First athletes and then coaches, each experience leaving a lifetime of memories.

BOBBY KENNEDY

The San Diego State graduate was  head baseball coach at Chula Vista from 1957-82, his teams winning six Metropolitan League titles, earning 19 playoff appearances, and compiling an overall record of 329-266.

Kennedy also was a championship softball player, almost to the end, participating all the way to age 89 and along the way teaming with several other locals of his generation to win 10  national association “World Series.”

Kennedy hit a three-run home run on his last time at bat.

You could look it up, as Casey Stengel would say.

Bobby, who passed days before his 94^th birthday, grew up in the San Bernardino area and played two seasons in the Philadelphia Athletics’ system.

Kennedy’s San Diego State jersey No. 12 was retired.  He also was a basketball game official for 25 years and president of the local association.

Kennedy was one of a group of coaches and ex-players, mostly from baseball who met for coffee each week for years  at the Lake Murray Café.  Bobby remained active up the end, attending the annual Coaching Legends event at the Scottish Rite Temple in October.

Pitcher Ron (Flame) Tompkins, a member of the Kennedy’s 1962 squad, toiled for the Kansas City Royals in 1965 and California Angels in 1971.

JOE GALINDO

A 1947 St. Augustine graduate, Galindo was the Saints’ head football coach in 1986-87 and played on Saints teams that occupied a unique niche in school athletics history.

Galindo was an end and defensive back for the Saints during an era when the Catholic school was shunned by its city and county counterparts and  forced to find a league that required substantial travel.

The Saints were part of the Southland Catholic League that included Los Angeles teams Loyola, Mt. Carmel, and Cathedral, plus Santa Monica St. Monica and Long Beach St. Anthony.

Galindo, 87, began his career as a playground director for the City Recreation Department and coached many sports on many levels for more than 40 years.

MIKE CUNNINGHAM

A quarterback on the Saints’ 7-2 squad of 1958 and catcher on the baseball team, Cunningham, 75, was the Saints’ head football coach from 1978-81.

He also was head coach at Ramona from 1975-77, and at Julian from 1988-92 and 1995-96.

Cunningham’s teams in the mountain community posted an overall record of 30-14-1 and claimed a San Diego Section 8-man championship in 1992.

Power ratings honcho John LaBeta can look at the semifinals pairings in this week’s San Diego Section playoffs and feel pretty good, if not vindicated, about the controversial seedings process.

History has not recorded a season in which all teams and coaches involved were happy with the results, be they computer generated or by the human eye test.

But LaBeta and his I-pad have been right on 86 per cent of the selections this far into the postseason.

Of the 22 clubs still alive in Divisions Open and I-V, 19 represent seeds 1 through 4.

The top four will compete in the semifinals in D-I and D-3.  Horizon (4) and Tri-City Christian (3) will play for the D-V title this week.

Bonita Vista (11) crashed the party with a 5-7 record in D-II. Mission Hills (5) and La Jolla Country Day (5) are still in the mix in the Open and D-IV, respectively.

Upsets Friday night could paint a different picture going into next week’s finals, but the power ratings have gained some credibility, even if those 5 and 11 seeds should create some shock waves.

DOUBLE CENTURY

Ron Hamamoto of Monte Vista and Rob Gilster of Valley Center are among nine who have won at least 200 games as coaches of San Diego County teams.  Both will be on the sidelines this week.

Five others with at least 100 victories also still are working, including Poway’s Damian Gonzalez, who earlier this season became the 42^nd County coach to hit the century mark.

Name	School(s)	Years	W-L-T	Pct.	Rank*
Ron Hamamoto	University Rancho Bernardo Lincoln Monte Vista	31	209-140-4	.601	8
Rob Gilster	Orange Glen Valley Center	28	207-122-5	.624	9
Sean Doyle	University Cathedral	21	172-84-0	.659	13
Matt Oliver	Christian	17	147-60-0	.710	15
Chris Hauser	Vista Mission Hills	17	135-58-2	.695	22
Rick Jackson	Madison	13	117-36-1	.765	34T
Damian Gonzalez	Army-Navy Poway	17	107-85-3	.556	36

*All-time standing in total victories.

RB MAKES MOVE

Rancho Bernardo jumped from 25th to 16th in this week’s Cal-
Hi Sports‘ top 25 and will play No. 14 Helix in one of two attractive semifinals playoff matches.

