CIF tackle football playoffs kick off with nine Metro teams

Seeding for the San Diego Section tackle football playoffs has. Been completed. There are the usual surprises and usual suspects.

The four Open Division qualifiers include the top-seeded Carlsbad Lancers (9-1), second-seeded Cathedral Catholic Dons (7-3), third-seeded Mission Hills Grizzles (8-2) and fourth-seeded Santa Fe Christian Eagles (10-0).

Santa Fe Christian completed a 13-1 section season in 2025, 13-0 in section play as the Division II champion, and are perfect again in section play this season — only one of two teams (Patrick Henry is the other) — to go undefeated through regular season play with a 10-0 record.

Semifinals between the four combatants for the section’s elite championship are scheduled Nov. 13. The championship game is set Nov. 21 at Southwestern College.

Carlsbad will host Santa Fe Christian while Cathedral Catholic will host Mission Hills.

The Division I seeding features No. 1 Helix Charter (8-2), No. 2 La Costa Canyon (6-4), No. 3 Oceanside (6-4), No. 4 Granite Hills (7-3), No. 5 San Marcos (5-5), No. 6 Lincoln (4-6), No. 7 Rancho Bernardo (8-2) and No. 8 (Torrey Pines (6-4).

Quarterfinals are scheduled Nov. 13. Helix will host Torrey Pines, LCC will host Rancho Bernardo, Granite Hills will host San Marcos and Oceanside will host Lincoln.

All look to be highly competitive matchups. Granite Hills defeated Lincoln, 41-29, for last year’s Division I banner. The Eagles are four-time defending CIF champions.

Semifinals are scheduled Nov. 20. The championship game is Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. at Southwestern College.

A potential semifinal pairing would be a rematch of last Friday’s climactic Grossmont Hills League championship game between Helix and Granite Hills, a game won in come-from-behind fashion, 42-31, by the host Highlanders.

Looking ahead, the D-I final would not feature both Helix and Granite Hills. It’s a shame because last Friday’s league final left high school football fans awestruck.

The Highlanders are league champions for the first time since the 2021 season.

Helix coach Damaja Jones spoke to his team with an open heart after the game.

“I don’t care what division we’re in — the way we’re playing I believe we’re the best team in San Diego.”

Those who witnessed the game would be hard-pressed to disagree with that comment.

“We made more plays than they did at the end of the game,” Jones summed up

But there’s still a lot of football to be played, at least three rounds in the divisional playoffs, the Southern California regional and state bowl game. 

Best of the rest
The Division II, Division III and Division IV playoff brackets all feature 12 teams with the top four teams receiving a first-round bye.

Poway (4-6) is seeded first in Division II, followed by No. 2 Del Norte (4-6), No. 3 St. Augustine (6-4), No. 4 Point Loma (7-3), No. 5 Mater Dei Catholic (4-6), No. 6 El Camino (1-9), No. 7 Imperial (8-2), No. 8 Holtville (7-3), No. 9 Ramona (6-4), No. 10 Patrick Henry (10-0), No. 11 Grossmont (7-3) and No. 12 Mount Miguel (2-7).

First-round games on Friday, Nov. 6, pit Ramona at Holtville, Mount Miguel at Mater Dei Catholic, Grossmont at El Camino and Patrick Henry at Imperial.

Teams with byes include Poway, Del Norte, St. Augustine and Point Loma.

Quarterfinals are scheduled Nov. 13, followed by semifinals on Nov. 20. The championship game is set Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at Escondido High School.

Mater Dei Catholic enters post-season play riding a four-game league winning streak in which they’ve out-scored opponents 176-44.

“I think this season has been a great example of what perseverance, growth and believing in the process look like,” Crusaders head coach Rashard Cook said. “We started the season facing some of the best programs in San Diego, and obviously, the results weren’t what we wanted. But we knew when we put this schedule together that it would challenge us physically and mentally. The question was how our young men would respond.

“I’m extremely proud of the way they’ve continued to battle, stay together and improve throughout the season. Winning a league championship was one of our goals coming into the year and accomplishing that after the adversity we faced says a lot about the character of this team.

“As we head into the CIF playoffs, I believe our early-season experiences have prepared us for this moment. We’ve already faced high-level competition, and our players understand what that looks and feels like.

“Moving forward, our success will come down to three things: discipline, execution and taking care of the football. We have to eliminate the self-inflicted mistakes, play complementary football in all three phases and understand that every possession matters. We can’t afford to beat ourselves.

“The message to our players is simple: We don’t have to do anything extraordinary. We just have to do the ordinary things consistently well.

“We’ve accomplished one of our goals by winning league. Now we have an opportunity to pursue the next one, a CIF championship.”

