John Maffei’s The San Diego Union Week 5 poll:

Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. *First-place votes. Previous ranking in (italics).
Bold indicates latest. NR–Not ranked. Max Preps‘ and Cal-Hi Sports‘ are state rankings.

OTHERS RECEIVING VO TES
La Jolla (4-1, 11 points), University City (4-0, 10), Mt. Carmel (4-1, 3), Scripps Ranch (5-0, 3)  Helix (2-2, 4).

VOTING PANEL

Thirty sportswriters, sportscasters, administrators from San Diego County, plus Max Preps.com.

• John Maffei (San Diego Union-Tribune).
• Don Norcross, Steve Brand, Rick Hoff, Kevin Farmer (Union-Tribune Freelance contributors).
• Joe Heinz, Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez (CIF San Diego Section).
• Brandon Stone, Allison Edmonds, John Carroll, Chase Izidor (KUSI, Channel 51).
• Rick Smith (partletonsports.com).
• Bodie DeSilva (ScorebookLive.com).
• Braden Suprenant (97.3-FM The Fan).
• Christian Pedersen (San Diego Sports Association).
• Tom Helmantoler, (Southern Conference advisor).
• Rex Johnson, Bruce Ward (CIF Advisory Committee).
• Mike Dolan, Joe Evangelist (San Diego Coaching Legends).
• Raymond Brown (SDfootball.net).
• John Kentera, Steve (Biff) Dolan, Dennis Ackerman, Eric Williams, Thomas Gutierrez, Tom Ronco, Adam Paul (Freelance contributors).

The Trinity League forms a 30-mile stretch of Orange County, with side trips to State 55 and the area around I-605.

Bellflower St. John Bosco, Anaheim Servite, Santa Ana Mater Dei, Orange Lutheran, Rancho Santa Margarita, and San Juan Capistrano JSerra comprise the far-flung circuit, where it is a 43-mile trip from Bosco to JSerra and several others of at least 20 miles.

It has not been a good place to travel for San Diego Section squads or to have those schools come South.

Dating to 1957, schools that now constitute the Trinity League have a 24-10 advantage in head-head meetings.

Beginning with No. 1 Mater Dei, Cal-Hi Sports ranks teams from the Trinity 2, 3, 4, 5, and 12 this week.  Max Preps gives those teams ratings of 1,3,5,6,7, and 10.

Lincoln played JSerra last week at Southwestern College (the Hornets’ home field, Vic Player Stadium, is undergoing construction/repairs) and the Hornets, No. 1 here, were in the game but lost, 28-19.

The defeat was the 13^th in the last 15 meetings with the Northerners.

The on-and-off series:

*Southern Section Small Schools playoff.

**Southern California Division I playoff.

#At Southwestern College.

MAFFEI FEELS IT

John Maffei’s The San Diego Union Week 4 poll:

Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. *First-place votes. Previous ranking in (italics).
Bold indicates latest ranking. NR–Not ranked. Max Preps‘ and Cal-Hi Sports‘ are state rankings.

OTHERS RECEIVING VO TES
La Jolla (3-1, 10 points), Mt. Carmel (4-0, 8). Helix (2-2, 4).  University City (3-0, 1),

VOTING PANEL

Thirty sportswriters, sportscasters, administrators from San Diego County, plus Max Preps.com.

• John Maffei (San Diego Union-Tribune).
• Don Norcross, Steve Brand, Rick Hoff, Kevin Farmer (Union-Tribune Freelance contributors).
• Joe Heinz, Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez (CIF San Diego Section).
• Brandon Stone, Allison Edmonds, John Carroll, Chase Izidor (KUSI, Channel 51).
• Rick Smith (partletonsports.com).
• Bodie DeSilva (ScorebookLive.com).
• Braden Suprenant (97.3-FM The Fan).
• Christian Pedersen (San Diego Sports Association).
• Tom Helmantoler, (Southern Conference advisor).
• Rex Johnson, Bruce Ward (CIF Advisory Committee).
• Mike Dolan, Joe Evangelist (San Diego Coaching Legends).
• Raymond Brown (SDfootball.net).
• John Kentera, Steve (Biff) Dolan, Dennis Ackerman, Eric Williams, Thomas Gutierrez, Tom Ronco, Adam Paul (Freelance contributors).

Take a bow, Chris Hauser, and a doffing of the fedora  to the Mission Hills coach, the 11th in San Diego County history to win at least 200 games.

Hauser (200-87-2) last week coached the Grizzlies to a 28-14 victory over Oceanside 21 seasons after his first, 26-6 over Vista Murietta in 2004.

That win in ’04 was the only taste of success for the Grizzlies, who, finished 1-10 and followed with a 4-6 in 2005 before finding their stride with a 9-3 campaign in 2006.

Hauser played for the legendary Dick Haines at Vista and coached the Panthers to a 34-15 record from ’00-03 before taking the start-up program at Mission Hills.

Hauser’s 200 wins is third among active coaches to the 237 of Monte Vista’s Ron Hamamoto and 234 of Cathedral’s Sean Doyle.

The all-time leader is Herb Meyer, light years away with 339, after 113 at Oceanside and 226 at El Camino, from 1959-2003.

