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 DIVISION
Carlsbad	Avocado	9-1	Open
Serra	Central	8-2	IV
Citrus	San Diego Jewish	8-0	8 MAN
City	Scripps Ranch	10-0	III
Coastal	The Bishop’s	10-0	II
Eastern	La Jolla	6-4	IV
Grossmont Hills	Helix	9-1	Open
Grossmont Valley	Monte Vista	6-4	II
Imperial Valley	El Centro Central	8-2	III
Manzanita	Calexico Vincent Memorial	9-1	V
Metro Mesa	Eastlake	5-5	I
Metro Pacific	Montgomery	9-1	IV
Metro South Bay	Hilltop	9-1	III
Ocean	Foothills Christian	9-0	8 MAN
Pacific	Francis Parker	5-5	V
Palomar	Vista	7-3	II
Valley	San Pasqual	9-1	II
Western	Cathedral	8-2	Open

WHERE DO THEY RATE?

Something to chew on as the season moves into the playoff quarterfinals.

Have regular-season championships taken a back seat and become less important?

Yes, because of:

—Power ratings, which examine overall records and teams’ level of competition, judged by computer input.

—Mass participation in the playoffs (68 of the 98 playing teams in the San Diego Section received postseason invitations this year).

—Multiple divisions, resulting in league alignments that bring together the higher and the lower, i.e., D-II San Pasqual is in the same circuit with D-IV Escondido and Fallbrook.

Leagues no longer are organized based on enrollment or neighborhood boundaries.

No, because:

–They make everyone feel good, coaches, players, and the student body.

–Despite evolution and continual tinkering with the system, they still look good, especially with the visual acknowledgment seen on letterman jackets or sweaters.

–They enhance coaches’ and players’ resumes.

What do you think?

NOVEMBER MADNESS

Favored teams won 16 of 20 first-round games and one championship contest in Week 11.

Foothills Christian (10-0), arguably outgrowing its competition, blew out San Diego Jewish Academy, 62-0, for the eight-man championship.

“If we have thirty-five players out for three straight years, we’ll go to eleven-man,” was Coach Joe Mackey’s answer to the question from Steve Brand of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

“With smaller schools like ours, you’ll never know how many kids you’ll get out,” said Mackey, who noted that six seniors played for the first time this season.

UPSETS?

There were four games in which the lower seed won first-round games.

–No. 10 Torrey Pines defeated No. 7 Rancho Bernardo, 34-7 in Division I.

–No. 10 Coronado knocked off No. 7 Mount Miguel, 29-27, in D-IV.

No. 9 Oceanside topped No. 8 Eastlake, 10-0, in D-I.

No. 9 Poway won a mismatch with No. 8 Monte Vista, 47-0, in D-II.

QUICK KICKS

The Bishop’s became the first team in area history to score at least 70 points in three games in the same season…several have done it twice…93 games  have resulted in the winner scoring at least 70 in 11-man competition…Grossmont’s Tom Karlo (108-65-2) and Ramona’s Damon Baldwin (100-69-1) became the 42nd and 43rd coaches to win their 100^th career game…a very deep playoff run could result in The Bishop’s Joel Allen (96-34-1) joining the group…Scripps Ranch’s City League title was the first since the school opened in 1993…La Jolla’s Eastern League title was its first since 1995…

The San Diego Union-Tribune Week 11, final, regular-season poll:

First-place votes in parenthesis. NR–Not ranked. *Includes forfeit loss.

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	POINTS	PREVIOUS
1.	Helix (31)	9-1	310	1
2	Carlsbad	9-1	274	3
3.	Cathedral	8-2	241	2
4.	St. Augustine	8-2	219	4
5.	Steele Canyon	9-1	182	5
6.	Mission Hills	8-2	163	6
7.	Lincoln	7-3	82	NR
8.	Madison	6-4	734	9
9.	The Bishop’s	10-0	53	10
10.	Vista	7-3*	40	8

Others receiving votes: Scripps Ranch (10-0, 25 points),  La Costa Canyon (5-5, 16), Oceanside (6-4, 9), Grossmont (7-3, 7), San Pasqual (9-1, 6), Montgomery (9-1), 3.

Voting panel of 31 sportswriters, sportscasters, various County football honchos:

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune
• Jim Lindgren, Rick Hoff, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Thomas Gutierrez, freelance contributors.
• Paul Rudy, Brandon Stone,Ted Mendenhall, KUSI Chl. 51
• Adam Paul, ECpreps.com
• Ramon Scott, EastCountySports.com
• Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com
• Taylor Quellman, The Mighty 1090
• Steve Brand, San Diego Hall of Champions
• Troy Hirsch, Kaylyn McMakin, Tabitha Lipkin, Fox 5, San Diego
• Rick Smith, PartletonSports.com
• Jerry Schniepp, John Labeta, Ron Marquez, CIF San Diego Section
• Joe Heinz, Coordinator, Athletics, Sweetwater School District
• Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net
• Bob Petinak, free lance.
• John Kentera, Brandon Suprenant, 97.3 FM The Fan
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM
• Mike Dolan, John Carroll, San Diego Section Tournament Directors.
• Christian Pederson, SoCal Prep Insider.
• Joe Heinz, Athletics Director, Sweetwater School District.
• Eric Williams, WBK Sports/San Diego Friday Night Lights Magazine.

