Six area teams, from Granite Hills in the East suburbs of El Cajon to Valley Center in the rural North, won San Diego Section championships and are moving on and (possibly/maybe/who knows?) moving up in the super postseason.
Regional playoffs are this week, with winners advancing to State championship games Dec. 12-13 at Saddleback College in Santa Ana. San Diego Section results:
OPEN DIVISION
CATHEDRAL (10-2) 20, CARLSBAD (10-2) 16.
The Dons scored an unusual victory and coach Sean Doyle’s 12th title in 14 trips to the finals, the first since 2021, before an estimated 8,700 persons at Southwestern College.
Unusual in that No. 4-seeded Cathedral scored all of its points after trailing, 16-0, at the start of the fourth quarter. A touchdown passing play of 47 yards, quarterback Eli MacNeal to Travis Jeffery, early in the third quarter had given the 3 seed Lancers a two touchdown-plus advantage.
Doyle, his silver mustache glistening in the lights of the Southwestern stadium after a postgame splash by elated players, considered the significance of his team’s comeback.
“To be down like that, when we were shooting ourselves in the freaking foot every offensive series, then come back, right now that win has to rank right at the top,” Doyle exclaimed to reporter John Maffei.
A five-yard run by Honor Fa’alave Johnson got Cathedral on the board in the fourth quarter, then the Dons closed to 16-13 on a 71-yard pass play, Brady Palmer to Isaac Cook.
There were 6:32 left after the Dons’ score, but it wasn’t settled until the final 21 seconds when Fa’alave-Johnson scored from five yards to conclude a 71-yard drive with 2:14 remaining.
Next, Southern California Regional I-AA Playoff: Los Alamitos (12-2), Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, 7:30 p.m., @Long Beach Veterans’ Stadium on Long Beach City College campus.
DIVISION I
Granite Hills (10-3) 41, Lincoln (10-3) 29.
The Eagles trailed, 14-0, but overcame Lincoln and won a fourth consecutive D-I crown before an estimated 6,500 persons at Southwestern College.
Zac Benitez threw for 296 yards and four touchdowns and Noah Walker caught four passes for 142 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown.
The Eagles’ Gage Spalding put game away late in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run from the Wildcat formation.
Junior Curtis led Lincoln with 159 yards in 18 carries and Rashad Robinson had 129 in 19 and two touchdowns.
Next, Southern California Regional I-A Playoff: Oxnard Pacifica (14-0), Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, 7 p.m., @Granite Hills.
D-II
SANTA FE CHRISTIAN (13-0) 44, STEELE CANYON (9-4) 41.
Enrollment doesn’t matter where Eagles dare.
“The fact that this tiny school (with 400 high school students) …we said whatever division you put us in, we can’t control. We just play the team you put in front of us,” said winning coach Jon Wallace to John Maffei.
The Eagles’ opponent at Southwestern College was Steele Canyon, with a student body approaching 2,200.
Santa Fe Christian quarterback Dax Labrum rushed 5 times for 27 yards and completed 21 of 33 passes for 286 yards and four touchdowns.
Next, Southern California Regional II-A playoff: Arcadia Rio Hondo (14-0), Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, 6 p.m., @Carlsbad High.
D-III
CHRISTIAN (7-7) 28, EL CENTRO CENTRAL (10-3) 14.
The Patriots came out of the weeds, rallying from an 0-4 start and entering the playoffs as a No. 6 seed.
Christian beat top seed El Centro Central at Southwestern College as quarterback Kaleb Runkle passed for 280 yards and four touchdowns.
“We had a lot of guys out earlier in the season (injuries), but we stayed the course and everybody worked real hard to get here,” Patriots coach Patrick Bugg told reporter Rick Hoff.
Next, Southern California Regional V-AA playoff: @Cerritos Valley Christian (11-3), Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
D-IV
VALLEY CENTER (7-6) 21, EASTLAKE (7-7) 14.
Bill Dunckel was teaching physical education classes and coaching baseball and softball when he was asked in 2023 to rescue a Jaguars team that was 0-4 and had been outscored, 154-45.
Dunckel righted the ship and the team northeast of Escondido is 18-13 since.
Dunckel is a North County product, a star, all-round wideout on Fallbrook’s 1986 San Diego Section championship team, scoring 18 touchdowns, four field goals, 35 points after touchdowns and a couple two-point conversions for 159 points in 12 games.
Next, Southern California Regional VI-AA playoff: Moreno Valley Valley View, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, 7:30 p.m., @Valley Center.
DIVISION V
MORSE (9-4) 45, HOOVER (7-7) 30
Superior Garror was superior for the Tigers with 260 yards in 32 rushing attempts, plus six catches for 94 yards, and 4 touchdowns.
Hezekiah Manuel completed 30 of 41 passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns for Hoover.
Hoover hadn’t been in a final since 2014 and Morse was making its first trip since 2018.
Next, Southern California Regional VI-A playoff: Simi Valley Grace (11-3), Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, 6 p.m., @Moorpark College.
D-VAA
MARANATHA (12-1) 24, BLYTHE PALO VERDE VALLEY (8-3) 12.
Season complete.
D-VI
ST. JOSEPH (10-1) 61, BORREGO SPRINGS (8-2) 13.
Season complete.
