2020-21 Week 6: Games of Truth for Torrey, San Marcos

Torrey Pines and San Marcos are on the cusp of becoming the fifth and sixth teams in San Diego County history to complete undefeated regular seasons. (Editor’s note:  Challenges and additions to this stat welcomed.)

Hoover was 24-0 in the 1959-60 regular season and got to the Southern California semifinals before bowing to Anaheim, 39-34.  Mount Miguel was 28-0 and went on to the San Diego Section championship and 32-0 in 1967-68.  Helix was 29-0 and finished 33-0 in 1969-70, and Kearny was 28-0 and went to 32-0 in 1973-74.

The Falcons (24-0) finish this week with a Avocado (actually, Coastal) League, home-and-home series with La Costa Canyon (8-7). San Marcos (22-0) has a couple tough Palomar League jousts with 16-5 Mission Hills, its neighborhood rival.

Next week’s San Diego Section Open Division playoffs will have a bracket of eight teams.  No matter how those eliminations play out, all eight squads will advance to the eight-team Southern California playoffs.

This week’s The San Diego Union-Tribune poll:

RANK TEAM RECORD POINTS LAST WEEK
1. Torrey Pines 24-0 (13) 130 1
2. San Marcos 22-0 114 2
3. Cathedral 12-3 107 3
4. St. Augustine 12-4 90 4
5. El Camino 20-5 72 5
6. Santa Fe Christian 15-3 58 6
7. Mission Hills 16-5 52 7
8. Carlsbad 13-7 35 8
9. Mission Bay 14-7 19 NR
10. Bonita Vista 10-5 13 nr

Others receiving votes: Coronado (15-5, 5 points), Mater Dei (9-4, 3), Orange Glen (19-5, 3), San Ysidro (16-5, 2), Madison (16-7, 1), Valhalla (14-4, 1).

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, fulltimehoops.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 2 2
San Marcos 2 20 11
Cathedral 3 16 9
St. Augustine 4 NR 20
El Camino 5 NR 44
Santa Fe Christian 6 NR 19
Mission Hills 7 NR 35
Carlsbad 8 NR 55
Mission Bay 9 NR 63
Bonita Vista 10 NR 86

*Cal-Hi Sports‘ ranks a Top 25.



2020-21 Week 5: Torrey Pines Makes Jump in State Ratings

Torrey Pines this week ranks second in one California poll, third in another, and a unanimous  No. 1 in San Diego.

John Olive , who became head coach at Torrey Pines before the 1997-98 season and whose teams have averaged 23 victories a season, commands a Falcons squad that has reached this juncture of the season with a 22-0 record.

Olive has an overall won-loss standing of 551-182 (.752), but his teams and no other in San Diego have been ranked as high as they are (3, behind Chatsworth Sierra Canyon and Santa Ana Mater Dei) by the respected Cal-Hi Sports. The Falcons are second in the computer-generated Max Preps standings.

A basketball lifer, the jovial Olive, played at Bishop Eustace High in South New Jersey and at Villanova before joining the San Diego Clippers of the NBA for two seasons as a 6-foot, 7-inch small forward..

Olive played one season with the Alberta Dusters of the Continental Basketball Association and then went into coaching.  He was an assistant at Villanova and for five seasons was head coach at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.

Olive also coordinates the  Torrey Pines Holiday tournament  which annually attracts some of the top teams in the nation, is involved with USA basketball as a coach and executive, and runs a basketball camp in Encinitas.

The Falcons now are five wins away from a perfect regular season, a feat matched only  by the 1959-60 Hoover Cardinals, 1967-68 Mount Miguel Matadors, 1969-70 Helix Highlanders, and 1973-74 Kearny Komets.

Torrey Pines won  three last week, 82-53 over Temecula Rancho Christian, and 83-64 and 62-55 over Carlsbad.

The Falcons have Friday-Saturday games against Avocado League rival Vista this week and close with two the following week versus La Costa Canyon.  A nonleague game against Anaheim Fairmont apparently has been pulled from the schedule.

This week’s The San Diego Union-Tribune poll:

RANK TEAM RECORD POINTS LAST WEEK
1. Torrey Pines 22-0 (13) 130 1
2. San Marcos 19-0 114 2
3. Cathedral 11-1 107 3
4. St. Augustine 10-4 82 4
5. El Camino 19-4 75 6
6. Santa Fe Christian 13-3 58 5
7. Mission Hills 14-4 48 8
8. Carlsbad 12-6 43 7
9. Orange Glen 19-3 41 9
10. Corionado 13-4 10 NR

Others receiving votes: Mission Bay (12-6, 4 points), Bonita Vista (8-4, 4), San Ysidro (14-5, 2), West Hills (14-4, 1).

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 3 2
San Marcos 2 23 11
Cathedral 3 15 8
St. Augustine 4 NR 24
El Camino 5 NR 47
Santa Fe Christian 6 NR 12
Mission Hills 7 NR 35
Carlsbad 8 NR 46
Orabnge Glen 9 NR 51
Coronado 10 NR NR

*Cal-Hi Sports‘ ranks a Top 25.



