The 2024 high school football regular season has concluded, the Metro Conference has determined its three league champions and the San Diego Section has employed its newest playoff formula to determine the teams that will go on to battle for division championships.
It’s bold new territory for the 10 South County qualifiers — eight from the Metro Conference — in six of the eight divisions and likely a bold finish to the season.
“I think there’s going to be some upsets because the divisions are balanced this year,” said Montgomery High School head coach Freddy Dunkle, whose Metro-South Bay League champion Aztecs received the No. 8 seed in the Division IV field.
Admittedly, the new playoff format does offer a more level playing field though it includes three winless teams (0-10) in the brackets.
The Metro Conference has teams moving on to post-season play in four divisions:
- Metro-Mesa League champion Mater Dei Catholic (7-3) received the No. 2 seed among Division II teams and has a bye to the quarterfinal round. The Crusaders, riding a seven-game winning streak, will meet the winner of Friday’s first-round match-up between No. 7 Bishop’s (6-3) and No. 10 Mt. Carmel (6-4).
- Eastlake received the No. 5 seed among Division III teams and will host No. 12 Army-Navy Academy (8-2) in the opening round on Friday while Metro-Mesa League rival Otay Ranch received the No. 9 seed in the same field and will travel to No. 8 Patrick Henry (6-4) for a first-round game on Friday. The winners advance to the division quarterfinals against No. 1 Central Union (7-3).
- Chula Vista (No. 7 seed), Metro-South Bay League champion Montgomery (No. 8 seed) and Sweetwater (No. 11 seed) all have first-round games on Friday in the Division IV bracket. Chula Vista (4-6) will host No. 10 Classical Academy (6-4) while Montgomery (7-3) will host No. 9 Calexico (6-4). Sweetwater (5-5) will have a road game at No. 6 Mira Mesa (0-10).
Two teams qualified in Division V: Bonita Vista (5-5) as the No. 2 seed and Metro-Pacific League champion Mar Vista (4-6) as the No. 11 seed. Bonita Vista has a bye to the quarterfinals and will play either No. 7 seed Santana (6-4) or No. 10 seed Kearny (7-3) while Mar Vista will begin its championship quest on the road at No. 6 West Hills (5-5).
Victory Christian Academy (3-6) secured the No. 5 seed in the Division V-AA field and will kick off its playoff fortunes at No. 4 Maranatha Christian (7-3) in quarterfinal action on Friday.
Ocean View Christian Academy will represent South County in the eight-person playoffs after receiving the No. 6 seed. The Patriots (5-2) finished third in the six-deep Ocean League standings and will open the playoffs with a quarterfinal-round pairing at No. 3 Calvin Christian (5-3) on Friday.
Top seeds in the nine championship divisions (eight-person and 11-person) include Lincoln (Open Division), San Marcos (Division I), University City (Division II), Central Union (Division III), Ramona (Division IV), Vista (Division V), Calipatria (Division V-AA) and St. Joseph Academy (Division VI).
All five Metro-Mesa League teams made the playoffs while two of the Metro-South Bay League teams did so and only one of the four teams in the Metro-Pacific League.
St. Augustine, Mira Mesa and Fallbrook all finished regular season play 0-10 yet all qualified for the playoffs based on the CalPreps rankings model.
There are just two undefeated 10-0 teams entering the playoffs: La Costa Canyon (No. 2 in the Open Division) and Holtville (No. 2 in Division III).
So, how do the local teams stack up?
Mater Dei Catholic is the highest-ranked South County team and appears on a roll with a seven-game winning streak and an extra-week to fine-tune itself for what could be a deep playoff run.
“We’re very excited to head into the playoffs and have a shot to show what this team is capable of,” Mater Dei Catholic head coach Rashard Cook said. “The San Diego Section has done a great job making each division very competitive this year. The format is balanced, which gives every team a fair shot to compete. Our players and coaching staff have prepared all season for this, and we feel ready to face the challenges that await.
“To succeed in our division, we’ll need to keep our discipline on both sides of the ball. It’s all about staying sharp, executing our game plan, and adapting quickly to what our opponents throw at us. Defense will be key, and we need to maintain a high level of intensity to make each stop count. Offensively, controlling the ball and staying composed under pressure will be critical. Our team has a lot of heart, and if we play with that, we can go far.”
The Crusaders are not short on exceptional players who will play significant roles in leading the team’s post-season fortunes.
“Isaiah Cook (senior receiver/cornerback) and Matt Carr (senior receiver/linebacker/defensive back) have been a consistent force on both defense and offense,” the elder Cook said. “Their explosiveness and instincts as a defensive back, and versatility to make plays as a wide receiver, give us a real edge. Kartel Purvis (senior) has been instrumental as our quarterback. With his arm and ability to make plays with his legs, he’s capable of turning any game around.
“Nik Edwards (junior offensive/defensive lineman) brings toughness and athleticism to the offensive line along with freshman sensation Paula Latu and Johnny Gonzalez (senior), which is exactly what we need in the trenches.
“Javon Jackson (junior free safety/receiver), Caron Scott (junior free safety), Noah Cook (junior middle linebacker) on defense have all stepped up this season. The trio of running backs Jordan Dumaran (junior running back/outside linebacker), Gael Aguilar (senior running back/outside linebacker) and Jeremiah King (senior running back/outside linebacker) give us great options.”
Purvis has passed for 2,193 yards and 27 touchdowns against just four interceptions on the season. Cook has 816 receiving yards to his credit and 10 touchdowns while Carr has 561 receiving yards and seven TD catches.
