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Mission Hills played keep away, controlling the ball for 34 plays to 8 in the second half,  and the strategy almost worked, until Lincoln scored an overtime touchdown to win the Open Division semifinal playoff, 13-7.

It won’t be the Hornets’ touchdown that will be remembered.

Mission Hills’ Giovanni Harte, who battled the Lincoln defense, grinding out 129 yards in 30 carries, broke away at left tackle from Lincoln’s 25-yard line on the Grizzlies’ first play in extra minutes.

“Harte was carrying the ball in his left hand and it appeared that the ball broke the plane of the goal line,” wrote The San Diego Union’s Don Norcross, whose view was from the Southwestern College press box.

Trailing Lincoln linebacker Noko Ta’a punched the ball out of Harte’s hand at the goal line.  A nearby official quickly ruled fumble.

Since the ball rolled out of the end zone the play became a touchback and Lincoln took possession.

Grizzlies’ coach Chris Hauser was outraged, but not as vocal as a middle-aged-elderly Mission Hills supporter who came out of the stands and charged the officiating crew after the game, which ended with the Hornets’ Aden Jackson scoring on a 16-yard touchdown run late in the first overtime.

The Grizzlies’ fan/parent/relative chased game officials as they made their way to the locker room.

Unsuccessful, the Mission Hills rooter engaged a Lincoln adult and then was approached by a Lincoln school principal.  The diminutive lady repeatedly pushed the aggressor away before he finally left, spewing profanities.

IT’S ALL IN THE FAMILY

Three generations of Cotas were on hand when St. Augustine, 1-10, defeated 10-0 Holtville, 10-6, in the Division III quarterfinals.

Ron Cota, all-San Diego Section linebacker/center for St. Augustine in 1960, traveled with his son, Stephen, all-San Diego Section linebacker for Point Loma’s 13-0 championship squad in 1987.

After a comfort break in Jacumba, father and son finished the 125-mile jaunt to the Imperial Valley and cold and windy Holtville to watch Stephen, Jr., and his teammates continue their surprising postseason run.

“It was a great high school experience for my son and for me and his grandfather,” said Stephen.  “Seemed like the whole town turned out.”

Full disclosure:  Holtville had been moved from Division V to D-III.  The Saints had played a major, D-I schedule as a member of the powerful Western League.

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Many of the San Diego Section cognoscenti declared an upset when winless St. Augustine defeated La Jolla Country Day,  16-0, in the first round of the Division III playoffs last week.

That the Saints (0-10) were seeded seventh in the division and the 5-5 Torreys were 10^th, according to CIF power ratings, didn’t seem to register.

The Saints were reeling, having canned coach Ron Gladnick after a 10-5, Southern California regional playoff season in 2023, and the subsequent exodus of players to other schools.

Ron Caragher was named coach and kept things together in a brutal season that included losses of 42-0 and 63-0 to Western League rivals Cathedral and Lincoln.

The 0-10 was the Saints’ first  without a victory since an 0-9 in 1975 and only the seventh washout in their 101 seasons, dating to 1924.

Now the Saints face a 125-mile bus jaunt over cold and windy Laguna Mountains passes to the Imperial Valley and No. 2-ranked Holtville, 10-0, and outscoring opponents 491-60, including romps against San Diego County teams Mission Bay, 46-7; Mountain Empire, 54-0; El Cajon Valley, 57-0, and Coronado, 54-14.

FIRST SINCE 1938

St. Augustine and Holtville will need a re-introduction.

The Vikings hold a 2-1 lead in previous games, but the schools haven’t opposed each other for 86 years, dating to 1938, the Great Depression, gas at 19 cents a gallon, and when you could get three pounds of ground beef for 59 cents and a loaf of  bread for a dime.

Holtville won that 1938 game, 12-0, and 15-12 in 1936.  Sandwiched between was a 13-0 Saints victory in ’37.

RATINGS 92.3 PER CENT CORRECT

Seedings favorites won 24 first-round games against two losses:  No. 12 Monte Vista, 34-33 over No. 5 Fallbrook, and No. 9 Del Norte, 42-35 over No. 8 Oceanside.

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Bloated playoff fields, minimal competition in some instances, such as three games to determine a winner, doesn’t diminish the team accomplishment.

So Hats Off to the eighteen San Diego Section league champions.

It’s been awhile for a few.

La Costa Canyon hasn’t claimed a title since 2011, Hoover and Oceanside since 2014, three others since 2016, and one since 2018.

Horizon Prep won its first in the seven-season school history.

*Hoover, Santa Fe Christian, Tri-City tied but won head-to-head matchups.
+First championship.
**Tied with San Marcos, Valley Center.

EAGLES SOAR

Granite Hills’ 90-46 victory over Grossmont was the eighth highest score by one team in County history.

The Eagles jumped to a 28-6 first quarter lead, then were staggered by a 28-13 Foothillers second quarter, leaving the halftime score at 41-34.

Coach Kellan Cobbs’ Eagles blew open the game with a 35-12 third quarter and finished with a relatively tame 14-0 final period.

Others with high scores

MAFFEI FEELS IT

John Maffei’s The San Diego Union Week 10 poll (the last until a final poll at end of season):
Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. *First-place votes. Previous ranking in (italics).
Bold indicates latest. NR–Not ranked. MaxPreps‘ and Cal-Hi Sports‘ are state rankings.

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
El Camino (6-4, 13 points), University City (9-1, 3),  Brawley (9-1, 4), Santa Fe Christian (9-1, 3), Christian (8-2, 3), Oceanside (7-3, 2), Holtville (10-0, 1).

VOTING PANEL

Twenty-nine sportswriters, sportscasters, administrators from San Diego County, plus Max Preps.com.

• John Maffei (San Diego Union-Tribune).
• Don Norcross, Steve Brand, Rick Hoff, Kevin Farmer (Union-Tribune Freelance contributors).
• Joe Heinz, Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez (CIF San Diego Section).
• Brandon Stone, Allison Edmonds, John Carroll, Chase Izidor (KUSI, Channel 51).
• Rick Smith (partletonsports.com).
• Braden Suprenant (97.3-FM The Fan).
• Christian Pedersen (San Diego Sports Association).
• Tom Helmantoler, (Southern Conference advisor).
• Rex Johnson, Bruce Ward (CIF Advisory Committee).
• Mike Dolan, Joe Evangelist (San Diego Coaching Legends).
• Raymond Brown (sdfootball.net).
• Bodie DeSilva, John Kentera, Steve (Biff) Dolan, Dennis Ackerman, Eric Williams, Thomas Gutierrez, Tom Ronco, Adam Paul (Freelance contributors).