2023-2024 Boys Week 10A: Carlsbad Loses Epic Struggle Against Top Seed
San Diego Section boys teams exited early from the Southern California regional tournament, but No. 4 seed Carlsbad stuck around and almost knocked out No. 1.
Coach Clark Allard’s Lancers lost a semifinal battle, 73-72, at Studio City Harvard-Westlake, the same team that had routed Carlsbad, 83-44, in the season’s first game.
The Lancers led by as much as 13 points at 32-19 in the second quarter and were ahead, 41-33, at halftime. The Wolverines nudged ahead, 55-52, in the third quarter and were in front, 65-58 in the fourth quarter before Carlsbad clawed back in the waning moments.
Boys’ Division I teams were disappointments, not only in the 0-5 record. Examples: No. 13 seed Redondo Beach Redondo Union ousted 4 Montgomery, 84-69. No. 12 La Verne Damien beat 5 St. Augustine, 69-44.
The boys’ season, Open to Division V, ended After 7 seed University City lost, 68-55, to 3 Mission Hills Bishop Alemany in the D-III semifinals. San Diego teams were 9-17 overall.
Only games with a San Diego section team are listed. Complete brackets are here. All games played at higher (low number) seed.
Round 1 Teams Tuesday, February 27
Round 2 Teams Thursday, February 29
Semifinals Saturday, March 2
Open Division Wednesday, February 28
5 Downey St. Pius X-St. Matthias (24-7) Southern 72
4 Carlsbad (30-2) 75, overtime
4 Carlsbad (30-3) 72
1 Studio City Harvard-Westlake (31-3) Southern 73
Division I
9 La Jolla Country Day (23-7) 59
8 L.A. Windward (29-4) Southern 74
2023-24 Boys Week 10: It’s Unanimous, Carlsbad No. 1 in Final Poll
John Maffei’s weekly, final regular-season Union-Tribune poll and the final Max-Preps and Cal-Hi Sports ratings, inclusive of the state playoffs.
#
TEAM
RECORD
POINTS
PREVIOUS
MAX-PREPS
CAL-HI SPORTS
1
Carlsbad
29-2 (17)
161
1
8/9
10/16
2
Montgomery
28-3
159
2
17/20
27/20
3
St. Augustine
25-5
139
3
21/21
31/24
4
La Jolla Country Day
23-6
108
5
60/59
NR/On the Bubble
5
Torrey Pines
21-8
103
4
43/40
NR/NR
6
Mission Hills
21-8
79
8
93
NR/NR
7
La Costa Canyon
19-8
50
6
76/76
NR/NR
8
Mission Bay
21-11
64
NR
97/98
NR/NR
9
Santa Fe Christian
21-9
38
7
118
NR/NR
10
Cathedral
20-9
9
9
104
NR/NR
Others receiving votes Scripps Ranch (20-12, 17 points), San Marcos (24-7, 156), Olympian (28-3, 10), University City (24-8, 10), Mount Miguel (23-9, 1).
First-place votes in parenthesis.
Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
Bold entries in columns are up-to-date rankings followed by previous. Cal-Hi Sports’ and Max Preps’ represent state rankings. NR—Not ranked.
Records as of Monday, Feb. 5
VOTING PANEL
John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune
Aaron Burgin, Fulltime Hoops
Steve Brand, Eric Williams, Freelance writers
John Kentera, Freelance Contributor
Rick Smith, partletonsports.com
Adam Paul, eastcountysports.com
Bodie DeSilva, scorebooklive.com
Braden Surprenant 97.3 FM The Fan
Steve Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9-FM
Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez, CIF San Diego Section.
Rex Johnson, CIF Advisory Committee
Joe Evangelist, San Diego Coaching Legends Committee.
Tom Helmantoler, Advisor Southern Conference
Christian Pedersen, San Diego Sports Association
MaxPreps
2023-2024 Boys Week 9A: The Hall Truth: Carlsbad Tops Montgomery for Open Title
Jake Hall’s two, late three-point baskets got No. 1 seed Carlsbad past Montgomery, 56-47, Saturday, February 24, for the San Diego Section Open Division championship.
The victory, before more than 3,000 persons at U.C. San Diego’s LionTree Arena avenged a 63-55 loss to the No. 3 Aztecs (28-3) in December, was the Lancers’ 19th straight victory and 29th, against two losses. Also included was a 75-74 win over No. 2 St. Augustine in December.