AS OTHERS IN CALIFORNIA SEE SAN DIEGO’S TOP 10

Team	Record	Cal.Preps.Com	Max Preps	Cal-Hi Sports
Helix	9-1	60.2/60.7	13/9	8/8
Carlsbad	9-1	51.5/49	24/26	33/36
Cathedral	9-1	61.4/66.8	10/5	18/19
St. Augustine	8-2	51/52.7	26/18	30/30
Steele Canyon	9-1	43/43.9	49/41	38/40
Mission Hills	8-2	47/44.5	33/40	46/46
Lincoln	7-3	38.2/35.7	79	Bubble
Madison	6-4	37.735.4	83/89	Bubble
The Bishop’s	10-0	32.5/39.7	112/120	NR
Vista	7-3*	35.8/30.6	93	NR

The second set of numbers or scores in the three columns to the right represent last week’s rankings. Cal Preps.com and Max Preps ratings are based on computer algorithms.  Cal-Hi Sports ratings are product of publisher Mark Tennis’ eye test and information from Tennis’ correspondents throughout the state..

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 at Oceanside.

—Hoover became a member of the big league.

—President  Franklin Roosevelt swamped Kansas governor Alf  Landon, who received only 3 electoral votes, and won re-election as the nation, and the world,  staggered through  a seventh year of the Great Depression.

POINTERS CHANGE DIRECTION

Point Loma, which began competing in maroon and gold in 1926, was an undistinguished 32-31-7  in its first 10 seasons.

One of the seasons included the 6-4 record of first-year coach Joe Beerkle in 1935.  Beerkle was just beginning.

An  undefeated, 6-0-1 1936 campaign was to be followed by an 8-0 in ’37, which resulted in Beerkle’s being elevated to the head job at San Diego High in 1938.

Charlie Wilson replaced Beerkle and kept the team pointed in the winning direction through most of 1940.  The Pointers’ record for almost five seasons was 32-1-4, as many wins as in their first 10.

Point Loma’s streaky history is full of other distinctive eras: 25-4-3 from 1949-52 under Don Giddings, 23-4-4 from 1965-67 with Bennie Edens at the helm, and 62-20-2 under Edens, 1981-87.

ARMY-NAVY IN ARREARS

Col. Thomas Davis, who founded the San Diego Army and Navy Academy boarding school 26 years before, was caught in the economic shutdown and forced to vacate the Pacific Beach property.

The determined Davis regrouped in Carlsbad later in the year and formed the Davis Military Academy at the abandoned Red Apple Inn.  Thirty-seven cadets enrolled.

The Army-Navy property in Pacific Beach was sold to John Brown University and would be renamed Brown Military Academy in 1937.

Davis Military Academy also would change names, going back to The San Diego Army and Navy Academy in 1938.

In 1944 the “San Diego” was dropped from the name of the Carlsbad school.

FAR-FLUNG CIRCUIT

Army-Navy, despite the foreclosure, played a limited football schedule as it moved from the Metropolitan League to the returning Southern Prep loop.

The Southern, known as the County League in the 1920s, had been on hiatus since 1933, when the Metropolitan League was born and took all of the Southern schools.

Restructuring of the Southern this season resulted in an eight-team alignment of very small programs, beginning near the Pacific Ocean in Carlsbad and stretching East to Campo, almost 90 miles away in the Laguna Mountains.

3 TO PLAY TOUCH FOOTBALL

Two new high schools, Vista and San Dieguito were created, moving students away from Oceanside High.

Other Southern Prep League members included Fallbrook, Julian, Mountain Empire, Ramona, Davis Military, and Army-Navy.

A five-game league schedule was released, with only the games of Fallbrook, San Dieguito, and Vista counting in the standings.

Fallbrook High, in existence since 1893, was playing football for the first time.

Ramona, Julian, and Mountain Empire also had been around a long time, but were going to play only a version of two-hand touch football.  There was no record of Davis Military playing games.

MENA MEANDERS

The game at Phoenix was not a new adventure for San Diego halfback Sal Mena.  He was a member of  Texas’ El Paso High Tigers, who played Phoenix in 1935.

Mena proved to be an outstanding transfer for the Cavemen.  Mena made the second all-Southern California team and went on to USC, three seasons later being one of five San Diegans to play for the Trojans in the 1939 Rose Bowl versus Duke.

Mena’s Trojans teammates included Joe Shell and Roy Engle (Hoover) and Ben Sohn, and Ambrose Schindler (San Diego).

OCEANSIDE  ‘PIRATED’

Vard Hunt, who replaced Blanchard Beatty as Oceanside coach after Beatty’s squad posted a school-record, 8-2 season, didn’t like the question regarding the Pirates’ chances in 1936.

