The San Diego Section tackle football playoffs are down to the semifinals with three Metro Conference teams still in contention for coveted division titles.
The survivors through the quarterfinal round include the No. 2-seeded Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders (Division II), eighth-seeded Montgomery Aztecs (Division IV) and No. 2-seeded Bonita Vista Barons (Division V).
Metro-Mesa League champion Mater Dei Catholic (8-3) will host the third-seeded Helix Highlanders (5-6) in Friday’s semifinal, starting at 7 p.m. The Crusaders are riding an eight-game winning streak, including a 47-14 win over No. 7 Bishop’s (7-4) in last Friday’s quarterfinals, while the Highlanders are coming off a 41-25 win over No. 6 La Jolla (7-5) last Friday.
The winner advances to the Division II championship game Friday, Nov. 29, at Southwestern College at 7:30 p.m. The Mater Dei Catholic-Helix winner will face the winner between No. 1 University City (10-1) and No. 4 Poway (4-7).
University City eliminated No. 8 Christian (9-3) by a 41-28 score in the preceding quarterfinals while Poway ended the season for No. 5 Point Loma (6-6) with a 28-7 quarterfinal win.
“We are excited to continue our season,” Mater Dei Catholic head coach Rashard Cook said. “We are also aware of the challenge that Helix will present. We have great momentum offensively and defensively. We need to keep playing our brand of football and stay focused on the task at hand, which is stop the running game from Helix and win all three phases of the game.”
Senior quarterback Kartell Purvis unleashed a near-perfect performance with 11 for 13 passing, 249 yards and five touchdowns for a 164.3 quarterback rating. Sophomore Julian Cromartie and junior Larell Parker each caught two scoring passes while junior Mekhi Oluwa had one touchdown reception.
The Crusaders also added two rushing scores from junior Jordan Dumaran and senior Jeremiah King.
On defense, senior Isaiah Cook had a 60-yard interception while senior Matt Carr, beneficiary of a 55-yard pass from Purvis, recovered a fumble.
Senior Pablo Jackson rushed for 275 yards and four touchdowns, including a 66-yard scamper, while senior Harlem Harris uncorked a 78-yard scoring pass to senior Jett Gottlieb to pace Helix past La Jolla.
“Our team played with great physicality last Friday,” Helix coach Damaja Jones said. “We have been playing our best football in the last few weeks. I’m proud how we compete and stay engaged throughout the season.
“We are going to play a tough opponent this week. Our plan will be similar on how to win. We must win two out three phases of the game and we must limit turnovers and try to create some. We also need to lean into our identity.”
Montgomery 28, Ramona 7
Metro-South Bay League champion Montgomery (9-3) recorded one of the biggest upsets in the quarterfinals with a 28-7 conquest of No. 1 Ramona. The Aztecs will stay on the road at the No. 5 Westview Wolverines (5-7) this Friday. The Wolverines defeated No. 4 Mission Bay (3-8) by a score of 18-14 in the quarterfinals to advance.
The Montgomery-Westview winner will face either No. 2 El Capitan (8-3) or No. 3 Grossmont (5-6) in the Division IV championship game Friday, Nov. 29, at Southwestern College (3 p.m. kickoff).
El Capitan eliminated No. 7 Chula Vista (5-7) by a 44-13 score in the quarterfinals while Grossmont dumped No. 6 Mira Mesa (1-11) by a 49-24 score from this year’s playoff tournament.
Montgomery used three rushing touchdowns — two by junior Mikey Silva — and a fumble recovery for a touchdown by junior John Ingram to sideline the top-seeded Bulldogs.
Silva rushed for 84 yards on 18 carries while freshman Gassim Williams gained 43 yards on five carries. Frosh quarterback Isaiah Mena-Malijan scored one rushing touchdown while passing for 75 yards.
Senior Zantez Thomas had four catches for 51 yards while junior Andie Deanda had two catches for 34 yards to help key the offense.
“The team made some second-half adjustments offensively for 21 unanswered points and the defense created four turnovers,” Aztec head coach Freddy Dunkle said. “To continue playing we can’t beat ourselves with penalties and turnovers. We have to play smart and together.”
