First-place votes in parenthesis.. Points awarded on scale of 10 down to 1.
Poll voters:13 sportswriters, sportscasters from around San Diego County.
John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune.
Aaron Burgin, fulltimehoopos.com.
Terry Monahan, Steve Brand, Union-Tribune correspondents.
John Kentera, Braden Suprenant, 97.3 FM The Fan.
Bodie DeSilva, scorebooklive.com.
Ramon Scott, EastCountySports.com.
Adam Paul, ECPreps.com
Steve Dolan Mountain Country 107.9 FM.
Christian Pedersen, San Diego Sports Association.
Rick Smith, partletonsports.com
Brad Enright, L.A. Court Report.How others see San Diego Section’s top 10 in their California ratings*.
TEAM
RANK
CAL-HI SPORTS
MAX PREPS
Torrey Pines
1
11
3
Cathedral
2
10
10
San Marcos
3
Bubble
8
Santa Fe Christian
4
NR
19
Carlsbad
5
NR
21
El Camino
6
NR
41
St. Augustine
7
NR
29
Orange Glen
8
NR
38
Mission Hills
9
NR
24
Mater Dei
10
NR
54
*Cal-Hi Sports‘ ranks a Top 25.
2020-21 Week 2: Power is on Del Mar Heights Road*
San Diego Section teams have been staying close to home because of the pendemic, but the season is in full swing with usual powers Cathedral and Torrey Pines almost neck and neck. San Marcos and a few others appear to be lying in the weeds.
Coach John Olive’s Torrey Pines Falcons managed to get in a home game against a tough Southern Section opponent and defeated Corona Centennial, the Los Angeles Times‘ No. 7 team, 65-62, in the most significant exercise thus far.
Below, the second weekly Union-Tribune poll result and the latest from Cal-Hi Sports and Max Preps.
RANK
TEAM
RECORD
POINTS
LAST WEEK
1.
Torrey Pines
14-0 (8)
125
1
2.
Cathedral
6-0 (4)
116
2
3.
San Marcos
13-0 (1)
108
3
4.
Santa Fe Christian
7-2
82
4
5.
El Camino
9-1
65
7
6.
Carlsbad
7-2
50
8
7.
Mission Hills
7-3
36
9
8.
St. Augustine
2-2
34
5
9.
Orange Glen
11-2
28
NR
10.
Mater Dei
3-1
27
NR
Others receiving votes: Coronado (9-3, 16 points), La Jolla Country Day (6-4, 11), Bonita Vista (3-3, 4), Montgomery (2-0, 4), Calvin Christian (8-0, 2), Francis Parker (3-2), Mission Bay (6-4), 1 point each.
How others see San Diego Section’s top 10 in their California top 25.
TEAM
RANK
CAL-HI SPORTS
MAX PREPS
Cathedral
1
13
9
Torrey Pines
2
14
3
San Marcos
3
Bubble
5
Santa Fe Christian
4
NR
22
El Camino
5
NR
21
Carlsbad
6
NR
25
Mission Hills
7
NR
17
St. Augustine
8
NR
NR
Orange Glen
9
NR
NR
Mater Dei
10
NR
NR
*The respective campuses of Torrey Pines and Cathedral are barely two miles apart on the Del Mar-Carmel Valley corridor.
1993-94: Lincoln Boys, Christian Girls Dominate D-IV
Clint Cummings (left) and Josh Merirll shared celebratory hug as University soaked in comeback win over St. Augustine in D-III decider.
Strength in the lower divisions, boys’ and girls’, continued to be the signature of San Diego Section teams.
The Christian girls followed the sensational mid-1980s stretch of four state championships by Point Loma by reaching the state Division IV championship game for the fourth season in a row.
Lincoln boys won the state D-IV title and were led by 6-foot, 8-inch Mark Sanford, a transfer from Kimball High in Dallas. The Hornets had lost D-IV championship games in 1987-88 and 1991-92.
NORSEMEN UNHAPPY
Playoff seeding meetings never would be confused with happy talk and sing-alongs around the camp fire. Agreement on pairings and on who gets in or is left out almost always is accompanied by grumbling coaches and shouting fans.
The old chant, “Elevator, elevator, we got the shaft” could be heard by Valhalla patrons as far away as Jamul.
Valhalla (19-8), a two-time winner over Monte Vista (15-12) in nonleague games, was seeded seventh in D-II and the Monarchs 10th.
The Norsemen, however, were forced to travel to Monte Vista for their first-round game, because the Monarchs won the Grossmont 2-A championship and Valhalla was third in the Grossmont 3-A race.
A CIF rule guaranteed league champions a home game in the first round.
“The coaches who were in the meeting feel it’s a bad rule,” said San Diego Section commissioner Kendall (Spider) Webb. “We’ll probably see it changed at the end of the year.”
Monte Vista ran the Norsemen out of the playoffs, 75-52.
BOYS PLAYOFFS
DIVISION I
FIRST ROUND San Dieguito (13-16) 56, @ Mira Mesa 64.
