Originally posted Dec. 30, 2016.

By the grace of a 17-14 advantage in first downs, San Diego High survived a 20-20 standoff with Anaheim in the CIF playoff semifinals before 10,271 persons at Long Beach Veterans’ Memorial Stadium.

A heart-thumping conclusion represented the final shot in a frenetic battle of undefeated teams that brought an end to a week of intrigue and one-upmanship.

Anaheim had defeated Glendale 27-13 at the Pasadena Rose Bowl, and San Diego ushered out Bellflower in Balboa Stadium, 26-6, in the quarterfinals round, setting up what many figured would be a “semifinal for the championship”.

Drama began in the days leading to the showdown:

MONDAY, DEC. 5

San Diego assistant coach Birt Slater met with Anaheim athletic director Dick Glover and CIF commissioner Ken Fagans in Los Angeles.

Anaheim won a coin flip in Fagans’ office to determine the home team, according to the Anaheim Bulletin, but the Colonists did not have a home field and were playing in the low-capacity La Palma Avenue Park.

A grandstand to be built at the La Palma facility wouldn’t be ready until the 1956 season, but there were several stadium possibilities in the region.

Glover wanted the game to be in the new, 7,500-seat Orange Coast College facility in Costa Mesa.

Slater, speaking for head coach Duane Maley and the San Diego administration, argued for the 13,000-seat Long Beach Veterans’ Stadium.

Slater said Orange Coast would not be large enough for an expected huge crowd that would follow the Hillers from San Diego.

Glover, citing observers’ reports, asserted that San Diego attendance was only about 2,000 out of the 3,500 that watched the Bellflower game.

Glover also claimed that Colonists followers outnumbered San Diego’s in Balboa Stadium in 1953, when Anaheim won, 21-7.

TUESDAY, DEC. 6

Anaheim, perhaps with some prodding from Fagans and with a promise of a huge visiting crowd from San Diego, finally agreed to move the game to the larger, financially less demanding Veterans’ Stadium.

“A football field is still 100 yards long no matter where it’s located,” Anaheim coach Clare Van Hoorebeke cryptically replied to a question concerning his opinion about the contest’s being moved from the “originally-planned” Orange Coast venue.

San Diego, according go the Anaheim media, seemed to be making mountains out of mole hills.

The Cavers also wanted to wear their powder blue jerseys, which were introduced this year and were a popular departure from San Diego’s traditional Columbia blue.

Anaheim had the choice of color and opted for its home blue tops.  “San Diego will play in their ‘Sunday School’ whites,” according to the Bulletin.

“The ‘Border Bandits'”, declared the newspaper, “acted like true scoundrels when they tried to force the game to be moved to San Diego and then insisted on their choice of jersey color.”

San Diego had another reason for wanting the game moved from the Costa Mesa campus.  Anaheim was familiar with the layout and had won two games there this season.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7

Dick Glover responded to Orange County fans who felt the Colonists had let them down by agreeing to play at Long Beach Vets.

If not Orange Coast, why not the equally familiar Santa Ana Bowl, capacity 9,000?

Glover cited a few reasons:

• “Long Beach charges 10 per cent of the gross, Santa Ana 10 per cent of the first thousand (dollars) and 15 per cent after that.
• “Veterans Stadium is in the back yard of Cypress and Los Alamitos (communities from which Anaheim would draw support) and we have a (financial) obligation to our own school.”
• The clay soil of Orange Coast’s parking lot also would cause problems in the event of rain.
• Orange Coast College was 18.1 miles from Anaheim High. Long Beach Veterans Stadium was 14.8 miles. (Santa Ana Bowl was 8.2 miles).

THURSDAY, DEC. 8

How good was Mickey Flynn, the 160-pound junior who, with “pony “backfield mates Joe Avitia (155), Don Penfield (145), and George Dena (145), had led the Colonists on a 27-game winning streak in the Sunset League?

• Anaheim scored a touchdown on its first or second play in nine of 11 games.
• Flynn was averaging 68 yards on his 19 touchdowns and had scored on his first carry in eight games.
• Gary Land, who sustained a broken ankle in a practice two weeks before, had been ably replaced at right guard in the Cavers’ line by junior Gary Becker. Ron Collins, who had sustained an elbow injury earlier, was ready to go at center.

FRIDAY, DEC. 9

John De La Vega of the Los Angeles Times described the game as a “hair-raiser.”