Steele Canyon, the runner-up in last year’s Division II championship game, is the top seed in this year’s Division III playoff bracket. The Cougars (5-5) enter the playoffs with a first-round bye along with No. 2 San Diego (5-5), No. 3 San Pasqual (7-3) and No. 4 University City (5-5).

First-round games are Friday, Nov. 6. 

The winner between No. 8 Christian (6-4) and No. 9 Valhalla (6-4) will play No. 1 Steele Canyon in the quarterfinals while the winner between No. 7 Madison (6-4) and No.10 Mira Mesa (7-3) will play No. 2 San Diego. 

The winner between No. 6 Eastlake (9-1) and No. 11 Scripps Ranch (1-9) will play No. 3 San Pasqual while the winner between No. 5 La Jolla (3-7) and No. 12 Central Union (6-4) will play No. 4 University City.

Quarterfinals are Nov. 13, followed by semifinals on Nov. 20. The championship game is Nov. 28 at 3:30 p.m. at Escondido High School.

Steele Canyon defeated visiting Mount Miguel, 36-22, last Friday to close out Grossmont Hills League to carry momentum into the playoffs.

Senior quarterback Gavin Caha passed for 160 yards and touchdowns to seniors Josiah Stocker (seven catches, 63 yards) and Malcolm Ballard (three catches, 31 yards) while senior Michael Ontiguero Jr. rushed for 58 yards and two scores to lead the Cougars.

Eastlake defeated visiting Olympian, 21-7, on Senior Night to carry likewise much-needed momentum into the playoffs.

Junior Joe Waters passed for 90 yards with one touchdown to sophomore Justice Alcantara (four catches, 25 yards) while rushing six times for 33 yards and a touchdown. Junior R.J. Yamasaki rushed 14 times fo 83 yards and one score.

The Titan defense recorded three sacks and two interceptions.

Eastlake finished as the Division IV runner-up last year while Christian defeated Central Union in the Division III final.

Top seeds in Division IV include No. 1 Valley Center (5-5), No. 2 Maranatha Christian (8-2), No. 3 Otay Ranch (5-5) and No. 4 Bishop’s (7-3).

Valley Center won last year’s Division IV title while Maranatha Christian moves up after winning last year’s Division V-AA final.

El Capitan defeated Valhalla, 38-27, in last Friday’s Grossmont Valley League championship game. Santana, Valhalla and West Hills all finished 3-2 in league in a tie for the runner-up spot to the Vaqueros (5-0 in league).

First-round play kicks off Friday, Nov. 6. El Capitan (6-4) will host Santana (7-3) while West Hills (7-3) will host No. 10 Rancho Buena Vista (5-5).

In other first-round games, No. 5 Mission Bay (4-6) will host No. 12 Army-Navy Academy (3-7) while No. 6 Westview (7-3) will host No. 11 Brawley (4-6).

Quarterfinals are scheduled Nov. 13, followed by semifinals on Nov. 20. The championship game is scheduled Nov. 27 at 3 p.m. at Southwestern College.

El Cap scored 14 points in the final quarter to reverse a 27-24 deficit to eclipse Valhalla for the league title. The host Norsemen had led 21-7 after the first quarter and 27-7 midway through the second quarter.

“The boys never quit and fought hard to win,” said Vaquero head coach Ron Burner, whose team enters postseason play riding a five-game winning streak. “Our defense didn’t give up a single point after the 27 and our offense rolled big time. Michael Castillo (108 rushing yards) was a key cog as was Daniel Montijo who came in off the bench and was 11-for-12 passing with 142 passing yards and three touchdowns. His first play off the bench was a 64-yard TD to Elijah Arzu (three catches, 71 yards, two TD).

“We are an No. 8 seed and face Santana at home on Friday. We beat them 19-7 at the start of league but a lot has changed and it is going to be quite a battle at the Ranch. They have really improved since then and they also beat Valhalla.”

Santana tuned up for the playoffs with a 55-6 victory against visiting El Cajon Valley (0-5 in league, 2-8 overall) as senior Ethan Miller passed for 187 yards and three touchdowns.

“We have to play our best game this week,” Sultans head coach Tim Estes said. “El Cap is a very good team. Their defense is the best in the league, and their offense does a great job of controlling the clock.

“Our defense has to play better than we did the last time we faced them and find a way to give our offense more opportunities to score. When those opportunities come, our offense has to capitalize.

“This is a big game for several reasons. They are a league opponent, they beat us the first time we played, and now we’re playing for a CIF title. It’s win or go home. These are the games we work for, and these are the moments when we need to rise to the occasion. In big games, we need to play big.”

Otay Ranch defeated Montgomery, 41-8, last Friday for momentum into the playoffs.

Sophomore signal-caller Caleb Delaughter passed for 216 yards with one touchdown and also scored on a quarterback sneak. Senior Jaidon Castillo had four carries for 46 yards and two touchdowns while senior Brayden Hyman had four catches for 110 yards and a score. Senior Alex Porcel also scored a rushing touchdown.

