Roundup: A look at how San Diego’s high school football teams fared this weekend

by John Maffei

This is the year Cathedral Catholic High School football coach Sean Doyle believes the Open Division playoffs should expand from four teams to eight.

“Look at the rankings, look at the top-10 teams,” Doyle said Friday night after his No. 2-ranked Dons beat No. 6 Granite Hills 40-30 in a high-octane game. “Any of the top seven, maybe eight or nine, could win it all.”

The Top 10 teams — Lincoln (5-1), Cathedral Catholic (5-0), Mission Hills (5-0), La Costa Canyon (5-0), Carlsbad (5-0), Granite Hills (3-3), San Marcos (4-1), Mount Miguel (4-2), Rancho Bernardo (5-0) and Poway (2-3) — are a combined 43-10.

“I don’t know if we have ever had this many good teams, teams that could beat each other,” Doyle said. “I don’t know if we can expand. I don’t know all the rules, but I’d like to see an eight-team Open Division.”

While teams in each of the seven playoff divisions aren’t set, the number of teams are — four in the Open Division, eight in Divisions 1 through 5-AA and six in the 8-man.

Playoff divisions will be determined by MaxPreps.com’s power rankings, with teams being ranked 1 through 64.

Going into the weekend, Lincoln, Cathedral Catholic, La Costa Canyon and Mission Hills were the four Open Division teams. Carlsbad, Granite Hills, San Marcos and Mount Miguel would be the top four seeds in Division 1.League play starts Friday and will most certainly jumble those rankings.

Carlsbad, La Costa Canyon, Mission Hills, San Marcos and Torrey Pines are all in the Avocado West League.

Lincoln, Cathedral Catholic, Scripps Ranch and University City are in the Western League. Cathedral and Lincoln figure to decide the league championship on Oct. 24 in a game at Lincoln.

“If we execute, do what we’re supposed to do in practice and keep working hard, we can go all the way,” said Cathedral Catholic do-everything player Honor Fa’alave-Johnson. “There are a lot of good teams this season, so we can’t slack. But we have the talent to win it all.”

Cathedral Catholic rolled up 577 yards of total offense against Granite Hills.

Fa’alave-Johnson rushed eight times for 110 yards with touchdown runs of 17 and 55 yards. Plus, he had a 21-yarder. He also caught seven passes for 97 yards with gains of 30, 22 and 40 yards. He also intercepted a pass on defense.

Quarterback Brady Palmer completed 20 of 27 passes for 305 yards and rushed for 42.

“Best player in the county,” Granite Hills coach Kellan Cobbs said of Fa’alave-Johnson.

Added Doyle: “And he’s only a junior.”

Top 10

No. 1 Lincoln 40, Sacramento Grant 21

No. 3 Mission Hills (5-0): Idle

No. 4 La Costa Canyon (5-0): Idle

No. 5 Carlsbad (5-0): Idle

No. 7 San Marcos (4-1): Idle

Oceanside 26, No. 8 Mount Miguel 25: Anthony Barquinero hit Kyman Nua with a 31-yard touchdown pass with under a minute to play to lead Oceanside (2-3) to the upset of Mount Miguel (4-2). Neke Letuli rushed 24 times for 154 yards with a long run of 52 yards for the Pirates. SJ Poumele rushed nine times for 73 yards, including a 34-yarder. Jeremiah Loper tossed for four touchdowns, three going to A.J. Logan, who had seven receptions for 151 yards for Mount Miguel.

No. 9 Rancho Bernardo 23, San Diego 16 (OT): Gaige Weddle hit Tyson Wilcox with a 23-yard touchdown pass in OT to win it for Rancho Bernardo (5-0). The defense then stopped San Diego (4-1) on third-and-1 and fourth-and-6. Max Marshall had a rushing TD for RB, while Enzo Flores had field goals of 23, 30 and 32 yards. Jayden Harris completed 17 of 22 passes for 119 yards for San Diego with a 10-yard TD pass to Kye Cooper, who had seven receptions. Harris also had a rushing TD.

No. 10 Poway (2-3): Idle

Imperial Valley League

Brawley 28, Calexico 14: Brawley (1-5, 1-0) collected a league-opening victory over Calexico (3-2, 0-1). Israel Ruiz hit Jose Fernandez for a 9-yard touchdown pass and Andre Lopez led Calexico with 39 yards rushing and the other score.

Nonleague

Santa Fe Christian 35, Escondido Charter 0: Joshua Husmann had rushing touchdowns of 65 and 25 yards for Santa Fe Christian (6-0) as the starters only played a half. Dax Labrum was 6 of 9 passing for 112 yards with TDs to Jarius Bolden of 20 and 19 yards. Escondido Charter is 2-3.

La Jolla Country Day 28, Bishop’s 26: Hesh Hertz had a pair of rushing touchdowns and caught a TD from Marvin Jones as LJCD (2-4) beat Bishop’s for the first time in 10 years. Hertz also had 12 tackles. James Picinich returned an interception for a TD. Quentin Cesaire and DJ Nwagbuo also had interceptions with Nwagbuo’s sealing the win. SonSon Santiaguel had a pair of rushing TDs for Bishop’s (4-1), while Cash Herrera hit Dane Larson with a pair of TD passes. Larson also had an interception. Bishop’s scored with 16 seconds to play on a JoJo Bryant rush, but failed to convert on a tying 2-point PAT.

