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 13^th in the state, according to MaxPreps.  Cathedral is No. 2 and No. 24, respectively.  Lincoln has a 57.8 Calpreps rating and Cathedral 46.5.

Lincoln coach David Dunn will be seeking his 100^th career victory.

A win by Cathedral would be coach Sean Doyle’s 238^th, tying Doyle with the late Bennie Edens, Point Loma’s coach from 1955-97, one year after Doyle’s appointment at the school then known as University of San Diego High on Kearny Mesa.

Cathedral leads the all-time series, 12-4, but Lincoln won, 40-14, in 2023.

Scripps Ranch and University City represent the fourth pairing of 7-0 teams since 1980, according to web master Henrik Jonson. Other similar matchups were Monte Vista-Mount Miguel in 1984, Cathedral-La Jolla in 1991, and Ramona-Valley Center in 2009.

Jonson also pointed out that 274 teams in County history have begun the season with 7-0 slates.

Scripps Ranch leads the all-time series, 10-3, but the Centurions won, 33-30, in 2023.  Falcons coach Marlon Gardinera is 52-29 since 2017 and Paul Lawrence is 27-17 at U.C. since ’21.

CENTURY HONOR

One has entered the Coach 100 Club.  Two are pounding on the door. Two others could use strong finishes in the regular season or playoffs, or wait till next year.

Forty-seven San Diego Section coaches have won at least 100 games, led by Herb Meyer, safely ensconced in the distant reach of the coaches’ universe, with 339.

Jack Mashin of Grossmont won more than 100 games when the Foothillers were in the Southern Section. The careers of Meyer, Chick Embrey, Gene Edwards, Birt Slater, and Edens also overlapped with the Southern Section (see Coach 100 Club).

Records for 2024 are in parenthesis.

MAFFEI FEELS IT

John Maffei’s The San Diego Union Week 8 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.

+Through Week 6.

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Torrey Pines (3-4, 16 points), Scripps Ranch (7-0, 14). El Camino (4-3, 6) Imperial (8-0, 2), Valley Center (6-2, 1).

VOTING PANEL

Twenty-nine sportswriters, sportscasters, administrators from San Diego County, plus Max Preps.com.

• John Maffei (San Diego Union-Tribune).
• Don Norcross, Steve Brand, Rick Hoff, Kevin Farmer (Union-Tribune Freelance contributors).
• Joe Heinz, Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez (CIF San Diego Section).
• Brandon Stone, Allison Edmonds, John Carroll, Chase Izidor (KUSI, Channel 51).
• Rick Smith (partletonsports.com).
• Braden Suprenant (97.3-FM The Fan).
• Christian Pedersen (San Diego Sports Association).
• Tom Helmantoler, (Southern Conference advisor).
• Rex Johnson, Bruce Ward (CIF Advisory Committee).
• Mike Dolan, Joe Evangelist (San Diego Coaching Legends).
• Raymond Brown (sdfootball.net).
•  Bodie DeSilva, John Kentera, Steve (Biff) Dolan, Dennis Ackerman, Eric Williams, Thomas Gutierrez, Tom Ronco, Adam Paul (Freelance contributors).

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 (10).

With 152 more regular season contests scheduled, and the postseason creating an additional two dozen, the sum will near the Section preseason-predicted 600 total.

The local elite 10 remains a clique, with just minor reshuffling. Mira Mesa (13-2) stays at No. 2, with wins over San Diego (5-11) and Mission Bay (11-3). Our Lady of Peace (11-1), which was 12-3  in 2023, is once again a contender at No. 3, having bested Lincoln (4-3) and Kearny (6-8). The MaxPreps 100 welcomed Mission Hills (6-2) and dismissed Mission Bay (11-3).

Complete schedules and results are here.

Top 10 San Diego Section teams, according to the MaxPreps ranking system*, as of Oct. 10:

Others in MaxPreps top 100: 67 Westview (8-2), 70 Bonita Vista (7-5),  72 Poway (10-2),  86 San Marcos (10-2), 95 Mission Hills (6-2), 97 Imperial (10-5)

* The entirely computer generated and proprietary MaxPreps.com ranking algorithm, based solely on wins and losses, plus the opponents strength of schedule, is described here.