Senior Jordan Epps scored on an interception return.

The Division V playoffs expand to 16 teams this season. There are no first-round byes. Teams will get right at it in a scramble to the championship round.

Six Metro Conference teams are entered, including three from the Metro-South Bay League and two from the Metro-Pacific League.

Morse (5-5) is the top seed, followed by No. 2 Hoover (7-3), No. 3 Fallbrook (5-5), No. 4 La Jolla Country Day (5-5), No. 5 Bonita Vista (6-4), No. 6 Mt. Carmel (2-8), No. 7 Chula Vista (4-6) and No. 8 Coronado (2-8).

Morse defeated Hoover, 45-30, in last year’s championship game.

The top eight seeds will host first-round games this Friday.

Also in the hunt are No. 9 Southwest (7-3), No. 10 Coastal Academy (3-6), No. 11 Hilltop (5-5), No. 12 Olympian (3-7), No. 13 Classical Academy (2-8), No. 14 Mar Vista (6-4), No. 15 Canyon Hills (3-7) and No. 16 Monte Vista (3-7).

First-round pairings include Monte Vista at Morse, Canyon Hills at Hoover, Mar Vista at Fallbrook, Classical Academy at LJCD, Olympian at Bonita Vista, Hilltop at Mt. Carmel, Coastal Academy at Chula Vista and Southwest at Coronado.

Quarterfinals are Nov. 13 and semifinals are Nov. 20. The championship game is Nov. 28 at noon at Escondido High School.

“I think Division V is wide open this year and we’re excited about the opportunity in front of us,” CVHS head coach Jimmy Clark III said.

“Overall, our season has gone well. We challenged ourselves against some very good competition throughout the year, won two important league and rivalry games, and showed that when we stay out of our own way, we are capable of playing at a very high level.

“As we move into the playoffs, success will come down to doing the little things consistently. We need to play great defense, establish the run game, minimize mistakes and capitalize on our scoring opportunities. If we can do those things, I like our chances of competing with anyone in the division.”

The Spartans scored their rivalry double with a gritty 13-7 win at Hilltop in last Friday’s Chula Vista Kiwanis Bowl.

“The Kiwanis Bowl was a defensive battle after Hilltop scored on its opening drive,” Clark said. “They benefited from four offsides penalties and converted the extra point to take a 7-0 lead.

“We responded immediately with a touchdown run by Gabriel Ruiz, though we were unsuccessful on a fake PAT attempt following the score. From that point on, our defense shut Hilltop out for the remainder of the game.”

The visitors took the lead late in the second quarter when Ruiz hauled in a touchdown pass from junior Isaiah Orta to take a six-point lead at halftime. Ruiz finished the game with 134 all-purpose yards — 93 rushing and 41 receiving and two TDs.

“We had opportunities to extend the lead in the second half but fumbled at the one-yard line on a first-and-goal situation and later missed a 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter,” the CVHS coach said. 

Sophomore Asher Richardson contributed 143 rushing yards while senior Jaylen Clark collected eight tackles and three pass breakups.

Hilltop’s leaders included sophomore Lane Bailey (63 passing yards), juniors Max Vaquero (65 receiving yards) and Seven Tarkington (52 receiving yards), junior Dante Hernandez (13 tackles) and senior Zion Almazon (13 tackles).

Junior Tre Nichols III scored the Lancers’ only touchdown.

Bonita Vista secured rights to this year’s Metro-South Bay League championship with a 14-7 win at Sweetwater. Senior A.J. Cortes (two carries, seven yards) and junior Ta’Vyon Moore (18 carries, 116 yards) each scored on touchdowns for the Barons, who won despite generating 176 yards in total offense.

Bonita Vista (3-0 in league) rushed for 138 yards and passed for 38 yards.

Senior Marshall Romo completed five of six passing attempts for 32 yards. Junior David Figueroa had two carries for 16 yards.

Senior Chase Holden and junior Emiliano Ituarte led the team with six tackles apiece. Ituarte also had a fumble recovery and tackle for loss.

The Barons scored three tackles for losses in the game with sophomore Lukas Yaomoto and junior Diego Macias also registering tackles for losses.

Sweetwater (0-3 in league, 1-9 overall) was led by senior Noah Calingay’s 106 rushing yasrds on 21 carries. The Red Devils ended the season with nine consecutive losses after winning their season opener by one point.

Battle for the Bell
Southwest captured its first league title since 1982 after defeating Mar Vista, 24-6, in the teams’ annual Battle for the Bell rivalry game. The Raiders (3-0 in league) led 7-0 after the first quarter, 10-6 at halftime and 17-7 after three quarters before tacking on a fourth quarter touchdown.

