around I-605. Bellflower St. John Bosco, Anaheim Servite, Santa Ana Mater Dei, Orange Lutheran, Rancho Santa Margarita, and San Juan Capistrano JSerra comprise the far-flung circuit, where it is a 43-mile trip from Bosco to JSerra […]

2024 Football Week 3: Hauser And Grizzlies Enter Elite Circle

Take a bow, Chris Hauser, and a doffing of the fedora  to the Mission Hills coach, the 11th in San Diego County history to win at least 200 games. Hauser (200-87-2) last week coached the Grizzlies to a 28-14 victory over Oceanside 21 seasons after his first, 26-6 over Vista Murietta in 2004. That win […]

2024 Football Week 2: A Rare Win Over the Jackrabbits

Long Beach Poly, since losing, 11-0, to San Diego High in 1910, has pretty much had its way with teams from San Diego. Lincoln’s 42-14 victory last week at Long Beach Veterans’ Memorial Stadium, was infrequent.  Poly leads the series, 40-15-1. This once was a premier rivalry in Southern California, with the Jackrabbits and San […]

2024 Football Week 13A: Playoff Brackets, At A Glance

2024 Football Week 13: Lincoln Touchdown Underscores Playoffs Intensity

Mission Hills played keep way, controlling the ball for 34 plays to 8 in the second half,  and the strategy almost worked, until Lincoln scored an overtime touchdown to win the Open Division semifinal playoff, 13-7. It won’t be the Hornets’ touchdown that will be remembered. Mission Hills’ Giovanni Harte, who battled the Lincoln defense, […]

2024 Football Week 12A: Can St. Augustine Do It Again?

Many of the San Diego Section cognoscenti declared an upset when winless St. Augustine defeated La Jolla Country Day,  16-0, in the first round of the Division III playoffs last week. That the Saints (0-10) were seeded seventh in the division and the 5-5 Torreys were 10th, according to CIF power ratings, didn’t seem to […]

2024 Football Week 12: Playoff Brackets, At A Glance

2024 Football Week 11A: They’ll Always Be Champions

Bloated playoff fields, minimal competition in some instances, such as three games to determine a winner, doesn’t diminish the team accomplishment. So Hats Off to the eighteen San Diego Section league champions. It’s been awhile for a few. La Costa Canyon hasn’t claimed a title since 2011, Hoover and Oceanside since 2014, three others since […]

2024 Football Week 11: Playoff Brackets, At A Glance

2024 Football Week 10: Mabel O’Farrell Wins Again

Mabel O’Farrell is on a roll. The Falcons won their second consecutive game and fourth all-time last week, dating to 2018 and 54 losses. Bruce Newland is Mabel’s third coach since the Falcons began playing football seven seasons ago.  The 27-6 win over Mountain Empire followed a 38-12 triumph over Rock. Heady stuff for the […]

2024 Football Week 1: Patriots Turn Table on 77

Patrick Henry opened the season with a 77-48 victory over Grossmont and broke the school record, set in a 69-14 win over Coronado in 2021. The outburst also more or less squared the record of a  previous Patriots encounter.  They were on the opposite end of a 77-point explosion by The Bishop’s seven years ago […]

2024 Football Week 0: Let the Games Begin

The San Diego Section’s 65th season opens this week with the usual fare of nonleague games, intersectionals, and interstates. Five interesting matchups: CARLSBAD @LAKEWOOD. Lancers coach Thadd MacNeal will return to where he had a very successful program in the Long Beach Poly-dominated, Southern Section Moore League, posting a 41-19 record from 2006-10, including 21-4 […]

2024 Flag Football Week 9: Penultimate Week; Playoffs Loom

519 MATCHES PLAYED, JUST 88 REMAINING During the last 10 days of the regular season, most are focused on their League opponents, as the San Diego Section playoffs are on the horizon. The four brackets of 12 teams each will be revealed Nov. 6, with first games Nov. 12. All League champs are  automatically included. […]

2024 Flag Football Week 8: Playoff Divisions Set; Brackets Later

San Diego Section playoffs will consist of four divisions/brackets of 12 teams each, to be chosen by a CIF committee. Only criteria given is that seeding is based on record and MaxPreps* ranking, and brackets will include all League champions. Brackets reveal is on Nov 6. The top 4 seeds get a first-round bye, then […]

2024 Flag Football Week 7: 414 Down, 152 To Go

State No. 3 Classical (17-4), with a 36-26 win over local No. 9 Torrey Pines (10-7), remains the team to emulate. A month is left in the season and more than 400 games have been played by 72 San Diego Section teams. The Caimans have played the most games (21) and the most out-of-section games […]

2024 Flag Football Week 6: Classical and Mira Mesa Still On Top

Floating at state No. 3, Classical (16-4) hoped for repeat success over #2 Newport Harbor (19-2), but the Sailors battened the hatches for a 37-0 win. The Caimans had keelhauled the seafaring club, 26-13, as well as #4 San Juan Capistrano JSerra (17-5) and #6 Huntington Beach (17-7) earlier this season. Mira Mesa (11-2) bobbed […]

2024 Flag Football Week 5: Classical Slips But No Fall

State No. 3 Classical (13-3) slipped two notches by losing to #11 Corona del Mar (13-5) and #18 Huntington Beach (13-6), but crept back up by thumping #20 Mira Mesa, 41-0. The Caimans are outscoring opponents 553-259, led by sophomore QB Ella Moore, who has  passed for  70 touchdowns. Moore has a 71% completion rate […]

2024 Flag Football Week 4: Classical Shares National Top Ranking

State No. 2 Classical (12-1) bested then No. 3 San Juan Capistrano JSerra (10-3), 28-13. The Caimans’ and No. 1 Orange Lutheran (15-0) also are numbers 1 and  2 nationally, according to Max Preps. Classical next faces Mira Mesa (9-1), whose lone loss was to a strong Our Lady of Peace (6-1) squad. Grossmont jumped […]

2024 Flag Football Week 3: Caimans Feast on Barons

State No. 2 Classical (10-1) handled Bonita Vista (4-2), 43-6, and next week faces No. 3 San Juan Capistrano JSerra. The Caimans’ lone loss was to state and national No. 1 Orange Lutheran (13-0), 40-14. Classical is averaging 39 points a game and has outscored opponents, 433-172. Mira Mesa (7-1) squeaked by Torrey Pines, 9-8, […]

2024 Flag Football Week 2: Contenders Classical and Bonita Vista Meet

Classical (6-1) remains on top, and next meets Bonita Vista (4-1), which stubbed its toe on unranked Grossmont. Mira Mesa (6-1), with only a one-score loss to Our Lady of Peace (3-0 and 12-3 last year), plus undefeated La Costa Canyon, Poway, and San Marcos are on the rise. Complete schedules and results are here. […]

2024 Flag Football Week 13B: Caimans Try for 3 Against Torrey Pines

November 23 championship game pairings at Palomar College:  Division I— State No. 6 Classical, the 2023 D-II champion, meets No. 37 Torrey Pines, which upset the undefeated No. 25 Otay Ranch. The Caimans topped the Falcons, 20-14, and 36-26 earlier this season. Division II— No. 9 seed Carlsbad pushed past two higher seeds, including 5 […]

2024 Flag Football Week 13A: Playoffs Brackets, Semifinals

The November 19 semifinal pairing brackets are filled. Division I held true to form, but other levels saw turmoil, as there were 5 upsets in 16 games. In D-II No. 9 Carlsbad upset 1 La Costa Canyon to face 4 Imperial*, and 11 San Dieguito surprised 3 San Marcos to meet 2 Westview. [*Update Nov […]

2024 Flag Football Week 12: Playoffs Brackets, At A Glance

The Division I/III quarterfinals, and D-II/D-IV semifinal bracket pairings are set for November 16 and 19, respectively. Peaking for the playoffs is D-I No. 12 seed Poway as they bested 5 Mission Hills to face 4 Mira Mesa, while D-II No. 11 San Dieguito topped 6 Patrick Henry, then 3 San Marcos, to earn a […]

2024 Flag Football Week 11: Playoffs Brackets, At A Glance

The four official 2024 San Diego CIF flag football playoff brackets* [updated Nov. 11] are set. Go here for complete season game schedules and results. * The selection process divides the top 48 MaxPreps/Calpreps** state-ranked local teams into 4 equal size groups. The top 12 teams become Division I, the next 12 become Division II, […]

2024 Flag Football Week 10: Playoffs Next as Regular Season Ends

The CIF flag playoff structure follows the format and selection process used for tackle football, one based on the Power Ranking algorithm of the MaxPreps/Calpreps system*. Four divisions, based primarily on their state ranking, will be filled with 12 teams each, seeded per their ranking. League champions are guaranteed a spot, no matter their record […]

2024 Flag Football Week 1: Bonita Vista, Classical Have 2023 Look

Defending San Diego Section champions are off to a strong start, each with a majority of their All-CIF starters returning. Division I Bonita Vista (3-0), coming off a 19-1 season, is outscoring its opponents 533 to 137. This early season includes a win over Brawley (6-2), itself a five-game winner in a one-day tournament! D-II […]

2024 Flag Football Week 0: More Flags Fly

Forty-six flag teams, many with quickly organized, short schedules, played a total of about 325 games in the inaugural 2023 season. The 2024 season, with 72 teams and a potential full schedule of 20 in the regular season, plus two dozen playoff jousts, the total should surpass 700 games. The  schedule continues to grow. Most […]

2024 Boys Track Week 8: Arrington, Jr.’s Two Firsts Lead Section’s State Top 25

Twice No. 1-ranked Brandon Arrington, Jr., of Mount Miguel was a double winner in the 100 and 200  at the 104th State meet and seven other performances by San Diego Section thinclads made the California top 25 as compiled  by Athletic.net.  Those not in first 25 below are indicated by asterisk: EVENT MARK NAME, SCHOOL […]

2024 Boys Track Week 7: Arrington Jr., Evans Scorch Clovis Oval

104th STATE TRACK TRIALS CLOVIS BUCHANAN HIGH Mount Miguel’s Brandon Arrington ran the fastest sprint double in San Diego Section history, a wind-aided :10.27 100 meters and :20.55 200, and Carlsbad’s Cain Evans charged down the stretch to run a 1:51.88 800, the seventh fastest. Fifteen area entries qualified in competition that took place on […]

2024 Boys Track Week 6: Arrington Smokes 200; Cordero Wins 800 Showdown

Mount Miguel’s Brandon Arrington, Jr., continues to assault 200-meter standards.  His :20.40 in the San Diego Section finals last week at Mt. Carmel would put Arrington at the top of the 2024 national list and set a San Diego County record, but a 3.1-meter tailwind, more than the allowable 2.0, struck those attempts. Arrington gets […]

2024 Boys Track Week 5: Section Ranks High Among State Leaders

Even after a withering assault on top 25 performances in the Southern Section meet last week, San Diego boys still command eight spots in the California top five of their respective events heading into Saturday’s Section finals at Mt. Carmel. Mount Miguel’s David Arrington, Jr., ran the 200 in :20.64 in the  Division II finals […]

2024 Boys Track Week 4: Mount Miguel Sprinter Among U.S. Leaders

Brandon Arrington, Jr.’s :20.59 200 in the Grossmont League finals last week is the second fastest in San Diego County history to Kenon Christon’s :20.55 in 2019 and marked the fifth time this season that Arrington has covered the distance in under 21 seconds, rarified air for local sprinters. (Morse’s Ike Okenwa ran :20.97 in […]

2024 Football Week 5: Maffei Feels It, as do Max Preps, CalPreps, Cal-Hi

John Maffei’s The San Diego Union Week 5 poll: Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. *First-place votes. Previous ranking in (italics). Bold indicates latest. NR–Not ranked. Max Preps‘ and Cal-Hi Sports‘ are state rankings. RANK TEAM/RECORD POINTS MAXPREPS.COM CALPREPS.COM CAL-HI SPORTS 1. Lincoln (2-2) 21* 291 (1) 17 (16) 53.3 (51.4)  16 (16)  2. Cathedral (4-1) […]

2023-24 Week 7 Girls: Newly Crowned Await Playoffs

Twenty-nine champs and co-champs of 22 leagues prepare for the post-season that begins Tuesday. Now when ratings based on strength of schedule determine playoff seeds, are league banners just gym rafter eye candy for fans and newbies? Maybe, but players and coaches agree they’re a reminder of the camaraderie and journey to the top that […]

2023-24 Girls Week 7: Last Poll Before Playoffs

John Maffei’s Girls Week 7 Union-Tribune Poll Rank/Prev Team (Record) Points* MaxPreps Rank/Rating Cal-Hi Sports 35 1/1 Mission Hills (20-8) 60 (6) 16/31.68 15/15 2/2 La Jolla Country Day (22-6) 54 20/30.11 22/22 3/4 Westview (18-10) 41 76/23.19 NR 4/3 Poway (19-8) 39 81/22.51 NR 5/8 Francis Parker (16-9) 35 101/21.15 NR 6T/5T Bonita Vista […]

2023-24 Girls Week 6: Mission Hills, LJCD March On, Westview Moves Up

No. 1 Mission Hills rolled past Rancho Bernardo, 69-17, and Poway, 86-32, and La Jolla Country Day outscored Francis Parker, 61-54, and Grossmont , 60-42, to stay No. 2 in the poll. It was not a good week for Poway, which also lost to Westview, 72-54.  The Wolverines also beat San Marcos, 58-45, and their […]

2023-24 Girls Week 5: Grizzlies, Torreys Continue to Hold Sway

No. 1 Mission Hills and No. 2 La Jolla Country Day maintained their front-runner pace, and Poway moved up to No. 3 with wins over San Marcos , 58-43, and a come-from-behind, 42-40 squeaker over former No. 3 Del Norte. As proof of the Lady Grizzlies’ dominance, their average wins are by 19 points (62-43), […]

2023-24 Girls Week 4: Grizzlies, Torreys Bruised But Upright

No. 1 Mission Hills trampled San Marcos, 72-18, but was rocked by state top 10 Santa Ana Mater Dei, 56-37, and was 2-2 in the week. No. 2 La Jolla Country Day had three local wins and a loss to Sacramento McClatchy, 63-60. The top eight spots remained intact in the Union-Tribune poll, although only […]

2023-24 Girls Week 3: Mission Hills Stays No. 1

The Lady Grizzlies of Mission Hills overpowered  Westview, 71-37,  and Rancho Bernardo, 70-27, and stayed on top of the San Diego Section poll.  The Max Preps state No. 21 and Cal-Hi Sports No. 16 club lost to  State No. 10 Folsom, 58-49, and defeated Portola Valley Priory, 66-50, in the Stockton St. Mary’s Martin Luther […]

2023-24 Girls Week 2: Grizzlies, Torreys Prosper

The status quo prevailed as Mission Hills added two, and La Jolla Country Day, one win in the new year. Bonita Vista jumped into No. 6 with a win over Francis Parker. Scripps Ranch (9-8) dropped off with a loss to Cathedral Catholic (8-6). This week tests the Lady Grizzlies vs. No. 3 Westview and […]

2023-24 Girls Week 1: Grizzlies, Torreys Atop Poll

The poll leaders switched places, as Mission Hills topped La Jolla Country Day prior to a recent Holiday Classic tournament game in Portland, Oregon, where the Lady Grizzlies beat the Oregon Number 11 team Portland Jefferson, but  lost to the No. 3 team, South Medford, in the tournament finals. Three of Mission Hills’ 6 losses […]

2023-24 Boys Week 8A: The Playoffs Are Here, Follows Last Regular-Season Vote.

John Maffei’s weekly, final regular-season Union-Tribune poll. # TEAM RECORD POINTS PREVIOUS MAX-PREPS CAL-HI SPORTS 1 Carlsbad 26-2 (8) 161 1 8/9 15/15 2 Montgomery 26-2 (9) 159 2 17/20 20/21 3 St. Augustine 24-4 139 3 21/21 21/20 4 Torrey Pines 21-7 108 4 40/37 On the Bubble 5 La Jolla Country Day 22-5 […]

2023-24 Boys Week 7: Hats Off! Champions and Co-Champs of 22 Leagues

What’s in a league championship? Especially in this era of power ratings and strengths of schedules and what they mean in playoff pairings and postseason division assignments, which were to be announced today. A league title represents essentially just bragging rights, but ask the players and coaches who achieved it and what they think when […]

2023-24 Boys Week 6: The Playoffs Are Coming! The Playoffs Are Coming!

It’s wrap-up  week in the San Diego Section, as the regular season ends Friday, Southern California postseason pairings are posted Saturday, and the second season starts with regional playoffs next week. Carlsbad, Montgomery, St. Augustine, and Torrey Pines remained 1 through 4 in the weekly Union-Tribune poll, and there was no change from last week’s […]

2023-24 Boys Week 5: Lancers’ Week Included 3 Big Wins

Carlsbad cemented its hold on No. 1 in the Union-Tribune poll with victories of 62-54 over No. 4 Torrey Pines, 70-66 over Valencia West Ranch, and 78-57 over No. 7 La Costa Canyon. Montgomery stayed at No. 2, with no-sweat 60-27 and 88-31 dominations of Otay Ranch and San Ysidro. No. 3 St. Augustine took […]

2023-24 Boys Week 4: Carlsbad, Montgomery 1-2 in Votes

John Maffei’s weekly Union-Tribune poll. # TEAM RECORD POINTS PREVIOUS MAX-PREPS CAL-HI SPORTS 1 Carlsbad 19-2 (11) 164 1 9/7 15/13 2 Montgomery 19-2 (6) 156 2 18/15 21/21 3 St. Augustine 19-3 139 3 16/14 22/22 4 Torrey Pines 16-5 119 4 41/44 29/30 5 Santa Fe Christian 15-6 92 5 77/75 NR/NR 6 […]

2023-24 Boys Week 3: Status Quo Prevails 1 Through 9

The top nine positions lingered, with only Mission Hills, on a 10-game win streak, displacing San Marcos at No. 10.  Olympian, the only undefeated team at 20-0, and Mission Bay with three more wins, stayed where they were. John Maffei’s The San Diego Union-Tribune poll. # TEAM RECORD POINTS PREVIOUS MAX-PREPS CAL-HI SPORTS 1 Carlsbad […]

2023-24 Boys Week 2: Four Teams at Top Separating From Field

John Maffei’s The San Diego Union-Tribune poll. # TEAM RECORD POINTS PREVIOUS MAX-PREPS CAL-HI SPORTS 1 Carlsbad 14-2 (11) 164 1 8/8 13/19 2 Montgomery 16-2 (6) 158 2 16/12 21/24 3 St. Augustine 15-3 137 3 17/17 22/NR 4 Torrey Pines 13-4 119 4 43/42 31 5 Santa Fe Christian 12-5 96 6 75-98 […]

2023-24 Boys Week 10: It’s Unanimous, Carlsbad No. 1 in Final Poll

John Maffei’s weekly, final regular-season Union-Tribune poll and the final  Max-Preps and Cal-Hi Sports ratings, inclusive of the state playoffs. # TEAM RECORD POINTS PREVIOUS MAX-PREPS CAL-HI SPORTS 1 Carlsbad 29-2 (17) 161 1 8/9 10/16 2 Montgomery 28-3 159 2 17/20 27/20 3 St. Augustine 25-5 139 3 21/21 31/24 4 La Jolla Country […]

2023-24 Boys Week 1: Carlsbad No. 1, Montgomery No. 2 in Poll

A mid-November-through-December grind in  which many teams completed at least half of their season schedules turns to January league play,  accompanied by the popular, so-named “classics” that bring together top teams for weekend doubleheaders until the playoffs. Five teams at the top of the Union-Tribune poll appeared to have separated themselves from the pack, with […]

2023-24 Basketball Week 11: Happy Trails, San Diego Section Ballers

The girls from Grossmont and Montgomery closed the San Diego Section basketball season on losing notes in championship games in Sacramento. Montgomery (25-12) dropped a 56-50 decision to Oakland High (23-10) in the Division V final and Grossmont (27-8) was beaten in D-IV, 42-29, by Eureka St. Bernard (30-5). But a losing performance probably was […]

2023-2024 Girls Week 9A: Grizzlies Roar, Division Champs Crowned!

Mission Hills earned its fourth Open Division title, after three straight failed attempts, with a hard fought win over La Jolla Country Day, 63-56. The Grizzlies held off a late comeback by the Torreys, and coach Chris Kroesch credited a 14 point blitz, and 18 total,  by Lindsay Jones as the difference maker, saying “She […]

2023-2024 Girls Week 9: A Couple Semifinals Upsets

 Scores through Friday, February 23, are included below.  A playoffs wrap-up will appear later along with pairings for the Southern California regionals. Almost all divisions met seeding expectations, without even a “last second thriller”, but there were some surprises. Division IV No. 4 Escondido Charter upset No. 1 La Jolla. Power ratings notwithstanding, the White […]

2023-2024 Girls Week 8: Finalists Emerge in D-III, IV, V, V-A, and V-AA

2023-2024 Girls Week 10A: Believe It! D-IV & V Regional Frontrunners From Here

The San Diego Section girls are 21-8 overall in the Southern California regional tournament and  guaranteed two  teams in next week’s state finals in Sacramento.  That’s because the D-IV and V finals will offer a rarity among rarities: All four regional finalists are from the San Diego Section. Fallbrook’s 42-35 D-IV win over Oceanside advanced […]

2023-2024 Girls Week 10: 8 of 18 Teams Make Regional Semifinals

2023-2024 Boys Week 9A: The Hall Truth: Carlsbad Tops Montgomery for Open Title

Jake Hall’s two, late three-point baskets got No. 1 seed Carlsbad past Montgomery, 56-47, Saturday, February 24, for the San Diego Section Open Division championship. The victory, before more than 3,000  persons at U.C. San Diego’s LionTree Arena avenged a 63-55 loss to the No. 3 Aztecs (28-3) in December, was the Lancers’ 19th straight […]

2023-2024 Boys Week 9: Carlsbad-Montgomery Rematch for Championship

 Scores through Friday, February 23, are included below.  A playoffs wrap-up will appear later along with pairings for the Southern California regionals. No. 1 Carlsbad will try to reverse a 63-55 loss in December to  No. 3 Montgomery when the Lancers and Aztecs meet in the San Diego Section Open Division championship Saturday at U.C. […]

2023-2024 Boys Week 8B : Playoffs Enter Semifinals Round of 4

Two rounds of San Diego Section playoffs produced at least four shockers, sending power ratings analysts diving for cover. No. 8 seed Scripps Ranch defeated No. 1 Santa Fe Christian in a second-round game, 60-51, in Division I  in the week’s most significant reversal. There were others:  A 6 seed over an 11, a 12 […]

2023-2024 Boys Week 10A: Carlsbad Loses Epic Struggle Against Top Seed

San Diego Section boys teams exited early from the Southern California regional tournament, but No. 4 seed Carlsbad stuck around and almost knocked out No. 1. Coach Clark Allard’s Lancers lost a semifinal battle, 73-72, at Studio City Harvard-Westlake, the same team that had routed Carlsbad, 83-44, in the season’s first game. The Lancers led […]

2023 Week 9: Hornets are Stinging and Streaking

Lincoln won its 21st game in a row, 42-7, over St. Augustine last week and improved to 9-0 this year.  The Hornets will be seeking their first, undefeated, 10-0 campaign Saturday when they wrap the regular season at University City. Coach Vic Player’s Hornets were undefeated in the 1979 regular season but city schools played […]

2023 Week 8: San Diego Beats Hoover; Helix-Grossmont, No Change

Two of the San Diego Section’s most enduring rivalries were on display. San Diego and Hoover met for 73rd time,  Helix and Grossmont for the 70th. San Diego ended a nine-game, non winning streak against the Cardinals with a 56-45 victory, the Cavers’ first of the season.  Helix beat Grossmont for the 27th consecutive time, […]

2023 Week 7: Del Norte Ties Section Record in Four-Overtime Win

Del Norte survived four overtime possessions and finally defeated Rancho Bernardo, 49-43, last week, tying a 46-44 Granite Hills victory over Helix in 2022 for the longest game ever played by a San Diego County team. Existing rules are that each team has four downs beginning at the 25-yard line with straight football rules.  Simply […]

2023 Week 6: Carlsbad-Mission Hills Headlines Avocado League Opener

The week’s schedule is loaded with potential benchmark league openers as 11 of the 18 San Diego Section loops begin play. Key games: AVOCADO Carlsbad (5-0), @Mission Hills (4-1). Mission Hills leads, 4-3, since 2011 in games matching two of the section’s most successful coaches, the Grizzlies’ Chris Hauser and Carlsbad’s Thadd MacNeal…Hauser is in […]

2023 Week 5: Can Army-Navy Do It?

The Army and Navy Academy, which has graduated future officers and gentlemen since 1910, won its fourth straight game last week, 55-0, over Francis Parker in the Coastal League opener and has not allowed a point this season, rampaging to consecutive blowouts of at least 40 points. But it will be a huge underdog this […]

2023 Week 4: Carlsbad Chips Away at Hornets’ Lead; Helix Rising

Carlsbad cut into Lincoln’s first place lead in the Union-Tribune poll for a second straight week and had 13 No. 1 votes to the Hornets’ 17. Lincoln had 19 first-place votes two weeks ago but lost ground again despite a 54-19 win over declining state Division II-AA champion Mater Dei, while Carlsbad crowned Queen Creek […]

2023 Week 3: Helix Barges Into Contention

A month ago, before the games, Lincoln and Carlsbad were the likely candidates for a destination game in the Open Division playoffs, well into November. The Hornets and Lancers have not disappointed, 6-0 combined with impressive wins against intersectional rivals. It’s too early to rule out other contenders, but Cathedral, after an early rout of […]

2023 Week 2: How About Helix? Next 3 Games Should Tell

After a 45-21 win at Mountain View St. Francis of the Central Coast Section the question this week is Helix back? The question last week was whether Cathedral was back.  Not quite, after a 40-30 loss at L.A. Mission Hills Chaminade. The Honor Bowl, a Sean Doyle favorite, will provide another opportunity for Doyle’s Dons […]

2023 Week 17C: Final, Final Rankings

The last of John Maffei’s The San Diego Union weekly poll voting was at conclusion of the San Diego Section playoffs. Cal-Hi Sports and Cal Preps.com rankings included all games in the  CIF state postseason.  Max Preps’ entries were inclusive of San Diego Section playoffs. Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. *First-place votes. NR–Not ranked. Last […]

2023 Week 17B: Just Call This High Scoring Cardinal Sir

SirDarius Autry, a 160-pound junior running back, wide receiver, and cornerback, became the 37th player in County history to score at least 200 points in a season. “Sir” Autry also became the third running back to finish first in the County in the Hoover Cardinals’ 94-season history, according to available statistics from newspapers and Max […]

2023 Week 17A: Joyner 49th Member of 100 Club; Hauser on Cusp of 200

The Coach 100 Club welcomed a new member in 2023 and the 200 club could add another in 2024. Mater Dei coach John Joyner, who announced he was stepping down at conclusion of the season, became the 49th to win at least 100 games, finishing the season with an all-time record of 104-69, .601 and state […]

2023 Week 16: Red Devils Play Red Hawks for State Division VI-A Championship

After five defeats in the Southern California regionals, including a couple jaw-droppers, Del Norte, 30-28 to Lake Balboa Birmingham, and St. Augustine, 21-20 to Ventura St. Bonaventure, the San Diego Section is down to one team. Would you believe 8-6 Sweetwater? The same Red Devils, 0-4 at the start of the season and 8-43 from […]

2023 Week 15B: State Regional Playoffs, At a Glance

San Diego Section teams in bold.  Columns 4, 5, and 6 are prep outlets’ ratings of opponents. DIVISION TEAM OPPONENT CAL-PREPS.COM MAX PREPS CAL-HI SPORTS I-AA Granite Hills (12-0) @Mission Viejo (11-3) 65.9/69.7 7/5 6/12 I-A St. Augustine (10-4) Ventura St. Bonaventure (11-3) 46.4/51.4 39/31 43/29 III-AA Del Norte (11-1) Lake Balboa Birmingham (11-2) 32.2/33.0 […]

2023 Week 15: San Diego Section Teams Challenged in State Regional Playoffs

This is the curious time of the season. The San Diego Section rounds of championship games, concluding with Division I, II  III, and IV last week, now centers on the Southern California Regional playoffs. And many of us are curious about these strangers suddenly looming on the postseason schedule. How good are San Diego Section […]

2023 Week 14: Eagles Tough as Granite in Open Thriller with Lincoln

This is the year of living dangerously for Granite Hills. The Eagles beat Lincoln, 27-26, for the San Diego Section Open Division championship Saturday night in Snapdragon Stadium in the third of a series of cliffhangers and barnburners in the last four weeks. The east El Cajon club, 93-47 under coach Kellan Cobbs since 2013, […]

2023 Week 13: Lincoln, Granite Hills Survive Semifinals Thrillers

After an essentially quiet first week, quarterfinals and Open Division semifinals brought the San Diego Section playoffs to life, starting with a couple wild Open Division battles. Distance and facing California’s No. 8-ranked team and second seed didn’t deter third seed and California-ranked 14th Granite Hills. The Eagles bused 44 miles and then outlasted state […]

2023 Week 12: Pairings Are More On Than Off in Postseason Openers

The  CIF’s power ratings, a football version of diversity, inclusion, and equity, worked in all but four games in the week 12, first round of San Diego Section playoffs. The National Football League long has fostered the “on-any-given-day-any team-can-win” mantra.  There aren’t upsets; they’re…well, surprises. There were four “surprises” as the San Diego Section postseason […]

2023 Week 11: Hats Off! League Champions!

The advent of  power ratings, leading to alteration of teams’ division and league placements and affecting playoff seeding, changed the landscape. League championships don’t carry that once-cherished cachet. But don’t tell that to the players, coaches, and student bodies.  A league title still goes down as a matter of  record and still looks great on […]

2023 Week 10: Hats Off!  Mater Dei’s John Joyner!

A significant accomplishment was overlooked for a few weeks. Mater Dei’s John Joyner became the 49th San Diego Section coach to win a career 100th game. Fast-finishing for a second straight year, the Crusaders coach’s team defeated Eastlake, 36-7, for its fifth straight win after an 0-3 start and gave Joyner his 103rd victory. Victory […]

2023 Week 1: Cathedral Takes Big Step Forward

Is Cathedral back? The Dons, uncharacteristically uneven in 2022 despite their even 6-6 record, blasted Mater Dei, Cal-Hi Preps’ preseason state No. 34 and San Diego Section’s No. 3, 55-14, in the season opener and look for more success this week at Los Angeles West Hills Chaminade, a team coach Sean Doyle’s state Division I […]

2023 Track and Field: Girls Best Marks (3)

Current as of May 20, 2023 EVENT NAME, SCHOOL MARK/STATE RANK STATE 100 Shaheed, Madison :11.58, 4th Redmond, L.A. Carson, :11.45 Shaheed 24:06w, 9th :23.36w, Neal, Gardena Serra 200 Smith, La Jolla :24.08w, 10th 400 Smith :54.12, 4th :52.71, Luckey, L.B. Wilson Burkhardt, Steele Canyon :55.13, 12th 800 Riggins, Del Norte 2:06.69, 2nd 2:03.7, Browne, […]

2023 Track and Field: Girls Best Marks (1)

League championship meets are complete and San Diego Section athletes charge into the final three weeks of the season. Trials in San Diego Section boys and girls competition will be held May 13 at Del Norte (large schools), University City (medium) and Canyon Hills (small).  Finals are May 20 at Mt. Carmel.  The state meet […]

2023 Track and Field: Boys’ Best Marks (2)

Current as of May 12, 2023. EVENT NAME, SCHOOL MARK/STATE RANK STATE 100 Wells, La Costa Canyon :10.55w, 19th tie :10.09w, Pleasant, Gardena Serra Arrington, Helix :10.58w, 21st, tie 200 Adren Parker, Helix :21.26, 13th :20.53, Pleasant Arrington :21.29w, 14th 400 Parker :46.63,3rd :45.92, Stanley, Granada Hills McCoy, Hilltop :48.52, 22nd, tie 800 Correia, Point […]

2023 Track and Field: Boys’ Best Marks (1)

Twenty-nine San Diego Section athletes, plus three relay teams, rank in the state top 25 in the 17 events that will be contested at the 103rd state championships May 26-27 at Clovis Buchanan High. Ten athletes are in the top 10, including Ranch Buena Vista’s Tyler Knowles, second in the discus and eighth in the […]

2023 Track and Field: Boys Best Marks (3)

Current as of May 20, 2023 Current as of May 20, 2023 EVENT NAME, SCHOOL MARK/STATE RANK STATE 100 Wells, La Costa Canyon :10.49, 16th :10.09w, Pleasant, Gardena Serra Arrington, Helix :10.58w, 21st, tie 220 Parker, Helix :21.26, 13th :20.53, Pleasant Arrington :21.29w, 14th 400 Parker :46.48, 2nd :45.92, Stanley, Granada Hills Slaughter, Mt. Carmel […]

2023 Track and Field: Girls’ Best Marks (2)

Current as of May 13, 2023 EVENT NAME, SCHOOL MARK/STATE RANK STATE 100 Shaheed, Madison :11.73, 6th Redmond, L.A. Carson, :11.45 Smith, La Jolla :11.93, 22nd 200 Smith :24.08w, 8th :23.56, Lowe, Seaside Chartwell Shaheed :24.10w, 9th 400 Smith :54.12, 4th :53.23, Luckey, L.B. Wilson Burkhardt, Steele Canyon :56.24, 24th 800 Riggins, Del Norte 2:06.69, […]

2023 Track (5A): Girls Top Boys in Final State Top 25 Rankings

San Diego Section boys and girls accounted for 19 Top 5 performances in California, according to Athletic.net; 34 Top 10, and 87  top 25 in the season which ended last weekend at the 103rd State Championships before a two-day total of 14,134 persons at Clovis Buchanan High. The season belonged to the females.  They were […]

2023 Track (4): Warmer Weather and State Meet Beckons Area Hopefuls

More than 60 athletes from the San Diego Section will leave a cloudy, drizzly May gray  for very warm Clovis and the 103rd state track meet Friday and Saturday. First three finishers plus others who finished from fourth and beyond in their events and who met the state meet standard in last week’s Section finals […]

2023 Football Week 0: Lincoln and Carlsbad are 1-2 Again

The San Diego Section, 63 years young, is back for its 64th season. Lincoln and Carlsbad, which played for the Division I championship in 2022, begin play this week ranked 1 and 2 in John Maffei’s preseason Union-Tribune poll and they are close in the other major polls, Max Preps and CalPreps and Cal-Hi Sports. […]

2023 Flag Football Week 9: Bonita Vista, Classical Lead Divisions

Flag football’s initial season has been a numerical and seeming artistic success, with 217 games played through eight weeks, and about 70 scheduled in the remaining two weeks of the regular season. The 46 San Diego Section girls teams will split into two Divisions for the playoffs, based on school enrollment. The D-I upper half […]

2023 Flag Football Week 13B: Bonita Vista & Classical Are Champions

The San Diego Section winners were not a surprise, just the scores. Matches to decide ultimate bragging rights are expected to be nail biters when teams that average 25-30 points per game collide. You know the old adage about “assume”. DIVISION I Bonita Vista shut out erstwhile undefeated Torrey Pines, 19-0. Lady Barons quarterback Malyna […]

2023 Flag Football Week 13A: No.1’s Bonita Vista, Classical Advance

DIVISION I Top seed Bonita Vista took care of business, dominating No. 4 and 17-3 Calexico, 33-13, in the San Diego Section semifinals. The Lady Barons (18-1) have lorded over opponents, with a  514-137 scoring advantage, punctuating their MaxPreps’ state No. 6 rating. Torrey Pines slipped past 12-5 Grossmont, 14-13, with a last-10-seconds, come-from-behind score, […]

2023 Flag Football Week 12B: Playoff Quarterfinals, At a Glance

Division I Unlike the first round, most favorites won handily.  Torrey Pines (15-0) had to outscratch the Brawley Lady Wildcats, 14-13. Bonita Vista (17-1) and Grossmont (12-4) featured their offenses,  each putting up more than 30 points. The Lady Barons, MaxPreps’ state No. 13, next face Calexico in the semifinals.  The Lady Falcons of Torrey […]

2023 Flag Football Week 12A: Playoffs Round One Results

Two of the four better seeded teams prevailed in the first round of the San Diego Section Division I playoffs, including  Scripps Ranch, which had a close call with Hilltop, 13-12. No. 11 seed Olympian upset 6 Mira Mesa, 12-7. The 9-5 Lady Eagles were behind early to the 8-9 Lady Marauders, but came back […]

2023 Flag Football Week 11: Playoff Brackets Favor Barons, Caimans

Bonita Vista and Classical drew the top seeds in the two-division, inaugural postseason. DIVISION I While Torrey Pines (14-0) is the only undefeated San Diego Section team, MaxPreps ranks Bonita Vista (16-1) higher, based on strength of schedule. CIF bosses made the Lady Barons the number 1 seed and the Lady Falcons number 2. Calexico […]

2023 Flag Football Week 10: Torrey Pines, Bonita Vista Stay on Top

Torrey Pines (13-0) remains the only undefeated team and stays put on MaxPreps’ state rankings as number 13, while Bonita Vista (14-1) buoyed to number 5 from 6 in rankings this week. About 38 games remain in the regular season. The top 12 teams in each division will be announced with playoff pairings on Nov 2. […]

2023 (5): Results of the 103rd State Track and Field Championships

@CLOVIS BUCHANAN HIGH San Diego Section athletes scored two first places in the waning hours of the two-day, 103rd state track meet at Clovis Buchanan High over the weekend. The Section had no gold medals in 2022 and the meet was canceled in 2020 and ’21. The results, although not as impressive as the record […]

2022: Doyle and Hauser Move Up; Burner, McNair, Starr Move In.

Eleven wins in 2023 could elevate Sean Doyle to as high as a fourth-place tie with Bennie Edens on the list of San Diego County coaches’ all-time victories. Eleven wins in 2023 would move Chris Hauser into the club of eight who have won 200 games. The late Bennie Edens of Point Loma is fourth […]

2022-23 Week 9: Saints Still Unanimous No. 1 After Loss

Despite an 84-72 loss to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in the Nike Extravaganza in Santa Ana last week, St. Augustine remained a  unanimous No. 1 in  the San Diego Section poll this week and could take a 24-4 record into the playoffs. The Saints open the semifinal week of the regular season with two Western […]

2022-23 Week 8: Saints’ Busy Week Ends With Nike Event

St. Augustine, priming for what it hopes will be a deep run in the postseason playoffs, has a pair of Western League  games this week and a final, tough intersectional test against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame Saturday in the Nike Extravaganza at Santa Ana Mater Dei. The Saints have a home game Wednesday against Hoover […]

2022-23 Week 7: St. Augustine Wins National Game in Massachusetts

Trailing, 30-23, St. Augustine took charge in the second half and defeated East Catholic of Manchester, Connecticut, 67-57, last week in the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass.  San Ysidro was beaten in the same event by Florida’s Miami Columbus, 74-67. Locally, most impressive was Montgomery, which zipped past  Mater Dei, 77-58, and replaced the Crusaders […]

2022-23 Week 6: Cross-country trips for No. 1 Saints, No. 4 San Ysidro

San Diego Section No. 1-ranked St. Augustine and  No. 4 San Ysidro go national this week, traveling to Western Massachusetts for  games in the Spalding HoopHall event at Springfield College. The Saints will meet Max Preps‘ No. 2 team in Connecticut, Manchester East Catholic (7-0 in reported games), at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The Cougars (8-7) […]

2022-23 Week 6: Cross-country Challenges for No. 1 Saints and No. 4 Cougars

San Diego Section No. 1-ranked St. Augustine and  No. 4 San Ysidro go national this week, traveling to Western Massachusetts for a  games in the Spalding HoopHall event at Springfield College. The Saints will meet Max Preps‘ No. 2 team in Connecticut, Manchester East Catholic (7-0 in reported games), at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The Cougars […]

2022-23 Week 5: The Saints Are Still Marching In

Exhausted from a week of travel and tip-ins at numerous venues and in numerous events, San Diego Section teams now gear for league play and some “classics”, such as on Martin Luther King weekend later this month. So busy and so competitive was last week, today’s Union-Tribune poll revealed a seldom-seen jockeying for position.  Only […]

2022-23 Week 4: Montgomery Wins Consolation Championship in Las Vegas

While the St. Augustine boys and La Jolla Country Day girls competed against the best this week, Montgomery came home with a championship, of sorts. The Aztecs (8-3), won the Baller TV consolation bracket in the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, defeating  Las Vegas schools Sierra Vista, 71-46; Valley, 60-58, and Clark, 54-36, after a […]

2022-23 Week 4: 80 Teams (from 55 cities, 10 states) Converge for Torrey Pines Event

Dozens of tournaments and nonleague games make the weekly vote for the top 10 in San Diego County almost superfluous. Action is daily and will be through the end of the year, notably with the massive, 32nd Torrey Pines Holiday Classic, which began this morning at several venues. No.1 St. Augustine (9-2) opens at home […]

2022-23 Week 3: Saints Idle, Stay Atop Union-Tribune Vote

The San Diego Union-Tribune Week 3 poll: First-place votes in parenthesis. Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. *First-place votes. Last entries in columns indicate previous rank. The San Diego Union-Tribune Week 3 poll: First-place votes in parenthesis. Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. *First-place votes. Last entries in columns indicate previous rank. Cal-Hi Sports’ and Max Preps’ represent state […]

2022-23 Week 2: Saints to Meet Florida Power in Las Vegas

St. Augustine, 7-0 and the unanimous first-place choice in the Union-Tribune weekly poll, will take that and its Cal-Hi Sports No. 10 state ranking and Max Preps’ No. 7, to Las Vegas Monday. The Saints of coach Mike Haupt, slotted in the Platinum Division of the Tarkanian Classic at Orleans Arena, will open against Orlando […]

2022-23 Week 14C: Cold Barons Lose in State D-II final

The shots wouldn’t go down for Bonita Vista, which converted 14 per cent of its attempts from the field in the first half to trail, 29-18, and went on to lose to  Fresno Central, 52-41, in the CIF state Division II championship at the Sacramento Golden Center Saturday afternoon. In a game in which the […]

2022-23 Week 14B: Bonita Vista Still Standing, Headed to Sacramento

And then there was one. The Bonita Vista Barons girls  won the Southern California Regional Division II championship, 80-67, over Lawndale Leuzinger, while Del Norte was defeated in the D-I final at Corona Centennial, 52-39. Bonita Vista will play the Fresno Central Grizzlies (22-12), who defeated Chico Pleasant Valley, 62-51, in the Northern final, at […]

2022-23 Week 13C: Two in San Diego Section Remain after Regional Semifinals

From a starting lineup of 36 teams, there are two survivors as the San Diego Section season nears the finish line with the State Regional playoff championships Tuesday night, winners of which then moving on to state championships against Northern California opponents in Sacramento March 10-11. St. Augustine, the last Boys squad to reach the […]

2022-23 Week 13B: Six Teams Move into Regional Semifinals

Winning San Diego teams highlighted. BOYS QUARTERFINALS DIVISION TEAM/VISITOR SEED OPPONENT/HOME SEED SCORE Open St. Augustine (27-4) 4 Valencia West Ranch 5 63-60  III Lincoln (30-3) 10 Culver City (19-12) 2 82-77, OT. San Luis Obispo Mission Prep (23-9) 11 Mission Bay (24-10) 3 67-57   Ventura Buena (29-5) 8 La Jolla Country Day (24-8) […]

2022-23 Week 13: St. Augustine Boys, Mount Miguel Girls Come Through

First round action in the Southern California regional playoffs saw San Diego’s 36-team Boys and Girls contingent dwindle to 13, which will begin semifinals play tonight. Wiped out with an 0-8 record in Boys’ Divisions I  & II, it was left to the Open Division’s St. Augustine. The 4 seed Saints rallied to a 63-60 […]

2022-23 Week 12C: Champions and Open Division Teams Await Regional Pairings

St. Augustine wrapped the San Diego Section season—the Southern California regionals are next–with an 85-53 win over Montgomery before about 3,000 persons at Cathedral Saturday night, finishing off the Aztecs with a 28-11 fourth quarter. The Saints were the No. 1-seed team in the Open Division and played like it, winning by a combined total […]

2022-23 Week 12B: 5 More Upsets; D-III and D-V Finals Tonight

Montgomery knocked off favored Carlsbad in a battle of Open Division 3 and 2 seeds and 3 seed Ramona edged No. 2 High Tech San Diego in Division III, but the most surprises have been in IV and V, where San Pasqual, Classical, a pair of No. 8 seeds, continued on their unexpected runs in […]

2022-23 Week 12: Perfect Seeds From Open to D-III in Semifinals

San Diego Section Open Division playoffs are down to four teams, with enticing contests tonight that match No. 4 seed San Ysidro (18-11) at 25-4 and No. 1 St. Augustine and No. 3 Montgomery (24-5) at No. 2 Carlsbad (24-5). San Ysidro, in and out all season after the high expectations of Mikey Williams’ return […]