Henrik Jonson, Webmaster

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.

+Through Week 6.

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
El Camino (4-2, 17 points), University City (6-0, 12), Brawley (6-0, 11) Mt. Carmel (5-1, 8)  Scripps Ranch (6-0, 6), Oceanside (3-3), Imperial (7-0, 2).

VOTING PANEL

Twenty-nine  sportswriters, sportscasters, administrators from San Diego County, plus Max Preps.com.

• • John Maffei (San Diego Union-Tribune).
  • Don Norcross, Steve Brand, Rick Hoff, Kevin Farmer (Union-Tribune Freelance contributors).
  • Joe Heinz, Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez (CIF San Diego Section).
  • Brandon Stone, Allison Edmonds, John Carroll, Chase Izidor (KUSI, Channel 51).
  • Rick Smith (partletonsports.com).
  • Braden Suprenant (97.3-FM The Fan).
  • Christian Pedersen (San Diego Sports Association).
  • Tom Helmantoler, (Southern Conference advisor).
  • Rex Johnson, Bruce Ward (CIF Advisory Committee).
  • Mike Dolan, Joe Evangelist (San Diego Coaching Legends).
  • Raymond Brown (SDfootball.net).
  •  Bodie DeSilva, John Kentera, Steve (Biff) Dolan, Dennis Ackerman, Eric Williams, Thomas Gutierrez, Tom Ronco, Adam Paul (Freelance contributors).

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 at local #2, with a 47-0 win over Hoover (5-9). The next best all rose in the state rankings, as Brawley (11-6) and Torrey Pines (10-7) soared 18 and 16 spots, respectively.

Among the coverage-neglected, modest enrollment schools,  Santa Fe Christian (3-1), Tri-City (5-1), Francis Parker (3-1), and Escondido Charter (6-1) stand out, rated state 136, 165, 228 and 256, respectively, by MaxPreps. Tri-City  bowled over now one-loss Escondido Charter, 33-7, and bested larger Vista (2-7) and Canyon Crest (3-6).

Complete schedules and results are here.

Top 10 San Diego Section teams per the MaxPreps ranking system*, as of Oct. 3:

Others in MaxPreps top 100: 66 Imperial (10-3), 72 Bonita Vista (7-5), 77 Westview (8-2), 83 San Marcos (10-2),  95 Poway (9-2), 100 Mission Bay (11-2)

* The entirely computer generated and proprietary MaxPreps.com ranking algorithm, based solely on wins and losses, plus the opponents strength of schedule, is described here.

Henrik Jonson, Webmaster

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 week and what figures to be a Western League championship showdown with Cathedral in Week 9.

The Hornets upped their record to 3-2 with a 49-19 win over the  Sacramento Grant Pacers, one of the top teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section. Coach David Dunn’s squad already has met 5-0 Las Vegas Arbor View (45-44 loss), the No. 2-ranked team in Nevada; 5-0 San Juan Capistrano JSerra (28-19 loss), No. 6 in California, and Henderson Coronado (51-14 win), No. 4 in Nevada.  There also is a 42-14 victory over Long Beach Poly.

Quarterback Akili Smith completed 6 of 13  passes for 144 yards and one touchdown last week and wide receiver Ty Olsen caught one touchdown pass to give Olsen 45 for his career, six with the Hornets and 39 at Del Norte, where he played three seasons before transferring this year.

Smith was able to employ another weapon when Junior Curtis, a transfer from Madison, became eligible after the mandatory CIF sit-out period of four games.  Curtis had 130 yards and two touchdowns in eight carries, and Aden Jackson scored twice and had 84 yards in 14 attempts.

Lincoln is  0-1 against the Los Alamitos Griffins, losing a 21-17 road game in 2021.