Poway (14-14) 61, @Rancho Buena Vista 85.
QUARTERFINALS Mira Mesa (14-12) 73, @1 Vista 107.
Rancho Bernardo 81, @4 Chula Vista (17-10) 60.
Fallbrook 50, @3 San Marcos (18-7) 45. 3 Rancho Buena Vista (16-12) 48, @1 San Diego (22-2) 72.
SEMIFINALS, @MIRA MESA. 1 Vista 63, Rancho Bernardo (16-10) 61.
Fallbrook 63, San Diego (22-3) 61.
—“It’s those damn North County refs again,” fumed San Diego’s Dennis Kane of official Rusty Rinner to writer Ed Graney. “You don’t make that call. You don’t take the game away from the kids.”
Fallbrook led, 61-59, with 13 seconds left before the Cavers’ Sedrick Bagby converted a free throw.
A whistle blew before Bagby’s second shot. Rinner called Bagby for taking too much time, more than the allowed 10 seconds.
Said Fallbrook coach Russ Keith: “I don’t expect to get that call. I don’t want to win that way.”
Said Rinner, who primarily worked games north of the city limits: “All I’ll say is I got to 15 (seconds)…and that’s stretching it.”
Said Bagby, who scored 29 points in a contest that featured 11 lead changes: “That’s how I shot the first one and he didn’t say anything. He didn’t even warn me.”
After the official’s call, Fallbrook inbounded the ball and Al Smalley scored on a layup. San Diego’s Walt Williams made one free throw with one second left for the final margin.
CHAMPIONSHIP, @Sports Arena. Vista 65, Fallbrook (17-12) 64,
—Adam Vandevoort drained a 10-footer as time elapsed. “I knew I had to get it off quick, but I also knew I had time to turn and shoot,” he told Steve Brand of The San Diego Union.
“During the time out (before the play, which began with Vista trailing, 64-63), I calculated how long it would take to shoot. I wanted the ball.”
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL Long Beach Poly (26-6) 81, @3 Vista (26-4) 70.
D-II
FIRST ROUND Montgomery (14-13) 32, @1 El Camino 68.
Hilltop (18-11) 49, @Patrick Henry 63.
Escondido (13-11) 55, @Helix 83.
El Capitan (10-18) 58, @4 Carlsbad 66.
Hoover (12-12) 59, @3 Torrey Pines 82.
Mount Miguel (11-12) 63, @Serra (15-10) 68.
—Four free throws by Lovell Swink and two by Nathaniel Wright in the final 80 seconds pushed Serra to the victory.
Valhalla (19-9) 52, @Monte Vista 75.
Mission Bay (11-13) 42, @2 Grossmont 58.
QUARTERFINALS Monte Vista 53 (15-13) @2 Grossmont 67.
Serra (15-10), 58, @Torrey Pines 65.
Patrick Henry (18-11) 33, @1 El Camino 55.
Helix 74, @Carlsbad (17-9) 61.
SEMIFINALS, @RANCHO BERNARDO Helix 66, 1 El Camino (25-4) 63. —The Highlanders won their 16th game in the last 18 and avenged an 80-48 loss to the Wildcats in December. 2 Grossmont 45, 3 Torrey Pines (24-8) 42.
CHAMPIONSHIP, @SPORTS ARENA. Grossmont 60, Helix 52, OT. —“It’s nice to see a CIF championship where all the kids are from Grossmont,” said Foothillers coach David Hollman. “All my kids are homegrown. That’s the thing I’m proudest of. We did it without kids transferring in.”
“We played about five minutes of basketball,” Helix coach John Singer complained to Steve Brand of The San Diego Union, reflecting on the final five minutes of regulation time in which Helix erased an 11-point deficit.
Grossmont’s Bobby Ferriea, who scored 22 points, maneuvered around Helix’ Armon Carter in Foothillers’ 60-52, overtime win. Ferriea scored 22 points.
FIRST ROUND Kearny (7-19) 54, @Santana 57.
West Hills (9-13) 42, @La Jolla 81.
QUARTERFINALS Santana (10-13) 29, @1 University 62.
Eastlake 66, @4 Ramona (12-12) 60.
Scripps Ranch 83, @3 Mar Vista (18-7) 75.
—The first-year Falcons, buttressed by five transfers for the last five games of the regular season, thrived with Ashante Johnson, who moved from Kearny and scored 33 points.
La Jolla 47 (11-14), @2 St. Augustine 53.
SEMIFINALS, @MESA COLLEGE University 74, Eastlake (17-8) 46.
St. Augustine 59, Scripps Ranch (10-16) 50.
CHAMPIONSHIP University (26-3) 71, St. Augustine (24-5) 64. —University trailed, 52-41, early in the fourth quarter before a Sports Arena crowd of 7,395 persons.
Josh Merrill, the Dons’ 6-foot, 9-inch go-to guy, drained two, long, three-point attempts and was 8 for 8 from the free throw line in the final quarter.