Jim Trinkle of The San Diego Union also captured the moment in his game account:

San Diego Section football is done for the year and the Section did well in the opinions of various voting and ratings entities: Six of Cal-Hi Sports’ top 70, nine in the top 38 of Max Preps.com, and six with computer ratings of 46 points or more by Cal Preps.com

Cal-Hi Sports’ expanded ratings took in what the newsletter considered the top 75 teams in the state: 13—Cathedral (11-3).  14—Carlsbad (10-2).  17—Mission Hills (9-3).  18—La Costa Canyon (10-2). 22—Granite Hills (10-3). 23—Lincoln (10-3). 59—Mount Miguel (8-4).  60—San Marcos (7-5).  70—Point Loma. (11-1).  Publisher Mark Tennis has the final word, with input from various human contacts in the state.

Max Preps relies on computer conclusions:  11—Cathedral. 13—Mission Hills.  15—Carlsbad.  16—La Costa Canyon.  17—Granite Hills. 24—Lincoln. 31—San Marcos.  36—Point Loma.  38—Mount Miguel. 50–Oceanside.  60–Rancho Bernardo. 68–Poway.

Cal Preps.com points also were based what the computer spat out:  59.7—Cathedral. 52.6—Mission Hills.  51.2—Carlsbad. 48.7—La Costa Canyon.  48.7—Granite Hills.  46—Lincoln.  38.7—San Marcos.  34.6—Point Loma. 34.2—Mount Miguel.

SAN DIEGO SECTION IN THE STATE PLAYOFFS 

The state CIF, after years of discussion, went to an invitational model in 2006 and then to state playoffs involving teams that qualified from California’s 10 individual sections.

The San Diego Section was 1-3  in the state finals in 2025 after posting a 4-2 record in the Southern California regional playoffs.

DIVISION I-AA

Folsom (14-1, Sac-Joaquin) 42, Cathedral (11-3) 28, @Mission Viejo Saddleback College.

The Dons were denied a fourth state championship, losing to the Sac-Joaquin power for the second time in three championship games.  The Dons beat the Bulldogs, 33-21, in 2021 and lost, 21-14, in overtime in 2018.

After falling behind, 21-0, Cathedral never got closer than two touchdowns.  Out of it at 42-14 in the fourth quarter, the Dons scored twice.  “I’m just extremely proud of the boys,” said coach Sean Doyle.  “They fought until the very end. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Doyle ended his 30^th season with the Dons with 251 victories, second all time in San Diego County.

V-AA

Oakland Bishop O’Dowd (11-4, North Coast) 37, Christian (8-8) 0, @Buena Park High.

A Patriots highlight was offered by freshman running back Julian Morones, who rushed for 87 yards in 13 carries. Under game-long pressure by the Dragons’ defense, Christian quarterback Kaleb Runkle was sacked five times and completed 10 of 28 passes for 98 yards, and rushed for 51 yards in 13 attempts or escapes.

VI-AA

Valley Center (9-6) 36, San Jose Lincoln (11-4, Central Coast) 35, @Fullerton High.

The Jaguars won with a classic final drive, going 78 yards in five plays in the final 1:42 and springing Joeisha Ryan Tirado for the last 14 yards to tie the game at 35 with 32 seconds remaining, and then living through the drama of two false start penalties as kicker Jesse Morales was lined up for the PAT.

Morales finally booted the game winner, putting an exclamation point on his game of six catches for 134 yards, including a fingertip snag of 54 yards for a touchdown after being blanked in the first half.

Tirado, named the game’s most-valuable player, rushed for 193 yards and scored three touchdowns in 24 carries, caught two passes for 25 yards, and recovered a fumble from his position as a defensive lineman.  Jaguars quarterback Braylon Mitchell passed for 307 yards and two touchdowns.

VI-A

Winters (14-1, Northern) 28, Morse (10-5) 7, @Buena Park High.

“We won one game last season, so we’ve come a long way,” said Tigers coach Tracy McNair.  “It shows we’re headed in the right direction.”

STATE PLAYOFFS HISTORY

>Overtime.

Cathedral’s 42-21 victory over Los Alamitos last week in the state regional Division I-AA playoffs was the 251^st in coach Sean Doyle’s career.

That’s right, 251.  The Dons’ victory over Carlsbad in the San Diego Section finals had been hailed on the Southwestern College scoreboard as No. 250 for Doyle, sending the Dons into the regionals, while this website, while not official and not affiliated with  the CIF,  declared that the win was No. 248.