Coastal Academy 20, Classical Academy 14: Zac Garland hit Elek Vitzian with a 30-yard touchdown pass for Coastal Academy (5-1) with under 4 minutes to play for the winning score. Nolan White had a 70-yard TD run and Cody Terpstra a 6-yarder. Nick Mizel hit Thomas Wentzel with a 30-yard scoring pass for Classical Academy (2-4). Daniel Gonzalez had a rushing TD and a 2-point PAT.

O’Farrell Charter 20, Orange Glen 13: Dakobi Coleman passed for 132 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 105 yards and two scores for O’Farrell Charter (2-3).

Mountain Empire 36, Victory Christian Academy 35: Chance Ross scored a pair touchdowns, the second a 52-yarder with under four minutes to play. He then scored a 2-point PAT to lead Mountain Empire (5-1). Michael Nobles had an interception in the fourth quarter. Elisha Lashone Robinson rushed for 230 yards and three TDs. Gabriel Aguirre rushed for two scores, one a 65-yarder, and threw for another for Victory Christian (1-4).

Rock Academy 44, Tri-City Christian 6: Alec Endicott threw for 202 yards and three touchdowns for Rock (3-2). Quentin Uhland caught four passes for 131 yards and two TDs. Logan Saathoff had two catches for 60 yards. Mishaki Mwenebato had 89 yards rushing on six carries. Tri-City Christian is 0-5.

Del Norte 54, Chula Vista 6: Kaden Williams completed 19 of 24 passes for 176 yards and four touchdowns for Del Norte (3-2). Kruz Barnett had a TD reception, an interception and two tackles for losses. Caden Whiddon and Maddox Roman had rushing TDs. Michael Marquez had six receptions for 93 yards and the score for Chula Vista (1-5).

Rancho Buena Vista 10, Canyon Hills 7: Van Piercy completed 11 of 15 passes for 111 yards and rushed 16 times for 99 yards and a score for RBV (3-3). Evan Fritz had one catch, but it went for 51 yards.

San Pasqual 55, Westview 21: Robert Renteria completed 17 of 25 passes for a school-record 413 yards and five touchdowns for San Pasqual (3-2). Marcus Rocha had seven catches for 153 yards and two TDs. Westview falls to 2-4.

Fallbrook 34, Santana 28: Harrison Jones threw touchdown passes to Blake Robinson and Landon Weber for Fallbrook (2-4). Robinson also returned a fumble 54 yards for a TD. Grant Hall rushed for 87 yards and a score. Mason Mendoza blocked a punt which Joell Crespin scooped up for a TD. Santana (3-2) was led by Ethan Miller, who completed 21 of 29 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns.

Vista Murrieta 38, El Camino 12: Gavin Wasserman threw for 128 yards and a touchdown for El Camino (2-3). Ryan Hamilton had a rushing TD. Kingston Filo and Aaron Garcia had sacks. Vista Murrieta is 5-0.

Steele Canyon 28, Los Angeles Dorsey 0: Nico Jara scored three touchdowns, two on pass receptions and one on a run, to lead Steele Canyon (5-0) past Dorsey (2-3). Donte Brown scooped up a short punt and raced for the other score for the Cougars.

El Capitan 16, West Hills 3: El Capitan (4-2) held West Hills (0-5) to 43 yards rushing and four yards passing. El Capitan has outscored its last four opponents 92-24.

Grossmont 36, Mira Mesa 13: Tyler Holmes rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another while A.J. Hooker amassed 189 yards on the ground and scored twice to lead Grossmont (4-1). Ryder Robinson had three sacks, Colton Burke had six tackles and a sack. Nate Clark and Jay Smith intercepted passes. Mira Mesa is 3-2.

Hilltop 57, Castle Park 6: Julian Moran scored three touchdowns to lift Hilltop (3-3) past Castle Park (1-4). Moran’s pick-six started his evening and was followed by a kickoff return for a TD and capped off by a 74-yard pass from Alejandro Carranza.

Otay Ranch 35, Olympian 31: Otay Ranch (2-4) scored with 32 seconds to play to beat Otay Ranch (5-1). Jaidon Castillo gained 63 of the 80 yards on the drive, but it was Xavier Mendez’s 2-yard pass reception from AJ Lopez that provided the victory. Olympian’s Jayden Fuentes passed for 215 yards and two TDs. Jorgani Estrada returned an interception 52 yards for a score.

San Ysidro 24, Southwest-El Centro 21: San Ysidro (4-2) equaled its fastest start in school history. Joshua Wade tossed two second-half touchdowns after Dario Garcia threw one in the first half, but it took an Eydan Coutinho 20-yard field goal with less than two minutes to play to secure the victory. Joe Johnston returned an interception 89 yards for Southwest (3-3).

