La Jolla Country Day will set a San Diego Section record tomorrow evening when it plays visiting Oakland McClymonds in the State Division V-A finals at 6 p.m.
The championship will mark the 16th game, the length of a regular NFL season, for the Torreys since the since the start of the season.
Madison and Santa Fe Christian were the first teams to play 15 games in 2013.
‘Day, unlike previous state finalists, did not have a bye in the first round of the San Diego Section playoffs, having to play 4 games instead of 3.
The Torreys (12-3) were seeded fifth in their division in San Diego after finishing third in the Coastal League and on the short end of decisive losses to The Bishop’s, 37-21, and Santa Fe Christian, 49-21.
Cal-Hi Sports, which uses the eye test to rate teams and make predictions, and CalPreps.com, which is computer generated, see strength in the San Diego Section’s four entries this weekend.
DIVISION I-AA
Cal-Hi Sports, which is located in Stockton, the same city as St. Mary’s High, goes with its local team over Cathedral.
Cal-Hi predicted a 35-28 victory for St. Mary’s. CalPreps chose Cathedral by a score of 34-33.
Despite favoring the Dons, CalPreps’ computer gives St. Mary’s a 73.0 rating to Cathedral’s 68.2.
Cathedral’s rating is the highest of any local team in one of the upper divisions since San Diego Section teams began competing in 2007.
The Tyler Gaffney-led Cathedral team of 2008 defeated St. Mary’s, 37-34, in D-III and had a CalPreps rating of 55.2 to 43.2.
DIVISION II-AA
Both experts pick 12-2 Madison (57.2) over 13-1 San Jose Valley Christian of the Central Coast Section (55.4), 29-21 by Cal-Hi and 27-21 by CalPreps.
DIVISION III-A
Cal-Hi picks 13-2 Oakdale (44.9) of the Sac-Joaquin Section, 28-21, over 14-0 The Bishop’s (48.5). CalPreps picks The Bishop’s, 28-27. Oakdale, near Stockton, travels 430 miles to meet the Knights at La Jolla High.
DIVISION V-A
McClymonds, the school that turned out basketball icon Bill Russell and baseball Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, among many others, will bus 482 miles to meet La Jolla Country Day on the Torreys’ home field.
12-3 ‘Day (27.0) is picked to defeat 12-1 Mack (29.9) by a 55-48 score by Cal-Hi. CalPreps selected the Warriors, 35-28.
Cathedral now is fifth in the state Top 25. Madison finally got off the bubble and now is 23rd after its 60-53, overtime win over Calabasas in the Southern California final last week. Rancho Bernardo (11-1) is on the bubble.
QUICK KICKS
There were no state playoffs from 1927-2007…San Diego High dropped a 17-6 decision to Bakersfield in Balboa Stadium in a state semifinal game in 1922…Oceanside’s 2007 state D-II champion had a 57.8 rating and 57.9 in D-I in 2009…Helix calculated at 64.8 when it topped Loomis del Oro, 35-24, in D-II in 2009…Oceanside had a 62.9 rating when it lost to Folsom, 68-7, in D-I in 2014…Madison’s D-III champion in 2013 had a grad of 43.7…the principal at Stlockton St. Mary’s is Pete Morelli, longtime NFL game referee….
It makes you wonder how the SDHS Maley teams would have done in their glory years if they had state playoffs then. How about a piece on this subject.
I think the Cavers would have had as much success as they had in the Southern California-only alignment. They would have been in contention every year.