The first three teams in the Union-Tribune Top 10 are easy.

Between the numerous “Shootouts”, “Classics”, “Showcases”, and “Invitationals” which jot the basketball map at this point in the season, getting a handle on Foothills Christian, St. Augustine, and Torrey Pines, numbers 1, 2, and 3, respectively, is piece of cake.

Those teams annually play intersectional schedules and test their wares against the best of the best in the state.

It’s the others that are hard to read.

Serra is 16-0 and Vista 13-2, but they play largely local schedules or in one of the second-tier “classics.”  Same with Helix (13-5), La Jolla (11-2), and Santa Fe Christian (10-4).

A better idea of those clubs’ profile will come only in the playoffs.  For now, it’s about getting deeper into league play and, for a few, this weekend’s Martin Luther King games.

Foothills rose from 11th to eighth in the weekly Cal-Hi Sports top 20.  St. Augustine elevated one position to 15th. Torrey Pines and Vista are on the bubble.

Mission Hills (13-1) dropped to 11th from sixth in Cal-Hi‘s girls’ top 20 and The Bishop’s (15-1) remained 20th. La Jolla Country Day (9-6) is on the bubble.

Mission Hills’ only loss was 65-62 in overtime to San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral in December.  The Bishop’s dropped a 73-68, overtime decision to Eastlake but rebounded last week to beat the Titans, 70-65.

The Knights’ Destiny Littleton remains on fire, averaging 51.7 points a game and closing in on the state career scoring record of 3,837 set in 2003-04 by San Diego’s Charde Houston.

Boby’ records through Monday, Jan. 7:

Others receiving votes: Mission Hills (9-5, 12 points), Mater Dei (11-4, 10), Poway (13-4, 10), Rancho Bernardo (12-3, 7), La Costa Canyon (13-4, 6), Canyon Crest (11-2, 3),  Coronado (17-2, 2), Patrick Henry (12-5, 1),  Kearny (6-6, 1).

Poll participants include John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune; Steve Brand (San Diego Hall of Champions), Terry Monahan,  Bill Dickens, Adam Paul, EastCountySports.com; Rick Willis, KUSI-TV; Rick Smith, partletonsports.com; Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com; Chris Davis, freelance;  Aaron Burgin, fulltimehoops.com.

Next month, on Feb. 14 [2017], will mark the seventh year since we undertook a challenge.

I wanted to write the history of San Diego County high school football.

That’s where my career started and where it will end.

Well, I didn’t write the history (that is almost infinite), but I gave it a shot.

I attempted to write a narrative about each season. More than 100.

I just counted.

The number includes all seasons from 1914 forward.  I combined the years 1891 to 1913.

Almost all of the narratives are broken into short subjects, vignettes and photographs (pictures mostly from rustic and ragged microfilm at several Southern California sources).

Some years, like 1955, include multiple entries and, starting in 2013, football was covered on a week-to-week basis.

Most seasons usually required an average of about 2,000 words, although there are some with less and many with more.

My superstar writing friend Dave Kindred told me, “It wouldn’t sell and it would be too long,” when I suggested to David that maybe I’d write a book about this parochial subject.

He was right on both counts. But thanks to Henrik Jonson, my cyber guru, we put together a web site:  Partletonsports.com.

Partleton was the name on my father’s birth certificate when he was born in Barbados, “Little England” as it was known.

Dad changed his last name to Smith after he entered the United States following service in the Canadian army in World War I.

I asked him often why he hadn’t been more inventive. He could have changed his name to Jones.

I’m going to continue looking for nuggets of information in football, basketball, track and field, and probably baseball.

It’s a labor of love and in retirement you have to have interests.  I’ve got season tickets to San Diego State basketball and I catch a prep football or basketball game every week.

That and trying to keep Susie happy and watching our 4 grandsons grow up.

Foothills Christian, St. Augustine, and Torrey Pines, we know about.  All three played before overflow crowds of more than 3,000 persons in the Under-Armour tournament at Torrey Pines over the Christmas holiday.

What about the Vista?

The Panthers are fourth in the weekly San Diego Union-
Tribune poll but they’ve managed to stay under the radar while building a 13-2 record.

A  sighting last week in the Silver Division of the La Verne Damian tournament shed some light.

the Panthers defeated  Woodland Hills Taft, 60-52, for the championship and beat an 11-2 club that annually is among the  best teams in the Los Angeles City Section.

Meanwhile, Foothills Christian, led by the explosive Jaylen Hands, won the Under-Armour National Division by defeating St. John’s of Washington, D.C., 61-57, and is tied for first in the local poll with St. Augustine.

I voted for the Saints No. 1, based on their 85-75 victory over Foothills in the Under-Armour preview but can’t argue with the first-place tie.  The Saints flattened out, losing 2 of their last 3 games in the tournament.

Foothills rose from 11th to eighth in the weekly Cal-Hi Sports top 20.  St. Augustine went to 16th from unranked.  Torrey Pines and Vista are on the bubble.

