Resurgent Titans to play for CIF Division IV football championship

The Eastlake High School football team lost 42-13 to Mater Dei Catholic on Oct. 31 for the rights to this year’s Metro-Mesa League championship.The Titans haven’t lost since.

In the wake of that Halloween night massacre, Eastlake has put three consecutive playoff opponents into the grave.

The Titans, seeded fifth in the San Diego Section’s Division IV bracket, scared away 12th-seeded West Hills, 35-0, in the opening round. Eastlake followed that up with a 45-27 upset win at No. 4 Mt. Carmel and left enough room for another upset win, this time at No. 1 Westview in last Friday’s semifinals.

The Titans (7-6) will take on the No. 3 Valley Center Jaguars (6-6) in Saturday’s division championship game at Southwestern College. Kick-off is noon.

The Jaguars are aslo seeking redemption on a 4-6 regular finished finish with back-to-back playoff wins, including a 42-35 semifinal victory against 10th-seeded La Jolla Country Day, fresh off a 22-7 upset win over second-seeded El Capitan.

This will be the Titans’ fourth trip to the CIF finals following Division I championship showings in 2009 (21-14 over Vista) and 2012 (21-14 over Mission Hills) and a runner-up finish in 2017 (20-10 to El Camino).

Tyler Balko walks in for a touchdown! Photos by Jon Bigornia

Eastlake won a back-and-forth game against Westview, which eliminated eighth-seeded Hilltop, 45-28, in the preceding quarterfinals. The Titans scored first, fell behind 10-7, rallied to lead 14-10, fell behind 17-14 before rallying again with the game-winning TD.

Senior quarterback Tyler Balko keyed the semifinal victory with 164 total yards (85 rushing, 79 passing). His two rushing touchdowns were the difference in the game.

Junior David Branco contributed 76 rushing yards on 10 carries with one touchdown. Balko led the team with 15 carries. Senior Adrian Sanchez caught three passes for 27 yards while junior Santi Aleta had two catches for 34 yards.

Branco led the team with nine tackles while sophomore Stephen Guevara III and junior Jovani Ceja each recorded sacks.

The Titans kept the Wolverines off the field with three interceptions: one each by senior Ryan Branco (15 yards), David Branco (four yards) and senior Maximo Acosta (18 yards).

Ryan Branco returned one punt 27 yards while junior J.P. Navarrete averaged 19 yards on two punt returns.

The Titan defense wraps up Westview receiver Evan Levine. Photo by Jon Bigornia

San Diego Section Division Championships
All games at Southwestern College
Tuesday, Nov. 25
Open Division: (4) Cathedral Catholic (10-2) 20, (4) Carlsbad (10-2) 16

Friday, Nov. 28
Division V: (2) Morse (8-4) vs. (9) Hoover (7-6), 3 p.m.
Division II: (1) Santa Fe Christian (12-0) vs. (2) Steele Canyon (9-3), 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 29
Division IV: (3) Valley Center (6-6) vs. (5) Eastlake (7-6), noon
Division III: (1) Central Union (10-2) vs. (6) Christian (6-7), 3:30 p.m.
Division I: (1) Lincoln (10-2) vs. (2) Granite Hills (9-3), 7:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS
Open Division: (3) Carlsbad (10-1) 27, (2) La Costa Canyon (9-2) 23; (4) Cathedral Catholic (9-2) 42, (1) Mission HIlls (9-2) 35
Division I: (1) Lincoln (10-2) 49, (4) San Marcos (7-5) 35; (2) Granite Hills (9-3) 50, (3) Mt. Miguel (8-4)
Division II: (1) Santa Fe Christian (12-0) 34, (12) Scripps Ranch (7-6) 20; (2) Steele Canyon (9-3) 21, (11) San Diego 7-6) 7
Division III: (1) Central Union (10-2) 44, (4) University City (6-6) 42; (6) Christian (6-7) 20, (2) Army-Navy Academy (9-2) 17
Division IV: (3) Valley Center (6-6) 43, (10) La Jolla Country Day (10) 35; (5) Eastlake (7-6) 21, (1) Westview (7-5) 17
Division V: (2) Morse (8-4) 50, (3) Monte Vista (6-6) 12; (9) Hoover (7-6) 10, (4) Canyon Hills (7-5) 6

Division V-AA
Championship game
Nov. 22 at Escondido High School
(1) Maranatha Christian (12-1) 24, (2) Palo Verde Valley (8-5) 12

Division VI (8 player)
Championship game
Nov. 22 at Escondido High School
(1) St. Joseph Academy (10-1) 68. (2) Borrego Springs (9-2) 13

Three East County football teams to play for CIF championship titles

Three East County high school football teams will compete for coveted San Diego Section divisional championships this weekend at Southwestern College. The postseason field began with 12 local pigskin teams and was pared down further through last Friday’s semifinals.
Granite Hills (Division I), Steele Canyon (Division II) and Christian (Division III) are the survivors seeking one more winning round to continue their seasons in the regional state playoffs.

