CIF sets times, dates, sites for San Diego football finals

For the first time in four years, the San Diego Section Open Division football championship will not be played at Snapdragon Stadium.

Instead, the Open Division Championship will be played Nov. 25 at Southwestern College. Kickoff for the Tuesday game is 7 p.m.

The last three seasons, the Open Division featured Lincoln vs. Carlsbad (2022), Lincoln vs. Granite Hills (2023) and Lincoln vs. Cathedral Catholic (2024) — all at Snapdragon.

Other dates, times and sites have also been set. The Division 5-AA and the 8-man championships will be played Nov. 22 at Escondido High School.

Divisions 2 and 5 are scheduled for Nov. 28 at Southwestern. Divisions 1, 3 and 4 will be played Nov. 29 at Southwestern.

Hoping for a Saturday, Nov. 22 championship game for the Open Division the CIF ran into roadblock No. 1.

Snapdragon is already hosting the San Jose State-San Diego State football game that day.

Understandably the stadium isn’t available on Friday, Nov. 21.

Pushing the Open Division championship into the next week didn’t work after San Diego FC’s win over the Portland Timbers on Sunday gave SDFC a conference semifinal home playoff game against Minnesota. The soccer playoff game will take place Nov. 24 at Snapdragon Stadium.

With Southwestern College hosting Moorpark in the Patriot Bowl on Nov. 22, the college facility was out for that date.

“While we had hoped to host the Open Division Championship in Snapdragon again this year, the schedule unfortunately didn’t align,” CIF San Diego Section commissioner Joe Heinz said. “We are hoping to return to Snapdragon in 2026.”