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 61-6-1 record in dual meets and from 1946, when postwar competition lengthened the season, through 1954 the Hillers finished at least in the top five in team scores at the Southern Section championships every year but 1953.

San Diego was second three times, third twice, and fourth once.  They won the team championship in 1948 and thought they were first in 1951 until a film review changed the final score.

FASTER, FURTHER

Times and distances were improving each year.

Herman Thompson of San Diego ran the first :09.7 100-yard dash and the first :19.2 180-yard low hurdles, although by all accounts Thompson received too much aid from a tailing wind.

Grossmont’s Dick Bronson set a record and ranked high nationally with a 60-foot, 4 1/2-inch shot put.  Jim Giyer of Grossmont was the first to shade 1:58 in the 880-yard run and Giyer and Jim Weir of Kearny ran the first sub-4:30 miles since 1939.

3/3/54

Darrell Sager of Sweetwater began what would become a frequent assault on the school record in the 880-yard run when he logged 2:07 in a 74 ½-29 ½ dual meet win over Escondido.

Grossmont coach Jack Mashin talked shotputting with Dick Bronson, Mel Kemp, and Richard Loftus (from left).

3/5/54

San Diego’s Herman Thompson won the individual 100 in :10.1 and Ron Wade of Grossmont took the 120-yard high hurdles in :16.0 in the City Prep League Relays. Other races and field events were scored by the teams’ three-man, combined efforts.

Thompson, Ardell Finley, and Bill Walters averaged 20 feet 8 inches, and won the broad jump.  Three Grossmont shot putters, Dick Bronson, Richard Loftus, and Mel Kemp, averaged 53 feet, 8 inches.

Grossmont won the team championship with 65 points to San Diego’s 45.  Hoover had 32 points, Kearny 27, Point Loma 20, and Helix 9.  La Jolla and Lincoln were shut out.

3/9/54

Grossmont made its CPL intentions even more clear when it topped defending dual-meet champion Hoover 67 ½-36 ½, and middle distance runners Jim Giyer and Rene Rogers pushed weightmen Dick Bronson, Mel Kemp, and Richard Loftus off center stage.

Giyer set a school record of 1:58.4 in the 880 and Rogers set a school mile record of 4:33.5.  Bronson won the shot at 55-1 ½.

La Jolla’s Billy (Cookie) Taylor set a school record of 6 feet, 4 inches, in the high jump, competing with the Class B squad, as La Jolla nipped Helix, 56-48.

Darrell Smith won the 800 in 2:00.5 and Vista beat San Dieguito, 61-43, in Metropolitan League dual competition.  Mark Shearer won the 100 (:10.5), 220 (:23.8), and anchored the Panthers to a 1:36.4 win in the 880 relay.

3/12/54

Darrell Sager’s Sweetwater school record in the 880 was lowered a third time from 2:05 to 2:04.8 and the Red Devils edged Coronado, 53-51.

3/14/54

Twenty-seven large schools, including San Diego, Hoover, and Grossmont, entered the 28^th annual Southern Counties’ Invitational at Huntington Beach High.

Twenty-seven small schools, including Kearny, Vista, San Dieguito, Army-Navy, Fallbrook, La Jolla, and Coronado also were scheduled to compete.

Grossmont led a group of almost 100 entries from San Diego with 27.  Two-time small schools defending champion Kearny had 19.

3/15/54

Bolstered by Jim Giyer’s 4:29.9 mile, fastest of the season in Southern California, coach Jack Mashin’s Grossmont Foothillers were third.

The Foothillers scored 26 2/13 points, trailing Riverside Poly, which had 35, and Santa Ana, 27 2/13.

Grossmont’s power in the weigh event was prevalent as Dick Bronson won the shot put at 57-6 ¼, followed by Richard Loftus, third at 52-11 ½, and Mel Kemp, fourth at 52-6 ¾.

Rene Rogers was third to Giyer with a 4:31 mile and Parker Damon was second in the pole vault at 12-9.

Herman Thompson of San Diego finished second behind the :09.6 100-yard dash of Santa Ana’s Bill Swisshelm and Leonard Kary was second in the 120-yard high hurdles.

KEARNY FIRST, AGAIN

Kearny won the team title for the third consecutive year with 24 2/3 points to Hawthorne’s 19.

Charlie Cota won the pole vault at 12 feet, and Jim Weir took the mile in 4:34.  Paul Rushing was fourth in the 100 and Lee Buchanan third in the 440.

3/19/54

Grossmont took a rare trip to Long Beach Wilson for a triangular meet with the host Bruins and Santa Barbara.

Rene Rogers set a school record of 4:30.4 in the mile and Jim Giyer ran the 880 in 1:58.7 as the Foothillers won with 64 ¼ points to Wilson’s 55 ¾, and Santa Barbara’s 9 ½.

3/21/54

Don Wells set a school record of 50-1 in the shot put and miler Jim Weir showed what he could do at a shorter distance, running the 880 in 2:03.3 in Kearny’s 80-23 win over Lincoln.

4/2/54

It wasn’t raining but the wind blew and Herman Thompson flew at Point Loma, where San Diego was more hard-pressed than expected in a 60 ½-43 ½ dual meet victory.

Thompson set San Diego school records of :09.7 in the 100-yard dash and :19.2 in the 180-yard low hurdles.

Thompson also won the broad jump at 21 feet, 2 1/2 inches, and anchored the Hillers to victory in 1:33.5 in the 880-yard relay.

That Thompson was so significant did not go unnoticed by Point Loma officials, who were unhappy and had suspected San Diego High influence when Thompson transferred to the Hillers before his senior year.

Point Loma’s Tom Gueston set a school record of 6 feet, ¾ inches in the high jump and Ray Blasingame was second to Thompson’s windy low hurdles in :19.5.

Grossmont’s Jim Giyer ran the Southern California season’s fastest 880, logging a school record 1:58 in a 73-31 win over La Jolla.

George Paddick of Grossmont took the County lead with a 21-9 ½ broad jump. Rene Rogers added a 4:32.5 mile and Dick Bronson a 56-9 ½ shot put.

Lincoln, which in years to come would be a power throughout the state, was feeling the struggle of growing pains.

Hoover came up one point short of a century in a 99-4 carnage.

There was no third-place scorer in the pole vault, denying the Cardinals, who had two entered in the event and Lincoln none, a 100^th point…and saved the Hornets from a historic embarrassment.

4/6/54

Herman Thompson won three events and was part of a fourth as San Diego defeated Grossmont, 66 1/2-37 1/2.