Carlsbad’s only loss was 83-44 in the season opener at Studio City Harvard-Westlake.
Hall, who scored 19 points, buried a three-pointer with 1:52 remaining in the game to open some space in what was a two-point Lancers lead and then cranked another 3 a minute later to seal the victory.
Montgomery, which had won 15 in a row, including a 56-39 rout of St. Augustine in the semifinals, will take a 28-3 record along with Carlsbad and the six other Open Division playoff squads into the Southern California regionals, pairings of which will be announced Sunday, February 25.
Playoff scores below.
Open Division
Saturday, February 17
Wednesday, Feb 21
Saturday, Feb 24
8 Cathedral (19-9) 64
1 Carlsbad 104
1 Carlsbad 77
5 La Jolla Country Day (23-6) 65
3 Montgomery (28-3) 47
1 Carlsbad (29-2) 56
@ U.C. San Diego
5 La Jolla Country Day 46
4 Torrey Pines (21-8) 45
Mission Hills earned its fourth Open Division title, after three straight failed attempts, with a hard fought win over La Jolla Country Day, 63-56. The Grizzlies held off a late comeback by the Torreys, and coach Chris Kroesch credited a 14 point blitz, and 18 total, by Lindsay Jones as the difference maker, saying “She had one helluva game tonight”. SDSU-bound Naomi Panganiban led LJCD with 34 points, with 10 of 11 at the line.
In D-I, Cathedral downed Grossmont 51-45 despite 19 turnovers and poor free-throw shooting (9 of 21). Coach Jackie Turpin credits Maddie Moeller, with 18 points and 7 rebounds, as a catalyst for the win.
Francis Parker dominated Victory Christian 47-35, to take its first ever D-II CIF title. Coach Courtney Clements toughened her young, three freshman and two soph’ starters, with games versus top state early season opponents. It paid off with balanced scoring, three starters had 13 points each, and a lead from the 2nd quarter to the finish.
In D-III, Montgomery took their 2nd straight title, and finished a ten game win streak, handling Sage Creek 59-46. Forward Paula Zumstein led the Aztecs with 24 points, as she did all year, averaging 17 points and 8.6 rebounds a game.
The D-IV glass slipper still fit! Following an upset over #1 La Jolla, Escondido Charter extended their win streak to 14, 16 of 17, and a 3rd win over Santa Fe Christian 54-44, for the title. Kami Gillis dropped a double-double on 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Escondido won its first D-V CIF title, topping Kearny 74-53. Leading start to finish, Jasmine Reyes led four players in double digits, with 19 points.
In D-V-AA, Rock Academy upset and halted a hot Escondido Adventist six game win streak, earning the crown with a 38-30 win, a bit more comfortable than last years’ 20-19 squeaker.
See all scores in table below.
All teams above, except D-V-AA, continue in Southern California Regional play, with pairings announced Sunday afternoon (2/25).
Open Division
Friday,
February 16
Wednesday,
February 21
Saturday,
February 24
8 Scripps Ranch(17-9) 34
1 Mission Hills 96
1 Mission Hills 67
5 Del Norte 50
1 Mission Hills (23-8) 63
2 La Jolla Country Day (24-7) 56
@ U.C. San Diego
5 Del Norte 62
4 Poway (19-9) 59
6 Bonita Vista (15-14) 55
3 Westview 67
3 Westview 42
2 La Jolla Country Day 54
7 Rancho Bernardo (19-10) 32
2 La Jolla Country Day 60
7 Entrepreneurship & Technology (5-12) 14
2 Warner Springs Warner 31
2 Warner Springs Warner
1974 Track: Banks and Jefferson Bring Home Gold Again
John Sylvester of Hilltop (left) nipped Montgomery’s Clint Bradburn in Metropolitan League 440 final in :50.2.
Willie Banks of Oceanside and Elijah Jefferson of Crawford offered a historic footnote to the 56th state meet in Bakersfield.
Banks and Jefferson we’re the first from the San Diego Section to win successive state championships since Chula Vista’s Tim Danielson in 1965-66 and only the second and third from the area to repeat since the first state meet in 1915.
Banks’ weekend started in disappointment when he was fourth in his heat in :14.1 in the 120-yard high hurdles, but while he tied the San Diego Section record with six others, only three in each heat qualified.
