State No. 3 Classical (13-3) slipped two notches by losing to #11 Corona del Mar (13-5) and #18 Huntington Beach (13-6), but crept back up by thumping #20 Mira Mesa, 41-0. The Caimans are outscoring opponents 553-259, led by sophomore QB Ella Moore, who has  passed for  70 touchdowns. Moore has a 71% completion rate and is on pace for 4,000 yards for the season.

Mira Mesa (10-2) and La Costa (7-1) have improved from middling 9-7 and 7-4 seasons, respectively, in 2023 to gain Top 10 spots.  Otay Ranch (5-0) has improved from 4-7, and Our Lady of Peace (9-1) shows consistency with its 8-1 season of 2023. Bonita Vista (7-4), the 2023 Division I champ, has skidded  from a 19-1 record.

Of the 26 new teams, San Marcos (9-1), Poway (8-1), Rancho Buena Vista (7-2), and Westview (7-2) programs are showing the way.

Complete schedules and results are here.

Top 10 San Diego Section teams per the MaxPreps ranking system*, as of Sept. 26:

Others in MaxPreps top 100: 74 San Marcos (9-1), 79 Brawley (10-6), 83 Imperial (8-3), and 86 Westview (7-2)

* The entirely computer generated and proprietary MaxPreps.com ranking algorithm, based solely on wins and losses, plus the opponents strength of schedule, is described here.

Henrik Jonson, Webmaster

State No. 2 Classical (12-1) bested then No. 3 San Juan Capistrano JSerra (10-3), 28-13. The Caimans’ and No. 1 Orange Lutheran (15-0) also are numbers 1 and  2 nationally, according to Max Preps.

Classical next faces Mira Mesa (9-1), whose lone loss was to a strong Our Lady of Peace (6-1) squad.

Grossmont jumped up to local #2, based on besting last year’s D-I champion Bonita Vista (5-3), and a 7-6 win over previously undefeated 6-1 Chula Vista Learning (minimum 5 games).

The anticipated ‘scoring juggernauts’ game Poway (7-1) vs. San Marcos (7-1) was a dud, as San Marcos won 8-6. Both had previously outscored their opponents by an average of over 20 points. Poway then squeaked by 5-2 Westview, 21-20.

Other successful efforts were by  La Costa Canyon (6-1), San Marcos (7-1), Santana (6-1-1), and Calexico Vincent Memorial (4-1).

Complete schedules and results are here.

Top 10 San Diego Section teams per the Max Preps ranking system*, as of Sept. 19:

Others in Max Preps top 100: 80 Imperial (7-3), and 81 San Marcos (7-1).

* The entirely computer generated and proprietary MaxPreps.com ranking algorithm, based solely on wins and losses, plus the opponents strength of schedule, is described here.

Henrik Jonson, Web Master

State No. 2 Classical (10-1) handled Bonita Vista (4-2), 43-6, and next week faces No. 3 San Juan Capistrano JSerra. The Caimans’ lone loss was to state and national No. 1 Orange Lutheran (13-0), 40-14. Classical is averaging 39 points a game and has outscored opponents, 433-172.

Mira Mesa (7-1) squeaked by Torrey Pines, 9-8, to move up in the ranks, along with newcomers Grossmont (3-1), Westview (5-0) and Our Lady of Peace (5-1).

This week’s featured game is Poway (6-0), a scoring machine at 180-32 points overall,  at San Marcos (6-0), a 212-46 juggernaut.

Complete schedules and results are here.

Top 10 San Diego section teams per the Max Preps ranking system*, as of Sept. 12:

Others in top 100: 64 Brawley (7-4), 69 Poway (6-0), 73 San Marcos (6-0), 79 Imperial, 91 Mission Bay

* The entirely computer generated and proprietary MaxPreps.com ranking algorithm, based solely on wins and losses, plus the opponents strength of schedule, is described here.