Thompson ran the 100 in :10, 220 in :21.9, broad Jumped 21-6, and ran the anchor leg of a winning relay team (1:32.5).

La Jolla’s Cookie Taylor high jumped 6-4 in an 83 1/2-20 1/2 win over Lincoln.  Kearny’s Jim Weir logged a school-record, 4:29 mile and Don Wells joined Weir with a 51-9 1/2 shot put in a 60-44 win over Hoover.  Ed Perkins’ :10.1 100 tied Helix, school reord but Point Loma won the dual, 66-38, as Ray Blasingame cleared the 120 high hurdles in :14.8.

4/23/54

Grossmont coach Jack Mashin assayed the end of the shot put competition, in which Dick Bronson, a mid-40-feet tosser as a sophomore two years before, became the fifth U.S. prep to reach 60 feet, according event guru and historian Mashin.

The national record was set by Ontario Chaffey’s Don Vick at 62-5 ¼ in 1953.
Bronson’s throw, during Grossmont’s 73-31 win over Point Loma, was accompanied by George Paddick’s County-leading, 21-11 ¼ broad jump.

La Jolla’s Cookie Taylor won a duel with Kearny’s T.C. Johnson by clearing 6-3 in the high jump, but the Vikings lost, 63 2/3-40 1/3.

C.R. Roberts won his usual, unique triple in Oceanside’s 67-37 loss to Sweetwater.  Roberts clocked :10.8 in the 100, broad jumped 20-1 ¼ and claimed a personal best of 45 feet in the shot put.

4/26/54

Chula Vista earned its third consecutive Metropolitan League championship, 67 2/3-36 1/3, over visiting Vista.

The Spartans saved the best for last as a team of Benny Martin, Bill Lancaster, Don Moore and Wayne Eisenman set a school record of 1:33 in the relay.

Spartans coach Tom Rice said the relay win was “by one deep breath,” as Vista’s Mark Shearer almost caught Eisenman, who was staked to an eight-yard lead, according to Rice, when teams passed the baton for the final time.

Shearer set a Vista record of :10.2 in the 100 and won the 220 in :23.

4/30/54

Grossmont edged Kearny, 56 ½-47 ½, for second place and a 6-1 record in the CPL standings, but the Komets’ Jim Weir routed the Foothillers’ Jim Giyer and Rene Rogers, who had been unbeaten in the mile.

Weir’s time was 4:31.9 and his rapid pace took the finishing kick of Giyer’s, who was second about 15 yards behind.

San Diego whipped Helix, 76-28, to clinch the dual-meet championship with a 7-0 record.  It was the last dual that retiring Bill Patten would coach.

Herman Thompson sat out the 100, won by Ardell Finley in :10.1, but won the 180 low hurdles in :19.5 and minutes later turned in the season’s fastest 220, :21.8, on the Helix straightaway.

5/8/54

CITY PREP LEAGUE, @BALBOA STADIUM

Herman Thompson was party to three of eight records starting with his :09.9 100 that bettered Thompson’s :10.0 in the CPL trials earlier in the week.

Thompson set a record of :19.5 in the 180 low hurdles in the trials and returned to negotiate the stadium curve and break the record again with :19.3.

Lee Buchanan of Kearny ran :50.7 in the 440, bettering a record of :51.5 by Buchanan and Point Loma’s Jesse Denny in the trials.

Jim Giyer of Grossmont ran the 880 in 1:58.9, better than his 1:59.9 in the trials.  Giyer’s mile record of 4:32.4 in 1953 was broken by Kearny’s Jim Weir, 4:31.8.

Dick Bronson heaved the shot 59-8 ¼, better than Clyde Wetter’s 57-3 in 1951, and teammate Parker Damon cleared 12 feet ¾ inch to top the pole vault record of 11-10.

Thompson anchored a team that also included Ardell Finley, Lloyd McKinney, and Atron Gentry and set a third standard with a 1:30.6 win in the 880 relay.

San Diego won the team championship with 51 points.  Grossmont had 36, Point Loma 30 ½, Hoover 29, Kearny 22, Helix 16, and La Jolla 7.  Lincoln did not have a participant.

SOUTHERN PREP, @FALLBROOK

Army-Navy scored 72 ½ points, host Fallbrook 63 ½.

Darrough of Ramona ran 4:51.7 in the mile, better than the 4:56.2 by Wilson of Vista in 1951.

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE, @ESCONDIDO

Sweetwater’s Darrell Sager ran the 880 in 2:00.3, bettering the oldest meet record, 2:02.4 by La Jolla’s Earl Russell in 1934.

Mark Shearer of Vista was the meet’s only double winner, in the 100 (:10.3) and 220 (:22.7) and anchored the winning relay (1:35.8).

Chula Vista ran away with the team title with 53 points, to Vista’s 37, followed by San Dieguito, 23, Sweetwater, 21, Coronado, 18, Oceanside, 17, and Mar Vista, 9.  Escondido did not score.

5/15/54

San Diego led all Class A qualifiers with 12 at the Southern Section Divisional quarterfinals meet on a day marked by rain, cold, and blustery wind at San Diego State.

Santa Ana had 11 qualifiers, Point Loma, 9, and Grossmont 7 in a competition featuring advancers from the San Diego City Prep League, Imperial Valley, Sunset, and Orange league championships.

San Diego’s Herman Thompson won a 100-yard dash heat in :10.4.  CIF favorite Bill Swisshelm of Santa Ana won his in :10.

Lee Buchanan of Kearny and Charlie Love of Coronado were heat leaders in the 400 in :51.7 and :52.9, respectively.

Darrell Sager of Sweetwater (2:06.4) and Jim Giyer of Grossmont (2:01) set the pace in 880 trials.

Thompson qualified second in the 180-yard low hurdles in his best event, won by Jim Trainor of Laguna Beach in :20.2.

Mark Shearer of Vista won one of the 220s in :22.7 and Jim Weir of Kearny was first in a mile test in 4:30.  Dick Bronson of Grossmont, followed by teammates Mel Kemp and Richard Loftus, led shotputters at 59 feet, 9 ½ inches.

5/18/54

Competition moved to the Division semifinals at El Rancho High in Pico (eventually renamed Pico-Rivera) and at Carpinteria.

Pole vaulter Leon Doxey discovered that he left his implement at home when he arrived.

The San Diego High athlete borrowed a pole and cleared 12 feet, 4 inches, a lifetime best, and was one of five Hillers to qualify for the CIF finals a week later at Excelsior High in Norwalk.