Cathedral, which takes on  Mission Hills, stayed at Cal-Hi‘s No. 7, leapfrogged by Concord De La Salle, which moved from eighth to sixth.

BEEN THERE

Rob Gilster-coached teams have made 15 trips to the semifinals, followed by Sean Doyle (13) Matt Oliver (13), Chris Hauser (12), Rick Jackson (8), Ron Hamamoto (7), and Damian Gonzalez (5).

QUICK KICKS

St. Augustine’s Richard Sanchez could reach 100 victories sometime in the 2018 season…Sanchez is 75-23 since 2009 with the Saints and was 6-14 in 1998-99 at San Diego for an overall record of 81-37… Ron Hamamoto has taken 4 teams to the playoffs, at University (9), Rancho Bernardo (9). Lincoln (4), and Monte Vista (5), a total of 27 out of 31 seasons….

HOOPS, ANYONE?

Cathedral, with 7-foot Brandon McCoy leading the way, opened as Cal-Hi Sports’ No. 7 team in the newsletter’s 2016-17, state  preseason top 25. Foothills Christian, minus T.J. Leaf, now at UCLA, is ranked 16^th and St. Augustine 21^st.

In the “Just Missed” category are La Jolla Country Day and Torrey Pines.

Teams rated ahead of Cathedral:

1) Torrance Bishop Montgomery, which beat Cathedral in the state Southern regional semifinals last season;

2) Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, which the Dons topped, 82-80, in the quarterfinals;

3) Chino Hills, 4) Santa Ana Mater Dei, 5) Encino Crespi, and 6) Los Angeles Fairfax.

 

 

A sneeze at a military facility near Junction City, Kansas, turned into a cold that led to a fever that led to a death that led to a global pandemic.

The so-called “Spanish Flu”, which is said to have first struck World War I soldiers processing in and out of Camp Funston on the Fort Riley army reservation in March, reached almost every corner of the earth.

Including the growing city on the California-Mexico border.

San Diego and the surrounding communities didn’t feel the virus’ effect for months. Not until September, after school opened and football practice started.

Four months later, when the bug finally was arrested, the flu had hit with force: A reported 5,040 cases and 366 deaths locally, according to an article by Peter Rowe of The San Diego Union in 2009.

The number of documented illnesses represented about 7 per cent of the city’s approximately 75,000 citizens.  Taken in 2018, 7 per cent would be almost 100,000 of San Diego’s 1.3 million inhabitants.

Probably 100 million persons around the world were incapacitated or died.  The death toll has been variously estimated at from 50 to 70 million, the latter figure at least 3 per cent of the earth’s 1.8 billion population.

SUMMER DILEMMA

School began on August 26 at San Diego High and new coach Clint Evans, fresh from Pomona High, was in a quandary.

Evans was unsure about which veteran players from the 1917 squad would be returning to school, as some had “left for the colors,” with others expected to follow.

The 1918 schedule had not been formulated.  No team manager had been hired, as Gustave Harding, appointed last year, had left for the military.

Evans planned to book one or two northern squads and fill the rest of the schedule with service teams, of which there were many in the area.

The coach hoped to start practice on Aug. 28, but there would be no practice until an arrangement was made with the Balboa Park board to use the City Stadium field.

Seventy-five candidates turned out for the first practice, held on the girls’ indoor baseball field.

UNCLE SAM CALLS

The United States declared war on Germany and officially entered World War I on April 6, 1917.  Gustave Harding, captain of the 1918 squad, along with classmates and teammates at least 18 years of age, eventually answered the call.

Harding enrolled at Oregon Agricultural College (future Oregon State) for military training.  Others entered Redlands University.  Still others affiliated with local branches of the military.

The government had established military programs at colleges throughout the U.S.  Harding and others were able to return to school after the war ended on Nov. 11, 1918.

WEIGHTY ISSUES

Evans expected his first varsity to be lighter than previous Hilltoppers clubs.  Older, heavier players apparently had departed for the military.

“This team is so light, but we’re going to make it so fast that nothing in the South will pass us,” said Evans.

SLOW REALIZATION

A couple weeks after the start of school a San Diego Sun article, giving passing acknowledgement to rising statistics on the East Coast and in Europe, declared mildly, “San Diego is full of colds, just now.”

The Sun had advice and promised all of the facts “about Spanish Flu” for its readers but in the form of a paid advertisement, according to a 2009 article in The San Diego Reader:

–To avoid infection: “Steer clear of secretions of the nose and throat passages, conveyed on handkerchiefs, towels and mess-gear.”