An ineligible player, asserted in a statement from the office of CIF commissioner Jerry Schniep, had appeared in all 10 games in 2012, wiping out Cathedral’s 8-2 season.  We originally went along with that information.

But when asked by John Maffei before the Los Alamitos game, Doyle told the reporter that he had researched game film, talked to coaches and players, and said that the ineligible player had not been a participant in two Cathedral victories, 29-21 over Lincoln and 28-20 over St. Augustine, Cathedral’s main Eastern League opponents. The player’s overall participation was such that in four other games he had been in for one play.

According to Maffei, after visiting with Doyle, Cathedral’s forfeits should have been eight and an overall record of 2-8 and not 0-10 in 2012. Max Preps originally had reported eight forfeits and Cal Preps originally reported six.

Doyle goes for No. 252 this week against Folsom, longtime Sac-Joaquin Section power and a familiar championship game opponent for the Dons.  Cathedral lost to the Bulldogs, 21-14, in 2018 and won a rematch, 33-21, in the 2021 final.

Adjustments in the Coach 100 table will be made at the end of this week’s games. The records of Doyle, Lincoln’s David Dunn, and St. Augustine’s Richard Sanchez will be noted.

SAN DIEGO SECTION REGIONAL RECORD 4-2

Christian outscored Cerritos Valley Christian, 27-13, in Division V-AA and Valley Center defeated Moreno Valley Valley View, 30-19, in Division VI-AA in other Friday night’s regional openers.

Oxnard Pacifica edged Granite Hills, 42-35, in D-IA, Arcadia Rio Hondo topped Santa Fe Christian, 26-21, and Morse ousted Simi Valley Grace Brethren, 57-40 in VI-A, on Saturday.

Cathedral will meet Folsom at Mission Viejo Saddleback College on Friday, Dec. 12.

Christian plays Oakland Bishop O’Dowd of the North Coast Section on Friday at Buena Park High.

Valley Center’s game against San Jose Lincoln of the Central Coast Section will be on Friday at Fullerton High.

Morse and Winters of the Northern Section will kick off at Buena Park High on Saturday, Dec. 13.

MAFFEI MADNESS

John Maffei’s The San Diego Union-Tribune final 2025 poll:
Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. *First-place votes. Previous rankings in (italics).
NR–Not ranked. MaxPreps, Cal Preps, and Cal-Hi Sports are state rankings.

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Christian (7-7, 9 points), Oceanside (7-4, 8), Valley Center (7-6, 5), Steele Canyon (9-4, 3) Holtville (9-2), Mission Bay (11-1), Morse (9-4), Rancho Bernardo (8-3, 1 point each).

VOTING PANEL

Twenty-nine sportswriters, sportscasters, and administrators from the San Diego Section, plus Max Preps:

• John Maffei (The San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Donald Ray Norcross, Kevin Farmer, Rick Hoff, Steve Brand (Union-Tribune correspondents)
• Joe Heinz, Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez (San Diego Section)
• Brandon Stone, Allison Edwards, John Carroll, Chase Izidoro (KUSI-TV)
• Rick Smith (partletonsports.com)
• Braden Suprenant (93.7 FM “The Fan”)
• Mike Dolan (Coaching Legends)
• Tom Helmantoler (Southern Conference)
• Joe Evangelist, Rex Johnson, Bruce Ward (CIF Advisory Committee)
• Raymond Brown (sdsports.net)
• Christian Pedersen (San Diego Sports Association)
• Bodie DeSilva, John Kentera, Dennis Ackerman, Steve (Biff) Dolan, Eric Williams, Thomas Gutierrez, Tom Ronco, Adam Paul (freelance contributors).

The final 2025 Top 10 poll (above) followed a 12^th San Diego Section championship for Cathedral and coach Sean Doyle and, according to our records, gleaned from years perusing The San Diego Union–Tribune, put Doyle at 248 victories, tying the Dons’ mentor with Oceanside’s John Carroll for the second highest total of career wins behind Oceanside and El Camino’s Herb Meyer, who had 339.

The keeper of CIF records noted in a conversation with me that Doyle was believed to have 250 victories (the number posted on the scoreboard at Southwestern College following Cathedral’s 20-16, Open Division championship over Carlsbad last week).   A player ineligibility in 2012 had resulted in the Dons forfeiting eight games in a season in which their won loss record originally was 8-2.

