San Diego Section lacrosse playoffs set to rock the pitch

The 2026 San Diego Section high school lacrosse playoffs are set to face off next week in both gender fields.

The postseason field will consist of four divisions: Open Division (six teams), Division I (12 teams), Division II (12 teams) and Division III (12 teams). Each league champion is guaranteed a playoff berth. The remaining teams will be seeded on an at-large basis.

The playoff field will feature 54 teams in each gender field, plus any possible play-in contests.

If a league champion is not seeded into the playoffs, that league champion will host a play-in game against the lowest-seeded team in that division.

Seeding will take place Saturday, May 2. Pairings will be posted on the section website (www.cifsds.org) by 4 p.m.

Play-in contests are scheduled for Monday, May 4, followed by girls first-round matches on Tuesday, May 5 (Division II and Division III) and Wednesday, May 6 (Division I).

Girls quarterfinals are scheduled for Friday, May 8 (Division II and Division III) and Saturday, May 9 (Division I). Semifinals are slated May 12 (Division I and Division III) and May 13 (Division II).

Tentative game times for first-round matches, quarterfinals and semifinals is 6 p.m.

The girls Open Division schedule includes quarterfinals on Thursday, May 7, semifinals on May 13 and championship finals on May 16.

Patrick Henry High School will serve as the boys championship venue while Canyon Crest Academy will serve as the girls championship venue.

Boys first-round elimination contests are scheduled for Tuesday, May 5 (Division II and Division III) and Wednesday, May 6 (Division I). Quarterfinal games follow on Friday, May 8 (Division II and Division III) and Saturday, May 9 (Division I).

Semifinal games are scheduled for May 12 (Division II) and May 13 (Division I and Division III).

The boys Open Division schedule includes quarterfinal games on Thursday, May 7, semifinals on May 12, and division finals on May 15.

The girls Division I championship game is scheduled Friday, May 15 at 7 p.m. The girls Division III championship is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, at 10 a.m., followed by the girls Division II final at 1 p.m. and the Open Division final at 4 p.m.

The boys Division III championship is scheduled for May 16 at 10 a.m., followed by the boys Division II final at 1 p.m. and the Division I final at 4 p.m.

The boys Open Division championship game is scheduled for May 15 at 7 p.m.

Interest in the sport remains high in the section with 120 teams in the two gender fields: 63 girls teams and 57 boys teams.

Defending boys champions include Torrey Pines (Open Division), Granite Hills (Division I), San Dieguito Academy (Division II) and Mater Dei Catholic (Division III).

Granite Hills entered the week ranked seventh overall among boys teams, definitely within striking distance of qualifying for this year’s Open Division lineup or a very high Division I seed.

San Dieguito Academy moves up to Division I status this year, meaning a new Division II champion will be crowned next month.

Mater Dei Catholic moves up to the Division II tier this season, leaving the Division III title available for another team.

Defending girls champions include Coronado (Open Division), Carlsbad (Division I), Rancho Bernardo (Division II) and Olympian (Division III).

Coronado appears the team to beat again this year as the No. 1-ranked team in the section.

Rancho Bernardo both moves up to Division I, leaving this year’s Division II title up for grabs, while Olympian moves up to Division II to vacate its Division III crown for somebody else.

By the numbers
On the boys side, Eastlake and Mater Dei Catholic will be bidding for inclusion in the Division II playoffs. The Titans (5-8) entered the week ranked 33rd among section teams while the Crusaders (5-9) were ranked 39th.

Division III hopefuls include Olympian (9-6, 37th overall), Bonita Vista (4-9, 38th overall), Hilltop (9-7, 49th overall), San Ysidro (3-8, 51st overall), Otay Ranch (1-11, 56th overall) and Mar Vista (0-10, 57th overall).

The Metro-Mesa League lineup includes Eastlake, Olympian, Bonita Vista and Mater Dei Catholic. It’s a tight-knit group.

In recent games, Bonita Vista overcame an early deficit to slip past visiting Mater Dei Catholic, 7-6, on April 22 while Olympian edged visiting Eastlake 10-7.

Bonita Vista has narrow 8-6 and 11-7 setbacks to Eastlake and a 9-8 loss to Mater Dei Catholic while Olympian edged Mater Dei Catholic, 7-6, on Monday to mix up the standings a bit.

Eastlake and Olympian entered their final league contests tied at 4-1 in league play.

Close games have been a constant throughout the season. Mater Dei Catholic came up short to Eastlake, 10-9, on April 20.