2020-21 Week 4: Torrey Pines’ Run Now at 19 in Row

Coach John Olive may have passed the word around the Torrey Pines campus on Del Mar Heights Road:  Do not even think about an undefeated season.

The coach would plead, “It’s too early.” Or, “We’re just thinking about our next game.”

But three impressive victories last week have put the Falcons at 19-0, with a No. 2 state ranking by Max Preps and No. 9 by Cal-Hi-Sports.  Deep and well-rounded, the Falcons beat Coronado, 86-68, Mater Dei, 80-52, and Bonita Vista, 85-63

To run the table in the regular season (we’ll address playoffs later) the Falcons would have to win their last eight games, a schedule which includes home-and-home, Avocado League jousts against traditional rivals Carlsbad, Vista, and La Costa Canyon.

The Falcons also have  home games against Temecula Rancho Christian and potentially troublesome Anaheim Fairmont Prep.

Olive has scheduled as tough as possible (one win over strong Corona Centennial, 65-62) but may have been helped by, of all things, the pandemic.

The scourge forced a drastic restriction in travel. No tournaments or mid-season road games against powerful, outside-the-section opponents.

Torrey Pines takes on the Temecula club tomorrow night (Wednesday, May 12) and tips Friday and Saturday against Carlsbad, the No. 7 team in the San Diego Section.

The last San Diego County team to end the season undefeated was the 1973-74, 32-0 Kearny Komets, led by Mark Hoaglin, Rick Taylor, Alan Rhodes, and Donald Page. That squad, as good as it was, played a  local schedule, no intersectionals.

Undefeated regular seasons also have been achieved by Hoover (24-0, 1959-60), La Jolla (26-0, 1963-64), Mount Miguel (28-0, 1967-68), and Helix (29-0, 1969-70).   Only Mount Miguel and Helix completed unbeaten runs through the playoffs..

UPDATE:  Torrey Pines made it 20 victories in a row, 82-53 over Temecula Rancho Christian.

This week’s The San Diego Union-Tribune poll:

RANK TEAM RECORD POINTS LAST WEEK
1. Torrey Pines 19-0 (13) 130 1
2. San Marcos 17-0 116 3
3. Cathedral 8-1 97 2
4. St. Augustine 12-2 81 7
5. Santa Fe Christian 12-2 81 4
6. El Camino 15-3 60 6
7. Carlsbad 11-4 49 5
8. Mission Hills 11-2 28 9
9. Orange Glen 16-3 27 8
10. Mater Dei 6-2 19 10

Others receiving votes: Coronado (12-4, 13 points), Mission Bay (10-5, 7) Bonita Vista (6-4, 4), Helix (9-7, 1).

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 9 2
Cathedral 2 13 14
San Marcos 3 24 8
Santa Fe Christian 4 NR 11
Carlsbad 5 NR 32
El Camino 6 NR 47
St. Augustine 7 NR 18
Orange Glen 8 NR 49
Mission Hills 9 NR 34
Mater Dei 10 NR 70

*Cal-Hi Sports‘ ranks a Top 25.



2020-21: Evolution of Individual Game Most Points

The innumerable number of games and points and lack of sustained record keeping, or reporting, in earlier years make basketball a most challenging  sport when it comes to posting stats of the “most”.

The table below, which begins decades after the game came to San Diego, lists an evolution of  individual high scoring for one game.  Corrections and additions  welcomed.

YEAR NAME TEAM POINTS OPPONENT SCORE
1939-40 Bud Engle Coronado 35 La Jolla 57-16
1943-44 Ivan Robinson San Diego 38 Kearny 70-25
1950-51 Paul Lockridge Fallbrook 47 Brown Military 90-31
1956-57 Tom Shaules St. Augustine 49 Helix 86-72
1957-58 Shaules 60 Crawford 102-38
1969-70 Rob Petrie Julian Mountain Empire 115-76
1976-77 Mitchell Lilly Madison 61 San Diego 118-84
1989-90 Tony Clark Christian 64 La Jolla Country Day 103-65
2004-05 Tyrone Shelley Crawford 76 Burlington Central, Canada 138-29
2019-20 Mikey Williams San Ysidro 77 Kearny 116-42


2020-21 Week 3: Top 3 Teams Are Combined 37-0.

RANK TEAM RECORD POINTS LAST WEEK
1. Torrey Pines 16-0 (10) 127 1
2. Cathedral 6-0 (2) 112 2
3. San Marcos 15-0 (1) 109 3
4. Santa Fe Christian 10-2 89 4
5. Carlsbad 10-2 71 6
6. El Camino 11-3 57 5
7. St.. Augustine 6-2 53 8
8. Orange Glen 14-2 30 9
9. Mission Hills 9-4 29 7
10. Mater Dei 5-1 21 10

Others receiving votes: Coronado (11-3, 9 points),  Bonita Vista (5-3, 4).

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.