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.

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:

*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.

Call it a return to (the new) normal.

Football is back in real football time, but the Covid still looms, with the likelihood of canceled games and quarantines.

And the pandemic, which reduced the 2020 season to an abbreviated schedule of 2021 spring games, probably was a factor in the turnover of coaches.

There will be at least 13 new head coaches (not counting eight-man teams) when action begins this week, according to John Maffei of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Eleven, actually.
Charles Bussey returns to Valhalla, where Bussey was 40-40 from 2011-17.
New Mt. Carmel boss Drew Westling was 28-18 from 2016-19 at Hilltop.

Others:
Canyon Hills (nee Serra), Brandon Harris.
Classical Academy, Josiah Cruz.
Francis Parker, Stephen Cooper.
Grossmont, Chris Holmes.
Maranatha, Nick Novak.
Mar Vista, Syd Reed.
Olympian, Jimmy Clark.
Orange Glen, Tido Smith.
Tri-City Christian, Neil Breight.
University City, Paul Lawrence.
Westview, Neil Donnelly.

CATHEDRAL SCHEDULE…YIKES!

Top-ranked Cathedral opens against rugged Torrey Pines and then it gets tougher… games against Corona Centennial, Helix, Concord de la Salle, and Mission Hills Chaminade, not to mention Western League contests versus Lincoln and St. Augustine.

Because of racist remarks toward the Lincoln team by players on the Dons’ squad, head coach Sean Doyle, the captain of the ship will have to sit out two games, probably when the Dons open City Conference play against Madison in Week 7.

DONS IN TOP 5

Cal-Hi Sports’ preseason top 50 has strong San Diego Section representation.

Cathedral is fifth, just behind No. 4 De La Salle.  Carlsbad is 14^th, Mission Hills 23^rd, Lincoln 26^th, Eastlake 36^th, and La Jolla 50^th.

St. Augustine and Torrey Pines have “on the bubble” designation.

AT RISK

Several species of the Manzanita plant are listed as endangered in California and the San Diego Section league by that name since 2011 has been declared extinct by the CIF, at least for the present.

The far flung circuit (173 miles between Buckman Springs’ Mountain Empire and Blythe’s Palo Verde Valley and which also includes Calexico Vincent Memorial, Calipatria, and Holtville), is back to being called the Desert League.

Since Mountain Empire joined in 1960 the league had been known as the Desert or Mountain-Desert.

‘BYE

The San Diego Section bid Happy Trails to the Metro Pacific, whose members merged with the Metro Mesa or Metro South Bay leagues.

Several other teams changed leagues (see table below) and San Diego Southwest notified the CIF that it will play only a junior varsity schedule. Newcomer Coastal Academy is in Oceanside.

For a complete list of teams and schedules, use the “Football / Scores / By Team” or “Football / Teams menu.

TEAM                                      NEW LEAGUE                    OLD LEAGUE               

The world pandemic almost  brought the San Diego Section to its knees, but the governing athletic body survived, thanks to determined coaches, players, and administrators.                     

Thirteen of the 96 schools fielding varsity teams were able to play a maximum six games, as mandated by the state CIF.  Sixty-nine managed from 1 to 5 games and 13 canceled their entire season.

Six-game survivors: Calexico Vincent Memorial, Brawley, El Capitan, Granite Hills, Helix, Holtville, La Costa Canyon, Mira Mesa, Mountain Empire, Santa Fe Christian, Steele Canyon, Torrey Pines, and Valhalla.

A possible game of the year between Cathedral and Carlsbad couldn’t be put together, although teams were scrambling up to the last week looking for possible matchups.

Cathedral got all 17 votes for first place in the final poll. Carlsbad was a solid second and Mission Hills was not far behind as the first three separated themselves from the pack.

First place votes in parenthesis.  Points on scale of 10 points to 1 point.

Others receiving votes:  Torrey Pines (3-3, 19 points), Otay Ranch (3-1), Sweetwater (5-0, 3 each), Mater Dei (4-2, 2), El Centro Central (5-0, 1).

Voting panel:  Seventeen sportswriters and sportscasters throughout San Diego County.

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune
• Steve Brand, Jim Lindgren, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, and Thomas Gutierrez, freelance contributors.
• Brandon Stone, Nick Pollino, KUSI Ch 51
• Adam Paul, ECPreps.com.
• Bodie DeSilva, ScoreBookLive.com.
• John Kentera, Braden Suprenant (97.3 The Fan).
• Ramon Scott, EastCountySports.com
• Rick Smith, PartletonSports.com
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM
• Christian Pederson, San Diego Sports Association.

How others saw San Diego’s Top 10

*Max Preps’ and CalPreps’ computer ratings are identical, except Max Preps gives Carlsbad a 58.1 rating.

#Four teams not in the Union-Tribune Top 10 had higher placement and ratings from Max Preps:

• Torrey Pines, 46/37.9
• El Camino, 58/34.5
• Oceanside, 110/25.9
• Mater Dei, 112/25.8

Cal-Hi Sports’ ranks only the top 50.

CAL-HI SPORTS HONORS EAGLES

Tri-City Christian, which finished with a 4-1 record, was named the state Division V Team of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports.

The Eagles, a member of the Coastal League, defeated  Division II The Bishop’s, D-III Orange Glen, D-IV Classical, and D-V Temecula Rancho Christian.  Their only loss was to D-III Santa Fe Christian.

The San Diego Union-Tribune‘s final football poll in shortened season.

