Defending San Diego Section champions are off to a strong start, each with a majority of their All-CIF starters returning.

Division I Bonita Vista (3-0), coming off a 19-1 season, is outscoring its opponents 533 to 137. This early season includes a win over Brawley (6-2), itself a five-game winner in a one-day tournament!

D-II Classical  (6-1), rated No. 4 in the state by Max Preps, overpowered Mission Viejo, Number 13 Newport Harbor, and 26 Long Beach Poly, losing only to #2  San Juan Capistrano JSerra.  Last season the Caimans were 17-2 and led the section in scoring at 30 points a game, outscoring opponents 573 to 86.

A local “Clash of the Titans” is Sept. 7, when Classical hosts Bonita Vista. Schedules and results are here.

D-I newcomer Poway (4-0, #36)  dominated its 4 opponents with a 114-20 scoring  total, as only Santana (4-1-1) put up a fight, 20-12. The lady Titans will meet Bonita Vista on Sept. 21.

In town notables are Mira Mesa (4-1), Mission Bay (4-2), plus Kearny (3-0), with all shutout wins and outscoring opponents 75-0.

Brawley (6-2), Imperial (4-1), and Calexico Vincent Memorial (3-0) are off to a good starts in the desert.

San Diego section teams with a Max Preps top 100 state ranking through Aug. 29:

Henrik Jonson, Web Master

Forty-six flag teams, many with quickly organized, short schedules, played a total of about 325 games in the inaugural 2023 season. The 2024 season, with 72 teams and a potential full schedule of 20 in the regular season, plus two dozen playoff jousts, the total should surpass 700 games. The  schedule continues to grow.

Most of the 26 new squads are from North County, including all 5 from Poway Unified (Del Norte, Poway, Mt Carmel, Rancho Bernardo, Westview). Other added large schools include Carlsbad, Escondido, La Costa Canyon, Mission Hills, San Marcos, Oceanside, Ramona,  and Vista.

See the Flag Teams page for a complete list of San Diego Section entries.

CIF-RELATED ISSUES

Now 24 versus 20 minutes per half and a 7-second passing clock; if ball is not thrown or touched by another player, the play is dead. As previous, no blocking downfield, only behind the line-of-scrimmage, and really just ‘obstructing’ since no contact is allowed. It’s up to the defender to avoid a stationary ‘blocker’. Similarly, a ‘tackler’ cannot obstruct a runner to grab a flag. The most allowed contact is some hand-fighting for a pass.

Full CIF Rules here, with 2024 changes and clarifications highlighted in red. The rule book is more than 10 pages.

With more games and a possible short officiating crew issue, a solution is multiple games per day, per site with multiple teams. Last weekend a showcase of 5 games with 10 teams, in one long day, demonstrated this ‘tournament’ style plan.

To date, most league affiliations are unpublished  beyond the 3 listed below. Division (I, II, or more) groupings also are unavailable.

Playoffs begin November 11, with the local champions crowned 11/21-23. No mention of further regional playoff participation.

CONFERENCES, AS OF AUG. 22, 2024

Avocado: Carlsbad, El Camino, La Costa Canyon, Mission Hills, San Dieguito, San Marcos
Palomar: Canyon Crest, Del Norte, Mt Carmel, Oceanside, Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Westview
Valley: Escondido, Ramona, Rancho Buena Vista, Sage Creek, San Pasqual, Vista

Henrik Jonson, Web Master