–If you come down with the flu, “treat it as a bad cold…be sure to take Dover’s Powders.”

Around this time sailors at the Balboa Park naval training camp and soldiers at Camp Kearny were coming down. By October, the bases at Balboa Park, Camp Kearny, Fort Rosecrans, and North Island were under quarantine.

SO FAR, SO GOOD

Evans, a University of California graduate, had the Hilltoppers unbeaten after 3 games.

They played to a scoreless tie with the La Playa Navy, defeated Coronado, 19-7, and Los Angeles High, 14-0.

Not uncommon to the era was the response of the L.A. High captain, as Don King noted in Caver Conquest.

The miffed Roman tried to convince his team to walk off the field in protest of some officiating calls that favored the Hilltoppers.

Meantime, Coronado was said to “have a great liking for piling up points this season,” after the Islanders took National City to the shed, 61-0, following a 53-0 victory over Army-Navy in County  League contests.

The schedules of San Diego, Coronado, Army-Navy, Escondido, and National City soon were suspended.

SHUTDOWN

As the flu rampaged throughout the country, San Diego education bosses decided to close all schools on Oct. 13.  They did not reopen until Jan. 6, 1919.

Initial reaction was that teams would continue to practice until reopening.

The days turned into weeks, the weeks into months.

Evans attended a meeting in Los Angeles on Nov 4.  Opinion of Northern coaches was that practice would begin around Nov. 30, allowing for games on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

The San Diego public health board adopted a resolution on Nov. 9, saying a quarantine on public entertainments and gatherings would be lifted at midnight on Nov. 17.

Opinion of the four-man board was that the “epidemic had materially subsided and is in control.”  Twenty-two new cases had been reported the day before.

On Nov. 15 the quarantine was rumored to be extended after an outbreak on successive days of 57 and 66 cases and one death raised new alarms.

OOPS?

Quarantine confusion came to the surface.

San Diego vaudeville, stock and motion picture theaters, pool and billiards parlors remained open in defiance of the quarantine, with the health board hopeless to enforce its edict, said the Union.

No quarantine officially existed, according to the city attorney.  The health board had omitted making its order a matter of record at a formal meeting.

The health board then made it official, adding churches, dance halls, public bathing establishments, and other gathering places.

AHEAD OF THE PACK

On Dec. 3, Evans, himself having recovered from a set-to with the flu, reported that Northern schools on the Orange League schedule would begin play on Jan. 1.

Evans scheduled Los Angeles Poly for a New Year’s Day nonleague game at City Stadium.  The Hilltoppers won, 13-6, to go to 3-0-1.

Some Southern California school bosses wanted to scrub the season, according to a Dec. 4 Los Angeles Times story.

The bosses noted that the season would run into the rainy months and any schedule could not be depended on to be played out.

However, as would be the case a century later “Football is considered the paying athletic proposition of the year and the loss of the gate receipts would have to be made up in some other way to carry on the basketball, track, and baseball programme (sic).”

The season would be salvaged, no matter how late into the spring.

SCHEDULING MISMASH

Daily reports in January indicated the CIF was trying to create a path to the playoffs, hopefully salvaging some flu-related loss of revenue.

The path was strewn with detours and obstacles.

–San Diego had lost to Pomona, 10-7, before a 13-6 victory over Fullerton and was scheduled to play league opponent Orange.

–Orange decided to turn in its gear, effectively forfeiting to San Diego.

— San Diego now would play the winner of a Pomona-Fullerton game for the Orange League championship.

–Fullerton defeated Pomona, 13-10, creating a three-way tie for the  title, each team with a 2-1 record.

–A decision then was made that San Diego and Pomona would play for the right to host Fullerton.

–Pomona bailed, ending its season.

–With Pomona out, Fullerton changed its mind about being the visitor against San Diego and demanded that the rematch be played at a site of its choosing.

–Evans and Fullerton coach Culp attended a protest meeting at Fullerton, where representatives from other schools heard arguments.

–The protest committee sided with Evans.

–Fullerton made the trip South and turned the tables on San Diego, 20-13, winning the league title and a berth in the playoffs.

–San Diego’s season was over.  So was Clint Evans’ tenure as coach.

ISLANDERS IN PURSUIT

Coronado meanwhile also was in the playoffs and defeated visiting Redlands, 14-7, as “Ed Suggett passed, ran, blocked, and punted” the Islanders to victory.

