Any story lines on the 2023-24 winter sports season must include the 20-0 start by the Olympian High School boys basketball team, the 12-1 start by the Montgomery High School boys hoops team, 8-0 start by the Southwest High School boys basketball team and the 10-0 start by the Sweetwater High School girls soccer team.
That’s a lot of winning, and it continued throughout the season.
That success, as well as that by other teams, is reflected in the seeding for this year’s divisional playoffs.
Hooping it up
Metro-Mesa League champion Montgomery (26-2) received the No. 3 seed in the boys basketball Open Division field while Metro-Mesa League champion Bonita Vista (14-12) received the No. 6 seed in the girls basketball Open Division bracket.
Olympian (24-3) received the No. 1 seed in the Division III boys basketball field while Southwest (25-2) received the No. 1 seed in the Division IV boys hoops bracket.
Metro-South Bay League co-champion Montgomery (17-11) received the No. 1 seed in the Division III girls basketball field while Metro-South Bay League champion Victory Christian Academy (18-9) received the No. 2 seed in the Division II boys basketball field.
Additionally, Metro-South Bay League co-champion Victory Christian Academy (19-6) received the No. 3 seed in the Division II girls hoops bracket.
Summit League champion High Tech High Chula Vista (21-4) received the No. 3 seed in the Division IV boys basketball bracket while Sweetwater (9-14) received the No. 4 seed in the Division V girls basketball bracket.
Mater Dei Catholic (16-12) received the No. 6 seed among Division I boys basketball teams while Eastlake (16-12) received the No. 6 seed among Division II boys basketball teams.
Ocean View Christian Academy (10-5) received the No. 5 seed in the Division V-AA girls basketball field while Metro-Pacific League champion Hilltop (19-9) received the No. 7 seed in the Division IV girls basketball field.
Castle Park (10-16) received the No. 7 seed in the Division V boys basketball field, followed by No. 8 Chula Vista (8-17) and No. 9 Bayfront Charter (14-8).
Rounding out the contingent of local teams in the boys basketball playoffs are No. 12 Bonita Vista (14-14), No. 13. Otay Ranch (10-18) and No. 16 San Ysidro (6-22) in Division I; No. 11 Mar Vista (10-13) and No. 15 Sweetwater (11-13) in Division IV; and No. 11 San Diego Academy (8-8) and No. 10 Ocean View Christian Academy (7-12) in Division V-AA.
Rounding out the contingent of local teams in the girls basketball playoffs are No. 8 Olympian (13-14), No. 10 Mater Dei Catholic (10-15) and No. 11 Eastlake (14-14) in Division I; No. 9 Otay Ranch (15-9) in Division II; No. 9 Bayfront Charter (14-11), No. 14 Southwest (9-10) and No. 16 Mar Vista) in Division IV; No. 9 Castle Park (7-20) and No. 11 High Tech High Chula Vista (6-12) in Division V and No. 8 San Diego Academy (6-12) in Division V-AA.
Chula Vista Learning Community Charter (2-13) received a berth in Monday’s Division V-AA play-in game against San Pasqual Academy (2-7). The winner enters the field as the No. 12 seed.
Eastlake spoiled Olympian’s perfect start with a 59-58 overtime win on Jan. 24. Michael Martin scored the game-winning basket with five seconds to play to put an end to the Eagles’ 20-game winning streak. (section rank??)
Victory Christian Academy then promptly handed Olympian its second consecutive league loss, 66-63, on Jan. 26.
The Montgomery boys team, keyed by four underclassmen starters, wrapped up an undefeated league season with a 95-19 win against visiting San Ysidro last Friday. The Aztecs led 46-0 at halftime. Five players scored in double-digits for the Otay Mesa team: senior David Soto (19 points), junior Jaden Cannon (18 points), junior Devin Hamilton (16 points) and junior Xair Mendez (10 points).
Entering the playoffs, junior J.J. Sanchez paces Montgomery with an average of 20.5 points per game, followed by Hamilton (13.5 ppg), Mendez (13.2 ppg) and junior Alek Sanchez (9.6 ppg).
The Southwest boys team wrapped up an undefeated league season with an 88-49 win at Chula Vista on Feb. 7.
Veteran coach Steve Selland said he thought the Raiders, who take a 16-game winning streak into the playoffs, would have a good team this season.
“They prepared with great dedication in the off-season and became older, bigger and stronger,” Selland explained. “Getting Aaron Rosillo back after he missed last season has really solidified our defense and given us a strong inside presence inside — something that was lacking last year. Although he is still slowed by the major injury of a year ago, he has still performed quite well, averaging 12 points a game and really been a good senior leader.
“Of course, our biggest threat to score is senior Xavier Gonzalez, who is averaging 20 points a game, with a high of 42 this season. He was named league MVP and has vastly improved his all-around game as he finishes his high school career.
Rosillo and sophomore Noah Soltero were named to the first team all-league. Soltero has also greatly improved; he averages 13 points a game.
“Junior point guard Brandon Borja controls the tempo of the game for us and is quite invaluable to us in that position. He was recognized for second team all-league honors.”