“With the loss of fifteen lettermen, the enrollment dropping from 540 to 343, you ask me that question?” replied Hunt. “I’ll be able to put a team on the field that will in no way compare to last year’s.”

Hunt’s squad was a strong 5-2, but no match for the league’s elite, 7-1-3 Escondido or 6-0-1 Point Loma.

The game of the season between Escondido and Point Loma ended in a 0-0 tie.

The peninsula team backed into the championship the following week when, their season complete, the Pointers watched as Escondido was tied by Grossmont, 0-0.

COUGARS TIE & LOSE

Point Loma, as would become its custom, declined an opportunity to participate in the Southern California playoffs.  After yet another tie, 13-13 with El Centro Central, Escondido’s season ended in the championship game of the Southern Section’s Southern Division group.

The host Spartans scored a touchdown with 40 seconds remaining in the game, then kicked a point after to tie the score 13-13.  The Spartans were declared champions by virtue of an advantage in first downs, 12-5, for which they were given a point and an unofficial total of 14 points.

TO HELL AND BACK

A brutal, early-morning trip  was worth it to the sleepy Hoover Cardinals, who boarded a bus at about 5:30  for a 135-mile ride to Beverly Hills and a 10:30 a.m.game.  Falling behind 13-0 in the first five minutes the somnambulant Cardinals rallied to win, 14-13.

The victory ended a contentious week.

As part of their alignment in the Bay League, the Cardinals and Normans played “home-and-home” games each season.  Hoover won, 18-0, at home in 1935.

It was accepted that if either were to change leagues they’d still meet in the second year of the home-and-home, which meant a 1936 game at Beverly Hills.

The Los Angeles team wanted to back out after Hoover moved from the Bay League to the Coast League this year.

The Normans were coached by ex-San Diego State mentor Walt Herreid.

Herreid early in the week of the scheduled game placed a telephone call to Hoover coach John Perry and told Perry the Normans’ field was “torn up” (from recent rains) and suggested a cancellation.

A DEAL’S A DEAL

Herreid also told Perry he wasn’t satisfied with the split of the gate receipts, which Herreid felt favored the visitors.

Perry and Hoover principal Floyd Johnson wanted no part of a Beverly Hills ploy and insisted on getting the game in.

The Cardinals already had a rainout with Redlands at Hoover.

Herreid finally cut to the chase and told the Hoover representatives that his team didn’t want to play on the scheduled Saturday because they’d “miss seeing college games in the afternoon.”

Beverly Hills finally backed down, after the Cardinals said they would play the game at a time of Beverly Hills’ choosing, which was 10:30 a.m.

Topping off the victory, the Hoover squad motored to the Los Angeles Coliseum and took in the USC-Oregon game later in the day.

Beverly Hills’ maneuvering was just one of many over the years aimed at teams from the “border town”.

UNHAPPY TRAVELERS

Hoover principal Floyd Johnson had received a statement in the spring that members of the Bay, which included  Beverly Hills, Redondo Beach Redondo, Inglewood, Santa Monica, Compton, and Long Beach Wilson would no longer participate in sports contests that required travel of at least 100 miles each way.

The Cardinals felt their partners/rivals  were “freezing” them out of the loop.

Another indignity was a curious, late change in timing for the 1936 league track championships at Wilson from the afternoon to the morning supposedly to allow coaches to attend the track meet between the San Francisco Olympic Club and the USC Trojans.

Hoover’s thinclads “would have to tumble out of the mattresses” at about 4:30 a.m. and board  buses an hour later.

Independent from the school’s opening in 1930 through 1934, Hoover was part of the inaugural Bay League a year later and would be on the move again and Wilson would go with the Cardinals and join San Diego, Long Beach Poly, Alhambra, and Santa Ana.

Coach John Perry was returning to the Coast League and Hoover was stepping up, in its seventh season of football.

After posting a 7-1-1 record and winning the Bay League in 1935, the Cardinals advanced to the most prestigious circuit in Southern California and were in the same league for the first time with San Diego High.

PERRY CORRECT, BARELY

The Cardinals were 5-0-1 against Beverly Hills, Inglewood, Long Beach Wilson, Santa Monica, and Redondo Beach Redondo the previous year.

Although facing a much tougher schedule, “We won’t end up in last place,” declared Perry.

John got that right, but he wasn’t celebrating.

Hoover was  1-4 versus  Long Beach Poly, San Diego, Long Beach Wilson (also moving from the Bay League) Alhambra, and Santa Ana, which the Cardinals defeated 7-2.

Perry and San Diego High coaching rival Glenn Broderick greeted more than 160 athletes as the two schools opened practice under a hot Labor Day sun, one week before classes began.

Both coaches mulled the idea of switching two of their most important players.

Don Trimble, a 225-pound tackle and the Cardinals’ only returning letterman starter, wanted to handle the ball and play in the backfield.

So did Ben Sohn, San Diego’s 230-pound all-Coast League tackle.

Each player lined up differently during the first few days of practice but then returned to their respective dominant positions.  Sohn made the all-Southern California third team.