Doxey’s teammate, Herman Thompson, advanced in the 100 and 180-yard low hurdles, second in the former and leader at :19.5 in the latter.

 

5/22/54

San Diego was a surprising fourth in the Southern Section finals with 10 ½ points.  Grossmont’s double first places put the Foothillers fifth with 10.

Thompson was second to Laguna’s Jim Trainor’s :19.7 in the 180 lows, an event that could have been disastrous.

Trainor was a clear winner.  Going over the last barrier Thompson, Whittier’s Mickey Machamer, and Compton Centennial’s Paul Lowe were “dead even,” according to John De La Vega of the Los Angeles Times.

Trainor’s three pursuers “bumped, all were thrown off stride and it’s a miracle nobody fell,” De La Vega wrote.

Thompson was awarded the runner-up spot after a review and Lowe was third.

FOOTHILLERS FIRST

Grossmont’s Jim Giyer won the 880 in 1:59.1 and Dick Bronson took the shot put at 59-5 1/8.

San Diego also got points from high jumper Don Strickland, tied for third at 6-1 ¾, and broad jumper Alex Hudson, fifth at 21 feet, 7 inches.

Kearny’s Jim Weir was second to the 4:25.8 mile of Bellflower’s Ty Hadley.  Cookie Taylor of La Jolla won the Class B high jump at 6 feet, 1 3/4 inches, and Helix’ Bob Withem won the 10-pound Class B shot with a put of 52-6,

5/29/54

Dick Bronson of Grossmont won a tight competition with Dan Everage of Los Angeles Jordan in the state meet at Berkeley.  Bronson’s winning toss was 59-7 1/8 to Everage’s 59-5 7/8.

San Diego’s Herman Thompson was fourth in a morning 100 trial, won by Delano’s Leamon King in :09.9, and unplaced in the final.

Thompson was second to Kingsburg’s Rafer Johnson, who ran :19 in Thompson’s heat. Thompson was fourth in :19.5 in the final, won by Piedmont’s Monte Upshaw in :19 after Upshaw set a national record of 25-4 1/4 in the broad jump.

Grossmont’s Jim Giyer ran a career best 1:57.6 in the 880 but finished sixth.

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 consecutive losses dating to its football debut in 2018, the Falcons defeated Whittier Christian at Whittier College, 24-12.

The same Whittier Christian that dispatched Coach Tim Baxter’s club, 35-7, in 2019.  The Falcons did not play in the 2020 season and they have moved on from being an Independent to the Pacific League.

The Falcons have a game this week against, gulp, San Diego High.

WHO WAS SHE?

Mabel E. O’Farrell was said to have been born around 1870 and was an early 20th century member of the San Diego County board of supervisors.  There is no online record of her serving in such a position.  According to her wikipedia, Mabel served on a committee charged with creating a detention home for wayward youth.

Not much else is known.

“I’m an O’Farrell fan already,” I wrote in 2018.  “One of its alumni was the late Rosie Hamlin, lead singer of Rosie and the Originals, who recorded a ‘sixties favorite, Angel Baby.

Angel Baby was a top 10 hit in January, 1961.

Rosie spent most of her high school years at Sweetwater but also had a cup of coffee at Mission Bay.

STATS

University City rolled on El Centro Southwest, 75-6, last week, tying the Centurions with seven other teams that have scored 75 points.  The total ranks 35th among 11-man squads on the all-time Top Team Scoring list, headlined by San Diego’s 130-7 destruction of Army-Navy in 1920.
U.C. broke its own record, made in a 69-13 rout of La Jolla Country Day in 2018.

For a complete list of historic blowouts, see Football / Top Performances / Top Team Scores.

THE RATINGS

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		3-0 (16)		231	1
2.		Cathedral	2-1 (8)			220	2
3.		Lincoln		3-0		196	3
4.		Mater Dei		3-0		154	5
5.		Mission Hills		2-1		147	3
6.		Helix		3-0		116	6
7		Torrey Pines		2-1		86	10
8.		Scripps Ranch		3-0		75	9
9.		Poway		2-1		27	NR
10.		Madison		2-1		19	NR

Others receiving votes

La Jolla (2-1, 8 points), Santa Fe Christian (3-0, 8), El Camino (1-1, 7), Eastlake (2-1, 6), Grossmont (2-1, 5), Granite Hills (2-1, 4), Mt. Carmel (3-0, 3), Rancho Buena Vista (3-0, 3), Oceanside (1-1, 1), University City (3-0, 1).

Voting panel:  Twenty-four sportswriters and sportscasters throughout San Diego County.

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune.
• Steve Brand, Thomas Gutierrez, Rick Hoff, Jim Lindgren, Terry Monahan, Eric Williams, Thomas Gutierrez, freelance contributors.
• John Carroll, Nick Pollino, KUSI Ch. 51.
• John Kentera, Braden Suprenant, 97.3-FM The Fan).
• Adam Paul, ECPreps.com.
• Bodie DeSilva, scorebooklive.com.
• Rick Smith, Partletonsports.com.
• Christian Pedersen, San Diego Sports Association.
• Troy Hirsch, Fox 5 San Diego.
• Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net.
• Joe Heinz, Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez, Mike Dolan, CIF San Diego Section.
• Ramon Scott, Eastcountysports.com.
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country, 107.9-FM.

How others see San Diego’s Top 10:
*The second entry in each rating is from the previous week.

Team	Record	Cal-Hi Sports	MaxPreps	CalPreps
Cathedral	2-1	12-14*	8/19	60.6/44
Carlsbad	3-0	11-12	16/12	47.9/49
Mission Hills	2-1	29-19	27/15	40.7/45.2
Lincoln	3-0	15-22	14/25	48.8/39.6
Mater Dei	3-0	Bubble-NR	71/70	26.2/24.6
Helix	3-0	45-NR	83/82	23.6/21.7
Torrey Pines	2-1	Bubble-NR	46/44	35.4/32.6
Scripps Ranch	3-0	Bubble-NR	108/192	18.6/15.0
Poway	2-1	NR-NR	85/NR	22.9/NR
Madison	2-1	Bubble-NR	98/NR	20.0/NR

MaxPreps.com and CalPreps.com computer ratings are usually the same and based on strength of schedule and other factors.

Cal-HiSports.com ratings are created by publisher Mark Tennis, who coordinates with several state-wide sources.

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 playoffs.