Banks was a qualifying sixth at 23-4 ¾ in the long jump and then essentially ended the competition with a 50-foot, 9-inch triple jump that broke Banks’ meet record of 49-1 and was 33 inches further than the second-place qualifier.
Banks jumped 50-7 in the Saturday final, again almost three feet further than the runner-up jump of 47-8 ¾. He was eighth in the long jump at 23-7 ½.
Smile of a multiple state champion, Willie Banks.
“I’m happy I won but I’m disappointed with my (triple) jump,” Banks told writer John Nettles. “I guess I was disappointed with my long jump finish and I felt sort of depressed, but I still felt I could have done better.”
Banks later posted career bests of 24-2 3/4 and 51-3, respectively, in the Golden West Invitational in Sacramento.
Jefferson, after scorching the Bakersfield track with a record-tying :09.4 in the 100-yard dash in Friday trials, beat the field again on Saturday in :09.8, but did not run the 220.
“It’s great to win this thing two years in a row,” said Jefferson after officials huddled for almost 10 minutes to determine if Jefferson or Mike Simmons of L.A. Carson had won. “I had a great start and felt I was ahead all the way, but I could hear them coming”.
Jefferson felt a twinge in his leg when he qualified at :21.5 in the 220 Friday night and did not in the run in the final.
5/3/74
EASTERN LEAGUE TRIALS, @BALBOA STADIUM
Morse’s Donald Moore ran the 440 in :48.3, fifth fastest in County history. Leaders:
NAME
SCHOOL
TIME
MEET
YEAR
Donald Tyler
Lincoln
:47.2
State
1970
Milton Mitchell
Lincoln
:47.3
San Diego Section (h)
1971
Michael Singletary
San Diego
:47.6
State
1965
Therlee Murphy
Lincoln
:48.1
San Diego Section (h)
1968
Donald Moore
Morse
:48.3
Morse
1974
Moore’s teammates Michael Patrick (:50.2) and Jim Juhl (:50.7) ran 1-2 in another heat.
Crawford’s Elijah Jefferson was an eased-up winner in the 100 and 220 in :10 and :21.8.
Kearny’s Wayne Saxton took early lead in San Diego Section high hurdles race, but Oceanside’s Willie Banks (right) came on to win in :14.4.
GROSSMONT LEAGUE TRIALS, @GRANITE HILLS
El Capitan’s Curt Hampton set a league record with a 64-5 ¾ shot put, bettering the 63-4 by Granite Hills’ George Brown in 1967.
The eighth qualifier in the shot reached 51-2 ¾, good enough to win several league meets.
One of the shot putters was El Cajon Valley’s Mark Malone, fourth at 53-8 ½, and first with a discus toss of 165-7.
Tom Smith of Granite Hills had the day’s fastest mile, 4:21.2. Tim Earle of Granite Hills won a heat in 4:23.9 and Monte Vista’s Bill Bunting led with a 6-6 high jump.
—Mike Grein of Poway was a double winner in the high hurdles (:14.6) and broke his school record (:19.9) with a :19.7 clocking in the lows, but Mission Bay won the Coast League dual meet, 64-63.
—Willie Banks’ 23-foot, 6 ½-inch long jump, 47-1 triple jump, and :15.1 in the 120 high hurdles was more than enough in Oceanside’s 92-44 win over Carlsbad.
5/6/74
METROPOLITAN LEAGUE TRIALS, @CASTLE PARK
Sweetwater’s Jim Frankson found the usual breezes at the Trojans’ track to his liking, running wind-aided :09.6 and :21.4 in the 100 and 220.
“I wasn’t aware of the wind before the race but I knew there was some,” said Frankson. “There wasn’t that much wind,” suggested Red Devils coach Gerry Smith.
John Sylvester of Hilltop (:22.2 220, :51.2 440) and Scott Young of Bonita Vista (:14.8 high hurdles, :20 low hurdles) also were double winners.
Morse’s Quinard McDonald (left) nipped Patrick Henry’s Mats Klavmark in San Diego Section 880 in 1:55.7.
AVOCADO LEAGUE TRIALS, @ESCONDIDO
Willie Banks won his high hurdles test in :14.8 and Oceanside teammate Mosley doubled in the 100 (:10.2) and 180 low hurdles (:20.4).