Mater Dei Catholic 13, Helix 0: Jordan Dumaran rolled up 118 yards on 24 carries and Noah Cook had a big all-around game to lead Mater Dei Catholic (3-3). Cook had a 10-yard touchdown reception from Victor Voneiff. The Crusaders held Helix under 125 total yards behind Cook, who had six tackles and three sacks. Johnathon Hawthorne had an interception and two tackles for a loss. The last time Helix started the season 1-5 was 20 years ago.

Sweetwater 34, Palo Verde Valley 6: Jonathan Figueroa completed 12 of 18 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown while the Sweetwater (3-3) defense held Palo Verde (2-4) to less than 100 yards rushing. Chris Corpus had 11 carries for 66 yards and a TD. Zane Willis had 11 carries for 66 yards and a TD. Abdul Osman caught seven passes for 66 yards for another six points.

Bonita Vista 7, Crawford 6: Kenneth Watson scored on a 14-yard run and Diego De La Fuente booted the extra point as Bonita Vista (2-4) beat Crawford (1-4). Cole Margets had two interceptions while Charlie Finch and Emiliano Ituarte each picked off a pass for the Barons.

Imperial 61, Valley Center 28: Santonio Urena completed 19 of 25 passes for 343 yards and six touchdowns for Imperial (6-0). Gio Robles caught seven passes for 177 yards and three TDs. Mario Gaxiola had seven grabs for 110 yards and a score while TJ Ruiz and Anthony Hellum added TD receptions. Gaxiola added an 86-yard pick six and Hellum chipped in a 79-yard kickoff return for a score. Valley Center is 1-5.

Central Union 35, La Quinta 29 (OT): Josh Garcia picked up a fumble and raced for the winning score in overtime as Central (6-0) topped La Quinta (4-1). Matthew Lizaola forced the fumble. Luis Jimenez was 6 of 10 passing for 110 yards and a TD to Emiliano Morales, who had 107 yards on three receptions.

Holtville 48, Escondido 6: Enrique Armas rushed for 217 yards on 10 carries, scoring twice to lead Holtville (4-1) past Escondido (2-3). Armas also had a pass reception for 11 yards and a TD. Alonso Cuevas completed 6 of 11 for 78 yards and a TD. Andre Gonzalez rushed four times for 50 yards and scored twice. Asael Miranda returned a kickoff 81 yards for a TD.

Calipatria 68, Clairemont 56: For Clairemont (1-5), Kellen Morton completed 18 of 28 passes for 414 yards and six touchdowns covering 30, 41, 12, 27, 2 and 55 yards. Tyler Allen scored four TDs, including kickoff returns of 83 and 81 yards. Bradley Eby caught eight passes for 209 yards including TDs of 30, 27 and 55 yards. Calipatria is 3-2.

Point Loma 37, La Jolla 7: Romeo Carter scored four touchdowns, two on interception returns covering 55 and 40 yards. Carter’s other TDs came on pass receptions. He caught three passes for 70 yards. Owen Ice intercepted two passes. Wade Mettler caught three passes for 77 yards and a TD. Braden Lane carried 13 times for 80 yards. Point Loma improved to 5-0. La Jolla is 3-2.

Scripps Ranch 36, Ramona 24: Malachi Sayles rushed for 201 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead Scripps Ranch (4-2). Parker Armstrong completed 15 of 22 passes for 151 yards and a TD to Jackson Rochet. Rochet also made 10 tackles. Ramona is 2-4.

Hoover 42, Vista 0: Hez Manuel completed 16 of 20 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns for Hoover (3-2). He also carried 11 times for 109 yards and a TD. Noah Contreras had nine tackles, including five sacks, and a forced fumble. Vista is 0-6.

Kearny 14, Southwest-San Diego 0: Chauncy Venero returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown for Kearny (3-2). Makai Nguyen tossed an 80-yard touchdown pass to Matieu Reeves Shoaf. Michael Clark forced a fumble and recovered it. Southwest San Diego is 3-3.

Mission Bay 21, Montgomery 20: Trey Arnold threw two touchdown passes, one each to Mason Morgan and Collin Scott, for Mission Bay, which is 6-0 for the first time since 2015. Nestor Bautista had a rushing TD. Montgomery (4-2) scored with about two minutes to play to pull to within 21-20. The Aztecs opted to go for the 2-point conversion but the run was stopped.

Coronado 63, Mar Vista 7: Jack O’Sullivan completed 18 of 21 passes for 278 yards and four touchdowns for Coronado (3-2). Spencer Reiderson caught four passes for 115 yards and a TD. Reese Pagon caught five passes for 98 yards and three TDs. Chase Jenkins rushed three times for 53 yards and two TDs, plus had seven tackles. The 63 points were the most Coronado has scored since beating Mountain Empire 65-12 in 2019. Mar Vista is 3-3.

Calabasas Viewpoint 55, Foothills Christian 12

Patrick Henry 48, Mt. Carmel 16

Madison 30, Christian 28

Calipatria 68, Clairemont 50