The Saints, state D-III-ranked third behind the second-ranked Dons, had contained Merrill, holding him to six points in the first three quarters.
Merrill also had 10 rebounds, four in the fourth quarter, and blocked two shots.
“The threes, first Matt’s (Bryan) and then mine, got it going,” Merrill told Steve Brand.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL Wasco (17-9) 39, @2 University 68.
St. Augustine 46, @Shafter (25-7) 43.
—Jelani McCoy shattered a backboard in the pregame shootaround. “It wasn’t even one of his monster slams,” said Saints coach Bill Peterson. “It was a baby one.”
McCoy had, by Peterson’s count, more than 50 cuts to his body but was okay after visiting a hospital.
McCoy had 11 points, 20 rebounds, and five blocked shots, including one in the final five seconds.
SEMIFINALS Rancho Santa Margarita (25-7) 39, @2University 41.
St. Augustine (25-6) 62, vs. 1 Garden Grove Pacifica (29-1) 65, @Cypress College.
—The Saints missed a handful of showtime dunks and blew a 16-point, 43-27 lead early in the third quarter.
University’s Tony Gutierrez beat Pacifica defenders to basket for score in D-III regional final.
FINALS
2 University (28-4) 55, Garden Grove Pacifica (30-1) 60, @Anaheim Arrowhead Pond.
—Uni led by 11 at halftime but the Mariners, using 11 players who each averaged 15 minutes on the floor, wore down the Dons with their press and depth.
“It’s tough,” said Josh Merrill. “I’d like to take a week off, but I’ll be at baseball practice tomorrow.”
D-IV
SEMIFINALS, @WEST HILLS Lincoln 98, Imperial (13-11) 64.
—Mark Sanford’s line for Lincoln: 32 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocked shots, 7 steals.
Holtville 77, Coronado (15-9) 64.
CHAMPIONSHIP, @SPORTS ARENA. Lincoln 102, Holtville (22-4) 69. —Seven section titles in a row for the Hornets. Mark Sanford had 24 points and 20 rebounds.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL Easton Washington Union (23-7) 51, @2 Lincoln 105.
Holtville (22-5), @1 L.A. Verbum Dei (25-2). No score.
SEMIFINALS Oxnard Santa Clara (19-8) 52, @Lincoln 83.
FINALS, @CAL STATE DOMINGUEZ HILLS. Lincoln 94, L.A. Verbum Dei (26-3) 93. —Lincoln’s Louis Johnson made the second of two free throws with 12 seconds left and the Hornets held on after losing all of a 13-point lead in the second quarter.
The Hornets’ Mark Sanford, staying tough after sustaining a fourth personal foul with 5:29 left in the third quarter, scored 32 points, including 15 in a pulsating fourth quarter, when Verbum Dei outscored the winners, 28-21, and had taken a 91-89 lead.
The shorter Eagles—their tallest starter was 4 inches shorter than Lincoln’s 6-8 Mark Sanford– continually drew Lincoln into foul trouble.
Verbum Dei, paced by future NBA star Andre Miller (23 points), was 29×42 from the free-throw line. Lincoln was 42×71, 59 per cent, from the field, but committed 29 turnovers to 11.
Mark Sanford (right), who led Lincoln’s 83-52 victory over Oxnard Santa Clara, battled Kris McLucas for rebound.
STATE CHAMPIONHIP, @OAKLAND COLISEUM ARENA. Lincoln (25-7) 63, San Anselmo Sir Francis Drake (32-4) 50.
—Seeing that Lincoln had averaged 93 points in the playoffs, the Pirates from Marin County took the air out of the ball but still trailed, 24-10, at halftime.
“It was evident they didn’t want to get into a running game,” Lincoln coach Charlie Paulk told Steve Brand. “That didn’t change our plan. We still run, no matter what they do.”
D-V
FIRST ROUND Santa Fe Christian 68, @Calvin Christian (14-9) 60.
Calipatria (7-16) 69, @La Jolla Country Day 84.
Tri-City 89, @Julian (15-9) 76.
Army-Navy 62, @Horizon (15-6) 54.
QUARTERFINALS Santa Fe Christian 42, @1 Christian (18-8) 40.
La Jolla Country Day (17-10) 48, @4 Calexico Vincent Memorial 59.
Tri-City (12-14) 55, @3 Francis Parker 67.
Army-Navy (11-11) 50, @The Bishop’s 58.
SEMIFINALS, @SCRIPPS RANCH. Calexico Vincent Memorial 61, Santa Fe Christian (11-16) 51.
The Bishop’s 43, Francis Parker (14-11) 38.
CHAMPIONSHIP, @SPORTS ARENA. The Bishop’s 56, Calexico Vincent Memorial (18-10) 47.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL Pasadena Poly (22-5) 58, @4 The Bishop’s (19-10) 50.
North Hollywood Campbell Hall 68, Calexico Vincent Memorial (18-11) 61, OT.
GIRLS PLAYOFFS
DIVISION I
FIRST ROUND
San Dieguito (9-17) 41, @Rancho Bernardo 77.