In games on Wednesday, Mater Dei Catholic was scheduled to host Eastlake while Olympian was at Bonita Vista.

This year’s South Bay League lineup includes Hilltop, San Ysidro, Otay Ranch and Mar Vista.

Hilltop defeated Otay Ranch, 9-1, on Monday to improve to 5-0 in league play.

The Lancers’ season of plenty has featured previous wins over Otay Ranch (11-4 on April 8), a sweep of Mar Vista (10-0 on March 23 and 11-5 on April 15) and a 10-5 win over San Ysidro on April 13. Hilltop was set to close out league play with a game Wednesday evening at San Ysidro.

On the girls side, Eastlake (10-3, 25th overall), San Ysidro (5-11, 32nd overall), Olympian (12-4, 36th overall), Castle Park (3-9, 43rd overall) and Mater Dei Catholic (3-11, 50th overall) are all tangling to get into the Division II playoffs while Bonita Vista (10-9-1, 49th overall), Mar Vista (10-5, 53rd overall), Otay Ranch (8-6, 54th overall), Hilltop (6-11, 56th overall) and Southwest (0-6, 63rd overall) are vying for inclusion in the Division III field.

Eastlake defeated Olympian, 14-4, on Monday and topped San Ysidro, 13-2, on Tuesday to improve to 7-0 in Metro-Mesa League play while the Olympian dropped to 6-2 for a second- place finish in the league standings.

Sophomore Emily Burgon racked up five goals and one assist in the Lady Titans’ win over the Lady Eagles while junior Anna Schmitz collected three goals and two assists. Burgon had six goals in Tuesday’s win while Schmitz tacked on three goals and two assists.

Burgon has pummeled opponents this season with 73 goals and six assists for 79 points in 15 games while Schmitz has contributed 25 goals and seven assists for 32 points.

Senior Almira Dalpas paced Olympian with 63 points (60 goals, three assists) through 17 games while junior Mikaela Stainaker followed with 48 points (42 goals, six assists).

Mar Vista edged Bonita Vista, 9-8, in overtime on April 13 after topping Hilltop, 11-1, on April 6. The Lady Mariners defeated Southwest, 21-0, on April 15, Otay Ranch, 5-2, on April 20 and Hilltop again, 4-3, on April 22 to improve to 7-0 in Metro-South Bay League play.

Bonita Vista defeated Southwest, 20-0, on April 20, Otay Ranch, 12-5, on April 22 and Hilltop, 8-4, on Monday to improve to 6-1 in Metro-South Bay League play with Wednesday’s home game against Mar Vista standing as the potential league championship game.

Crunch time
As the No. 3 seed last year, Mater Dei Catholic defeated No. 6 Preuss UCSD, 14-11, in the quarterfinals, No. 2 Valhalla, 9-8, in overtime in the semifinals and No. 1 Classical Academy, 10-9, in the championship game.

Senior Jeremiah King led the Crusaders (15-5) with four goals in the final.

Mater Dei Catholic returns 15 players off last year’s Division III championship boys team but has still felt a talent drain.

The 2026 season has been more of a challenge, but core values remain within the program.

“This season we were moved up to Division II, so our expectations this year are to continue building and improving the program,” head coach Ricardo Barrios said. “Whether we win every game or lose every game, our goal is to continue to get better on the field and off the field.”

Top returners include junior Colt Maltby and seniors Max Gugger and Jacob Schodowski along with goalkeepers Riley Moore (sophomore) and Sam Roth (senior). Schodowski is the team’s face-off specialist.

“Our key players are taking on bigger roles than they have had in the past.,” Barrios said. “Our numbers are low this season, so our key players are having to do it all on the field.

The Crusaders’ one huge impact addition this season is freshman midfielder Talon Padilla, who plays on both sides of the ball and has a bright future in lacrosse, according to Barrios.

Olympian lacrosse program gaining traction

Keith Quigley coaches both the Olympian High School boys and girls lacrosse teams. The teams appear in good standing to qualify for the upcoming San Diego Section playoffs.

Playoff seeding is set for Saturday with the playoffs starting early next week. League champions are automatic qualifiers.

The Lady Eagles ran the table as the No. 2 seed last year, defeating, in order, No. 7 West Hills (13-4 in the quarterfinals), No. 3 Mission Bay (7-6 in the semifinals) and No 1 Tri-City Christian (9-7 in the championship game after recovering from an initial 4-0 deficit).

Olympian’s girls team returns 14 players off last year’s 13-10 championship team. That core group appears to drive this year’s highly squad.