Contributing to the misery was that the Dons had defeated the Huskies in San Diego, 44-41, in 2019.

On the devastation scale, 57-14 ranks close to Oceanside’s 68-7 loss to Folsom and El Capitan’s  35-28 defeat to Moraga Campolindo, after the Vaqueros blew a 21-point lead in the final seven and a half minutes, in state championship games on the same day in 2014.

The Dons have no time to grieve, playing at home this week in one of the Honor Bowl games against a another tough Southern Section team, Los Angeles Mission Hills Chaminade, which is 2-0 after victories of 48-17 over the Southern Section’s Westlake Village Oaks Christian and 49-7 over Lake Balboa Birmingham of the Los Angeles City Section.

Chaminade is ranked 13^th in the state in this week’s Cal-Hi Sports poll and 29^th, according to Max Preps.  The Eagles have a 38.0 Cal Preps.com rating.  See below for how San Diego teams rate.

QUICK KICKS

Cathedral hasn’t seen the last of Corona Centennial…the Huskies will play Chatsworth Sierra Canyon at Cathedral this week in one of the Honor Bowl games…Lincoln, down 21-3 at halftime, took the fight to Los Alamitos and had a chance to win but a pass was knocked down in the endzone on the last play…the Hornets, who lost, 21-17, struck for 495 yards against the Cal-Hi Sports No. 9-ranked Griffins…Roderick Robinson had 145 yards rushing and 1 touchdown and Nathan Azevedo caught 4 passes for 150 yards and 1 TD…Army-Navy and El Capitan are feeling chipper after their 2-0 starts, the first for the Cadets since 2013 and the first for El Cap since its 14-1 season in  2014…Hoover’s 30-14 win over El Cajon Valley broke a 15-game losing streak and was the Cardinals first since a 34-16 victory over Coronado in Week 9 of 2018…the Cardinals are 7-44 since the 2015 season, a stretch of misery comparable to a 7-46-1 slog from 1970-75…Calexico’s 60-6 destruction of Castle Park represented most points for the Bulldogs since a 65-0 blowout of neighboring Vincent Memorial in 2008….

THE RATINGS

John Maffei’s 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		2-0 (16)		231	2
2.		Cathedral	1-1 (6)			206	1
3.		Mission Hills		2-0		190	3
4.		Lincoln		2-0		157	4
5.		Mater Dei		2-0		139	5
6.		Helix		2-0		91	NR
7		Granite Hills		2-0		69	NR
8.		Grossmont		2-0		60	NR
9.		Scripps Ranch		2-0		46	NR
10.		Torrey Pines		0-1		42	9

Others receiving votes:  El Camino (1-1, 11 points), Poway (1-1 10), Ramona (2-0, 8), La Jolla  (1-1, 7), Oceanside (1-1, 4), El Capitan (2-0, 3), Eastlake (1-1) & Santa Fe Christian (2-0), 1 point each.

Voting panel:  Twenty-three sportswriters and sportscasters throughout San Diego County.

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune.
• Steve Brand, Thomas Gutierrez, Rick Hoff, Jim Lindgren, Terry Monahan, Eric Williams, freelance contributors.
• John Carroll, Nick Pollino, KUSI Ch. 51.
• John Kentera, Braden Suprenant, 97.3-FM The Fan).
• Adam Paul, ECPreps.com.
• Bodie DeSilva, scorebooklive.com.
• Rick Smith, Partletonsports.com.
• Christian Pedersen, San Diego Sports Association.
• Troy Hirsch, Fox 5 San Diego.
• Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net.
• Joe Heinz, Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez, Mike Dolan, CIF San Diego Section.
• Ramon Scott, Eastcountysports.com.
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country, 107.9-FM.

How others see San Diego’s Top 10: 
*The second entry in each rating is from the previous week.

Team	Record	Cal-Hi Sports	MaxPreps	CalPreps
Cathedral	1-1	14-5*	19-5	44/71.6
Carlsbad	2-0	12-14	12-10	49/51.2
Mission Hills	2-0	21-23	15-16	45.2
Lincoln	1-1	24-26	25-19	39.6
Mater Dei	2-0	Bubble-NR	70-75	24.6
Helix	2-0	NR-NR	82-NR	21.7
Granite Hills	1-0	Bubble-NR	80-NR	22.2-NR
Grossmont	2-0	Bubble-NR	92-NR	20.3-NR
Scripps Ranch	2-0	NR-NR	192-NR	15.0
Torrey Pines	0-1	Bubble-NR	44-44	32.6

MaxPreps.com and CalPreps.com computer ratings are usually the same and based on strength of schedule and other factors.

CalHiSports.com ratings are created by publisher Mark Tennis, who coordinates with several state-wide sources.

PREP FOOTBALL SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
Sportswriters/Sportscasters Poll
(First-place votes in parenthesis)
Points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis

Others receiving votes

La Jolla (2-1, 8 points), Santa Fe Christian (3-0, 8 points), El Camino (1-1, 7 points), Eastlake (2-1, 6 points), Grossmont (2-1, 5 points), Granite Hills (2-1, 4 points), Mt. Carmel (3-0, 3 points), Rancho Buena Vista (3-0, 3 points), Oceanside (1-1, 1 point), University City (3-0, 1 point).

scorebooklive.com), John Kentera and Braden Suprenant (97.3-FM The Fan), Ramon Scott (EastCountySports.com), Steve Dolan (Mountain Country 107.9-FM, Christian Pedersen (San Diego Sports Association), Troy Hirsch (Fox 5 Sa

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 Hal Norris won at 56-5 ½ in the shotput at Sacramento in 1950.

Point Loma’s Herman Thompson made a splash in the 100-yard dash, and Dick Bronson continued Grossmont’s domination in the shot put.

3/4/53

Tom Williams of Vista set a school record of 4:55.4 in the mile as the Panthers defeated Mar Vista, 61-41, in a Metropolitan League dual meet.

3/6/53

Charlie Rose set a Coronado school record with a 6-foot, 1 3/4-inch high jump in the Islanders’ 57-38 dual meet win over St Augustine.

Oceanside won the 880-yard relay in 1:36.9 and defeated Metropolitan League rival Sweetwater, 53-51.

–Football star C.R. Roberts ran a leg on the relay, won the 100 in :10.8, and was second to John Foster‘s 21-10 ½ broad jump.

Point Loma scored 44 points to win the City Prep League relays, a series of medley events and field events with winning scores based on teams’ combined heights and distances.