Rancho Buena Vista 61, @San Diego (18-7) 52.
QUARTERFINALS
Rancho Buena Vista (12-17), 39 @1 Poway 57.
Fallbrook (20-6) 55, @4 Chula Vista 57.
—Allision Hines’ layup with 3 seconds left doomed the visiting Warriors.
Mira Mesa (16-9) 60, @3 Vista 81.
Rancho Bernardo (15-10) 46, @Morse 58.
SEMIFINALS, @MIRA MESA. 1 Poway 46, 4 Chula Vista (22-5) 41.
Vista (19-7) 64, Morse (19-7) 43.
—Vista went on a 20-0 run after Morse led, 14-13. “I think our press ruffled them a little,” said 28-point scorer DeAngela Minter. The Tigers turned the ball over eight times in the second quarter, 21 for the game.
CHAMPIONSHIP, @SPORTS ARENA. 3 Vista 51, Poway (21-6) 41.
—The Panthers’ DeAngela Minter shook off a sore hamstring and two tender ankles to score 32 points, including nine in the fourth quarter.
Ventura Buena’s Michelle Giordano, guarded by Vista’s Kristen Marsh, ignored her free-flowing pigtail and scored 21 points in 39-37 victory.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL Ventura Buena (25-2) 39, @4 Vista (20-8) 37.
The Panthers missed their final 18 field goal attempts.
D-II
FIRST ROUND
Helix (7-17) 24, @1 Mission Bay 92.
—Adia Barnes led the Buccaneers with 41 points.
Mount Miguel 51, @Torrey Pines (13-13) 49.
—The Matadors avenged a 67-37 loss to the Falcons as Amie Belanger scored 25 points, including their first 16, despite playing on a sore knee and after a physician suggested not playing.
San Pasqual (11-15) 45, @El Cajon Valley 60. Hilltop (14-9) 27, @4 El Camino 75. Montgomery (13-12) 40, @Grossmont 84.
—Amber Phoenix’ 35 points lifted the Foothillers.
University City (11-12), 39, @1 Escondido 65. Point Loma 62, @Bonita Vista (17-8) 60.
—Jill Birmingham’s 22 points and 13 rebounds weren’t enough for the Barons, who led, 21-9, after one quarter. Angie Martinez had 31 points for the winners.
Patrick Henry (9-17) 29, @2 El Capitan.
QUARTERFINALS
Mount Miguel (14-10) 28, @Mission Bay 58.
Point Loma (19-12) 40, @El Capitan 67.
El Cajon Valley (18-8), 40, @El Camino 46.
Grossmont (20-7), 51, @Escondido 64.
SEMIFINALS, @RANCHO BERNARDO.
Mission Bay 68, vs. El Camino (20-6) 45.
—Adia Barnes was at it again for the Buccaneers, tripling with 40 points, 11 rebounds, and eight steals.
Escondido (26-3) 52, vs. El Capitan (25-2) 35.
CHAMPIONSHIP, @SPORTS ARENA.
Mission Bay 68, Escondido (25-4) 44. —Future collegiate head coach Adia Barnes said to Steve Brand of The San Diego Union: “I listened to their coach (Lori Becker) and every time she said to get the ball inside, I knew it was coming.”
Barnes forced six Escondido turnovers in the fourth quarter and the Buccaneers won their first championship, girls or boys, and their 21st straight victory, spoiling a Cougars hoped-for celebration during the school’s 100-year anniversary.
Mission Bay (28-3) 51, Mission Hills Bishop Alemany (30-0) 68, @La Canada Flintridge.
—Adia Barnes fouled out with 11 points. Alemany was 18×22 from the free-throw line and outrebounded the Buccaneers, 41-24.
Adelia Haynes of Point Loma (53) was guarded by Bonita Vista’s Jan Norris. Point Loma won playoff, 62-60.
D-III
FIRST ROUND Crawford (6-16) 35, @Oceanside 52. West Hills (4-21) 23, @Madison 50.
QUARTERFINALS Oceanside (5-23) 24, @1 Santana (23-3) 75.
—Kelly Simers’ 33 points, including 9 three-pointers, was too much for the Pirates.
University 34, @4 Ramona (15-10) 32. Eastlake (13-12) 54, @3 Our Lady of Peace 66 Madison (9-16) 24, @2 Scripps Ranch 59.
—Scripps Ranch’s Alyssa Murphy: 28 points, 13 rebounds, 5 steals.
SEMIFINALS University (17-10) 49, @Santana 61. Scripps Ranch (20-4) 44, vs. Our Lady of Peace (18-7) 40, @Santana.
CHAMPIONSHIP, @SPORTS ARENA. Santana 61, Scripps Ranch 53.
—The Sultans, in their fifth final in the last seven seasons, won their third title.
—Scripps’ Alyssa Murphy, who led a University championship game upset of Santana in 1992-93, fouled out with 5:08 left.
Murphy scored 19 points, 11 below her average. “They double teamed me the whole game and I tried to do too much,” she said.