2022-23 Week 11D, Quarterfinals: Happy Trails, Two Top Seeds

Calexico Vincent Memorial and the Rock Academy, top seeds in Division IV and V, respectively, were among three ousted favorites in San Diego Section quarterfinals playoffs Friday night. San Pasqual (16-13) defeated Vincent (22-7) , 56-52, and Classical (15-9) outlasted Rock (21-7), 49-45, in overtime in a pair of upset victories by No. 8-ranked teams.  […]

2022-23 Week 11C: No. 2 seed Clairemont Clocked by No. 15 Brawley

Six favorites went down in Boys’ divisions I-V in the 38-game first round of the San Diego Section playoffs. Seedings are based on power ratings that essentially are a comparison of “who you played and how who you played did.” There were some stunners, three in D-IV and V. Brawley (8-18), a 15th-ranked struggler in […]

2022-23 Week 11B: The Saints Are Ranked No. 1 and Playoff-seeded No. 1

Union-Tribune prep czar John Maffei announced that this week’s poll will be for the regular season, which has ended, and that a final poll will be released following the last time out, basket, or free throw, and final tick of the scoreboard clock in the playoffs. St. Augustine so far has run the table, amassing […]

2022-23 Week 11: Nine Teams Change Positions in Final Top 10

Records are current with the finals of the San Diego Section playoffs and does not include CIF State Regional playoff results. The San Diego Union-Tribune Week 11 final poll First-place votes in parenthesis. Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. First-place votes in parenthesis. Last entries in columns indicate previous rank. Cal-Hi Sports’ and Max Preps’ represent state […]

2022-23 Week 11: Hat’s Off! 42 Boys’ and Girls’ Champions

The leagues and teams sometimes are different and some teams play football in one league and basketball in another.  Some teams don’t play football and some of these leagues don’t offer football. MaxPreps ranks any team in California that provides information and Max’s information is not always complete.  Cal-Hi Sports rates from 1 to 25 […]

2022-23 Week 10: Santa Fe Christian, Mater Dei Rattle the Top 10

One week to go in the regular season and the ranks have been shaken. St. Augustine, Carlsbad, and Montgomery remained 1-2-3 in the latest Union-Tribune vote, but seven others changed positions. Most notable were Santa Fe Christian’s leapfrogging from No. 8 to No. 4 and Mater Dei’s rising from No. 9 to No. 6. Santa […]

2022-23 Week 1: Mikey Williams is Back at San Ysidro

Heralded Mikey Williams  has returned for his senior basketball season at San Ysidro after two years at an academy in North Carolina.  Updated Max Preps stats show Williams with an 18.3 average in the Cougars’ five games, in which San Ysidro is 3-2, including a 95-70 loss to Corona Centennial. Williams scored 24 points.  J.J. […]

2022 Week 9: Cathedral and St. Augustine Renew “Holy” Rivalry

The so-called  “Holy Bowl” tees up for the 61st time this week when St. Augustine visits Cathedral. They have met every year since 1966 except 2007, including playoff games. Cathedral leads, 38-22, in a series that began six years after Cathedral, then known as University of San Diego High, played its first season of varsity […]

2022 Week 8: City League on Center Stage This Week

Point Loma, 6-1 for the first time since 2014, visits University City Saturday evening in a City League game with championship implications. The Centurions are 2-0 in league play and the Pointers 1-0. Mission Bay, Morse, and Canyon Hills all have at least one defeat. U. City is feeling good about itself, 5-2, and back […]

2022 Week 7: Lincoln Pressing Warhawks for No. 1.

Lincoln, now No. 2, crept up on No. 1 Madison in the Top 10 poll this week by virtue of the Hornets’ 31-17 win over Cathedral  and trail the Warhawks by four first-place votes and six overall. The Hornets and Warhawks won’t meet until the season’s final regular-season game, but Madison’s status will be challenged […]

2022 Week 6: Burner, Starr On Cusp of Joining 100 Club

El Capitan coach Ron Burner and Mount Miguel’s Troy Starr can become the 45th and 46th coaches in San Diego County history to win at least 100 games when the Vaqueros take on neighborhood rival Santana and the Matadors meet Monte Vista this week. Burner, who became the Vaqueros’ coach in 2005, is 99-94 as […]

2022 Week 5: Idle Madison Retains No. 1 ranking.

The San Diego Union-Tribune weekly poll: Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. *First-place votes. Last entries in columns indicate previous rank. NR—Not ranked. Cal-Hi Sports’ and Max Preps’ represent state rankings. RANK TEAM/RECORD POINTS MAX PREPS.COM CAL-PREPS.COM CAL-HI SPORTS 1 Madison (4-0) 16*/275/1 37/25 36.4/38.1 26/26 2 Lincoln (4-1) 5*/254/2 25/27 41.7/41.2 23/23 3 Carlsbad (3-1) 3*/230/4 […]

2022 Week 4: Defense, Naturally, Helps Army-Navy Knock Down 1940 Record

Army-Navy broke a school record last week that had been on the books since 1940, when the Warriors were based at the previous Red Apple Inn in Carlsbad. Four shutouts at the start of the season. Eighty-two years ago, the cadets of coach T.S. Walker opened with three shutouts by blanking St. Augustine, 6-0, the […]

2022 Week 3: Another Hot Night for Preps…in 1963

The thermometer is expected to reach three digits in San Diego Friday, recalling a similar day and high school football 59 years ago. On Thursday, Sept. 26, 1963, an all-time high of 111 degrees scorched the area. The next day the  high was 104. I was in the Hoover stadium when the Cardinals and Helix, […]

2022 Week 3: Helix-Cathedral Could Answer Some Questions; Warhawks Take over First Place

How far has Cathedral fallen and how high has Helix risen? The Dons are coming off two huge losses and Helix is undefeated. They’ll meet this week at Helix and the Highlanders might smell blood in the water after Cathedral’s successive losses of 42-7 to Corona Centennial and 63-7 to Chandler, Arizona, in the 12th […]

2022 Week 2: Carlsbad No. 1 in San Diego; Cathedral Still High in State

Despite a 42-7 loss to state No. 3 Corona Centennial, in which it manufactured only 138 yards offense, Cathedral still is held in high esteem by  the computer services. Max Preps ranks Cathedral  fifth and gives the Dons a 60.7 strength-of-schedule rating, highest among any team in California.  Anaheim Servite (60.4) and Norco (60.1) are […]

2022 Week 1A: Calexico and Blythe Have Unusual Ending

Visiting Calexico was in a 7-7 tie in the fourth quarter in the season’s first game when the lights went out at the Blythe Palo Verde Valley stadium. The final score was reported to Max Preps as a tie, a result increasingly uncommon as teams nowadays usually find a conclusion in overtime.  A few hours […]

2022 Week 17: Robinson Leads, Plus Annual Scoring Leaders/2022 Leading Individual Performances

Roderick Robinson, already enrolled at the University of Georgia, became the third Lincoln athlete to win Cal-Hi Sports’ Mr. Football award after leading the Hornets to the state Division I championship and the San Diego Section in scoring. Robinson had the academic credits and graduated early from high school not long after the Hornets’ 33-28 […]

2022 Week 16: San Diego Section is 4-0 in State Bowls.

The final act for 98 teams and the 561** games they played was a quaternary of success, 4 games, 4 victories in the state bowl championships. San Diego Section teams enjoyed their most successful year since the inaugural Southern California and state bowl championship series in 2006. Lincoln (13-1) went on a 21-0 blitz in […]

2022 Week 15C: Mater Dei Tries to Better In-Season Record Run

Mater Dei’s recovery from an 0-21 hole to a 22-21 win over Downey in the Southern California playoff last week wasn’t the only remarkable achievement by the South Bay club this year. The Crusaders’ 10-game winning streak, following four straight losses to open the season, is unprecedented, according to researcher and webmaster Henrik Jonson, who […]

2022 Week 15B: Calpreps.com Favors San Diego Section in 3 State Bowl Games

Matchups involving San Diego Section teams in the state bowl championship series this week: Lincoln (12-1) versus Concord De La Salle (10-3), North Coast Section, Friday, 8 p.m., Mission Viejo Saddleback College. Calpreps pick: Lincoln, 65 per cent chance of winning. Mater Dei versus Oakland McClymonds (Oakland Section), Friday, 4 p.m., Mission Viejo Saddleback College. […]

2022 Week 15A: Lincoln Goes After Title Against Legendary Foe

Lincoln, riding with Hot-Roderick Robinson, a 228-pound running back committed to the University of Georgia, will attempt to do what no San Diego Section team has done in this week’s CIF state bowl Division 1-AA championship: Win a game against Concord De La Salle, the North Coast Section champion with the pedigree of 151 consecutive […]

2022 Week 15: State Bowl Championship Results, 2007-21

The San Diego Section and the rest of California prepare for a final act in the 2022 season with CIF state bowl championships this week. Teams from here have a 15-18 record (victories below in bold type) in the competition that resumed in 2006 after an 80-year hiatus. Lincoln, Mater Dei, Granite Hills, and Classical […]

2022 Week 14E: Classical, Granite Hills Seek Titles in D-VIAA & D-IIA

Classical (10-3) makes a first-ever appearance in the Southern California playoffs, host at neutral Del Norte to Lancaster (9-5) in Division VI-AA. Despite finishing with a 1-2 record and in third place in the Pacific League, the Caimans rolled in the playoffs, upsetting Crawford, 33-14, in the D-V championship. OPPONENT DOWN AND UP Lancaster won […]

2022 Week 14D: Blythe Given Computer Edge over Muir in D-VAA

Pasadena Muir (8-6) travels to Blythe Palo Verde (13-1) for a Division V-AA playoff These aren’t the 1935-vintage Muir Mustangs, featuring a future baseball great named Jackie Robinson, who came South and manhandled unbeaten Hoover, 27-0. These Mustangs are more like the Mustangs who came South from 1947-54 and lost seven of nine games to […]

2022 Week 14C: Stats Favor San Jacinto Over Visiting U. City in DIII-AA.

University City is not trying to climb Mt. San Jacinto this week; the Centurions are attempting a different climb, over San Jacinto High, but the calpreps.com computer suggests that neither the hypothetical or real option favors coach Paul Lawrence’s team. Calpreps gives the Tigers a 65 per cent chance of winning the Division III-AA playoff […]

2022 Week 14B: Mater Dei Visits Old San Diego Acquaintance

Mater Dei’s opponent hasn’t been seen by a San Diego team in 65 years. Such are the Southern California playoffs. The Crusaders open defense of their state Division II-AA title this week on the road against the Downey Vikings, who upset San Diego, 24-7, in the Southern Section championship game in 1957. That contest, before […]

2022 Week 14A: D-IAA Lincoln Draws Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, 4-0 vs. San Diego Teams

Notes about this week’s Southern California playoff teams, including contributions from Webmaster and researcher Henrik Jonson: TRAVELIN’ HIVE The state CIF announced a few weeks ago that it would rely on calpreps.com’s rating system in choosing sites for the Southern California playoffs and state bowl games. Lincoln’s 11-1 record is superior to Chatsworth Sierra Canyon’s […]

2022 Week 14: Hornets Win Last Vote For No. 1

This is the final Union-Tribune poll, as reflected in the first three columns in the table below and coordinated by  John Maffei, but there will be a final, final poll when calpreps.com, Max Preps, and Cal-Hi Sports (columns 4, 5, and 6) weigh in with their final ratings, after the state bowl championship games in […]

2022 Week 13B: Division I & II Championship Opponents

Notes about this week’s San Diego Section finalists. Webmaster and researcher Henrik Jonson contributed much of the information: DIVISION I 1 Mission Hills (9-3) vs. 3 Mater Dei (8-4), tonight, 7:30 p.m., Southwestern College. The Grizzlies advanced from the semifinals with a 28-21 win over No. 5 El Camino. Mater Dei defeated No. 2 Cathedral, […]

2022 Week 13A: The Championship Opponents in D-V, IV, and III

Notes about this week’s San Diego Section finalists. Webmaster and researcher Henrik Jonson contributed much of the information: Division V 1 Crawford (11-1) vs. 3 Classical (8-3), Saturday, 2 p.m., Escondido High. Crawford moved on after a 26-7 victory in the semifinals versus No. 5 Mar Vista. Classical retired 2 Escondido Charter, 28-14. Crawford’s Matt […]

2022 Week 12A: An Evenly Matched Open Division Title Game

Tonight’s Lincoln-Carlsbad game for the San Diego Section Open Division championship in Snapdragon Stadium  will be the first since 2013 not involving Helix or Cathedral. Lincoln and Carlsbad have been here before, as recently as 2019 and 2021, and each is looking for a breakout. The Hornets lost in the Division I championship game to […]

2022 Week 12: Seeds and Pairings Free of Acrimony; Playoffs Move on to Quarterfinals.

The 62nd San Diego Section playoffs, 64 teams strong, opened last week, with favorites prevailing in 16 of 22 first-round games, a 72.7 winning percentage. Hats off to CIF commissioner Joe Heinz and his staff, and the voting representatives from the City, North, East, Desert, South, Coastal, and eight-man regions who got the seedings and […]

2022 Week 11A: As Regular Season Ends, Playoffs Begin

Ten things, among many, to remember about the 63rd San Diego Section regular season: –Nineteen teams won or tied for 18, eleven-man league championships.  Fallbrook and San Pasqual deadocked for first in the Valley. –Carlsbad ruled the Avocado League for the fourth consecutive year. –Chula Vista won an outright championship for the first time since […]

2022 Week 11 B: Overtime, How it Began; Lincoln Regular-Season Champion

Granite Hills’ epic, four-overtime, 46-44 win over Helix for the Grossmont Hills championship represented the longest game in San Diego County history, although the first overtime contest also was long, for another reason. From the 1976 season narrative: NEW TIE-BREAKER TESTED “History-making events are supposed to be heralded with sounding trumpets and helium-filled balloons,” wrote […]

2022 Week 10: Many League Races Too Early to Call

Five league championships have been decided in the San Diego Section and 14 more will be settled this week or end with ties. No. 1 Madison is at No. 2 Lincoln for the Western League flag and No. 7 Granite Hills is at No. 5 Helix for Grossmont Hills honors in featured jousts. Carlsbad (Avocado), […]

2022 Week 1: Parker’s Williams Scores 4 Ways that equal 52

Francis Parker’s Chris Williams set a San Diego Section record when he scored all 52 points in the Lancers’ 52-27 win over Pasadena Poly, according to   information provided to The San  Diego Union. Williams did it all:  Six touchdown runs, 10, 23,25,27,27, and 45 yards.  A 62-yard pass interception for a touchdown.  Seven points after […]

2022 Week 0: Preseason Top 10, Coaching Changes, League Moves

John Maffei of The San Diego Union-Tribune and three other ranking services have offered their opinions on 2022 football in the San Diego Section. Maffei canvassed coaches, noted the results of summer 7-on-7 passing competitions, and compared roster compositions, among other factors.  The U-T’s weekly poll will begin after this week’s opening round of games. […]

2022 Girls Track (5): Final San Diego Section and State Leaders

Forty-five girls, counting one for relays, posted 54 marks that made the state Top 25 in the standard 16 events, as noted by Athletic.net.  Numbers in parenthesis represent placement. EVENT NAME/SCHOOL MARK STATE 100 Shaheed, Madison :11.66 (4) :11.45, Redmond, Carson McCormick, Scripps Ranch :11.71w (3), :11.76 (11) Hatton, Sage Creek :11.91w (21T), :12.18 200 […]

2022 Girls Track (4): James, Coleman Hurdle to Championships

Charlize James and Kapiolani Coleman held up under the grind of carrying the mantel of favorites and winning gold medals in the state meet in Clovis. Cathedral’s Coleman, the state leader for most of the season, won the 300 hurdles in :42.23. James, chasing Scripps Ranch Aaliyah McCormick all season, took the 100 hurdles in […]

2022 Girls Track (3): Charlize Charges in 100 Hurdles

San Diego High’s Charlize James defines competitor, at her best, and better, since the season moved into May.  James ran the second fastest  100 hurdles in San Diego Section history Friday,  :13.67 in the state track trials. James, whose time also is No. 2 in California this year and 12th in the United States, will […]

2022 Girls Track (2): Four Still Lead With Week Remaining

Four San Diego athletes lead the state as they head for state this week. “State” is an often-used euphemism for an event such as  the California championships, renewed for the 102nd time this year after being canceled because of the pandemic in 2020 and ’21. Aaliyah McCormick continues to lead all 100 hurdlers with a […]

2022 Girls Track (1): McCormick Paces Best Marks

San Diego Section girls have the best performances in California in three events, leading in the 100 and 300 hurdles, and shot put. Aaliyah McCormick of Scripps Ranch is first in the short hurdles at :13.46 and Kapiolani Coleman of Cathedral is first in the longer barriers in :42.19.  Kennedy Clarke of Cathedral leads with […]

2022 Boys Track (5): Final San Diego Section and State Leaders

Thirty-three boys, counting one for relays, posted 43 marks that made the state Top 25 in the standard 16 events, as noted by Athletic.net.  Numbers in parenthesis represent placement. EVENT NAME MARK STATE 100 Tucker, Lincoln :10.51w, (17T), :10.54 (21T) :10.14, Pleasant, Gardena Serra Priest, Maranatha :10.56 (23T) 200 Brock, Cathedral :21.40 (20) :20.40, Pleasant […]

2022 Boys Track (4): No Gold Medals, But Helix and Parker Solid

Adren Parker drove Helix to a fifth place finish in the 4×400 relay as the Highlanders ran 3:15.79,  11th all-time in San Diego.  An added plus was Helix’s breaking the school record of 3:16.23, set in 2003. Parker, a junior, also put 2023 rivals on notice with a fourth-place, :47.68 performance in the 400 meters […]

2022 Boys Track (3): Parker No. 1 All-Time in 400 Meters

Adren Parker of Helix yesterday became the third San Diego Section runner to shade 47 seconds in the 400 meters, setting an all-time record of :46.82 Friday in trials of the 102nd state track meet. Parker’s time was bettered only by the :46.81 of Jeremiah Walker of Fresno Central.  Two other runners who have run […]

2022 Boys Track (2): Parker, Harder Advance in Section and State Marks

The top three finishers in last week’s San Diego Section championships move on to the state meet in Clovis this week. In addition, any contestant who met the state qualifying standard in the section meet also is eligible. For example, two 800-meter runners in the list below qualified, but a third, who ran 1:54.54, missed […]

2022 Boys Track (1): Steele Canyon Leaper Tied for First in State

Leon Gillis of Steele Canyon has a 6-foot, 9-inch high jump that ties Gillis for first in California with a jumper from San Bernardino Cajon. Gillis and other qualifiers from the three divisional meets in the San Diego Section last week will attempt to better their season bests in Saturday’s 61st San Diego Section championships […]

2021-22: Week 16-A: Scripps Ranch Boys Win State D-IV Championship

Scripps Ranch joined Gardena Serra, Bellflower St. John Bosco, and West Hills Chaminade as teams that have won state championships in football and basketball in the same school year since the state CIF reinstated the football championship in 2006. The Falcons, behind gridiron stars Jax Leatherwood, Dean Paley, and Lamont Wilkerson, who scored 19 points, […]

2021-22: Weeks 5-6: Hoops Down? Maybe It’s Covid

What does it mean when an unprecedented five different teams receive first-place votes in John Maffei’s latest The San Diego Union poll? It could mean that area hoops are mediocre, at best, this year. No team stands out and the usual powers have done little to get excited about. Or could it be Covid, which […]

2021-22 Weeks 0-2: St. Augustine and Torrey Pines Off to Fast Starts

The first The San Diego Union-Tribune basketball poll has a couple old reliables, St. Augustine (6-1) and Torrey Pines (7-0 after a 70-57 win over Santa Fe Christian last night, after the poll was completed) at the top. St. Augustine’s only loss was to Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, 51-46, in a game  the Saints led, 33-27, […]

2021-22 Week 9: State-wide and Local Boys’ and Girls’ Ratings

Ratings for boys and girls by The San Diego Union-Tribune, Max Preps, and Cal-Hi Sports.  Records may be inaccurate as teams play daily.  Cal-Hi Sports ranks only a top 25.  Ratings for San Diego Section girls’ teams is coordinated by Terry Monahan. The San Diego Union-Tribune boys’ poll.  First-place points in parenthesis.  Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 […]

2021-22 Week 8: St. Augustine Remains No. 1

RATINGS GAME The San Diego Union-Tribune poll.  First-place points in parenthesis.  Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. RANK TEAM RECORD POINTS LAST WEEK 1. St. Augustine (12) 13-6 152 1 2. San Marcos (4) 12-3 147 2 3. Torrey Pines 12-4 115 3 4. Mission Hills 13-5 107 5 5. Cathedral 15-5 100 4 6. San Ysidro […]

2021-22 Week 7: St. Augustine, San Marcos Neck and Neck

RATINGS GAME The San Diego Union-Tribune poll.  First-place points in parenthesis.  Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. RANK TEAM RECORD POINTS LAST WEEK 1. St. Augustine (11) 10-6 145 1 2. San Marcos (4) 8-3 139 2 3. Torrey Pines (1) 10-4 115 3 4. Cathedral (2) Catholic 13-5 97 4 5. Mission Hills (1) 11-5 96 […]

2021-22 Week 16: Imperial Girls, Scripps Ranch Boys Seek State No. 1’s.

The Imperial Girls, who have become road favorites of Triple-A, having amassed about 670 miles of travel in their last three playoff games, and the long-range shooters from Scripps Ranch will be in Sacramento on Saturday, each with a chance to come home with a state championship. Max Preps, the computer outlet which coordinated the […]

2021-22 Week 15-A: Scripps Ranch Boys, Imperial Girls Advance to State Final

GIRLS DIVISION TEAM OPPONENT SCORE IV 6 Imperial (28-6) @1 Yucca Valley (21-8) Travel-weary Tigers pull off another surprise, 52-46. V 2 Victory Christian (20-12) 4 L.A. Shalhavet (23-6) Knights fall in championship game second year in row, 62-52. BOYS IV 2 Scripps Ranch (25-11) 16 Valley Village Valley Torah (30-4) Falcons put away scrappy […]

2021-22 Week 14: Girls Southern California Regionals First-Round Results

San Diego Section girls won eight of 16 first-round games, including 14th-seeded The  Bishop’s knocking off host No. 3 Rancho Santa Margarita, 67-53. La Jolla Country Day, Rancho Bernardo, Scripps Ranch, Victory Christian, Imperial, and Carlsbad were favored and won. My hunch “Should Win” clubs, Scripps Ranch, Carlsbad, Rancho Buena Vista, Victory Christian, all moved […]

2021-22 Week 14: Boys’ Southern California Regionals First-Round Results

It was not pretty.  San Diego Section teams posted a 3-15 record in the opening round of the Southern California regional playoffs. My “should win” hunches, San Ysidro, Torrey Pines, San Diego, Monte Vista, and St. Joseph, were 0-5.  Most upper level seeds were ousted in a disappointing finish to an arguably mediocre season. Division […]

2021-22 Week 14-A: Girls Regionals Quarterfinals Results

The ladies delivered.  Five of seven San Diego teams won their quarterfinals matches. Joining the others in the semifinals is The Bishop’s, a 13th seed and the only state Division II club still in play.  The Knights ushered out Los Angeles Brenwood, 74-69. DIVISION TEAM OPPONENT Open 2 La Jolla Country Day (25-2) 3 Chatsworth […]

2021-22 Week 14-A: Boys Regionals Quarterfinals Results

DIVISION TEAM OPPONENT SCORE II 8 Carlsbad (22-12) @1 Santa Ana Foothill (29-3) Lancers, up 20 points in third quarter, beaten in epic, triple overtime, 97-96. III 10 Mt. Carmel (25-9) 15 Harbor City Narbonne (17-11) SunDevils scorching 16×26 from 3-point arc in 80-59 victory over L.A. City Section’s Gauchos. IV 2 Scripps Ranch (23-11) […]

2021-22 Week 14-17: Final Union-Tribune and Cal-Hi Sports Lists

RATINGS GAME The San Diego Union-Tribune final 2021-22 poll. First-place points in parenthesis.  Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Records do not include Southern California playoffs. (The final Cal-Hi Sports rankings, which were published after the state playoffs:  St. Augustine No. 20, San Ysidro, 35, Torrey Pines, 39, and La Costa Canyon, 40). RANK TEAM RECORD POINTS […]

2021-22 Week 13: Top Seeds Reign in 7 of 10 Boys’ and Girls’ Championships

Seven of the No. 1 seeds in the San Diego Section boys’ and girls’ playoff divisions of five each made it through the four rounds to championships. Most of the surprises were in boys Division V, a distant bracket appealing mostly to friends and relatives of the competing teams. The computer, from which most pairings […]

2021-22 Week 12: Regular-Season League Champions and Rankings

Playoffs begin Wednesday, February 16, for boys, Tuesday, February 15, for girls. BOYS LEAGUE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TEAM LEAGUE OVERALL AVERAGE Avocado San Dieguito 7-1 16-7 66.1-56 Central *Kearny 5-3 14-6 66-52.9 Citrus Victory Christian 6-0 18-10 63.3-51.5 City Patrick Henry 6-2 16-11 55.9-51.8 Coastal Santa Fe Christian 11-1 19-9 64.8-56.4 Desert Imperial 7-2 14-8 54.6-50.9 […]

2021-22 Week 11: One More Round Then The Playoffs

Regular-season play wraps up this week and pairings for the San Diego Section playoffs will take place Saturday morning. BOYS John Maffei’s The San Diego Union-Tribune  poll.  First-place points in parenthesis.  Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. RANK TEAM RECORD POINTS LAST WEEK 1. St. Augustine (15) 18-7 159 1 2. San Marcos (1) 20-4 140 3 […]

2021-22 Week 10: League Leaders and Poll Leaders

BOYS LEAGUE TEAM LEAGUE OVERALL AVERAGE Avocado San Dieguito 5-0 13-6 66.2-56.1 Central Kearny 4-1 13-4 66-52.9 Citrus Victory Christian 4-0 15-9 65.8-52.4 City Point Loma 4-2 7-11 55.2-54.6 Coastal Torrey Pines 5-0 16-5 65.2-52.7 Desert Imperial 6-1 11-6 54-49.4 Eastern Morse 3-0 14-6 51.1-44.3 Grossmont Hills Grossmont 5-0 13-10 54.5-52 Grossmont Valley Monte Vista […]

2021-22 Girls Week 14-B: Semifinals Pairings

The Bishop’s, the only remaining Division II team in the state with a seed as high as No. 13,  moves into the Southern California playoffs semifinals Saturday night. The Knights (17-7), under first-year coach Paris Johnson, who played at San Diego High and San Diego State and replaced mentor Marlon Wells, now face their stiffest […]

2021-22 Girls & Boys Week 15-A: Southern California Championship Pairings

Win Tuesday evening and play a state championship game in Sacramento on Friday. That is the goal this week for the three remaining girls and boys basketball teams from the San Diego Section. Victory Christian, formerly Lutheran, located in Chula Vista, was coached until mid-season this year by Sa’de Wiley-Greenwood, a legendary high school player […]

2021-22 Boys Week 14-B: SunDevils, Falcons Still in the Hunt in Semifinals

The road gets longer and theoretically with more bumps for Mt. Carmel and coach Greg Lanthier’s three-point-shooting snipers. Lanthier, who won a San Diego Section championship as coach at Vista in 1992-93, takes his Divison III 10th-seeded SunDevils (25-9)  up the Coast Highway 160 miles to play 4 seed Calabasas Viewpoint (20-6). Mt. Carmel is […]

2021-22 Boys & Girls Week 14-C: Falcons, Victory Win Semifinals Tests

The Scripps Ranch boys and Victory Christian girls won respective division semifinal games in the Southern California regionals playoffs. BOYS DIVISION TEAM OPPONENT SCORE III 10 Mt. Carmel (25-10) @3 Calabasas Viewpoint SunDevils head home after 90-57 loss. IV 2 Scripps Ranch (24-11) 3 Bakersfield Golden Valley (23-9) Falcons’ 3-point snipers (Caden Flint, six treys, […]

2021 Week 9: Grossmont Tries Again to Beat Helix

Grossmont is going to beat Helix one of these years.  Maybe this week. The way things have gone the last 40-odd that’s a lukewarm maybe. The teams will meet for the 66th time with host Helix holding a 45-18-2 record in the all-time series. A victory for the Foothillers over their so-called younger sibling took […]

2021 Week 8: Rivals Will Be Too Close for Comfort

Three neighborhood rivals with long histories resume their versions of trench warfare this week. Chula Vista and Sweetwater, 2.9 miles apart and the oldest schools south of the San Diego city limits, play for the 74th consecutive year in a chain that began when Chula Vista opened in 1947. The Spartans lead the Red Devils, […]

2021 Week 8: Carlsbad Hangs On To No. 1.

It didn’t have much influence on John Maffei’s Union-Tribune Top 10 poll through Week 7, but the Carlsbad-Torrey Pines game, a last-second, 34-33 win for coach Thadd MacNeal’s unbeaten Lancers, rates as the game of the year and easily the best since the pandemic. Sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin drove the Lancers 90 yards in the […]

2021 Week 7: Carlsbad-Torrey Pines Possible Barn Burner

Carlsbad will be at  an interesting juncture as the regular season turns to the second half and the Lancers riding a 10-game winning streak. At 5-0, duplicating its record in the pandemic 2020 campaign and 5-0 starts in 2013 and 2007, coach Thadd MacNeal’s team will try to become  6-0 for the first time since […]

2021 Week 6: Carlsbad Holds Lead

By three points, Carlsbad retained its lead over Cathedral, 226 points to 223 and will sit out this week with a bye. John Maffei’s weekly The San Diego Union-Tribune Top 10: First place votes in parenthesis.  Points on scale of 10 points to 1 point. RANK TEAM/RECORD POINTS PREVIOUS 1. Carlsbad 5-0 (13) 226 2 […]

2021 Week 5: Cathedral Takes on Another Big One in North

Cathedral coach Sean Doyle, whose team fosters a we’ll-play-anyone-anytime-anywhere mantra, gets another test this week against perhaps the most honored team in Califoria prep history. The Dons, recovering fast from their disaster in Week  2 at Corona Centennial, blitzed Helix, 52-0, last week and head North to play Concord de La Salle, which has a […]

2021 Week 4: Let’s Hear It for Mabel O’Farrell

The school named for Mabel E. O’Farrell was created in 1957 and opened in 1959 as a junior high, became a School of Performing Arts, and now operates under the tony brand of “The O’Farrell Charter School.” The Falcons got on the favored side of the scoreboard for the first time last week. After 18 […]

2021 Week 3: Dons’ Loss Opens Door for Carlsbad

Not that they give a rip, but the Cathedral Dons’ 43-point, 57-14 defeat last week at Corona Centennial didn’t represent the worst loss in school history. More decisive was a 45-point loss, 55-10 to Sacramento-area power Folsom in 2014. Almost as painful was another 43-point reversal, 56-13 to Marian in the 2003 San Diego Section […]

2021 Week 2: Cathedral, Lincoln Face Rugged Road Tests

Cathedral and Lincoln, each with high aspirations, leave the sanctuary of comfortable surroundings and head North to face two of the state’s bests this week. Cathedral, No. 1 in San Diego and fifth in the state, as ranked by Cal-Hi Sports, takes on No. 8 Corona Centennial.  Lincoln, No. 24, goes to No. 10 Los […]

2021 Week 17 Wrapup:  3 Champs; Doyle, Gilster, Others Move Up; How Section Teams Rate

Scripps Ranch Coach Marlon Gardinera would have been in the spotlight on every college, NFL pregame or postgame show. But Gardinera’s gutsy (crazy?) move did not go “national”, instead raising eyebrows and begging comment on a level just as significant to all involved. Gardinera decided to “relax” his defense and allow Santa Clara Wilcox to […]

2021 Week 16: Three Teams Will Become Part of State Playoff History

Cathedral, Mater Dei and Scripps Ranch will seek state championships this week in games that are ranked tossups.  All games Friday and Saturday will be at Mission Viejo Saddleback College. Cathedral (11-2) will get an opportunity to reverse a 21-14 loss in 2018 to Folsom (11-3).  Folsom is eighth in the weekly Cal-Hi Sports poll, […]

2021 Week 15: Local Turf War in DII-AA Pits Helix Against Mater Dei

The CIF came up with an unusual pairing this week: teams representing the same section and which should have intimate knowledge. Intimate knowledge was denied, because COVID canceled a Highlanders-Crusaders match in Week 3. There is shared common knowledge, however. Mater Dei defeated Otay Ranch, 41-7, and St. Augustine, 35-0. Helix beat the former, 29-14, […]

2021 Week 15: DI-AA Matchup, Final Top 10 Poll

Cathedral has won its last two Southern California Division I-AA playoff games, 35-28 in 2016 and 24-21 in 2018, each time at home against Harbor City Narbonne. In attempting to win a third the Dons will head 70 miles North Friday to play Orange Lutheran, a four-loss team that was fifth in its league, at […]

2021 Week 15: Scripps Ranch Travels to DII-A Playoff

Scripps Ranch and the rubber will hit the road Saturday for a 6 p.m. game in the Southern California Division II-A playoffs at Santa Clarita Valencia, 160 miles away. Coach Marlin Gardinera’s team,  11-1 and averaging 44 points after a 42-0 win over La Jolla in the San Diego Section finals last week, are on […]

2021 Week 15: Patriots versus Patriots in D3-A

Resurgent Patrick Henry, 19-9 in three seasons under coach J.T. O’Sullivan and 10-2 in 2021, takes on visiting Lake Balboa Birmingham Saturday night in the Southern California Division III-A playoffs. San Diego Section schools don’t often play those from the Los Angeles City Section, usually only in postseason matchups such as this. Birmingham (8-5), which […]

2021 Week 14: How We See the Finals

We’re on holiday, in the process of enriching the Las Vegas economy, so this will be short, in more ways than one. This week’s fearless, if not peerless, Division I-V predictions: D-I, Lincoln 31, Helix 20.  Can’t go against my alma mater. D-II, Scripps Ranch 38, La Jolla 35. I live in the community of […]

2021 Week 13: Great Open Division Championship Matchup

I went out on a very unstable limb last week and crashed. Picking Torrey Pines to beat Carlsbad and Mission Hills to knock off Cathedral not only was ill-advised but was punctuated with an in-your-face (mine) combined, 82-17 score  by the winning teams. Now we have a championship that brings together two clubs representing, on […]

2021 Week 12: Playoffs Shift Into High Gear With Open Division Play

Round two of the San Diego Section playoffs offer quarterfinals in Divisions I-V and semifinals in the  Open Division. The four clubs in the highest bracket, beginning play after a week off:  4 TORREY PINES (6-3) @1 CARLSBAD (10-0) The Falcons get another shot at the unbeaten Lancers, a team Torrey Pines had on the […]

2021 Week 11: Hat’s Off! Eighteen League Champions

League championships can be forgotten amid the giant second season of playoffs. if a team has a pulse, no matter how few W’s and how many L’s, it’s most likely a postseason participant. But don’t pass that along to the San Diego Section’s regular-season winners. Players identify these achievements on their letter jackets, coaches enhance […]

2021 Week 10: Oldies Still Are Goodies

Big Brother split with Little Brother in two traditional games last week. Younger Helix made it a quarter century of continued success with a 25th consecutive win over older Grossmont, 29-14, and older Mira Mesa topped younger Scripps Ranch, 38-35. Helix now is 46-18-2 against Grossmont since 1951, when the fledgling school divided enrollment and […]

2021 Week 0: Back to the Future

Call it a return to (the new) normal. Football is back in real football time, but the Covid still looms, with the likelihood of canceled games and quarantines. And the pandemic, which reduced the 2020 season to an abbreviated schedule of 2021 spring games, probably was a factor in the turnover of coaches. There will […]

2021 Football: About Sutton, Gardinera, O’Sullivan

Lucky Sutton became one the 10 highest single-season scorers in San Diego County history this season. Sutton’s 40 touchdowns for 240 points tied the Cathedral senior and San Diego State-bound running back for ninth with Imperial’s Royce Freeman, who also scored 240 in 2011. Sutton played in 13 games and was deprived of a 14th […]

2020: Winningest Active Coaches, Through 2019

Will there be a season? Even a truncated season with no playoffs and play restricted to league games will be cause for rejoicing, it says here. The state CIF is scheduled to make a decision July 20 on whether there will be games in the fall. Meanwhile, coaches and players wait. Active top 10 in […]

2020: Veteran Coaches Move On, Others Move Up

Address changes and new names represent most of the news-making activity these days in the San Diego Section as it pushes on to a critical date and still looking for light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. The state CIF is scheduled to make a decision later in July on the 2020 future of […]

2020: Active coaches with 50 or more wins through 2019

Football season is just beyond the horizon in this chaotic year, but  many coaches are actively preparing for a January start (in the usual basketball season), including those who have reached 50 victories in their San Diego Section football careers. Earlier postings listed the Top 10 active football coaches in victories, and the all-time Top […]

2020:  San Diego Squad Part of No. 3 All-Time College Team

As the year ended last week USA Today listed its best 150 teams in the 150-year history of collegiate football. Standing third behind the 1943 and 1945 Army squads, was the University of California “Wonder Team” of 1920. No less than seven players from the national champion, 12-0 San Diego High Hilltoppers of 1916 played […]

2020: Bill Rainey, Crawford Football Star and CIF Track Champ

Bill Rainey left with a couple championships when he graduated from Crawford High in 1962 and went on to the University of Southern California. Rainey, who passed away recently at his home in Seattle, was the San Diego Section football player of the year in 1961 and also was the first San Diego Section track-and-field […]

2020-21: Evolution of Individual Game Most Points

The innumerable number of games and points and lack of sustained record keeping, or reporting, in earlier years make basketball a most challenging  sport when it comes to posting stats of the “most”. The table below, which begins decades after the game came to San Diego, lists an evolution of  individual high scoring for one […]

2020-21: D-VIAA Blythe and Quartz Hill Are Miles Apart

The teams in the Southern California Division 6-AA playoffs tonight play the long game. The Quartz Hill Royals (9-4), located 70 miles north of Los Angeles and on the upper edge of the Southern Section boundary, will travel almost 250 miles, a distance not  unfamiliar to their opponent, Blythe Palo Verde Valley. The Yellow jackets […]

2020-21 Week 7: Add ’63-64 Vikings to Undefeated Regular Season Teams.

We owe an apology to the starting five, Charlie Buchanan, John Walters, Bill Canning, John Schroeder, and Rick Eveleth, and coach Bill Reaves. They were the major players for another team that posted an undefeated regular season, the 1963-64 La Jolla Vikings, who were 26-0. We omitted the Vikings in our post last week. Rick […]

2020-21 Week 6: Games of Truth for Torrey, San Marcos

Torrey Pines and San Marcos are on the cusp of becoming the fifth and sixth teams in San Diego County history to complete undefeated regular seasons. (Editor’s note:  Challenges and additions to this stat welcomed.) Hoover was 24-0 in the 1959-60 regular season and got to the Southern California semifinals before bowing to Anaheim, 39-34.  […]

2020-21 Week 5: Torrey Pines Makes Jump in State Ratings

Torrey Pines this week ranks second in one California poll, third in another, and a unanimous  No. 1 in San Diego. John Olive , who became head coach at Torrey Pines before the 1997-98 season and whose teams have averaged 23 victories a season, commands a Falcons squad that has reached this juncture of the […]

2020-21 Week 4: Torrey Pines’ Run Now at 19 in Row

Coach John Olive may have passed the word around the Torrey Pines campus on Del Mar Heights Road:  Do not even think about an undefeated season. The coach would plead, “It’s too early.” Or, “We’re just thinking about our next game.” But three impressive victories last week have put the Falcons at 19-0, with a […]

2020-21 Week 3: Top 3 Teams Are Combined 37-0.