Kearny was second with 38, followed by Hoover, 34, Grossmont, 31, San Diego, 29, La Jolla 20, and Helix, 2.

Grossmont, the Class A defending champion, maintained in Class B and C, winning each.

Individual event honors went to the Pointers’ Herman Thompson, who won the 100-yard dash in :10.4 and teammate Bob Miller, who took the 120-yard high hurdles in :15.3.

3/20/53

Both teams were disqualified for lane violations in the 880 relay, but Kearny already was in the house with a 55-44 victory over Point Loma.

The Pointers’ Herman Thompson was a double winner at :10.1 and :23 in the 100 and 220.

3/24/53

Jim Giyer set a Grossmont school record of 4:35.2 in the mile, but Hoover, led by Bernie Nelson’s three wins, defeated the Foothillers, 60-44.

Nelson’s ran :15.2 and :20.5 in the high and low hurdles, respectively, and high jumped 5-11 ¼.

3/27/53

Hoover improved to 3-0 in dual meets with a 55-49 win at Point Loma, although the Pointers relay squad of Waldo Palmer, Jesse Denny, Hal Krupens, and Herman Thompson set a school record of 1:33.2.

Bernie Nelson set the pace for Hoover with wins of :15.3 in the high hurdles, :20.2 in the lows, and 6-1 in the high jump.

4/9/53

Fred White of Chula Vista, chasing the school record of 56-1 3/4 set by his brother Kenny in 1950, took the County lead with a 55-10 toss in a 77-26 victory over Vista.

Coronado and Escondido battled to a 52-52 deadlock, the second this season for the Islanders, who earlier had a 52-52 stalemate with Chula Vista.

4/10/53

San Diego lost a dual meet for the first time since 1948, a span of 26 victories and one tie, as Grossmont stunned the Hillers, 55 1/2-48 1/2.

The Cavers held a 16-2 advantage in the sprints, but the Foothillers made up the deficit with a 17-1 advantage in the distances and shot put.

Grossmont’s Dick Bronson hurled the shot 55 feet, 5 inches, and Jim Giyer won the mile in 4:36.7.

San Diego’s Halden Grey was a double winner in the 100 (:10.2) and 220 in a time-disputed :21.7. Grey’s best time before and after was at least one second slower.

Hoover improved to 4-0 with a 73-31 win over Kearny.  Bernie Nelson high jumped 6-3, third best in school history.  Alvin Cordray cleared 6-3 ½ in 1938 and Jack Razzeto 6-5 ¼ in 1948.

Nelson also won the 120-yard high hurdles in :15.5 and the 180 lows in :20.9.

4/17/53

Beating San Diego in track and field no longer was news.  Point Loma stunned the Hillers, 69-35, in Balboa Stadium and the Peninsula thinclads did it by barging into San Diego’s figurative kitchen.

Junior Herman Thompson won the 100 in :09.9, 220 in :22.5, broad jump at 21-9, and anchored a school record, 1:32.0 victory in the 880 relay, events San Diego had dominated locally.

Bob Miller also bruised the Hillers with wins of :15.6 and :21.1 in the high and low hurdles.

Football star C.R. Roberts won the 100 in :10.3 and broad jump at 21-5 ½, and ran a leg on the winning relay (1:37.8) that was the difference in Oceanside’s 56 ½-47 ½ win over San Dieguito.

4/23/53

Fred White of Chula Vista broke the school shot put record held by his brother.

Fred pushed the 12-pound ball 56 feet, 2 ½ inches in a dual-meet with Oceanside, which outscored the Spartans, 56 ½-46 1/2. Kenny White reached 56-1 ¾ in a CIF divisional meet in 1950.

Russ Elwell of Coronado set a school record of 53 feet and Charlie Rose tied his early-season school record of 6-1 ¾ as Coronado beat Mar Vista, 88-16.

Point Loma’s Herman Thompson became the seventh sprinter in County history to cover 100 yards in :09.8 and tied George Able’s school record, set in 1938.

Thompson negotiated the distance in a dual meet with La Jolla in Balboa Stadium.

5/1/53

Escondido won the 12-team Vista Relays with 41 1/2 points.  Oceanside was second with 34. C.R. Roberts of Oceanside won the Open 100 in :10.3 and was part of the Pirates’ :47.3 winning effort in the 440 relay.

5/2/53 

Hoover completed a 6-0 dual-meet season with a 61 ½-41 ½ victory at San Diego as Bernie Nelson won the high hurdles (:15), lows (:20.1) and high jump (6-0).

Nelson’s Cardinals teammate Dave Abbott hurled the shot 53 feet, 6 inches, an outstanding effort but on this day second to (next paragraph).

Grossmont junior Dick Bronson bettered the school record with a 58-foot, 10 1/2-inch toss but Point Loma won the last-event relay in 1:34.8 and the meet, 55 ½-48 ½.

Bronson bettered Clyde Wetter’s school record of 58-4 7/8 in 1951.

5/5/53

City Prep League Class B and C finals were held in Balboa Stadium, where La Jolla’s Bob Gutowski set a B record with a pole vault of 11 feet, 10 ½ inches.

Less than four years later (three years, 357 days), Gutowski vaulted 15-8 for a world record as a member of the Occidental College team in Eagle Rock.

5/8/53

CITY PREP LEAGUE FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

Three meet records were set despite “nippy weather” before an estimated crowd of 3,500 persons.

Hoover’s Bernie Nelson set a record of :14.9 in the high hurdles, won the lows in :20.1 and signed off early after beating the competition at 5 feet, 8 inches, in the high jump.

Grossmont’s George Davis ran the 880 in 2:02.1 and teammate Jim Giyer the mile in 4:32.4.

Hoover, the dual-meet champion, scored 45 1/3 points, edging Point Loma (43 7/12), which was followed by Grossmont, 37 ½, San Diego, 23 ½, Kearny, 19 ¾, La Jolla, 14 ½, and Helix, 8.

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE FINALS, @VISTA

No meet records were set and San Dieguito scored 34 ¾ points, followed by dual meet champion Coronado, 31, Oceanside, 26, Vista, 25, Sweetwater, 20 ½, Escondido, 18, Mar Vista 13, Chula Vista, 9.

Escondido’s Rich Gehring was a double winner in the 120 high hurdles (:15.4) and 180 lows (:20.0).

SOUTHERN PREP LEAGUE FINALS, @CAMP PENDLETON

Fallbrook won seven of 12 events and scored 128 ½ points to runner-up Army-Navy’s 97 ½.  Mountain Empire followed with 28, Ramona 27 ½, and Brown Military, 1.