Records through Monday, Jan. 2:

NR–Not ranked.

Others receiving votes: Orange Glen (7-2, 10 points), La Costa Canyon (11-3, 10), Poway (10-4, 10), Rancho Bernardo (8-2, 9), Mater Dei (7-4, 4), Patrick Henry (11-3, 1),  Coronado (15-2, 1).

Poll participants include John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune; Steve Brand (San Diego Hall of Champions), Terry Monahan,  Union-Tribune correspondent; im Lindgren Union-Tribune correspondent, Bill Dickens, Adam Paul, EastCountySports.com; Rick Willis, KUSI-TV; Rick Smith, partletonsports.com; Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com; Chris Davis, freelance;  Aaron Burgin, fulltimehoops.com.

Coach Brad Leaf’s Foothills Christian squad picked up where it left off, first in the first San Diego Union-Tribune basketball poll,  which the Knights dominated in 2015-16.

The El Cajon club is 6-1, with only a 90-73 loss to defending national champion Chino Hills after leading the Huskies, 42-38, at halftime.

What’s up with Cathedral?  Picked as high as fifth in the state in some preseason polls and with 7-foot Brandon McCoy leading the Dons, Cathedral has slumped to 3-5.

Coronado got one vote among teams outside the top 10, but raise one for the Islanders, who are 15-2 and played 17 games since Nov. 28.

Records through Wednesday, Dec. 21:

Others receiving votes, including record: Santa Fe Christian (6-3, 5 points), Mission Hills (4-4, 5) Patrick Henry (9-0, 5), Serra (8-0, 4), Mira Mesa (5-3, 4), Kearny (3-3, 2), Coronado (5-2, 1).

Eleven media representatives vote, including John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune; Steve Brand (San Diego Hall of Champions), Terry Monahan, Jim Lindgren, Union-Tribune correspondents; Bill Dickens, Adam Paul, EastCountySports.com; Rick Willis, KUSI-TV; Rick Smith, partletonsports.com; Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com; Lisa Lane, San Diego Preps Insider; Aaron Burgin, fulltimehoops.com.

The CIF power ratings are holding up fairly well as the final round of San Diego Section play takes place Friday and Saturday at Southwestern College.

The two highest power rated clubs will meet in the Open Division and in D-1 and D-3.

Winning teams will progress to a variety of divisions in a Southern California round of 4, with the ultimate winners meeting teams from Northern California in the state championship.

OPEN

No. 1 Cathedral (12-0) versus No. 2 Helix (10-2) Saturday at 7 p.m.

Cathedral overcame a 21-7, Helix halftime lead to defeat the Highlanders, 35-28, in Week 4.

Helix eliminated the Dons in the semifinals in 2014 and 2015.

Cathedral is making its eighth championship appearance since  2006 and Helix its 11^th since 1999.

Are the Dons as good as the Tyler Gaffney-led squad that was 14-0 and the state D-III champion in 2008?

As we see it:  Cathedral 34, Helix 21.

DIVISION  I

No. 2 St. Augustine (10-2)  versus No. 1 and 10-2 Madison Friday at 7 p.m.

Madison’s team speed was too much for the Saints in a 56-42  Warhawks victory in Week 6.

The Saints were No. 1 in The San Diego Union-Tribune poll for a few weeks after they defeated a touted Los Angeles Loyola team, 17-14, in Week 3, but Loyola flattened out to 3-8 and the Saints were decisively beaten by Madison and Cathedral.

Madison lost its opener at Vista Murrieta, 20-9.  That team was a Los Angeles Times top 20 squad for weeks and represented a rare, regular-season intersectional opponent for the eastern Clairemont squad.

Vista Murrieta was only the eighth Warhawks regular-season opponent from outside San Diego County since Madison opened in 1962.

This might be coach Rick Jackson’s best team since the 14-1, D-IV state champion of 2012.

As we see it:  Madison 41, St. Augustine 30.

DIVISION II

No. 2 Mater Dei (11-1) meets neighborhood public school rival No. 4 Olympian (8-4) Saturday 3 p.m.

Though only one mile and probably 3 minutes apart in Chula Vista, Mater Dei and Olympian have met only three times since Olympian opened in 2006.

One of those games resulted in a 28-7 Crusaders victory this season.

Coach John Joyner has got it going at Mater Dei.  The Catholic school is 53-22 since Joyner weathered a pair of 1-9 seasons after he took over the program in 2009.

Included in the victories was a 2015 state V-AA championship, 56-21 over Reedley Immanuel.

Mater Dei’s only loss this year was 51-42 at Cal-Hi Sports’-ranked Los Angeles Hawkins.  The Crusaders led that game in the fourth quarter.

Olympian is coached by Paul Van Nostrand, son of a former Evening Tribune reporter of the same name.