RANK TEAM RECORD POINTS LAST WEEK 1. Torrey Pines 16-0 (10) 127 1 2. Cathedral 6-0 (2) 112 2 3. San Marcos 15-0 (1) 109 3 4. Santa Fe Christian 10-2 89 4 5. Carlsbad 10-2 71 6 6. El Camino 11-3 57 5 7. St.. Augustine 6-2 53 8 8. Orange Glen 14-2 30 […]

2020-21 Week 2: Power is on Del Mar Heights Road*

San Diego Section teams have been staying close to home because of the pendemic, but the season is in full swing with usual powers Cathedral and Torrey Pines almost neck and neck. San Marcos and a few others appear to be lying in the weeds. Coach John Olive’s Torrey Pines Falcons managed to get in […]

2020-21 Week 11A: Torrey Pines, 16 Other Boys Teams Seek Gold

Seventeen teams begin one-week quests of Southern California championships and almost all eyes will be on the 29-0 Torrey Pines Falcons, seeded No. 1 in the Open Division and with a quarterfinals bye. Corona Centennial, which the Falcons defeated at home early in the season, 65-62, bypassed a chance to  turn the tables on  coach […]

2020-21 Week 11: Victory Christian, St. Joseph Favored in Girls’ Southern California Tournament

Sa’de-Wiley Gatewood is back in the hunt. The Victory Christian coach sends her No. 1 seed against No. 4 Playa del Rey St. Bernard Thursday in a Southern California Division VI-AA semifinals game at the Knights’ Chula Vista venue. The winner will meet  the survivor of he Corcoran-Los Angeles Franklin game for the championship. Four […]

2020-21 Week 11: Final Regular Season Union-Tribune Poll

The Union-Tribune ‘s final poll included only the regular season.  We’ve included San Diego Section and Southern California playoff results in teams’ records but the rankings do not change. RANK TEAM RECORD POINTS LAST WEEK 1. Torrey Pines 30-1 (13) 130 1 2. San Marcos 25-2 113 2 3. Cathedral 17-3 107 3 4. St. […]

2020-21 Girls Weeks 9-10: Third Time Charm for Cathedral

Cathedral upheld the honor of No. 1 seeds and defeated No. 3 Bonita Vista, 55-49, in the Open Division and erased the memory of two losses to the Barons in the regular season. It was not a happy ride for several of the favored seeds in the girls’ San Diego Section playoffs.. Nine upsets, or […]

2020-21 Girls Week 11C: Seven Tried, Two Successful

San Diego Section teams won two of seven Southern California championship basketball games. Mater Dei defeated host Mission Hills Bishop Alemany, 56-42, in Division II-AA and Rancho Bernardo topped visiting San Pedro Mary Star of the Sea, 72-44, in D-IIIAA. The Crusaders were a No. 5 seed and Alemany No. 2.  Rancho Bernardo was a […]

2020-21 Girls Week 11 A-B: Ten of 17 Reach Semifinals

After winning only one of seven games in the Open, I-AAA, and I-A divisions, San Diego Section entries in the Girls’ Southern California basketball playoffs rallied in the lower divisions. At least one team is assured a place in finals on Saturday.  St. Joseph, the No. 1 seed, in Division V-AAA, plays host to neighboring […]

2020-21 Boys Weeks 9-10: Torrey Pines Still Unbeaten; props to Sage Creek

Unbeaten and 29-0 Torrey Pines continued its march toward a place where no San Diego Section boys team has gone, winning a championship in the largest division in Southern California (the 1935-36 San Diego High team won the Southern Section title but had a loss in a 15-1 season; the 1944-45 Hoover team won the […]

2020-21 Boys Week 11B: Mater Dei Sweeps Boys’ and Girls’; Torrey Pines Comes Up Short

Memories-for-a-lifetime victories and crushing defeats summed up the pandemic-altered San Diego Section season. The big one eluded 30-1 Torrey Pines in the Open Division final, a 68-65 loss to Etiwanda, but area teams won 6 of 9 championships, a stunning accomplishment considering San Diego’s generally unsuccessful runs in Southern California postseason competition. There should be […]

2020 Weeks 4-6: Strangest Season is a Wrap

The world pandemic almost  brought the San Diego Section to its knees, but the governing athletic body survived, thanks to determined coaches, players, and administrators.                      Thirteen of the 96 schools fielding varsity teams were able to play a maximum six games, as mandated by the […]

2020 Week 5: Cathedral at Top of Final Poll

The San Diego Union-Tribune‘s final football poll in shortened season. First place votes in parenthesis.  Points on scale of 10 points to 1 point. RANK TEAM RECORD POINTS PREVIOUS 1. Cathedral 5-0 170 1 2. Carlsbad 5-0 153 2 3. Mission Hills 5-0 136 3 4. Lincoln 4-1 105 7 5. La Jolla 5-0 102 […]

2020 Week 3: Cathedral No. 1 Here, No. 7 in California

Comparisons are building for Cathedral. The Dons are a unanimous No. 1 in The San Diego-Union-Tribune poll and seventh for the second week in a row in the respected Cal-Hi Sports ratings. At No. 7, Cathedral is at its highest level in the Cal-Hi eye test rankings since the 2016 club finished fifth.  Coach Sean […]

2020 Week 2: Tough Going at Point Loma

Point Loma canceled its season, hours after the story below was published. Joel Allen, who quarterbacked Christian to a Division IV championship in 2002 and created a brilliant coaching record at The Bishop’s (11 seasons, 100-39-1 record, .739 winning percentage) had stepped down. Allen was going to go into business with his brother and was […]

2019: Weeks 11-12: Second Season Takes Spotlight

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 […]

2019: Doyle joins 9 Others With at Least 200 Victories

Cathedral coach Sean Doyle, average nine wins a season for the next 15 years and catch Herb Meyer. To those who think Doyle, should he decide to challenge Meyer’s record of 339 victories, is likely to fall short, consider that the veteran of 24 seasons, all at the same school, has averaged 9.3 wins the […]

2019-20 Weeks 11-18: Cathedral Wins Final Newspaper Poll

This is the first The San Diego Union-Tribune Top 10 we’ve posted in several weeks and is final for the 2019-20 season, including San Diego Section playoffs. *Completion of San Diego Section teams’ participation in the CIF state tournament are included in the final ratings  by Max Preps and Cal-Hi Sports. First-place votes in parenthesis. […]

2019-20 Weeks 1-2: San Ysidro Frosh Challenges Dad

Mikey Williams, a 6-foot, 3-inch guard heralded as one of the outstanding ninth grade players in the country, scored 50 points in one game recently as the San Diego Section basketball season got under way. But the San Ysidro freshman can’t claim family bragging rights. That’s because Mikey’s father, Mahlon Williams, a three-year star at […]

2019-20 Weeks  5-6: Teams Throughout U.S. Flock to Torrey Pines

Basketball is in beast mode as the New Year beckons, with games every night and tournaments galore, including the big one, the Torrey Pines Tipoff this week directed by Falcons coach John Olive. There was an interesting matchup in a preliminary tipoff to Torrey Pines Monday night after John Maffei of The San Diego Union […]

2019-20 Week 9: St. Augustine Still Leads

Through games of Monday, Jan. 13. Union-Tribune Points Last Week Max Preps Cal-Hi Sports 1. St. Augustine (13) 16-3 130 1 13 14 2. Foothills Christian 12-5 117 2 29 Bubble 3. Cathedral Catholic 13-5 103 3 35 Bubble 4. Torrey Pines 13-4 90 4 83 NR 5. Mater Dei 12-3 76 5 73 NR […]

2019-20 Week 8: St. Augustine Separates, For Now

“We need a rest,” St. Augustine coach Mike Haupt was heard to utter after the Saints had played in three late November and mid-December tournaments and this was before the Torrey Pines Tipoff, one of the great events in the country. The Saints (15-3) reached the New Year with 18 games already under their belts, […]

2019-20 Week 3-4: San Ysidro Ninth Grader Sets Single-Game Record

San Ysidro freshman Mikey Williams has gone off again. The 6-foot, 3-inch guard set a San Diego Section record last night with 77 points in a 116-42 victory over Kearny at the Imperial High tournament, according to Max Preps. A night earlier Williams scored 51 in a 108-61 win against Brawley.  He had 50 in […]

2019-20 Week 18: La Jolla Country Day, Cathedral, Madison Girls Still Standing

La Jolla Country Day and Cathedral are where they’re supposed to be, according to the seeds.  Madison is a welcome surprise. That’s the state of San Diego Section basketball today as the section’s final three go into tonight’s Southern California regional finals. The girls saved the day after the boys went out early, with a […]

2019-20 Week 17A: San Diego Contingents Stumble in Regional

Super Tuesday was essentially a Super Wipeout for San Diego Section boys teams in the first round of the State Tournament’s Southern California regional. The girls did better. The guys posted a record of 3 wins and 14 losses, the young ladies 7-8, and the overall 10-22 was in grim comparison to the 16-14 record […]

2019-20 Week 17: Road to State Championships Starts Here

No teams in the boys’ Open Division looks like a break for San Diego Section teams, which were assigned some  favorable seeds in other divisions of first-round play that gets under way in the Southern California regional tournament Tuesday night. Two girls teams are seeded No. 1 and have byes to the quarterfinals. Open Division […]

2019-20 Week 16: Cathedral, La Jolla Country Day Win Open Titles

CHAMPIONSHIPS SEEDS IN ITALICS OPEN BOYS Cathedral was hot. The No. 1-seed Dons had won 14 of their last 16, but No. 2 Torrey Pines was hotter, on a 15-game winning streak. It wasn’t about heat; it was defense. The Dons, who won the Division I championship in 2018-19,  trailed, 28-25, at halftime but broke […]

2019-20 Week 15: Favored Teams win 78% as San Diego Section Playoffs Move Into Semifinals

Shockers, upsets, and surprises (maybe) shook up the first week of the San Diego Section playoffs, which resume Feb. 25 following 120 games in boys and girls first- round and quarterfinals competition. Twenty-seven games have been won by teams with less attractive (higher) seeds. Favorites won 93 games, a 77.5 winning percentage, according to results […]

2019-20 Week 14: Just 27 of 133 Can Claim League Superiority

What’s in a league championship? Especially in this era of power ratings and strengths of schedules and what they mean in playoff pairings and postseason division assignments, which will be announced today? A league title represents essentially just bragging rights, but ask the players and coaches who achieved it and what they think when banners […]

2019-20 Week 11: San Ysidro Cougars Continue to Run

San Ysidro is making noise again. Not enough to earn a top 10 ranking, but the Cougars have won five in a row and scored more than 100 points for the fifth time this season, including a post-poll vote,106-30 victory over Castle Park last night. The fall of the Trojans marked the third time in […]

2019-20 Week 10: Finally, It’s All About League Play

Twas a time when San Diego Section teams finished their tournament and intersectional obligations as the calender moved to the New Year and league play began, determining the playoffs picture. That’s not the case today as teams continue to play nonleague games against out-of- the-area competition and make quick, weekend trips for so-called “classics.” St. […]

2019 Week 9: Road Gets a Little Tougher for Scots, Dons

Helix and Cathedral, the San Diego Section’s two big ones, have had to regroup. The Highlanders lost running back Elelyon Noa, probably for the season with a foot injury, and Cathedral quarterback D.J. Ralph sustained what was reported as a broken collarbone on his non-passing side. Ralph was replaced by Charlie Mirer, son of former […]

2019 Week 8: The Bishop’s Joel Allen Close to No. 100

And another milestone is near. Joel Allen of The Bishop‘s rampaging Knights of La Jolla could become the 43rd San Diego Section coach to win a 100th career game. The Bishop’s will have to win out but you’d have to go to eight-man football to find any team scoring 55 points or more six times […]

2019 Week 8: On to the San Diego Section Trials

San Diego Section seasonal bests were recorded in four events, 2 each in girls and boys, as the 16 leagues participated in their championships last week. Scripps Ranch’s Jaymie Rustkovich logged a wind-aided 24.41 200 and ran a leg on the the Falcons’ 4×400 relay team, anchored by Brianna Sproles, daughter of Darren, the popular […]

2019 Week 7: San Diego Section Coaches Make History

Ron Hamamoto’s crashing the top five in San Diego Section coaching ranks wasn’t the only significant career achievement last week. –Grossmont’s Tom Karlo became the 42nd to reach 100 wins. Hamamoto, whose Monte Vista squad defeated Chula Vista, 34-17, now has 229 victories, tying the 35-season mentor with Morse’s John Shacklett, who won 229 at […]

2019 Week 7: Blazing Christon Starts Run to State Meet

The Countdown to Clovis begins this week as 16 San Diego Section leagues move through trials and finals with an eye on the state championships May 24-25 at Buchanan High in the Fresno suburb, where competition will be as hot as the weather, guaranteed to offer temperatures close to or at 100 degrees. At the […]

2019 Week 6: Scots Have Sock

Half the regular season is complete for all but a handful of teams and Helix has emerged as the front runner for the longest postseason. The Highlanders arrived at this juncture after having beaten No. 2 Cathedral and No. 3 St. Augustine, which followed  a surprising, overtime loss to Utah’s Herriman West Herriman. The loss […]

2019 Week 6: Christon Sizzles at ‘Sac

Madison’s Kenan Christon blasted the San Diego Section 200-meter sprint record, vaulted to No. 1 in California, and into the top 10 in the U.S. The USC-bound senior lit up the El Camino College track in the 61st Mt. San Antonio Invitational, covering the distance in :20.90 and bettering the section record of :20.98, set […]

2019 Week 5: Mt. Sac Up After Valley Center and Cerveny Invites

The Mt. San Antonio Relays, for decades hosted on campus in the community of Walnut, moved west about 30 miles to El Camino College in Inglewood a couple years ago and will headline the menu this week. Mt. Sac at one point was supposed to be the probable site of the 2020 Olympic Trials and […]

2019 Week 5: Overtime Finally Pays Off for Oceanside

Oceanside and La Costa Canyon set a record when they played four overtime periods last week. Somewhere Bennie Edens was smiling. The late coach at Point Loma was instrumental in the city schools’ adopting overtime sessions as a way to solve the inconvenience of tie games in 1975. The entire San Diego Section agreed in […]

2019 Week 4: Helix Now No. 1 and NFL Rosters Include a Baker’s Dozen of Section Grads

Thirteen players on opening week NFL rosters made their bones on fields of the San Diego Section: NAME HIGH SCHOOL COLLEGE TEAM POSITION Jamal Agnew Point Loma San Diego Lions Cornerback Jake Bailey Santa Fe Christian Stanford Patriots Punter Joe Cardona Granite Hills Navy Patriots Long Snapper Royce Freeman Imperial Oregon Broncos Running Back Tony […]

2019 Week 4: Fahy Fastest Ever in Section 3200

San Diego Section runners and jumpers warmed to the competition in the Arcadia Invitational, turning in season highs in five girls events and three boys events; the young men brought the total to 9 in a City League triangular meet between Madison, Clairemont, and Christian. Christin Fahy was third in the 3200-meter run at Arcadia, […]

2019 Week 3: Mt. Carmel Meet Marks Overturned

Authentic.com the go-to, on-line entity for all things track and field, posted several outstanding marks from the Mt. Carmel invitational two weeks ago and then deleted them last week. Dennis McClanahan, the retired coach of the Sun Devils and the meet director for the invitational and honcho at the San Diego section trials and finals, […]

2019 Week 3: Cathedral Knocks Down Another Big One

Corona Centennial did not make an appearance at Cathedral last week until less than 3 minutes before kickoff. The Huskies did not engage in the usual, pregame warmup. “Gamesmanship,” observed Don Carey, retired, longtime NFL official who now scouts high school officiating crews. If that was the late-arriving Riverside County powerhouse’s message to the Dons […]

2019 Week 2: La Costa Canyon’s Fahy Takes National Lead

A raft of marks, including a United States-leading 4:48.34 in the 1,600-meter run by Kristin Fahy of La Costa Canyon, punctuated the 40th annual Mt. Carmel Invitational. Fahy’s four-lap sizzler topped three Southern Section runners, whose chase of Fahy resulted in the nation’s No. 2, 3, and 4 best performances.  No. 5 is a 4:52.4 […]

2019 Week 2: Cathedral Faces Another Powerful Opponent

Cathedral Catholic takes on visiting Corona Centennial Friday night in a battle of elite privates and publics. Coach Sean Doyle’s private-school Dons defeated Arizona’s big one, Scottsdale Saguaro, 18-10, last week at home in the final of the Honor Bowl tripleheader. Public school Centennial, after a 42-12, opening-game loss to national No. 1 Santa Ana […]

2019 Week 17: A Wrap On Football Season

The San Diego Union-Tribune’s last poll, including San Diego Section playoffs: First-place votes in parenthesis. NR–Not ranked. *Includes forfeit win. RANK TEAM RECORD POINTS PREVIOUS 1. Helix (31) 11-1 310 1 2 Carlsbad 10-2 269 2 3. Oceanside 11-3 212 NR 4. Cathedral 8-3 207 3 5. St. Augustine 8-3 168 4 6. Lincoln 10-3* […]

2019 Week 16: El Camino and La Jolla Carry On

El Camino and La Jolla were highly unlikely candidates to get this far, but they’re in the big games this week, San Diego’s last standing, and hitting the road in search of state championships. The Wildcats travel 50 miles beyond the San Franciso Golden Gate bridge to Santa Rosa, 517 miles North of their campus, […]

2019 Week 15: We’re Down to 6 Survivors

The season continues for the six San Diego Section division champions. Pairings for the Southern California regional playoffs with teams with AA classification playing on Friday, Dec .6, while teams with A designation will play on Saturday, Dec.7. Division Team Record Opponent Record I-AA Helix 11-1 Chatsworth Sierra Canyon 12-1 I-A Oceanside 11-3 Corona del […]

2019 Week 14: Trying to Pick the Winners in San Diego Section Finals

Taking a look at this week’s five division championship games at Southwestern College and a doffing of the fedora to the Helix Highlanders, who overcame the loss of superstar running back Elelyon Noa: DIVISION I No. 9 seed Oceanside (9-3) and No. 2 Lincoln (10-2) were beneficiaries last week, gifted with forfeit victories over San […]

2019 Week 13: Eight Teams Overcome Poorer Seedings

Call it the “Ides of November” or “Beware the Quarterfinals.” Julius Caesar apparently missed the significance and was assassinated in 44 BC after being advised to “beware the Ides of March,” a March 15 date on the Roman calendar noted for religious observances and as a deadline for “settling debts,” according to accepted history. On […]

2019 Week 12: 101st State Track Trials

Twenty-five San Diego Section entries qualified in 22 events for tonight’s 101st state track finals at Clovis Buchanan High. 12 boys advanced in 9 events and 11 girls in 11 events plus two relay teams. Madison’s Kenon Christon will attempt to become the section’s first winner in the 100 sionce 1993 and the first double […]

2019 Week 12: Christon Leads Terrific Section Performance in 101st State Track Meet

It wasn’t just Kenan Christon’s powerful sweep in the 100 and 200 meters.  San Diego Section athletes earned an unprecedented 7 gold medals in the 101st state track finals at Clovis Buchanan High. –Christon equaled the 100-meter meet record of :10.30, set  by Riley Washington of San Diego Southwest in 1992, and roared down the […]

2019 Week 11: Clovis Awaits San Diego’s Best

The San Diego Section qualified more than 100 boys and girls athletes for the Friday-Saturday, 101st state track championships at Clovis Buchanan High. The top three finishers in the San Diego Section meet last week and others who met the state qualifying standard earned the 340-mile trip to the Fresno suburb. Coronado’s Alysha Hickey will […]

2019 Week 10: Playoffs Next as First Season Nears End

The 18 San Diego Section leagues put a wrap on the regular season this week and most of their members will take a breath and await playoff seedings, which will be determined on Saturday. Championships have been won in several circuits. AVOCADO Champion Carlsbad (6-0, 8-1 overall) is getting ready for a nonleague test with […]

2019 Week 10: More Sprint Explosions by Kenan Christon

Kenan Christon sat still and endured three false starts in the 100 meters, cautiously came out of his starting blocks on the field’s fourth attempt, and still smoked a wind-assisted:10.26 in the San Diego Section trials last week at Mt. Carmel. Christon continued his monster, late-season run later in the afternoon by taking the national […]

2019 Week 1: Decks Cleared in North County for Orange Glen and Escondido

Westbound traffic will pick up on Escondido’s Valley Parkway Friday night. A neighborhood bragging rights game is scheduled when revitalized Orange Glen motors West from the eastern edge of town on the old thoroughfare to visit big brother Escondido High. They’re only 4.5 miles apart, but the visiting Patriots and host Cougars haven’t met since […]

2019 Week 1: Christon, Mitchell, Hickey, Thomson State Leaders

Kenon Christon of Madison, Altan Mitchell of Point Loma, Alysha Hickey of Coronado, and Camryn Thomson of Poway are state track-and-field leaders from the San Diego Section, which got down to some serious competition last week after a few February and early-March meets. Christon ran a personal best :10.52 in the 100 meters at the […]

2019 Week 0:  Cathedral Wins Preseason Vote

Football, which used to open with 90-degree practices under blazing Labor Day suns, is back with a now usual berginning in August’s semifinal week. The dates have changed, but not the weather. Cathedral is the San Diego Union-Tribune voting panel’s No. 1-ranked team in the first weekly poll. Dons coach Sean Doyle, who should become […]

2019 Track Week 13: Five Lead State Marks as Season Comes to Close

It was perhaps the finest track-and-field season in San Diego Section history. There not only were a record seven gold medal winners (compared to five in 1974) in last week’s state championships in Clovis but area thinclads also had state best performances in five boys and girls events. Kenon Christon was No. 1, not only […]

2018: Week 8: Patriots (7-0) Meet Dons (6-1)

“A Good Big Man Will Always Beat a Good Little Man” Sounds like an observation from that noted philosopher Aristotle. The above doesn’t mean that Cathedral will beat Christian in a battle of Division 1 and D-3 powers, but the adage will be tested when these two teams meet for the first time Friday night […]

2018: Week 13: Basketball Playoffs Week 2

Idleness breeds contempt or a drop in the ratings. Mission Hills has fallen from ninth to 11th in Cal-Hi Sports’ state top 25, partly because the Grizzlies drew a bye in the first round of the San Diego Section playoffs last week. Also byed last week, Helix remained 12th.  Cathedral  and St. Augustine  are on the […]

2018: Oscar Foster, 69, San Diego High’s Big O

Oscar Foster never won an individual scoring championship at San Diego High, but Foster finished his legendary prep career with the San Diego Section record for most points. Consistent, often brilliant, Foster’s record was testimony to the popular, team player that he was. Foster passed away recently in Los Angeles at age 69, a victim […]

2018: Hoops Great Arthur (Hambone) Williams, 79

Arthur (Hambone) Williams was 28, out of college for four years but still hoping to get a shot. San Diego sportsman Bob Breitbard had recently been awarded an expansion franchise in the National Basketball Association for the 1967-68 season and Breitbard, after a visit from Merrill Douglas, who was Williams’ coach during Hambone’s two brilliant […]

2018: Hickey, Christon, Jackson, Ward, Farmer, Lippert Put Stamp on Mt. Carmel Meet

The warm days of spring aren’t here, but San Diego Section girls and boys performed above the temperature last Saturday in the season’s first major meet, Dennis McClanahan’s Mt. Carmel Invitational. McClanahan, the 35-years-plus coach at Mt. Carmel and former Helix shot putter and discus twirler, has built his late-March event into one of the […]

2018: Hickey Ends Gold Medal Drought and Will Return

Some of the best performances by San Diego Section athletes at the 100th state track championships last week at Clovis Buchanan were provided by those who should be back for another shot in 2019. Alysha Hickey, second in the high jump at 5 feet, 8 inches, and the first area champion since 2015 with a […]

2018: After Long Wait Morse Makes Long Trip

Fourth in a series this week on San Diego Section teams’ playoff matchups IV-AA Morse, staggered by a late-season, 47-6 loss to St. Augustine, recharged to win its last four games and claim the Tigers’ first San Diego Section championship in 24 years. The Skyline Drive squad was rewarded with the longest trip of the […]

2018: Vince Breddell, Outstanding Kearny Sprinter

Vincent W. (Vince) Breddell III, a star sprinter at Kearny in 1969 and ’70, passed recently. Coach Jim Cerveny’s teams, which battled Clairemont for Western League domination, were built around the swift Breddell. Breddell was fourth in the state 100-yard dash final at Berkeley in 1970 after winning the San Diego Section championship in :09.7.  […]

2018: Tom Ault, Crawford Basketball Standout

They gave Tom Ault a tremendous sendoff recently at the Rancho Santa Fe First Presbyterian Church. More than 400 persons, including many San Diego State and sports luminaries from the ‘sixties and ‘seventies, were in attendance. Ault, 72, who passed away recently, helped create a championship legacy at Crawford High. Ault played basketball and baseball […]

2018: San Diego Girls Lead State in 1600, Vault, and High and Long jumps

San Diego Section girls turned in season highs in five events and the boys in two at last week’s Arcadia Invitational. The section can boast the best mark or tie for the best mark in the state in one boys and four girls events. Torrey Pines’ McKenna Brown, who took the state lead in the1600-meter […]

2018: Ray DeBolt Earned “First” Distinction

Ray DeBolt of Granite Hills, a new school at the east end of Madison Avenue in El Cajon, won the San Diego Section mile championship on May 27, 1961. The victory gave DeBolt, who passed away in the recent months in Reno, Nevada, at age 75, the distinction of being the first section champion in […]

2018: Jackson Seeks Double at State Meet

The San Diego Section has not had an individual champion in the state meet since 2015 or a double winner since 2012. Eastlake’s Jalyn Jackson has a chance to reverse the trend this week in the 100th championships at Clovis Buchanan High. Jackson, fourth in the long jump and second in the triple jump in […]

2018: Brown Now Tied for Third on 1600-Meter List

There still are a couple weeks before league trials for most San Diego Section athletes, but distance runners are setting themselves up for the big meets in May. McKenna Brown of La Costa Canyon was beaten by Mariah Castillo of Saugus in a hot 1600-meter race in the Mt. San Antonio meet at El Camino […]

2018-19: La Jolla Country Day Boys & Girls in Finals

Three San Diego Section teams remain in play in the Southern California regional basketball playoffs, with La Jolla Country Day having representatives in Boys’ Division III and Girls’ D-I. San Diego Southwest also reached the finals in Boys’ D-V. The three local squads all face daunting tasks, as they will be on the road Tuesday […]

2018-19, Weeks 7-8: League Races Take Shape

Have team league championships lost their cachet? Shrinking newspaper space, computer and newsletter rankings, weekly “classics” and  “challenges” all appear have diminished a once-cherished achievement. Not quite. Go to a game and notice the commemorative patches and chevrons adorning the athletes’ letter jackets.  Read a coach’s resume and list of accomplishments.  Hear the reaction of […]

2018-19 Weeks 1-6: State Top 20 Eludes San Diego Squads

The San Diego Section’s Big Four, listed numerically in the weekly The San Diego Union-Tribune poll below, has beaten some very good intersectional teams but not gained traction with ratings experts. Wins like Foothills Christian’s  83-74 over Sacramento Sheldon, the state’s No. 9 team according to Cal-Hi Sports and St. Augustine’s 64-49 victory over No. 12 […]

2018-19 Week 9A: Olive, Haupt Neck and Neck to 500

Torrey Pines’ John Olive and St. Augustine’s Mike Haupt each is bearing down on career victory No. 500. Olive leads with 488 victories to Haupt’s 487. Whenever they reach 500, Oliver and Haupt will join a club that has a membersship of three in the San Diego area. El Camino’s retired Ray Johnson won 763 […]

2018-19 Week 9: Races Coming Down to Wire; Agbo Goes off for Saints.

The San Diego Section regular season will end Feb. 8 and championships in at least three of the 19 basketball-playing leagues  will come down to the final week. Rancho Buena Vista (6-1) and Vista (5-2) will meet at Vista for the Avocado League  title.  RBV edged the rival Panthers, 62-61, in the teams’ first meeting. […]

2018-19 Week 16: La Jolla Country Day Boys Are Last Ones Standing

La Jolla Country Day’s Boys Division III team will try to become the ninth San Diego Section squad to win a state championship Friday afternoon against San Francisco University High in Sacramento. The Torreys, who were 5-5 in the Coast League but have won eight in a row on the section and regional level, are […]

2018-19 Week 15: Cal-Hi Sports, Max Preps Final Ratings Are In

The San Diego Section’s Big 4 of Open Division teams became a Big 5, when La Jolla Country eclipsed all with a dominating run through the state Division III playoffs. The Torreys (23-13) were the only area squad to make it to the state level, where they defeated San Francisco University, 67-39, after Foothills Christian […]

2018-19 Week 15: 6 Teams Still Alive in Regional Semifinals

Two boys’ and four girls’ squads passed quarterfinals tests in the CIF state regional playoffs last night. Most significant was the 66-58 Division 1 win by the 5 seed La Jolla Country Day girls on the road at No. 4 Granada Hills. Cathedral, the top seed in Girls D-I, sustained a stunning loss, 49-44, to […]

2018-19 Week 14: San Diego Clubs Win 16 in First Round

Sixteen of the 30 San Diego Section boys’ and girls’ teams remain in the Southern California regional playoffs, with quarterfinals putting everyone back on the court tonight. Girls squads won nine of 14 opening round contests, the boys seven of 16, with most of the successes coming in Division II through V. Three of the […]

2018-19 Week 14: It’s a Championship Day for La Jolla Country Day

La Jolla Country Day’s state championship, the first by a San Diego Section team since 2015, served as the denouement for a basketball season that ended in disappointment for the big four of Torrey Pines, Foothills Christian, St. Augustine, and Mission Bay. The manner in which ‘Day finished its season, routing San Francisco University, 67-39, […]

2018-19 Week 13: San Diego Section Powers Face Expected Early Exits

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 […]

2018-19 Week 13: No. 1’s Go For No. 1 Finish

Four No. 1 seeds in six divisions, will be on the floor as finals take place beginning tonight in the San Diego Section. That Foothills Christian, Cathedral, Rancho Buena Vista, and San Diego Southwest made their way through the rounds is testimony to the ratings system created by Max Preps, the entity favored by section […]

2018-19 Week 13: Falcons Edge Knights, Buccaneers, Saints in Last Vote

Torrey Pines emerged from a season-long, four-team battle to claim the No. 1 position in the final The San Diego Union top 10.  The first four finishers each occupied the top rung during the regular season. Union-Tribune Week 10 final poll, Monday, Feb 25: Rank Team Record Points Last Week 1 Torrey Pines (14) 25-6 140 […]

2018-19 Week 11A: Most Favored Seeds Escape Untouched

Thirty-one of the 36 first-round, San Diego Section playoff games in divisions I-V last night were won by team’s with the lower number (better) seeds and the upsets were won by teams on the road. The stunner was 15 seed Bonita Vista (11-17) kayoing 2 seed host Westview (21-8), 66-52. Other home team jolts were […]

2018-19 Week 11: Foothills Christian’s Hot Stretch Run Earns Rank

Ten consecutive wins since Jan. 11 propelled Foothills Christian into the No. 1 position in the final regular-season The San Diego Union-Tribune poll and earned coach Brad Leaf’s Knights the Open Division top seed in this week’s beginning of the San Diego Section playoffs. Play in divisions I through V convenes Wednesday evening.  Open Division […]

2018-19 Week 10: League Champions Step Up to Playoffs

Twenty-one San Diego Section league champions were crowned this week, although such a feat means nothing when it comes to the playoffs, pairings of which were announced today. But league championships represent a lot more than a playoff seeding,or divisional placement. Just ask the Mira Mesa Marauders and San Diego Cavers, who clinched Eastern and […]

2018 Week 9: Weather Creates Havoc

Friday Night Lights turned into Friday Night Lightning. Games were shortened, postponed, or called because of torrential rain and bolts from the sky. The score at the time of mass evacuations from the field and stands stood as final for many of the games.  Some, as in the Avocado League, were declared “no contest” and […]

2018 Week 7: Five at 6-0 Share Room at the Top

Christian, El Centro Central, Francis Parker, Kearny, and Torrey Pines continue to set the pace, each with a 6-0 record.  Seven teams, Valhalla, Patrick Henry, Ocean View, El Cajon Valley, Hoover, Mabel O’Farrell, and Clairemont, are setting a reverse pace, each without a win. La Costa Canyon, which I had voted as the top team […]

2018 Week 6: Now the Real Racing Begins

Forty-five teams begin league play this week.  Twenty-three more will commence next week, and 22 already have started down that road as the season reaches Week 7 and the final month of the regular season. It seems that every team in the San Diego Section will make the playoffs.  Although that is not the case […]

2018 Week 5: Helix, La Costa Canyon Lead With 3 NFL Players Each

Of the 1,694 players on active NFL rosters on Kickoff Weekend earlier this month, 18 were from San Diego Section schools, six more than in 2017. (There is an error in the table below.  Alex Mack did attend San Marcos High, in Santa Barbara, not at our local San Marcos). Helix and La Costa Canyon […]

2018 Week 4: Not the NFL, But Rams, Eagles Just as Intense

Call it the Battle of Banner Grade, because a chunk of the 32-mile trip from Julian to Borrego Springs on California 78 traverses the circuitous path of the vintage East County road, past the 19th Century gold-mining community of Banner, until the final stretch of the approximately 50-minute drive turns to County Road S2. Julian […]

2018 Week 3: Helix-Cathedral Now, La Costa-Torrey Later

Helix and Cathedral collide this week while La Costa Canyon and Torrey Pines are on a collision course. The Cathedral Dons, 5-7 last season and missing stud running back Shawn Poma much of the year, made a statement last week with a 42-21 win over high-powered Gardena Serra, the state’s 10th-ranked team, according to Cal-Hi […]

2018 Week 2: A 1…and a 2…and a 3, it’s San Clemente Time Again

San Clemente has become the Avocado League’s weathervane. La Costa Canyon, second ranked in this week’s Union-Tribune poll, will be the third Avo team in successive weeks to take on the Tritons, a respected Orange County entry just a few right or left turns and a modest hike up Interstate 5 from Oceanside (23 miles), Torrey […]

2018 Week 18: Hamamoto, Gilster, Doyle Moving Up

Seasons of 9-2 and 8-4, respectively, continued to elevate Ron Hamamoto and Valley Center’s Rob Gilster in the upper strata of all-time, San Diego Section football coaches. Cathedral’s Sean Doyle is on the cusp of 200 victories. Hamamoto, who completed his 32nd season at Cathedral (nee University), Rancho Bernardo, Lincoln, and Monte Vista since 1985, […]

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 […]

2018 Week 17: Cavers’ First Time in State Playoff Since ’22

It’s been 96 years, but who’s counting when you’re having fun? San Diego High coach Charles James has reason to be enjoying the moment.  The once tradition-rich Cavers (12-2) have become relevant after a slump that spanned generations. How far the Hilltoppers have come back will continue to be measured when James’ club travels about […]

2018 Week 16: San Diego Teams Organize Travel Plans

Get your kicks on Route 101 or I-5. And be sure to pack for cool…well, maybe cold weather. That’s the forecast for 3 of the San Diego Section teams still competing in the state football playoffs. Lincoln knows that it will play next week in Division III-AA but not where after winning the Southern California […]

2018 Week 15: Coach’s Son Fires Coach’s Team

Sixth and final in a series on San Diego Section state playoff matchups. VI-A After coach Rob Gilster departed to fledgling Valley Center following a 9-3 season in 1997, Orange Glen went into free fall.  They were 51-155 from 1998 until this season when fifth-season coach Jason Patterson, 1-9 in ‘17 and 15-28 overall, turned […]

2018 Week 15: Rebounding St. Augustine Takes to Road

Second in a series this week on San Diego Section playoff matchups: A month ago St. Augustine was an unlikely candidate for a Southern California playoff spot. The Saints were coming off a shocking, 27-24 loss to Madison in a game that had been postponed because of lightning bolts three days before, at a point […]

2018 Week 15: Hornets Visit High Scoring Culver City

Third in a series this week on San Diego Section teams’ Southern California playoff matchups. III-AA Lincoln rallied down the stretch with five consecutive victories and now is 10-4 after it appeared to be sliding into the abyss. Coach David Dunn explained that injuries and other problems left him without enough players to take on […]

2018 Week 15: Dons Meet Narbonne Gauchos Again

First in a series this week on San Diego Section Southern California playoff matchups. DIVISION 1-AA Two of the state’s most successful coaches will square off at Cathedral Friday night at 7:30 in this repeat of a Southern California playoff in 2016, when Cathedral defeated the Narbonne Gauchos, 35-28, en route to a 15-0 season […]

2018 Week 15: Cavers Go Back to the Future

Fifth in a series this week on San Diego Section playoff matchups. V-A San Diego coach Charles James, while returning the city’s oldest and perhaps most beloved high school to prominence, recognized tradition and greatness. After multi-generation tough sledding, which began with a gradual shift in demographics and school boundaries after Duane Maley retired following […]

2018 Week 15: Cathedral Unanimous Choice as No. 1 in Last Vote

Four city schools made the final Union-Tribune Top 10, an outstanding achievement for an area, once the most powerful in the County but lately looking up. No. 1 Cathedral, 3 St. Augustine, 8 Lincoln, and 9 Morse all are in the Southern California playoffs this week, and San Diego, which accumulated a healthy amount of […]

2018 Week 14: On Hiatus

2018 Week 13: Take Cathedral Over Torrey Pines

Cathedral and Torrey Pines, 1.8 miles apart on San Diego’s Del Mar Heights Road, meet in  the region’s biggest game Saturday night at Southwestern College in Bonita, more than 30 miles away. Southwestern’s Jaguar Stadium is a terrific venue which probably could squeeze 10,000 persons into its concrete stands and is the only edifice capable […]

2018 Week 12: Santana, Country Day Come Close to 100-year Record

The Santana Sultans, not usually compared to the St. Louis Rams’ “Greatest Show on Earth” of a generation ago, or today’s L.A. Rams, almost short-circuited the scoreboard. Coach Tim Estes’ squad defeated La Jolla Country Day, 76-55, in an opening-round game in the Division IV playoffs. This was not eight-man football. The score represented the […]

2018 Week 11: Winning Season Not Enough for Scripps Ranch

The move away from the ubiquitous and arcane “Power Ratings” to those offered by Max Preps and Cal Preps.com, preferred by the coaches, did not evoke the usual shouts of “We wuz robbed,” but still was painful to Scripps Ranch. The Falcons, who moved to the City League from the Eastern this season, are the […]

2018 Week 10: Torrey Pines Rolls With Mac Truck

Torrey Pines’ Mac Bingham banged Oceanside for a San Diego Section, record-tying eight touchdowns in a 71-41 win and will lead the Falcons against La Costa Canyon this week, hoping to tie up the Avocado League championship, earn a first-round bye and top seed in the playoffs, and get the Falcons to 9-0 for the […]

2018 Week 1: 269 No Magic Number for Helix

How decisive was top-ranked Helix’ shocking, 43-3 defeat at San Bernardino Cajon last week? Two-hundred, sixty-nine games decisive. You have to go back to the third contest of the 1996 season, a 41-0 Highlanders loss to El Camino, to find a more conclusive result. Only four others in the school’s storied, 68-season, 691-game history—41-0 to […]

2018 Week 0: Scots Try to Repeat; Have Tough Opener

Helix is number one, at least for the opening week. The Highlanders received 14 first-place votes and 262 points from the panel of 30 in the first Union-Tribune football poll coordinated by veteran prep honcho John Maffei. The Scots also were number one in the final 2017 vote: Rank Team 2017 Points Previous 1. Helix […]

2018 Best Marks Here And in California

San Diego Section boys’ 2018 best track and field performances through last week’s Mt. San Antonio meet, which was not held on the once-bucolic junior college campus in Walnut, instead moving about 40 miles West to El Camino College in Torrance. San Diego marks and their rankings in parenthesis are compared below to the best […]

2017: Week 15: Helix Game Site in Question

Note:  Westlake Village Oaks Christian closed school today because of smoke and ash from the nearby wildfires. Helix is scheduled to play there Friday night, Dec. 7. The field at Southwestern  faces south to North but the football moved east. Helix, Steele Canyon, and Monte Vista, from the two Grossmont leagues in the foothills of […]

2017: Week 11:  Hats Off!

A doffing of the fedora to the 16, playoff-bound teams that won league championships: LEAGUE TEAM RECORD PREVIOUS Avocado Mission Hills 10-0 2013 Central San Diego 10-0 1960* City University City 9-1 2012 Coastal The Bishop’s 9-0 2016 Eastern Lincoln 8-2 1991+ Grossmont Hills Helix 9-1 2016 Grossmont Valley Granite Hills 8-2 2016 Imperial Valley […]

2017: Tri-City Jumper Takes State Lead

Matthew DeRoos of Tri-City Christian long jumped 24 feet, 4 1/4 inches in the Coastal League finals at Orange Glen and took the state lead in that event. Scripps Ranch’s Alex Barr was displaced as the state leader in the 1600-meter run.  Barr ran 4:14.51 in an early outdoor meet  and now is ninth inn that […]

2017: Tracksters Warm Up With Weather

Top performances in  seven events and 79 efforts earning 2017 top  10 distinction highlighted 11 league championships last week in San Diego Section boys’ and girls’ track and field competition. Qualifiers from those meets will meet at Mt. Carmel High Saturday in Section trials.  Finals are scheduled at the same site on May 27, followed […]

2017: Powell Leads Raptors to Playoff Win

Norman Powell has earned a spot in the Toronto Raptors’ rotation and is making his bones on  basketball’s biggest stage. The 6-foot, 4-inch guard from Lincoln High scored a career-high 25 points in 34 minutes and shot 8 for 11 from the field to lead the Raptors to a 118-93 win over Milwaukee and put […]

2017: La Jolla Vikings Great Dan Berry

Dan Berry passed recently at age 72, leaving a historic legacy at La Jolla High and of significant achievements at San Diego City College and the University of California at Berkeley. When La Jolla met San Diego High at  Scripps Field in 1961, the Vikings had not beaten the Cavemen since 1951 and were reeling from […]

2017: John Williams, Played on Great Hoover Team

Name Hoover’s starting five in 1959-60 and Johnny (Bo) Williams probably would be the fifth to come to mind. But Williams, a 6-foot, 1-inch guard, was an effective offensive player (269 points in 27 games) and outstanding defender for arguably the finest San Diego-area team before Bill Walton and Helix arrived a decade later. Williams, […]

2017: Hamamoto, Hauser, Jackson Jump 3 Places

Three coaches each moved up three spots in the annual review of those with at least 100 victories in their careers in this area or in the San Diego Section. Monte Vista’s Ron Hamamoto now has 218 victories and is fifth all-time behind Herb Meyer (339), John Carroll (248), Bennie Edens (239) and John Shacklett […]

2017: George Taylor, 80, Cavers’ Hoop Standout

No one scored more than 10 points in a game against George Taylor, whose defensive commitment  and offensive playmaking earned the 6-foot San Diego High guard City Prep League player-of-the-year honors in the 1953-54 season. Taylor, who passed in San Diego on Jan. 27 at age 80, was the primary player on the 22-5 team that reached the quarterfinals […]

2017: George (Bud) Milke, Legendary South Bay Coach

Bud Milke was on the bench as a head coach for 500-plus basketball games in his career, more than half at Mar Vista High and Castle Park, and rolled with the deathless prose of Grantland Rice: “For when the One Great Scorer comes To write against your name, He marks—not that you won or lost—but […]

2017: Dave Grayson, Legendary Caver, Hornet

David Grayson, who retired before the 1971 NFL season as one of the pro game’s all-time defensive backs, passed away recently at age 78. Grayson intercepted 48 passes from 1961-70 in the American Football League and NFL as a member of the Dallas Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, and Oakland Raiders. The 5-foot, 10-inch, 187-pounder with […]

2017: Cleveland (Smiley) Jones, 77

Services for San Diego High legend Cleveland (Smiley) Jones will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at El Camino Memorial Park, 5600 Carroll Road, San Diego, 92123. Viewings are  scheduled from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13.  and from 9-10 a.m. Saturday. A Repast will follow the funeral. Jones, 77, a resident of […]

2017: Charles Sanford, Anchor of Cavers’ Great Relay Squad

Charles Sanford finished the perfect race. Etched in my memory: Edwards Stadium, Berkeley, 1963 state track meet, final event, 880-yard relay. San Diego High against the field at the end of the two-day program. Sanford and teammates Walter (Buddah) Blackledge, Gordon Baker, and Raymond Dixon, were considered one of the better entries coming into the meet with a […]

2017: 99th State Track and Field Finals

A decidedly thin year in San Diego Section track and field ended on a promising note in the 99th state meet at Clovis over the weekend. Sophomore Karson Lippert, who came into the season with a best of: 49.77 as a freshman in the 400, crashed the big stage and will be billed as one […]

2017: 19 Advance to State Track and Field Finals

CLOVIS–11 boys and 8 girls from the San Diego Section qualified yesterday for tonight’s 99th state track and field championships at Buchanan High. Six, all-time County top 15 performances came amid gusty winds and a temperature in the high nineties when competition began at 5 p.m. The breezes eventually eased and the thermometer had gradually cooled to the […]

2017:  Tucker, Howard, Lipscomb, Tomlinson

Four outstanding athletes who graced the San Diego sports scene were among those who passed in the past months. HORACE TUCKER He was late reporting for football practice at San Diego High in 1952, because Tucker and teammate Floyd Robinson were involved with the American Legion Post 364 baseball team that was runner-up to a […]

2017: They Made the NFL on Opening Day

Twelve former San Diego Section stars made the 32-team NFL rosters of 1,693 players at the start of the 2017 season. Thirteen made the list in 2016 and 15 in 2015. Helix was one of 40 schools with 3 players active.  St. Thomas Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, had 12, followed by Long Beach Poly […]

2017: San Diego Thinclads Rate in State

With Arcadia behind them, San Diego Section track and field athletes settle into  three more weeks of dual meets, weekend invitationals, and league trials before Section trials May 20 and finals May 27 at Mt. Carmel, and the state meet in Clovis on June 2-3. Scripps Ranch’s Alex Barr ran :4:14.51 in the 1600 meters […]

2017: Luther Hayes, 78, Lincoln’s All-Time Hornet

Fledgling Lincoln High began to create its great athletic legacy after Luther Hayes, a vital member of San Diego high’s 1955 Southern California championship team, transferred to the young school at 49th Street and Imperial Avenue. Hayes, 78, who passed on Thanksgiving Day, surrounded by his wife, Anita, and family at his home in Palos […]

2017-18 Weeks 1-5: It’s Been a Wild Ride

Like the automobiles that are continually jarred by San Diego’s city streets, the supposed top teams in the San Diego Section negotiated a December full of potholes. Which is the best, as the season enters  league play and the weekend shootouts or the so-called”classics”? I cast my vote for Torrey Pines, followed by Mission Bay, […]

2017-18 Week 9: No Movement at Top

Static are the San Diego Section ratings. There was no change this week through the first six places.  La Jolla Country Day moved from eighth to seventh after St. Augustine dropped a 74-56 decision to Chicago Whitney Young. The Saints now are eighth. Mount Miguel crashed the top 10 with a 22-4 record and an […]

2017-18 Week 8: Leaders Can Look Down Road

Fast forward about month, to the round of 4 in the San Diego Section Open Division championships. If the Max Preps’ power ratings hold and the first and second rounds play out as expected, Torrey Pines (20-2) would play Mission Bay (21-4) in one semifinal and Foothills Christian (19-5) would meet San Marcos (18-2) in […]

2017-18 Week 6: Buck Stops With Bucs

Mission Bay has not been a “brand” name in San Diego Section basketball, but the Buccaneers continue to hold sway in the Union-Tribune weekly poll.  They’re now 15-3 after Tuesday night’s 71-63 victory over Patrick Henry. The Bucs have beaten so-called brands No. 3 Foothills Christian and No. 8 St. Augustine and lost to No. […]

2017-18 Week 17: Barry 3rd All-Time in Scoring; Bucs 17th in State; Clark All-Time No. 1.

West Hills’ Cameron Barry led the San Diego Section, was tied for second in the state, and 10th nationally in scoring average, and 22nd in total points, according to Max Preps. Barry scored 866 points in 26 games.  His 33.3-point average is No. 3 all-time in San Diego County. Jc Canahuate of Army-Navy was second […]

2017-18 Week 15: 3 Finalists Come up Short

It officially was a down year in San Diego Section basketball.  Every team in the final Union-Tribune Top 10  poll was eliminated by the quarterfinals round of the Southern California regional tournament. Three of the six from the original 32 in five divisions made it past the semifinals into a championship game, but all were […]

2017-18 Week 14: Six Remain Out of 32 in Regionals

Six San Diego Section teams, from the original 32, reach the semifinals of the Southern California state regional playoffs tonight. An all-San Diego Section final is possible in Boys Division V, but both teams, 5 San Diego and 11 San Diego Southwest, face higher seeds on the road, 1 Canyon Country Santa Clarita Christian and […]

2017-18 Week 13: Mission Bay Finishes No. 1.