Best mark was a :10.3 in the 100-yard dash by Manning of Army-Navy.

5/16/53

A CIF Divisional meet for City Prep, Southern Prep, Metropolitan, Orange, and Sunset leagues was held on what The San Diego Union writer Harry Monahan declared was a “soggy, windswept” San Diego State track.

Santa Ana led team qualifiers with eight.  Hoover and Grossmont each had seven.

Bernie Nelson survived disaster in the 120-yard hurdles when he tripped on the third barrier and fell.  Nelson regained his feet and finished fourth in his race to qualify for the Divisional semifinals the following week at Ontario Chaffey.

Nelson also made the cut in the 180-yard low hurdles and high jump.

Point Loma’s Herman Thompson was not as fortunate. Thompson arrived late in the afternoon, missing a chance to qualify in the 100 and 220.

The junior speedster anchored The Pointers to victory in one of the 880-yard relay heats in 1:33.6.

Grossmont individual winners were Jim Giyer, who ran the mile in 4:35.4, and Dick Bronson, who led all shot putters with a toss of 53-5 5/8.

5/19/53

Kearny’s Lee Buchanan won a 440 heat in the Chaffey divisional semifinal in Ontario in :50.9.  Grossmont’s Jim Giyer won one of the mile races in 4:30.5 and teammate George Davis took an 880 heat in 2:01.3.

Tom Noonan of Coronado cleared 6 feet for the first time and got over 6-2.  Bernie Nelson of Hoover qualified in the high jump at 6 feet and advanced in both hurdle races.

5/23/53

SOUTHERN SECTION FINALS, @OXNARD HIGH

Point Loma, Hoover and Grossmont tied for eighth in the Southern Section finals with 6 points each at Oxnard High.

Bernie Nelson tied with three others for third in the high jump at 6 feet, 1 inch, but qualified for the state meet along with Coronado’s Tom Noonan on the basis of fewer misses.

Nelson also was fourth in the 120 high hurdles in a wind-aided :14.6 and fifth in the 180 lows, won in :19.2 on the breezy afternoon.

Jim Giyer of Grossmont was fourth in the mile and Dick Bronson was second in the shot put at 56 feet, 3 3/4. Don Vick of Ontario Chaffey won at 61-1/8. Fred White of Chula Vista was third at 54-4 7/8.

Waldo Palmer of Point Loma tied for first with Turner of San Bernardino in the broad jump with a best of 22 feet, 4 ¾ inches.

Charlie Cota of Kearny tied for first in the Class B pole vault at 12 feet.  Bob Gutowski of La Jolla tied for third at 11-8.

Armstrong of Grossmont won the Class C shot put at 50-10 ¾.  Bodenhamer of Kearny was fifth in the Class C 120-yard low hurdles.

5/30/53

35TH STATE MEET, @FRESNO 

Bernie Nelson completed a brilliant season by winning the state high jump at Fresno’s Ratcliff Stadium with a leap of 6 feet, 4 inches.

Grossmont’s Dick Bronson, fifth in the shot put at 55-2 3/8, was the only other County entry to score.

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 at La Jolla and figuritively went to school.

Harvey took his self-described lack of knowledge to the San Diego State library and borrowed books detailing baseball strategy and made it a point to read the  baseball-oriented master’s degree thesis of his old friend, Les Cassie.

That La Jolla won the City Prep League championship and beat Cassie’s San Diego team, was only part of the Vikings’ success.

Behind pitcher Art Weber, who posted a 16-3 record and wielded a powerful bat, La Jolla and Harvey, who coached the Vikings’ football team to playoff appearances in 1951 and ’52, went all the way to the CIF Southern Section championship game.

Weber was the Southern California player of the year and teammate and first baseman Eddie Olsen was a second-team choice.

Cassie would continue to have outstanding teams at San Diego, but Harvey moved on, leaving baseball and building championship football and track programs at fledglings Lincoln and Crawford.

Despite a loss to Compton in the CIF finals, La Jolla became the third different team in three seasons from San Diego to reach the big game. Grossmont won in 1951 and San Diego in 1952.

2/28/53

Twenty-four teams, including outsiders Fullerton, Inglewood, Santa Monica, and Glendale Hoover, were announced as participants in the third annual Lions Tournament at the end of March.

A 16-team, large-school division would be accompanied by an eight-team small-schools’ division.

–San Diego exploded for eight runs in the first two innings and defeated Sweetwater, 12-2.  It was the Hillers’ second straight over the well-regarded Metropolitan League team.

Tony Asaro and Horace Tucker each had two hits and Lee Babbitt allowed the Red Devils three hits.

3/17/53

San Diego moved to 8-0 behind a one-hit pitching performance by Rudy Venzor, who stopped the 8-1 Los Angeles Loyola Cubs, 10-1.

City Prep League middle-of-the-road Hoover took it to Metro power Chula Vista, 14-0, on the Spartans’ diamond.

3/24/53

Chula Vista opened the Metro League campaign with a 10-0 win at Escondido.  Bobby Handley scattered eight hits and Bob West hit four singles in four times at bat.

Point Loma scored 10 runs in the first inning and routed the visiting San Diego State frosh, 13-1.

Ronnie Robertson had three hits including a home run and double for the Pointers; Bill Martin had three hits and four runs batted in, and Bob Roeder held the collegians to four hits.

3/30/53

LIONS TOURNAMENT

Dialing down from nine innings, games were scheduled for seven with no time limit.

One exception.

Play was terminated after five innings with San Dieguito ahead of Julian, 18-3, in the small schools’ division.

San Diego teams banished all five visiting clubs into the consolation bracket.

Sophomores Ron Wilkins and Dick Mesa of Hoover combined to hurl a no-hitter in an 11-2 win over Montebello.

Southpaw Wilkins was relieved by right-hander Mesa after a wild streak in the fifth inning as the Oilers scored twice.

–San Diego’s Rudy Venzor pitched a two-hitter and the Hillers topped Inglewood, 6-0.

–St. Augustine edged Glendale Hoover, 3-2; La Jolla whipped Santa Monica, 10-2, and Point Loma nipped Fullerton, 3-2.

3/31/53

It was doubleheader day.  Quarterfinals in the morning, lunch, and the afternoon semifinal in the large schools’ division, and championship game for the small schools

Mar Vista won the eight-team small schools’ bracket, 9-0 over Oceanside and 6-2 over Yuma at Point Loma High.