Ingram had two fumble recoveries for 52 yards while senior Marcus Trujillo added a 54-yard interception on defense. Senior Royal Iapala also recorded one sack while junior Viliamu Trollinger caused a fumble.
Trollinger led the visitors with 12 tackles while senior Amio Fox had 11 stops.
The Montgomery defense limited Ramona to 139 rushing yards and 10 passing yards.
Bonita Vista 14, Santana 0
Bonita Vista, the Metro-South Bay League runner-up with a 6-5 overall record, will host the No. 3 Crawford Colts (6-5) in Friday’s semifinal tilt after eliminating the No. 7 Santana Sultans (7-5) by a 14-0 shutout in last Friday’s quarterfinals. Crawford dispensed with No. 6 West Hills (6-6) last Friday by a score of 21-14 to advance.
The Bonita Vista-Crawford winner will meet the semifinal winner between No. 1 Vista (4-7) and No. 12 Monte Vista (7-5) in the Division V championship game Saturday, Nov. 30, at noon at Southwestern College.
Monte Vista upset No. 4 Hoover (6-5) in a high-scoring game, 47-46, in the quarterfinals while Vista out-lasted No. 8 Coronado (6-6) by a 14-11 score.
Bonita Vista defeated Crawford, 17-7, on Sept. 27. But the playoffs could bring a different result if the Barons are not in tip-top health. In the game against Santana, the hosts lost the services of senior rushing leader Kenneth Jordan very early in the contest but had just enough in reserve to nudge past the Sultans, 33-18 winners over 10th-seeded Kearny (7-4) in the opening round.
The Barons took a 7-0 lead on a blocked field goal attempt in the second quarter. After senior D.K. Roberson made the block, senior Diego Lopez picked up the loose ball and ran 90 yards the other way unscathed for a defensive touchdown. Senior quarterback Isayah Luna connected with sophomore Nate Lindquist on a wide-open catch in the end zone later in the quarter.
Lindquist (39 rushing yards, 39 receiving yards) later left the game with an injury and the hosts hunkered down with defense to preserve the playoff win.
The Barons out-gained the visitors 191-183 in total yards in the low-scoring game.
Jordan, who rushed for 205 yards with one touchdown in the regular season win over the Colts, was limited to five carries for 15 yards in the game. In Jordan’s absence, senior Abel Meza rushed eight times for 70 yards.
Senior Kaedyn Hallman rushed 21 times for 87 yards and junior Caleb Carnes had six carries for 48 yards to lead Santana, which kept the score close via interceptions by senior Noah Qualin and junior Maddox Esoo. Hallman keyed all players in the game with 104 all-purpose yards.
The Sultans only gained 25 yards in the passing department.
“It was really important for us to perform well on special teams, offense and defense,” BV senior kicker Richie Rojas said.
Local teams ending their seasons in last Friday’s quarterfinals included the No. 5-seeded Eastlake Titans (Division III) and No. 7-seeded Chula Vista Spartans (Division IV). The Titans (5-7) lost 34-13 at No. 4 San Pasqual (6-5).
Senior signal-caller Izaac Baca passed for 166 yards and two scores — one each to senior Elijah Gillespie and sophomore Gabriel Ruiz — in the loss to the Vaqueros. as the Spartans, held to 35 rushing yards, finished their season 5-7.
Eastern exposure
Grossmont Conference teams still in contention for coveted division titles.
The survivors through the quarterfinal round include the No. 3-seeded Granite Hills Eagles (Division I), third-seeded Helix Charter Highlanders (Division II), No. 2-seeded El Capitan Vaqueros (Division IV), No. 3-seedced Grossmont Foothillers (Division IV) and No. 12-seeded Monte Vista Monarchs (Division V).
Yes, that is not a misprint. The 12th-seeded Monarchs did indeed pull off one of the biggest upsets so far in the playoffs after eliminating the fourth-seeded Hoover Cardinals, 47-46, in a high-scoring affair last Friday.
Monte Vista (7-5) advances to meet No. 1 Vista (4-7) in Friday’s semifinals. Can the Monarchs keep their upset train rolling to advance to the championship round?