Mission Bay, by virtue of late-season wins over Torrey Pines and Foothills Christian, emerged as the No. 1 team in the final Union-Tribune poll. The Buccaneers defeated favored Torrey Pines on the Falcons’  floor, 64-62, in the semifinals of the San Diego Section Open Division playoffs and then beat Foothills Christian, 52-45, in the finals […]

2017-18 Week 13: Bonita No. 1 in Girls’ Seedings

San Diego Section teams are favorites in 5 of the 17 boys games and in 6 of the 15 girls contests in the Southern California regional playoffs that begin Wednesday in Divisions I-V. Open Division teams tip Friday. Eleven of the San Diego entries have earned home games.  The other 21 are on the road. […]

2017-18 Week 12: The Eyes Have It Over the Machine

Who won, the ratings or the seedings?  Since the seedings are based on the ratings and the ratings are based on the  Ocomputer, the question should be who won, the computer or the human eye? So far, the computer is trailing the organ of sight, at least in this impromptu survey. Writer John Maffei of […]

2017-18 Week 11:  Basketball Yes, Football No

Who are these guys and girls? Ninety-four of the 128 dues-paying members of the CIF San Diego Section fielded football teams in 2017, which leaves more than 30 to pursue other sports.  Many do, in the hoops game. They perform in relative obscurity, their game results often not reported or appearing in the newspaper, but […]

2017-18 Week 10: Contenders Await Playoff Seeds

The dog days of the season will suddenly become the stretch run Saturday, when pairings, fueled by the ratings system associated with Max Preps, will be announced by the San Diego Section. Foothills Christian appears to have a lock on the regular-season Top 10 ratings, which will be announced next week. The Knights, with St. […]

2017 Week 9: Musket Time for Helix, Grossmont

Grossmont probably wouldn’t recognize the musket trophy if it defeats Helix this week. The Foothillers (6-2) and Highlanders (7-1) meet for the 61st time in what is known as the battle of the musket, although there has been only carnage lately. Helix has won the last 19 meetings, by an average score of 39-10. Since […]

2017 Week 8: About Cavers, Hamamoto, Gilster, Saints

San Diego continued to impress; coaches moved on leaders in all-time victories, and St. Augustine rebounded. San Diego improved to 7-0 with a 34-7 over Kearny, which took a 6-0 record into the game, as big, fast Raiden Hunter rushed for 270 yards in 17 carries and scored two touchdowns. An impressive Central League turnout […]

2017 Week 7: Big Week for Komets, Cavers

There was no Week 6 blog, with the attendant rankings from The San Diego Union, because we were celebrating my beautiful bride’s birthday on a seven-day cruise south, along the Mexican Riviera. I had a fat attack, unable to resist the relentless, daily, gastronomic temptations. There are several interesting games this week, two in particular:  […]

2017 Week 5: Helix Defender Near Top of List

Opinions are like a certain area of the anatomy.  Most of us have one. The opinion of Scouts.com, which maintains a running list of  who’s who in high school football and who is being recruited by whom, is that the following table is indicative of the probable 10 best players in the San Diego Section. […]

2017 Week 4: U. City, Mira Mesa Enjoying Ride

How significant is 4-0? Depends on your perspective. Nice, but, hey, we’re used to being there, would be the reaction from Mission Hills, Calexico Vincent Memorial, Christian, Crawford, El Centro Southwest, San Marcos, and Calvin Christian. All of those teams have reached the above juncture at least once since 2013. Madison, La Costa Canyon, and […]

2017 Week 3:  Cavers Finding It Fun Again

Baby steps to others are leaps and bounds at San Diego High. Save for a 13-8-2 record by the Keir Kimbrough-coached squads in 2010 and 2011, the Cavers have endured stretches of apathy and losses that extend into the misty past. San Diego is 32-109-3 since 2002 and have had 12 winning seasons in the […]

2017 Week 2: Overtime, Then and Now

Palm Springs defeated Scripps Ranch, 42-35, in two overtimes and Army-Navy’s topped Perris Military, 21-20, in one overtime last week. Both of those game results presumably were more easily reached than the first in 1976. That was the year of imposition of the new “California Tie-Breaker”. As noted by Steve Brand, The San Diego Union […]

2017 Week 18: Helix 10th; Desert Runner Leads Scorers

A nagging, Week 2 loss to Lancaster Paraclete that Helix appeared to overcome reared up again after the Highlanders were beaten by Folsom, 49-42, in the state 1-AA championship. Helix, seventh in the state going into the game as selected by Cal-Hi Sports, dropped to a final ranking of 10th.   Helix might have finished eighth […]

2017 Week 17: Cougars Were Steeled in Stretch Run.

Steele Canyon’s winning the State Division 3-A championships was comparative to an NFL team sneaking into the playoffs as a wild card and taking home the Super Bowl trophy. The Cougars of Coach Scott Longerbone were 4-4 at midseason, got into the San Diego Section playoffs as a No. 7 seed, won 4 games in […]

2017 Week 16: Helix Faces Hostile Environment on Neutral Field

The San Diego Section has four chances to win at least one of the six state championships this week.  Last year the Section was 2-3, with victories by Cathedral in Division I-AA and Madison in D-3. Most of this week’s games appear tossups, but no team has a challenge like that facing the Helix Highlanders, […]

2017 Week 14: More Picks (Guesses) For Finals This Week

The so-named expert is trying his hand again as 10 San Diego Section teams come together for the playoff finals at Southwestern College Friday and Saturday. I tied the Union-Tribune’s resident genius, prep honcho John Maffei, each of us picking seven out of 10 winners last week.  My bad was a stinko choice of Hilltop […]

2017 Week 13: How an “Expert” Sees This Week’s Games

Here they are, our predictions for the five San Diego Section semifinals and one final this week. I pretty much went with the seeds, although there are a few strays from chalk.  I’m not Colin Cowherd or the late “Jimmy the Greek,” so take these picks for what they’re worth. OPEN DIVISION 3 SAN MARCOS […]

2017 Week 12: It’s Playoff System Controversy Time

CIF boss Jerry Schniepp had a thoughtful response recently to criticism of the San Diego Section playoff formula by writer John Maffei, but even if Schniepp’s assertion that the system implemented this year is the best of several that have been tried, teams like Bonita Vista. 0-11 and counting, continue to get postseason invitations. Bonita […]

2017 Week 10: Regular Season Undefeated Prizes Await 6

What is it when Grossmont plays Helix? The Highlanders exercised their annual domination over the Foothillers, 57-3, last week. Grossmont had scored 157 points in its previous three games, wins of 51-14 over Steele Canyon, 54-26, over Valhalla, and 51-7 over El Capitan. Those scores matched up well with Helix’ victories of 58-7 against El […]

2017 Week 1:  Helix Up, Cathedral Down, Mission Hills Cruises

Too early for trends, but Cathedral’s defending state 1-AA champion has some catching up to do and Helix is positioning itself to make a run such as the Dons’ in 2016. The Highlanders, preseason ranked 12th in Cal-Hi Sports’ overview, eased to a 35-0 victory over Utah’s No. 15 West Herriman, and moved up to […]

2017 Week 0: Helix starts off as No. 1

Enriched by the transfer from St. Augustine of running back-defensive back Isaac Taylor Stuart (a four- or five star recruit, according to  grading services), coach Robbie Owens’ Helix Highlanders begin the season as the No. 1 team in the San Diego Section, according to the 28-member Union-Tribune voting panel. The Scots, 10-3 a year ago, received 19 […]

2016: Week 14: Top Rated Teams Meet in Finals

The CIF power ratings are holding up fairly well as the final round of San Diego Section play takes place Friday and Saturday at Southwestern College. The two highest power rated clubs will meet in the Open Division and in D-1 and D-3. Winning teams will progress to a variety of divisions in a Southern […]

2016: San Diego’s All-Time Super Bowl Roster

Thirty-three players with San Diego Section or Southern Section connections have played in the 49 Super Bowls. Denver and Carolina meet in Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7 in Santa Clara. Carolina Defensive tackle Nate Chandler from Mira Mesa, who signed with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2012, is the only San […]

2016: Roger Lively, 77, One of Sweetwater’s Best

The first athlete inducted into the Sweetwater High Hall of Fame, Roger Lively was a standout in the major sports and a steady, vital presence in a remarkable run by the Red Devils in the 1956-57 basketball season. The 6-foot, 3-inch Lively, who passed at age 77 earlier this month, played center for coach Wells […]

2016: Madison’s Jackson Has Highest W-L %

Rick Jackson, who guided the Madison Warhawks to a 12-2 record, two classic postseason victories, plus a third almost as riveting, has the leading won-loss record among San Diego County coaches with at least 100 career victories. Jackson is 120-36-4 in 12 seasons at Madison for a .768 percentage, including state championships in 2012 and […]

2016: Legendary Coach Ed Sanclemente, 92

Lewis Edward Sanclemente, 92, passed away  recently, leaving behind a multitude of friends and admirers and memories of a lifetime spent in or around baseball. Ed Sanclemente grew up near the University Heights playground, where he shagged baseballs for young slugger Ted Williams and honed a game that would take Sanclemente to national championships on two levels. Sanclemente played for […]

2016: Kennedy, Galindo, Cunningham Pass

First athletes and then coaches, each experience leaving a lifetime of memories. BOBBY KENNEDY The San Diego State graduate was  head baseball coach at Chula Vista from 1957-82, his teams winning six Metropolitan League titles, earning 19 playoff appearances, and compiling an overall record of 329-266. Kennedy also was a championship softball player, almost to […]

2016: Eldridge Cooks, Fullback on ’55 National Champs

Eldridge Cooks, the starting fullback on the 1955 San Diego High team that won the Southern California championship and was acclaimed the national high school champion for that season, was at a UCLA basketball game when he passed recently. The 165-pound blocker and runner was a two-year varsity letterman for the Hillers, whose combined record in […]

2016: Dick Coxe, 95, Coached Many Champions

There was not a track and field event in which Dick Coxe did not have expertise, but he probably preferred the grueling discipline of cross country. Friends and former athletes will honor Coxe with their recollections of the demanding, straight-shooting and compassionate mentor in a celebration of his life on Sept. 18 from 1-4 p.m. […]

2016: The Grandkids

We’ve been idle since the state high school track meet and probably won’t be posting much for the next month, as our two grandsons, 13 and 12, from Connecticut have made their annual invasion. For Susie and me, this represents  4-5 weeks of never-ending activity, a veritable jailbreak every day.  It seems like we are training with the SEALs. We […]

2016: Siegler, Alvarado, Altice Lead Way in 98th State Meet

San Diego Section track-and-field entries placed in eight of 32 events at the 98th state track championships in Clovis Saturday. —About 26 per cent of the entries, out of 96 total at the beginning of Friday’s trials, scored points amid the 102-degree heat of Buchanan High. And with no individual champion for the first time […]

2016: Pete Jernigan, Played Baseball, Coached Softball

Paul Douglas (Pete) Jernigan, one of the San Diego area’s most accomplished athletes and coaches, passed away recently at his home in Hereford, Arizona. Jernigan, 75, played 10 seasons of professional baseball and later coached successful high school and Under 18 softball teams. He was named “Mr. Youth Sports” by the El Cajon Parks and […]

2016: Locals Have Hopes in 98th State meet

Do well in the section finals.  Get to the state meet.  Qualify in the Friday trials.  Rest up for the finals.  Finish in the top 5 Saturday.  Get a “PR”*. Score a point or more and earn a medal.  Maybe finish first. That’s the season goal. Ninety-six San Diego Section entrants, less a few because of those […]

2016: Jerry Ralph is Most Traveled Head Coach

Jerry Ralph made history earlier this week when he was announced as the head football coach at El Camino High in Oceanside, becoming the first to lead five different San Diego Section programs. Ralph has compiled a 123-76-2  (.614) record in 18 seasons, beginning in 1997 at Santana, followed by stints at St. Augustine, Del […]

2016: Don Donnelly, Longtime Track Coach

A celebration of Don Donnelly’s life will be held at the La Mesa Community Center on Nov. 14 from 2:30-5:30 p.m. Donnelly, 87, passed recently after a lifetime of athletics and coaching, principally track and field and cross country. A 1947 graduate of Hoover High, where he played football and competed in track, Donnelly got […]

2016: Coaches’ Revolving Door: 19 Changes

At least 19 schools in the San Diego Section changed football coaches this season and probably that many reasons could be offered for this arguably massive turnover. In no particular order, a few possible explanations:: — Pressure to win — Long hours and low stipend pay — Player eligibility — Transfer headaches — Meddling administrators — […]

2016:  A.J. Sisk, 82, Coached in Metropolitan League

One week before the 1969 football season A.J. (Art) Sisk resigned as coach at Hilltop High to pursue a career in publishing for the McGraw-Hill Company. Sisk began selling textbooks to schools in the San Diego area, launching a publishing career that led to real estate on both coasts, and other ventures. The graduate of […]

2016: 13 Players From Here on NFL Rosters

Editor’s Note:  A couple sharp-eyed readers, Gregg Durrant and Justin Schaeffer, noticed a couple whiffs as soon as this article appeared.  I listed Tony Jefferson as a wide receiver when he is a safety and  overlooked kicker Jason Myers of Jacksonville. I should have caught the error that cited Myers as a Mater Dei/Santa Ana graduate […]

2016-17: Saints Rise to No. 6 in Final Cal-Hi Sports’ Ratings

Another good season of San Diego Section basketball is in the books. St. Augustine finished sixth in the final, expanded Cal-Hi Sports listing of the top 40 teams in the state and the Mission Hills girls were seventh in rankings of the top 35. The Saints (28-5) were a preseason No. 21 in the newsletter’s top 25 […]

2016-17: And Then There Were 8 as Regionals Reach Semifinals

The  Southern California regional of the state playoffs reached the semifinal round after San Diego Section teams qualified eight of the 17 teams it sent to the weekend quarterfinals. All local boys and girls teams except Helix will be on the road Tuesday night.  The Highlanders (29-5), seeded No. 2 in Boys’ Division IV, play host […]

2016-17, Week 10: Happy Trails, Saints Landmark

Dougherty Gymnasium went out in a blaze…of technicals! The final two games at  St. Augustine were in  keeping with the history of the  64-year-old building, a bandbox of often ear-splitting noise, tightly-packed crowds, and  barnburner finishes. Foothills Christian coach Brad Leaf will be serving a suspension when the Knights open play in the Southern California regionals of […]

2016-17 Week 8: Playoffs Next as Leagues Finish

The regular season ends on Friday night and power ratings to determine divisional playoff appointments will follow on Saturday. St. Augustine lost another first-place vote to Torrey Pines in the weekly Union-Tribune poll,  but is number one in the present power ratings, with Torrey Pines third.  Vista, which hasn’t played the marquee schedules of the […]

2016-17 Week 7: Here Come the Power Ratings

The invitationals and shootouts are  complete, league play is winding down, and the CIF Power Ratings are coming to the forefront. As happened last season and will  again, the eight leading teams in the power ratings  in the San Diego Section will make for competitive Open Division playoffs. The team that wins the Open Division here likely […]

2016-17 Week 6: St. Augustine Alone at Top

The speed bump Foothills  Christian hit against Orange Glen last week was followed by a chassis-rattling pothole in a 20-point blowout by Woodland Hills Taft. The Knights (17-4) need  a front-end alignment. They vacated their status as the No. 2 team in the Union-Tribune weekly sportswriters- broadcasters poll after losses of 61-60 and 76-56 to […]

2016-17 Week 5: Movement at the Top

Idleness apparently breeds contempt among voters in the weekly Union-Tribune poll. St. Augustine, tied for first with Foothills Christian last week, played one game and defeated Lincoln, 68-62. Foothills played two, winning 84-45 over West Hills and defeating Coastal League rival Santa Fe Christian, 68-61. Two Knights victories over the Saints’ one  apparently was enough […]

2016-17 Week 4: Littleton Sets Record, Gets Big Mac Invite

The Bishop’s Destiny Littleton sailed past Charde Houston to set the girls’ career scoring record in California and the status quo remained on the boys’ front in San Diego Section basketball last week. Equally significant news was off the court. Littleton was named to play in the 16th annual McDonald’s All-America game in Chicago on March 29, […]

2016-17 Week 3: All Quiet on Top

The first three teams in the Union-Tribune Top 10 are easy. Between the numerous “Shootouts”, “Classics”, “Showcases”, and “Invitationals” which jot the basketball map at this point in the season, getting a handle on Foothills Christian, St. Augustine, and Torrey Pines, numbers 1, 2, and 3, respectively, is piece of cake. Those teams annually play intersectional […]

2016-17 Week 2: Knights, Saints Share Top

Foothills Christian, St. Augustine, and Torrey Pines, we know about.  All three played before overflow crowds of more than 3,000 persons in the Under-Armour tournament at Torrey Pines over the Christmas holiday. What about the Vista? The Panthers are fourth in the weekly San Diego Union- Tribune poll but they’ve managed to stay under the radar […]

2016-17 Week 1: Foothills Christian Leads Again

Coach Brad Leaf’s Foothills Christian squad picked up where it left off, first in the first San Diego Union-Tribune basketball poll,  which the Knights dominated in 2015-16. The El Cajon club is 6-1, with only a 90-73 loss to defending national champion Chino Hills after leading the Huskies, 42-38, at halftime. What’s up with Cathedral?  Picked […]

2016-17 State Championship: Singer has seen all of Helix’ Best

John Singer has seen the greatest Helix teams from the bench. He was an underclassman reserve on the 1969-70 squad led by Bill Walton that posted a 33-0 record and is regarded  as not only the best team to come out of the La Mesa foothills but the all-time No. 1 in San Diego County. Singer’s also […]

2016-17 Regionals: Saints, Torrey Get Rugged First Tests

Thirty-one teams from the San Diego Section begin play Wednesday and Friday nights in the Southern California regional  playoffs. Regional winners will qualify for the state championships against Northern California winners. The CIF state committee which created the seedings and brackets based on the power ratings model didn’t think highly of the San Diego Section’s 15 boys’ […]

2016-17 Regionals: 17 Remain in Play into Quarterfinals

With Open Division play beginning with quarterfinals tonight, seventeen of 31 San Diego Section teams still are in the Southern California regionals of the state playoffs. Boys teams won seven of Wednesday’s 13, opening-round games, were 6-1 in road games, and 3-3 at home.   Four lower seeds, Vista, Orange Glen, Olympian, and Mission Hills […]

2016-17 Regionals:  Helix and Serra Reach Finals

The Helix boys and Serra girls are still in the hunt. Both teams have reached the finals of the Southern California Regional playoffs, last step before the state championships March 24-25 at the Golden Center in Sacramento. Helix (30-5), the No. 2 seed in Division IV, defeated Carson of the L.A. City Section, 56-53, for […]

2016-17 Week 9: Saints Figure to be Wary in First Round

St Augustine finished No. 1 in the Union-Tribune regular-season poll, is the San Diego Section’s No. 1 seed in the Open Division playoffs, and is 11th in the state, according to Cal-Hi Sports as the Saints await No. 8 seed La Costa Canyon in a first-round game Saturday night in perhaps the last game ever at […]

2016 Week 9: Season of Undefeateds and Winless

Six teams are  7-0 (Calvin Christian is 6-0)  and the trend figures to continue as San Diego Section clubs head into the stretch run of the regular season. The Bishop’s (7-0) visits La Jolla Country Day (6-1) in the feature game involving one of of the unbeatens. The Knights, who have bigger things in mind, can salt away away […]

2016 Week 8: The ‘Hills is Alive With Sound of Undefeated Squads

Theirs is not as old a rivalry or as traditional as Grossmont-Helix, but Grossmont-Valhalla will come close this week when the  undefeated East County powers roll in the dirt in a Grossmont Hills League game. The winner probably will determine who challenges Helix for the championship. Valhalla’s 6-0 record represents its best start since racing to 7-0 in 2005. […]

2016 Week 7: Western Rivals Open League Play

The Western League  race begins  this week with the season’s premier matchup to date:  No. 1 St. Augustine (5-0) plays host to No. 6 Madison (4-1) at Mesa College on Friday. Two of the San Diego Section’s most successful coaches will be on opposite sidelines. Madison’s Rick Jackson has a 112-35-1 record in 13 seasons at […]

2016 Week 6: Many Teams Await League Openers

Mission Hills is at Mater Dei in this week’s top game as many clubs are idle, prepping for the beginning of league races next week. Cathedral, 49-7 winner over a Bakersfield Liberty team that won the Central Section Division I title a year ago, is eighth in the latest Cal-Hi Sports rankings. St. Augustine, which […]

2016 Week 5: Saints and Dons Have Each Other in Sights

St. Augustine and Cathedral  are on a collision course and, unless Madison gums up their plans, will meet for the Western League championship at Mesa College in  Week 9, the winner being the favorite for the top seed in the San Diego Section Open Division playoffs. Cathedral showed resolve last week, overcoming Helix leads of 21-0 […]

2016 Week 4: Saints Win After 88 Years

Not the most significant achievement in school history, but St. Augustine celebrated. The Saints won at Los Angeles Loyola, 17-14, last week, defeating the Cubs for the first time since Prohibition. Okay, so it was only the eighth time the teams had faced each other in the 88 years and 89 seasons since 1928. But the victory was the San […]

2016 Week 3: Are Wildcats on Way Back?

El Camino was 58-81 through 2015 after Herb Meyer took his 339 career victories and walked into the coaching sunset in 2001. Jerry Ralph is the Oceanside school’s fourth coach since Meyer stepped down and may have the Warriors positioned to end a run of mediocrity. El Camino has had 4 winning seasons following Meyer, […]

2016 Week 2: Change Already at Top

Two things learned in Week 1: Helix might be less and St. Augustine might be more. The No. 1 Highlanders, ranked ninth in the state in Cal-Hi Sports’ preseason Top 25, was surprised, 28-21, by Timpview of Provo, Utah, in a home game that marked the debut of coach Robbie Owens. Timpview is no chump, with a […]

2016 Week 17, Cathedral, Madison, & Verdell Hold Sway

Football, it’s  a wrap. Cathedral finished fifth in Cal-Hi Sports‘ state top 25, Helix was 14th, and Madison 19th in an outstanding  San Diego Section season. Coach Sean Doyle’s Cathedral Dons, wearing the letter “U” on  their helmets in the state championship in honor of Cathedral’s previous University of San Diego High designation (and Doyle’s alma-mater), […]

2016 Week 16:  Country Day Plays NFL Schedule

La Jolla Country Day will set a San Diego Section record tomorrow evening when it plays visiting Oakland McClymonds in the State Division V-A finals at 6 p.m. The championship will mark the 16th game, the length of a regular NFL season, for the Torreys since the since the start of the season. Madison and […]

2016 Week 15: Cathedral Unanimous in Final Grid Poll

Cathedral, Madison, Mater Dei, and The Bishop’s comprise four of the final Top 10 selections in the weekly Union-Tribune poll and will begin quests for state championships this week. Cathedral was a unanimous choice as No. 1, earning first-place votes from all 27 panelists. La Jolla Country Day, which finished out of the Top 10 but […]

2016 Week 13: Ratings Show Some Power

Power ratings honcho John LaBeta can look at the semifinals pairings in this week’s San Diego Section playoffs and feel pretty good, if not vindicated, about the controversial seedings process. History has not recorded a season in which all teams and coaches involved were happy with the results, be they computer generated or by the human […]

2016 Week 12: Not All Happy With Playoff Picture

The sportswriters and broadcasters and CIF power ratings maven John LaBeta have spoken and there is some agreement. Cathedral, Rancho Bernardo, and Helix, 1-2-3 in The San Diego Union final regular-season poll, are the top three seeds in the Open Division playoffs, which begin Nov. 18 with quarterfinals play. But there were some surprises and shock […]

2016 Week 11: Cardinals Find the End Zone

Hoover did it. The Cardinals scored, not once but twice, in a 49-14 loss to Patrick Henry. Hoover had not even registered a blip in its first eight games and was closing in on a record set in 1976 by San Diego Southwest. The Southwest Raiders were blanked on the field in a 0-9 season in […]

2016 Week 10: Rivals Face Moments of Truth

Take a good look at this week’s Union-Tribune Top 10 poll.  It won’t be the same next Tuesday and likely will change even more after the last of several blockbuster matchups take place 10 days from now on the final Friday of the regular season. THIS WEEK   No. 1 Cathedral (8-0) meets Western League rival No. 6 […]

2016 Week 1: First Poll Like Last; Coach Changes, Con’t

Helix and St. Augustine are 1-2 in the first Union-Tribune football poll and that’s how they finished in 2015. The Highlanders  and most of the rest of the San Diego Section open the season this week,  marking one the earliest starts in County history, probably preceded only by the Hawaii preseason trips that were popular a couple […]

2015: Yetta, Ray Brokaw, Early Western League Standouts

Winston Yetta, who led Point Loma to a Southern California basketball championship in 1959-60, and Ray Brokaw, a member of Birt Slater’s first two teams at Kearny, have passed away. Yetta, a three-sport performer—football, basketball, and baseball—was the catalyst in the Pointers’ surprising, five-game title run in the CIF Southern Section AA division. Point guard […]

2015: Week 7, Real Racing To Begin

Nonleague and intersectional games just about out of the way, 16 of the San Diego Section’s 19 leagues swing into action this week. The Eastern, Metro Pacific and Metro South Bay tee up next week. El Camino, 5-0, for the first time since 2000 in the days when Herb Meyer had the Wildcats on an 18-game […]

2015: Week 12, Grizzlies are No. 1 and No. 3

Undefeated Mission Hills was an almost wire-to-wire, regular-season winner in the Union-Tribune writers’ poll, but the Grizzlies are seeded only third behind Helix and St. Augustine in the Open Division of the San Diego Section playoffs, which begin this week.   Power ratings, introduced three years ago,  base a team’s strength on a number of factors, […]

2015: Website Readers Are Correct About NFL

Two readers of our website looked at our table showing  13 San Diego Section high school graduates in the NFL and found a couple glaring errors. The NFL list of 1,696 players also included safety Tony Jefferson of Eastlake and kicker Jason Myers of Mater Dei, which we missed. We also were alerted  to Larry Warford, but Warford […]

2015: State Division Rankings Improve for Locals

Action above, including Long Beach Poly’s 52-6 loss to Concord De La Salle, has resulted in Mission Hills and Helix getting another boost in Cal-Hi Sports newsletter’s unofficial, weekly state rankings by division. Mission Hills is 10th and Helix 11th in Division I, partly because Poly dropped from eighth to 13th.  The Grizzlies and Highlanders were 12th […]

2015: San Diegans in State Track Top 10 (4)

If the state track meet were  tomorrow, instead of in two weeks, San Diego Section girls would have a chance to win possibly three events.  The boys, none. In one of the most disappointing seasons in several years, San Diego girls are represented in seven of the 16 events in the state’s top 10 and the […]

2015: San Diegans in State Track Top 10

2015: San Diegans in State Top 10 (3)

2015: San Diegans Close With a Rush

Five bests in the state meet, nine in the season’s final two weeks and some competitive  efforts in the finals at Clovis Buchanan High allowed area tracksters to finish on a strong note. Weak in the flat races as compared to the rest of the state and with only one sprinter in the state’s Top 10, San  Diego Section athletes still […]

2015: Saints’ Victory Felt in Statewide Poll

St. Augustine’s rout of Mission Hills in the San Diego Section semifinals created a seismic response in the state top 25 rankings as selected by Cal-Hi Sports. The Saints jumped from On-The-Bubble status to 21st in this week’s poll and Helix, their Open Division championship-game opponent Saturday at 7 p.m.  at Southwestern College, vaulted from No. 11 […]

2015: Ron Dargo, Ace of Crawford Staff

Ron Dargo, 69, who pitched Crawford High to the 1962 San Diego Section baseball championship, passed away recently at his home in Spring Valley. Dargo, a lefthander, and  John Allison, who pitched from the right side, led a late-season Colts playoff push after they finished second to San Diego in the Eastern League race. The […]

2015: Morrison, Dobson Also Step Down

John Carroll’s retirement from Oceanside earlier this year has been followed by the departure of two other, successful, veteran San Diego Section coaches. John Morrison, who took his 18 Francis Parker teams to 18 playoff berths, and Bill Dobson, whose 2011 team tied a Mountain Empire record for most wins in a season, also are […]

2015: Marks, Weather Terrific in San Diego Section Track Finals

The stars shone in the afternoon yesterday as two meet records fell and seasonal bests were set or tied in 19 boys and girls events in the 55th San Diego Section track and field championships. Perfect weather at the pristine Mt. Carmel facility made it a great day for the athletes and the aficionado. It’s on to the state […]

2015: Lots of Coaching Changes

Seeking  head job?  Apply here. At least 18 football vacancies have been filled in the San Diego Section as 96 schools await the first week of action Aug. 28-29. The 18th newcomer will be Darryel Neal of Salton City West Shores, which is back in the Citrus League, in which it was a member from 1998-2007 before […]

2015: Little League Legend Joe Schloss, 88

Joe Schloss, who  operated a North Park sporting goods business for 69 years and coached the same Little League team for 59 seasons, passed away  at age 88. Schloss, a 1944 graduate of San Diego High, coached a legion of youngsters for the North Park Little League and both of his sons spent many years in sports. […]

2015: John Kovac, Started Mesa College Football Program

John Kovac, the first head  football coach at Mesa College and coach of Coronado’s 1955-56 Southern California basketball championship team, passed away at age 89. Services for Kovac, who moved from San Diego to Palm Springs in October, will be Jan. 20 at St. Brigit’s Parish, Pacific Beach, on Jan. 20 at 11 a.m. Kovac opened the Mesa program […]

2015: Hamamoto Lone Active 200-game Winner

Ten active coaches are among the 41 who have won at least 100 games in the San Diego Section as teams  begin practice this week in advance of opening games Aug. 28. Ron Hamamoto, 201-127-4 in 30 years at University, Rancho Bernardo, Lincoln, and Monte Vista, ranks eighth on the all-time list, 12 victories ahead of Rob […]

2015: Eddie Logans, 70, One of “The Twins”

Eddie Logans, 70, from a family of athletes and achievers, died after a long illness on July 17. Eddie and his twin brother, Elmer, preceded by footballer-wrestler-hurdler Tommy, were standouts at San Diego High.. Eddie ran the 440 in :49.6, the third fastest time in San Diego County, and Elmer was the County’s leading low […]

2015: Champions of 19 Leagues, Take a Bow!

The regular season is finished, playoffs are about to begin, and who claimed league championships? AVOCADO EAST                                                                             […]

2015: Carberry Makes 40, 100-Game Winners

An error in compilation of our list of coaches with at least 100 career victories omitted a 40th member of that club. Monte Vista’s Ed Carberry posted a 100-59-3 record in 14 seasons, with a .626 winning percentage. Carberry became the Monarchs’ coach in 1989 and was 72-51-2 through 1999.  Page Culver coached the Spring Valley team in […]

2015: Art Powell, Member of Legendary Family

Oakland Raiders managing general partner Al Davis spoke in 2006 about Art Powell, whom Davis signed out of the Canadian Football League years before. “I wish I could take you back to 1963,” said Davis, “because I had one of the greatest receivers who have ever played this game.  His first year for me, he […]

2015: Week 5, Chula Vista & Sweetwater Keep Streak Alive

You haven’t found them in any top 10 poll lately, but in a constantly shifting world one thing is certain:  Chula Vista and Sweetwater will play, every  year. The South Bay schools, connected by  Highland Avenue in National City and 4th Avenue in the community to the South, have battled each other every season since 1947.  Theirs is the longest continuous rivalry in the […]

2015: Valley Center’s Gilster Nears Second Century

Rob Gilster of Valley Center moved from 11th to 9th place among all-time winning coaches in San Diego County in 2015  and needs three victories next year to gain admittance to the 200 Club. The Jaguars’ 8-4 season  gave Gilster a 27-season record of 197-121-5 for a .618 winning percentage.  He was head coach at Orange Glen for nine […]

2015: San Diego Section’s State Track Top 10 Marks

It’s been a slow year in San Diego Section track and field, although business  picked up a little in the last couple invitationals, Arcadia and Mt. St. Antonio. Two more weeks of dual meets, plus the annual Escondido Invitational, will take girls and boys competitors into league trials, the first step toward the state meet […]

2015: Rory Trup, Section 880 Champ in 1970

Rory Trup, the San Diego Section 880-yard run champion in 1970 at Mission Bay, passed away. Trup, 62, of Encinitas ran 1:55.3 to win the Section title at Balboa Stadium and was timed in 1:55.1 in the State trials at Edwards Stadium on the University of California campus in Berkeley. Trup finished third in the 1971 […]

2015: Rick (Red) Hill, Longtime San Diego Sports Figure

Richard Morgan Hill, 62, passed away recently at Grossmont Hospital. Few people would recognize the name.  He preferred being called Rick but was even better known to a couple generations of fans and media around here as “Red” Hill. Helix High  coach Mike Muirhead introduced me to this Tom Sawyer-looking teenager  in 1970, when I still was covering high […]

2015: Poll Unchanged 1 Through 7

Glacier-like movement in the Union-Tribune Top 10 continued this week with small action taking place in the bottom rungs. Many teams are observing byes as league play edges onto the stage.  Almost all  will be so engaged in a couple weeks. St. Augustine’s home game against Vista Murrieta represents one of the few intersectionals remaining.  The Saints dropped a […]

2015: Morton, Gehring, Sam Edwards

Lance Morton, Rich Gehring, and Sam Edwards are among former San Diego prep athletes who  recently passed away. Morton, 81,  a founder of the Brigantine Restaurant chain, was a second team all-City Prep League  end on the 1951 Point Loma squad that finished with a 6-2 record, losing only to San Diego, 15-6, and La Jolla, […]

2015: Hurdler Bob Fortin, Coach Morris Shepherd

Track standout Bob Fortin, 68, and Vista and Chula Vista head coach Morris Shepherd, 95, passed. Fortin was one of top hurdlers in the San Diego Section and had a best time of :14.7 in the 120-yard high hurdles as a senior at Crawford in 1964. “Snortin” Fortin, as he was affectionately known because of the guttural sounds […]

2015: Gail Devers, Meet Dani Johnson

CLOVIS–Dani Johnson of Cathedral set two San Diego Section records and was part of another as area athletes qualified in 20 boys and girls events last night in trials of the 100th anniversary state track meet at Buchanan High. Including double advancers Jordan Miller, Charles Lemford, and Suzie Acolatse, the section totaled 22 qualifiers for tonight’s […]

2015: Billy Casper’s Mark as Chula Vista Student

Billy Casper, who passed away recently at age 83, was not only a Hall of Fame golfer as a professional but  also made his mark as a student  at Chula Vista High. Casper was runner-up as a sophomore, champion as a junior, and runner-up as a senior in the CIF Southern Section golf championships from […]

2015: Bill Van Leeuwen, Star on Aztecs’ Defense

Bill Van Leeuwen, a standout defensive lineman during some of the most successful years of the coach Don Coryell era at San Diego State, passed away June 10 in Wickenburg, Arizona.   Van Leeuwen, 66, was an undersized, cat-quick tackle in a 4-3 defensive alignment on the 1968 and ’69 Aztec teams that posted a […]

2015: 3 Area Teams To Host State Finals

San Diego Section teams posted a 4-2 record in the Southern California playoffs (a.k.a. State  Bowl Championship Series) last week, the games hewing to a historic trend of strength in the lower divisions. Local teams will be favored in at least three of the state championship games this week, with all kickoffs Saturday night at […]

2015: 13 From Here on Opening Rosters

Helix is one of 12 schools in the country with at least 4 alumni players who made 2015 opening-day rosters in the NFL. Thirteen San Diego Section graduates were active, down from the 16 of 2013, the last year we published this information from the NFL Communications Department. Reggie Bush, Levine Loiolo, Alex Smith, and Jamar […]

2015, Week 9: Move Over, Dick Haines

Valley Center’s Rob Gilster can tie Dick Haines this week for ninth place among the winningest coaches in  San Diego Section history. The 32-21, Valley League  victory over Fallbrook last week was Gilster’s 193rd.  The veteran mentor moved from 11th to 10th place earlier this season when he passed Carl Parrick with victory No. 191. Gilster is second to the 203 […]

2015, Week 8: Mission Hills Takes Over North County

Wither, Oceanside? The 45-0 loss to Mission Hills last week shook the foundation of the dynastic program at the school overlooking the intersection of old U.S. 101 and Interstate 5. It’s one thing to get blown out, but even in losses the Pirates have usually managed to score. Their dominance in  the  North County, though being challenged the last […]

2015, Week 3: St. Augustine, Loyola in Rematch Here

How far has coach Richard Sanchez’s program come at St. Augustine? The Saints get another shot against a major opponent this week, tradition strong Los Angeles Loyola, ranked 24th in the L.A. Times and winner of its first two games, 34-0, and 45-7. St. Augustine is 2-0 and second in  the Union-Tribune poll after an […]

2015, Week 11: Helix Closes Gap with Grizzlies

Helix picked up 4 additional first place votes in this week’s Union-Tribune poll and now has eight, half the total of front running mission Hills, which remained No. 1 for the ninth consecutive week and moved into top 10 in the weekly Cal-Hi Sports‘ state rankings.   The Highlanders, ranked 13th by Cal-Hi Sports, have trailed Mission Hills […]

2015, Week 10: Komets Come Out of Coma

Business has picked up at Kearny, where the Komets have won three in a row and can finish the regular season with their best record since 2011. Takoda Browne, who has scored touchdowns by running, receiving,  kickoff, punt, and pass interception returns, and two-point conversion attempts,  leads the San Diego Section with 23 touchdowns and 142 […]

2015, Week 1: It’s Helix and Mission Hills

Helix received 19 first-place votes and Mission Hills 3 in the first, 2015  Union-Tribune football poll. The Highlanders open their season at 2 p.m. Saturday at Cathedral against Arizona’s Scottsdale Chaparral in one of the annual “Comrade in Arms” games, while Mission Hills takes on visiting Los Angeles Crenshaw Friday at 7. Game of the week […]

2015-16: Foothills 3rd, Cathedral 14th in Cal-Hi Sports’ Final Top 40.

There were no state championships, but it was a solid season in San Diego Section  basketball. Foothills Christian, behind McDonald’s all-star T.J. Leaf, was third in the state in Cal-Hi Sports‘ final boys Top 40 rankings. Cathedral ranked 14th and St. Augustine 23rd. The 2015-16 finish showed marked improvement  over the 2014-15 Cal-Hi rankings, in which St. Augustine was 23rd, […]

2015-16: Five Remain in South Regional Playoffs

The few, the proud…. Five teams from the San Diego Section still are around  as the Southern California regional playoffs reach the semifinals round tomorrow. —Foothills Christian (25-4) will try to stop the No. 1 team in the country when it challenges Chino Hills (31-0) at Colony High in Ontario, a “neutral” site 11 miles […]

2015-16: Cathedral, Foothills Beat Favorites on Road

Greater challenges lie ahead, but San Diego Section teams in the Southern California regional playoffs were successful in three of four Open Division quarterfinals games last night. —The Foothills Christian Knights stunned Santa Ana Mater Dei, dealing the Monarchs their first loss at home in 10 years, 50-46, and moving on to Tuesday’s semifinals and […]

2015-16: All San Diego Section Squads Eliminated

It was five and out for the San Diego Section in the Southern California regional semifinals last night. Most of the road-weary locals were in their ball games at halftime but faded thereafter, memories of terrific seasons and bus rides of up to 150 miles ahead as they made their way home. Foothills Christian (25-5) trailed, 37-30, […]

2015-16: Kearny, St. Augustine Pull Big Road Wins

Despite being seeded in the nether regions of the Southern California regional playoffs, No. 15 Kearny and No. 12 St. Augustine scored significant road victories last night, while most other San Diego Section squads, including all 13 girls’ teams in action, were stowing their gear today. Kearny (31-3) overcame a 53-47, fourth-quarter deficit to upset No. 2-ranked and host Huntington […]

2015-16: Boys Hit Road in Southern California Regionals

San Diego’s eternal quest for respect from the Southern Section renews this week with opening rounds of the state regional playoffs. Respect still is to be earned. Only one of 15 boys teams is seeded higher than its opponent in the six divisions, Open and I-V, brackets for which were announced yesterday by the state […]

2015-16, Week 5: Foothills Goes to Massachusetts

Foothills Christian lost its rematch with Chino Hills but continued as a team of statewide import, still not yet gone “national,” in the eyes of major U.S. ratings entities. The Adidas-influenced Knights will travel again this week, to Springfield, Massachusetts, for the Hoophall Classic and take on Connecticut’s No. 1, 8-0 Waterbury Sacred Heart, averaging […]

2015-16 Week 9: Seedings, Playoffs Coming Fast

Assistant commissioner John LaBeta will be up into the early morning hours Saturday and, hopefully after a few hours sleep, at it again when the sun rises. Basketball’s most important weekend is at hand. LaBeta is the ratings maven for the San Diego Section. The regular season ends Friday night and teams will have until […]

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 […]

2015-16 Week 7: No Change Among Poll Top 4.

Foothills Christian blew past a couple Coastal League opponents last week and retained its ranking as No. 1 in San Diego, No. 4 in California, and No. 17 in the United States. The rankings are from the Union-Tribune, Cal-Hi Sports, and USA Today, respectively. Foothills Christian, which defeated La Jolla Country Day, 68-42, and The […]

2015-16 Week 6: Knights Receive USA Today Props

Foothills Christian, a weekly, unanimous No. 1 in the San Diego Union-Tribune  poll, went “national” this week when it landed as No. 17 in the USA Today rankings. The thrill-a-minute Knights achieved the honor with another roller-coaster performance against Connecticut’s Waterbury Sacred Heart, which was 17th in USA Today the previous week. The Knights defeated the Hearts, […]

2015-16 Week 4: Foothills Gets Another Chance

Foothills Christian, blown off the court, 40-13, in the first quarter and a 106-86 loser to Chino Hills a  couple weeks ago, will have another try at the USA Today No. 1 Huskies in the Sierra Canyon Super Showcase in Chatsworth Saturday. The pressing piranhas of 13-0 Chino Hills, averaging  93 points a game, were champions of the recent City […]

2015-16 Week 3: Holiday Tournaments Continue

New Year’s and league play await, but  holiday action continues, most notably with the Under-Armour event hosted by coach John Olive and the Torrey Pines Falcons. Play begins Saturday with seven of the Union-Tribune Top 10 clubs competing.  Foothills Christian, St. Augustine, and Army-Navy are in the elite National Division. Foothills, No. 1 in the latest Union-Tribune poll,  plays Oakland Bishop […]

2015-16 Week 11: Foothills Runs Away With Final No. 1 Rating

Records through Monday, March 7: Rank Team Record Points Last Poll 1 Foothills Christian (11) 24-4 110 1 2 Cathedral 20-6 96 2 3 St. Augustine 22-7 79 4 4 Kearny 30-3* 77 7 5 Torrey Pines 25-5** 71 3 6 El Camino 27-6 50 5 7 Army-Navy 21-10 42 6 8 La Jolla Country Day […]

2015-16 Week 10: Playoffs Open on Quiet Note

Open Division teams, representing the elite of San Diego Section basketball as determined by the power ratings system, don’t get under way in the  playoffs until Friday (Girls) and Saturday (Boys). Divisions I-V begin play tonight (Girls) and tomorrow (Boys). Several factors go into the power ratings, administered by assistant commissioner John LaBeta, who heard some complaints […]

2015-16 Week 1: Foothills Christian Meets Texas Team

No. 1 Foothills Christian is scheduled to play  Cypress Lakes of Katy, Texas, in the Phoenix suburb of Goodyear, Arizona, Friday. The game is to be televised on ESPN 2 at 3:30 p.m., according to Max Preps. Other teams in the upper half of the Union-Tribune Top 10 will be in tournament play beginning Thursday. […]

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 […]

2015 Week 4: Helix Seeks Return to Top 20

Helix has vanished! From Cal-Hi Sports. The Highlanders  are nowhere to be found in this week’s top 20 ratings. Coach Troy Starr’s Scots are 1-1 and coming off a 56-7 blowout of Eastlake.  They aren’t even given “On the Bubble” status, that “something’s missing here” honor being accorded locally only to Cathedral and St. Augustine. “A typo,” said […]

2015 Week 2: Helix Defeat Unexpected

Helix still ranks as the No. 12 team in the state by the respected Cal-Hi Sports and dropped from No. 1 to third in the San Diego Section after a surprising (not to unhappy coach Troy Starr), 23-19 loss to Scottsdale Chaparral  of Arizona in one of the “Brothers in Arms” games last week at Cathedral. Depending partly on […]

2015 Week 17, Saints No. 1 in D-II, Helix 7th in D-I

It’s essentially not who you beat, but who you played and how who you played did. St. Augustine lost three games but was 20th in the state and No. 1 in Division II in Cal-Hi Sports‘ final 2015 rankings. Cathedral lost five but its schedule was so difficult that the Dons earned a Cal-Hi ranking of sixth […]

2015 Week 16: Helix Sweeps Final Football Poll

After losing their first game, 23-19, to Scottsdale Chaparral, the Helix Highlanders fell from their first-place position in the Union-Tribune‘s  opening football poll but unanimously regained the top spot in the final week of the poll following their 44-30 win against St. Augustine in the San Diego Section Open Division championship game. The Saints  finished second and Mission Hills, […]

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 […]

2015 Week 15: Down Goes Mission Hills

You could hear the gasps of shock from the North County denizens who worship at the shrine of the Mission Hills Grizzlies. St. Augustine ran away from coach Tim Hauser’s team, 48-14,  as Elijah Preston rushed for 236 yards and three touchdowns before a crowd of about 6,000 at Mesa College in the San Diego […]

2015 Week 15: Coronado Scores in D-V

Thanks to the numerous opportunities for playoff participation, Coronado, a third-place finisher in the Central League,  is celebrating its third San Diego Section championship today. The Islanders topped Crawford of the Manzanita League, 21-7, at Southwestern College last night for the Division V title, their first since coach Dave Tupec’s team won back-to-back championships as members […]

2014: Week 16: Disaster!