SEMIFINALS, @EL CAJON VALLEY Coronado (13-11) 47, 1 Lincoln 71.
—The Hornets, 12-9 competitively but 4-17 legislatively after an ineligibility, lived up to their top seeding.
3 Clairemont (12-12) 42, 2 Holtville 44.
CHAMPIONSHIP, @SPORTS ARENA. Lincoln (6-17) 58, Holtville (19-6) 43.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL Sun Valley Village (25-1) 71, @Lincoln (6-18) 70.
Holtville (20-7), @2 Cerritos Valley (27-2) 62.
Christian’s Theresa Kain launched shot between The Bishop’s Amy Greifenstein and Amanda Updegraff. Patriots won San Diego Section and Regional final battles with Knights.
D-V
FIRST ROUND Francis Parker (11-10) 53, @Tri-City (12-4) 48.
Lutheran (10-11) 34, @LaJolla Country Day (11-10) 48.
QUARTERFINALS Francis Parker 23 (11-11), @1 The Bishop’s 65.
Calvin Christian (13-6) 34, @4 Marian 47.
Calipatria (15-7) 43, vs. Julian (24-3) 89, @Ramona. —The Eagles outscored the Imperial Valley-based Hornets by at least 11 points in every quarter.
SEMIFINALS, @WEST HILLS The Bishop’s 50, Marian (11-14) 29.
Christian 88, Julian (24-4) 48.
CHAMPIONSHIP, @SPORTS ARENA. Christian 64, The Bishop’s 50.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL San Bernardino Christian (20-9) 41, @1 Christian (26-4) 72.
The Bishop’s 60, @3 San Luis Obispo Mission Prep 39.
SEMIFINALS Cambria Coast Union (19-7) 51, @The Bishop’s 65.
San Luis Obispo Mission Prep (19-7) 39, @Christian 74. —The Patriots gained the regional finals for the fourth consecutive year.
FINALS, @CAL STATE DOMINGUEZ HILLS Christian 53, The Bishop’s (27-4) 48.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP, @OAKLAND COLISEUM ARENA Ripon (31-5) 62, Christian (28-5) 46.
—A factor often overlooked, according to Steve Brand of The San Diego Union-Tribune, was Ripon’s dominance on the defensive backboard, outrebounding the Patriots, 27-17.
They were much bigger and stronger,” said Christian coach Ken Grainger. “They bulled us around. They had the muscle and the mass.”
Christian had beaten Ripon in the state championship game in the 1991-92 season.
2020 Weeks 4-6: Strangest Season is a Wrap
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.
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: 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: 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.
2020 Week 5: Cathedral at Top of Final Poll
The San Diego Union-Tribune‘s final football poll in shortened season.
First place votes in parenthesis. Points on scale of 10 points to 1 point.
RANK
TEAM
RECORD
POINTS
PREVIOUS
1.
Cathedral
5-0
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: 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: 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.
1960: San Diego’s Final Act in Southern Section: Baseball, Track and Field.
A couple newcomers led the shouting in a last hurrah for San Diego.
Area schools were preparing to leave the Southern Section after 47 years and embark on their own, 31 institutions forming the San Diego Section in the next school year.
Clairemont and El Capitan, numbers 30 and 31, ignored usually unsuccessful results for start-up programs.
Clairemont’s Chieftains, in their second year and without a senior class, with students and transfers from Kearny’s and Mission Bay’s enrollment districts, won the Western League track championship and bulldozed through four games in the baseball AA playoffs to another title.
El Capitan’s Vaqueros in Lakeside, sharing with another new school, Granite Hills, students from El Cajon Valley, won the Grossmont League baseball championship, finishing ahead of redoubtable Helix.
CAVERS MISS
San Diego High gained the Southern Section AAA finals in baseball, in which it had been dominant from the beginning of the CIF, but lost in its bid for a record 17th championship when Whittier scored an 11-1 victory at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles.
Track and field competition was as steady as usual, although the area was blanked in the state meet in Palo Alto.
Some 1960 highlights, baseball in bold typeface, track in italics:
Winning pitcher Jerry Haight got a ride from his Clairemont teammates after pitching Chieftains to Southern Section AA championship.
2/20/60
Righthander John Lippert opened the season by pitching a no-hitter in Helix’ 1-0 victory over visiting Point Loma.
Ray Koenig’s seventh-inning home run provided the victory over the Pointers’ Ronnie Holmes, who allowed only two hits.
2/24/60
Fred Shuey’s hit a bases-loaded triple and Myron Morper drove in the winning run with a single in the bottom of the seventh inning as San Diego topped Point Loma, 5-4.
3/3/60
Lefthander Ronnie Holmes pitched a no-hitter and Point Loma gave the lefthander more offense than he needed in an 11-0 win over Coronado.
St. Augustine’s Dennis Shields pitched four innings of a 7-1 win over La Jolla and helped himself with three hits, two home runs and four runs batted in.