First place votes in parenthesis.  Points on scale of 10 points to 1 point.

Others receiving votes:  Torrey Pines (3-3, 19 points), Otay Ranch (3-1), Sweetwater (5-0, 3 each), Mater Dei (4-2, 2), El Centro Central (5-0, 1).

Voting panel:  Seventeen sportswriters and sportscasters throughout San Diego County.

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune
• Steve Brand, Jim Lindgren, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, and Thomas Gutierrez, freelance contributors.
• Brandon Stone, Nick Pollino, KUSI Ch 51
• Adam Paul, ECPreps.com.
• Bodie DeSilva, ScoreBookLive.com.
• John Kentera, Braden Suprenant (97.3 The Fan).
• Ramon Scott, EastCountySports.com
• Rick Smith, PartletonSports.com
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM
• Christian Pederson, San Diego Sports Association.

Point Loma canceled its season, hours after the story below was published.

Joel Allen, who quarterbacked Christian to a Division IV championship in 2002 and created a brilliant coaching record at The Bishop’s (11 seasons, 100-39-1 record, .739 winning percentage) had stepped down.

Allen was going to go into business with his brother and was stepping back, but when Mike Hastings suddenly retired after 22 seasons at Point Loma, Allen, a Point Loma resident, stepped back in and became the Pointers’ fourth head coach in the last 75 years.

Talk about stability.

Don Giddings guided the Pointers from 1946-54 and Bennie Edens from 1955-97. Hastings took over in 1998.

The pandemic and and the uncertainty around it virtually emptied the cupboard.  Only 17 players turned out for practice and Point Loma considered opting out of the season, according to John Maffei of The San Diego Union.  “Joel went out and ‘recruited the campus’,” said Maffei and got the roster count up to 27.

Much work lies ahead as the Pointers attempt to negotiate the season, which began with a 64-0 loss to ascendant Lincoln.  The score represented the most decisive shutout in school history, replacing a 55-0 defeat to Coronado in 1929, and were the most points allowed since a 63-7 loss to Helix in 2001.

TOP 10

Cathedral had 14 first place votes and took the top spot in the weekly Union-Tribune poll.  No. 2 was St. Augustine, followed by Lincoln, Carlsbad, Mater Dei, Mission Hills, El Camino, Oceanside, Granite Hills, and Grossmont.

QUICK KICKS

Losing, 19-2, to Mater Dei was Helix’ second loss in a row and marked the first time since losses of 31-14 to Steele Canyon and 31-14 to Valhalla in 2009 that the Scots had lost successive games to teams from the San Diego Section…Santa Fe Christian, with 91 points and Cathedral, with 90, are off to roaring starts but no two-game record…under Nick Ruscetta the Eagles scored 95 in 2004 and 103 in 2009…Cathedral tied its two-game record set in 2008….

Comparisons are building for Cathedral.

The Dons are a unanimous No. 1 in The San Diego-Union-Tribune poll and seventh for the second week in a row in the respected Cal-Hi Sports ratings.

At No. 7, Cathedral is at its highest level in the Cal-Hi eye test rankings since the 2016 club finished fifth.  Coach Sean Doyle’s team is ninth in the respective computerized rankings of Max Preps and Cal Preps.com.

I agreed with the Union‘s John  Maffei, who wrote in 2016 that the Dons were the greatest team in the history of the San Diego Section, which began in 1960.

That is an arguable point, but my reasoning was that no team had gone 15-0.  Morse of 1990 and Cathedral of 2008 were 14-0.   This Cathedral team, if it runs the table and possibly is as good as its predecessor, will be unable reach those lofty heights.  The Dons’  season, which we list as 2020,  will end after five games.

At least the Dons and others have gotten the chance to play despite the pandemic and will look forward to a full, 2021 slate beginning in late August

Interestingly, the 2015 and 2020 Cathedral squads have been quarterbacked by the sons of former NFL players who were first-round draft choices.

Tate Haynes (’16) is the offspring of Mike Haynes, a 14-season cornerback with the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Rick Mirer was an NFL quarterback for 12 seasons and is father of Charlie, the Dons’ 2020 field boss.

Other Cal-Hi selections this week:  16, Lincoln; 18, Mater Dei; 28, Carlsbad; 31, St. Augustine; 39, Mission Hills; 45, Helix.

Additional Max Preps ratings:  21, Carlsbad; 22, Lincoln.

More, from Cal Preps.com:  13, Carlsbad; 18, Lincoln; 22, Mission Hills;  33, St. Augustine; 53, El Camino.

The San Diego Union-Tribune Week 3 poll, following games of the season’s third week:

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

First-place votes in parenthesis. NR–Not ranked.

Others receiving votes: El Camino (1-1, 7 points), Poway (2-0, 4), Eastlake (1-0, 3), Rancho Bernardo (2-0, 2), La Costa Canyon (1-2, 1).

Voting panel of 17sportswriters, sportscasters:

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune
• Steve Brand, Jim Lindgren, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Thomas Gutierrez, freelance contributors.
• Brandon Stone, Nick Pollino, KUSI Chl. 51
• Adam Paul, ecpreps.com.
• Bodie DeSilva, scorebooklive.com.
• John Kentera, Braden Suprenant (97.3 The Fan).
• Ramon Scott (eastcountysports.com)
• Rick Smith, partletonsports.com
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM
• Christian Pederson, San Diego Sports Association.
• Eric Williams, WBK Sports/San Diego Friday Night Lights Magazine.