Oh, my! This had to be the worst weekend of football in San Diego County prep history. Two state championship games, one a devastating blowout, the other an almost certain victory flushed in the final two minutes. If John Carroll was thinking of retiring, and we have no idea what he’s thinking, would the great Oceanside coach  want to go […]

2014: Steve Brand’s April 27 List

Sprints and hurdles times are fully automatic.  Some better marks in parenthesis are hand timed. w–wind aided. BOYS 100— Lucas (Poway), 10.81, Dickens (Grossmont), 10.82, Doan (St. Augustine), 10.84, LeBlanc (University City) 10.88, Brewer (Brawley) 10.90, Dosier (Monte Vista) 10.90, Hennie (San Marcos) 10.94, Miller (Oceanside) 10.95. STATE–Godin (Santa Ana Mater Dei), 10.36.  200— Doan (St. […]

2014: Staggs Services Set

Services for Jeff Staggs will be held at the Immaculate on the University of San Diego campus on Friday, Oct. 3, at 11 a.m. A celebration of life follows at the San Diego State Hall of Fame center on campus. A legion of friends remember and mourn Staggs, who passed away at age 70 at […]

2014: Mac’s fleet 1,500 propels Ducks to title

Happy Father’s Day! Oregon’s Mac Fleet defended his national collegiate 1,500-meter run championship with a time of 3:39.09 yesterday, helping the Ducks win their first men’s championship since 1984. Nosing out Arizona’s Lawi Lalang, who was seeking a ninth NCAA individual championship, Fleet made a powerful stretch run in front of his parents, Dale and Jana […]

2014: Hamamoto (200), Jackson (100) Hit Milestones

Like mile markers on the interstate, coaching victories progress at their own pace and gradually add up. Monte Vista’s Ron Hamamoto became the eighth  to win 200 games this season and Madison’s Rick Jackson was the 39th to reach 100. Hamamoto (201-127-4), a 30-year veteran of San Diego high school wars, was at University (Cathedral), Rancho Bernardo, and Lincoln before […]

2014: Elena Casanova Cota, Matriarch of Athletic Family

The St.Charles Borromeo Church was filled to its football-field-sized capacity Friday, Dec. 5, 2014, as family members and friends said goodbye to Elena Casanova Cota, who accomplished much in her 94 years. Mrs. Cota raised five sons and a daughter and three of those sons created an athletic legacy at St. Augustine High. Eldest son Paul was […]

2014: Cut Christian Some Slack?

Christian can’t get no respect. Pardon the double negative, but maybe the UT-San Diego poll voters should train an eye on the Patriots of El Cajon.  Me included. The Patriots are 4-0 and the No. 1-ranked Division IV team in Southern California, according to Cal-Hi Sports. Should coach Matt Oliver’s club be ranked in the […]

2014: Calipatria’s Dubious Mark; Helix, ‘Side Move Up

Blown out 63-6 and 84-6 in its first two games, Calipatria appears to have given up more points in successive games than any 11-man team in the history of San Diego County and San Diego Section football. History in this case goes back to 1893, when the first reported game was San Diego High’s 8-0 win over the YMCA […]

2014: 1956 Game Film, Visit With Hoover’s Baranski

Thanks to Hoover  alumnus and  school historian Chuck Hansen, we were able to  acquire footage of Hoover’s celebrated football victory over San Diego in 1956, plus a 1992 televised interview with the late Walt Baranski, a star on that Cardinals team. Baranski, who was slowed by  a progressive, crippling disease and  passed away at age 69 in 2008, […]

2014: Women Tracksters Star and Look to 2015

The names that figure to be shouted out in 2015 are Labrie-Smith and Johnson from Cathedral, Acolatse from Mission Hills, with maybe a raised voice by Mongiovi from West Hills. All were underclass standouts among the women, who made the most noise on what was, at best, another average season by San Diego Section athletes, at […]

2014: Titans Run Very Fast 4×100

Poway’s 400-meter relay team was as hot as the 100-degree  weather at the Escondido Invitational last night. A Titans foursome of Will James, Jarod Turnage, Brandon Lucas, and Lance Mudd flawlessly passed the baton and covered the toasty, all-weather layout  in :41.62, fourth fastest time in California this year. It is rarefied air for the Titans, whose previous best was […]

2014: St. Augustine Goes Intersectional

With Frank Buncom IV leading the defense and explosive running back Elijah Preston propelling the offense, St. Augustine might have more good players than last season’s 11-2 team but could be hard pressed proving it. The Saints have stayed close to home for most of  the San Diego Section’s first 54 years, but they’re stepping out this season, with road […]

2014: San Diego Legends Meet

Bill Walton and Larry Blum had more in common than just being among the crowd at the University of San Francisco’s National Invitation Tournament game recently. Both are former San Diego Section basketball players of the year, Blum at Crawford in 1962-63 and Walton at Helix in 1969-70. Blum set a San Diego Section record […]

2014: San Diego Leaders Eye Section Finals

Were the San Diego Section trials yesterday the “proof of the pudding” for area qualifiers who now enter the two most important weeks of the season? Section finals will be Saturday at Mt. Carmel High, followed  by the state meet in Clovis June 6-7. While the ancient proverb may not apply, San Diego athletes did  not come […]

2014: Ogundeji, Cathedral Girls Stand Out

A couple hard-knocking hurdlers from Cathedral and a shot putter from Madison furnished the star power for the San Diego Section in the boys’ 96th and girls’ 41st State high school track and field championships over the weekend in Clovis. Doton Ogundeji of Madison, overcoming a fouled-filled, nonqualifying 163-foot effort in Friday’s discus trials, won the […]

2014: Ogundeji Takes National Lead in Shot Put

Madison’s Doton Ogundeji, who made noise in the state meet in 2013, raised the decibel level to a shout  at the Sundevil Invitational Saturday at Mt. Carmel. The all-San Diego Section football linebacker last season took the national lead in the shot put with a 65 foot, 4 ½ inch heave, almost two feet better […]

2014: Ogundeji leads Section State Qualifiers

The San  Diego Section has 16 state top 10 performances, compared with 18 two weeks ago and 11 last week as the 96th meet championships loom this weekend at Clovis’ Buchanan High. There are many scoring opportunities for the local group after a strong finish to the San Diego Section season Saturday at Mt. Carmel, but […]

2014: Oceanside Gains With Cal-Hi Sports

Rest not only can cure what ails you but can help in the rankings. Oceanside and Mission Hills, idle last week as they ramped up for this week’s battle of the Highway 78 corridor, each was elevated in Cal-Hi Sports’ weekly State Top 25. Oceanside moved from eighth to seventh and was positioned at fifth […]

2014: Mickelsen, Paulk, Verlasky Made Marks

Noel Mickelsen, Charlie Paulk, and Richard Verlasky recently passed. Mickelsen, 80, had a lengthy coaching career in San Diego’s East County after posting a 71-62 record in nine seasons of professional baseball, including three years in  the AAA Pacific Coast League. The 6-foot, 6-inch Mickelsen was a star player on the 1955-56 San Diego State basketball team […]

2014: McFadden’s .735 Third Highest

John McFadden’s  announced decision to step down as head coach at Eastlake leaves  nine active San Diego Section coaches with at least 100 victories. McFadden became the Titans’ head coach in 2000 and posted a record of 120 wins, 42 losses, and 4 ties in 14 seasons. McFadden’s  .735 winning percentage is third only  to the active John Carroll of […]

2014: League Finals Produce State Contenders

It’s that time of year. Fire-delayed league finals didn’t slow San Diego Section track and field athletes in their pursuit of May-June honors. Seven new state top 10 performances were recorded (see table below). Poway’s Brandon Lucas turned a wind-assisted :10.64 100 meters and hustled to a :21.18 200 (County No. 13 all-time) in the Palomar […]

2014: Intersectional Games & New Coaches

Preseason games don’t have the import of regular-season contests, which carry the prestige of potential league championships and playoff seedings, but the early intersectionals have their own realities. Do well in these games and gain ratings. Have high ratings and increase the possibility of state playoff invitations. Many intersectionals will be played the week of […]

2014: Helix 15th in State Top 25

A come-from-behind-win against a ranked team from the Southern Section resulted in coach Troy Starr’s Helix Highlanders landing 15th in Cal-Hi Sports‘  State Top 25 this week. Oceanside is 16th, Mission Hills 21st, and St. Augustine is “On the Bubble”.  El Capitan is third in Southern California in Division III, and Christian third in D-IV. […]

2014: Escondido Meet Next Up

Madison’s Doton Ogundeji continues to lead state and national shot putters and Mt. Carmel’s Derek Morton has moved in front of California 800-meter runners. Both are expected to take on some of the nation’s best in the annual Arcadia Invitational Friday and Saturday. Ogundeji leads the nation with a throw of 65-4 1/2 and is […]

2014: Edward Silva, 83, Star of ’49 Pointers

Fullback Eddie Silva, who passed away recently in San Diego, where he was born, was the leading scorer in the County in 1949 and Point Loma won a championship. Silva and Marshall (Scooter) Malcolm were touchdown twins for coach Don Giddings’ squad, which posted a 9-1-1 record and rolled to the Southern California minor division championship. Silva […]

2014: Dunnam, Saska Among Those Passing

Farewell, old friend. Those words were heard over the summer for at least four former San Diego-area football players. Doug Dunnam,  75,  was a starting guard on the 1956 City Prep League-champion Hoover team that upset San Diego High, 20-12, before a roaring, record, overflow crowd of  9,000 persons at Hoover. Dunnam  also was a member of the […]

2014: Coaching Legend Walt Harvey, 95

Walt Harvey, whose firm and folksy touch resonated with generations of San Diego-area athletes and future coaches, passed away Feb. 7 at age 95. A memorial will be held at noon Saturday, Feb. 22, at La Vida Real, where Harvey resided the last several years. La Vida Real is located at 11588 Via Rancho San […]

2014: Charlie Powell, 82, San Diego Legend

Charlie Powell, the oldest and most renowned member of an iconic  San Diego family, passed away  Labor Day morning at age 82. A resident of  Altadena, Powell was in San Diego for a family function when he became ill on Friday.  He died at Scripps Mercy Hospital. “He was my big brother and I respected him so much,” […]

2014: 48 Years After, Danielson’s Marks Still Best

Tim Danielson was convicted last week in El Cajon Superior Court of murdering his ex-wife in 2011.  His expected sentence of 50 years to life is pending. I’d like to remember Danielson as the billiant runner who competed  for coach Harry Taylor at Chula Vista High and set San Diego Section standards in 1965-66 that still are unequaled, 48 […]

2014: 2 State Leaders Await Arcadia Invitational

Madison’s Doton Ogundeji continues to lead state and national shot putters and Mt. Carmel’s Derek Morton has moved in front of California 800-meter runners. Both are expected to take on some of the nation’s best in the annual Arcadia Invitational Friday and Saturday. Ogundeji leads the nation with a throw of 65-4 1/2 and is […]

2014-15: Saints Can Look Ahead With Confidence

Wait till next year seems appropriate in San Diego Section basketball, according to the Cal-Hi Sports newsletter. The Stockton-based publication is suggesting that St. Augustine could be a Top 20 team in the 2015-16 season. That would be an accomplishment, since no San Diego squad finished in Cal-Hi Sports’ Top 20 this season. St. Augustine […]

2014-15: Poll Virtually Unchanged

The sluggish UT-San Diego poll showed no change in the first six positions from last week with  minor juggling after that, most notable being St. Augustine’s rising from 10th to seventh. Meanwhile, there continues to be an absence of San Diego Section teams in the Cal-Hi Sports state top 20. Torrey Pines, Foothills Christian, La Costa […]

2014-15: Poll Remains Same, 1-10

The order of  the Union-Tribune Top 10 was unchanged after the fourth vote of the season, but there will be changes next week. No. 1 Foothills Christian was beaten, 48-42, by The Bishop’s at Cuyamaca College last night in what is evolving into a tough Coastal Division race. Foothills’ 6-foot, 11-inch T.J. Leaf did not […]

2014-15: No Poll Today But Lots of Action

We’re going to hold off on publishing the weekly Union-Tribune basketball poll, because games Monday night would dramatically alter the Top 10, the deadline of which for voters is 10 a.m. on Monday. The poll’s timeliness often is in question at this time of year, because clubs are involved in the annual series of one-night stands and specially promoted events […]

2014-15: Horizon Girls Get Stink Eye From CIF

Winning a league and section title no longer matters, according to the convoluted “power” ratings and Open divisions established by the state CIF and endorsed by the San Diego Section. The Horizon girls’ basketball team was essentially told to drop dead by the CIF after the Panthers had won their league title and the San Diego […]

2014-15: Hoops Hot in Foothills

Foothills Christian is second in UT-San Diego‘s basketball poll, but the Knights are 18th in the Cal-Hi Sports state vote, ahead of San Diego Section rankings leader La Costa Canyon. La Costa received all 11 first-place votes in the local balloting, but the Mavericks  received on-the-bubble status and are out of the top 20 in the state-wide publication’s weekly […]

2014-15: ‘Day Girls Save the Day

San Diego Section teams came home with one championship in the state basketball tournament, old reliable La Jolla Country Day’s girls winning in Division V, 40-36 over Palo Alto Eastside Prep. The title was coach Terry Bamford’s fourth.  The Torreys finished with an 18-11 record, not their best, but Bamford sees the big picture, schedules tough, and […]

2014-15: Torrey Pines Leads 6 San Diego Teams

Can coach John Olive’s tough-minded, resourceful Torrey Pines Falcons pull off another victory in Tuesday’s Southern California playoff Division I semifinals? The No. 6-seed Falcons, trailing, 43-40, after three quarters, walked down host No. 3 Long Beach Poly, 54-49, in the quarterfinals Saturday night.  The Falcons now visit 2 seed Chino Hills, averaging a turbo-charged  85.4 points and holding a 78-54 victory […]

2014-15: Torrey Pines Keeps Winning

The world is Torrey Pines’ oyster, for now. Coach John Olive’s Falcons completed an 8-0 January and have a 10-game winning streak as they visit Rancho Bernardo tonight. The 21-2 Falcons have six remaining regular-season games against teams with a combined record of 61-65. None of those  opponents, Rancho Bernardo, twice (11-9), Mt. Carmel (12-10), Poway […]

2014-15: Playoffs Now Get Serious

Ugly blowouts apparently in the rear view mirror, the San Diego Section basketball playoffs reach the semifinals round this week in the Open and Divisions I-V. The so-called CIF power ratings, with  their comprehensive reviews of statistics, scores, strength of schedule, etc., raised questions when Vista was accorded an Open Division berth, resulting in Francis Parker and Morse […]

2014-15: Knights Hope to Turn Over New Leaf

Foothills Christian is No. 1 in the UT-San Diego poll, but the Knights  got there wondering what if. Foothills is 8-6 and has a “woulda-coulda” lament. The Knights forfeited two early, blowout victories because of the ubiquitous and Dreaded Administrative Glitch involving player eligibility and they’ve dropped two of their last three following the loss of their star. […]

2014-15 Week 6: Give Morse Some Respect

Where have I gone wrong? I voted for Morse as No. 5 in the UT-San Diego basketball poll this week. I assigned No. 10 to Army-Navy. The poll of 11 voters released today shows Army-Navy No. 5 and Morse No. 9.  No change from last week for either team. Morse defeated Riverside John North, 96-88, […]

2014-15 Week 1: Mavericks Lead in Hoops Again

La Costa Canyon, which began and ended the 2013-14 campaign as the No. 1 team in the San Diego Section weekly poll (it fell to fifth during the season)  is again at the top of the UT-San Diego inaugural basketball voting. The Mavericks returned four starters (another reportedly tranferred to a prep school in New Hampshire) […]

2014 Weeks15-16: San Diego Teams Face High Scorers

Oceanside and El Capitan forged a Division I & III parlay into the state championships with convincing victories in the Southern California regional playoffs but now will take on two, explosive 15-0 teams  this week in Carson. Oceanside (14-0) ran Central Section champion Fresno Edison off the field, 30-6  at halftime, and cruised, 37-22, last […]

2014 Weeks 13-14: It’s Oceanside and Helix, Again

The San Diego Section could get as many as three teams and as few as none in the upcoming state football playoffs. OPEN DIVISION Oceanside, now ranked fifth in Cal-Hi Sports’ top 25  (the highest a San Diego Section team has been since the ‘Side finished third in 2009), is a probable lock for a Division […]

2014 Weeks 11-12: First Round Like Regular Season

Sixty-four playoff teams became 32, but the action was more like an 11th regular-season game, everyone awaiting the real postseason. It all should change this week, with Open Division competition beginning in the quarterfinals and with some decent offerings. Eastlake (7-3), seeded fifth in the Open, visits No. 4 Mission Hills (8-2). Division I sends […]

2014 Week 9: What Did Oceanside Do Wrong?

You win your last four games by combined points of 168-21  and lose votes? That’s what happened to Oceanside (7-0) in this week’s  UT-San Diego poll.  The Pirates, who defeated Torrey Pines, 42-21,  remained on top,  but it wasn’t unanimous. No. 3 Helix (6-1) claimed two first-place votes. Cathedral, ranked second with a 7-1 record and a victory […]

2014 Week 9: A Vote for Cathedral

Cathedral has been on a rampage and Oceanside may be losing some steam. So Cathedral was No. 1 when I emailed my weekly Top 10 selections to John Maffei of UT-San Diego today. The Dons ran away from St. Augustine, 57-22, in the battle of Catholic school titans last week and Oceanside gradually put away Carlsbad, 28-14. The Pirates are […]

2014 Week 8: Oceanside Faces Tough Final 4

Can anyone topple No. 1 Oceanside? We’ll just stick with the regular season for now. The Pirates’ last 4 opponents have a combined 16-8 won-loss record. On paper, no  other team in the UT-San Diego weekly top 10 (see below) has a  more difficult month ahead except No. 9 El Camino and No. 4 El Capitan, whose […]

2014 Week 8: Hast(ings) Makes No Waste

U.S. citizens have elected 11 Presidents since 1946, but Point Loma hasn’t gotten with the program. The Pointers have had three head coaches in the 69 seasons since World War II. Count ‘em. Don Giddings replaced Bill Maxwell in 1946 and guided fortunes on Chatsworth Blvd., through 1954, succeeded by Bennie Edens, who didn’t hang […]

2014 Week 7: State Postseason Could be Reward

Mission Hills at Oceanside this week brings together the top  teams in the UT-San Diego poll and coaches with a combined 358 victories in their careers. Oceanside’s John Carroll (239), generally acclaimed major domo of San Diego Section mentors, holds a 7-2-1 record against Chris Hauser (119), but the Mission Hills coach is 2-1-1 against Carroll since […]

2014 Week 7: Oceanside, Carroll On Move

The opponents and the milestones continue to pass for John Carroll and his Oceanside Pirates. The 42-16 victory over Mission Hills left the Pirates with a 6-0 record and within shouting distance of an unbeaten, 10-0 regular season. Herb Meyer doesn’t hear shouts or footsteps, but Carroll’s 240th career victory moved the Oceanside coach past Point […]

2014 Week 6: El Capitan Off The Back Burner

Coach Ron Burner has El Capitan on a fast track, but will its wheels hold up? The Vaqueros have started 5-0 twice, in 1967 under  Joe Till, and in 1973, with Joe Rockhold. They can become 5-0 this week, but a 5-0 visitor, Granite Hills, stands in the way, as do Steele Canyon (5-0), Helix (4-1), […]

2014 Week 6: And Now There Are 10

With a nod to the beginning of league play next week, seven of the top 10 teams in the weekly UT-San Diego poll this week took the night off. Through Week 6, ten teams still are undefeated, compared with seven a year ago. The 2014 unbeatens: Team Record Best* Year Borrego Springs 6-0 5-0 2006 El […]

2014 Week 5: Introducing Knengi!

As the first woman coach in San Diego County history and believed to be the second in California, Knengi Martin’s advice was simple. “Whatever stereotypes might be out there, break through them and follow your passion,” she said. The jovial Martin, who replaced Doug Packwood at San Diego High, spoke with Don Norcross of UT-San […]

2014 Week 4: How Hot? Plus, 3 Locals Gain in State

Fifty-one years ago almost to the week, San Diego football players sweltered. It was hotter in 1963 than in 2014. Let’s try that again. It was hotter in 1963 than in 2014. Incongruous as its sounds given the recent scorchers, the weather this week was not as warm it was in that long-ago September. Back then […]

2014 Week 4: Down Goes Helix

Tomrorow’s UT-San Diego football poll undoubtedly will list Oceanside No. 1. How far will Helix fall from first after its 9-7 loss to Cathedral? I listed them fourth in my vote, behind Oceanside, Mission Hills, and Cathedral. “I told you we weren’t that good,” Helix coach Troy Starr reminded writer Don Norcross. Starr knew whereof […]

2014 Week 3: Helix, Oceanside Gain Separation

Helix had 16 first-place votes and Oceanside the other three as the two big shots from opposite points of the County are beginning to separate from the rest of  the Top 10 in the UT-San Diego poll. Helix gained only one point to 187 but Oceanside gained 41 to 174, while No. 3 Mission Hills dropped 35 points to 123.  St. […]

2014 Week 2: Highlanders Command Poll

Three more big intersectional battles loom for San Diego Section teams at Oceanside this week, testing Helix’s and Oceanside’s standing in the weekly UT-San Diego poll. The second week of Honor Bowl games at Oceanside will match No. 1 Helix and Loomis Del Oro and No. 2 Oceanside and Mission Viejo on Friday.  Cathedral will meet Westlake Village Oaks […]

2014 Week 2: Madison’s Questionable Choice

Rick Jackson’s program at Madison took off in 2008.  The Warhawks are 66-9-1 since and success is noted everywhere. The school, hard by I-805 and Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, has a modern, aluminium stadium that hosted about 4,000 persons Friday night when the opponent was St. Augustine. Multiple signage points out the Warhawks’ state division championships […]

2014 Week 15: Oceanside No. 1 Here, 5th in State

Oceanside was the unanimous choice of 19 voters as the No. 1 San Diego Section team in the final UT-San Diego poll. The Pirates are fifth in Cal-Hi Sports‘ state rankings with a state playoff game against Fresno Edison this week and potentially a State Division I championship game in two weeks. The Pirates were helped in […]

2014 Week 15: 3 Good to Go in State Playoffs

Unprecedented. That’s the way pairings shook out for San Diego Section teams today when CIF state commissioner Roger Blake announced that three area squads will host games in the first round of the state playoffs. Officially titled the 2014 CIF Regional Championship Bowl games, the schedule calls for two games here Friday night, Dec. 12, and […]

2014 Week 14: Champions Await State Invites

John Carroll hasn’t won 247 games for nothing. Thrown off by Helix’ speed and quick start, Carroll, coaching from the Southwestern College press box, went to a no-huddle offense late in the third quarter and Oceanside scored the game’s last 17 points to put away Helix, 20-13, in the San Diego Section Open Division final. “We […]

2014 Week 12: Heady Atmosphere for Some Qualifiers

No less than seven teams still alive in the San Diego Section playoffs haven’t been this far in at least 10 years. Sixteen teams are preparing for eight semifinal games this week, with the computer-oriented seeding process playing out well, but not much differently than when  it was with coaches hollering and screaming on Selection Saturday. El Capitan, the […]

2014 Week 12: Playoffs Essentially Begin This Evening

The real racing in the San Diego Section playoffs, including competition in the Open Division, begins tonight with quarterfinals games on fields drying out from recent rain. Teams with championship hopes also have their sights set beyond, to the state playoffs which begin in  three weeks,  following section championships. Oceanside is seventh in Cal-Hi Sports‘ […]

2014 Week 11: It’s Helix’ Turn to Scratch Head

A panelist who voted for Helix as the No. 1 team in the UT-San Diego top 10 in the last two polls apparently was dissatisfied and cast his vote for Oceanside this week. Helix’ 56-10 victory over Grossmont last week seemingly was not impressive enough when compared to Oceanside’s 35-6 win over La Costa Canyon. Oceanside is 9-0 but had seen first-place […]

2014 Week 11: Top Teams, Enjoy Your Week Off

The computer and the writers, broadcasters, and administrative honchos are in agreement. The elite, top 10 teams in the UT-San Diego poll won’t be asked to mingle with the proletariat in the first round of the Division I-V postseason. The CIF’s computer-based seedings  byed each team, from Oceanside to San Marcos.  The top 10 clubs have a combined, 89-11 record. […]

2014 Week 11: Revenge of the Cardinals

What a difference 70 years makes. Jerry Ralph’s speedy, competitive Hoover Cardinals took a 63-0 halftime lead and then called off the jam, activated the running clock, and ran out the game against former arch rival San Diego. The 63-point victory gave Hoover the City League championship and its first outright league title since Roy Engle’s 1963 […]

2014 Week 10: Oceanside Still at Top

There’s no room at the top in the UT-San Diego weekly poll.  Some points adjustments were noted, but the same eight teams remained in place from the previous week. While there were no changes, Cathedral took one of Oceanside’s first-place votes.  Helix had swiped two first-place votes two weeks ago. The Dons gained as result of eight straight […]

2014 Week 10: Oceanside Slips in Cal-Hi Top 25

Oceanside dropped from sixth to seventh in Cal-Hi Sports‘ weekly State Top 25. The 8-0 Pirates, driving toward their first undefeated regular season since 2009, are joined among the state’s elite by Cathedral, which moved up to 22nd from 23rd, and Helix, which gained to 24th from 25th. It’s been noted that Oceanside has not […]

2014 Week 10: Fallbrook Fells Foes

Give it up for Fallbrook! The Warriors claimed their first league title since 2003 this week with a 31-6 victory over Orange Glen. The Valley League championship  might also get the Warriors more than a cursory look from area observers. Quietly, almost surreptiously, Fallbrook has crept to  a 7-2 record but hasn’t received one vote of a […]

2014 Week 1: Poway Steps Up, Others Step Down

I feared for Cathedral and didn’t want to battle I-5 traffic on a Friday night to get to Oceanside, so the veteran blogger took in Rancho Buena Vista at Poway and was impressed. With the winner and the loser. Poway, 4-7 in 2013 and stung by the recent loss of two potential sophomore stars, quarterback […]

2014 Week 1, Con’t: Helix Salvages Some Respect

Helix beat a good Ventura St. Bonaventure team, 24-20, Saturday night, but Mission Hills was beaten by Timpview of Provo, the No. 3 team in Utah, 42-28. San Diego Section teams thus finished the first weekend far  in arrears against intersectional teams. In games involving teams from the city and county, the area was 2-8 in […]

2013: West Hills Ace (Not Song) Rolls at Arcadia

A West Hills athlete dominated Saturday in the Arcadia Invitational, but it wasn’t state-leading discus thrower Brenden Song. Sophomore Melissa Mongiovi, running in the afternoon seeded session, blew out a :55.28, for the overall first-place finish in the Girls’ 400-meter run.  The best the invitational runners could do in  the evening was :56.18. Song, who […]

2013: UT-San Diego’s All-Time, All-County Football Team

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE Quarterback Ezell Singleton San Diego 1958 Running Backs C. R. Roberts Oceanside 1953 Tyler Gaffney Cathedral Catholic 2008 Darrin Wagner Lincoln 1987 Receivers Patrick Rowe Lincoln 1986 Art Powell San Diego 1954 Line Jack Harrington Rancho Buena Vista 1988 Lincoln Kennedy Morse 1988 Steve Riley Castle Park 1968 Robbie Coffin Mira Mesa […]

2013: U-T San Diego Preseason Poll

    Team/1st Place Votes in ( ) 2012 Record Points* Last Year 1 Oceanside (19) 12-1 288 1 2 Mission Hills (9) 7-4-1 251 5 3 Madison (3) 14-1 208 4 4 Helix 10-3 197 6 5 St. Augustine 11-2 180 8 6 Cathedral 0-10# 179 9 7 Grossmont 9-3 87  — 8 Eastlake […]

2013: Steve Brand’s Track Top 10

(Reported as of May 19) a–fully automatic. w–with wind.  h–hand timed.  c–converted. BOYS 100—(Fully automatic) Brown (Valhalla) 10.76 (10.73aw), Smith (Mt. Miguel) 10.80, Ardis (La Costa Canyon), 10.81,  S. Pater (Mt. Carmel) 10.83, Molton (Hilltop) 10.84, Lucas (Poway) 10.85, Lewis (San Marcos) 10.88, Le (Scripps Ranch) 10.93, McNair (Morse) 10.94, Mayberry (Francis Parker) 10.94. Southern California & […]

2013: Steve Brand’s Track Top 10

As of May 26.  *State qualifier. a–automatic timing.  c–converted, yards to meters. w–with wind. BOYS 100—(Fully automatic) Brown (Valhalla) 10.76, Smith (Mount Miguel) 10.80, *Ardis (La Costa Canyon) 10.81 (10.70w), S. Pater (Mt. Carmel) 10.83, Molton (Hilltop) 10.84, *Lucas (Poway) 10.85 (10.78w), Lewis (San Marcos) 10.88, Le (Scripps Ranch) 10.93, McNair (Morse) 10.94, Mayberry (Francis […]

2013: Steve Brand’s Final Top 10

Includes State Meet, May 31-June 1. BOYS 100—(Fully automatic) Brown (Valhalla) 10.76, Smith (Mount Miguel) 10.80, Ardis (La Costa Canyon) 10.81 (10.70w), S. Pater (Mt. Carmel) 10.83, Molton (Hilltop) 10.84, Doan (StA) 11.07 (10.84w, Lucas (Poway) 10.85 (10.78w), Lewis (San Marcos) 10.88, Le (Scripps Ranch) 10.93, McNair (Morse) 10.94, Mayberry (Francis Parker) 10.94.  Southern California […]

2013: Season May Not Be Over

Is a state bowl game series game  in the offing for a San Diego Section team? Cal-Hi Sports is suggesting that Mission Hills could meet the winner of  tonight’s Southern Section, Vista Murrieta-Corona Centennial Division I championship contest.  Such a game would take place on  the weekend of Dec. 13-14 and be a Southern California […]

2013: San Diego Section Holds Up in Openers

Eight of 11 San Diego Section teams won first-round games and advanced to Saturday’s Southern California regional quarterfinals.  Two others which received first-round byes will swing into action. Pairings, records ( ) and seeds ): DIVISION I 5) Inglewood (19-10)  at  4) Mission Hills (27-4). II 5) La Costa Canyon (28-5)  at  4) Westlake Village […]

2013: Saints No. 1 in UT Poll and State Regional Pairings

St. Augustine saved its best best game for last and earned the No. 1 rating in the final UT-San Diego boys’ basketball poll. The Saints (25-4) raced to a 16-2 lead after the opening tip against Cathedral Catholic in the San Diego Section Division III finals.  They opened the second quarter with another withering burst […]

2013: Saints March in and Over First-Round Foe

St. Augustine students residing in “The Pit,” were off their game last night. When the score reached 79-20, the vocal cheering section in a  corner of the Saints’ tiny gymnasium began serenading visiting Mar Vista players with “This game is over!  This game is over!” The game actually was over barely a minute after it […]

2013: Saints Gain Regional Final

St. Augustine won the best 2 out of 5 with Cathedral Catholic. The Saints defeated the Dons with a 25-13 fourth quarter tonight and earned a berth in the Southern California regional finals Saturday at Colony High in Ontario. The final score was 55-45. Coach Mike Haupt’s team commanded the backboards and hit the big […]

2013: Open Semifinals & III, IV, and V Quarterfinals

Ailing John Carroll, still not fully back from a late-season health scare,  wasn’t about to go hyperbolic. After all, Carroll has won 233 games  in  25 seasons at Oceanside. U-T San Diego writer Don Norcross wanted to know if the Pirates’ rally from 23 points behind at the half to a 33-30 Open Division playoff […]

2013: Next Up, San Diego Section Trials

Hot weather and hot tracksters are heating up  the San Diego Section. Twelve section bests were recorded in league finals last week and the real racing (and jumping, vaulting, and throwing) begins with the Section trials, an all-day carnival at Mt. Carmel High  Saturday. STATE MEET IS GOAL Qualifiers move on to the section finals […]

2013: Mission Hills Our Choice in Preseason Poll

Chants of “We’re number one!” followed by “Why aren’t we number one?”  will be heard in a few days when UT-San Diego’s first football Top 10 will signal that games are just days away. With a little help from UT-San Diego’s John Maffei, who emailed  his annual request with some brief team rundowns a few […]

2013: Legend of McKeevers and San Pasqual’s No. 86

Terry Monahan’s story in today’s UT-San Diego about the history of San Pasqual’s football jersey No. 86 jogged my memory. Eighty-six has been worn  by Eagles linebackers almost every year since 1977, but since 1983 in honor of a former player who passed away. Barry McKeever, the son of a USC all-America, wore No. 86 […]

2013: Komets’ Hall of Fame Recognizes Ed Imo, Others

Ed Imo is going into the Kearny Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 13, in a tribute most fitting for the anchor of perhaps the finest team in school history. After a 6-6 tie with Sweetwater in the opening game, Kearny rolled to 12 consecutive victories and the San Diego Section championship. Don Norcross was […]

2013: Kenny Hale, 90, Played and Coached Basketball

Kenny Hale, one of the last surviving members of San Diego State’s 1940-41 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics basketball championship team, passed away at age 90. A 1938 San Diego High graduate, Hale eventually went into coaching and had winning records at Hoover and Mission Bay. Led by superstar Bill McColl, Hoover was 20-8 in […]

2013: John Fawcett, 93; Star Quartermiler

On April 17, 1937, John Fawcett of Coronado High came out of the chute on the straightaway at Chaffey High in Ontario and traversed 440 yards in 49.5 seconds. Fawcett handily won his one-turn race in the Chaffey Invitational and set a San Diego County record that would last nine years and a school record […]

2013: Jack Menotti, Head coach at Madison, Ramona

Jack Menotti, who coached Madison to an undefeated season on the field in 1972, passed away Dec. 28, 2012. Menotti, 78, also coached at Mesa College and was head coach at Ramona.  He was introduced to coaching in the 1960s by Birt Slater, the legendary Kearny High mentor. “He didn’t have a  football background but […]

2013: Hoover Rallies

The Hoover Cardinals earned their seventh trip in 10 years to the San Diego Section finals last night, overcoming the deep and long San Marcos Knights, 68-63. Hoover (28-5) takes on La Costa Canyon (27-4) Saturday in Viejas Arena for the San Diego Section II championship.  The Cardinals defeated the Mavericks 56-55 earlier in the […]

2013: Girls’ San Diego Section Records

100m 11.43 Jasmine Gibbs El Camino 2012 200m 23.16 Monique Henderson Morse 2001 400m 50.74 Monique Henderson Morse 2000 800m 02:08.0 Lesley Noll Mt. Carmel 1985 1600m 4:41.71 (n) Alli Billmeyer Torrey Pines 2011 3200m 10:18.9 Alli Billmeyer Torrey Pines 2011 100H (30’) 13.41 Gail Devers Sweetwater 1984 100H (33’) 14.13 Danielle Littleton Vista 2009 […]

2013: Girls’ All-Time Best Performances

100m 11.43 Jasmine Gibbs El Camino 2012 11.51 Gail Devers Sweetwater 1984 11.56 Jackie Thompson Lincoln Prep 1973 11.61 Monique Henderson Morse 2000 11.65 Jolanda Diego El Camino 2004 11.69 Jenna Puterbaugh Santa Fe Christian 2010 11.71 Tenille Stoudenmire Rancho Bernardo 2009 11.84 Akiba McKinney Monte Vista 1995 11.84hc (11.7y) Judy Reed Crawford 1978 11.87 […]

2013: Freeman Sets Scoring Pace

Royce Freeman of Imperial scored 43 touchdowns and 258 points in 12 games to lead the San Diego Section for the third year in a row and finished sixth in the state, according to unofficial statistics provided by Max Preps. Freeman amassed 39 touchdowns and 3 two-point conversions for  240 points in 2011 and 36 […]

2013: Coach Ray Baksh, 80

Ray Baksh, 80, who coached football at Helix, La Jolla, and St. Augustine and lived  with an entrepreneurial spirit, passed away in San Diego. Baksh was a graduate of Imperial High and is in the Imperial High football Hall of Fame.  A Marine Corps veteran and San Diego State graduate, Ray and his wife Virginia, […]

2013: Championship Predictions…er, Guesses

Imperial’s dream run and Crawford’s miracle run each came to an end…with a thud.                                                                                                                                                    The Tigers of the Imperial Valley were no match for St. Augustine in the San Diego Section Division II semifinals, losing 56-12, despite a good performance by Royce Freeman. Crawford, which had stepped down a division and rekindled success of years […]

2013: Cathedral Sophomore Chases Devers

CLOVIS—Twenty-one of San Diego’s 90 entries qualified yesterday for this evening’s 95th State track-and-field championships at Buchanan High. In arguably a mediocre season for the San Diego Section, a strong season finish is possible. The state meet is the event in which winning is not always more important than improving on a personal best or […]

2013: Cathedral No. 1 as Calendar Hits January

After five weeks of nonleague games and tournaments in far-flung locations, San Diego Section basketball teams begin the run to the playoffs in earnest this week. Cathedral emerged as the frontrunner in the third UT-San Diego poll with all 13 possible first-place votes.  The Dons got a head start on most other clubs when they […]

2013: Cathedral Holds Sway as Playoffs Near

With nine days until the first round of San Diego Section playoffs,  Cathedral Catholic still is No. 1. UT-San Diego’s CIF basketball ratings did not change from the previous week. One through 10, no one moved up or down, although Army-Navy cleared up a nettling mark on its record. The Warriors, 21-4 and ranked second, […]

2013: Boys’ All-Time Best Performances

  100m 10.30 Riley Washington Southwest 1992 10.42 Reggie Bush Helix 2002 10.45 Vince Williams University City 1996 10.45 Darron Norris El Camino 1984 10.46 Ike Okenwa Morse 1998 10.49 Paul Turner University City 1993 10.51c (9.61y) David Russell Henry 1977 10.53 Kevin Shields San Diego 1981 10.54h Paul Day Kearny 1982 10.54hc (9.4y) Elijah […]

2013: Augie Escamilla, 90

Augustine (Augie)  Escamilla, whose voice was heard at major track meets in San Diego  for more than 30 years and who was a respected educator and coach for five decades, passed away on  May 1 at age 90.  A  service will be held at Greenwood Mortuary on May 21. Virtually every outstanding San Diego High […]

2013: Army-Navy Rises in Poll

Army-Navy, gathering steam behind the long, shot-blocking, 7-foot, 1 inch Cheikh N’Diaye and slick-shooting guard Devin Watson now is second in the UT-San Diego boys’ basketball poll. N’Diaye had six blocked shots and 20 rebounds to with his 20 points and Watson scored 29 as the Warriors eased past Santa Fe Christian 64-53 in a […]

2013: Arcadia on; Song Reaches 191-5 Here

A few San Diego athletes stood out in the Friday  portion of the Arcadia Invitational. Doton Ogundeji of Madison led a group of discus throwers at 169 feet, 8 inches, third best in the County. Four Mt. Carmel runners averaged 1:57.63 in each of their 800-meter legs as part of the 4×800 seeded races.  Mt. […]

2013: All-Time San Diego County Football Teams

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE Position Name School Year Quarterback Ezell Singleton San Diego 1958 Running Backs C.R. Roberts Oceanside 1953 Tyler Gaffney Cathedral Catholic 2008 Darrin Wagner Lincoln 1987 Receivers Patrick Rowe Lincoln 1986 Art Powell San Diego 1954 Line Jack Harrington Rancho Buena Vista 1988 Lincoln Kennedy Morse 1987 Steve Riley Castle Park 1968 Robbie […]

2013: 38 Coaches Are Members of Club 100

La Jolla Country Day’s Jeff Hutzler, who stepped down recently, became the 37th coach in the San Diego Section to have a career total of at least 100 victories.  Jack Mashin of Grossmont recorded 125 victories in the Southern Section. Eleven active coaches have 100 or more (see complete list here): John Carroll (234-74-6, .755), […]

2013: “Teddy” Wilson, 70, From Family of Athletes

Ted Wilson passed away in Maui, Hawaii, last month. To hundreds of San Diegans who knew him, Teddy was your basic,  friendly, next-door neighbor who would laugh at your jokes, no matter how corny, and be Johnny-on-the-Spot in times of need. Wilson, 70,  was an outstanding athlete who came from a family of athletes. Teddy […]

2013: “Stayin’ Alive”

Six San Diego Section teams, out of the original 13, still are practicing and still preparing as the Southern California regional playoffs reach a critical semifinals round. At least one of the remaining six will be eliminated in games Tuesday, March 12, and one will qualify for the finals Saturday, March 16, at Colony High […]

2013: Warren Vinton, 89, Led Helix in ‘Sixties

Warren Vinton, who helped Helix establish itself as an athletic force as San Diego schools moved to form their own CIF section, passed away in Murrieta in Riverside County recently at age 89. Vinton  posted a 25-9-1 record as the Highlanders’ head coach from 1964-67, winning two Grossmont League championships and taking his team to […]

2013: Track Season Heats up at Arcadia Invitational

“Arcadia is the big one,” says Steve Brand.  “It’s the first real indicator of what to expect in the important, late-season meets in May and June.” The Arcadia Invitational track meet at Arcadia High, east of Pasadena, begins this evening and by around 10 p.m. Saturday, April 6, more than 4,000 high school athletes will […]

2013: Tonight’s the Night

  San Diego Section basketball gets its most severe test. Tonight’s Southern California regional semifinals could provide the most definitive view of how local teams stack up against some of the strongest Los Angeles-area teams. The most intriguing matchups take place about 10 miles from each other in L.A.’s  Westside beach communities. Division II No. […]

2013: Steve Brand’s Track Top 10

(Reported as of May 12, 2013) a–fully automatic. w–with wind.  h–hand timed.  c–converted. BOYS 100—(Fully automatic) Brown (Valhalla) 10.76, Smith (Mt. Miguel) 10.80, S. Pater (Mt. Carmel) 10.83, Molton (Hilltop) 10.84, Lucas (Poway) 10.85, Lewis (San Marcos) 10.88, McNair (Morse) 10.94, Le (Scripps Ranch) 10.94, Mayberry (Francis Parker) 10.94. Southern California & State–Muhammad (Sherman Oaks […]

2013: Some Locals Stood Out at Clovis

San Diego Section athletes in both genders stepped up in the Saturday finals of last week’s state track and field championships. The college-like campus at Clovis’ Buchanan  High was a wonderful venue for the 95th Boys’ championship and 40th Girls’ meet and drew more than 17,000 persons over two days. Saturday’s finals began under a […]

2013: Services Set for Football Legend Birt Slater

A memorial service for William (Birt) Slater, legendary Kearny High football coach, will be held in the Kearny gymnasium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013, at 1 p.m. Slater, 89, passed away recently after a long illness. Slater was head coach at Kearny from 1959-76, posting a record of 134 victories, 41 losses, and 9 ties […]

2013: San Diego Teams Land 4 in First 25

No state champions, but there were four San Diego Section teams in Cal-Hi Sports‘ final, overall top 25. San Diego tied for second with the Sac-Joaquin Section in number of top 25 squads from the 10 state sections. Mission Hills (11-2) was 11th,  Oceanside (10-3) 13th.  St. Augustine and Cathedral, each 11-2, were 24th and […]

2013: Sage Creek Football Decision Criticized

BY GARY MARSHALL The new Sage Creek High School in Carlsbad is beautiful. The back-to-back baseball/softball diamonds and tennis courts are woven into a school complex that blends smoothly into the canyon hillside. It is a tribute to our community. The facility that excited me the most was the new football stadium, with its sharply […]

2013: Ramona Legend Gary Mayer, 72

Gary Mayer, who led a 1958 Ramona High team that raced to an 11-0 record and won the Southern California small schools championship, passed away at age 72  on Sept. 19 in Rialto, where he had resided since 1966. Mayer scored 25 touchdowns and scored 43 points after touchdown in 1958 for a total of […]

2013: Playoffs Picture Coming Into Focus

Polls are great, but what do they mean come playoff time? First things first: Cathedral hung on to first place in the UT-San Diego basketball poll, but for the first time since the 2013 calendar the Dons were not  unanimous choices. Cathedral received 8 first-place votes after an uneven week in which it was surprised […]

2013: Pat Shea, 73; Mission Bay and Chargers

Pat Shea, a starting right guard on the San Diego Chargers’ 1963 American Football League championship team and a legendary Mission Bay High athlete,  passed away in Encinitas recently at age 73. Shea won the 1958 CIF Southern Section heavyweight wrestling championship for the Buccaneers and was  the ’58 City Prep League track championships shot […]

2013: Oceanside Ranked Eighth in State

High school football has become all about ratings in California. Cal-Hi Sports is out with its first poll of the 2013 campaign and already has Concord De La Salle representing the North in the State Open Division championship game, probably against Corona Centennial,  Bellflower St. John Bosco, or Gardena Serra. Serra comes South in Week […]

2013: North County, City Take 4 Top Spots in Final Grid Poll

Win or lose Saturday evening, coach Chris Hauser’s Mission Hills Grizzlies are an almost unanimous choice as the No. 1 football team in the San Diego Section. The final Top 10 poll of the season was voted on after conclusion of the  five San Diego Section championships. The Grizzlies will host the Central Section champion […]

2013: NFL Goes For Highlanders, Mavericks

Helix and La Costa Canyon are among 17 U.S. high schools to have two players selected in the 2013 National Football League draft.  Chandler, Arizona, led all high schools with three. Boise State defensive back Jamar Taylor, in Round 2 by Miami, and Stanford tight end Levine Toilolo, in Round 4 by Atlanta, represented Helix. […]

2013: Mission Hills In; Christian Waits

One San Diego team is in the State Bowl Southern Regional playoffs and another will learn its fate Monday. Mission Hills (12-1) was invited to play host to the Central Section champion Bakersfield Drillers (11-2) Saturday night, Dec. 14, in Division I. Christian, which defeated San Marcos, 19-7, for the San Diego Section III title, […]

2013: It’s a Brave(s) New World!