Cal-Hi Sports publisher Mark Tennis photographed Lincoln’s Akili Smith (left) and Ty Olsen after the Hornets’ 49-19 win at Sacramento Grant in Week 5.

MAFFEI FEELS IT

But CalPreps.com doesn’t and then it does (see below).

John Maffei’s The San Diego Union Week 6 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.

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
University City (5-0, 14 points), La Jolla (4-1, 9), Scripps Ranch (5-0, 3), Oceanside (3-3, 2), Brawley (5-0), Del Norte (3-2), Imperial (6-0), Mt. Carmel (4-1), Torrey Pines (2-3), 1 point each.

VOTING PANEL

Twenty-nine  sportswriters, sportscasters, administrators from San Diego County, plus Max Preps.com.

• • John Maffei (San Diego Union-Tribune).
  • Don Norcross, Steve Brand, Rick Hoff, Kevin Farmer (Union-Tribune Freelance contributors).
  • Joe Heinz, Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez (CIF San Diego Section).
  • Brandon Stone, Allison Edmonds, John Carroll, Chase Izidor (KUSI, Channel 51).
  • Rick Smith (partletonsports.com).
  • Bodie DeSilva (ScorebookLive.com).
  • Braden Suprenant (97.3-FM The Fan).
  • Christian Pedersen (San Diego Sports Association).
  • Tom Helmantoler, (Southern Conference advisor).
  • Rex Johnson, Bruce Ward (CIF Advisory Committee).
  • Mike Dolan, Joe Evangelist (San Diego Coaching Legends).
  • Raymond Brown (SDfootball.net).
  • John Kentera, Steve (Biff) Dolan, Dennis Ackerman, Eric Williams, Thomas Gutierrez, Tom Ronco, Adam Paul (Freelance contributors).
    

CALPREPS.COM SHUTDOWN NOTICE:
eighth time since acquiring MaxPreps in 2007, CBS went back into breach and is willfully refusing for some unknown reason to act in a legal fashion and honor their legal/contractual obligations in terms of paying money owed to Calpreps.  We are out of funds at this point and have been forced to cease operations.

“As you’d expect, we are in the process of suing CBS to recover owed monies plus damages, but that will no doubt not be resolved until many months or years after the conclusion of the 2024 playoffs, so we encourage any section/state associations who were relying on our ratings in order to run your playoffs this season to apply any pressure you may have the pull to apply to the rogue CBS accounting department, to attempt to persuade them to finally start to act in accordance with federal contract law.  Thank you and we’re sorry it’s come to this, but frankly it was destined to never work with a company owned by CBS.  We hope to partner with a non-CBS owned company in future seasons, but it’s presumably not reasonable to expect that a deal could be struck with another company during the 2024 season, but if you are such a company and have interest, our ears are certainly open.”

Not long after that statement CalPreps changed course: “We have reached a quick resolution with MaxPreps, and the full site information will return in time for this weekend.”

MaxPreps.com’s computer ratings were used this week in lieu of CalPreps’.  The ratings of both sites usually are identical.

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 and is on pace for 4,000 yards for the season.

Mira Mesa (10-2) and La Costa (7-1) have improved from middling 9-7 and 7-4 seasons, respectively, in 2023 to gain Top 10 spots.  Otay Ranch (5-0) has improved from 4-7, and Our Lady of Peace (9-1) shows consistency with its 8-1 season of 2023. Bonita Vista (7-4), the 2023 Division I champ, has skidded  from a 19-1 record.

Of the 26 new teams, San Marcos (9-1), Poway (8-1), Rancho Buena Vista (7-2), and Westview (7-2) programs are showing the way.

Complete schedules and results are here.

Top 10 San Diego Section teams per the MaxPreps ranking system*, as of Sept. 26:

Others in MaxPreps top 100: 74 San Marcos (9-1), 79 Brawley (10-6), 83 Imperial (8-3), and 86 Westview (7-2)

* The entirely computer generated and proprietary MaxPreps.com ranking algorithm, based solely on wins and losses, plus the opponents strength of schedule, is described here.

Henrik Jonson, Webmaster