2023 Week 14: Eagles Tough as Granite in Open Thriller with Lincoln
This is the year of living dangerously for Granite Hills. The Eagles beat Lincoln, 27-26, for the San Diego Section Open Division championship Saturday night in Snapdragon Stadium in the third of a series of cliffhangers and barnburners in the last four weeks. The east El Cajon club, 93-47 under coach Kellan Cobbs since 2013, […]
2023 Week 13: Lincoln, Granite Hills Survive Semifinals Thrillers
After an essentially quiet first week, quarterfinals and Open Division semifinals brought the San Diego Section playoffs to life, starting with a couple wild Open Division battles. Distance and facing California’s No. 8-ranked team and second seed didn’t deter third seed and California-ranked 14th Granite Hills. The Eagles bused 44 miles and then outlasted state […]
2023 Week 12: Pairings Are More On Than Off in Postseason Openers
The CIF’s power ratings, a football version of diversity, inclusion, and equity, worked in all but four games in the week 12, first round of San Diego Section playoffs. The National Football League long has fostered the “on-any-given-day-any team-can-win” mantra. There aren’t upsets; they’re…well, surprises. There were four “surprises” as the San Diego Section postseason […]
2023 Week 11: Hats Off! League Champions!
The advent of power ratings, leading to alteration of teams’ division and league placements and affecting playoff seeding, changed the landscape. League championships don’t carry that once-cherished cachet. But don’t tell that to the players, coaches, and student bodies. A league title still goes down as a matter of record and still looks great on […]
2023 Week 10: Hats Off! Mater Dei’s John Joyner!
A significant accomplishment was overlooked for a few weeks. Mater Dei’s John Joyner became the 49th San Diego Section coach to win a career 100th game. Fast-finishing for a second straight year, the Crusaders coach’s team defeated Eastlake, 36-7, for its fifth straight win after an 0-3 start and gave Joyner his 103rd victory. Victory […]
2023 Week 9: Hornets are Stinging and Streaking
Lincoln won its 21st game in a row, 42-7, over St. Augustine last week and improved to 9-0 this year. The Hornets will be seeking their first, undefeated, 10-0 campaign Saturday when they wrap the regular season at University City. Coach Vic Player’s Hornets were undefeated in the 1979 regular season but city schools played […]