Will it be once every 57 years? That’s how long it took El Cajon Valley High to win its first league basketball championship, a feat not accomplished since the school opened in the 1955-56 school year. The Braves (19-8) have yet to enter the UT-San Diego basketball poll Top 10 but  their exploits have created […]

2013: Is Eastlake Underrated?

Cal-Hi Sports honcho Mark Tennis continues to build a case for Eastlake as the San Diego Section’s No. 1 team, although the 31 members of the U-T San Diego voting panel have re-installed Oceanside as No. 1, followed by Mission Hills. Eastlake is third. Answers should be forthcoming in the Open Division playoffs, which begin […]

2013: Don Hegerle, 82, Player and Coach

Don Hegerle, a leader and playmaker for 1950s San Diego State basketball teams and who later coached at Escondido High, passed away on Sept. 9. Hegerle, 82, was a fast, slashing guard who fearlessly drove to the basket and fired jump shots for one of the best teams in Aztecs history. He was a vital […]

2013: D-I & II Quarterfinals: No. 8 Beats No. 1

Props to the Open Division, which delivered the games the CIF hoped for in a terrific week of San Diego Section playoffs. But Oceanside’s stunning comeback, which ousted Eastlake, 33-30, and Mission Hills’ grinding, 24-21 win over Helix were just part of  competitive, late November action. And at most venues there was the accompaniment of […]

2013: Cathedral & San Pasqual Both Winners

So shocked were San Pasqual defenders they just watched. Cathedral’s Jack Onstott ran 98 yards with an intercepted pass and brought a stunning conclusion to the Division I, San Diego Section championship game. It was the most thrilling finish since…since Auburn beat Alabama with a 99-yard field goal return a week ago. But Cathedral’s three-overtime, […]

2013: Boys’ San Diego Section Records

Event Mark Name School Year 100m 10.3 Riley Washington Southwest 1992 200m 20.97 Ike Okenwa Morse 1998 400m 46.85n Lydell Burston Morse 1996 800m 1:50.15n Shyan Vaziri Scripps Ranch 2011 1600m 4:04.04*(n) Terry Cotton El Cajon 1972 3200m 8:41.8* Thom Hunt Patrick Henry 1976 110HH 13.86 Reggie DePass Montgomery 1997 300IH 36.25 Jeff Hunter Granite […]

2013: Bob Speidel, Championship Helix coach

The play on words certainly was not original. Roger Conlee and I referred to Bob Speidel as “The Watchman”, in reference to his last name and to the company that made millions of timepiece wrist bands. But Speidel was in the forefront of basketball coaches in the early years of the San Diego Section.  He […]

2013: Birt Slater, Famed Coach at Kearny & San Diego

2013: Bakersfield is Stranger in These Parts

San Diego High first played Bakersfield, then known  as Kern County Union High, in 1917. The Drillers, who play at Mission Hills Saturday night in a State Southern Regional playoff, last met an area team in  1952. San Diego holds a 6-5, all-time advantage over the Drillers, the Cavemen having won the last five meetings. […]

2013: Army-Navy Tops No. 1 Cathedral

The UT-San Diego boys’ basketball ratings deadline came a few hours early yesterday.  Disaster struck a little later for the No. 1,  and No. 5 teams. Cathedral Catholic was stunned by No. 6 Army-Navy, 67-61, as 7-foot, 1-inch Cheikh (Chay) Ndiaye (En-die) dominated the shorter but quick Dons with a 25-rebound-22-point-10-blocked-shots performance in the Martin […]

2013: Army-Navy Struggles but Moves On

Cheikh  N’diaye did a double-pump fist salute to the gallery of Army-Navy students sitting behind the Warriors’ basket in Viejas Arena Saturday. It was a relieved, if rare show of emotion for N’Diaye, whose team had just survived a tense struggle with a tough Mater Dei Catholic squad in the San Diego Section IV finals. […]

2013: Helix Among Leaders in NFL Players

The Helix Highlanders had four graduates on NFL rosters when teams reached the 53-man limit earlier this month. Scots alums include running back Reggie Bush of Detroit, quarterback Alex Smith of Kansas City, cornerback Jaemar Taylor of Miami, and tight end Levine Toilolo of Atlanta. A total of 16 players from the San Diego Section […]

2013, Week 9: San Pasqual Ousts Mission Hills

San Pasqual this week became the third North County team to occupy the number one position in the weekly UT-San Diego football poll. The Eagles surprised Mission Hills, 13-10, in overtime, knocking out the Grizzlies, who had climbed to No. 1 in Week 7 after kayoing Oceanside, which had resided in first since the preseason […]

2013, Week 9: Colts Like Wild Horses, Untamed

Crawford rose to 8-0 and played a home game under lights. Imperial’s Royce Freeman set a San Diego Section career rushing record as the Tigers went to 8-0. San Pasqual and Ramona dropped from the ranks of the undefeated. NEW CORRAL Crawford coach Mike Wright convinced his administration and the ruling City Conference that the […]

2013, Week 8: No Love for Cathedral

Mount Miguel crashed the Top 10 with a 42-21 victory over previous No. 1o El Capitan, but UT-San Diego‘s weekly rankings otherwise remained the same in the lead-up to Week 8. Except. Cathedral, which I ranked second, stayed fifth and, contrary to some other winners, did not receive more  points after a 42-3 blowout of […]

2013, Week 7: Shine a Light on Hoover Stadium

The Hoover Cardinals could use the helping hand of Motel 6 maven Tom Bodett, voice of the signature “we’ll leave the light on for you.” Night football is out at Hoover. More’s the pity. The Cardinals became involved in a legal action with neighboring residents and a Superior Court judge unhappily issued an injunction, forcing […]

2013, Week 7: Top 10 Static, but Curious

There was no change from 1-10 in the UT-San Diego’s Top 10 as several teams enjoyed a Week 6 bye. San Diego Section teams begin the turn for home and the postseason with league play beginning this week. Sometimes it pays to take that busman’s holiday. No. 2 San Pasqual picked up seven votes despite […]

2013, Week 7: Grizzlies go up 3 Places

Mission Hills, 5-0 and rested from a week off, rose from 19th to 16th in Cal-Hi Sports‘ weekly poll and jumped from ninth to seventh in the South Division I Bowl Rankings. The improvement is partly because of the victory over Oceanside before last week’s bye and some stumbles by other clubs in the state. […]

2013, Week 6: Komets to Leave Home

Birt Slater Field on the Kearny High campus is going to be dug up and a new field will be in place by 2014. The Komets will play their remaining three, 2013 home games at Madison, versus Clairemont, Point Loma, and La Jolla. In tribute to the legendary coach, who was 89 when he passed […]

2013, Week 6, 10 Changes in Top 10

The weekly UT-San Diego football poll went through a topsy-turvy Week 5, beginning with Oceanside’s loss to Mission Hills,  and flip-flopping all the way down to El Capitan’s high-powered Vaqueros, making their bow in the Top 10. I differed on a few of the vote’s results. My essential disagreement with colleagues was over No. 2. […]

2013, Week 5: Down Goes Oceanside!

Corporate shakeups have nothing on the expected  San Diego Section football poll next week. Numbers 1, 3, and 7 were beaten and Cathedral rocked Southern Section rankings when it handled visiting No. 4 Vista Murrieta, 35-28. Mission Hills, which sat second in the UT-San Diego poll behind Oceanside since Week 1, hammered the Pirates 30-6 […]

2013, Week 5: Decks Cleared for Oceanside-Mission Hills

North County’s game of the year is  Friday night, when  Oceanside and Mission Hills, ranked 1-2 in the UT-San Diego football voting, will roll in the dirt for more than just neighborhood bragging rights. Mission Hills (4-0), which  became a San Diego Section force under former Vista coach Chris Hauser, seeks its first-ever win over […]

2013, Week 4: Freeman Joins Imperial Icons Arnaiz, Thomas

Royce Freeman is about to become the most famous Imperial High athlete and eventually perhaps its most notable alumnus. Freeman ran for 315 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 42-21 victory over Sweetwater and is nearing the San Diego Section career rushing record.  Freeman has 5,638 yards.  Rickey Seale of Escondido set the record in […]

2013, Week 4: Still Oceanside and Mission Hills at Top

Oceanside (24), Mission Hills (6), and San Pasqual (1) all received first-place votes in balloting after for the Week 4 CIF San Diego Section football poll. Ramona, at 9, and Carlsbad, at 10, are new to the top 10. Team/1st Place Votes in ( ) 2013 Record Points* Last Week 1 Oceanside (24) 2-1 301 1 […]

2013, Week 4: D-III Battle Shaping Up

Three traditional strongholds among the San Diego Section’s smaller schools are a combined 12-0 and staking their turf in Division III. Christian, Francis Parker, and The Bishop’s each is 4-0.  Christian, of the Central League, will take on the Coastal League’s The Bishop’s in Week  5 in a possible, midseason playoff preview. Christian was ranked […]

2013, Week 3: Leaders Continue to Hold Sway in U-T Poll

Oceanside gave up one first-place vote to Mission Hills, Poway made the top 10 after being idle in Week 1, and San Pasqual moved up. All was almost quiet on the U-T San Diego prep football front. The only significant changes took place in the “Others” category, which thinned out from a total 14 teams […]

2013, Week 2: Oceanside Remains No. 1.

Oceanside, unapproachable in the first half and approachable in the second half of a 47-28 win over St. Augustine, picked up additional support in this week’s UT-San Diego prep football poll. The Pirates, who led 28-0 at halftime against the Saints, will need all hands on deck for all four quarters this week when they […]

2013, Week 2: Oceanside Falls in Heat of Night

We made five big mistakes,” Oceanside coach John Carroll revealed to the U-T San Diego’s John Maffei, “and nearly every one of them was because of cramps.” In the high heat of an Oceanside evening, Carroll’s Pirates took a 39-36 lead well into the fourth quarter when a couple lapses were turned into touchdowns by […]

2013, Week 12B: Favorites Ease Through Round 1

The seeding panel of mostly former coaches did its job. There were almost no upsets in any of the six rounds on the opening Friday of the San Diego Section playoffs. None, except in the ubiquitous and maligned Division IV, where 11 seed El Centro Southwest (3-7) defeated six seed Montgomery (4-6), 10-7, and 10 […]

2013, Week 12A: Oceanside, Mission Hills Deadlock

Oceanside and Mission Hills reached the end of the 10-game regular-season race in a flatfooted tie, each earning a first-place rating after they deadlocked with 276 points in the UT-San Diego poll of sportswriters and sportscasters. Coach Chris Hauser’s Grizzlies, who shocked Oceanside, 30-6, in the regular season, are the top-seeded team in the San […]

2013, Week 12: Playoffs Begin In 6 Divisions

We must be in an era of entitlement. How else can you explain that 64 of 97 San Diego Section teams were invited to participate in the playoffs? And 25 don’t even have winning records. Seventeen losing teams and eight with .500 records are in. They’ll vie for 6 divisional championships. Sixty of 96 teams, […]

2013, Week 11: Oceanside No. 1 Again, Barely

Oceanside is back on top in the U-T San Diego football poll, despite losing 30-6 to Mission Hills, the No. 2 team, a few weeks back. I voted for Oceanside.  My thoughts were as conflicted as the total points separating Nos. 1 and 2. Oceanside compiled 276 points and 12 first-place votes following its 43-0 […]

2013, Week 10: Mission Hills On Top…For Now

The suddenly topsy turvy UT-San Diego football poll saw another change at the top this week after last week’s No. 1, San Pasqual, took a surprising haymaker from Rancho Buena Vista and fell , 38-36. Mission Hills, upset two weeks ago by San Pasqual, quickly filled the void.  The Grizzlies smashed Fallbrook, 61-21. Meanwhile, Oceanside […]

2013, Week 10: Red Devils & Cardinals Roll

Football is fun again at Sweetwater and Hoover is traveling in style. Sweetwater whipped Castle Park, 28-7, for its fourth victory in a row and a 5-4 record.  The Red Devils had not won 4 straight since 1996 and have not been 5-4 since 1998. Hoover is a 7-game winner for only the 12th season […]

2013, Week 1: Cathedral K.O.s Utah Giant

Oceanside, Helix, Mission Hills, Cathedral, and Eastlake, five of the San Diego Section’s best, posted a combined, 3-2 record and scored a couple impressive, intersectional victories in the Under Armour Brothers in Arms San Diego Classic games on the season’s first weekend. Most impressive was Cathedral’s 38-6 victory over Sandy of Jordan, Utah, ranked 25th […]

2013-14: Sweetwater Runs to Fourth in Poll

Echoes of Gary Zarecky’s fast-breaking teams of the 1980’s are being heard at Sweetwater, where the Runnin’ Red Devils now are 16-0 and inching higher in the UT-San Diego weekly poll. An 82-66 victory over Morse last week was preceded by five games in which coach Jesse Aguirre’s team scored at least 90 points and […]

2013-14: South Bay Teams Make Noise

Rumblings out of the South Bay have become a roar. Mater Dei Catholic and Sweetwater barged into the upper half of the ratings in the U-T San Diego poll this week. Mater Dei, a 26-7 squad and Southern California Division  IV regional semifinalist in 2012-13, is no surprise, posting a 12-2 record and losing only […]

2013-14: San Diego Teams Whacked in Seedings

Talk about a kick in the pelvic region.  The new State Basketball Tournament Open Division pairings did no favors for two San Diego Section stalwarts. The seedings and pairings were announced by the state CIF this evening. St. Augustine (28-3) will visit Santa Ana Mater Dei (31-0), the nation’s No. 2-ranked team, Friday night, March […]

2013-14: Saints Now 10-0 and on 24-0 Run

St. Augustine is 10-0  and has a 24-game winning streak after a 65-49 victory over the host team in the first annual Rancho Santa Margarita Tournament today, climaxing a 4-game run through the Orange County event. The Saints beat Trabuco Hills, 62-61, Seattle Prep, 79-60,  and Alta of Sandy, Utah, 63-56, in earlier games.  Santa […]

2013-14: Saints Hold off Damien

St. Augustine saw an 18-point lead in the third quarter dwindle to 4 but finally put away La Verne Damien, 73-63, as a full house of about 800 persons nervously looked on at St. Augustine Saturday night. Trey Kell had 22 points for the winners but it was six free throws in the final 38.7 seconds […]

2013-14: Foothills Coach Not Quite Boeheim

There are 20.8 seconds remaining in the game.  Your team trails, 57-54, after battling back from down 14. A blocking foul is whistled on one of your players. The frustration finally got to Foothills Christian coach Brad Leaf. Leaf channeled his inner Jim Boeheim and was slapped with a technical. The Knights mentor’s outburst at […]

2013-14: Basketball’s Second Season Begins

Seventeen teams with losing records and three .500 squads  made the San Diego Section playoffs. It doesn’t look as ridiculous as in previous years. Pairings announced Saturday promise good games, even  in early rounds, especially considering size of brackets and number of divisions. Only in Division II is there virtual mediocrity. Seven of the eight, […]

2013-14: Alma Maters Beckoned Coaches

How uncommon is this? When Kearny (23-2) meets Sweetwater (28-0) Friday afternoon the teams will be coached by alumni of their respective schools. At stake will be the San Diego Section Division IV championship. Historian Greg (Stats) Durrant came up with this and other nuggets as the veteran prep sports maven prepared to take in […]

2013-14: Section Overwhelmed in state playoffs

La Jolla Country Day’s 60-42 loss to Los Altos Hills Pinewood in the State Girls’ V championship last week was the final, tumbling domino in a disappointing San Diego Section season. Mater Dei Catholic was the only boys’ team to advance beyond the first round of the Southern California Regional and got to the Division […]

2013-14: Saints Unanimous No. 1 in Poll

The Martin Luther King Day doubleheader at Francis Parker produced the best game of the season, St. Augustine’s 79-74 victory over La Costa Canyon, and the Saints are unanimous choices as San Diego’s top team in the UT-San Diego poll. Trey Kell was brilliant for the winners and scored  37 points, but the tough Mavericks […]

2013-14: Saints Switch Places With Mavericks

The season’s first showdown came in the Horsman Invitational at  West Hills and the tournament championship and this week’s No. 1 ranking went to St. Augustine. Trey Kell fired from three-point range and, driving to the hoop, twisted around Torrey Pines defenders to score 28 points and lead the Saints to a 60-55 victory in […]

2013-14: Saints No. 1 Here, 18th in State

St. Augustine is top-ranked in the final UT-San Diego regular-season poll and is the defending state champion in Division III as playoff teams enter the homestretch of the season. Coach Mike Haupt’s team,  29-4 a year ago, take a 26-2 record into this season’s playoffs and are ranked 18th in the state by Cal-Hi Sports. St. Augustine finished […]

2013-14: Powell Has Moved on and Lincoln Struggles

Lincoln could have used Norman Powell last night at St. Augustine, but Powell is busy rising  at UCLA under first-year coach Steve Alford. It should have been expected. There’s a connection between Powell and Alford. That was apparent three years ago at a Lincoln-St. Augustine game in the Saints’ old Daugherty Gym. The date, Feb. […]

2013-14: Playoff Seeding and Pairings Next

Selection Saturday is just five days away. League play wraps up this week, but all eyes are on the postseason and the ensuing rounds that lead to the state championships in Sacramento next month. Seedings and pairings for the San Diego Section playoffs, to be waged in 5 divisions,  will come out of  Section commissioner […]

2013-14: Mavericks Return to No. 1

What goes around, comes around. La Costa Canyon, ranked No. 1 in the first UT-San Diego basketball poll in December, is first again after vacating the top spot weeks ago. The Mavericks defeated St. Augustine, 62-60, in the San Diego Section Open Division championship last week and received 10 first-place votes.  St. Augustine dropped to second and […]

2013-14: La Costa Canyon Opens on Top

The discussion already is in full swing.  Who’s No. 1? The U-T San Diego preseason basketball poll has La Costa Canyon No. 1 and St. Augustine No. 2. North County bias by a majority of the voters aside,  I’ll take the Saints.  Call me South-of-Highway-56-biased, at least for this vote. Saints Coach Mike Haupt, 330-173 in 18 […]

2013-14: Kearny Knocks Off Sweetwater

Kearny High found the key to ending Sweetwater’s great run Saturday afternoon. Coach Carl Bronson, ably assisted by UT-San Diego sportswriter Mark Zeigler, exposed the shorter Red Devils’ lack of a low post defense. The strategy allowed the Komets to repeatedly attack from the low block under the basket for layups and point-blank shots. Kearny […]

2013-14: Great Matchups in Open Final 4

There will be basketball almost every night this week in the San Diego Section. Girls begin quarterfinals play in Divisions II, III, and IV tonight and  Tuesday night.  Boys tip Tuesday night in II, III, and IV. Open semifinals are Tuesday and Wednesday and finals  Saturday at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on the University of […]

2013-14: Game of Year Revisited

St. Augustine and La Costa Canyon, which played arguably the game of the regular season in January, go for the gold tonight. The Saints edged the Mavericks, 79-74, as part of a Martin Luther King Day doubleheader at Francis Parker and things haven’t changed.  Expect the score to be a little lower but the intensity […]

2013-14: First Round: San Diego 7, Opponents 19

Wipeouts like these usually are reserved for the North Shore of Oahu. San Diego Section boys basketball teams lost 10 of 11 games in the first round of the Southern California regional playoffs. Girls teams helped ease the pain and won 6 of 14. In four games in which San Diego boys teams had more […]

2013-14: Bennie Edens Basketball Classic?

Amid the flourishing mid-season “shootouts” is Point Loma High, among the increasing number of schools hosting all-day, nonleague “showcase” games. The contests don’t always turn out to be showcases, because games often have to be scheduled a year in advance and teams’ fortunes change, ebbing and flowing for myriad reasons. The Pointers call their  annual […]

2013 Week 11: How The Mighty Have Fallen

San Diego High’s football program has bottomed out. The Cavers forfeited to Hoover on the Monday before the Friday game this week.  The reason given was that they had less than 20 players and unable to field a full squad. There was a time when that many running backs turned out for football at San […]

2012: Week 13, Fog, the Ubiquitous Companion

From the Nov. 24, 2012, UT-San Diego: –Writer John Maffei, at Mission Hills’ 42-17 victory over San Pasqual: “The fog was so thick that the Grizzlies and San Pasqual looked as if they were playing in clam chowder.” –Dennis Lin, at Lincoln’s 20-7 win over undefeated Olympian: “Looking like some shrouded figure stepping out of […]

2012: Voters Choose Helix in North County Poll

Twenty-seven area media specialists selected Helix as the top team in the the North County Times’ first weekly San Diego Section football poll, according to Times writer John Maffei. Helix received thirteen first place votes and 245 points overall, ahead of second-place Oceanside, which had 5 first-place votes and 229 points. “The panel is comprised […]

2012: Oceanside Among Best in Final Rankings

Cal-Hi Sports has spoken. Oceanside, 12-1, and San Diego Section II champion, is 15th in the newletter’s final 2012 state rankings.  The Pirates are fourth in Southern California D-II, following Gardena Serra, West Hills Chaminade, and Huntington Beach Edison. Other San Diego Section entries were far down the list. In D-II Poway (10-3) is 41st overall and […]

2012: History of the Metro Conference

Rick Smith recently wrote a guest article for the Metro Conference website. “The Metro Conference governs the high schools in the Sweetwater Union High School District plus Mater Dei Catholic High School compete in 18 men’s, women’s and coed sports in the CIF San Diego Section in the cities of National City, Chula Vista, San […]

2012: Game Officials Recognized; Students to be Honored

More than 400 members of the San Diego County Football Officials’ Association, including four active NFL game officials, gathered at the Hall of Champions this week for their annual awards dinner. Among those attending were referee Mike Carey (University High/Santa Clara University), back judge Don Carey (St. Augustine/California-Riverside), umpire Garth DeFelice (Patrick Henry/San Diego State), […]

2012: Freeman in State Top 10 in Scoring

Imperial’s Royce Freeman tied for 10th in scoring among California football players in 2012 with 220 points in 12 games.  Freeman tied for 75th nationally, according to MaxPreps. Madison’s Pierre Cormier scored 176 points for a tie for 34th in California and La Jolla Country Day’s Sage Burmeister was 45th with 168. Freeman and Norwalk’s […]

2012: New Coaches, Realignment Change Football Map

There are at least 21 new head coaches in the San Diego Section. More could be revealed as the season, which began Aug. 24 with Calvary Christian San Diego defeating visiting Las Vegas Calvary Chapel, 37-22, opens on a full scale this week. A new league, the City, also makes a debut and changes have […]

2012: Freeman Imperialist Among Scorers

Royce Freeman’s touchdowns are as common as July’s 110-degree days in  the Great Imperial Valley. The 6-foot, 1-inch, 215-pound junior continued to make history this season at Imperial High, whose football lineage dates to 1942 and whose  list of graduates goes all the way back to 1908. Freeman led the Tigers to a 9-3 record and won the San Diego Section […]

2012, Week 9: Julian Wins Barnburner

You could call it the “Battle of Banner Grade.” Or, as the father of the Julian coach says, “It’s kind of a Cal-Stanford Big Game.” Coach Tim White, the son of University of California alum and legendary San Diego Chargers lineman Ed White,  guided his Julian Eagles to two touchdowns in the final four minutes and then […]

2012, Week 8: Twice in 102 Years for Army-Navy!

The chapter on football would be very brief in the history of the Army and Navy Academy and its history goes back to 1910. They turn out soldiers and sailors at the boarding school on Highway 101 in Carlsbad. So old and new Warriors have snapped to attention.  Coach Frank Henry’s Cadets improved their season […]

2012, Week 7: Oceanside Rolling

Oceanside held sway for the fifth consecutive week in the renamed U-T San Diego poll of sportswriters and sportscasters. The San Diego newspaper recently acquired the North County Times, which created the poll. John Carroll’s Oceanside Pirates routed Vista 44-0 in a game that was played in less than two hours because of a running […]

2012, Week 6: Undefeateds Down to 4 Teams

Army-Navy, Grossmont, Olympian, and Otay Ranch continue to win, each improving to a 6-0 won-loss record.  Calexico, Patrick Henry, Hoover, and West Hills all were beaten after winning their first five games. Army-Navy scored a 1-0, forfeit win over Calvin Christian.  Grossmont defeated Granite Hills, 48-6.  Olympian beat El Capitan, 41-6, and Otay Ranch topped […]

2012, Week 5: Area’s Best Fall Short Against Southern Section

It has been said for years  that San Diego produces many  of the best of the best players, but falls short when matching up with teams from North of the County line. That holds true in 2012. Not counting Imperial County members, San Diego Section squads were 29-25-2  in pre-league intersectional games this season, but […]

2012, Week 4: Vista’s 758th Game Like Only One Other!

This could become a habit.  Vista won another 2-0 game. The Panthers defeated Torrey Pines, with a safety the only score in the game last week. It was the second safety-only game in the 758  Vista has played since the school opened in 1937.  Not a trend, but the Panthers are working on it. Vista last won 2-0 […]

2012, Week 3: Cancellations & Forfeits

At least five games have been canceled against San Diego Section teams this season and are being considered forfeited, not because of the usual Dreaded Administrative Glitch reasons of player academic ineligibility or residential  transfer no-no’s. Temecula Rancho Christian suspended its season and fired the head coach after a 43-6 loss to Whittier La Serna […]

2012, Week 2: Helix Dominates

Coach Troy Starr’s Helix Highlanders received all 27 first-place votes for a maximum 270 points in the North County Times sportswriters-sportscasters poll after defeating Vista 43-7 last week. Helix had 13 first-place votes in the preseason poll and 20 after games of Week 1. The Highlanders take on a third, ranked opponent from the San […]

2012, Week 16: 90-year Record to Fall

Madison and Santa Fe Christian are about to break the oldest record, often tied, in  San Diego County. The Warhawks (13-1) and Eagles (11-3)  will play their 15th games of the 2012 season when the Southern champions tee up in State Bowl Championship games against Kentfield Marin Catholic and Modesto Central Catholic,  respectively, this week at Cal State Dominguez Hills […]

2012, Week 16: Gritty Madison Wins State III title

Down 21-0, Madison battled back to defeat Kentfield Marin Catholic 38-35 in a dramatic State III Championship game at the Stub Hub in Carson. A 50-yard touchdown pass play, which began with the center snap going over the quarterback’s head and ended with Kareem Coles’ pass to Lee Walker, ignited a 31-point Warhawks run. After […]

2012, Week 15: Santa Fe Christian Advances

Santa Fe Christian’s first venture into the State bowl regional playoffs was against Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep, a Southern California small schools power  for almost 40 years. ‘Hondo had won 10, eight-man championships and was runner-up four times since 1973 before moving up to 11-man football. But Santa Fe Christian fought to a come-from-behind, 30-28 […]

2012, Week 15: Madison Wins with Defense, Special Teams

Madison has a State Bowl III Championship date with Kentfield Marin Catholic at 4 p.m. next Saturday  at Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson. The Warhawks (13-1) advanced after a pulsating, 21-17, come-from-behind victory at Monrovia (12-3), which managed to shackle Madison’s big-play weapons,  outgained the visitors 448 yards to 119, and led until a 91-yard kickoff […]

2012, Week 14: Monrovia, Then and Now

Will history repeat? Madison will play at Monrovia in the Division III State Bowl playoffs this week in the first playoff ever matching a San Diego Section team against one from the Southern Section. San Diego’s last playoff appearance as a member of the Southern  Section was in 1959. San Diego High’s 53-0 victory over […]

2012, Week 11: Army-Navy Among Early Casualties

And then there were 40. Twenty teams were eliminated in first-round, San Diego Section playoff games last week. There were no upsets but maybe a mild surprise or two. Army-Navy, 10-0 and coming off the best regular season in the school’s 102-year history, was knocked out by Calipatria, 41-21, in Division IV. The teams had […]

2012, Week 10: 60, Yes, 60, Teams Win Playoff Bids

Oceanside won the regular-season poll and could end up meeting No. 2 Helix in the AA finals at Escondido High in four weeks. And dust is kicking up in the  sand dunes around Glamis as the Imperial Valley girds a for a possible second-round meeting of two area big shots. Brawley (9-1) has a first-round bye in […]

2012, Week 1: Helix Lives Up to Preseason Poll

Helix’s 28-6 victory over Eastlake on the season’s opening weekend assured the Highlanders of remaining No. 1 in the North County Times sportswriters-sportscasters poll. Helix had 13 first-place votes in the preseason poll last week and picked up seven more this week for a point total of 253. Oceanside blew out Oakdale, a Northern California […]

2012-13: St. Augustine Shuts Riverside North

St. Augustine scored an impressive victory but San Diego teams lost three of four games  in the Long Beach Jordan-hosted Public-vs.-Private showcase Saturday  at Long Beach City College. The Saints defeated high-scoring Riverside JW North, 63-54.  Cathedral was beaten by Etiwanda, 60-54.  Santa Monica topped La Jolla Country Day 60-39, and Corona Santiago edged Army-Navy, […]

2012-13: Saints and Horizon Win Cliffhangers

The circumstance and the stage may have made for the most defining athletic moment in St. Augustine’s 91-year history. It wasn’t that the Saints pulled away from San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral in overtime Saturday in Sacramento and won the State Division III championship, 59-52.  That would be second. No. 1 would be the gutty, cold-as-ice […]

2012-13: Saints 10th in State; Horizon tops in D-V

  St. Augustine’s 6-0 run through the San Diego Section, Southern California regionals, and CIF State championship game resulted in the Saints making a huge leap to overall  No. 10 in Cal-Hi Sports’ final rankings for 2012-13. Horizon finished No. 1 in Division V. The Saints were “On the Bubble”, meaning unranked, at the end […]

2012-13: Lincoln Tops in 2nd Poll

Lincoln remained first in the second UT-San Diego basketball poll despite losing in the Drew Gooden Showcase in El Cerrito Saturday night. San Jose Mitty, defending state champion in Division II, defeated the Hornets 71-60 in the event named for Milwaukee Bucks NBA player Gooden, who starred at El Cerrito High, near Oakland. It was the end of a grueling trip for […]

2012 Week 12: Dreaded Administrative Glitch Crushes Cathedral Season

Cathedral’s honored program took a body blow this week when the Dons were forced to forfeit eight victories in an 8-2 season and were knocked out the postseason. The Dons self-reported an ineligible player, who appeared in all 10 Cathedral games. San Diego Section rules state that a team with three forfeits cannot participate in […]

2011: Let There Be Light

At 3:38 p.m. on Thursday, September 8, 2011, all of San Diego County and communities north to San Clemente, south to northern Mexico, and east into Arizona suddenly were without power. Something had gone awry at a connecting station in the western Arizona desert. A total of 1.4 million customers across the region were without […]

2010: Valley Center Knocks Down Giant

“Best game I’ve seen in ten years,” said veteran North County Times writer John Maffei. Maffei was citing an unlikely but memorable matchup between Valley Center, a Division IV contender in the CIF San Diego Section, and Los Alamitos, a large, legendary figure and longtime seat of power in the Southern Section. Los Al, sitting […]

2010-2017:  To Our Subscribers and Passers-by

Next month, on Feb. 14 [2017], will mark the seventh year since we undertook a challenge. I wanted to write the history of San Diego County high school football. That’s where my career started and where it will end. Well, I didn’t write the history (that is almost infinite), but I gave it a shot. […]

2009: They Became Booming Sooners

The University of Oklahoma was quick to notice that Randall, Baxter, and Seale weren’t the only San Diego Section football stars with exclamation points next to their names. Running back Brennan Clay (Scripps Ranch), wide receiver Kenny Stills, Jr. (La Costa Canyon), and free safety Tony Jefferson (Eastlake) all took their diplomas and moved to where […]

2009: No Neon in This Deon

Deon Randall, his jersey in tatters and his high school career at an end, walked off the Carson Home Depot Field. “It’s a great parallel,” Randall said, “a great analogy, a great symbol to how the game went…it was a rough game.” Randall was a warrior in the State Small Schools Bowl.  He rushed for […]

2008: It Was Gaffney, Seale, and Rouse…and 28 Others

That Tyler Gaffney led Cathedral to a State championship and scored a record 56 touchdowns in 14 games only reinforced the notion that this was a year of the running back. Thirty-one San Diego Section players rushed for at least 1,000 yards and none were more productive than Gaffney, Escondido’s Ricky Seale, and Madison’s Robbie […]

2007: Oceanside’s 10th and First Titles

Oceanside became the second San Diego County team (and the first San Diego Section squad) to participate in the state playoffs, which resumed in 2006 after an 80-year hiatus. The Pirates (11-1) of coach John Carroll, who won Carroll’s fourth Section championship and Oceanside’s 10th overall, were chosen to represent the South in the Division […]

2006: If You Can Beat Them, Join Them

Nick Pascarella delivered the cruelest rejection. The Carlsbad running back rushed for 125 yards in 12 carries and scored two touchdowns as the Lancers pulled away from Rancho Bernardo to win, 40-16. The same Rancho Bernardo which Pascarella attended and who was a member of the Broncos team that defeated the Lancers 24-21 in 2005. […]

2005: A Double What? Forfeit (Both Teams!)

Game officials came under fire. A brawl between Helix and Mount Miguel resulted in a referee’s suspension and  “double forfeit”. Playoff divisions increased. At least two programs were rocked by ineligibility. WEAK SHALL INHERIT The San Diego Section playoffs became five divisions, marking the first expansion of the postseason since a fourth division was added in […]

2004: Another Championship Run for Oceanside

John Carroll got some good news the day before his Oceanside Pirates were to meet Carlsbad for what would be the title-deciding game in the Avocado League. Coach John McFadden of Eastlake called Carroll and told the Oceanside mentor that Eastlake had used an ineligible player in the 23-19, season-opening victory over the Pirates. Instead […]

2003: Havana, Si!

It was a San Diego Section football season, at once heart-warming and heart-breaking. —Two teams played a game in Havana, Cuba. —The “Cedar” fire, which began in the Laguna Mountains and threatened  to burn to the ocean, destroyed hundreds of homes and killed 15 persons. —Legendary coach Herb Meyer of El Camino retired after 45 […]

2002: Opponents Were Bushed Chasing Reggie

Reggie Bush’s high school career ended on a quiet note, but its brilliance probably outshone any other in the 42-year history of the San Diego Section. Bush scored 75 touchdowns and rushed for 60 touchdowns in three seasons.  He caught passes for nine TD’s, and returned 6 punt and kickoff returns for touchdowns. He even […]

2002: Oceanside Finally Gets Past Oceanside

The memory of 10-28, 30-41, and 35-43 was erased with one 42-14. After three straight losses to Helix, including one in the San Diego Section Division II finals and another in the semifinals, Oceanside put up the right numbers and stunned the Highlanders, No. 2 in California and No. 25 in the U.S. “We were […]

2001: Helix Prevails in Topsy-Turvy Classic With Oceanside

Helix’ 41-30 victory over Oceanside in a matchup of Cal-Hi Sports’ Nos. 1 and 2 Division II teams ranks among the all-time San Diego Section playoff games, not only for brilliance but for the bizarre. “It was a game for the ages,” wrote Tom Shanahan of The San Diego Union. Coach Gordon Wood’s Highlanders defended […]

2000: New Century & New Faces

There wasn’t just a millennium going on. Wholesale league changes and the San Diego Section’s second annexation of schools in the Imperial Valley were creating a new landscape. What started in 1980 with the addition of Calipatria, Holtville, and Imperial, was completed after Blythe Palo Verde Valley,  El Centro Central, Brawley, Calexico, El Centro Southwest, […]

1999: Avocado League Avalanche

It only took 46 years. The population growth of San Diego’s North County coincided with the rise of the once small and remote Avocado League, founded in 1953. After recent years of  ascendancy, a punctuation mark was added this season. As Tom Shanahan of The San Diego Union pointed out: –Five Avocado schools ranked in […]

1998: Helix Mounts Late Run to Championship

Helix’  San Diego Section Division II title represented what may have been the finest coaching performance in Jim Arnaiz’s 27-season career. The Highlanders had won only 4 of their first 9 games but three ties had made them 4-2-3  when they began a five-week run to the championship. –They improved to 5-2-3 and clinched second […]

1997: Gender Doesn’t Matter

Jason Bott of the Union-Tribune said it best: “Sometimes the best man for the job is a woman.” Her name is Andy Wharton and she hammered a 29-yard field goal with nine seconds left in the game to give West Hills a 31-28 victory over Serra. “I thought the play was stopped,” said Wharton, “but […]

1996: Essence of the Game

Virtues and moments that identify high school football: Overflow crowd of more than 4,000 at San Pasqual High, under Friday night lights, for neighborhood bragging rights. Tom Kirovski carried the ball on 24 of San Pasqual’s 28 second-half possessions and gained 155 of his game total of 173 yards as the Eagles defeated Orange Glen, 28-17, in the […]

1995: Bennie Burns as Monte Vista Begins Title Run

Bennie Edens was pissed. “I don’t appreciate being embarrassed,” Edens heatedly responded to a question from Paula Mascari-Bott of the Union-Tribune. “Playing your starters in the fourth quarter, it’s poor sportsmanship,” steamed Edens. “I’ve been coaching forty-one years and I’ve never embarrassed anyone when they’re that far behind.  That’s wrong.” The Pointers had just finished […]

1994: Morse…Hawaii…it Must be August!

The gentle breezes of Oahu were calling San Diego Section football teams. Morse coach John Shacklett, who first brought his club to the Hawaiian Islands in 1985, led a vanguard of four local squads, there to play in the annual Shawn Akina Classic. Shawn was a University of Utah football player who passed away suddenly […]

1994-95: McCoy, Others made for Dynamic Season

DECEMBER, 1994 –Six-foot, 11-inch Jelani McCoy started the season with 41 points and set a San Diego Section record with 16 blocked shots in an 85-82 win in the Hilltop/Pizza Hut tournament. El Camino’s Dee Boyer blocked 15 shots in a 1989 game. –Dimitri Hodgkinson scored 37 points and El Cajon Valley reached triple digits […]

1994-95: Christian Girls Emerge With Buzzer Beating Shot

Eighty-three teams, 47 boys squads and 36 girls teams, all had their “hoop dreams” (a so-named, popular movie of the day) as they embarked on what would become a postseason of 114 games, ending with a state championship by the Division V Christian girls. BOYS PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND D-I Poway 80, Morse 61 (11-17). San […]

1993:  Vikings Coach Champion in Multiple Sports

Dick Huddleston won championships in multiple sports, as player and as coach —He was a  tight end and linebacker on the 1960 Escondido team that won the first  large-school San Diego Section football championship. –Huddleston coached Point Loma to the 1973 San Diego Section baseball title. And  led La Jolla to the 1993 San Diego […]

1993-94: Lincoln Boys, Christian Girls Dominate D-IV

Strength in the lower divisions, boys’ and girls’, continued to be the signature of San Diego Section teams. The Christian girls followed the sensational mid-1980s stretch of four state championships by Point Loma by reaching the state Division IV championship game for the fourth season in a row. Lincoln boys won the state D-IV title […]

1992: Begin The Playoff Discussion With Bennie

They could have asked Bennie Edens. Writers and prep experts comprising the selection panel for The San Diego Union weekly Top 10 may well have consulted the Point Loma coach. No one could have offered more expert testimony than Bennie. The peninsula wise man coached his 38th team at the Chatsworth Boulevard enclave and lost to […]

1992-93: Playoffs Now Have 5 Divisions

CIF bosses approved a fifth division for playoffs. “Those who worried that five playoff divisions would take some of the glitter off league races needed to be in the stands at Christian and San Diego High this past weekend,” wrote Steve Brand before the start of the postseason. “When Christian beat Our Lady of Peace […]

1991: Vista Returns to Prominence

Successive records of 4-7, 0-10, and 6-6, had turned whispers into shouts at Vista. Had Dick Haines, borrowing baseball parlance, lost the hop on his fastball? Two state No. 1 rankings, three San Diego Section titles, and 11 league championships were a distant memory until the Panthers shot down Morse, 21-7, in the season’s third week, erasing […]

1991-92: Legendary Pointers Coach Lee Trepanier Passes

The basketball community lost a legend in August when Lee Trepanier, the retired, 56-year-old Point Loma coach, died in his sleep August 2, 1991. Trepanier, 56, had been battling stomach and esophagus cancer for two years. Trepanier learned of his cancer in August, 1989, but coached and taught math through the school year and retired […]

1991-92: “Indiana” Playoff System in Place This Season

After restricting  playoff Divisions I and II to 16-team brackets the last two seasons, the San Diego Section board of managers went back to the ”Indiana” model of the 1987-88 and 1988-89 seasons in which all San Diego Section teams playing basketball were eligible for the postseason play. “I think I was one of the […]

1990: Was Morse The Number One Number One?

As far back as early season 1989, Morse coach John Shacklett was able to smile through a 2-2 start and a forfeit win, supported by a mantra that the best was yet to come. This was after the Tigers had defeated Orange Glen, 31-28, for the 1988 3-A championship and not about the potential of […]

1990-91: Christian Girls Almost Go All the Way.

Christian star Tiffany Stutz played with a re-injured ankle in the state championship game after the underdogs from El Cajon mounted a late-season run through the San Diego Section and state Division V playoffs. Erik Meek of San Pasqual, headed for Duke University, averaged  30.18 points, a figure topped only by Tony Clark’s 30.3 in […]

1990-91: And the Scoreboard Blinked…and Blinked.

The three-point basket, which became a part of the game in 1986, continued to be refined and exploited and teams’ scoring points in the 80’s and 90’s was common.  One-hundred-point totals were at a record pace. Valhalla’s Mark Dillon set a state record with 145 three-pointers and tied the state record with 12 treys in […]

1990 Girls Track: 17th State Meet

Sophomores Alison Dring of Mt. Carmel and Erin Blunt of San Pasqual gave promise but only four of the original 45 qualifiers from the San Diego Section finished in the top five in finals at the state meet. 6/1/90 17TH GIRLS STATE TRACK TRIALS, @CERRITOS COLLEGE, NORWALK EVENT NAME SCHOOL MARK PLACE 100 Kimmey University […]

1990 Boys Track: Noon & Price Lead the Way

Seventeen of 48 qualifiers from the San Diego Section finals advanced from the 72nd state meet trials at Cerritos College in Norwalk, including San Diego Section all-timers, Brent Noon of Fallbrook and Jerome Price of University City. Nine of the 17, or 53 per cent, scored points based on at least a top six finish […]

1990 Baseball: It’s season of Foothillers, Marauders, and Eagles

Grossmont became the eighth different team since 1980 to win the San Diego Section 2-A championship.  Forgotten by many, the title also was the Foothillers’ first since they claimed a larger bauble.  They won the Southern Section major division crown, 5-0, over Compton in 1951. The Foothillers also won a Southern Section minor division title […]

1989: Gene Edwards Retires, Passes Away

The Handyman set aside his tools when one job was finished and was preparing to use them in another. Gene Edwards’s 29-year run as head coach at La Jolla ended with a 27-0 victory over Clairemont. He was going to continue working for the school in a role best described as “facilities fixer-upper.” Gene had accepted […]

1989-90 II: Sports Arena Out, Golden Hall In

For the first time in 14 years the San Diego Section championship games did not take place in the Sports Arena (13,700 capacity) on Midway Drive or Peterson Gymnasium (3,668 capacity) on the San Diego State campus. The championships were played at Golden Hall, a downtown facility of 3,200 seats that was more known as […]

1989-90 I: Coaching Icons Trepanier, Saner Step Down

Two legendary mentors pulled the pin. Point Loma’s Lee Trepanier, whose Pointers teams dominated the state and earned national recognition throughout the decade, retired after 14 seasons, with a 331-56 record and .855 winning percentage. Neville Saner, whose Poway teams won four Division I titles in his seven seasons, retired after posting a 139-42 (.768) […]

1988: Showdown for Morse and Orange Glen

Morse’s 31-28 victory over Orange Glen in the 3-A finals ranks among the most exciting of all San Diego Section championship games. And that game followed Rancho Buena Vista’s 21-10, 2-A victory over San Pasqual, climaxing Rancho’s meteoric rise in the school’s second season. Long runs, NFL-style passing, and  two of the County’s all-time coaches, […]

1988: The Rise of Rancho Buena Vista

To Dick Haines, the arrival of Rancho Buena Vista felt like a kick in the pelvic region. Vista, where Haines had built a program of statewide respect after his appointment in 1970, was feeling the pain of no longer being the sheriff in town. A new school on the south side of the growing North […]

1988: Player is player in Century league

Lincoln coach Vic Player, on his 100th career victory: “It’s wonderful to reach a milestone and be considered among the elite coaches in San Diego County.  It’s great to be up there with coaches I admired when I was young and first came to San Diego from Chicago, people like Duane Maley (San Diego), Bennie […]

1988-89: Valhalla’s Clark Stars in Basketball, Makes Mark in Baseball

Tony Clark, a 6-foot, 7-inch junior at Valhalla High, set a San Diego Section record with a 30.3 scoring average and had 55 points in one game. Clark’s season seemingly could lead to future honors in college basketball, or even the NBA. Clark did play professionally, but it was in baseball and, after a 15-season […]

1988-89: Kane Raised Cavers From Depths

As Steve Brand of The San Diego Union wrote, Dennis Kane began preparing the day after San Diego High concluded the 1986-87 season.  The coach moved to quickly put the worst year in school history in the Cavers’ rear view mirror. San Diego had bottomed out at 0-20 in Kane’s first season. No Cavers squad, […]

1987: In Year of Pointers, Panthers Point Fingers

“Elevator! Elevator! We got the shaft!” The age-old shout from unhappy cheering sections, usually directed at game referees, was leveled by head coach Dick Haines and Vista partisans at nine coaches charged with seeding and selecting teams for the San Diego Section playoffs. The mentors, reportedly by an 8-1 vote, nominated San Dieguito as the […]

1987-88: Some Say, “We Love the Trey!”