COAST LEAGUE TRIALS, @SAN DIEGUITO
Mike Grein of Poway led all hurdlers with wins in :14.9 and :20.3. Bregy of Poway won a 440 in :51.5 after taking first in an 880 race in 2:05.8.
5/9/74
SOUTHERN LEAGUE FINALS, @RAMONA
Christian scored 59 points, Ramona, 55, and San Diego Military 50 in a meet in which 10 records were set and three were tied in the 3 classes.
Most notable was Ramona’s Bob Hunt, who cleared 6 feet in the B high jump, bettering a 32-year-old mark of 5-11 ½ by Gordon of Brown Military in 1942.
Donald Tavie of San Diego Military was a triple winner with a :10.2 100, :23.1 220, and 20-0 ¼ long jump.
METROPOLITAN LEAGUE FINALS, @CASTLE PARK
Jim Frankson of Sweetwater ran :09.7 in the 100-yard dash, breaking the record of :09.8 by Bill Huntales of Oceanside in 1937 and Bill Massey of Chula Vista in :1964.
Frankson also won the 220 in :21.8. but Scott Young of Bonita Vista won three events and was part of a fourth.
Young prevailed in both hurdles events in :14.6 and :19.8, high jumped 6 feet, 4 inches, and ran a leg on the Barons’ 440 relay, first in :43.6.
John Sylvester of Hilltop won a photo finish with Montgomery’s Clint Bradburn in the 440 in a career best :50.2.
Crawford’s Kirk Pfeffer, winning his mile heat in San Diego Section trials, was fifth in state meet two-mile run.
EASTERN LEAGUE FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM
Kirk Pfeffer and Elijah Jefferson were double winners for Crawford. Pfeiffer at 4:18.5 and 9:11.6 in the mile and two-mile and Jefferson at :09.8 and :21.8 in the 100 and 220.
Pfeffer bettered the long race record of 9:13.6, set by Lincoln’s Otis Martin in 1966, and was challenged in the shorter race by teammate Phil Hendricks, who was second in 4:18.6.
Donald Moore of Morse won the 440 in :48.9 and anchored the Tigers’ mile relay team to a 3:20.6 victory, fastest in the Section this year, nosing out Crawford, which ran 3:21, ahead of Patrick Henry (3:22) and Lincoln (3:22.6).
Quinard McDonald was on the Morse relay team and also won the 880 in 1:55.7.
WESTERN LEAGUE, @MESA COLLEGE
Wayne Saxton was a triple winner :15.3 high hurdles, :19.8 lows, and 21-6 ½ long jump for Kearny, which also profited from Ron Means’ :50.5 440.
Charles Bussey of Kearny won the 100 in :10.0 but ran out of gas, as did the rest of the 220 field, which mistakenly raced for 235 yards, thanks to incorrect lane markings.
Richard Paxton of University hurled the shot 56-7 and discus 151-6 and Steve Mowry of Madison ran the mile in 4:20.5 and two-mile in 9:20.4.
AVOCADO LEAGUE FINALS, @VISTA
Willie Banks took the state lead with a 50-foot, 6 ½-inch triple jump, was second to teammate Kenny Brooks’ 22-10 long jump with a 22-6½ leap, and tied the hurdles record of :14.4 by Oceanside’s Mike Swaim in 1963.
Tim Woods of Vista ran 4:18.1 in the mile and 9:22.4 in the two-mile and Bobby Rhodes of Vista was a 10-seconds winner in the 100 and in :22.4 in the 220, and anchored the Panthers to a :43.2 photo finish win over Oceanside in the 440 relay.
GROSSMONT LEAGUE FINALS, @GRANITE HILLS
The first five finishers in the 880 were timed in 1:58.1 or better and won by Granite Hills’ Tom Smith in 1:56.1.
Smith earned a difficult double victory when he came back to win the mile in 4:17.7, nipping Tim Earle (4:17.9) of Monte Vista.
El Capitan’s Curt Hampton won the shot put at 63-4 and Mark Malone of El Cajon Valley the discus at 173-3.
COAST LEAGUE FINALS, @SAN DIEGUITO
Mike Grein of Poway won the high and low hurdles in :14.6 and :19.8 and Gary Hernandez of Mission Bay was first in the distances in 4:22.8 and 9:33.6.
5/18/14
SAN DIEGO SECTION TRIALS, @VISTA
Kearny’s Wayne Saxton and Oceanside’s Willie Banks were the stars in the afternoon-evening meet, the latter offering Class B and C competition.