Several coaches could earn their 100th victories his season.  San Pasqual’s Tony Corley (98), Carlsbad’s Thadd MacNeal (98), Lincoln’s David Dunn (96), and  Granite Hills’ Kellan Cobbs (95) are well placed.  La Costa Canyon’s Sean Sovacool (92) has a shot.

GLOBAL WARMING?

The term wasn’t a part of the lexicon more than 60 years ago, but the triple index temperatures that visited the area last week brought back memories of a game I covered for the Evening Tribune on a hot Friday night.

From the 1963 football narrative:

“Hoover and Helix battled heat that set a San Diego record of 111 degrees on Thursday, Sept. 27, and on Friday reached 104, the fifth highest reading since records began in 1874.

Temperature for the 8 p.m. kickoff on Sept. 28 was at least 100 degrees and the Cardinals and Highlanders responded with a memorable game before about 6,000 persons at Hoover.

The Cards won, 14-13, when Hoover drove 81 yards in the final 4 minutes to score the winning touchdown.”

MAFFEI FEELS IT

John Maffei’s The San Diego Union Week 3 poll:

Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. *First-place votes. Previous ranking in (italics).
Bold indicates latest ranking. NR–Not ranked. Max Preps‘ and Cal-Hi Sports‘ are state rankings.

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Rancho Bernardo (2-0), 5 points.  Mt. Carmel (3-0, 4). Helix (1-2, 3).  University City (3-0, 2), El Centro Central (2-0), 1), Scripps Ranch (3-0), 1.

VOTING PANEL

Thirty sportswriters, sportscasters, administrators from San Diego County, plus Max Preps.com.

• John Maffei (San Diego Union-Tribune).
• Don Norcross, Steve Brand, Rick Hoff, Kevin Farmer (Union-Tribune Freelance contributors).
• Joe Heinz, Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez (CIF San Diego Section).
• Brandon Stone, Allison Edmonds, John Carroll, Chase Izidor (KUSI, Channel 51).
• Rick Smith (partletonsports.com).
• Bodie DeSilva (ScorebookLive.com).
• Braden Suprenant (97.3-FM The Fan).
• Christian Pedersen (San Diego Sports Association).
• Tom Helmantoler, (Southern Conference advisor).
• Rex Johnson, Bruce Ward (CIF Advisory Committee).
• Mike Dolan, Joe Evangelist (San Diego Coaching Legends).
• Raymond Brown (SDfootball.net).
• John Kentera, Steve (Biff) Dolan, Dennis Ackerman, Eric Williams, Thomas Gutierrez, Tom Ronco, Adam Paul (Freelance contributors).

Long Beach Poly, since losing, 11-0, to San Diego High in 1910, has pretty much had its way with teams from San Diego.

Lincoln’s 42-14 victory last week at Long Beach Veterans’ Memorial Stadium, was infrequent.  Poly leads the series, 40-15-1.

This once was a premier rivalry in Southern California, with the Jackrabbits and San Diego usually battling for Coast League supremacy.

As the cities and population grew, new leagues were created, making the schools less dependent on travel. Poly and San Diego didn’t see much of each other.

Mira Mesa’s 13-6 loss here in 2006 was the last season Long Beach faced off with an opponent from this area and only the fifth time since 1960.

Poly holds a 24-11-1 lead over San Diego and hasn’t met the Cavers since a 26-18 victory 64 years ago.

MAFFEI FEELS IT

John Maffei’s The San Diego Union Week 2 poll:

Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. *First-place votes. Previous ranking in (italics).
Bold indicates latest ranking. NR–Not ranked. Max Preps‘ and Cal-Hi Sports‘ are state rankings.

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Rancho Bernardo (2-0), 5 points.  Helix (0-2, 5), Mt. Carmel (2-0, 4). University City (2-0, 2),  El Centro Central (1-0, 1), Scripps Ramch (2-0), 1.

VOTING PANEL

Thirty sportswriters, sportscasters, administrators from San Diego County, plus Max Preps.com.

• John Maffei (San Diego Union-Tribune).
• Don Norcross, Steve Brand, Rick Hoff, Kevin Farmer, Union-Tribune Freelance contributors.
• Joe Heinz, Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez (CIF San Diego Section.
• Brandon Stone, Allison Edmonds, John Carroll, Chase Izidoro  (KUSI, Channel 51).
• Rick Smith (partletonsports.com).
• Bodie DeSilva (ScorebookLive.com).
• Braden Suprenant (97.3-FM The Fan).
• Christian Pedersen (San Diego Sports Association).
• Tom Helmantoler, (Southern Conference advisor).
• Rex Johnson, Bruce Ward (CIF Advisory Committee).
• Mike Dolan, Joe Evangelist (San Diego Coaching Legends Committee.
• Raymond Brown  (SDfootball.net).
• John Kentera, Steve (Biff) Dolan, Dennis Ackerman, Eric Williams, Thomas Gutierrez, Tom Ronco, Adam Paul (Freelance contributors).

Patrick Henry opened the season with a 77-48 victory over Grossmont and broke the school record, set in a 69-14 win over Coronado in 2021.

The outburst also more or less squared the record of a  previous Patriots encounter.  They were on the opposite end of a 77-point explosion by The Bishop’s seven years ago (see table).

Henry’s result marked the eighth time a San Diego County team had scored 77 points, tied for 21^st highest all time.

There have been 109 games in which the winning team scored at least 70 in 11-man football.  San Diego High set the all-time high in a 130-7 win in 1920 over Army-Navy.

We’ll go out on a limb and suggest that the Hilltoppers’ record, now 104 years old, is not in danger.

There have been an estimated nearly 30,000 games played by San Diego County teams since students from San Diego High teed up on Christmas Day, 1891, against  “adults” from the “San Diego Football Club”.

The game, more like rugby, with no score ever reported, took place at what is now Chicano Park, near the on ramp to the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge.

The 77’s:

MAFFEI FEELS IT

John Maffei’s first The San Diego Union weekly poll.

Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. *First-place votes. NR–Not ranked.
Max Preps‘ and Cal-Hi Sports‘ are state rankings. Bold indicates latest ranking.

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Helix (0-1, 15 points), Del Norte (1-0, 9), El Centro Central (1-0, 2), Mt. Carmel (1-0, 2).

VOTING PANEL

Thirty sportswriters, sportscasters, administrators from San Diego County, plus Max Preps.com.

• John Maffei (San Diego Union-Tribune).
• Don Norcross, Steve Brand, Rick Hoff, Kevin Farmer, Union-Tribune Freelance contributors.
• Joe Heinz, Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez (CIF San Diego Section office.
• Brandon Stone, Allison Edmonds, John Carroll, Chase Izidoro  (KUSI, Channel 51).
• Rick Smith (partletonsports.com).
• Bodie DeSilva (ScorebookLive.com).
• Braden Suprenant (97.3-FM The Fan).
• Christian Pedersen (San Diego Sports Association).
• Tom Helmantoler, (Southern Conference advisor).
• Rex Johnson, Bruce Ward (CIF Advisory Committee).
• Mike Dolan, Joe Evangelist (San Diego Coaching Legends Committee.
• Raymond Brown  (SDfootball.net).
• John Kentera, Steve (Biff) Dolan, Dennis Ackerman, Eric Williams, Thomas Gutierrez, Tom Ronco, Adam Paul (freelance contributors).

The San Diego Section’s 65^th season opens this week with the usual fare of nonleague games, intersectionals, and interstates.

Five interesting matchups:

CARLSBAD @LAKEWOOD.

Lancers coach Thadd MacNeal will return to where he had a very successful program in the Long Beach Poly-dominated, Southern Section Moore League, posting a 41-19 record from 2006-10, including 21-4 in his last two seasons.

Why leave Lakewood?

MacNeal is a 1989 Carlsbad graduate. He replaced the retiring Bob McAllister in 2011.  The Lancers have done well on MacNeal’s watch, 96-48 overall and 46-6 since 2019.

LONG BEACH ST. ANTHONY @MOUNT MIGUEL

The Saints have not met a San Diego team since 2000, when Marian (renamed Mater Dei in 2007) visited and won, 35-6.

St. Anthony, which opened in 1920, is 7-5 vs. local teams, beginning with a 13-6 loss to St. Augustine in 1935. The two Saints were aligned in the Southland Catholic League from 1945-50.

The St. Anthony Saints beat San Diego High, 20-12, in the first round of the 1948 playoffs as CIF player-of-the-year and future NFL running back Johnny Olszewski rushed for 187 yards and two touchdowns.

Brandon Arrington, who transferred from Helix in time last year to become a double sprint winner in the state track meet, is on the Matadors’ squad.

Torrey Pines vs. Bethlehem Freedom, Pennsylvania, @Staten Island, N.Y., Tottenville.

Freedom is the “home” team, 75 miles from its campus north of Philadelphia.

SAN LUIS OBISPO MISSION PREP @SANTA FE CHRISTIAN

San Diego teams have played Central Coast Section squads in the state playoffs — Scripps Ranch 31, Santa Clara Wilcox 28, in 2021—and Helix won a regular-season game, 45-21, at Mountain View St. Francis in 2023, and plays the Lancers here in Week 2.

The Royals and Eagles are scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. Friday, meaning Mission Prep, facing a 305-mile trip, likely would leave on Thursday and guessing could stick around Saturday and go to the Zoo… catch the pandas!

‘Prep, with lineage back to 1875, will face one of the San Diego Section’s most successful schools. Eagles coach Jon Wallace embarks on his 13^th season in Solana Beach and is 81-41 (.664).

LAS VEGAS ARBOR VIEW, @LINCOLN

The Aggies were only 4-6 in ’23 but are ranked third in the Nevada preseason poll, behind Bishop Gorman and Henderson Liberty.

Lincoln is Cal-Hi Sports’ and Max Preps’ state-ranked No. 9 team and quarterback Akili Smith, Jr., son of the former Hornet and NFL veteran, have become a power under coach David Dunn, 94-58-1 since 2011.

COACHING CAROUSEL

LEAGUE CHANGES