Eight forfeits and two losses compute to 0-10 and an all-time 248 victories for Doyle, according to our Coach 100 table.  Our records are not official;  the CIF records are.

Max Preps and Cal Preps in their respective postings were not in complete agreement. Cal Preps noted only six forfeits and a 2-8 record. Max Preps had eight forfeits and a 2-8 record.

What I wrote, excerpted from a Union-Tribune story on my blog in November, 2012, after the reported forfeits:

“Cathedral’s honored program took a body blow this week when the Dons were forced to forfeit eight victories in an 8-2 season and were knocked out the postseason.

The Dons self-reported an ineligible player, who appeared in all 10 Cathedral games. San Diego Section rules state that a team with three forfeits cannot participate in the playoffs.

The violation seems minor, at worst.

According to sources, the player attended Cathedral as a freshman, transferred to another school for his sophomore year, and came back to Cathedral this year.

Routine paper work that would have allowed the player to be on the Cathedral squad this season apparently was not completed, misplaced, or overlooked.

Cathedral’s staggering loss was good news to Serra, which lost to the Dons, 55-7, in the final regular-season game and was to play Cathedral in the quarterfinals this week, the Dons having received a first-round bye.

Serra now will play at Ramona, which eliminated West Hills 41-21.

Cathedral was the San Diego Section’s preeminent Division III team.  The Dons topped No. 2-ranked Helix 16-9 and battled state-ranked No. 1 Vista Murrieta before surrendering a fourth-quarter touchdown and losing 21-10.

IT’S HAPPENED MANY TIMES

Cathedral’s misfortune is not new in any sport on the high school landscape.

Most recently Madison was forced to forfeit the D-IV title in 2010 because of a residential transfer beef.  The Warhawks, with help from the City Schools, litigated and had the judgment overturned.

Chula Vista forfeited 4 victories and went from 9-0 to 5-4 in 1976 and was out of the playoffs.

The 1958-59 San Diego High basketball team, 16-2 and poised for a deep run in the Southern California playoffs, forfeited all 16 victories. Starting forward Otha Phillips was beyond the age limit to be athletically eligible.

The Cavers, behind the great Arthur (Hambone) Williams finished the season 24-2 competitively but 8-18 legislatively.”

For now we’ll stick with 248 wins (Cal-Hi Preps lists Doyle with 249), but hopefully more information will surface. That number also could change, perhaps this week, when Cathedral plays Los Alamitos in a regional state playoff at Long Beach Veterans’ Stadium on the Long Beach City College campus.

The article in The San Diego Union-Tribune on Nov. 14, 2012, announcing the forfeits:

Six area teams, from Granite Hills in the East suburbs of El Cajon to Valley Center in the rural North, won San Diego Section championships and are moving on and (possibly/maybe/who knows?) moving up in the super postseason.

Regional playoffs are this week, with winners advancing to State championship games Dec. 12-13  at Saddleback College in Santa Ana.  San Diego Section results:

OPEN DIVISION

CATHEDRAL (10-2) 20, CARLSBAD (10-2) 16.

The Dons scored an unusual victory and coach Sean Doyle’s 12^th title in 14 trips to the finals, the first since 2021, before an estimated 8,700 persons at Southwestern College.

Unusual in that No. 4-seeded Cathedral scored all of its points after trailing, 16-0, at the start of the fourth quarter. A touchdown passing play of 47 yards, quarterback Eli MacNeal to Travis Jeffery, early in the third quarter had given the 3 seed Lancers a two touchdown-plus advantage.

Doyle, his silver mustache glistening in the lights of the Southwestern stadium after a postgame splash by elated players, considered the significance of his team’s comeback.

“To be down like that, when we were shooting ourselves in the freaking foot every offensive series, then come back, right now that win has to rank right at the top,” Doyle exclaimed to reporter John Maffei.

A five-yard run by Honor Fa’alave Johnson got Cathedral on the board in the fourth quarter, then the Dons closed to 16-13 on a 71-yard pass play, Brady Palmer to Isaac Cook.

There were 6:32 left after the Dons’ score, but it wasn’t settled until the final 21 seconds when Fa’alave-Johnson scored from five yards to conclude a 71-yard drive with 2:14 remaining.

Next, Southern California Regional I-AA Playoff:  Los Alamitos (12-2), Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, 7:30 p.m., @Long Beach Veterans’ Stadium on Long Beach City College campus.

DIVISION I

Granite Hills (10-3) 41, Lincoln (10-3) 29.