Team goals are to make the playoffs and make another run at the championship.

“Overall, the team is having a very solid season especially after losing some key seniors from last year’s championship team, including our starting goalie,” Quigley said. “But this year’s goalie, Ren Chloe Diaz, has really stepped up and has helped given us a chance to win many games.”

Braced by 13 returning players, Olympian boys team has made significant progress from last year’s 0-4 league finish.

Top returners include Aden Cadriel, Austin Hoffman, Michael Jorgensen, Eisuke Simmons and goalie Gianni Marino. Impact newcomers include Brody Buenviaje, Andie DeAnda and Derek Haven.

DeAnda, a senior, has also participated in football and track and field at Olympian after playing football two varsity seasons at Montgomery High School with 1,673 passing yards and 16 touchdowns to go with 628 rushing yards and six scores.

A wide receiver/kicker, Haven was previously associated with the Otay Ranch football program.

“Team goals are to make a run at the Mesa League title and to get into the playoffs,” Quigley said. “Overall, the team is having a solid season with a pretty tough overall schedule.”

San Diego Section Power Rankings

BASEBALL

Division I: 1. Cathedral Catholic 19-1, 2. Patrick Henry 14-7, 3. Rancho Bernardo 14-6, 4. Granite Hills 15-5, 5. San Marcos 14-6, 6. Eastlake 14-6, 7. Pt. Loma 12-6-1, 8. Del Norte 14-7, 9. Southwest El Centro 18-5, 10. Madison 11-6, 11. La Costa Canyon 8-12, 12. La Jolla Country Day 12-9, 13. Mt. Carmel 11-9-1, 14. St. Augustine 9-12, 15. Torrey Pines 13-8, 16. Carlsbad 8-12, 17. Coronado 5-12, 18. San Ysidro 7-13, 19. Sage Creek 5-15, 20. San Pasqual 4-16

Division II: 1. Bonita Vista 16-5, 2. Clairemont 18-3, 3. Mission Hills 13-8, 4. Santa Fe Christian 11-9, 5. Helix 12-10, 6. Brawley 14-7, 7. Poway 12-9, 8. Grossmont 10-10, 9. Scripps Ranch 9-9-1, 10. Christian 11-7-1, 11. University City 9-13, 12. Montgomery 10-9, 13. Calexico 11-10, 14. El Camino 11-10, 15. Mira Mesa 8-14, 16. Maranatha Christian 10-9, 17. Bishop’s 10-10, 18. Mission Bay 9-13, 19. El Capitan 8-14-1, 20. Escondido 4-17

Division III: 1. Palo Verde Valley 18-1-1, 2. Ramona 14-6, 3. Westview, 4. Otay Ranch 11-7, 5. Classical Academy 7-12, 6. Santana 11-8, 7. Vista 11-8, 8. Steele Canyon 7-13, 9. Hilltop 9-11, 10. Lincoln 6-1, 11. La Jolla 11-11, 12. Olympian 11-8, 13. West Hills 3-11, 14. Rancho Buena Vista 8-13, 15. Monte Vista 10-10, 16. Fallbrook 3-16-1, 17. Imperial 9-10, 18. Mater Dei Catholic 11-8, 19. Valley Center 3-16, 20. Valhalla 1-16

Division IV: 1. San Dieguito Academy 15-8, 2. Central Union 8-12-1, 3. Escondido Charter 10-4-1, 4. Mission Vista 12-9, 5. Holtville 10-10, 6. Foothills Christian 15-7, 7. Francis Parker 13-9, 8. Oceanside 8-11-1, 9. San Diego 9-9-1, 10. Mountain Empire 8-5, 11. High Tech San Diego 9-5, 12. Mar Vista 10-12, 13. Southwest 12-11, 14. Chula Vista 9-13, 15. Morse 3-15, 16. Canyon Crest Academy 0-17, 17. Rock Academy 1-10, 18. Mt. Miguel 4-13, 19. Sweetwater 8-13, 20. Kearny 2-16

Division V: 1. Coastal Academy 16-5, 2. Pacific Ridge 10-4, 3. Chula Vista Learning Community Charter 10-2-1, 4. Canyon Hills 17-5, 5. High Tech Mesa 6-4, 6. Orange Glen 7-6, 7. Castle Park 10-12, 8. Guajome Park 2-5, 9. Hoover 5-16, 10. High Tech Chula Vita 0-8, 11. Crawford 5-12, 12. Gompers Prep 5-6, 13. Bayfront Charter 0-5,14. El Cajon Valley 0-11