3/5/60
Darryl Nelson won three events, 120-yard high hurdles (:15.8), high jump (6-1 ½), and broad jump (20-11 ½) and would become a double or triple winner almost every week but Kearny dropped a 72-32 dual meet to Lincoln.
Dick Armstrong allowed three hits and drove in four runs as Hoover defeated visiting Alhambra Mark Keppel, 9-2.
Harold Peterson and Steve Simon hit home runs and San Diego erupted for six runs in the sixth inning to defeat guest San Gabriel, 14-9.
3/7/60
Dick Waisman of Mount Miguel and Dave Rebello of University pitched no-hitters and 10 losing teams in the County scored a total of 11 runs. Waisman punched out Clairemont, 7-0. Mountain Empire scored a run on a walk, two stolen bases, and an error but was beaten, 9-1.
Coach Bill White smiled in approval and pitcher George Sherrod cooled the baseball after pitching Helix to Lions championship.
3/14/60
Crawford’s Norm Marr tripled in a run in the sixth inning and drove in the winning run with a single in a 10-inning, 2-1 victory over Point Loma.
3/18/60
Point Loma’s Ron Steele was second in :49.5 in one of two, 440-yard dash heats in the 37th Southern Counties’ Invitational at Huntington Beach.
Steele’s time in the one-turn race, behind the :49.1 of Long Beach Poly’s Willie Martin, tied for the second fastest ever by an area runner. San Diego’s Norman Stocks ran :49.3 in 1946 and Coronado’s John Fawcett :49.5 in 1937.
Lincoln’s Lafayette (Mackie) McIntosh was second in 1:58.3 in a large schools 880-yard run. Point Loma’s Robert Nelson was third in the broad jump at 22-8 ¾.
Kearny’s Darryl Nelson tied for first in the small schools’ high jump at 6 feet, 3 ¼ inches and was second in the broad jump, won by Oceanside’s Rich Lazaro at 21-10 3/4.
3/25/60
A three-way tie in the pole vault was enough for Lincoln to score an upset, 53 2/3-50 1/3 victory over San Diego in the decisive Eastern League dual meet.
Lincoln trailed, 47 1/3-42 2/3, going into the 880-yard relay, final running event, . Ed Goodman held off the Cavers’ Benny Lewis on the anchor lap for a 1:31.3 victory, but the pole vault had not been completed.
Jim Cransey and Adam Cato of Lincoln and San Diego’s Otis Doxey finally tied for first at 11 feet, each with the same number of misses, and the Hornets claimed 6 of the event’s nine points.
Dave Morehead, who would pitch a no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox in 1965, was chased in a five-run San Diego first inning.
The Cavers went on to score two runs in the top of the seventh inning and defeat Hoover, 10-9, in a big Eastern League contest.
Don Clarke cleared pole vault bar at 13 feet, 2 /12 inches, in National City Junior Chamber of Commerce relays.
3/28/60
Gary (Slats) Maloy allowed five hits and went the distance in Crawford’s 7-6 victory over San Diego, which committed seven errors and fell into a first-place tie with Crawford, each at 3-1 in the East.
The loss was San Diego’s first in 10 games.
El Capitan improved to 9-0 by scoring a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to edge El Cajon Valley, 12-11.
The first-year Vaqueros were led by Danny Kern, who tripled and came home on an error for the winning run. Kern added a single and double in four times at bat.
NO-HITTER BY CADETS
Jack Vincent and Ed Standon combined to no-hit San Miguel School in Army-Navy’s 14-0 win.
A 55-49 dual meet loss to Helix was San Diego’s third of the season, the most since the 1943 squad posted a 2-3 dual-meet record.
Helix’ Larry Aiken won both hurdles events and tied the 1957 school record of :20.0 by Gale Barsotti in the 180 lows.
4/2/60
San Diego outscored Grossmont, 50-44, with El Cajon Valley third at 38 points to win the large-school division of the sixth annual South Bay relays at Sweetwater.
Lincoln’s 53 points were enough to win the medium schools over Helix (51 1/3) and Point Loma (31 2/3).
Mission Bay (61), Mar Vista (51), and Kearny (36) were the leading small schools.
Grossmont’s Don Clarke cleared 13-2 ½ in the pole vault, bettering by almost nine inches the record of 12-5 /12 by Escondido’s Bing Howe in 1959.
A San Diego team of Charles Dimry, Thomas Phillips, Emile Wright, and William Dentham raced the 440-yard relay in :42.7.
The Cavers’ time in the infrequently run event was the fastest in County history but was erased, along with other marks, after a survey of the Sweetwater track years later showed the oval was less than 440 yards.
4/8/60
Bill Jones cleared 6-3 ½ in the high jump to break Joe Page’s school record of 6-3, set in 1947, and Grossmont (6-0) won the big meet in the foothills, 57 ½-46 ½ over Helix (5-1).
Don Hamlin :10.3, :22.2 in the 100 and 220-yard dashes, and Dennis Cradit, :51.6, 21-4 ½ in the 440 and broad jump, were double winners for the Foothillers.