Southwest won back-to-back CIF championships in 2018 (Division V) and 2019 (Division IV). The Raiders advanced to the state semifinals both years.
“It has been an enjoyable experience coaching this team. We pass the ball quite well, sharing the ball, everybody playing together as a team on offense and we are very well connected on defense. Defense has been one of our strong areas. The defensive efficiency has been there almost every night.”
The Raiders last lost, 73-68, in overtime to San Dieguito Academy on Dec. 20.
Photos by Phillip Brents
Olympian was chasing the section record of 49 consecutive wins by Helix High School from 1968-70 with its 20-0 start. They nearly set a new standard for Metro Conference teams. Sweetwater, under coach Jess Aguirre, notched 28 consecutive wins in 2013-24. Chula Vista, under Mike Collins, recorded 23 wins from 1992-93.
Top performers for the Eagles this season include freshman Tristan Anderson with 16.2 points per game, sophomore Sammell Humphries with 23.3 ppg and sophomore Jordan Walker with 10.2 ppg.
HTH- CV finished 8-0 in league play. Top players helping the Bruins nail down an automatic playoff berth include senior center Ethan Diaz, senior shooting guard Nic Farwell and junior point-guard Max Lazo.
HTH-CV remains a young team. “Of my five seniors, two are starters,” fiftrh-year coach Rod Pitel said. “The remaining players are freshmen and sophomores,” Pitel said.
Pitel said the team has exceeded expectations so far. “We have a more committed team, more disciplined team,” he said. “The program is growing. This has led to a more solid team.”
On the girls side, the reigning Division III champion Lady Aztecs look to repeat behind sophomore Paula Zumstein (17.0 ppg) and senior Genivieve Whitehead (16.1 ppg).
Whitehead poured in 22 points while Zumstein dropped in 18 points in last Friday’s 76-40 win at Chula Vista to close out regular season play and clinch a league co-championship.
As an Open Division team, Bonita Vista will be guaranteed a berth in the state playoffs. The Lady Barons went five rounds deep in last year’s Division II state playoffs with a runner-up finish to the Central Grizzlies in the state championship game.
“Our defense is our offense,” said BV head coach Tristan Lamb, whose team is averaging 57 points per game while allowing 49 points per game. “We like to pounce on takeaways and turn them into easy baskets.”
Scoring leaders for Bonita Vista include senior Maliya Wilson (19.6 ppg) and freshman Bayanai Cordova (14.2 ppg). Wilson also tops the team with 7.7 rebounds per game while Haydee Aranciba-Hardwick is next at 7.0 rpg. Cordova is averaging 3.1 steals per game while Wilson is averaging 3.0 steals per game. Cordova is also on top with 3.0 assists per game.
The Lady Barons wrapped up league play 6-0 after defeating visiting Mater Dei Catholic, 56-43, on Feb. 9. Wilson poured in 25 points in the regular season-ending victory while Arancibia-Hardwick collected nine rebounds.
Getting their kicks
Sweetwater and Point Loma boys teams met for last year’s Division I championship. But that will not happen this season with the Red Devils recording a 2-15-4 regular season record, No. 11 seed, and an early exit in the opening round.
The teams did meet twice in regular season play — a 0-0 draw on Nov. 28 and a 2-1 SuHi home win on Jan. 5.
However, Sweetwater went on to finish 0-8 in Metro-Mesa League play (with five one-goal setbacks). The Devils were also dinged with four forfeit losses.
Point Loma, battling injuries, finished regular season 6-8-5, 3-2-3 in City Western League play, and received the No. 7 seed.
The Pointers began this year’s playoff run on Tuesday with a 3-1 win over 10th-seeded San Ysidro while the Red Devils’ season ended with a 4-0 loss at No. 6 Rancho Bernardo
SuHi lost, 4-0, at sixth-seeded Rancho Bernardo.
Despite Sweetwater’s exit from post-season play, the playoff picture still looks bright for area sides.
San Diego Section Soccer Playoffs
Metro Conference Playoff Qualifiers
Boys Teams
Open Division: 6. Southwest (15-2-2), 8. Eastlake (10-6-3)
Division I: 10. San Ysidro (5-11-3), 11. Sweetwater (2-15-4)
Division II: 4. Hilltop (12-4-4)
Division III: 6. Olympian (16-4-6)
Division IV: 3. Mater Dei Catholic (10-4-2), 9. Otay Ranch (7-9-8)
Division V: 2. Castle Park (11-4-5), 9. Mar Vista (4-10-2), 10. High Tech High Chula Vista (8-7-4) 11. Bayfront Charter (7-9-4)
Division V-AA: 10. Victory Christian Academy (4-11-2)
Girls Teams
Open Division: 2. Eastlake (15-3-2)
Division I: 3. Mater Dei Catholic (7-4-4), 5. Bonita Vista (6-9-3)
Division II: 6. Olympian (9-6-6)
Division III: Chula Vista Learning Community Charter (15-2-2), Montgomery (7-8-4), play-in for no. 12 seed
Division IV: 5. Sweetwater (18-3-3), 9. Chula Vista (7-11-4), 11. San Ysidro (7-13-1)
Division V: 2. Mar Vista (14-6-2), 8. Castle Park (5-14-1),
Eastlake’s girls team appears to be blessed at both ends of the field: offense (56 goals) and defense (12 shutouts).