Junior quarterback Isaac Muñoz passed for 167 yards and tacked on 29 rushing yards with one touchdown for 196 total yards. Senior Samuel Gonzales rushed for 193 yards n 21 carries and one touchdown while also collecting 46 receiving yards on five catches for 239 all-purpose yards. Junior Tito Yves (six carries, 24 yards) also scored one rushing TD.

On the passing end, senior Leonel Rivera hauled in six passes for 77 yards while senior Leo Holguin had six catches for 61 yards.

The Raiders were active on defense with 10 tackles for losses, including three by junior Joseph Ellis and two by Yves. Ellis also had one sack.

Southwest also recorded three interceptions — one by sophomore Sebastian Torres for 62 yards, one by senior Elijah Lewis for 15 yards and one by junior Marcos Armenta for two yards.

The Raiders carry a six-game winning streak into Friday’s playoff game.

The Division V-AA playoffs include eight teams: No. 1 Escondido Charter (9-1), No. 2 Palo Verde Valley (8-2), No. 3 Vincent Memorial (8-2), No. 4 Mountain Empire (5-4), No. 5 Clairemont (5-5), No. 6 O’Farrell Charter (5-5), No. 7 Caliptaria (3-7) and No. 8 Foothills Christian (5-4).

Quarterfinals are Friday, followed by semifinals on Nov. 13 and the championship game No. 20 at 7 p.m. at Escondido High School.

Quarterfinal pairings feature Foothills Christian at Escondido Charter, Clairemont at Mountain Empire, Vincent Memorial at O’Farrell Charter and Calipatia at Palo Verde Valley (last year’s Division V-AA runner-up).

The eight-player postseason field includes four teams: No. 1 St. Joseph Academy (6-1), No. 2 Francis Parker (8-1), No. 3 Borrego Springs (5-3) and No. 4 Julian (6-3).

Semifinals are Nov. 13. The championship game is Nov. 21 at 1 p.m. at Escondido High School.

St. Joseph Academy defeated Francis Parker, 46-33, in last Friday’s Ocean League championship game while Borrego Springs defeated Julian, 44-32, to win this year’s Manzanita League title.

Game of the Year: Helix 42, Granite Hills 31

The Eagles took a 7-0 lead on a six-yard quarterback keeper by senior Zac Benitez. The Scotties tied the game on the first of one of their many big passing plays throughout the night as Thompson fired a 57-yard bomb to junior Jeremy Robinson.

Thompson’s game plan appeared to heave the ball as far down field as he could and let the Highlanders’ speedy receivers run under them. It was something that worked and Thompson repeated it frequently.

The Helix signal-caller finished the night with 284 passing yards and four touchdowns — two each to Andrew-Johnson (three catches 134 yards) and Robinson (three catches, 100 yards).

Granite Hills took a 14-7 lead on a 12-yard run by senior Gage Spalding. But a 77-yard sideline catch-and-carry by junior Jacob Andrew-Johnson knotted the score at 14.

Helix senior Roderick Aguillard recovered a fumble and returned the ball to the Eagle eight-yard line. Junior Stephon Fuentes (26 carries, 115 yards) scored from there to give the Highlanders their first lead of the game at 21-14.

Helix moved in front 28-14 on a blocked punt that was recovered int he end zone for a touchdown by junior Denzel Griffin.

But the four-time defending league champions regrouped.

The Eagles scored in the dying seconds before halftime on a 10-yard completion to senior Courtney Mill-erThompson to trim the deficit to 28-21.

Granite Hills received the second half kickoff and scored on another 10-yard pass play to Miller-Thompson.

28-28.

The Eagles made it 17 straight points whens enior Jacob Nunez kicked a 29-yard field goal to put the visitors on top 31-28.

It was time for the hosts to get it into gear — on both sides of the ball.

Robinson scored on a 21-yard grab with 7:39 to play in the fourth quarter for a 35-31 Helix lead.

Granite Hills mounted yet another comeback with a long drive into the red zone.But senior LaMarquis Sutton came down with a jump ball into the corner of the end zone for a touchdown-saving interception.

The Highlanders countered with another strike into the end zone with 12.1 seconds left to finally put the game out of reach.

Benitez passed for 192 yards with two touchdowns and  one interception while tacking on 27 rushing yards and one score for a three-touchdown night. Spalding had 11 carries for 75 yards and one TD.

Miller-Thompson had seven catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Davion Willias had 13 carries for 77 yards while sophomore Manny Walker had two catches for 55 yards.

The Helix defense played keep away wth one interception, three fumble recoveries and one blocked punt.Senior Jeremy Davis keyed the effort with 16 tackles, including 14 unassisted stops. Senior Donte Wright had 13 stops (10 solo).

The Eagles recorded three sacks and one fumble recovery (sophomore Kolton Hopkins).