The Eagles trailed, 14-0, but overcame Lincoln and won a fourth consecutive D-I crown before an estimated 6,500 persons at Southwestern College.

Zac Benitez threw for 296 yards and four touchdowns and Noah Walker caught four passes for 142 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown.

The Eagles’ Gage Spalding put game away late in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run from the Wildcat formation.

Junior Curtis led Lincoln with 159 yards in 18 carries and Rashad Robinson had 129 in 19 and two touchdowns.

Next, Southern California Regional I-A Playoff:  Oxnard Pacifica (14-0), Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, 7 p.m., @Granite Hills.

D-II

SANTA FE CHRISTIAN (13-0) 44, STEELE CANYON (9-4) 41.

Enrollment doesn’t matter where Eagles dare.

“The fact that this tiny school (with 400 high school students) …we said whatever division you put us in, we can’t control.  We just play the team you put in front of us,” said winning coach Jon Wallace to John Maffei.

The Eagles’ opponent at Southwestern College was Steele Canyon, with a student body approaching 2,200.

Santa Fe Christian quarterback Dax Labrum rushed 5 times for 27 yards and completed 21 of 33 passes for 286 yards and four touchdowns.

Next, Southern California Regional II-A playoff: Arcadia Rio Hondo (14-0), Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, 6 p.m., @Carlsbad High.

D-III

CHRISTIAN (7-7) 28, EL CENTRO CENTRAL (10-3) 14.

The Patriots came out of the weeds, rallying from an 0-4 start and entering the playoffs as a No. 6 seed.

Christian beat top seed El Centro Central at Southwestern College as quarterback Kaleb Runkle passed for 280 yards and four touchdowns.

“We had a lot of guys out earlier in the season (injuries), but we stayed the course and everybody worked real hard to get here,” Patriots coach Patrick Bugg told reporter Rick Hoff.

Next, Southern California Regional V-AA playoff: @Cerritos Valley Christian (11-3), Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, 7:30 p.m.

D-IV

VALLEY CENTER (7-6) 21, EASTLAKE (7-7) 14.

Bill Dunckel was teaching physical education classes and coaching baseball and softball when he was asked in 2023 to rescue a Jaguars team that was 0-4 and had been outscored, 154-45.

Dunckel righted the ship and the team northeast of Escondido is 18-13 since.

Dunckel is a North County product, a star, all-round wideout on Fallbrook’s 1986 San Diego Section championship team, scoring 18 touchdowns, four field goals, 35 points after touchdowns and a couple two-point conversions for 159 points in 12 games.

Next, Southern California Regional VI-AA playoff: Moreno Valley Valley View, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, 7:30 p.m., @Valley Center.

DIVISION V

MORSE (9-4) 45, HOOVER (7-7) 30

Superior Garror was superior for the Tigers with 260 yards in 32 rushing attempts, plus six catches for 94 yards, and 4 touchdowns.

Hezekiah Manuel completed 30 of 41 passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns for Hoover.

Hoover hadn’t been in a final since 2014 and Morse was making its first trip since 2018.

Next, Southern California Regional VI-A playoff: Simi Valley Grace (11-3), Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, 6 p.m., @Moorpark College.

D-VAA

MARANATHA (12-1) 24, BLYTHE PALO VERDE VALLEY (8-3) 12.

Season complete.

D-VI

ST. JOSEPH (10-1) 61, BORREGO SPRINGS (8-2) 13.

Season complete.

This is perhaps the finest pair of Open Division and Division I championship game matchups  since the San Diego Section was formed in 1960. Mainly because of the four coaches leading their teams, veterans who have stood the test of time and turn out winners annually,  as their records attest in the table below.

Championship week for the Open and D-I, II, III, IV, and V divisions begins with the Open Tuesday evening, Nov. 25, at Southwestern College with Cathedral facing Carlsbad.

Lincoln and Granite Hills play for the D-I title Saturday, Nov. 29, at Southwestern. Other  championship games are Nov. 28.

Maranatha (12-1) defeated Blythe Palo Verde Valley (8-5), 24-12, for the V-AA title and St. Joseph (10-1) topped Borrego Springs (8-2), 68-13, in D-VI.

OPEN DIVISION/DIVISION I

*Includes coaches with at least 100 victories.

DIVISION II

DIVISION III

DIVISION IV

DIVISION V

**Gray coached at Kearny, 2015-19; McNair coached at Crawford, 2001-06.