Hamlin, Steve Adams, Dick Pray, and Cradit combined to run 1:32.1 to win the 880-yard relay.
Long Beach Poly’s Harvey Crow stole second base as Hoover’s Mile Murray awaited throw. Poly won playoff, 3-1.
4/11/60
Don Dart of Grossmont pitched a no-hitter in setting down Lincoln, 3-0, on the first day of the 10th annual Lions’ Tournament at Navy Field.
Hoover topped Escondido, 1-0, in eight innings and was the only city school of six to win an Unlimited Division game.
Kearny won its Limited Division opener, 8-3 over Coronado.
4/12/60
Tournament teams played doubleheaders on the second day of the three-day event.
Defending Unlimited Division champion San Diego shut out by El Cajon Valley, 2-0, on opening day, was bounced from the consolation bracket by St. Augustine, 3-2.
4/13/60
Sophomore George Sherrod cuffed Hoover on two hits and Helix won the Lions’ Unlimited Division title, 5-0.
El Centro Central beat Kearny, 7-2, for the Limited championship, while St. Augustine, 2-1 in eight innings over Escondido, and San Dieguito, 7-4 over Coronado, won the respective division consolation titles.
4/15/60
Competitors from San Diego to Yuma, Arizona, converged on Balboa Stadium for the first annual Easter Relays.
Mike Graves of El Cajon Valley cleared 13 feet, 6 ¼ inches in the pole vault for the day’s outstanding mark.
Graves’ performance allowed the Braves to tie Grossmont at the three-man cumulative height of 37 feet and earn the schools the Dean C.E. Peterson perpetual trophy in honor of the late San Diego State coach.
Easter Relays 120-yard high hurdlers (from left): Willie Williams, Brawley; Tom Sperl, Mar Vista (obscured); Larry Aiken, Helix; Lou White, San Diego; David Landis, El Cajon Valley; Darryl Nelson, Kearny; Chuck Aldrich, Coronado, and Bob Fauchew, Mount Miguel. Landis won in :15.1, off his season best of :14.6.
4/20/60
Bill Froehling hurled a no-hitter as Army-Navy shut down visiting Mountain Empire, 9-0.
4/22/60
San Diego outlasted visiting Hoover, 13-12. The Cardinals’ Dave Morehead pitched in the first inning, was removed and went to first base and then returned to pitch in the fourth inning.
4/26/60
Jim Thompson’s two-run home run was important in San Diego’s 8-7 win over Crawford, and moved the Cavers closer to the Eastern League title, its 7-1 record three games better than runner-up Hoover (4-4).
4/29/60
Favored and deep Point Loma was shocked by youthful Clairemont, which won the 880-yard relay, the meet’s deciding event, and claimed the Western League dual meet championship, 53-51.
Lanky Jim Godfrey got up for second in the 100-yard dash, won the 220-yard dash in a County-leading :21.7, and anchored the Chiefs to a 1:31.2 victory in the battle of baton exchanges.
Clairemont’s surprising win was especially satisfying for coach Bob Kirchhoff, who had been out of the loop since being let go at Hoover after a stunning football loss to San Diego in 1954.
A City Schools administrator and parent of a Clairemont thinclad had asked the reluctant Kirchhoff to take the coaching reins as a personal favor.
Helix (9-3) walloped El Capitan (10-0), 14-6, in a Metropolitan League battle as Randy Schwartz and Ray Koenig hit home runs.
Ray Alexander of Point Loma (left) won 100-yard dash in :10, edging Clairemont’s Jim Godfrey. Others are Point Loma’s Cecil Scott (second from left) and Robert Nelson (right). Clairemont’s Tom Rutkoske was third in Chieftains’ surprise victory.
5/6/60
League finals were held at Camp Pendleton (Southern), El Cajon Valley (Metropolitan), La Jolla (Western), and Balboa Stadium (Eastern).
San Diego, despite losing leading 220-440-and-relay anchorman Benny Lewis to scholastic woes, dominated with 79 1/3 points to runner-up Lincoln’s 51. A Cavers foursome of Thomas Phillips, Emile Wright, Eddie Frost, and Bill Dentham timed 1:29.5 in the 880 relay.
Darryl Nelson set a Western League meet record of 6-3 ½ in the high jump but Clairemont won the team title with 54 5/6 points to Mission Bay’s 43 1/3.
Point Loma’s Ray Alexander ran faster than any city-wide Class C sprinter ever with winning times of :10 in the 100 and :18.3 in the 180.
Grossmont, 8-0 in the dual meet season, with wins over Compton Centennial, Helix, and San Diego, outscored Helix, 41-38, for the varsity championship.
El Capitan improved to 12-2 in the Metro League with a 12-3 win over Escondido that included John Udall’s eighth home run of the year and Al Hinkle’s 5-for-5, three doubles, a triple and single.
Point Loma clinched a tie for first for the Western League crown behind Jerry Jeli’s two-hit pitching and 6-0 win over La Jolla.