Second-seeded Granite Hills (9-3) will contend for its fourth consecutive division banner when it engages the top-seeded Lincoln Hornets (10-2) Saturday, Nov. 29, at 7:30 p.m. The game is a rematch of the 2023 Open Division final captured by the Eagles, 27-26, on the last play of the game at Snapdragon Stadium.

Along the way, Granite Hills has claimed one Open Division title, one Division I title and one Division II championship.

The Eagles defeated the third-seeded Mt. Miguel Matadors (8-4) by a score of 52-30 in last Friday’s semis while Lincoln scored a 49-35 comeback win over fourth-seeded San Marcos (7-5).

Second-seeded Steele Canyon (9-3) defeated 11th-seeded San Diego (7-6) by a score of 21-7 last Friday to take on top-seeded Santa Fe Christian (12-0) in Friday’s Division II final at 7 p.m. Santa Fe Christian remains the section’s lone undefeated team after dispatching 12th-seeded Scripps Ranch (7-6) by a score of 34-20 in the semifinals.

Sixth-seeded Christian (6-7) has played the upset card thus far in this year’s playoffs. The Patriots defeated 11th-seeded Brawley (2-9) in the opening round, 37-16, then upset third-seeded Ramona (5-6) by a score of 31-28 in overtime before toppling second-seeded Army-Navy Academy (9-2) by a score of 20-17 in the semifinals.

Christian will take on top-seeded Central Union (10-2) in Saturday’s Division III final at 3:30 p.m.

Central Union eliminated fourth-seeded University City (6-6) by a score of 44-42 in last Friday’s semifinal round.

Other division finalists include third-seeded Valley Center (6-6) versus fifth-seeded Eastlake (7-6) in Division IV and ninth-seeded Hoover (7-6) versus second-seeded Morse (8-4) in Division V.

Third-seeded Monte Vista (6-6) had its season end with a 50-12 loss at Morse in a bid to defend its Division V championship while Metro-Mesa League runner-up Eastlake will continue its upset run through the division against after sending top-seeded Westview (7-5) to the sideline via a 21-17 semifinal win.

Valley Center eliminated 10th-seeded La Jolla Country Day (6-7) by a 42-35 score in the other side of the Division IV bracket after the Torres had eliminated second-seeded El Capitan (4-7) in the preceding quarterfinals.

Hoover has upset three higher-seeded teams this far: No. 8 Escondido (30-28 in the opening round), top-seeded Sweetwater (52-49 in the quarterfinals) and fourth-seeded Canyon Hills (7-5) by a tight 10-6 score in the semifinals.

Eastern exposure
Granite Hills received points from seven players, including a pair of rushing touchdowns from junior Gage Spalding, TD runs by juniors Seth Rodriguez and Zachary Benitez and TD receptions by seniors Tristan Diaz and Isaiah Rodriguez, a 32-yard field goal by junior Jacob Nunez and an interception return for a touchdown by senior Braydon Wells.

The Eagles snapped an early 7-7 standoff with a 38-7 scoring edge, including 17 unanswered points, to lead 45-14.

“We just wanted to pound it home on them,” Spalding said. “They couldn’t stop it and we fed on that.”

The Matadors. keyed by senior Brandon Arrington’s breakaway speed, tallied 16 fourth-quarter points on touchdowns by freshman Tmarrion Williams and sophomore Jayden Stewart to add to earlier scores by sophomore Jeremiah Holliday and senior A.J. Logan.

Steele Canyon is returning to the CIF finals since winning the Division II section championship and Division 3-A State Bowl title in 2017.
A 7-0 season start pointed to something special brewing again.

Junior Gavin Caha completed 10 of 12 passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns — both to senior Jacob Henton (the first 23 yards, the second 32 yards) — while senior Abel Lopez scored on a two-yard run in Steele Canyon’s semifinal win.

Henton made five catches for 63 yards while Lopez (16 carries, 52 yards) had the bulk of the Cougars’ 105 rushing yards. Caha rushed three times for 23 yards to finish the game with 118 total yards.

Junior Luke Rode blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt and returned the ball to the 50-yard line to help set up Lopez’s 14-0 score.

Caha’s second TD pass to Henton gave the hosts a much-needed two-touchdown lead.

Senior Ace Woolf completed scoring with three PAT conversions.

Christian streaked to its fourth consecutive win, its second consecutive playoff upset victory, behind two touchdown passes from junior Kaleb Runkle and two field goals by senior Steven Benson. Runkle finished the game with 144 total yards — 96 passing, 48 rushing.

Trailing 10-6 at halftime, the Patriots countered with a 10-yard shovel pass from Runkle to senior Hank Houston to take a 13-10 lead. Facing fourth-and goal from the two-yard line, Runkle then connected with junior Soren Lucy in the back of the endzone to push the Pats ahead 20-10.

Lucy also made an interception on defense.

“We came out and didn’t play a strong first, some of the penalties (hurt) us, but we put it behind us, so we figured out a way to get ourselves together in the second half,” Christian head coach Patrick Bugg said.

The Pats have won six CIF tirtle, the last two in 2013-14 and 1993-95 and 2002 before that.

David A. Willauer contributed to this story.