The younger Van Nostrand is 25-21 since taking over for the legendary Gil Warren in 2013.  Van Nostrand was 64-32-1 at Castle Park from 1999-06.

As we see it, Mater Dei 35, Olympian 14.

DIVISION III

No. 2 The Bishop’s (12-0) versus No. 1 Christian (12-0) Saturday at 11 a.m.

Both teams have continually upgraded  their programs.  Eastern League entry Christian appears to have played a heftier schedule than the rising, La Jolla-based Coastal League program.

Joel Allen is 73-22-1 in eight seasons with The Bishop’s Knights and claimed a state D-5 title with a 40-14 victory over Stockton Brookside in 2010.

Other than a year’s hiatus in 2003, Matt Oliver has guided the Christian Patriots since 1998 and his 148 victories rank 15^th all-time in San Diego County.

The Patriots are making their sixth championship appearance since  2001.  The Knights are making their third straight appearance in the finals and their seventh since  2007.

As we see it, Christian 31, The Bishop’s 28.

DIVISION IV

No. 5 La Jolla Country Day (10-3) versus No. 3 Santana (8-4) Friday at 3 p.m.

Dave Gross retired after an 11-2 season and 20-14 loss to Valley Center in the 2011 D-IV finals but did not leave a full cupboard at Santana.

Tim Estes took over in 2012 struggled through 1-8 and 1-9 seasons.  The Sultans improved to 4-6 in 2014, to 7-5 in 2015, and now are 8-4.

The Country Day Torreys are 10-3 this season and 25-13 under Tyler Hales, who replaced career 101-game winner Jeff Hutzler in 2013.

The teams have one comparative opponent.

The Bishop’s defeated Santana, 41-19, in the season opener and topped Country Day, their No. 1 rival in the Coastal League, 37-21, in Week 8.

As we see it, La Jolla Country Day 42, Santana 35.

STATE RANKINGS

Cathedral is sixth in Cal-Hi Sports’ top 25, behind Santa Ana Mater Dei, Bellflower St. John Bosco, Corona Centennial, Harbor City Narbonne, and Concord De La Salle.

Helix is 14^th and Madison and Rancho Bernardo are on the bubble.

HOOPS DU JOUR

Cal-Hi Sports’ first top 25 lists Cathedral as No. 6, followed  by Foothills Christian, 16^th, and St. Augustine, 21^st.

Mission Hills is No. 6, followed by La Jolla Country Day, 8^th, and The Bishop’s, 15^th in the Girls’ ratings.

The first athlete inducted into the Sweetwater High Hall of Fame, Roger Lively was a standout in the major sports and a steady, vital presence in a remarkable run by the Red Devils in the 1956-57 basketball season.

The 6-foot, 3-inch Lively, who passed at age 77 earlier this month, played center for coach Wells Gorman’s team, which had a 1-7 record when Metropolitan League play began in January.

The Red Devils caught fire, after dropping a 45-44 decision to Coronado in the leagueopening game.

They tied for the league championship with Helix, each with a 7-1 record, Sweetwater claiming its share after a rejecting a Grossmont strategy that took the air out of the ball in the final regular-season game.

The Foothillers did not take a shot from the field until 4 minutes had elapsed and Sweetwater did not score in the game’s first 10 minutes.

Sweetwater, trailing, 3-0, after one quarter and 6-5 at the half, finally put the game away, 23-19, and won a coin flip to enter the playoffs as the Metro’s No. 1 entry.

The Red Devils’ reward was a game at San Diego High against the 16-9 Cavemen, whose frontline of Artist Gilbert, Edward Lee Johnson, and Dick (Bunky) Wiseman made San Diego a decided favorite against this Johnny-come-lately squad from National City.

VICTORY IN FIRST ROUND

Junior Bobby Jordan scored 22 points, Bob Beardsley had 14, and Lively added 12 and Sweetwater stunned the Cavers, 57-47.

Next up in the second round was another favored squad, Newport Beach Newport Harbor, with three starters back from a 1955-56 postseason entry.

Sweetwater edged the Sailors, 49-45, as Lively led his team with 14 points and converted 10 of 12 free throws.

Sweetwater then moved into the quarterfinals of the 25-team event and took on No. 1 seed Los Angeles Mt. Carmel, which boasted a 28-1 record, and 6-foot, 7-inch Alvin Claiborne, one of the top players in Southern California.

Lively and the Red Devils battled their taller rivals to a standstill, trailing only 34-33 entering the fourth quarter as the crowd at Point Loma high sensed another upset.

Lively, operating strongly against the taller Claiborne, was 7 for 7 from the free throw line and scored 11 points to Claiborne’s 12.

Sweetwater lagged only 44-41 with three minutes remaining before foul trouble and Mt. Carmel free throws pushed the Crusaders to a 49-41 triumph.

Sweetwater finished the season with a 10-10 record.  Mt. Carmel, beaten in the finals by El Monte, was 30-2.