Jesus Morales’ and Jim Bragg’s three-hit pitching checked the Pirates in the morning and Morales followed with a three-hitter that stopped the Arizona entry.

If there was an 11-run rule, Ramona would have sued for relief. Fallbrook butchered the Bulldogs, 26-0, including a 10-run fifth inning.

4/1/53

HILLERS, POINTERS IN FINAL

San Diego pounded St. Augustine, 15-1 in the quarterfinals.  Rudy Venzor outdueled Art Weber in a 2-1 semifinals victory over La Jolla.

Richie Johnson’s two-run single in the top of the sixth at San Diego State offset an RBI single by La Jolla’s Joe Barrington in the bottom of the seventh.

Of Vikings pitcher Weber, San Diego coach Les Cassie said, “We’ll have to be lucky to beat that boy again. He’s really good.”

(Cassie was prophetic.  Weber would lead La Jolla to a sweep of the teams’ two-game league series).

Bill Martin went the distance in Point Loma’s morning, 4-2 win over Chula Vista and Bob Snelling tamed Hoover, 6-0, in the afternoon, both games at San Diego State.

FINALS

San Diego and Point Loma were the undercard on a scheduled Pacific Coast League game at Lane Field between the San Diego Padres and Hollywood Stars.

The Hillers opened a 5-0 lead after two innings and cruised to their 15^th win without loss, 9-1, behind Lee Babbitt’s four-hit pitching.

Eddie Boyle and Al Weymiller each had two hits and were the tandem that produced perhaps the play of the tournament.

Weymiller raced in to make a diving, one-handed catch of Frank Stevenson’s fly to shallow right field.  Weymiller then made a throw from a kneeling position to Boyle at first base to double a runner.

Fullerton edged Inglewood, 4-2, for consolation honors.

4/8/53

Lee Babbitt allowed five hits and San Diego scored 3 runs in the fifth inning and defeated Helix, 3-2, in a CPL opener on the Helix diamond.

Dick Greenfield homered and Art Weber held visiting Hoover to two hits in a 3-2 La Jolla victory.

Chula Vista and San Dieguito each improved to 2-0 in the Metropolitan League, the Spartans dominating Mar Vista, 10-4, and the Mustangs pounding out 16 hits in a 21-6 win over North County neighbor Vista.

4/9/53

It was military day in the Southern Prep League.

Luis Marquez pitched a four-hitter and Brown Military shut out visiting Ramona, 12-0.

Pitcher Martinez struck out a reported 19 batters, which was virtually impossible. Army-Navy’s 19-4 victory at home over Mountain Empire went only five innings and Martinez would have faced only 15 hitters who made out.

Perhaps four batters reached first base after striking out but the catcher was charged with passed balls. Perhaps.

Chula Vista’s Bob Handley and Earl Jenson combined to pitch a one-hitter as the Spartans whipped San Dieguito, 9-3, to take the Metropolitan League lead with a 3-0 record.

Escondido handed Vista an 11-4 defeat, no doubt aided by the Panthers’ 10 errors.

4/10/53

The game story lede win in The San Diego Union:

“La Jolla High’s Art Weber exploded the myth of San Diego High invincibility with a slow curve, an occasional fastball, and a deceptive change of pace that limited the Hillers to three hits…”

Weber did not allow a hit until Floyd Robinson singled with two out in the eighth inning and the Vikings ahead, 7-0.

The 9-2 victory on the San Diego diamond represented the Hillers’ first loss after 16 victories and their third in the last 54 games.

Vikings first baseman Eddie Olsen had two hits in three times at bat, including a 350-foot home run.

4/13/53

Chula Vista and Sweetwater each improved to 4-0 in the Metropolitan League, the Spartans beating Vista, 18-4, and the Red Devils measuring San Dieguito, 7-1.

4/14/53

Art Weber hurled a three-hit, 8-2 win over Helix, helped in no small part by Highlanders pitchers, who issued 13 bases on balls and a defense which committed seven errors.

San Diego bounced back from its loss to La Jolla with a 20-hit attack that smothered Grossmont, 20-7.  Hoover beat Point Loma, 15-4.

4/17/53

San Diego and Hoover each moved to 3-1 in the CPL, a half-game behind La Jolla, with victories of 8-1 and 6-3.

Rudy Venzor stopped the Point Loma on four hits and Frank Powell went the distance in Hoover’s 12-inning win over Kearny.

 

5/2/53

Horace Tucker’s grand slam home run in the sixth inning widened a 2-0 San Diego lead and led to a 9-1 victory over Helix and 6-1 Hillers league record.

Art Weber allowed five hits and hit a home run in La Jolla’s 9-3 win at Hoover.

Vikings Dick Greenfield, Jack Cravens, and Joe Barrington also took advantage of Hoover’s inviting ball park dimensions (short right field) with four-base hits.

5/4/53

Bob Handley and Earl Jenson combined to pitch a no-hitter in Chula Vista’s 1-0 shutout of Mar Vista.  Lavon Baker singled home Al Aleman in the seventh inning.

At the end of the day the Spartans were 8-1, a game behind Sweetwater in the Metro.

5/12/53

Hoover and Kearny, tied at 4-4 after nine innings, had lengthening daylight on their side as they went another eight innings before the Cardinals pulled out a 5-4 victory.

Ron Wilkins went the first 11 innings for Hoover and then gave way to Frank Powell.  Jim Schaubel scored the winning run.

The battery of Duke Hottell and Flaming went all the way for the Komets.

Sweetwater’s 10^th straight win without a loss, 5-4 over San Dieguito, kept the Red Devils a game ahead of 9-1 Chula Vista, which beat Vista, 7-2.

5/15/53

Jack Lepore pitched a five-hitter and San Diego stayed mathematically alive in the CPL with an 8-0 win over Kearny.  Days before La Jolla had gained a share of the title with a 6-0 win over Grossmont.

Chula Vista earned a tie for first in the Metro with a 3-0 win over Sweetwater that left both clubs with 10-1 records.

5/19/53

Chula Vista beat Oceanside, 5-2, and Vista shocked Sweetwater 5-2, as the Metropolitan League race ended amid a dramatic, 10-day swing.

The Spartans (11-1) trailed Sweetwater by one game with two remaining, but Sweetwater lost its last two to finish 10-2.

Bob Wilson hit a two-run home run and Lavon Baker drove in two with two singles in Chula Vista’s victory.

