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, defeated Napa Justin-Sienna, 46-37.

Leatherwood,  who threw the winning touchdown pass to Paley in the Falcons’ 31-28 state D-IIA championship over Santa Clara Wilcox, scored seven points, had six rebounds, and blocked eight shots.

There were no state titles to be had in the 1953-54 school year, but Chula Vista won Southern California small school championships in football, basketball and  baseball.

Ross Branson won the state girls D-IV title by defeating Imperial, 46-23.

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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).

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Francis Parker (18-10, 13 points), Mission Bay (21-9, 12), Montgomery (24-7, 3), San Dieguito (20-7, 2), Santa Fe Christian (20-10, 1).

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 CIF state playoff pairings, does not favor the San Diego Section entries.

The Tigers from the Imperial Valley  face another long ride, 590 miles to the Golden Center in Sacramento, from which their opponent from the community of Ross is about 70 miles away.

The big computer ranks The Branson Bulls from the North Coast Section 100th in the state in girls’ Division-IV and Imperial 152nd.

Imperial, however, has won 21 of its last 22 games and took advantage of its tournament  selection as a No. 6 seed despite losing, 29-23, to Fallbrook in the San Diego Section finals.

NICOLAS CAGE SIGHTING?

It’s possible, I guess, if the renowed movie actor  happens to be in Sacramento and wants to check out his alma-mater, Napa Justin-Sienna, against Scripps Ranch.

The Braves, located about 60 miles from Sacramento, also are favored by Max Preps, which gave them a state rating of 191 this week to the 219 received by the Falcons.

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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 at Lynwood, where she led her team to a 33-0 in 2002 and was Cal-Hi Sports‘ state player of the year.

FALCONS COULD SET HISTORY

Scripps Ranch will attempt to win a second Southern California championship in the same school year, never accomplished by a San Diego Section squad.

The Falcons defeated Santa Clara Wilcox, 31-28, for the state Division II-A championship in 2021 after winning the Southern California title, 45-38 over Santa Clarita Valencia.

Pairings:

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The Scripps Ranch boys and Victory Christian girls won respective division semifinal games in the Southern California regionals playoffs.

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