KEEPING TIME

Windy, cool weather and occasional wet skies kept the San Diego-Hoover attendance to 12,000, but fans were treated to the presence of a giant electronic game time clock, purchased with funds collected by San Diego students.

A  newly organized Hilltoppers girls drill team and Hoover’s girls tumbling squad performed along with bands from the two schools and the sponsoring Elks Club.

The Cavers got got the most response from the scoreboard, winning, 19-7, as Sal Mena, a transfer from El Paso High in Texas, scored two touchdowns.

AZTEC NEWCOMERS FILL BREECH

Muir Tech of Pasadena cited a conflict in dates and bailed out of the opener with San Diego.  Glenn Broderick quickly called San Diego State freshman coach Charlie Smith and scheduled a game the same week.

The big, favored Frosh numbered several members from both the 1935 San Diego and Hoover squads, which played a memorable game in which Hoover scored a 7-6 victory.

Broderick’s polished team defeated the Frosh, which had practiced only a week and that against the Aztecs’ varsity, 7-0.

POLY VICTORY NOT ENOUGH

San Diego’s 7-2 victory over Long Beach Poly was its first over the Jackrabbits since 1933 and it represented Poly’s first home game loss since 1928.

San Diego’s chances for a Coast League championship were erased when the Cavemen dropped a 14-7 decision to Alhambra and were tied by Long Beach Wilson, 6-6.  Poly rallied to win the league title and defended its Southern Section championship.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE

San Diego arrived in Arizona a day early to play Phoenix Union for the seventh consecutive season.

The Hilltoppers visited the  campus, were welcomed into classrooms by teachers and students, invited to take part in a class discussion, and to give short talks about their high school.

Joe Savage’s 94-yard run put San Diego in front and the Cavemen went on to defeat Phoenix Union, 27-0, before 8,000 persons.

The 135-pound Savage, said Mitch Angus of The  San Diego Union, “is bringing back memories of former Hiller greats Cotton Warburton, Russ Saunders, and Ambrose Schindler.”

Glenn Broderick drove from San Diego a couple weeks earlier to sign a contract for the game and to scout the Coyotes when they played Santa Barbara.

No word on whether Broderick took a side trip to Tucson, 80 miles away, to visit relatives. Broderick attended Tucson High.

IRON BULLDOGS

Ed Covington must have had a mixup in schedules, although that didn’t deter the veteran Calexico coach.  Or maybe this was the way Covington was preparing his team to defend its Imperial Valley League championship.

The Bulldogs made the long trip from the Valley and defeated Sweetwater 13-2 on Friday afternoon, hung around Friday night, and returned Saturday afternoon to shut out Army-Navy, 13-0.

CORONADO BOSS STEPS DOWN

A.E. (Amos) Schaefer retired to administration at Coronado after the season.

Schaefer became the Islanders’ principal and eventually the school district superintendent.

The Islanders were only 2-5 in 1936 but Schaefer’s 11-season stand included nine consecutive first or second-place finishes in the Southern Prep and Metropolitan leagues from 1926-34.

Known for driving defensive coaches to the brink with an offense featuring double and triple reverses, Schaefer’s teams fashioned a 55-25-5 (.676) record.

BITE-SIZED

Oceanside’s Billy Meredith lost a tooth in a midweek practice collision, then retrieved the errant incisor, and walked over to the student manager.  “Here,” said Meredith, “keep this for me.”

13-0 or 19-0?

Dick Longtin scored three touchdowns and a point after in Hoover’s 13-0, season-opening win over Burbank.

You’re right, the math doesn’t work.

Actually, Longtin’s touchdown at the end of the first half lasted only through the intermission. Game officials notified those in attendance at Hoover at the beginning of the third quarter that the half ended before the touchdown.

Where’s the timekeeper?

SIGNS OF THE TIME

–A well-traveled stretch of “Roller Coaster Road”, as El Cajon “Avenue” was known to most San Diegans, was scheduled to be paved from Texas Street to Euclid Avenue. The Daley Corporation submitted a winning bid of $283.000.

–The  “Hard of Hearing Club” held an open house at 3843 Herbert Street, Hillcrest. Many in the group complained that they had not heard about the event.

–A typewriter and clarinet apparently were not enough for thieves, who returned two weeks later to the Lakeside home of R. G. Denlinger. The thieves moved out most of the home’s furnishings, while the family was attending a movie, according to deputy sheriffs.