Henrik Jonson, Web Master

Classical (6-1) remains on top, and next meets Bonita Vista (4-1), which stubbed its toe on unranked Grossmont. Mira Mesa (6-1), with only a one-score loss to Our Lady of Peace (3-0 and 12-3 last year), plus undefeated La Costa Canyon, Poway, and San Marcos are on the rise.

Complete schedules and results are here.

Top 10 San Diego section teams per the Max Preps ranking system*, as of Sept. 5:

* The entirely computer generated and proprietary MaxPreps.com ranking algorithm, based solely on wins and losses, plus the strength of schedule of opponents, is described here.

Henrik Jonson, Web Master

Defending San Diego Section champions are off to a strong start, each with a majority of their All-CIF starters returning.

Division I Bonita Vista (3-0), coming off a 19-1 season, is outscoring its opponents 533 to 137. This early season includes a win over Brawley (6-2), itself a five-game winner in a one-day tournament!

D-II Classical  (6-1), rated No. 4 in the state by Max Preps, overpowered Mission Viejo, Number 13 Newport Harbor, and 26 Long Beach Poly, losing only to #2  San Juan Capistrano JSerra.  Last season the Caimans were 17-2 and led the section in scoring at 30 points a game, outscoring opponents 573 to 86.

A local “Clash of the Titans” is Sept. 7, when Classical hosts Bonita Vista. Schedules and results are here.

D-I newcomer Poway (4-0, #36)  dominated its 4 opponents with a 114-20 scoring  total, as only Santana (4-1-1) put up a fight, 20-12. The lady Titans will meet Bonita Vista on Sept. 21.

In town notables are Mira Mesa (4-1), Mission Bay (4-2), plus Kearny (3-0), with all shutout wins and outscoring opponents 75-0.

Brawley (6-2), Imperial (4-1), and Calexico Vincent Memorial (3-0) are off to a good starts in the desert.

San Diego section teams with a Max Preps top 100 state ranking through Aug. 29:

Henrik Jonson, Web Master

Forty-six flag teams, many with quickly organized, short schedules, played a total of about 325 games in the inaugural 2023 season. The 2024 season, with 72 teams and a potential full schedule of 20 in the regular season, plus two dozen playoff jousts, the total should surpass 700 games. The  schedule continues to grow.

Most of the 26 new squads are from North County, including all 5 from Poway Unified (Del Norte, Poway, Mt Carmel, Rancho Bernardo, Westview). Other added large schools include Carlsbad, Escondido, La Costa Canyon, Mission Hills, San Marcos, Oceanside, Ramona,  and Vista.

See the Flag Teams page for a complete list of San Diego Section entries.

CIF-RELATED ISSUES

Now 24 versus 20 minutes per half and a 7-second passing clock; if ball is not thrown or touched by another player, the play is dead. As previous, no blocking downfield, only behind the line-of-scrimmage, and really just ‘obstructing’ since no contact is allowed. It’s up to the defender to avoid a stationary ‘blocker’. Similarly, a ‘tackler’ cannot obstruct a runner to grab a flag. The most allowed contact is some hand-fighting for a pass.

Full CIF Rules here, with 2024 changes and clarifications highlighted in red. The rule book is more than 10 pages.

With more games and a possible short officiating crew issue, a solution is multiple games per day, per site with multiple teams. Last weekend a showcase of 5 games with 10 teams, in one long day, demonstrated this ‘tournament’ style plan.

To date, most league affiliations are unpublished  beyond the 3 listed below. Division (I, II, or more) groupings also are unavailable.

Playoffs begin November 11, with the local champions crowned 11/21-23. No mention of further regional playoff participation.

CONFERENCES, AS OF AUG. 22, 2024

Avocado: Carlsbad, El Camino, La Costa Canyon, Mission Hills, San Dieguito, San Marcos
Palomar: Canyon Crest, Del Norte, Mt Carmel, Oceanside, Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Westview
Valley: Escondido, Ramona, Rancho Buena Vista, Sage Creek, San Pasqual, Vista

Henrik Jonson, Web Master