Dumaran has rushed for 495 yards and scored five touchdowns while King has scored four rushing touchdowns.
The Crusaders ended regular season play with a 47-14 league victory at Sweetwater. Purvis passed for 241 yards and three touchdowns while King scored two rushing touchdowns.
The visitors out-gained the hosts 536-412 in total yards.
“We’re carrying a lot of positive momentum into the playoffs,” the Mater Dei Catholic coach said. “Our team has worked hard all season to build chemistry and confidence. We’re coming in off some strong performances, and I think the guys understand what’s at stake. They’re hungry to prove themselves, and that hunger is our biggest advantage right now. We’re looking forward to seeing what this group can accomplish.”
Otay Ranch coach Brad Burton is looking for his team to regain the touch it had on a mid-season five-game winning streak.
“The new format is an improvement over the old, where teams were placed in predetermined divisions prior to the season,” he said. “The breakdown of teams appears equitable.
“We need to find ourselves on offense after losing our top two QBs to injury. Senior wideout Johnnie Welborne has stepped in and has had success and, with a bye week in Week 11, has been able to process and embrace the QB position and the entire offense. The defense, led by Joey Brinkman, David Smith and Prince John Dumaran, and special teams will need to generate some big plays.”
“This year we are extremely excited to be able to compete for a Division 4 championship,” Sweetwater coach Brandon Burris said. “This is a step up from last season when we were competing in Division 5. We know we have to play a discipline brand of football to be able to meet our end goal of being champions.
“Our senior quarterback and first team all-league player Zaryan Crews will play a huge role in any success we are blessed to have this postseason. He has the experience of going all the way to the state championship game last season after winning a Division 5 San Diego Section title. We have played a tough league schedule which I believe has prepared us for the difficult road ahead of us, having the potential of playing all road games if we are able to advance further.”
Crews scored both touchdowns for the Red Devils in the regular season finale against Mater Dei Catholic, gaining 186 yards on 25 carries. He has rushed for 1,386 yards and scored 12 rushing touchdowns this season.
“I don’t mind the playoff format,” Dunkle acknowledged. “I would add a win minimum if we had to adjust anything. We have to be disciplined and win the turnover battle if we want to be successful in the playoffs. We are currently on a winning streak but any given Friday …”
Freshman Isaiah Mena-Malijan passed for 271 yards and four touchdowns in last Friday’s 35-10 win at Hilltop. The Aztecs trailed 10-7 aft halftime but rallied with 28 unanswered second-half points.
Senior Zantez Thomas caught three passes — all touchdowns — for 131 yards, including a 75-yard bomb.
Mena-Malijan rushed six times for 30 yards with one TD to have a hand in all five Montgomery scores on the night.
Eastlake, with a 1-6 record at one point this season, enters the playoffs suddenly riding a three-game winning streak thanks to last Friday’s 24-21 win over the visiting Chula Vista Spartans.
Senior William Schmitz rushed 19 times for 227 yards with two touchdowns while senior Kingston Schaaf scored one rushing touchdown and junior Jake Naiman collected six kicking points, including a 35-yard field goal.
The Spartans will have to shake a five-game losing streak to get back in the win column to start a playoff run.
Seniors La’Darrione Perkins (25 carries, 89 yards) and Elijah Gillespie (four catches, 55 yards) and junior Isaiah Heard (five carries, 32 yards) all scored TDs for Chula Vista.
Raiders bumped from playoffs but retain rights to rivalry trophy
Though both the Southwest Raiders and San Ysidro Cougars high school football teams did not qualify for this year’s San Diego Section playoffs, they did close out regular season play last Friday with a very meaningful game — the Battle for the Shovel rivalry trophy.
The Raiders successfully defended the Shovel with a 34-21 Metro-Pacific League victory.
Sophomore quarterback Leo Holguin, back in the lineup for Southwest, completed 22 of 37 passing attempts for 295 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Senior Jordan Cretain had six pass receptions for 111 yards with three touchdowns while recording an interception, forced fumble and two tackles on defense.
Senior Jaylen Garcia had five carries for 59 yards and one touchdown while making four catches for 24 yards. He also had an interception and three tackles on defense.
Senior Conner Davis had four catches for 42 yards and one touchdown while gaining 69 rushing yards on 16 carries.
Also of note, senior Dylan Garcia recorded 1.5 sacks while senior Jorge Gastelum had four tackles, a half sack and fumble recovery. Senior Nery Gomez had three catches for 76 yards.
San Ysidro junior Dario Garcia passed for 267 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for 71 yards on eight carries. Senior Jonathan Brown Williams had eight catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns while senior Gabriel Roque had four catches for 81 yards and one touchdown.
Both teams gained chunks of yards in the rivalry tilt — 499 for Southwest and 360 for Southwest.
Metro Conference
Football Standings
Regular Season
Metro-Mesa League
League/Overall
Mater Dei Catholic 4-0 7-3
Eastlake 3-1 4-6
Otay Ranch 2-2 5-5
Sweetwater 1-3 5-5
Chula Vista 0-4 4-6
Metro-South Bay League
League/Overall
Montgomery 3-0 7-3
Bonita Vista 2-1 5-5
Olympian 1-2 3-7
Hilltop 0-3 4-6
Metro-Pacific League
League/Overall
Mar Vista 3-0 4-6
Southwest 2-1 5-5
San Ysidro 1-2 3-7
Castle Park 0-3 2-8