TRUE GRID

There now were 113 schools and 18 leagues in the CIF’s Southern Section…Bob Breitbard was a 180-pound offensive lineman at Hoover, destined to become a Cardinals coach and the head coach at San Diego State before embarking on a career in sports, beginning with the creation of the Breitbard Hall of Fame in 1946 and the San Diego Hall of Champions in 1961…end Al Perroddi was late to fall practice at San Diego, staying out of school to deliver ice…players weren’t the only late arrivals…assistant coach Lawrence Carr was returning from a European vacation after coaching La Jolla to a 9-0 record in 1935 and then moving to Hoover…Grossmont coach Jack Mashin and Coronado mentor Hal Niedermeyer attended the Summer Olympics in Berlin…”American sportsmanship throughout the games was of the highest type,” said Mashin…unknown pranksters lit several firecrackers that startled the Hoover crowd during the first quarter of the Redbirds’ opener with Burbank…Hoover’s game with Redlands was postponed because of rain, and then canceled when the Cardinals’ field still resembled a swimming pool after more heavy rains…Grossmont players were guests of the La Mesa Masons, who showed a film of the 1936 Stanford-Southern Methodist Rose Bowl game…Warren and Duncan Wexler, sons of Escondido coach Harry Wexler, started for dad at halfback and quarterback, respectively…Long Beach Wilson’s Norman Standlee, a future NFL star and member of Stanford’s 1941 Rose Bowl champion, scored three of the Bruins’ four touchdowns against Hoover and punted out of bounds on Hoover’s half-yard line…the punt was 76 yards from scrimmage and 85 from launching point…Dave Gonzalez’ 30-yard touchdown pass to Menlo Martinez on the final play of the game gave Sweetwater a 12-6 victory over St. Augustine… the Red Devils’ victory was due largely to the play of Dunbar, 240-pound tackle who “steamrollered his side of the line in determined fashion,” according to the San Diego Sun report…Sweetwater introduced a 50-member band in full uniform when it met Calexico…Joe Savage  ran 80 yards for a touchdown and threw for two as  San Diego topped Santa Ana 19-6…San Diego end Ed Becker made the all-Southern California first team, the only area player so honored….

 

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 Vista and a possible shot in the four-team Open Division playoffs.

CENTRAL

Champion Serra (4-0, 7-2) has a nonleague encounter with Patrick Henry and awaiting its seeding in the Division IV playoffs.

CITRUS

San Diego Jewish Academy (5-0, 7-0) will meet Ocean League runner-up San Pasqual Academy in an eight-man, semifinal round, winner advancing to championship game against Foothills Christian-Ocean View Christian survivor

CITY

Scripps Ranch (3-0, 9-0), setting all kinds of records with its best season since the school opened in 1993, could lose  to Mission Bay (not likely) and would be tied for first if San Diego (2-1, 6-2) beats Kearny (probable).  However, the Falcons own  a 34-6 win over the Cavers.

COASTAL

The Bishop’s (3-0, 9-0), averaging 56 points a game, must get past tough, old rival Santa Fe Christian (2-1, 6-3), and Santa Fe holds a 16-11-1 lead in the series, which dates to the eight-man game in 1988.

EASTERN

La Jolla (3-0, 5-4) can clinch by defeating defending champion Christian (2-1, 5-4) and the Vikings can erase the memory of a 49-0 loss to the Patriots in 2018.

GROSSMONT HILLS

Helix (3-0, 8-1) is a substantial favorite, according to all scientific equations, but the Highlanders can’t dismiss fast-closing Steele Canyon (3-0, 9-0), which forced a three-way tie for the title in 2018 with a 22-21 victory over the Highlanders and get them at home.

GROSSMONT VALLEY

Beat West Hills and the 3-0, 5-4 Monte Vista Monarchs of coach Ron Hamamoto have their fifth straight win and second title in three years.  Lose and Monte Vista could be tied if Santana bests El Cajon Valley, but the Monarchs whipped the Sultans, 37-10.

IMPERIAL VALLEY

El Centro Central (4-0, 7-2) and Brawley (4-0, 7-2) are at it again, battling for the league championship and possession of The Bell, which has rung for the winner since 1944. The Wildcats lead the series since then, 49-27-2, although the rivalry goes back to 1921.

MANZANITA

Calexico Vincent Memorial (3-0, 6-3) clinches with a win over Mountain Empire and also holds a 23-16 verdict over Holtville, which could tie if Vincent loses (doubtful) and the Vikings beat Calipatria (expected).

METRO MESA

Eastlake has clinched at 4-0 and 5-5.  Paco Silva is 4-1 as coach John McFadden’s replacement.  McFadden is on mandated leave.

METRO PACIFIC

Castle Park, 2-0 and 9-0, and Montgomery, 2-0 and 8-1, will vie with Helix-Steele Canyon in this week’s most intriguing matchup.

METRO SOUTH BAY

Hilltop is in driver’s seat at 2-0 and 8-1 but must get by Mar Vista, or shaere the crown with the Mariners.

OCEAN

Ocean View Christian (5-1, 6-2), enjoying its best season since a 7-3 campaign in 2015, meets Foothills Christian (6-0, 9-0) and 35-6 since 2016, in the second  eight-man semifinal.

PACIFIC

La Jolla Country Day, 3-0 and 7-2, will play Parker, 3-0 and 4-5, will decide things.

PALOMAR

Vista, 5-0 and 7-2 with a forfeit loss in its opening game, has clinched, having beaten Rancho Bernardo, 37-20, last week.

VALLEY

It’s an intra-city battle, with San Pasqual (4-0, 8-1), trying to clinch against Escondido. (3-1, 5-3). An Eagles loss could lead to a three-way finish at the top, with Valley Center (3-1, 4-4) also in picture.