The “3”  game arrived in San Diego Section gymnasiums this season. The three-point basket, which  revolutionized basketball, was first used on an experimental basis at colleges in the East as far back as 1945 and was adopted by the  fledgling American Basketball Association in 1967-68. The NBA got with the program in 1979-80,  followed by […]

1987-88:  Postseason Change Means All Teams Invited

Playoffs this year moved toward an Indiana model, used by that state’s schools for decades and which was immortalized in the basketball movie/drama “Hoosiers”, starring Gene Hackman and Helix graduate Dennis Hopper in 1986. The Indiana way meant that all teams were eligible, in one division, including many with hopeless records.  The San Diego Section […]

1987-88: A Couple Hornets Come Close in State Championships.

One San Diego County team, Lincoln, made it to a state championship final, but there were two Hornets at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.  Lincoln’s were joined by the Hornets of Calipatria, 140 miles to the East in Imperial County and since 1980 members of the San Diego Section. Scores and some recollections from the longest-ever […]

1986: Junior Seau, Wide Receiver?

There were no sonic booms and reveille still sounded at the usual time on the nearby Camp Pendleton military reservation after Roy Scaffidi announced he was moving senior quarterback Junior Seau to wide receiver. That Seau also played a fine game at linebacker also did not register with a service rating the top players in […]

1986-87: Gatorade Has Sour Taste for Terri Mann

When it was all over, there was just one honor that eluded Terri Mann. She was runner-up in voting for the Gatorade U.S. high school player of the year. Go figure. Mann hadn’t been second in anything during her four brilliant years and four consecutive state championships at Point Loma. Mann was the Gatorade Circle […]

1986-87: Early Exit for All But Pointers Girls

BOYS PLAYOFFS 3-A Feb. 20, 1987. LEAGUE PLAYOFFS TO QUALIFY AND FOR SEEDINGS GROSSMONT Monte Vista 54, Mount Miguel 47. PALOMAR Torrey Pines 41, San Dieguito 40. FIRST ROUND Madison 82, Hilltop 58 (15-14.) San Dieguito 56, Patrick Henry 50 (11-12). Mira Mesa 67, Valhalla 54 (15-8). Mount Miguel 60, at Torrey Pines 53 (20-7). […]

1985: Is Vista The Best Ever?

Dick Haines would give you his opinion even if you didn’t ask for one. So the veteran coach practically shouted his response to the obvious question after the Vista Panthers defeated Helix, 35-7, for the San Diego Section 3-A championship and a 13-0 season. “Hell, yes, we’re the best team in the state!”  Haines enthused.  […]

1985-86: Titans Go For Three

Poway’s quest for a trilogy was in full swing. Coach Neville Saner’s team, San Diego Section winners the last two seasons, made it clear from the first tip that things weren’t going to change. The Titans opened the season on Dec. 3 with an 81-48 victory over established and well regarded El Capitan, which would […]

1985-86: Oceanside & El Camino Were Don’t Invitems

As Tom Shanahan of the Evening Tribune described on Jan 18, 1986, “The Oceanside-El Camino football rivalry may not stir much passion, but emotions in the city’s basketball rivalry have overheated.” “Boiled over,” added Shanahan of the antipathy felt by these too-close-for-comfort North County neighbors. The Wildcats’ gymnasium was filled to its 1,100-seat capacity when […]

1984: What’s in a Name?

 Grossmont School District superintendent Lewis Smith was one of the most ardent advocates of what could have been termed the “Free San Diego” movement in the late 1950s. Smith and other educational and school board associates wanted out of the vast Southern Section and were instrumental in formation of the tiny, 28-school San Diego Section […]

1984: In Search Of a Better Life

Losing had become an unshakable habit for Coronado. It had come to this for the Islanders:  Point Loma essentially begged them to play a scheduled game. Outscored, 104-0, in the season’s first four games, down to maybe 17 able-bodied players, and facing a strong city school, Coronado was thinking long and hard about exposing its athletes to […]

1984-85: Zarecky’s Red Devils Runnin’…and Travelin’

Sweetwater, the San Diego Section’s International team. After trips to Hawaii and Canada in recent years, Coach Gary Zarecky’s Red Devils visited the Continent this season. They played four games in Yugoslavia after Christmas, meeting some of that basketball-savvy nation’s top junior teams. The roadrunners from National City also found time to set a San […]

1984-85: It’s Poway’s Way Again

Sweetwater fired a season-opening shot to remember on Nov. 21, exploding for 136 points against Coronado in the first game (Seach 1984-85: Zarecky’s Red Devils Runnin’…andTravelin’), but the Red Devils came up short again in the playoffs as Poway, now a team of mostly juniors, ran away with the San Diego Section 3-A title. Other […]

1983: Red Devils and Red Alerts

An outstanding run by Sweetwater, starting in the 1960s, actually was just beginning. The Red Devils went 12-1, won a championship for the first time since 1972 and launched a 36-game winning streak. They would claim another title in 1985 and posted an ’80-’87 record of  80 wins and 11 losses, 73-9-2 under coach Gene Alim. Starting […]

1983-84: Those Running Red Devils

Sweetwater coach Gary Zarecky took over a bottomed-out program in 1972-73 that was 2-22, 6-20, and 1-23 in the three previous seasons and proceeded to go 6-19, 1-23, and 11-15. In Zarecky’s year four the Red Devils saw light at the end of the tunnel and fast-breaked past it. Since 1975-76 Sweetwater is 196-54, a […]

1983-84: A Titan Was Emerging in Poway

The future was almost now for Poway. Coach Neville Saner’s starters included three sophomores, Dominick Johnson, Judd Buechler, and Andy Byrne, and junior John Colborne. The young Titans posted a 21-5 record and won the San Diego Section 3-A championship but were sidelined, 79-60, by Riverside John North in the Southern California Regional. They would […]

1982: No Intrigue When Scott Webb Was Kicking

Scott Webb and Jim Arnaiz weren’t joined at the hip.  It was more like at the leg. Together three varsity seasons at Helix High, they would be inducted together into the school’s  Hall of Fame  in 2005. Webb quarterbacked the Arnaiz-coached  Highlanders to a 12-1 season and the San Diego Section AAA championship in 1982. […]

1982: Montgomery Finally Takes Flight

John J. Montgomery High’s football history does not require an encyclopedic tome. A few pages would be more than enough. Most of those pages would be devoted to the 1982 season.  Coach John DeVore’s Aztecs posted a 9-2 record, the best in their history and one of the few winning seasons since the  Otay Mesa […]

1982-83: It Happened in Hoops This Season

The game still was played from December until early March, but San Diego Section basketballers seemingly were playing more and scoring more. Ninety points, once considered elite, had become almost routine. 100 points no longer was surprising. There were more highs than lows but some stunning legislative moves captured the headlines, as usual caused by […]

1982-83: Morse is Out of Playoffs And Then Back In

There would be state basketball playoffs this season and Morse liked its chances to represent the San Diego Section. Ray Epton, whose 25.0 average at Madison in 1981-82 was highest in the San Diego Section, had transferred to the school on Skyline Drive, where Epton joined 6-foot, 7-inch preseason all-America Lawrence West, 6-6 Shawn Bell, […]

1982-83: Girls Play for Title Before Season Begins

The girls were playing for a state playoff berth for the first time… …before the start of their regular seasons. That’s because the regular season still was in the spring in the San Diego Section, while the rest of California (and most other places where there is a court and a ball) plays basketball in […]

1982-83: Falcons’ Dudley Played 25, Count ‘Em, Years

Torrey Pines’ 6-foot, 11-inch Chris Dudley was among the San Diego Section’s leading scorers with 438 points and a 16.8 average. A fine season  and a productive four years at Torrey  but not a blueprint for the future. The future stretched…and stretched. Dudley went on to play four years at Yale University and then embarked […]

1981: Population=New Leagues+New Names+More Games

The CIF board of managers passed a resolution at the end of the 1980-81 school year that resulted in the dividing of three leagues and the board-approved addition of a 10th regular-season game. Cause and effect was County population, which had grown to 1.8 million in the 1980 census, with almost 1 million in the city. […]

1981-82:  Zarecky Thought He’d Seen it All

“I’m confused,” said Sweetwater coach Gary Zarecky. “I’m baffled,” added the Red Devils mentor. Sweetwater had just beaten Castle Park, 94-11, in a Metropolitan Mesa League game, which followed an earlier, 106-37 Sweetwater rout of the Trojans. What made Zarecky (Zar-skee) figuratively scratch his head was that the host Trojans attempted only five shots from […]

1981-82: No Outside Competition for San Diego Squads

Local teams were just that, local. That’s because San Diego Section bosses, most of whom did not  know if the ball was made of leather or composed of rubber, continued to defy the state CIF. –For the first time in the history of the game in San Diego County, going back at least 60 years, […]

1980: Rematches and Redemption

With apologies to Yogi Berra, it was déjà vu all over again. A competitive, topsy-turvy season concluded with an unusual doubleheader, Helix in a rematch with Mount Miguel for the 3-A championship and Lincoln in a rematch with La Jolla for the 2-A title. In an up year in San Diego Section football, 16 teams […]

1980: Another Allen Creates His Own Niche

He didn’t have the cachet of his older brother, but Damon Allen also stood alone with his achievements. Damon followed older brother Marcus, who scored five touchdowns in the 1977 San Diego Section championship game, won the Heisman Trophy at USC in 1981, was a Super Bowl MVP, and is a member of the NFL […]

1980-81: Twenty-Six Seconds Took Five Minutes

Referees’ whistles echoed throughout the Bonita Vista gymnasium. From a 1/14/81 account of a Metropolitan League game by Linda Murphy of The San Diego Union: Seven-foot, one-inch Bonita Vista center Larry Irwin was fouled by Chula Vista’s Louie Romero as Irvin went up for a rebound.  Bonita Vista led, 65-61, with 26 seconds remaining in […]

1980-81: Red Devils Break Scoring Record

Records are made to be broken, but it took 11 years, until Jan. 23, 1981, for  Bill Walton and Helix  to surrender the San Diego Section’s signature team scoring achievement. Helix slammed Mount Miguel, 127-31, in the 1969-70 season and the Highlanders’ record seldom was in trouble, other than a couple 122-point assaults by free-wheeling […]

1980-81: Patrick Henry Preseason Favorite for Third Title, But…

Moments from the season: 11/29/80 Nine players returned to the defending champion and preseason No. 1 Patrick Henry Patriots, including 1979-’80 San Diego Section player-of-the-year Steve Brown, fellow all-CIF selection Billy Washington, and Tom Dobyns, son of a 1957-58 Hoover standout. Five players also moved up from a 19-2 junior varsity. Coach Alan (Fritz) Ziegenfuss, […]

1979: Eighteen Hours Later Komets Emerge as Winners

Kearny High and Point Loma kicked off at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 26, 1979, and the Komets clinched a 9-6 victory on Oct. 27, 1979, about 18 hours later. Five seconds remained on the clock when the Komets’ Jim Goosens attempted the first field goal of his life and booted a 25-yard placement that sent […]

1979-80: Three-Division Realignment Okay, But…

The San Diego Section’s decision this school year to realign into three divisions, 3-A, 2-A, 1-A, based on enrollment and breaking from the 19-year, large school-small school arrangement, seemed like a good idea, but allocation of playoff berths left some good teams holding a bag of basketballs. The 3-A group included teams from the Eastern, […]

1978: Red Devil Caught in Act of Touchdown

John Saleamua took the handoff, cleared the first line of defense, and cut to the outside. Saleamua was running free along the Montgomery sideline when he suddenly went down. Jack Jackson, a Montgomery player, had left his bench area, came onto the field, and tackled Saleamua, short-circuiting a 79-yard touchdown run. “I couldn’t believe it,” […]

1978-79: L.A. Teams Still Kings, But So is Kearny

The best of San Diego almost always does not measure up to the best of Southern California. It’s the law of geography and population. There were a little less than 2 million persons in the County this year, compared with more than 8 million in Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and most of Los Angeles County, […]

1977: Death Threats for Marcus Allen

The messages were not the garden variety “good luck this week,” or “see you at the game.” “I got several phone calls threatening my life,” Marcus Allen told writer Steve Brand.  “The callers said I better not be at the game.  They didn’t say what they’d do.  They just said not to be there.  It […]

1977: Old Friend in Trouble

Balboa Stadium’s days were numbered. When construction was completed in 1915, the concrete horseshoe seating more than 23,000 was the largest municipally-owned stadium in the world, according to Don King, author of “Caver Conquest.” The 1933 magnitude 6.3 earthquake that destroyed 230 school buildings in Southern California, including many at Long Beach Poly, resulted in […]

1977-78: Disputed Call Ends Nash’s Great Career

Gordon Nash retired, taking with him a legacy of great teams and great players, and a sour finish. Nash’s coaching record of 259 wins against 69 losses for a won-loss of .790 was forged over 11 seasons in which Helix won two San Diego Section championships, appeared in five title games, was runner-up three times, […]

1977 Track: Lady Colts, David Russell Reach the Heights

San Diego produced three state champions, the most since 1929. David Russell of Patrick Henry won the boys’ 100 (:09.61) and 220 (20.97 with 2.2 wind, over the allowable 2.0), and the Crawford girls’ 440 relay squad of Danita Young, Judy Reed, Jewell Lovelady, and Katie Gaston, set a national record, :46.14. Forty-eight years before […]

1977 Baseball: Granite Hills Stays Course, Wins First Title

Granite Hills shook off a tie with Monte Vista, one of the the poorest teams in the County.  The deadlock had prevented the Eagles from a championship tie with Helix in the Grossmont League, but the Eagles went on to win their first San Diego Section title. 3/11/77  Granite Hills, a preseason No. 2-ranked in […]

1976: Birt’s Legacy Intact as Herb’s Continues to Build

Like ships passing in the night, Birt Slater and Herb Meyer were headed in the opposite direction, but their coaching paths were virtually identical. Slater confirmed his retirement as head coach at Kearny following the Komets’ 39-28 loss in the San Diego Section championship game to Meyer’s first year, front-loaded El Camino squad at San Diego […]

1976-77: Madison Welcomed the Traveling Lillys

The arrival of San Diego County’s first 30-points-a-game scorer this year was via a curious journey, from Iceland to Pacific Beach, to Linda Vista, and to North San Diego, where Marshall and Mitchell Lilly landed at Madison High. The twins, who spent the 1974-75 school year in the near-Arctic Circle country (see 1975-76: Patrick Henry, […]

1976 Track: Poway’s Middleton Earned Section’s Lone State Championship.

There were many good marks during the season, but it remained for Poway’s Kathy Middleton to bring home the only gold medal for the San Diego Section in the 58th State Track meet at Edwards Field in Berkeley. Middleton had a winning discus throw of 134-5, topping Susan Springer of Salinas (132-11) after Middleton’s 131-6 […]

1976 Baseball: Favorites’ Stumbles Open Door for Madison

The numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5 seeds were eliminated in the first round of the San Diego Section playoffs. Only third-ranked Hoover survived and the Cardinals were ousted in the quarterfinals. That left the door open for No. 6 seed Madison, which edged No. 12 Crawford, 1-0, for the championship. Probably most disappointed was […]

1975: Day Football on Saturday?

City schools experimented with a schedule of Saturday games for one week. At the same time it was revealed that the board of education had supplemented schools’ associated student body accounts with $49,000 since the ban on night games began in 1974. The school board said it hoped to determine whether parents and students would […]

1975-76: Patrick Henry, University Played and Played, and…

—Patrick Henry and University struggled through a twilight zone of 8 overtimes in a season that had at least 24 games that went beyond regulation, including a four-overtime contest, a three-overtime joust, and three of two overtimes. —Grossmont League bosses were overruled after they socked Valhalla with 16 league losses, before it played a game. […]

1975 Track: Jefferson Close, But Missed Third in Row

Elijah Jefferson’s quest for a record, third consecutive state meet 100-yard dash championship was short circuited by the blindingly fast start (a “flyer”, some suggested) on the Balboa Stadium track by Kevin Williams of San Fernando. Jefferson had tied his  meet record of :09.4 in the trials and Williams, known for tremendous acceleration at the […]

1975 Baseball: Hoover Coach Moves On After Third Section Championship

Jerry Bartow ended a 14-season run at Hoover with his third San Diego Section championship and with an overall record of 226-119 (.656) then headed off to Southwestern College, where the Apaches won more than 900 games in the next 39 years before Bartow retired in 2014. Until Ted Williams Field was built on the […]

1974: Drastic Difference Between Night and Day

Attendance for afternoon games involving city teams was noted weekly in newspaper stories, for the first time in years.  Prep writers had gotten out of the habit. An edict that forced city schools to play home games in the afternoon resulted in some actual figures, as in counting the house, one by one. A total […]

1974: CIF Teams Caught in Game of Musical Chairs

San Diego High was in the playoffs and San Dieguito was out. Oops, San Dieguito was  in and San Diego was out. The seeds of a legislative tempest had germinated in the spring when the San Diego Section Coordinating Council requested that the County Football Coaches’ Association prepare an analysis of the 1973 playoffs. Point […]

1974-75: Cavers Rebound After Stunning Loss at Lincoln

Nels Olsen stood at the free throw line, shooting one and one, the crowd screaming, challenging the San Diego High forward to falter in the charged atmosphere and din of the Lincoln gymnasium. San Diego trailed, 68-67. Two seconds remained in the game. Olsen drained the bottom of the net with each free throw attempt.  The Cavers […]

1974-2020:  Girls State Track and Field Champions

It’s the time of year that University City’s Katrina Wright, Poway’s Ashley Callahan, and  members of Scripps Ranch’s 4×100 relay squad should be preparing to defend their San Diego Section championships Saturday and move on to the 102nd state track meet at Clovis next week. Like the prom and traditional graduation, they sadly won’t have […]

1974 Track: Banks and Jefferson Bring Home Gold Again

Willie Banks of Oceanside and Elijah Jefferson of Crawford offered a historic footnote to the 56th state meet in Bakersfield. Banks and Jefferson we’re the first from the San Diego Section to win successive state championships since Chula Vista’s Tim Danielson in 1965-66 and only the second and third from the area to repeat since […]

1974 Baseball: Oceanside and Ciammachilli Come Close

For the first time in the San Diego Section’s 14 years, a team not from the city or the eastern suburbs had reached the playoff finals. Twenty-six squads, including Hoover, Helix, El Capitan, Crawford, Point Loma, San Diego, Santana, Kearny, Clairemont, and University had won or gotten to the championship game from 1961-73, and they […]

1973: Back to the Future

Sixteen teams, divided by two upper and lower brackets made for the largest postseason in San Diego Section history. What had gotten into the CIF bosses? They had repeatedly recited the dubious mantra that the playoffs made the season too long and were a “major” reason for bolting the Southern Section. To win a Southern […]

1973-74: All-Time and this Season’s Scoring Leaders

Dave Moore topped with a 51-point game, but Patrick Henry’s Mark Fitzner had the most points and held off “Score” Moore for highest average among players from large schools. The breezy sobriquet for Moore, courtesy of Bill Finley of the Evening Tribune, fit the San Marcos senior, who scored 594 points in 27 games for […]

1973-74: Kearny’s Double Unbeaten Komets

Kearny High became the second school (after Grossmont in 1971-72) in the 14-season history of the San Diego Section to win football and basketball championships in the same school year. The Komets took the Grossmont accomplishment a giant step further.  They were undefeated in both sports, football, 12-0-1, basketball, 32-0. No team has come close […]

1973 Track: Jefferson and Banks Carry the Day in 55th State Meet

Elijah Jefferson went where no San Diego County athlete had gone in 45 years. Willie Banks won an event that was known by another name when it was last contested 34 years before. Jefferson became the first from the area since 1929 to win the 100-yard dash in the state track meet when he followed […]

1973 Baseball: Huddleston’s Pointers Continue City Dominance

Baseball in the San Diego Section was an urban game. Point Loma became the sixth different and overall 11th city squad in the Section’s 13 seasons to win the Class AA championship when it defeated Hoover, 12-2, in the playoff finals. The Pointers, who fell to University in the 1972 championship, were coached by Dick […]

1972: Can’t Make This Up…Football Locked Out by Pro Basketball

Several Eastern League schools found themselves unable to access a favored playing site, by the San Diego Conquistadors. Yes, those Q’s, the American Basketball Association professional team located here. The preps, in keeping with years of tradition, thought Aztec Bowl was reserved for them for games Oct. 13, 20, and 27. Trouble was those were […]

1972-73: Oh, Henry! Patriots Climb to Top

Five-year-old Patrick Henry High, located in the sprawling Del Cerro-San Carlos area, had become a glamour school in the San Diego Section and one of the largest in the state with 3,800 students and growing. The Patriots already had been to a section championship game in football, became powers in baseball and track and field, […]

1972 Track: Outstanding Marks, but Few Medals at State

San Diego Section track and field athletes kept getting better, but so was everyone else. Excellent marks were posted, some that would have shattered records a few years before, but didn’t earn a mention in this  narrative because of ever-increasing volume, i.e., more and more good performances. With two qualifiers  in each event, the section […]

1972 Baseball: Uni Waded Through Section’s Top Teams To Title

Strong teams abounded but it was University of San Diego High, third in the Western League and only 12-10 overall, that emerged in the Class AA playoffs. Dick Serrano coached the Dons to their first CIF championship and followed with titles in 1978, ’80, and ’81, figurative mileposts for the 1961 Uni graduate who coached […]

1971: The Saints and Patriots Were Don’t Invitems*

The Watergate break-in and burglary in Washington, D.C., still was about nine months from taking place, but spying and potential dirty tricks already were part of a fierce Eastern League rivalry. St. Augustine’s defending San  Diego Section champion was scheduled to play Patrick Henry, the city’s “elite”, newest public school, one that quickly had become […]

1971-72: Drollinger Leads Foothillers to Championship

No one could replace Bill Walton, so Ralph Drollinger just succeeded him. The 7-foot Drollinger, an inch taller than the legendary Walton, played at Grossmont, arch rival of Walton’s Helix. Drollinger posted San Diego County’s second highest, one-season scoring total, 878 points, to Walton’s 958. Drollinger won a San Diego Section championship, to Walton’s two. […]

1971 Track: Clairemont’s Dale Fleet Sets State Record in Two-Mile Run

San Diego Section entries totaled only a combined 10 points in the state meet, but they set one individual state meet record and provided some excellence not seen on the scoreboard. Clairemont’s Dale Fleet set a state meet record of 8:53.8 in the two-mile run and broke Tim Danielson’s County record of 8:55.7.  Helix’ Ed […]

1971 Baseball: Down and Up Kearny Overcame Setbacks

A stunning Eastern League wipeout saw Crawford, Patrick Henry, and St. Augustine knocked out of the playoffs by the quarterfinals round. No team from the that circuit had failed to advance to the semifinals in the San Diego Section’s first 10 seasons, 1961-70, and had won 8 of 10 championships. Kearny, from the Western League, […]

1970: Musty Beginning for Vista Coach Haines

Dick Haines embarked on a 25-year career as head coach at Vista and North County football would not be the same, but Haines, taking over an 0-9 team,  had a rush of buyer’s remorse. The regular-season final game in 1969, a 21-0 loss to Oceanside, had been played in the rain, according to Tom Shanahan […]

1970: Culp Cleared 7 feet Three Times, Won State Title

Jerry Culp starred on a vanishing stage. The Oceanside High senior  became the eighth prep high jumper to clear seven feet, scaling the height three times and winning the state championship with a leap of 7 feet, ¼ inch. But since an Oregon State high jumper had perfected a new, drastically event-changing style and won […]

1970-71: Hoover Miracle Shocks, Floors Morse

Hoover trailed Morse, 70-50, with two minutes and 40 seconds remaining in their Eastern League game at Hoover on Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 2, 1971. Hoover won, 71-70. Let’s try that again. Hoover won, 71-70. The Cardinals scored the game’s last 21 points in arguably the most jaw-dropping finish in the history of area high school […]

1970-2016: Walton or Leaf, Take Your Pick

Bill Walton was 33-0 in his senior season at Helix.  T.J. Leaf was 25-5 at Foothills Christian. Walton’s Helix team dominated the San Diego Section, but the Highlanders’ 70-56 victory over Chula Vista in the AA finals in 1970 marked the end of season. Southern California playoffs were reserved only for Southern Section squads. Leaf’s Foothills Christian […]

1970 Baseball: Colts’ Sandback Leaves Outstanding Legacy

Bill Sandback, who coached Crawford to four San Diego Section championships in nine seasons, was moving on, succeeding retiring Ed Sanclemente at Mesa College. Sandback, an erstwhile hockey player from Minnesota, coached teams that posted an overall record of 164-60, a .732 winning percentage.  His 1964 squad (22-4) was declared the top team in the […]

1969: Cavemen Prove Merit With CIF Title Share

The result of the Eastern League’s vote to determine its champion after a three-way tie for first was considered by some so egregious that even the coach of a potential playoff opponent led the shouting. San Diego High was the selection of the league’s principals after the Cavemen finished with a 5-1 record, same as […]

1969-70: Highlanders’ and Walton’s 33-0, Blow by Blow

Bill Walton’s and Helix’ historic season, game by game, with quotes and attributions by and to Bill Center of The San Diego Union: Wednesday, Dec. 3, 1969. HELIX 74, MADISON 60. Mike Dupree scored 28 and Walton 24, off-setting a 30-point performance by Dave Smith, whose Warhawks were down, 57-36, in the third quarter. Thursday, […]

1969-70: Many Could Hoop, Not Just Bill

No team could match, or come close to, the withering pace of Bill Walton and the Helix Highlanders, but individual play was at an all-time high. Eleven players, meeting a minimum of 15 games, averaged at least 23 points.  Eleven also scored more than 600 points. By comparison, just 10 players averaged 23 points or […]

1969 Track: Section Comes Up Short at State; Track Ovals, Too?

Dick Tomlinson, assistant coach and in charge of weight events at Mount Miguel, was suspicious, so he got a long tape measure and began surveying. Tomlinson said he discovered that the 440-yard oval track at his school was six feet short (two yards) of regulation distance. The coach told Evening Tribune writer Bill Finley that […]

1969 Baseball: Cardinals and Colts Battled for CIF Royalty

A road map would have been easy to follow in the first nine years of the San Diego Section: Start at 44th Street and El Cajon Boulevard and travel about 1.5 miles East and Southeast to 55th and Trojan Avenue. The Hoover Cardinals and Crawford Colts, neighbors in the East San Diego enclave eventually known […]

1968: El Capitan is Pistol-Packin’ Mad

Late November in San Diego County produced rain, muddy fields, and fog. Such expressions by Mother Nature carried the promise of critical fumbles and controversial calls, but not a field goal that no spectator saw, accompanied by not one but two shots from the timer’s pistol. A 29-yard placement by University’s Steve Johnson gave the […]

1968-69: Bill Walton Takes Center Stage

Helix won its third championship in the last six seasons, but the Highlanders were just breaking ground. The best was yet to come, thanks to Bill Walton, a once-in-a-lifetime player. Meanwhile, the ball continued to swish through the net. A record twenty-three players scored at least 400 points and junior Paul Halupa of Bonita Vista […]

1968 Track: Great Marks, But Section Size Means No Additional State Entries

The season was outstanding, perhaps the best ever overall in San Diego, but the section was a legislative loser. San Diego Section commissioner Don Clarkson made a request to the state CIF during a meeting in Berkeley the week of the state meet. Clarkson asked that his section be allocated three berths in each event […]

1968 Baseball: Colts Pluck Cardinals’ Hat Trick in Fourth Try

Hoover was favored and aiming for what sportswriters euphemistically called a hat trick. The term, more favored in ice hockey and soccer, meant a player had scored three goals. The Cardinals were shooting for a third title, having won the Lions Tournament and Eastern League (they could have claimed a fourth after being selected No. […]

1967: Jerry Upholds Powell Legend

Jerry Powell’s performance was typical of one with literally the last name in San Diego prep athletics. Powell was the youngest of four brothers whose achievements resonated here and in professional ranks over three decades, beginning after World War II, when Charlie Powell first set foot on the San Diego High campus. Charlie (football, basketball, […]

1967:  For Powell, Why Lincoln?

Jerry Powell was 9-0 as the sophomore quarterback on San Diego’s junior varsity but transferred from the school of his family’s athletic greatness to the less traditional Lincoln. It was a brilliant move. Powell went on to a great career as the field leader for coach Shan Deniston’s Hornets, who were 7-2 and 10-1 in […]

1967-68: Mount Miguel on Mountain Top

They have been cast in the 6-foot, 11-inch shadow of Bill Walton and Helix’ 33-0 team of 1969-70. History has overlooked the Mount Miguel clubs that dominated the Grossmont League and San Diego Section in the late 1960s. The Matadors were 25-6 in 1966-67 and 32-0 this season. But coach Dick Ridgway’s squad did not […]

1967 Track: Valencia’s National Lead Comes on Short Track

Sweetwater High was the site for several outstanding performances over the years in the National City Junior Chamber of Commerce Relays and other events of distance, usually in early March. Few of those individual or team marks were repeated or equaled, one of which drew the most attention and eventually called for surveyors and tape […]

1967 Baseball: Go East, Young Man; Power Continues to Shift From Cavers

San Diego High, one year removed from a San Diego Section championship, posted a 10-12 record. The sub-.500 finish represented the Cavemen’s poorest record since the 1907 squad of coach Lawrence Carr, Sr., was 0-7. Yes, 1907, according to Don King’s Caver Conquest. Power had moved East after being seated for most of the last […]

1966: Deep Thinker Needed to Explain Shallow Playoff Pool

San Diego Section bosses, unlike their successors 40 years later, were determined to keep the playoffs short and sweet and the season’s length to their liking. The administrators came up with a format that was surprisingly agreed to by St. Augustine and the 11 city schools and created an odd regular-season conclusion this year. The […]

1966-67: Oscar Left Amid Cheers and Championships

The Oscar Foster era was ending and so was the greatest three-year run in San Diego High’s storied basketball history. The 6-foot, 7-inch forward never was first in scoring among San Diego Section players but set a career scoring record; led the Cavers to two championships in three seasons, established a school record with 41 […]

1966 Track II: The Big 3, Tim, Doyle, and Terry

Tim Danielson, Terry Rogers, and Doyle Steel were state champions and would have been favored in their events if there were a prep national championship meet. Chula Vista’s Danielson, the second to better four minutes in the mile, was undefeated  on the prep level the last two years  and he competed nationally and internationally well […]

1966 Track I: Arnie Robinson and a Glimpse of the Future

Arnie Robinson was coming to the end of four brilliant seasons at Morse. Robinson high jumped 6-7, long jumped 24 feet, and won the 120-yard high hurdles in :14.8 in his last competition (see below) at the school on Skyline Drive in Encanto that Robinson watched open in September, 1962. The nephew of 1940s San […]

1966 Baseball II: Strom’s Rubber Arm Leads Cavers to Title

San Diego’s surprising, late-season ride on the left arm of pitcher Brent Strom resulted in the Cavers’ first major championship since they won the Southern Section title in 1952. And it was to be the Cavers’ last, ending a run that began with a state championship in 1918. Changing demographics, new schools, new neighborhoods, revised […]

1966 Baseball I: Cardinals to Honor Ted Williams With New Ball Yard

On March 21 the Hoover student body announced a fund-raising drive for a new baseball facility, Ted Williams Field, in honor of the January, 1937,  graduate and major league baseball Hall of Fame inductee. For years the Cardinals played home games in the school’s football stadium, with a rightfield fence, beyond the track,  a Little […]

1965:  Bennie Didn’t need Postseason Relief

Teams with losing records didn’t make the playoffs.  Neither did some with winning records, or even the undefeated. Only league champions were invited. Four large school and two small school squads would make up the 1965 San Diego Section postseason. Bennie Edens wasn’t playing “one game at a time.”  He was looking a few weeks […]

1965-66: Jacobsen Scores But Helix Wins

Von Jacobsen set the records and Crawford set the pace, but it was defense, played by the champion Helix Highlanders, which narrated the season. “I can’t understand why more teams don’t stress defense,” wondered Bob Speidel, coach of the 23-4 Scots, who parlayed playing without the ball to drive opponents into submission, as witnessed by […]

1965 Track: Avocado League Chicanery?

A  North County dustup was decided in Oceanside’s favor when the Pirates won the Avocado League championship-deciding dual meet at Vista, 61-52. The event, scheduled at Vista, originally was rained out several weeks before. The schools, approximately 11 ½ miles and about 20 minutes apart along the State 78 corridor, could not agree on an […]

1965 Track: Danielson Hotter Than Bakersfield Weather

A promising Class B 660 yards runner in 1964 who bypassed cross-country for football in the fall, Chula Vista junior Tim Danielson ran down defending state champion Mike Ryan and scored a stunning, 20-yard victory in the mile in the 47th state meet, defying the evening heat of Bakersfield. Danielson’s time of 4:08 was a […]

1965 Baseball: Colts Were No. 1 Team in California

Bill Sandback, a transplanted Minnesota hockey player who came West in 1960 and spent a year teaching at Memorial Junior High before becoming coach at Crawford in 1961, was building a dynasty. The Colts won their third San Diego Section championship in the last four seasons and eventually were named state team of the year […]

1965 Baseball: Cavers Win Seventh Lions Tournament title

The 15th annual Lions baseball tournament began with all eyes on the sky. Rain had played havoc with the schedule this spring and had a wet and dreary history with the event, actually resulting in cancellation in 1964. San Diego High, winner of the tournament six times since 1951, was top seed among the 16 […]

1964: Bull Durham…er, Trometter!

Retired after an honored career in the Marine Corps, Robert E. (Bull) Trometter took a high school job. Trometter could employ a figurative steel fist while upholding the meaning of semper fidelis (always faithful, always loyal) as head coach at the San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot in 1947-48, at Camp Pendleton in 1949, and […]

1964-65: Leave it to Some Grossmont Gym Rats

The best teams could be very disappointing, which is why a group of pickup-playing hoopsters almost stole the show. Eight Grossmont High students, with blistered feet, sore arms and legs, and with a burning desire to  get home and sleep, claimed a record for the longest game, ever. Basketball historians would argue the point, but […]

1964 Track: Hose Takes Place As Among the Best Ever

Bob Hose gave a glimpse as a sophomore at Clairemont in the San Diego Section finals in 1962, when Hose finished fifth in the 880 in 1:58. It was a promising if overlooked run by Hose, as attention was focused on Hoover’s John Garrison, who would finish second in the state meet and tie the […]

1964 Baseball: Crawford Wins Another Championship

Bill Sandback had just coached Crawford to its second San Diego Section baseball championship in three seasons and he was hesitant when Harlon Bartlett of the Evening Tribune asked for a comparison of the team and the winning 1962 club. “This year’s team had a better attitude,” Sandback finally allowed after the taut, eight-inning victory […]

1963: Playoff Operations Snafu

Who saw the game and who didn’t commanded almost as much attention as Kearny’s semifinals playoff victory over Escondido. President John F. Kennedy’s death and the resulting week’s postponement generated several more days of pregame coverage by area media outlets and contributed to a building buzz about the game. And some unforeseen problems. The estimated attendance of 17,000 was the largest […]

1963: Death of a President

On Nov. 22, 1963, my address was an apartment at 2742 B Street in the Brooklyn-Golden Hill neighborhood.  It was about 9:30  on a Friday morning.  I had a free day until covering the Escondido-Kearny playoff that night in Balboa Stadium. I don’t remember if I was watching television or listening to the radio, but within minutes […]

1963-64: La Jolla Gets All the Way to the Final Game

La Jolla, winner of 30 in a row, including 28 consecutive this season, was on the cusp of getting to a place no other team had gone. A 29-0 season was unprecedented. The only San Diego County team to come that close was the 1959-60 Hoover squad that won its first 26 (most reports say […]

1963 Track: Sensational Finishes by Cavers’ Relay Team, Madison’s Hose

Martin Pedigo, a former University of Oregon broad jumper, became the San Diego High coach and inherited a potential powerhouse. The Cavers, representative of one of the state’s great programs—184-30-2 in dual meets since 1929—were 14-7  under longtime assistant Henry Wiegand and hadn’t beaten Lincoln, their latest rival, since 1959. Wiegand deserved another year. Coincidentally, […]

1963 Baseball: East County’s Helix-El Capitan Final Steals City Thunder

The typically good baseball played in the area was augmented by another stable of outstanding players. Pro teams signed dozens  and several made it to the big leagues: Dave Duncan and Eddie Herrmann were the first two of the eventual five catchers from Crawford to reach the top.  Others included Lincoln’s Lou Marone. St. Augustine’s […]

1962: Someone Forgot To Tell The Zebras

Try playing a game without officials. Hilltop and Escondido tried, with disastrous results for the visiting Cougars, who were upset, 18-13, by the homecoming-enthused Lancers in the season’s final regular season game. Twenty minutes before kickoff Hilltop coach Bob Tomlinson noticed that the game referee and his crew, usually already on site, had not checked in. […]

1962-63 Basketball: Blum, Miller Scored, Crawford Won

There were two races in the Eastern League, one with four teams see-sawing through the season seeking two playoffs berths, and another, weekly shootout between Crawford’s Larry Blum and San Diego’s Elburt Miller. St. Augustine (19-5), led by Bob Spence, Mike (Zeke) Shea, Jimmy Antl, John Emerson, and Gary Hoffman, held off Crawford (24-6-1), Hoover […]

1962 Track: Lincoln Gets Bad Review in State Movie

Track and field, long a Southern California stronghold in San Diego, celebrated some powerful performances. Lincoln lost only a late-season, nonleague dual meet at Helix, 57-47, won its third straight Eastern League dual meet championship and the San Diego Section title for the second year in a row, and contended for the state team championship. […]

1962 Baseball: Crawford Begins Dominant Decade

Crawford was emerging as a legendary power and would appear in the San Diego Section championship game six times, winning four, by the end of the decade. The Colts’ coach was Bill Sandback, a hockey-playing Minnesota transplant who, after seeking more agreeable weather, moved west, and taught one year at Memorial Junior High before becoming […]

1961: Grossmont Teams See The Light(s)

Modified Sportsmen race cars and the arrival of the San Diego Chargers may have saved night football in the hills and valleys east of San Diego. An unusual alliance. Grossmont School District teams, faced with an illumination problem, played many games on the infield of the dirt track oval near the Gillespie Field airport from 1958-66. New schools […]

1961-62: Cardinals Challenged But Prevail

Hoover’s 25-2 record and second consecutive San Diego Section Class AA championship did not reflect a season-long struggle to stay ahead of the Eastern League posse. Back-to-back league losses for the first time since 1957-58 and top-to-bottom league challenges, including one from rising Crawford, tested the Cardinals’ mettle. Coach Charlie Hampton’s team showed its grit, […]

1961 Track: First-Year Section Finding Its Way

Divorced from the Southern Section after 47 years, the new San Diego Section was one of the smallest in the state, 28 schools, and found itself with one automatic qualifier for each event in the state meet. The legislation by the state CIF ended the possibility, however unlikely, of as many as three in each […]

1961 Baseball: Morehead (15-0) Leads Hoover (24-3) to Title

Hoover was 1-7 in football but then the seasons changed.   The Cardinals won the first San Diego Section championship with a 24-3 record in winter basketball and repeated the 24-3 with another title in spring baseball. There were seven no-hitters pitched in the San Diego Section this year but none by Hoover’s Dave Morehead, who […]

1960: San Diego’s Final Act in Southern Section: Baseball, Track and Field.

A couple newcomers led the shouting in a last hurrah for San Diego. Area schools were preparing to leave the Southern Section after 47 years and embark on their own, 31 institutions forming the San Diego Section in the next school year. Clairemont and El Capitan, numbers 30 and 31, ignored usually unsuccessful results for […]

1960: For Better or (Mostly) Worse

San Diego County was “free” of the giant Southern Section and on its own, twenty-eight schools strong. The formation of the local CIF section pleased administrators and assorted education honchos who wielded the sharp end of the stick. Coaches and most fans were ambivalent. The great competition against Northern schools and the building excitement of […]

1960-61: Where’s Aretha? Mustangs Want Respect

It was a question never answered, because it seldom was asked. Which was the better team? The 25-1 San Dieguito Mustangs, who won the Class A championship, or the tradition-rich, 24-3 Hoover Cardinals, who won the AA title in the 1960-61,  first season of the CIF San Diego Section . Some 50 years later a […]

1960-61: Laurel & Hardy Could Not Top This

Evening Tribune writer Roger Conlee said the Grossmont-Helix game was more a circus carnival (of errors), with everything but a pie-throwing contest. Conlee covered the Metropolitan League Southern Division contest that attracted about 1,200 persons to Grossmont’s “ancient, creaky arena.” Taking them one at a time: –The game started at 8:45 p.m. after a longer-than-usual […]

1960-2012 Who Had the Best Defense?

A reader submitted that a Torrey Pines team coached by Ed Burke should be considered as having the all-time best defense among San Diego Section championship teams. Burke’s 2003 Falcons posted a 12-1 record, defeated Fallbrook, 7-3, in the Division I finals, scored 369 points, and allowed their 13 opponents only 69 points, an average […]

1959: St. Augustine Gets a Track and Field Home

One of St. Augustine’s vagabond teams finally was getting a home. A 330-yard track and field oval would provide the Saints a facility for dual-meet, track-and-field competition beginning in 1960. Football and baseball would still have to travel to  games. Basketball teams had a home since a gymnasium/auditorium was constructed in time for the 1951-52 […]

1959: Farewell, Southern Section!

San Diego had its own vision of manifest destiny.  An inferiority complex, too. Dr. Ralph Dailard, superintendent of the San Diego City Schools, announced on Sept. 22, 1959, that 15 area high schools were lined up to become members of the proposed San Diego Section of the California Interscholastic Federation. Dailard said the schools were […]

1959: East and West San Diego

A town divided. The City Prep League, founded in 1950, and which followed a smaller, 1930-32  alignment of the same name, was history. Hoover, St. Augustine, San Diego, Lincoln and Crawford, schools located east of U.S. 395, became part of the new Eastern League. Point Loma, Mission Bay, La Jolla, Kearny, and Clairemont, schools west […]

1959: Duane Maley Bows Out

This wasn’t the expected route of Duane Maley’s farewell tour. San Diego High was 0-2 for the first time in 46 years. Maley also was steaming at The San Diego Union sportswriter Jerry Magee and Maley’s boss, principal Lawrence Carr, was steaming at Maley. Blunt and outspoken, Maley didn’t realize that reporter Magee was going […]

1959: “Birt, Are You Crazy?”