Fullerton advanced to the championship game against Coronado with a 60-0 win over Santa Monica.

The Islanders and Fullerton met a month later, on March 18, almost 90 days after the season’s normal conclusion.

With the addition of Suggett, who had played on Jan. 1 for the Balboa Park Sailors against the Mare Island Marines of Vallejo for the West Coast military title, Coronado liked its chances.

Fullerton, which remained active and played through the flu epidemic, capped a 10-1 season, by blanking the 5-3 Islanders, 18-0.

The season had finally come to an end.

COACH TO TILL EARTH

Saying he could not turn down the opportunity to partner with his brother in a farming business in Idaho, Clint Evans resigned his position at San Diego and said he was retiring from football.

“I have an attractive farming proposition, one which I believe will return me more finances and be more lasting than coaching,” said Evans.

Evens eventually returned to  Berkeley and coached the California Golden Bears’ baseball team from 1930-54.

SAY, AREN’T YOU…?

San Diego players must have blinked when they looked across the line at a familiar face on the La Playa Navy team. Howard Morrison, former yell leader for Hilltop cheering sections, played for the military base squad in the 0-0 tie that began the season.

LET’S RALLY

Elated at the prospect of playing again, 21 coed volunteers canvassed the entire downtown district selling tickets to the New Year’s Day contest against L.A. Poly.

Hilltoppers students added to the festive atmosphere with a serpentine that began at the courthouse on lower Broadway, headed east to Fifth Avenue, north to C Street, West to Fourth Avenue, and South to the plaza.

A “coffin” of the Poly team was displayed, followed by a bonfire near school grounds, and remarks by coaches.

The game drew a crowd of almost 3,000 to City Stadium.

SIGNS OF THE TIME

Four airplanes from Rockwell Field on Coronado’s North Island flew to Warner Springs.  The trip was completed in slightly more than one hour.

After landing, the pilots swam in the springs, had lunch, and then flew back to deliver a dispatch to The San Diego Union, extolling the Warner Springs Ranch.

VEGGIE GETS A BOW

Oceanside celebrated its second annual “Bean Day” on Labor Day.  The event honored the bean, “one of the chief assets of the Oceanside country,” according to a press release.

BUY IT NOW

It was possible to purchase a seven-room bungalow with hardwood floors on a large lot near the ocean in Coronado for $3,350.

TRUE GRID

San Diego ‘s league alignment was flimsy.. Fullerton and Pomona were permanent…other teams seemingly were added and dropped during the season…to be eligible a player could not be more than 21 years of age, had attended school for a full, previous semester, and had passing grades in at least three classes…the “21” rule existed until 1935, when lowered to 20…Coronado’s Ed Suggett made the all-Southern California first team…Charles Fletcher, San Diego football team manager, reported a season profit of $350…Coronado practiced at Fullerton before the championship, was honored by the host school student body at an assembly, and Islanders players were guests of honor following the game at was described as a “theater party”….

The sportswriters and broadcasters and CIF power ratings maven John LaBeta have spoken and there is some agreement.

Cathedral, Rancho Bernardo, and Helix, 1-2-3 in The San Diego Union final regular-season poll, are the top three seeds in the Open Division playoffs, which begin Nov. 18 with quarterfinals play.

But there were some surprises and shock waves in other divisions, with teams having higher  finishes and better won-loss records being left out (see 2016 scores in the Football drop down menu).

LaBeta is unique.

He is  one of the 27 persons on the panel that vote each week to determine the Union top 10 and he’s also the guy who  coordinates the power ratings, which eventually determine who gets into the playoffs, in which division, and with which seeding.

How does LaBeta’s vote in the Union‘s poll compare with the power ratings, which essentially are determined by Labeta’s informational input in a computer generated system that compares what teams do over a season against what their scheduled opponents do?

No answer there.  LaBeta wasn’t able to participate in the vote this week.

He was  busy aligning the 68 teams in the five postseason divisions plus the eight-man tournament and probably fielding questions (and complaints) about the power ratings.

Many in the media and some of the coaches did not understand why St. Augustine and Madison, powerful Western League clubs with 8-2 records, did not make the Open Division.

Maybe the Saints and Warhawks will be better served as Division I participants.

Rancho Bernardo was a twice-beaten and not particularly well-regarded team in 2015. The Broncos were slotted in Division I and won out, going 13-2, and claiming a state championship.