WESTERN

Cathedral (3-0, 8-1) is a heavy favorite to beat Lincoln, which would prevent St. Augustine, a 44-38 loser to the Dons, from getting a share of first.

 

 

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 Notre Dame and NFL quarterback Rick Mirer, and Delshawn Taylor picked up for Noa .

No. 2. Helix moved on seamlessly, administering its annual punishment of old rival Grossmont, 54-14, as Taylor rushed for 170 yards in 12 carries and scored twice.

The victory was the Scots’ 24th in a row over the Foothillers and now lead the series, which began in 1951, by a 45-18-2 margin.

Helix has scored at least 50 points five times in the teams’ last seven meetings.

SECOND GENERATION

Trailing, 14-6, at halftime, Cathedral’s Zavien Watson took charge of the 53^rd “Holy Bowl”, and the Dons, now leading the series, 32-21, defeated St. Augustine, 35-14.

Watson rushed for 280 yards in 18 carries and scored four touchdowns in the second half on runs of 48, 1, 6, and 30 yards.

Longtime prep followers remember another Watson.

Zavien’s farther, E.J. Watson, led La Jolla to a 13-1 record and runner-up finish in the 1991 San Diego Section 2-A finals.  The Vikings lost to El Camino, 29-7.

E.J. was the San Diego Section’s leading scorer in 1991 with 30 touchdowns and 182 points. He had 120 points on 20 touchdown as a junior. Zavien has 120 points through the season’s first nine games.

The regular season will be complete in next week. Playoff seedings will be determined Nov. 2.

Helix and Cathedral will have to continue adjusting to their losses.  Perhaps there will be a rematch of Helix’ earlier, 45-27 victory over the Dons in the playoff Open Division championship.

QUICK KICKS

San Pasqual won a barnburner from Valley Center, 35-32, and can claim its first outright Valley League title since 2000 next week against Escondido…the Golden Eagles shared the title in 2013 and ’15 and Valley Center has won the last three…the list of undefeated teams is down to four: Steele Canyon, Castle Park, and Scripps Ranch, each 8-0, and The Bishop’s, 7-0…Foothills Christian (8-0) and San Diego Jewish (6-0) are perfect in eight-man football…St. Augustine and Cathedral have met every season since 1966 except for 2007, when the San Diego Section canceled all games for one week because of smoke from the Witch fire, which rampaged through much of Rancho Bernardo….

The San Diego Union-Tribune Week 9 poll:

Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

First-place votes in parenthesis. NR–Not ranked. *Includes forfeit loss.

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	POINTS	PREVIOUS
1.	Helix (31)	7-1	310	1
2.	Cathedral	8-1	292	2
3.	St. Augustine	6-2	237	3
4.	Carlsbad	7-1	213	4
5.	Steele Canyon	8-0	198	5
6.	Mission Hills	6-2	163	6
7.	Madison	5-3	84	10
8.	Oceanside	5-3	76	9
9.	Vista	6-2*	54	NR
10.	Grossmont	6-2	30	7

Others receiving votes: The Bishop’s (8-0, 25 points), La Costa Canyon (4-4, 25), Lincoln, (5-3, 6), Rancho Bernardo (6-2, 5), Scripps Ranch (8-0, 3), San Pasqual (7-1, 2), Montgomery (6-1, 1)

Voting panel of 31 sportswriters, sportscasters, various County football honchos:

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune
• Jim Lindgren, Rick Hoff, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Thomas Gutierrez, freelance contributors.
• Paul Rudy, Brandon Stone,Ted Mendenhall, KUSI Chl. 51
• Adam Paul, ECpreps.com
• Ramon Scott, EastCountySports.com
• Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com
• Taylor Quellman, The Mighty 1090
• Steve Brand, San Diego Hall of Champions
• Troy Hirsch, Kaylyn McMakin, Tabitha Lipkin, Fox 5, San Diego
• Rick Smith, PartletonSports.com
• Jerry Schniepp, John Labeta, Ron Marquez, CIF San Diego Section
• Joe Heinz, Coordinator, Athletics, Sweetwater School District
• Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net
• Bob Petinak, free lance.
• John Kentera, Brandon Suprenant, 97.3 FM The Fan
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM
• Mike Dolan, John Carroll, San Diego Section Tournament Directors.
• Christian Pederson, SoCal Prep Insider.
• Joe Heinz, Athletics Director, Sweetwater School District.
• Eric Williams, WBK Sports/San Diego Friday Night Lights Magazine.

AS OTHERS IN CALIFORNIA SEE SAN DIEGO’S TOP 10

Team	Record	Cal.Preps.Com	Max Preps	Cal-Hi Sports
Helix	7-1	61.5/60.1	11/10	9/9
Cathedral	8-1	65.9/64.6	5/7	12/13
St. Augustine	6-2	51.4/51.6	21/18	28/20
Carlsbad	7-1	46.1/45.6	28/31	39/40
Steele Canyon	8-0	38.1/38.1	58/50	47/50
Mission Hills	6-2	42.9/40.7	38/43	49/Bubble
Grossmont	6-2	32.3/30.3	96/98	NR
La Costa Canyon	4-4	35.6/36.2	73/62	NR
Oceanside	5-3	31.4/31.7	99/84	NR
Madison	5-3	37.8/36.7	62/60	Bubble/Bubble

The second set of numbers or scores in the three columns to the right represent last week’s rankings. Cal Preps.com and Max Preps ratings are based on computer algorithms.  Cal-Hi Sports ratings are product of publisher Mark Tennis’ eye test and information from Tennis’ correspondents throughout the state..