Banks took the national lead in the Triple Jump at 50 feet, 10 1/4 inches, and led long jumpers with a qualifying 23-5 3/4.
Saxton ran the 120-yard high hurdles in a wind-aided :14.3 and the 180 lows in a clean :19.5, and ran a leg on the Komets’ 440 relay. The Komets’ time of :42.6 was best of the day.
Kearny did not finish the relay in the Western League finals but had been byed into the trials.
Kathy Devine of Mission Bay set national record in shot put.
5/24/74
SAN DIEGO SECTION FINALS, @VISTA
Willie Banks tripled, but Crawford, getting more than just an expected double win from Elijah Jefferson, won the team championship.
Keith Miles was second in both hurdles races and triple jump (lifetime best 46-9 ¼), and participated in the 440 relay (second) and mile relay (third). Kirk Pfeiffer won the two-mile in 9:08.6 and was second with a lifetime best of 4:16.8 in the mile.
Jefferson tied the meet record of :09.6 in the 100 and won 220 on a full curve in :21.5.
Morse had four individual winners: Donald Moore, :48.5 440; Quinard McDonald, 1:55.9 880; 440 relay, :42.2, and mile relay, 3:19.7.
Banks won the 120 high hurdles in :14.4, long jump at 23-7 ¼, and triple jump at 49-1 ½.
LADIES MAKE DEBUT
Girls’ track and field, which was introduced as a CIF-sanctioned sport in the dual meet season, was celebrated with a national record by Mission Bay’s Kathy Devine.
Devine pushed the eight-pound shot 51-1 ¼, breaking the record of 48-8 ½ by a girl from Gresham, Oregon, in 1971.
Janice Wiser of La Jolla won the 100 in :10.8 and 220 in :24.5 and Beth Howell of San Dieguito doubled in the 440 and 880.
5/31/74
56THSTATE TRACK TRIALS, @BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE.
EVENT
NAME
SCHOOL
MARK
PLACE
100
Jefferson
Crawford
:09.4
1st
Frankson
Sweetwater
:10.1
22T
220
Jefferson
:21.5
3T
Tavie
San Diego Military
:22.1
12T
440
Moore
Morse
:48.2
5th
Riggins
Helix
:48.9
11T
Klavmark
Patrick Henry
1:53.7
12T
McDonald
Morse
1:54.7
17T
Mile
Smith
Granite Hills
4:13.4
8th
Woods
Vista
4:13.7
10th
120 High Hurdles
Banks
Oceanside
:14.1
8th
Saxton
Kearny
:14.2
10T
180 Low Hurdles
Saxton
:19.5
12T
Miles
Crawford
:20.5
24T
Mowry
Madison
9:03.1
6th
440 Relay
Crawford
:42.3
8th
Morse
:42.6
12th
Mile Relay
Morse
3:16.8
3T
Helix
3:22.0
16th
High Jump
Young
Bonita Vista
6-4
13T
Bunting
Monte Vista
6-4
13T
Long Jump
Banks
Oceanside
23-4 3/4
6th
Brooks
Oceanside
21-7 3/4
18ith
Triple Jump
Banks
Oceanside
50-9
1st
Miles
Crawford
—
—
Shot Put
Hampton
El Cajon
62-0 1/4
2nd
Paxton
University
56-10
14th
Discus
Malone
El Cajon Valley
161-8
14th
Mortensen
Vista
159-11
17th
Pole Vault
Barrows
Mar Vista
13-9
1T
Phillips
Helix
—
—
6/1/74
56TH STATE TRACK FINALS, @BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE
EVENT
NAME
SCHOOL
MARK
PLACE
100
Jefferson
Crawford
:09.8
1st
220
Jefferson
—
—
440
Moore
Morse
:49.1
7th
Mile
Smith
Granite Hills
4:10.6
7th
Woods
Vista
4:11
8th
Two Miles
Pfeffer
Crawford
8:59.5
5th
Mowry
Madison
9:03.1
6th
Mile Relay
Morse
3:23.5
7th
Long Jump
Banks
Oceanside
23-7
7th
Banks
50-7
1st
Shot Put
Hampton
El Cajon
61-9
2nd
Pole Vault
Barrows
Mar Vista
14-0
5th
FIRST GIRLS STATE TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS, @BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE
