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 is Friday night at 7:30, when Rancho Santa Margarita, ranked 13th in the Los Angeles Times, visits Cathedral.
Other interesting intersectionals include Carlsbad versus Phoenix Brophy Prep Saturday at 7:30 at Cathedral; Christian at Brawley Friday at 7:00, and Phoenix Desert Vista at La Costa Canyon Friday at 7.
Most appealing matchup of preseason Top 10 teams has El Capitan and Madison meeting at Cathedral Friday at 5.
Week 1:
| # | Team (1st place votes) | Points | ’14 W-L | Previous |
| 1. | Helix (19) | 217 | 10-3 | 3 |
| 2. | Mission Hills (3) | 198 | 9-3 | 4 |
| 3. | Cathedral | 150 | 10-2 | 5 |
| 4. | St. Augustine | 134 | 8-5 | 6 |
| 5. | Oceanside | 101 | 14-1 | 1 |
| 6. | Madison | 84 | 9-4 | 9 |
| 7. | Eastlake | 77 | 7-4 | 10 |
| 8. | El Capitan | 51 | 14-1 | 2 |
| 9. | Torrey Pines | 43 | 6-5 | 15 |
| 10. | Carlsbad | 39 | 5-6 | NR |
Others receiving votes (points, 2014 record & ranking in parenthesis): San Marcos (27, 10-2, 12th), Rancho Bernardo (22, 10-3, 7th), Christian, 18, 13-1, 8th), Ramona, 13, 8-3, 13th), Steele Canyon (10, 7-4, NR), Bonita Vista (5, 5-6, NR), Valhalla (5, 4-7, NR), El Camino (4, 7-6, 16th), La Costa Canyon (4, 7-6, NR), The Bishop’s (3, 13-0, 11th), Granite Hills (1, 9-4, NR).
Twenty-two media and CIF representatives vote each week: John Maffei (U-T San Diego), Steve Brand, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Jim Lindgren, Tom Saxe, Rick Hoff (U-T San Diego correspondents), Bill Dickens, Chris Davis (East County Sports.com), Steve (Biff) Dolan, Rick (Red) Hill (Mountain Country 107.9 FM), John (Coach) Kentera, Ted Mendenhall, Bob Petinak (The Mighty 1090), Rick Willis, Brandon Stone (KUSI-TV), Rick Smith (partletonsports.com), Jerry Schniepp, John Labeta (CIF San Diego Section), Bodie DeSilva (sandiegopreps.com), Drew Smith (sdcoastalsports.com), Lisa Lane (San Diego Preps Insider).
FINAL 2014 POLL
| # | Team (1st place votes) | W-L | Points | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oceanside (19) | 13-0 | 190 | 1 |
| 2 | El Capitan | 13-0 | 160 | 3 |
| 3 | Helix | 10-3 | 150 | 5 |
| 4 | Mission Hills | 9-3 | 118 | 4 |
| 5 | Cathedral | 10-2 | 107 | 2 |
| 6 | St. Augustine | 8-5 | 84 | NR |
| 7 | Rancho Bernardo | 10-3 | 64 | 7 |
| 8 | Christian | 13-0 | 64 | 8 |
| 9 | Madison | 9-4 | 43 | NR |
| 10 | Eastlake | 7-4 | 27 | 6 |
LIKE FATHERS, LIKE SONS
David Justice, Jr., is a sophomore quarterback at St. Augustine and the son of the former major league outfielder of the same name who hit 305 home runs in a 14-season career.
Cathedral quarterback Tate Haynes is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Haynes, who intercepted 46 passes in his 14-season NFL career.
Scripps Ranch quarterback Zach Podraza is the son of Tim Podraza, veteran NFL game official
CARDINALS PUBBED
Hoover was featured in Fuel, a magazine dedicated to high school football. Coach Jerry Ralph and two of his players were selected for the magazine cover.
Ralph was interviewed for an article that described a cooperative effort with school faculty. The idea was to improve Cardinals players academics and ensure their eligibility.
The Cardinals are 25-11 in Ralph’s three seasons and he is one of 41 coaches in the San Diego Section who have won at least 100 games. Ralph is 121-68-2 for a .636 winning percentage in 16 seasons at four schools.
Hoover’s opening game Friday is against Ron Hamamoto’s Monte Vista’s Monarchs. Hamamoto is the leading active San Diego Section coach with 201 victories.
QUICK KICKS—Bobby Hatchett replaced Brandon Hawkins as coach at San Ysidro as preseason training was beginning…Hawkins stepped in as head coach for Terry Tucker in Week 3 of 2014…former NFL linebacker Na’il Diggs is an assistant coach at Point Loma… Diggs, a ninth-round draft choice out of Ohio State by the Green Bay Packers in 2000, finished a 12-season, 170-game career with the San Diego Chargers in 2011…the field at La Jolla is under repair and the Vikings will play their home games at the new Mission Bay layout, some 60 seasons after Mission Bay began playing its home games at La Jolla…Kearny returns home to a new stadium…Crawford will be on the road as the football field and the baseball diamond exchange places…