 

And another milestone is near.

Joel Allen of The Bishop‘s rampaging Knights of La Jolla could become the 43^rd San Diego Section coach to win a 100^th 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 in a season, which the Knights have done.

Allen, 95-34-1 record in 10-plus seasons at the school, will have the favored team in the last three regular-season games, versus Tri-City, Classical, and Santa Fe Christian.

Win those and go deep into the Division II playoffs to get the necessary wins for 100.  Right now Allen is looking only to winning No. 96.

The Knights blew out La Jolla Country Day, 60-14, last week as Tyler Buchner, who has 29 touchdown passes in seven games, and his teammates overwhelmed the Torreys, who have their own gifted quarterback, Eric Kreutzman, author of 30 touchdown passes.

I gave the Knights a top 10 vote in the Union-Tribune poll this week, but they’re not getting much traction with my colleagues and still are in the “also receiving votes” category.

BY COMPARISON

Allen was 10-13-1 in his first two seasons.  San Diego’s Charles James is following a similar trajectory.

James was 1-9, 2-8, and 2-8 in his first three seasons at the famous school that originally overlooked the city but had lost relevance as students who could play football were moving east, to Lincoln and Morse, and eventually to all locales in the city.

San Diego went into a downward spiral, with infrequent breaths of success, after coach Duane Maley retired following the 1959 season.

The Cavers are enjoying a renewal.  Since that 4-26 start they are 29-4 and James now has an above water, 33-30 record.

Things will get tougher for the erstwhile Hilltoppers, beginning with a City League home game against 7-0 Scripps Ranch this week.

The Cavers moved up from Division IV to D-III this season and are 5-1, including a  reality-check, 41-7 loss to the Central League’s D-IV Serra, which has won five straight  after opening with losses of 18-0 to Scripps Ranch and 30-14 to Santana.

The San Diego Union-Tribune Week 8 poll:

Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

First-place votes in parenthesis. NR–Not ranked. *Includes forfeit loss.

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	POINTS	PREVIOUS
1.	Helix (31)	7-1	310	1
2.	Cathedral	7-1	264	2
3.	St. Augustine	6-1	253	3
4.	Carlsbad	6-1	211	4
5.	Steele Canyon	7-0	188	5
6.	Mission Hills	5-2	157	6
7.	Grossmont	6-1	82	9
8.	La Costa Canyon	4-3	59	10
9.	Oceanside	4-3	51	9
10.	Madison	4-3	44	7

Others receiving votes: Vista (5-2*, 37 points), The Bishop’s (7-0, 19), Santana (7-0, 6),  Lincoln (4-3, 4), Scripps Ranch (6-0, 2), Granite Hills (4-3), Montgomery (6-1), Rancho Bernardo (5-2), 1 each.

Voting panel of 31 sportswriters, sportscasters, various County football honchos:

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune
• Jim Lindgren, Rick Hoff, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Thomas Gutierrez, freelance contributors.
• Paul Rudy, Brandon Stone,Ted Mendenhall, KUSI Chl. 51
• Adam Paul, ECpreps.com
• Ramon Scott, EastCountySports.com
• Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com
• Taylor Quellman, The Mighty 1090
• Steve Brand, San Diego Hall of Champions
• Troy Hirsch, Kaylyn McMakin, Tabitha Lipkin, Fox 5, San Diego
• Rick Smith, PartletonSports.com
• Jerry Schniepp, John Labeta, Ron Marquez, CIF San Diego Section
• Joe Heinz, Coordinator, Athletics, Sweetwater School District
• Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net
• Bob Petinak, free lance.
• John Kentera, Brandon Suprenant, 97.3 FM The Fan
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM
• Mike Dolan, John Carroll, San Diego Section Tournament Directors.
• Christian Pederson, SoCal Prep Insider.
• Joe Heinz, Athletics Director, Sweetwater School District.
• Eric Williams, WBK Sports/San Diego Friday Night Lights Magazine.

AS OTHERS IN CALIFORNIA SEE SAN DIEGO’S TOP 10

Team	Record	Cal.Preps.Com	Max Preps	Cal-Hi Sports
Helix	6-1	60.1/59.6	10/8	9/9
Cathedral	7-1	64.6/64.2	7/7	13/14
St. Augustine	6-1	51.6/48.3	18/16	20/21
Carlsbad	6-1	45.6/38.1	31/30	40/40
Steele Canyon	7-0	38.1/35.8	50/40	50/Bubble
Mission Hills	5-2	40.7/27/1	43/57	Bubble/Bubble
Grossmont	6-1	30.3/26.5	98/115	NR
La Costa Canyon	4-3	36.2/36.2	62/53	NR
Oceanside	4-3	31.7/29.7	84/90	NR
Madison	4-3	36.7/35.8	60/56	Bubble/NR

The second set of numbers or scores in the three columns to the right represent last week’s rankings. Cal Preps.com and Max Preps ratings are based on computer algorithms.  Cal-Hi Sports ratings are product of publisher Mark Tennis’ eye test and information from Tennis’ correspondents throughout the state..