The Lady Titans have out-scored opponents 56-13 this season and enter the playoffs with a four-game winning streak after finishing Metro-Mesa League play with a 6-0-2 mark.
Top performers include EHS scoring senior Mia Lane with 29 goals and 58 points in 15 games. She’s followed on the scoresheet by junior Sophia May with eight goals and senior Ashley Mekatreian with five assists.
Sweetwater had its 10-game winning streak snapped with a 5-0 non-league loss to visiting Santa Fe Christian on Jan. 3, but promptly rebounded with a 5-0-2 showing in their next seven matches. The Lady Red Devils secured a second-place finish in the Metro-Pacific League standings at 3-1-2.
Sweetwater has outscored foes 113-16 this season, recording 13 goals in its season opening win. Senior Camila Mendoza tops the National City team with 44 goals and 11 assists for 99 points. Senior Alina Sandoval has tallied 60 points on 20 goals and 20 assists.
The Lady Devils have notched 14 shutouts in 24 games.
SAN DIEGO SECTION PLAYOFF LOG
Boys Basketball
First Round
Wednesday, Feb. 14
Division I
(1) Santa Fe Christian 78, (16) San Ysidro 44
(4) El Camino 81, (13) Otay Ranch 66
(5) Hoover 65, (12) Bonita Vista 37
(11) Lincoln 65, (6) Mater Dei Catholic
Division II
(2) Victory Christian Academy 91, (15) Coronado 54
(6) Eastlake 69, (11) Helix 49
Division III
(1) Olympian 81, (16) Mission Vista 35
Division IV
(1) Southwest 67, (16) Santana 55
(2) Mt. Miguel 76, (15) Sweetwater 57
(3) High Tech High-Chula Vista 62, (14) Palo Verde 44
(6) Fallbrook 75, (11) Mar Vista 37
Division V
(6) Southern California Yeshiva 40, (11) San Diego Academy 29
(7) Castle Park 53, (10) Mountain Empire 33
(8) Chula Vista 43, (9) Bayfront Charter 36
Girls Basketball
Quarterfinals
Open Division
(6) Bonita Vista at (3) Westview
First Round
Tuesday, Feb. 13
Division I
(6) Oceanside 47, (11) Eastlake 35
(7) San Marcos 46, (10) Mater Dei Catholic 44
(8) Olympian 50, (9) Carlsbad 49
Division II
(3) Victory Christian Academy 53, (14) Coronado 9
(5) Helix 53, (9) Otay Ranch 33
Division III
(1) Montgomery 80, (16) Valley Center 40
Division IV
(1) La Jolla 57, (16) Mar Vista 30
(3) Madison 46, (14) Southwest 23
(8) Canyon Crest Academy 60, (9) Bayfront Charter 34
(10) Horizon Prep 29, (7) Hilltop 28
Division V
(4) Sweetwater, bye
(6) Southwest El Centro 58, (11) High Tech High-Chula Vista 16
(8) Del Lago Academy 39, (9) Castle Park 22
Division V-AA
(5) Ocean View Christian Academy 37, (12) San Pasqual Academy 12
(8) San Diego Academy 34, (9) Borrego Springs 12
Boys Soccer
First Round
Tuesday, Feb. 13
Open Division
(1) St. Augustine 5, (8) Eastlake 0
(3) Del Norte 4, (6) Southwest 0
Division I
(6) Rancho Bernardo 4, (11) Sweetwater 0
(7) Pt. Loma 3, (10) San Ysidro 0
Division II
(4) Hilltop, bye
Division III
(6) Olympian 6, (11) Valley Center 1
Division IV
(3) Mater Dei Catholic, bye
(9) Otay Ranch 3, (80 Imperial 0
Division V
(2) Castle Park, bye
(6) Madison 0, (11) Bayfront Charter 0 (Madison wins 4-2 KFM)
(7) Vincent Memorial 2, (10) High Tech High-Chula Vista 0
(9) Mar Vista 5, (8) High Tech High-Mesa 2
Division V-AA
(7) West Shores 6, (10) Victory Christian Academy 2
Girls Soccer
Open Division
(2) Eastlake 6, (7) West Hills 1
Division I
(3) Mater Dei Catholic, bye
(5) Bonita Vista 3, (12) Sage Creek 0
Division II
(6) Olympian 5, (11) Santana 3
Division IV
(5) Sweetwater 7, (12) Hoover 1
(6) Canyon Hills 5, (11) San Ysidro 1
(9) Chula Vista 1, (8) Brawley 0
Division V
Quarterfinals
Saturday, Feb. 17
(8) Castle Park at (1) O’Farrell Charter
(7) Lincoln at (2) Mar Vista