Division V-AA: 1. Calvin Christian 10-4, 2. Borrego Springs 8-4, 3. Liberty Charter 7-7, 4. Ocean View Christian Academy 7-4, 5. Victory Christian Academy 7-7-1, 6. Army-Navy Academy 2-3, 7. St. Joseph Academy 5-5, 8. Vincent Memorial 3-4, 9. Bonsall 5-11, 10. Calipatria 2-7, 11. Warner 1-4, 12. Julian 1-8, 13. Bostonia Global 0-5, 14. Tri-City Christian 7-3

SOFTBALL
Division I: 1. Mater Dei Catholic 19-2, 2. Escondido Charter 15-4, 3. Mission Hills 12-7, 4. Rancho Bernardo 13-6, 5. Pt. Loma 14-8, 6. Otay Ranch 11-5-1, 7. Del Norte 9-9,8. San Marcos 9-10, 9. Imperial 11-5, 10. Poway 11-11, 11. La Costa Canyon 8-9, 12. Torrey Pines 9-7-1, 13. Cathedral Catholic 7-8, 14. Christian 9-10-1, 15. Rancho Buena Vista 9-9, 16. Bonita Vista 16-3, 17. Steele Canyon 11-10, 18. Sage Creek 8-11, 19. Eastlake 8-13, 20. West Hills 7-12. Note: Bonita Vista ranked No. 2 in section by MaxPreps.com

Division II: 1. Carlsbad 16-1, 2. San Pasqual 17-4, 3. Mt. Carmel 11-7-1, 4. Westview 11-4-1. 5. El Capitan 8-9, 6. Santana 10-9, 7. Patrick Henry 8-11-1, 8. Oceanside 10-8, 9. Mira Mesa 12-10, 10. Clairemont 10-10, 11. El Camino 11-8, 12. Olympian 7-9-2, 13. Scripps Ranch 8-8-1, 14. Granite Hills 5-12, 15. San Dieguito Academy 9-8, 16. Southwest El Centro 10-9-1, 17. Coastal Academy 7-10, 18. Our Lady of Peace 5-8-1, 19. Canyon Hills 3-8-1m 20. Calexico 2-12

Division III: 1. Helix 13-1m 2. Brawley 14-7, 3. Mission Bay 10-3, 4. Coronado 12-5-1, 5. Palo Verde Valley 12-6, 6. Mission Vista 11-7-1, 7. Ramona 11-8, 8. University City 9-10, 9. Bishop’s 9-3, 10. Morse 13-8, 11. Sweetwater 7-4, 12. Mar Vista 5-8-2, 13. Foothills Christian 7-7, 14. Holtville 7-9, 15. Tri-City Christian 4-7, 16. Canyon Crest Academy 6-11, 17. Chula Vista 8-6, 18. Santa e Christian 1-5, 19 Bayfront Charter 2-15

Division IV: 1. Madison 13-7-1, 2. Valley Center 9-9, 3. Liberty Charter 8-4, 4. Grossmont 10-8-1, 5. Francis Parker 12-2, 6. Fallbrook 7-9, 7. Central Union 6-10-1, 8. Escondido 7-9-1, 9. Bonsall 9-4, 10. Montgomery 10-7-1, 11. Marathana Christian 8-9, 12. Lincoln 8-9, 13. Hilltop 6-13-1, 14. Classical Academy 8-11, 15. San Diego 10-11, 16. Vista 3-7, 17. Chula Vista Learning Community Charter 7-11, 18. La Jolla Country Day 0-4, 19. San Ysidro 4-15, 20. Calipatria 3-9

Division V: 1. La Jolla 7-11, 2. Hoover 7-3, 3. Monte Vista 9-8, 4. Southwest 9-9, 5. Mt. Miguel 8-11, 6. Crawford 6-10, 7. Kearny 4-10, 8. High Tech San Diego 5-6, 9. Castle Park 3-14, 10. Orange Glen 5-11-1, 11. El Cajon Valley 0-6

Division V-AA: 1. Julian 9-8, 2. Borrego Springs 8-6, 3. Warner 3-5, 4. St. Joseph Academy 4-7, 5. Guajome Park 4-8, 6. Vincent Memorial 1-3, 7. Mountain Empire 3-6, 8. Ocean View Christian Academy 4-5, 9. High Tech Chula Vista 0-1. 10. Victory Christian Academy 2-8, 11. San Diego Academy 2-2, 12. King Chavez 1-3