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 42^nd 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 Morse from 1971-2002.

Cathedral’s Sean Doyle won his 200th a couple weeks ago.

Another milestone will be in sight Friday night.

–Valley Center’s Rob Gilster has 228 victories and could gain a share of fifth, although No. 229 will require the Jaguars getting past the tough La Costa Canyon Mavericks.

Karlo, 56-31 at Grossmont since 2012 and 44-31-2 at Mount Miguel from 2005-11, tied Monte Vista’s Ed Carberry, 100-59-3 in two stints and 14 seasons, in the Foothillers’ 49-14 romp over Valhalla

For a complete list of 100-game winners through 2018 search the home page “Football” menu and scroll down to “Coach 100 Club.”

QUICK KICKS

Rob Gilster’s Valley Center teams are 0-3 against La Costa Canyon since Gilster opened the Jaguars program in 1998…they lost to the Mavericks, 38-10, in 2000, 13-8 in ’01, and 30-19 in 2018…a San Pasqual victory this week will advance the Golden Eagles to 7-0 for the first time since 2013…Blythe Palo Verde Valley, 4-2 for the first time since 2015, will try to break a 19-game losing streak against Brawley, also 4-2…the Yellow Jackets have not beaten the Wildcats since the schools joined the San Diego Section in 2000…Brawley, as usual, will be a heavy favorite…Cathedral closes the regular season with 3 games on the road, beginning this week at Madison….

The San Diego Union-Tribune Week 7 poll:

Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

First-place votes in parenthesis. NR–Not ranked. *Includes forfeit loss.

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	POINTS	PREVIOUS
1.	Helix	5-1	310	1
2.	Cathedral	6-1	273	2
3.	St. Augustine	5-1	253	3
4.	Carlsbad	5-1	217	4
5.	Steele Canyon	6-0	185	5
6.	Mission Hills	4-2	133	8
7.	Madison	4-2	127	9
8.	Oceanside	4-2	58	6
9.	Grossmont	5-1	40	NR
10.	La Costa Canyon	3-3	37	NR

Others receiving votes: Vista (4-2*, 33 points), Lincoln (4-2, 23), The Bishop’s (6-0, 5), Santana (7-0, 4), El Camino (3-3, 3), Scripps Ranch (6-0), San Diego (4-1), Serra (4-2), & Torrey Pines (3-3), 1 each.

Voting panel of 31 sportswriters, sportscasters, various County football honchos:

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune
• Jim Lindgren, Rick Hoff, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Thomas Gutierrez, freelance contributors.
• Paul Rudy, Brandon Stone,Ted Mendenhall, KUSI Chl. 51
• Adam Paul, ECpreps.com
• Ramon Scott, EastCountySports.com
• Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com
• Taylor Quellman, The Mighty 1090
• Steve Brand, San Diego Hall of Champions
• Troy Hirsch, Kaylyn McMakin, Tabitha Lipkin, Fox 5, San Diego
• Rick Smith, PartletonSports.com
• Jerry Schniepp, John Labeta, Ron Marquez, CIF San Diego Section
• Joe Heinz, Coordinator, Athletics, Sweetwater School District
• Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net
• Bob Petinak, free lance.
• John Kentera, Brandon Suprenant, 97.3 FM The Fan
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM
• Mike Dolan, John Carroll, San Diego Section Tournament Directors.
• Christian Pederson, SoCal Prep Insider.
• Joe Heinz, Athletics Director, Sweetwater School District.
• Eric Williams, WBK Sports/San Diego Friday Night Lights Magazine.

AS OTHERS IN CALIFORNIA SEE SAN DIEGO’S TOP 10

Team	Record	Cal.Preps.Com	Max Preps	Cal-Hi Sports
Helix	5-1	60.7/59.6	8/9	9/9
Cathedral	6-1	63.9/64.2	7/7	14/17
St. Augustine	5-1	51.0/48.3	16/21	21/21
Carlsbad	5-1	44.4/38.1	30/39	40/42
Steele Canyon	6-0	39.5/35.8	40/44	Bubble/Bubble
Mission Hills	4-2	35.8/27/1	57/89	Bubble/Bubble
Madison	4-2	35.9/28	56/74	Bubble/Bubble
Oceanside	4-2	29.7/32.9	90/60	NR
Grossmont	5-1	26.5	115	NR
La Costa Canyon	3-3	36.2	53	NR

The second numbers or score in the three columns to the right represent last week’s rankings. Cal Preps.com and Max Preps ratings are based on computer algorithms.  Cal-Hi Sports ratings are product of publisher Mark Tennis’ eye test and information from Tennis’ correspondents throughout the state..