Birt Slater’s sanity was in question. Why would the handsome, charismatic Slater take the head coaching job at Kearny (three winning years in 15 seasons,  all-time record,  45-66-7), when he could have had the San Diego High  job when Duane Maley retired? The answer wasn’t nearly as simple, but Slater eventually created his own powerhouse […]

1959-60: Pointers Prevail After Others Falter

San Diego was leaving the Southern Section at the end of the school year but was going out with an unprecedented show of force. Hoover was ranked No. 1 and Helix No. 2 in seeding for the 32-team major playoffs.  Glendale, beaten by both Hoover and San Diego, was seeded fourth. Hoover’s undefeated regular season […]

1959-60: Hoover Comes Up Short at Finish Line

Seldom was a defeat as disappointing as that which knocked out Hoover in the semifinals of San Diego’s swansong in the CIF Southern Section playoffs. The Cardinals sustained a numbing, 39-34 loss to Anaheim in the round of  four in a season when they were unbeaten for 26* straight games. Coach Charlie Hampton had returned […]

1959 Track: Tripp’s Great Day in Southern Section Finals

Arnold Tripp took charge early in the Southern Section championships  at Long Beach Veterans’ Stadium when he upset hometown favorite Dee Andrews of Long Beach Poly in the broad jump, then followed with a second in the 100 to San Bernardino’s John Howard, and ran down Howard in the stretch  of the 220-yard sprint, bettering […]

1959 Baseball: Cassie’s Great Run Ends in Disappointment

Another outstanding San Diego High team was eliminated in the Southern California playoffs and followed a trend of other Cavers teams generally also coming up short in football and basketball. Coach Les Cassie, who guided the 1952 team to an astounding 35-2 record and its lone Southern California title in the decade, retired after this […]

1958: Jackrabbit Fever Strikes Mighty Cavemen

San Diego High fell with a resounding thud in quarterfinals of the Southern Section playoffs. A 26-18 loss to old nemesis Long Beach Poly in Balboa Stadium was surprising in its decisiveness, devastating in its finality. Especially for coach Duane Maley, who announced his intention to retire from coaching and go into administration at the […]

1958:  Cinderella Was a Red Devil

An apparent CIF playoff loss by another San Diego-area team loomed when Sweetwater took possession after an Anaheim punt late in the third quarter, trailing in a first-round game, 7-0. What followed was legend. What Red Devils quarterback Wayne Sevier remembered, before he passed away in 1999, was “twenty-four plays, eighty-three yards, seven first downs, […]

1958-59: Cavers’ Great Season Goes off Rails

Forfeits, ineligibles, nuptials. Three words that sum up a season filled with hot shooting, high scores, and dramatic finishes but ended with flat, early exits for San Diego schools in their next-to-last year in the Southern Section playoffs. –San Diego High, 23-2 on the floor, was 7-18 legislatively after forfeiting 16 victories because of an […]

1958 Track: Lincoln’s Drive to CIF Southern Section Title Crashes

Always striving for higher, faster, further, San Diego -area track and field competitors delivered a bevy of outstanding marks and a consensus that Lincoln, in its fourth season, could become the Southern California team champion, following San Diego’s 1957 championship. The Hornets didn’t make it, their season ending in disappointment.  Lincoln’s troubles in the Southern […]

1958 Baseball: Cavers Can’t Get Past Long Beach Poly

Another great San Diego High team?  Or a very good San Diego team that had punished mostly mediocre opponents? The Cavemen, 23-1 and one of the favorites for a Southern Section championship, were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the playoffs at Long Beach Poly, a team with a 20-3 record but had not participated in […]

1958 Baseball: Cavemen Exit Playoffs in Quarterfinals

Another great San Diego High team?  Or a very good San Diego team that had punished mostly mediocre opponents? The Cavemen, 23-1 and one of the favorites for a Southern Section championship, were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the playoffs at Long Beach Poly, a team with a 20-3 record but had not participated in […]

1957: Downey Gives Cavers Tummyache

San Diego had two teams in the Southern California finals and another poised to advance, but neither could get over the hurdle. Three losses by the area’s best, based on enrollment size, made for a  bitterly disappointing end to a difficult and unprecedented season, made uneven and often unimportant by the invasion of a virus […]

1957: Different Kind of Opponent

A silent killer loomed. Discovered in February in a Southern China province, a virus that  became known as the Asian Flu hit area teams with full force several months later. The germ spread to Singapore, then was transported by U.S. Naval personnel, reaching the shores of the Pacific Coast in June. The virus spread across the […]

1957: Hoover 9 Surprises With Run to CIF Finals

The top four teams in won-loss percentage in the County were San Diego (25-3, .880), Helix (16-5, .762), Mission Bay (17-6, .737), and Hoover (19-9, .679). It was the latter that battled through four rounds of the CIF Southern Section playoffs to get to the finals. Hoover was an uninspiring 10-8 heading into the stretch […]

1957: Cook’s and Cavers’ Great Day

Roscoe Cook, Bobby Staten, Willie Jordan, and Charles (Sugar Jet) Davis comprised a swift foursome of San Diego High athletes who surprised the field and brought home a Southern California track championship. The biggest surprise was by Cook, who entered the season as the most important and accomplished of the quartet. Some background: Cook was […]

1957-58: Shaules and Saints Lit Up the Scoreboard

January, 1958,  was  special  for Tom Shaules, for St. Augustine High, and for basketball in San Diego. That wintry month annually signals the anniversary of Shaules’  epic run through the City Prep League. The 5-foot, 8-inch senior scored a record 60 points against Crawford, led the Saints in three games in which they scored more […]

1957-58: Shaules Had Records, but Cavers Had Championship

A palpable buzz was heard throughout San Diego gymnasiums this season, hummed to a pitch by a 5-foot, 8-inch sharpshooter with an unorthodox jump shot. St. Augustine’s Tom Shaules set scoring records and drew huge crowds, but Shaules and his husky teammate, Sammy Owens, were a virtual two-man team and the Saints, while making the […]

1957 Track: Cook and Cerveny Lead Way; Cavers Win a Championship

The thinclads were so good that several made national lists. Roscoe Cook of San Diego High held the national record in the 100-yard dash, if only for a few days.  Mission Bay’s Jim Cerveny came close to the national record in the 880-yard run. Bobby Staten, Jim Wade, Luther Hayes, Ed Buchanan, and Dick Verdon […]

1956: Then and Now for Hoover’s Engle

A stunning, 20-12 victory over archrival San Diego High brought back a flood of memories to Hoover coach Roy Engle. —That hazy afternoon in Balboa Stadium in 1935 when Engle drove the Cardinals to a fourth-quarter, 7-6 victory over San Diego. —Engle, the senior ball carrier, gaining the final 25 yards in three carries in […]

1956: “Smiley” is San Diego High Legend

San Diego coach Duane Maley said it best:  “He can run sideways faster than most backs can forward.” Maley spoke of a favored player,  5-foot, 4-inch, 145-pound halfback Cleveland (Smiley) Jones, who literally carried the 1956 Cavemen. Jones was the City Prep League player of the year despite missing almost all of two games and […]

1956-57: A Red Devils Reset

Who would have thought a team that started the season with a 1-8 record and finished 10-10 would be celebrated? Hats off to the Sweetwater Red Devils. An eighth loss in nine games was where coach Wells Gorman’s team stood on January 6, 1957, after a 55-50, Metropolitan League, opening-game loss at Helix. But that […]

1956 Track: 5 Stars Deliver in Five-Star State Track Meet

Track and field made a  leap with multiple outstanding performances in several events. All five area qualifiers scored points in the greatest state meet in history, witnessed by about 4,500 persons on a 100-degree day in Chico. —Coach Raleigh Holt’s Hoover Cardinals won another City Prep League championship with depth in every race, jump, and […]

1956 Baseball: Cavers Lose 4 in Row, Longest Streak in 28 Years

The Cavers were out of sorts. San Diego High finished with an 18-8 record, its poorest since the 17-10 of 1950, and the Cavers lost four games in a row down the stretch to fall out of City Prep League and playoff contention. According to Don King’s Caver Conquest, the athletic history of the school, […]

1955: Principal Up to his Neck in Playoffs

A twist in the CIF Southern Section playoffs this year resulted in the Coronado principal twisting in the wind. Escondido and Coronado had tied for second place in the Avocado League. making either school eligible for the league’s runner-up berth in the Southern Division (small schools) postseason. So far, so good. But Escondido coach Walt West […]

1955: Cavers in Epic Struggle

By the grace of a 17-14 advantage in first downs, San Diego High survived a 20-20 standoff with Anaheim in the CIF playoff semifinals before 10,271 persons at Long Beach Veterans’ Memorial Stadium. A heart-thumping conclusion represented the final shot in a frenetic battle of undefeated teams that brought an end to a week of […]

1955: Cavemen Win First Title since 1922

Since winning it all in 1922, San Diego High had made unsuccessful playoff attempts in 1925, ’33, ’45, ’46, ’47, ’48, ’50, ’53, and ’54, and they were positioned again to make another run at a Southern Section championship. Coach Duane Maley whistled the start of September  drills with all hands on deck, except one. […]

1955:  Chula Vista’s Winningest Era

Chet DeVore was taken aback, if not incredulous. “I’m a basketball coach,” he told his boss. “I don’t have enough experience to coach football.” That was DeVore’s reaction in 1951 when Chula Vista High principal Joe Rindone, asked DeVore to head the Spartans’ football program. Few administrators have been so prescient. Forty-four wins, seven losses, […]

1955:  Anaheim Was In Like Flynn

Mickey Flynn became known as the “Ghost of La Palma”. Because of the 1950-55 success of Clare Van Hoorebeke’s Anaheim Colonists program, the Anaheim parks department had agreed to expand the La Palma Avenue baseball park to include 7,500 grandstand seats in the outfield. The first football game drew an overflow crowd of 9,000 persons […]

1955-56: Islanders Square Account

Coronado paid an old debt. Hoover’s playoff advance was halted at the foul line. Merrill Douglas ended a great run at San Diego High. Lincoln showed that patience had virtue. —John Kovac was a football coach who happened to come along at the right basketball time at Coronado. The dour Kovac without prompting often recalled […]

1955 Track: Hoover and Grossmont Dominate

The lower classifications held sway. Grossmont was the Southern Section team champion in Class B and most of the area’s future Class A champions were underclassmen, at least a year or two away. Hoover was enjoying a period of dominance in CPL dual meets, routing San Diego, 64 1/3-39 2/3.  Grossmont also defeated the Cavers, […]

1955 Baseball: Grossmont Wins Big One That Eludes San Diego

Another outstanding San Diego High team (27-4) was unexpectedly bounced from the playoffs but Grossmont won a Southern Section championship, joining the similarly successful 1951 squad. Only one team from each league was invited to the playoffs, so Hoover was a non-participant despite a record that was a reported 24-4. San Diego junior Deron Johnson […]

1954: South Bay Dynasty

Chet DeVore was thinking of  an earlier, distant journey and a notion called  the “Spin T”. “We expect a tough game from an aggressive, well-coached team,” DeVore said of coach Gus Headington’s 10-1 El Centro Central squad and its uniquely designated offensive formation, “but we took one, long ride home with a beaten team this year and […]

1954: San Diego-Santa Monica Playoff Game Film

Dr. Tebb Kusserow, an all Southern California lineman at Santa Monica High in 1960, is involved with the Samohi Archival Project and provided this rare footage of a Southern Section playoff in 1954 between San Diego High (dark uniforms) and Santa Monica at Corsair field on the Santa Monica College campus. Led by future NFL quarterback […]

1954: Coronado’s Fallen Officer

Frank Greene had spent much of his life around a football field or in law enforcement when he was shot and killed at age 43 on Oct. 12, 1954. Greene set the standing California high school record of 80 points in one game when he scored 11 touchdowns and 14 points after in a 108-0 […]

1954: Cavemen Come of Age

Duane Maley, his voice hoarse and body soaked from an impromptu shower by the coach’s shouting, celebrating players, stood amid the bedlam of the San Diego High sideline in Balboa Stadium. “My kids played the best football game I’ve ever seen,” said Maley after the gritty, 7-0 victory over the 7-0 Hoover Cardinals in perhaps […]

1954: Bulldogs’ Bite Felt in Foothills

Ramona High, in business since 1894 but sans football until 1938, was emerging. Nestled at 2,200 feet between Mount Woodson and Iron Mountain in San Diego’s East County, the Bulldogs had quietly plugged along in relative mediocrity for 15 years, save for the 6-1 season of Charlie Snell’s 1940 squad. Ramona suddenly posted a 7-0 […]

1954: “A Play That Will Live in Infamy”

Hoover principal Floyd Johnson was thinking of making a change when he met with football coach Bob Kirchhoff before the 1954-55 school year. Johnson was dissatisfied.  A 1953 season that began with much promise was sullied by a 4-4-1 finish that included a 39-0 loss to rival San Diego High. Johnson would retire after the […]

1954-55: The Saints Get Some Glory

St. Augustine felt better about itself, assuaging some of the long-standing frustration from thwarted attempts to secure a league affiliation. The small, independent Catholic entity that opened its doors in North Park in 1922 enjoyed an in-your-face season and earned the first playoff berth in school history. The hard way. With a few community honchos […]

1954 Track: Hillers Return to Prominence for Retiring Coach

San Diego High bounced back with a 7-0 dual-meet record after a mediocre season in 1953 and finished fourth in the CIF Southern Section championships. It was a fitting farewell for coach Bill Patten, whose teams annually were among the best in Southern California since he became head coach in 1944. Patten’s teams posted a […]

1954 Baseball: 24-0 Cavers Shocked in First Game of Playoffs

San Diego High, for decades the No. 1 team in Southern California baseball, was undefeated and favored to win an 11th CIF championship. Until…. The Hillers, as they were most often called (besides Cavemen, Cavers, and Hilltoppers) during the era, lost a quarterfinals playoff to a team it had beaten, handily, twice before. This San […]

1953: Avocados And New Schools

Lincoln and Mission Bay took their first, tentative steps. St. Augustine continued to push for league affiliation. North County schools wanted to be closer to home. Army-Navy and Brown Military didn’t want to be left out. Such was the landscape, which promised to  change.   Joe Rindone, principal of Chula Vista High and president of the CIF Southern Section […]

1953: “Brimming” With Success

Chula Vista High was in the midst of a legendary era in the school’s history, thanks to two gentlemen loosely described by their imaginary headwear, which bespoke of the respect they commanded and clout they carried. Joe Rindone, the sports-minded school principal and president of the CIF Southern Section executive committee, was known as the […]

1953-54: Spartans Footballers Get Basketball Legs

All coach Clarence Burton and the Chula Vista Spartans needed were some fresh legs, i.e., several football players from the CIF small schools championship team needed time to get in shape. The Spartans started slowly in December while Chet DeVore’s gridders were engaged in the postseason, which concluded with a 12-6 win over Brawley. With […]

1953 Track: Nelson Won State Championship, led Hoover to top in CPL

Hoover, led by high jumper-hurdler Bernie Nelson, stole thunder usually heard only by San Diego High opponents. The Cardinals were 6-0 in dual meets and along with Grossmont and Point Loma won a dual meet from the usually unbeatable Hillers. Nelson, who cleared 6 feet, 4 inches, was the County’s first state champion since Grossmont’s […]

1953 Baseball: La Jolla Almost Wins It All With “Pupil” Coach

Walt Harvey was a football and track coach and once confessed he “didn’t know anything about baseball.” Harvey was a 1936 Hoover High classmate and friend of Les Cassie, who was a successful baseball coach at San Diego High. Cassie didn’t know it but he deserved an assist when Harvey found himself coaching the varsity […]

1952: Oh, No, Not Again!

The dreaded coin toss was back. The flip of a silver dollar had elevated La Jolla into the Southern California playoffs after a first-place tie with San Diego in 1951. Now, with a week remaining in the regular season and La Jolla and San Diego again headed for a tie for the City Prep League […]

1952: 3 Too Much For Chula Vista

“We couldn’t convince ourselves that this team was as good as the Sweetwater and Oceanside teams we defeated.” Such was the lament of Chula Vista coach Chet DeVore, whose Spartans’ season ended with a 19-0 loss to Laguna Beach in a CIF lower division, Southern Group semifinal playoff. The small crowd of about 2,500 at […]

1952-53: Gehring Leads Way to Hoop

Football, basketball, baseball, and track and field, the majors, remained seasonal sports for the best athletes, who usually participated in at least three. Single-sport concentration and club teams were a half-century away, but a change of another kind took place in high school hoops this season. There were many more games in which the competing […]

1952 Track: Grossmont Shot with Mashin’s `Putters

Jack Mashin coached football at Grossmont from 1925-47 and posted an excellent record, 125-66-19 (.644), but he became more known as an international figure in track and field. Mashin would, under auspices of the U.S. State Department, coach the first Pakistan Olympic team in 1956 in Melbourne, Australia, and his decades-long success at Grossmont led […]

1952 Baseball: By Any Name Cavers Are All-Time Winners

San Diego High, under second-year baseball coach Les Cassie, enjoyed its greatest success in a sport the Cavemen had dominated almost since the CIF Southern Section was formed in 1913. It won 35 games! And lost only two, a stunning won-loss percentage of .946! The historically powerful squads located on the beautiful campus at the […]

1951: Heads We Win, Tails You Lose!

Duane Maley felt like the guy who discovered that his wallet had been lifted after being jostled in a crowded theater. Maley  ended up on the wrong side of the coin minutes after conclusion of a tight, competitive City Prep League season.  Maley’s San Diego Cavemen and Walt Harvey’s La Jolla Vikings, each with a […]

1951-52: A Season Seven Times Significant

What made this campaign one to remember: 1) Hoover’s 11-1 ride through the City Prep League and 23-win campaign which stalled after an 11-point lead in the playoffs. 2) Point Loma’s rags-to-almost-riches season that ended with a call from Uncle Sam. 3) Helix, without a gymnasium, or a campus, not playing like a first-year team. […]

1951 Baseball & Track: Two Sports, Almost Two Champions

Grossmont was the  champion in baseball.  San Diego High was the champion in track and field…for three days. San Diego lost a title after a review of film from the 440-yard race in the Southern Section finals revealed that Hal Espy had finished fifth and not fourth, taking away a point from the Cavemen and […]

1950: As Powell Goes, So Go Cavers

This team may have been the best of all coached by Duane Maley at San Diego High, but the Cavemen lost two of their best players and five reserves as practice started and their best player at the most important time of the season. They came up short in the Southern California playoffs. Starting halfback Darnes […]

1950-51: Travel Checklist: Thomas Brothers Map

The twists and turns of the season weren’t so much about the drama of last-minute shots and frenetic finishes but of quirky schedules, odd venues, and some World War II-like travel. Home games often meant hitting the road. Coronado and Chula Vista met in the Metropolitan League’s most important game…at Point Loma. It was Chula […]

1950 Track: Grossmont’s Norris Stood Out Among Standouts

San Diego High and Grossmont were kings of the majors and La Jolla ruled the smaller schools. Hal Norris, Charlie Powell, Jerry Wood and Darnes Johnson were names of note. It was a solid if unspectacular season in the San Diego area, but Norris, the first of a generation of outstanding shot putters at Grossmont […]

1950 Baseball: Mike Morrow Moves On, Leaving Great Legacy

Dewey (Mike) Morrow ended a remarkable, 20-season run at San Diego High that included 15 Coast League championships and 10 Southern California titles from 1927, excluding the World War II, 1942-45 seasons. Morrow’s final Hillers team was 17-10 and its .630 winning percentage, excellent by almost any measure, his lowest. Morrow’s overall record against high […]

1949: Death on the Highway

La Jolla’s Jim Prather was a member of the Southern Section team in the first College Prep All-Star Game against the CIF Los Angeles City Section and set up set up a touchdown with a 46-yard punt return as Prather’s side scored a 27-7 victory. It was to be the last game ever for Prather, […]

1949-50: 4th in League, 1st in Southern California

Chula Vista’s basketball history was brief and uninspiring. Two seasons, 12 wins, 18 losses, seventh and fourth-place-tie finishes in the Metropolitan League. No problem.  The Spartans emerged from the pack to win a Southern California championship this season. It was a nice accomplishment for the fledgling South Bay power, but not without a few assists, […]

1949 Track: One Man Too Much for San Diego, Grossmont

San Diego could have locked up another Southern California championship, but the Hillers, who had won team titles in 1929, ’38, ’41, ’42, and ’48, were outscored by a tall timber topper from Glendale Hoover. Hurdler, jumper, and anchorman Jack Davis scored 19 of the Tornadoes’ 24 points, leaving the defending champion Hillers in second […]

1949 Baseball: Hillers Clobbered Almost All Opponents

Only a team more than 400 hundred miles away and in another state could stop coach Dewey (Mike) Morrow’s powerful San Diego Hillers. The also named Cavemen dropped three of four games in a home-and-home series with Arizona’s Tucson Badgers but bludgeoned 29 teams from Southern California and won Morrow’s 10th Southern Section championship. According […]

1948: High Schools and King Football Rule

A small item in The San Diego Union revealed that the Coliseum Arena in San Diego would be dark on Sept. 24. A scheduled boxing card  was called off, because the promoter didn’t want to compete for attendance and gate receipts with the annual City Schools’ football carnival. The carnival, kickoff to the high school […]

1948-49: No Games, Snow!

The dateline said San Diego, not somewhere in the High Sierra or North Dakota. Snow had forced postponement of two games. In the dead of winter a couple high school basketball contests in San Diego County were called off because of the flaky white stuff. Southern Prep League games sending Brown Military to Mountain Empire […]

1948 Track: Davis Brings Hilltoppers Home Despite Cut

The 880-yard relay, a frenetic and often perilous event, provided a wild conclusion to the CIF Southern Section finals at Compton. San Diego High won the team championship, surviving rush-hour traffic and a near pileup, not unlike a wild main event of a midget auto racing card in Balboa Stadium. The Hillers’ Charlie Davis, spiked […]

1948 Baseball: Hilltoppers Team of Year, Stagnaro Player of Year

It was another great season by coach Mike Morrow’s San Diego High Hilltoppers, who won their second Southern Section championship in the last three seasons. (San Diego also won the team championship in track and field and reached the finals in football, losing, 13-12, to Santa Monica). The Hillers were 69-16, a .812 winning percentage,  […]

1947:  The Crowds, They Kept Coming

 Hoover principal Floyd Johnson was going to hold the line. His school was the technical host for the annual game with San Diego High in Balboa Stadium and after the throngs of recent years Johnson vowed to close sales “when the 27,000th ticket is sold.” Johnson said that he did not want to revisit the […]

1947: Hilltoppers Come Oh, So Close!

Although about two-touchdown underdogs, coach Bill Bailey’s San Diego Hilltoppers took a 12-0 lead into the fourth quarter of the Southern California championship game. It would not be enough.  The Hillers sustained a third consecutive loss in the finals, following defeats of the 1925 and 1933 clubs. Favored Santa Monica rallied for a 13-12 victory […]

1947 Track: Barnard, Smith Win Southern California titles

Happy trails, Victory League. A bi-product of World War II, gasoline rationing, security scares, and travel restriction, the league served its purpose for four calendar years (search 1943: V is Key) as school bosses and students strived for normality. San Diego and Hoover, which joined teams in the Metropolitan League in1942 and again when the […]

1947 Baseball: A Vote for Point Loma As No. 1

Coach Les Cassie’s Hoover Cardinals were within nine outs of a berth in the Southern California finals.  San Diego High was San Diego High, reliably formidable.  But Don Clarkson’s Point Loma Pointers may have been the best of all. The Pointers won the prestigious Pomona 20-30 Rotary Club tournament, split two games with Hoover, and […]

1946: BMOCs and King Football

In the era following the World War II, the typical Big Man On Campus fit a profile: Tall. Good looking. Athletic. Star in sports. Quarterback on the football team. Acted in senior play. Prom king. San Diego High’s Gerald (Jerry) Dahms checked all boxes in this postwar, San Diego football era.  And the era was […]

1946-47: Cardinals, Hillers Busy Busy Busy

The CIF Southern Section was flourishing with competition. Wartime travel restrictions were a thing of the past.  There were games and more games, multiple tournaments, and big crowds. Hoover, 13-6 in 19 games in the 1945-46 season, jumped to 34 games, with a 24-10 record.  San Diego High, 19-5 in 24 contests, played 34 and […]

1946 Track: Balboa Stadium Site of Southern Section Championships

San Diego High, led by quartermiler Norman Stocks, sprinter-broad jumper Jimmy Barrera, hurdler Harry West, shot putter Joe Acevedo, and half-miler Harry Taylor, among others on a deep and talented squad, was in full force, posting an 8-0 record in dual meets, winner of 16 in a row, and 20-2 since Bill Patten became coach […]

1946 Baseball: Morrow is Back and so are Hilltoppers

Dewey J. (Mike) Morrow, a University of California at Berkeley graduate from Montana, returned from the war to San Diego High and coached the Hilltoppers to his eighth CIF Southern Section championship in Morrow’s 16 seasons and first since 1939. Writer Norrie West of the Evening Tribune said of Morrow’s return: “Not a soul will […]

1945: Cavers No. 1 in Country Until…

The headline below  screamed at the top of the lead sports page in The San Diego Union on Nov. 13, 1945. The Scholastic Statistical Bureau  of New York, “which every week rates the performances of thousands of high school grid aggregations throughout the country,” selected coach Bill Bailey’s team as No. 1 in the country, according […]

1945-46: “We Got (Expletive)!”

“Elevator! Elevator! We Got The Shaft!”  The cry is almost as old as the game.  Visiting teams shouting that the referees or the timekeeper were unjust, a polite term for being “homered”. The Huntington Beach Oilers felt that way when the Oilers, 4-0 on the season and a reported 20-1 in 1944-45, were on the […]

1944: The “Temporary Suburbs”

Oct. 5 was bearing down on Kearny High football coach Darrell Smith.  His team would play the first football game in school history, a night game no less, at Coronado High against the Islanders’ junior varsity. Problem. An important component of the  Komets’ uniform was missing, caused by a delay in shipment  by the manufacturer. […]

1944-45: Hoover No. 1 twice in Southern California Basketball

 It’s a footnote almost forgotten—a rare winning parlay involving a basketball team from San Diego. The Hoover Cardinals were champions of Southern California and center Dick Barnes was player of the year.  One feat had been accomplished, but not two, and not in the same season. Barnes, a 6-foot, 5-inch center, and his teammates won […]

1943: V is Key

The most important letter in the alphabet was V. World War II was nearing the halfway point.  The dark days of early 1942 had receded and Victory, while not yet in sight, was coming. V had become a symbol, visible everywhere throughout the country. There were hundreds of references, from military training programs (V-12), to […]

1943: Drink, you dirty Bum?

Not exactly modern hard rap, but school administrators weren’t amused when they heard students in the San Diego High cheering section “dissing” their  Hoover counterparts. The Hilltoppers sung to the tune of an old Army field artillery ditty, “Over hill, over dale, we will hit the dusty trail…as those caissons go rolling along”. With apologies to Tom Ables, San […]

1943-44: Ivan the Terrible, Not

An otherwise quiet campaign shortened by war was energized in the season’s last game. Ivan Robinson, the younger brother of 1941-42 San Diego star Ermer Robinson, scored 38 points, including 25 in the second half of a 70-23, season-ending victory over Kearny. News accounts reported that no prep in the area had ever rung up […]

1942: Imperiled Season is Saved

The rubber didn’t hit the road. So it was with the endangered 1942 season, buffeted by the winds of war that thrust San Diego to the forefront of the defense effort. Gasoline rationing shortly would go from volunteered to mandatory.  Night football was out. So was travel. The long-distance conference call became a popular means […]

1942: Cardinals (Baseball), Hillers (Track) Southern California’s No. 1’s

Hoover, as newspaper accounts and the school yearbook indicated, might have been an undefeated, 12-0 champion. Published reports in The San Diego Union show that the East San Diego team played only a couple military teams in early-season March, emerging victorious in each. Other games may not have been reported. Schools were cutting back on […]

1942-43: It’s All About Victory

Galvanized Americans had Victory on their minds as the war moved into its second year. San Diego school officials, living in the hub of the defense industry, pitched in.  They created the Victory League and put the Metropolitan League in a basketball drydock. Call theirs a New Year’s Resolution. Coronado coach Hal Niedermeyer had announced a Metro […]

1941: Hillers Can’t Get Over Final Hurdle

Those pesky uprights. San Diego High’s presumed run to a state championship was blindsided when Ed Pohl, leading as he approached the final obstacle in the 220-yard hurdles, slammed into a 30-inch barrier at San Jose State’s Spartan Stadium. Pohl stumbled and tried to recover but tripped across the rail separating the field from the […]

1941:  “I Want to Play Someone I Can Beat”

That refrain was heard early and often in the CIF Southern Section.  It is heard today, a century later. Coaches, players, administrators, fans, even the media, want to see their teams positioned to win or at least able to compete evenly. That’s the way it was when the interscholastic federation was formed in 1913, as […]

1941-42: Season Survives After Pearl Harbor

San Diego High players weren’t thinking of tomorrow. They were more interested in savoring a 27-24 victory at Coronado as the team boarded the ferry for the short ride back to the docking slip near Pacific Highway and Market Street. The Cavers may even have been discussing the merits of crosstown rival Hoover’s 52-36 victory […]

1940: Firestorm Over Oceanside Transfers

Voices were raised, fists shook, and fingers pointed in a  conference room  at  the downtown YMCA on Oct. 24 in  a dustup over eligibility involving players who notoriously became  known as the “Adopted Football Stars.” Metropolitan League principals and coaches held a special meeting to consider the status of two “sensational Oceanside athletes,” Jimmy Bender and […]

1940-41:  Douglas, Wilson Make Coaching Debuts

Two young coaches destined to become legendary in San Diego basketball lore arrived as varsity mentors at the city’s two prep powerhouses. Rickey Wilson, a former San Diego High player, succeeded Lawrence Carr at Hoover and Merrill Douglas, a transplanted Montanan, took over for Bill Schutte at San Diego High. The schools  continued to be […]

1940 Track: No State Meet For Contending Hilltoppers

San Diego High, which would have had four entries plus its relay team, opted not to participate in the 26th state meet at Visalia High, a 300-mile jaunt from the Border city. The Hilltoppers were nosed out of the Southern Section championship (below) but would have been one of the  teams vying for the championship […]

1940 Baseball: Hilltoppers to CIF: Thanks, But No Thanks

San Diego High gave Southern Section commissioner Seth Van Patten the figurative middle-finger salute when the Hillers were denied permission to play Delano High of the Central Section for a mythical state championship. After being told San Diego would meet Long Beach Wilson in a one-game Southern Section playoff, San Diego players voted not to […]

1939: Pointers Coach Has Scary Exit From Europe

War clouds across the Atlantic and a frightening moment on the high seas are what Charlie Wilson remembered most about 1939, when he was about to begin his second season as head coach at Point Loma. Wilson toured Scandinavian countries with his wife and friends in the summer and sailed home from the port of […]

1939-40: Outdoor Inconvenience Becomes Indoor Comfort

There would be raised eyebrows and at least one exclamation of “Really?” and another of “No Way!” should a copy of Charles Byrne’s Jan. 4, 1940, article in The San Diego Union have been placed in a time capsule and opened 20 years later. Basketball was evolving and moving indoors, although the game still was […]

1939 Track: Hilltoppers’ Heredia Barely Missed State Championship

San Diego High’s defending state championship team had the splendid miler, Al Heredia, but it was a quiet season overall in the militarily vital Coastal zone. The young men of the area undoubtedly were aware of the war clouds in Europe that would lead to World War II. 3/16/39 Oceanside won the 880-yard relay in […]

1939 Baseball: Another Title for Mike Morrow and Hilltoppers

San Diego’s 11th CIF Southern section championship and Coach Dewey (Mike) Morrow’s sixth came at the end of a turbulent decade and on the eve of World War II. The Great Depression that started in 1929 raged through the ‘thirties and playoffs would be affected as the CIF moved forward.  San Diego did not participate […]

1938: Game Official is Short of First Downs

Not exactly the stuff of Agatha Christie, but mystery surrounded  “The Missing First Downs”. La Jolla and Calexico engaged in a Southern California Lower Division playoff at La Jolla. The game ended in a 6-6 tie, but The San Diego Union reported the next day that the Vikings “won”, 7-6, and advanced to a championship […]

1938-39: Coaches On Unlikely Hiatus

Metropolitan League coaches doubled as classroom or physical education teachers, began their school years with football practice in early September, jumped into winter basketball, and followed with baseball or track in the spring. That’s the way it was done at the area’s smaller schools. Year after year. So it was a little surprising when a […]

1938 Track: Hilltoppers Win Championships but Lose to Hoover

It was a remarkable spring. San Diego High won its first outright, state  championship since 1929 and the Hilltoppers and Hoover Cardinals finished 1-2 in the team race in the CIF Southern Section finals. It stood to reason that since San Diego also was team champion in the five-star Southern Counties’ meet at Huntington Beach […]

1938 Baseball: Strange, Disappointing Ending for Hilltoppers

San Diego’s march to a Southern Section championship was derailed by Glendale in the most confusing finish in the 20-season career of coach Mike Morrow. “Bait and switch”  is a often-used political term for what happened to the Hilltoppers. They were told by CIF boss Seth Van Patten that a victory over Norwalk Excelsior in […]

1937: Vexed Wex(ler) Pulls Plug

Escondido was penalized 15 yards before it participated in the kickoff or took a snap at the beginning of the second half of a Metropolitan League game at Grossmont. Referee Charlie Smith, also the San Diego State baseball coach, penalized the Cougars for not being on the field and ready for kickoff after the 15-minute […]

1937-38: Where’s The Shadow When We Need Him?

Mystery surrounds Hoover’s basketball season. Someone, call the Shadow. The mythical sleuth, introduced to American radio audiences early in the decade, had gained so much popularity that a movie “The Shadow Strikes”  was released in 1937. The Shadow‘s alter ego Lamont Cranston, or more important, an enterprising newspaper reporter, would have determined why, after Hoover […]

1936: A Changing and Uncertain Landscape

Point Loma was beginning the most successful run in school history. —Banks and creditors foreclosed on the Garnet Avenue property in Pacific Beach on which San Diego Army and Navy Academy had been a fixture since 1910. —School districts sprung up in Encinitas and Vista, creating a revamped Southern Prep League and an enrollment shortfall […]

1936-37:  Cardinal B’s Stunned After 48 Wins in Row

Class B teams were not junior varsities and not necessarily inferior to Class A (varsity) clubs. The B designation was based on exponents, which combined height, weight, and age.  It was not unusual for seniors to play on B squads. Under Coach Bruce Maxwell, Hoover ruled the B world, many times playing the feature, late […]

1936 Track: Hilltoppers’ Pole Vaulter Saves Area From State Meet Shutout

It almost was all quiet on the San Diego County track and field front. Pole vaulter Bob Henderson of San Diego high tied for second in the state meet at 12 feet, 9 inches, and was the only local entry to score. Henderson had a career best of 13 feet and teammate Ben Sohn was […]

1936 Baseball: Ted Williams and Jackie Robinson Made for a Memorable Season

Two of baseball’s all-time greatest players were playing with hundreds of so-called mortals. Hoover’s Ted Williams and Pasadena Muir Tech’s Jackie Robinson trod on the diamonds and little Escondido High knocked down some  giants and went all the way to the Southern California finals. 3/31/36 A total of 31 teams and up to 600 players […]

1935: Redbirds and Rioting

A 27-0 loss to the Muir Technical Mustangs of Pasadena in the first round of the Southern California playoffs did not dim the luster of one of the greatest seasons in the history of Hoover High football. John Perry, who guided the Cardinals’ program from its beginning in 1930, directed the Eastside club to its first victory […]

1935-36: Hilltoppers Win, Cardinals’ Feathers Ruffled

Unlikely season, unlikely conclusion. –A rare playoff run by San Diego teams in the Southern California playoffs. –San Diego High marched through four rounds to win its only CIF Southern Section championship, along the way setting a school single-game scoring record…maybe. –Hoover blitzed Class B opponents in an attempted sequel to championships in 1931-32, 1933-34, […]

1934: The Brothers Nettles

Their story could have been inspiration for “The Grapes of Wrath,” because Bill Nettles and younger twin Wayne lived the life of John Steinbeck’s poor and displaced. Teenagers, age 16,  caught in the poverty of Oklahoma’s depression-era Dust Bowl, sought a way out. With the spirit and optimism of youth, the youngsters decided to make their way […]

1933: Cavers ‘Couldn’t Lose’; Metropolitan League Makes Bow

“Power, deception, speed, coordination, all wrapped in 11 (blue and) white packages from the Border City.” Such was the observation of a Los Angeles Times reporter who witnessed San Diego High’s 27-0 victory over host Santa Barbara along with 5,000 others at Peabody Stadium in the Southern California playoff semifinals. “Either Santa Barbara had a […]

1932: “I Want to Play Football at San Diego High”

Coach Hobbs Adams was in his office a couple years before, finishing some paper work during the quiet of the Christmas vacation break. A strapping youngster walked into the school’s recently constructed gymnasium and found Adams at his desk. The visitor told Adams he was from Texas and wanted to play football at San Diego High. […]

1931: Depression-Hit San Diego High Plays for Charity

The Star Spangled Banner became our national anthem, Al Capone was convicted of tax evasion, the Empire State Building rose in Manhattan, the small community of Las Vegas voted to legalize gambling. And 8 million Americans, at least 16 per cent of the work force, were on the street, out of work, and soon to […]

1930: Cougars Don’t Like Vintage Mascot

Now wait just a grape-pickin’ minute! Students at Escondido High were up in arms. They did not cotton to the term Grape Pickers or its use to describe the school’s athletic teams, although the wine-making fruit held agricultural sway in the area and the city had hosted a Grape Day Festival since 1908. The students […]

1930 Track: San Diego Struggled but Earned Second State Championship

San Diego High retained a share of its 1929 state championship after losing its Southern California title to Santa Ana. The Hilltoppers returned 1929 state 100 and 220 champion Jimmy Willson, 440 champ Irvine (Cotton) Warburton, state mile champion Evan Dowers, and sprinter Fernando Ortiz, among others on a deep and talented roster. How could […]

1930 Baseball: Socking Sada Led San Diego High Sluggers

San Diego High won its third consecutive CIF championship under fifth-year coach Mike Morrow and posted a 19-3 record, according to Don King’s Caver Conquest. The Great Depression was raging, unemployment was high, young men had time on their hands, and many played baseball. Possibly without budget for travel beyond obligatory Coast League games, Morrow’s […]

1929: Coronado Steals Some Hilltoppers Thunder

San Diego High was on its fifth head coach in the last three seasons and found itself sharing  headlines for the first time with a team not from Long Beach. Coronado High, across San Diego Bay, was flexing muscles. Controversy would follow. John Perry left coaching after the 1926 season and was succeeded by John […]

1929 Track: Willson Leads Hilltoppers To First State Championship

“Willson, with two l’s.” Jimmy Willson had been correcting the spelling of his last name since he was in grade school but that changed when Willson’s family moved from Massachusetts and 11th grader Jimmy turned out for Coach Glenn Broderick’s track team at San Diego High. After a “Wilson“ or two, local sports writers got […]

1928: Turbulent Season at San Diego High

The Roaring Twenties were coming to a disastrous conclusion. A new school would rise in East San Diego honoring future president Herbert Hoover, who promised a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage, and San Diego High football was on a bumpy ride  that began with John Perry’s departure as coach after […]

1928: The Saints and Hilltoppers Have Eligibility Beef

The rivalry between San Diego High and St. Augustine, only a year old in football, had heated up. At least six graduates of the high school continued to play on the prep level, for St. Augustine. This was not uncommon throughout the CIF in the 1920s, but it was one explanation for the 30-year struggle […]

1927: Foothillers Bring Championship to Grossmont

Grossmont’s Southern California Minor Division football championship for schools with less than 1,000 students was achieved following a series of competitive and administrative tug of wars. Coach Ladimir (Jack) Mashin’s Foothillers defeated Calexico High, 9-0, on the Grossmont gridiron to complete an 8-0-3 season that included a championship in the San Diego County League. With […]

1926: John Perry Steps Away From Hilltop Sideline

San Diego High represented one of the best football coaching jobs in the state, but was John Perry all in? Perry ruminated that the 1925 season, which ended in a bitter, 13-6 loss to Covina in the CIF championship game, was too long, ending Dec. 12, and a reason his club had let down in […]

1925: Santa Ana Ploy Almost Derailed Saunders and Hilltoppers

Competition and controversy were different words with different meanings, but they blurred in the far-flung Coast League, whose fratricidal members regularly accused their brethren of academic or residential mischief. San Diego High was on the receiving end of a far-out allegation that threatened to stop one of the best teams in school history. Senior Captain Russ Saunders, […]

1924: Hilltoppers’ Star Saved in Swimming Pool

San Diego High avoided a tragic event when star sophomore fullback Bert Ritchey almost drowned before the Hilltoppers’ “bowl game” at Phoenix Union. After  a 12-hour ride on a special San Diego & Arizona railroad car and arriving Friday morning, the Cavemen worked out at Phoenix’s Riverside Park late Friday afternoon.  That evening many in the […]

1923: Writer Takes Shots at San Diego Coach

John Perry was 29-10-2 with a winning percentage of .738 in four seasons as San Diego High coach. But that wasn’t good enough for one sportswriter on San Diego’s largest daily newspaper. A crushing midseason, 26-0 loss to Long Beach Poly was followed by a “disinterested”, 13-0 victory over Coast League doormat Whittier. “The wreck […]

1922: Student Gives Newspaper Inside Scoop

San Diego High had an unusual relationship with The San Diego Union. Student Alan McGrew, who also served in a business position as the “Temporary Football Manager of San Diego High School,” was the de facto Hilltoppers beat writer for the newspaper. McGrew filed daily reports on the Hilltoppers, the headline sports attraction in the […]

1921: Army-Navy’s Left Out of Loop’s Loop

Army-Navy Academy in Pacific Beach couldn’t rely on a six-game County League schedule to complement a full slate of games. As reported in The San Diego Union,”…through an error at the beginning of the County League the eleven was omitted.” If that report is to be believed, the person who drew up the County League […]

1920: Hilltoppers Set Record With 130 and “New” Grossmont Arrives

Army-Navy had a 5-0 record.  San Diego High (4-1) had just been run off the field,  51-0 by the 5-0 Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits. Did Army-Navy have a chance the following week against the Hilltoppers and their 24-year-old, rookie head coach, John Perry. No. Perry addressed a school assembly the day before his team would […]

1919: Coronado Flexes, Hilltoppers Up, Down

San Diego High continued to transition to mediocrity from the championship squad of three seasons before and tiny Coronado mixed with the big boys. Bryan (Pesky) Sprott and five members of the Hilltoppers’ nationally-acclaimed 1916 team now were leading the University of California’s powerful squad and coach Clarence (Nibs) Price was on the Bears’ football […]

1918: San Diego Feels Global Health Crisis

A sneeze at a military facility near Junction City, Kansas, turned into a cold that led to a fever that led to a death that led to a global pandemic. The so-called “Spanish Flu”, which is said to have first struck World War I soldiers processing in and out of Camp Funston on the Fort […]

1917: Hilltoppers Learn it’s Difficult to Repeat

Uneasy rested the crown. San Diego High, anointed the best high school team in the country by a New York publication after the 12-0 campaign of 1916, experienced a season of highs and lows, emphasis on the latter. Coach Clarence (Nibs) Price, who started practice in September with news that his best player was “dangerously […]

1916: The Legendary Hilltoppers

The 12-0 season, Southern California championship, and declaration as national champions was just the beginning for coach Clarence (Nibs) Price and many of the San Diego High Hilltoppers. Price left the school after the 1917-18 school year and made his way back to Price’s alma mater, the University of California at Berkeley, joining the staff of head […]

1916: San Diego Hilltoppers Are National Champions

Follow the 12-0 San Diego High team, which won the Southern California title and was declared No. 1 in the U.S. by the National Sports News Service, as covered by Jack Darroch, “beat writer” for The San Diego Union who was a student at the school or recent graduate. Darroch’s view took in the inner […]

1916-2013: Did Hilltoppers Forfeit to Drillers?

It was a moot point for 97 years. But when Bakersfield defeated Loomis Del Oro, 56-26, in the State Division I championship  this season an old dispute surfaced. Officially the title was Bakersfield’s seventh, along with years of 1920, ’21, ’22, ’23, ’25, and ’27. State championships were not played from 1928-2005. Bakersfield historians claim […]

1915: Hilltoppers Have Their Field of Dreams

“City” Stadium, a horseshoe-shaped edifice with a declared  23,312 concrete seats, opened the previous spring in the back yard of San Diego High. Coincidentally, football fortunes improved on the Hilltop. Coach Clarence (Nibs) Price, 2-3-1 in his inaugural 1914 season, guided the school to its best record in the 23 years since the game was […]

1915-2020: Boys State Track and Field Champions

They didn’t necessarily post the all-time San Diego County best in their event, or even their best, but 62 individuals have won 80 state track championships since the first meet in 1915. Pole Vaulter Bill Miller of San Diego, jumper Dokie Wiliams of El Camino, and weight specialist Darius Savage of Morse stand out as […]

1915-2020: About the Track and Field Marks

I have reprinted Steve Brand’s 2012 track and field annual (2013 is being updated as this is written). Steve and I have shared an equal love of high school track for many years.  My newspaper, the Evening Tribune published the first annual in 1965 and another was published in 1971. I attempted to list the […]

1915-2013: Boys’ State Meet Champions

100 meters 1992 Riley Washington Southwest 10.30 1977 David Russell Henry 9.61y 1974 Elijah Jefferson Crawford 9.8y 1973 Elijah Jefferson Crawford 9.6wy 1929 Jimmy Willson San Diego 9.8y 200 meters 1977 David Russell Henry 20.97y 1941 Glen Willis San Diego 21.7 1929 Jimmy Willson San Diego 21.4y 400 meters 1979 Tony Banks Morse 47.28 1946 […]

1915-2013 Girls’ State Meet Champions

100m 1984 Gail Devers Sweetwater 11.51 1974 Janice Wiser La Jolla 10.8y 200m 2000 Monique Henderson Morse 23.19 1974 Janice Wiser La Jolla 24.2y 2001 Monique Henderson Morse 51.34 2000 Monique Henderson Morse 50.74 1999 Monique Henderson Morse 52.87 1998 Monique Henderson Morse 53.41 800m 1986 Laura Chapel University City 2:08.07 1600m 2009 Sammy Silva […]

1914:  On The World Stage

It’s not a stretch to declare that this was the year San Diego, the growing city at the geographical bottom of California, stepped into the modern age. The vision and determination of San Diego’s civic leaders launched the successful Panama-California Exposition on Jan. 1, 1915, even though in competition with the larger, federally-funded expo in […]

1891-1913: Football Finds the Pacific Coast

It had been almost 25 years since Rutgers University and Princeton played in the first American football game in 1867. A generation later the gridiron sport, more like Australia’s rugby, had made its way West. To an expanse near the San Diego Bay. Students from the Russ High School met adults from the “San Diego […]