An overall winner will be named in a  final Union poll that will be conducted at the end of the season.  Cathedral remains No. 7 in Cal-Hi Sports‘ state top 25.  Helix moved from 16th to 14th and Rancho Bernardo is 25th.  Madison is on the bubble.

First-place votes in parenthesis.

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

Rank	Team	W-L	Points	Last Week
1.	Cathedral (25)	10-0	268	1
2.	Rancho Bernardo (2)	10-0	240	3
3.	Helix	8-2	212	4
4.	Mater Dei	9-1	182	5
5.	Madison	8-2	165	2
6.	St. Augustine	8-2	116	7
7.	Torrey Pines	8-2	79	8
8.	Poway	9-1	71	6
9.	Grossmont	9-1	56	10
10	The Bishop’s	10-0	40	9

Others receiving votes: Christian (10-0, 24 points), Oceanside (8-2, 21), Valley Center (9-1, 5), Santa Fe Christian (8-2, 2), Valhalla (8-1, 1).

Twenty-seven sportswriters, sportscasters, and other representatives comprise the voting panel:

John Maffei, Union-Tribune. Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Tom Saxe, Rick Hoff, Jim Lindgren,  Union-Tribune contributors. Paul Rudi, Brandon Stone, Rick Willis (KUSI Chl. 51). Michael Bower, Pomerado News. Lisa Lane, Fox 5 News. Montell Allen, MBA Sports-SDFNL Magazine. Brandon Stone, Rick Willis, KUSI, Channel 51. Adam Clark, Ted Mendenhall, Taylor Quellman, The Mighty 1090. Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Radio 107.9 FM. Bob Petinak, 1360 Radio. Bill Dickens, Adam Paul, Chris Davis, eastcountysports.com. Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com. Drew Smith, sdcoastalsports.com. Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net. Rick Smith, partletonsports.com. Steve Brand, San Diego Hall of Champions. Jerry Schniepp, John Labeta, CIF San Diego Section. John (Coach) Kentera, Prep Talent Evaluator.

FOR THE RECORD

Who won the league?

The question has not had as much resonance since the still-trying-to-please power ratings system  came into vogue, but a championship in the regular season still means a lot to coaches, players and student bodies.

This season’s 18 league champions, with special bows to Patrick Henry, on top for the first time since 1997, and Calipatria, first after not being there since 2000:

League	Team	Record	Last
Avocado	Torrey Pines	5-1 (8-2)	2010
Central	Coronado	4-0 (8-2)	2010
Citrus	St. Joseph	5-0 (6-2)	First
City	Patrick Henry	4-0 (6-4)	1997
Coastal	The Bishop’s	4-0 (10-0)	2014
Eastern	Christian	4-0 (10-0)	2015
Grossmont Hills	Helix	4-0 (8-2)	2015
Grossmont Valley	Granite Hills	4-0 (6-4)	2015
Imperial Valley	Brawley	5-0 (7-3)	2014
Manzanita	Calipatria	3-1 (7-3)	2000
	Holtville	3-1 (5-5)	2012
	Calexico Vincent Memorial	3-1 (5-5)	2002
Mesa	Mater Dei	4-0 (9-1)	2015
Metropolitan Pacific	San Ysidro	4-0 (5-5)	First
Pacific	Classical	4-0 (6-4)	2014
Palomar	Rancho Bernardo	4-0 (10-0)	2015
South Bay	Mar Vista	3-0 (8-2)	2012
Ocean	Calvin Christian	3-0 (8-0)	2015
Valley	Valley Center	5-0 (9-1)	2015
Western	Cathedral	4-0 (10-0)	2014

A celebration of Don Donnelly’s life will be held at the La Mesa Community Center on Nov. 14 from 2:30-5:30 p.m.

Donnelly, 87, passed recently after a lifetime of athletics and coaching, principally track and field and cross country.

A 1947 graduate of Hoover High, where he played football and competed in track, Donnelly got into coaching after service during the Korean war and graduation from San Diego State.

His first appointment was in 1956 at Hart High in Newhall, where Donnelly helped mentor Bob Avant, a future state champion in the high jump and who later was principal at Valhalla High.

Donnelly returned to San Diego the following year and was involved in cross country and track at Mission Bay, where he was an assistant to Chuck Coover and coached Jim Cerveny, the 1957 state champion in the 880-yard run and future world-class 800-meter competitor.

When the new Crawford High opened in 1957, Donnelly coached cross country and was assistat track coach to Walt Harvey, succeeding Harvey in 1963.

