The world pandemic almost brought the San Diego Section to its knees, but the governing athletic body survived, thanks to determined coaches, players, and administrators.          Â
Thirteen of the 96 schools fielding varsity teams were able to play a maximum six games, as mandated by the state CIF. Sixty-nine managed from 1 to 5 games and 13 canceled their entire season.
Six-game survivors: Calexico Vincent Memorial, Brawley, El Capitan, Granite Hills, Helix, Holtville, La Costa Canyon, Mira Mesa, Mountain Empire, Santa Fe Christian, Steele Canyon, Torrey Pines, and Valhalla.
A possible game of the year between Cathedral and Carlsbad couldn’t be put together, although teams were scrambling up to the last week looking for possible matchups.
Cathedral got all 17 votes for first place in the final poll. Carlsbad was a solid second and Mission Hills was not far behind as the first three separated themselves from the pack.
First place votes in parenthesis. Points on scale of 10 points to 1 point.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS | ||
| 1. | Cathedral | 5-0 (17) | 170 | 1 | ||
| 2. | Carlsbad | 5-0 | 153 | 2 | ||
| 3. | Mission Hills | 5-0 | 136 | 3 | ||
| 4. | Lincoln | 4-1 | 105 | 7 | ||
| 5. | La Jolla | 5-0 | 102 | 6 | ||
| 6. | Eastlake | 4-0 | 57 | 9 | ||
| 7 | Granite Hills | 5-1 | 54 | 5 | ||
| 8. | Ramona | 5-0 | 50 | 8 | ||
| 9. | Poway | 5-0 | 43 | NR | ||
| 10. | St. Augustine | 2-2 | 36 | 4 | ||
Others receiving votes:Â Torrey Pines (3-3, 19 points), Otay Ranch (3-1), Sweetwater (5-0, 3 each), Mater Dei (4-2, 2), El Centro Central (5-0, 1).
Voting panel:Â Seventeen sportswriters and sportscasters throughout San Diego County.
- John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune
- Steve Brand, Jim Lindgren, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, and Thomas Gutierrez, freelance contributors.
- Brandon Stone, Nick Pollino, KUSI Ch 51
- Adam Paul, ECPreps.com.
- Bodie DeSilva, ScoreBookLive.com.
- John Kentera, Braden Suprenant (97.3 The Fan).
- Ramon Scott, EastCountySports.com
- Rick Smith, PartletonSports.com
- Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM
- Christian Pederson, San Diego Sports Association.
How others saw San Diego’s Top 10
| Team | Record | Cal-Hi Sports | MaxPreps | CalPreps.com |
| Cathedral | 5-0 | 6 | 5 | 66.6 |
| Carlsbad | 5-0 | 16 | 6 | 58.4* |
| Mission Hills | 5-0 | 31 | 16 | 52.4 |
| Lincoln | 4-1 | 39 | 19 | 48.9 |
| La Jolla | 5-0 | NR | 51 | 36.2 |
| Eastlake | 4-0 | 47 | 73 | 31.4 |
| Granite Hills | 4-1 | NR | 75 | 31.1 |
| Ramona | 5-0 | NR | 127# | 23.4 |
| Poway | 5-0 | NR | 67 | 32.8 |
| St. Augustine | 2-2 | NR | 70 | 32.5 |
*Max Preps’ and CalPreps’ computer ratings are identical, except Max Preps gives Carlsbad a 58.1 rating.
#Four teams not in the Union-Tribune Top 10 had higher placement and ratings from Max Preps:
- Torrey Pines, 46/37.9
- El Camino, 58/34.5
- Oceanside, 110/25.9
- Mater Dei, 112/25.8
Cal-Hi Sports’ ranks only the top 50.
CAL-HI SPORTS HONORS EAGLES
Tri-City Christian, which finished with a 4-1 record, was named the state Division V Team of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports.
The Eagles, a member of the Coastal League, defeated Division II The Bishop’s, D-III Orange Glen, D-IV Classical, and D-V Temecula Rancho Christian. Their only loss was to D-III Santa Fe Christian.