La Jolla became the third team in three seasons, following Grossmont and San Diego, to win the CPL as Art Weber advanced the Vikings to 10-1 in league play with a 6-0 win over Point Loma while San Diego (8-3) was losing to Hoover (7-4), 4-3.

Weber struck out seven, allowed six hits, and was 2 for 3 at the plate.  Joe Barrington supported with a home run and Art Luppino singled, doubled, and tripled.

5/22/53

Art Weber’s two-run home run in the sixth inning erased a 1-0 Kearny lead and La Jolla finished the CPL season with a 3-1 victory and 11-1 record.

Hoover’s 11-4 win over Helix moved the Cardinals into a second-place tie with San Diego, each with an 8-4 record.

The Hillers finished 23-4 overall and out of the playoffs.

5/26/52

Fallbrook forfeited its first-round playoff to Chula Vista in the Southern Section small schools’ division playoffs.

La Jolla opened the major division playoffs at the home of the Citrus Belt League champion and left with a 12-6 win over San Bernardino.

The Vikings scored five runs in the fifth inning to break a 2-2 tie and added four more in the seventh.

Coach Walt Harvey relieved Art Weber with the Cardinals leading 12-2 after seven innings, saving the La Jolla ace for a quarterfinals test against Fullerton.

Dick Greenfield and Jack Cravens each had four hits and Eddie Olsen and Weber each drove in four runs.

5/28/53

Eddie Olsen and Joe Barrington ensured La Jolla’s home diamond, 10-8 win over Fullerton before about 1,100 persons at Scripps Field in the playoff quarterfinals.

The Vikings’ Art Weber had developed a sore arm after the game at San Bernardino and was restricted to playing shortstop.

Olsen, who delivered a run-producing, tie-breaking single in the sixth inning, was called on by coach Walt Harvey to relieve sophomore Dave Jordan in the eighth after Jordan had given up a two-run home run and loaded the bases on walks.

Olsen got a third out in the eighth and gave up a double to the lead-off batter in the ninth but then retired the next three hitters for the victory.

Joe Barrington’s three-run homer in the sixth gave the Vikings a 10-6 lead.

Chula Vista took a 5-3 lead in the top of the 10^th inning at El Centro Central, but the host Spartans eliminated the visiting Spartans, 6-5.

Chula Vista ended the season with a 17-8 record.

6/3/53

Art Weber was relegated to outfield duty because of a sore arm, which had been receiving treatment from San Diego Padres trainer Les Cook, so Vikings coach Walt Harvey again turned to sophomore Dave Jordan for the semifinals test against the visiting, 20-7 Lynwood Knights.

Jordan responded with a tidy, six-hit, seven-strikeout performance as the Vikings broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning and scored three runs for a 5-2 victory.

Weber was hit by a pitch leading off the eighth, advanced on Eddie Olsen’s sacrifice bunt, and scored on reserve Hal Maler’s single

Maler had entered the game in the sixth inning after Jack Cravens was forced to retire when Cravens reinjured a groin muscle.

6/6/53

Almost 2,000 persons filled the Scripps Field stadium and the Vikings took a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning of the CIF championship game against the Compton Tarbabes.

Art Weber, making his first start in 10 days, gave up a walk and a two-run homer to Mike Yeager that gave Compton a 3-2 lead in the seventh.

The visitors (23-2) scored two more runs in the ninth to clinch the championship, 5-2.

Weber, who homered in the second inning for the 24-4 Vikings, went the distance, his arm aching with every pitch he attempted.

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 Alamitos.

Coach Sean Doyle’s Dons won a rouser from the visiting Centennial Huskies, 44-42, here in 2019 and  annually play a stiff intersectional schedule.  Lincoln is stepping up in class, keeping with the progress the Hornets have made under coach David Dunn.

Dunn, in his 11th season,  has posted a 63-52-1 record but is 43-17 since 2017. Los Al, long one of the Southern Section’s top teams, is 36-17-1 since Ray Fenton replaced the legendary John Barnes in 2016.

Carlsbad, which also has developed under coach Thadd MacNeal, visits Long Beach Millikan, a rival when MacNeal coached at Lakewood.  The Lancers are 65-44 under MacNeal in 10-plus seasons and 16-2 since 2019.

THE RATINGS

John Maffei’s 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.		Cathedral		1-0 (22)		228	1
2.		Carlsbad	1-0 (1)			208	2
3.		Mission Hills		1-0		177	3
4.		Lincoln		1-0		163	4
5.		El Camino		1-0		134	5
6.		Eastlake		1-0		96	6
7		Mater Dei		1-0		84	9
8.		La Jolla		1-0		61	10
9.		Torrey Pines		0-1		37	8
10.		St. Augustine		0-1		33	7

Others receiving votes:  Granite Hills (1-0, 14 points), Helix (1-0 14), Otay Ranch (1-0, 6), Scripps Ranch (1-0, 5), Rancho Bernardo (1-0, 1), Steele Canyon (0-1, 1).

Voting panel:  Twenty-three sportswriters and sportscasters throughout San Diego County.

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune
• Steve Brand, Thomas Gutierrez, Rick Hoff, Jim Lindgren, Terry Monahan, Eric Williams, freelance contributors.
• John Carroll, Nick Pollino,KUSI Ch. 51
• John Kentera, Braden Suprenant (97.3 The Fan).
• Adam Paul, Ramon Scott, Eastcountysports.com
• Bodie DeSilva, scorebooklive.com
• Rick Smith, Partletonsports.com
• Christian Pedersen, San Diego Sports Association.
• Troy Hirsch, Fox 5 San Diego.
• Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net.
• Joe Heinz, Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez, Mike Dolan, CIF San Diego Section.

How others see San Diego’s Top 10:

Team	Record	Cal-Hi Sports	MaxPreps	CalPreps
Cathedral	1-0	5-5*	5	71.6
Carlsbad	1-0	14-14	10	51.2
Mission Hills	1-0	21-23	16	42.4
Lincoln	1-0	24-26	19	39.2
El Camino	1-0	49-NR	51	33.9
Eastlake	1-0	29-36	73	22.7
Mater Dei	1-0	NR	75	24.2
La Jolla	1-0	Bubble-50	54	39.2
Torrey Pines	0-1	NR	44	32.6
St. Augustine	0-1	NR	63	27.1

*The second entry in Cal-Hi Sports’ ratings is from the previous week.

MaxPreps.com and CalPreps.com computer ratings are usually the same and based on strength of schedule and other factors.

CalHiSports.com ratings are created by publisher Mark Tennis, who coordinates with several state-wide sources.