Donnelly opened the new Morse High in the fall of 1963 and coached track and cross country and guided future Olympic long jumper Arnie Robinson, among others.

Donnelly eventually moved to Santana, coached boys’ and girls’ track and cross country, and stayed active in retirement, competing in senior track events and as a member of various local sports organizations.

“He lived every moment right up to his final day, upbeat and positive all the way,” said the coach’s widow, Mary Donnelly.

Hoover did it.

The Cardinals scored, not once but twice, in a 49-14 loss to Patrick Henry.

Hoover had not even registered a blip in its first eight games and was closing in on a record set in 1976 by San Diego Southwest.

The Southwest Raiders were blanked on the field in a 0-9 season in 1976 but scored one point legislatively after Chula Vista forfeited a 76-0 victory.

Many Hoover players come from around the globe and never were introduced to American football until they arrived at the vintage East San Diego campus at El Cajon Boulevard and 44^th Street.

Hats off to coach Jimmy Morgans and his team.

The Cardinals trailed 42-7 at halftime and, with help of a running clock, played the Patriots even in the second half.

Patrick Henry clinched a tie for the City League title and, with a win over Serra this week, would finish the regular season with a 6-4 record, its best since 2012.

ANOTHER CHALLENGE

Cathedral burst for 21 points in the first quarter, shut out St. Augustine, 35-0, before more than 8,000 persons at Mesa College, and can clinch its first undefeated regular season since the Tyler Gaffney-led Dons were 10-0 en route to 14-0 and a state Division III championship in 2008.

Standing in the way of coach Sean Doyle’s Dons are the fast, efficient Madison Warhawks, 8-1, with only a 20-9 loss to Vista Murrieta in the season opener.

Cathedral is home to Madison, with the Western League championship and probable top seed in the San Diego Section Open Division playoffs to the winner.

The Dons remained No. 1 in the Union-Tribune poll this week and Madison stayed at 2.

BACKYARD BEEF

No. 3 Rancho Bernardo visits neighboring Poway, No. 6, in a battle of 9-0 teams with the Palomar League championship on the line.

Mater Dei (8-1) can clinch the Metropolitan Conference Mesa League championship with a win over visiting Olympian (6-3).

Helix (Grossmont Hills), San Ysidro (Metropolitan Pacific), and Granite Hills (Grossmont Valley) gained ties for first and will go for outright league titles against Valhalla, El Cajon Valley, and San Diego Southwest, respectively.

Cathedral remained seventh in Cal-Hi Sports’ state rankings, with Helix moving up from 18^th to 16^th and Rancho Bernardo crashing the top 25 for the first time.

Madison is on the bubble and St. Augustine’s bubble burst.

Union-Tribune poll:

First-place votes in parenthesis.

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

Rank	Team	W-L	Points	Last Week
1.	Cathedral (23)	9-0	266	1
2.	Madison (2)	8-1	240	2
3.	Rancho Bernardo (2)	8-1	232	3
4.	Helix	7-2	175	5
5.	Mater Dei	8-1	167	4
6.	Poway	9-0	134	7
7.	St. Augustine	7-2	71	6
8.	Torrey Pines	7-2	62	NR
9.	The Bishop’s	9-0	52	9
10	Grossmont	8-1	38	8

Others receiving votes:  Oceanside (7-2, 25 points), Christian (9-0, 20), Valhalla (8-1), Valley Center (8-1), 2 each; Olympian (6-3), Mission Hills (6-3), 1 each.

Twenty-seven sportswriters, sportscasters, and other representatives comprise the voting panel:

John Maffei, Union-Tribune. Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Tom Saxe, Rick Hoff, Jim Lindgren,  Union-Tribune contributors. Paul Rudi, Brandon Stone, Rick Willis (KUSI Chl. 51). Michael Bower, Pomerado News. Lisa Lane, Fox 5 News. Montell Allen, MBA Sports-SDFNL Magazine. Brandon Stone, Rick Willis, KUSI, Channel 51. Adam Clark, Ted Mendenhall, Taylor Quellman, The Mighty 1090. Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Radio 107.9 FM. Bob Petinak, 1360 Radio. Bill Dickens, Adam Paul, Chris Davis, eastcountysports.com. Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com. Drew Smith, sdcoastalsports.com. Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net. Rick Smith, partletonsports.com. Steve Brand, San Diego Hall of Champions. Jerry Schniepp, John Labeta, CIF San Diego Section. John (Coach) Kentera, Prep Talent Evaluator.