5/14/60
Athletes from the Eastern, Western, Metropolitan, Avocado, and Southern leagues met those from the Orange County Sunset, Freeway, and Orange leagues in a Southern California divisional meet in Balboa Stadium.
El Cajon Valley’s Mike Graves, the Southern California pole vault leader at 13-8 ½, dropped down to Class B and cleared the same height, breaking the record of 13-6 ¼ by a Glendale vaulter in 1957.
San Diego led with 7 varsity qualifiers. Fullerton and Tustin had five each.
Clairemont’s Ron Power avoided tag of Vista third baseman Fred Reynoso. Chieftains won first-round playoff, 6-0.
5/17/60
Clairemont, runner-up to Point Loma in the Western loop, topped Vista, 6-0, in a first-round, Southern Section AA playoff as Ron Power tripled and hit a two-run homer.
5/20/60
Dave Morehead shut out El Capitan, 9-0, in a surprising Southern Section AAA playoff result. The Cardinals, in and out all season, rolled with Morehead’s three-hit pitching and stunned the first-year Vaqueros, who were 14-2 in the Metropolitan League.
San Diego outlasted Helix, 10-8, as Steve Simon was 3 for 4 and pitcher Larry Murillo 2 for 3.
Clairemont advanced with an 18-5 win over Torrance Bishop Montgomery in Class AA.
Riverside Ramona ousted the Southern League’s Ramona, 11-8, in Class A.
5/21/60
San Diego qualified five entries in the semifinal divisional meet at Chaffey high in Ontario, led by its relay team, which clocked a season-best 1:28.9.
Kearny’s Darryl Nelson led all high jumpers at 6-4 and San Diego’s Thomas Phillips won a 100-yard dash heat in :10 and was second in his 220 heat.
5/24/60
Clairemont earned a trip to the Southern Section AA finals with a 6-3 victory over Santa Ana Mater Dei at Anaheim.
Bill Black’s three-run homer in the fourth inning broke a 2-2 tie in the Chieftains’ victory.
San Diego advanced to the AAA quarterfinals with a 6-1 win at Compton as lefthander Larry Murillo and last-inning reliefer Frank Lopez set down the Tarbabes on 3 hits.
About 30 professional scouts descended on San Diego State to watch future major league pitchers Dave Morehead of Hoover and Tommy Sisk of Long Beach Poly.
Sisk and the Jackrabbits turned back the Cardinals, 3-1, on Brian McCall’s two-run home run in the fifth inning.
5/27/60
Clairemont, coached by Ernie Beck, struck with five runs in the first inning as Mike Smith and Jay Critchley hit back-to-back home runs and lefthander Jerry Haight limited Rosemead Bosco Tech to four hits for six innings in a 9-2 win and surprising Southern Section AA championship.
San Diego High advanced again behind the two-hit pitching of Larry Murillo and surprised the favored and host Fullerton Indians, 11-2, in the AAA semifinals round.
Murillo allowed two hits and first baseman Jim Thompson drove in four runs with a single, double, and triple.
San Diego’s Thomas Phillips reached finish line in :10.1, edging Grossmont’s Don Hamlin in Southern Section Divisional meet 100-yard dash heat in Balboa Stadium.
5/28/60
Thomas Phillips of San Diego ran the 100 in :09.9 for third and Darryl Nelson of Kearny was third with a 6-4 1/2 high jump in the Southern Section finals at Long Beach Veterans’ Stadium.
Phillips and Nelson each qualified for the state meet at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto.
El Capitan’s Les Cites was fourth in the shot put at 58-2 ¼.
More impressive were some lower division competitors.
Vernie King of San Diego set a Class B broad jump record of 23-10 ¾ and won the 120-yard low hurdles in :12.8. El Cajon Valley’s Mike Graves cleared 14 feet in the pole vault, bettering his record of 13-8 ½, set two weeks before.
Lincoln’s Class B 660-yard relay team of James (Preacher) Johnson, Walter Scott, Ed Goodman and Vernus Ragsdale, won in 1:07.9, off their best of 1:06.3 but also qualifying the group to run in an exhibition 660 at Palo Alto.
Ray DeBolt represented a third new County high school, Granite Hills, located about a mile east of El Cajon Valley High, and won the B 660-yard run in 1:23.6.
6/4/60
Lincoln’s B 660-yard speedsters bettered the national high school record of 1:05.9, running 1:05.7 but Los Angeles Fremont won the exhibition race in 1:04.9.
Thomas Phillips of San Diego and Darryl Nelson of Kearny did not place in the 100 or high jump.
Larry Murillo’s bid for a fourth straight playoff pitching victory and San Diego High’s attempt to win its 17th championship since 1917 came up short.
Whittier took a 5-0 lead after two innings and cruised to an 11-1 triumph at Los Angeles’ Wrigley Field.
The Cavers, under first-year coach Jerry Dahms, posted an overall record of 23-4 and came much further than expected to this, the last competition of San Diego County teams in the Southern Section.