“As far as I know, we are the first 12 seed to advance to the semis,” veteran Monarch coach Ron Hamamoto said. “With two one-point victories, our players keep fighting until the end.”
Senior Alex Villanueva controlled the line of scrimmage with 43 carries for 365 yards and six touchdowns as the Spring Valley visitors racked up 468 total yards in offense.
Senior Sir Autry keyed Hoover (6-5) with 1,621 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns in a pairing of the section’s top two rushers.
“Alex thanked the team and his offensive line after the game as he has now more than 2,000 yards rushing and 40 touchdowns to lead the county,” the coach said.
Vista edged No. 8 Coronado (6-6) by a score of 14-11 in last Friday’s quarterfinals to advance.
“Vista is a very good team and the No. 1 seed in the tournament,” Hamamoto said. “We have a very tough opponent this week.”
There were some stunning upsets in the quarterfinals, including No. 7 St. Augustine (2-10) eliminating previously undefeated Holtville (10-1) in Division III and No. 8 Montgomery (9-3) taking down No. 1 Ramona (2-9) in Division IV.
The “wow” factor: After going through the regular season 0-10, the Saints have now won their opening two playoff games, including last Friday’s matchup at No. 2 Holtville by a gritty 10-6 score.
The Aztecs toppled the host Bulldogs by a whopping 28-7 margin.
East County is assured of at least one CIF finalist with second-seeded El Capitan (8-3) hosting third-seeded Grossmont (5-6) in Friday’s semifinal with the winner advancing to the Division IV championship game against either fifth-seeded Westview (5-7) or No. 8 Montgomery.
El Capitan 44, Chula Vista 13
The Grossmont Valley League champion Vaqueros lost to visiting Chula Vista in the third week of the season but didn’t let the Spartans — fresh off a 55-16 first-round playoff win over No. 10 Classical Academy — get past them in the season rematch.
Senior quarterback Brandt Barker completed 10 of 16 passing attempts for 163 yards and three touchdowns while the running game was equally strong with three rushing touchdowns. Barker hit three receivers for one touchdown apiece: senior Ayden Banegas (six catches, 102 yards), sophomore Michael Valencia (two catches, 32 yards) and sophomore Braiden Linder (one catch, 18 yards).
Senior Brady Joralemon rushed 12 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns while junior Brody Copps had two carries for 13 yards and one touchdown. The Vaqueros out-gained the Spartans 255-35 in rushing yards, 418-201 in total offensive yards.
Junior Brewin Ford totaled 11 tackles on defense while senior Lukas Garcia had 10 stops. Senior Aaron Altamirano had one interception for 32 yards.
Senior Brayden Ford kicked a 30-yard field goal to finish the game with eight kicking points.
Senior Elijah Gillespie (three catches, 27 yards) and sophomore Gabriel Ruiz (two catches, 43 yards) each caught one touchdown pass for the visitors.
El Capitan and Chula Vista had taken somewhat divergent paths since their early season meeting. The Vaqueros are riding a current serven-game winning streak while the Spartans lost five of their next eight games, including five consecutive losses.
“We just came out and had a complete game versus Chula Vista,” El Capitan head coach Ron Burner said. It was a hard-fought game but in the end we just outplayed them. Honestly, I do not think they thought we would be this good.
“Grossmont will be a huge challenge as they have one of the most prolific offenses in the county led by a great quarterback. Our offense will have to be ready to try to grind through the game and hopefully keep their offense off the field as much as possible.
Grossmont 49, Mira Mesa 24
The Foothillers pulled up short in last year’s Division III championship game and will looking to claim this year’s Division IV title.
Grossmont finished fourth deep in the Grossmont Hills League standings but possess one of the section’s top offenses, particularly in the passing department. Senior Thomas Donovan kept pace with 315 passing yards and four touchdowns, including a pair to junior Noah Walker (13 catches, 230 yards). Senior Joshua Herber had seven catches for 54 yards and one touchdown while junior Kenneth Krause had four catches for 10 yards and one TD.
The Foothillers can also run the football as junior Damar Smith had 20 carries for 152 yards and two touchdowns while sophomore Alek Hooker had seven carries for 27 yards and one score.
“I thought the defense played one of their best games of the season with turnovers and big fourth down stops — they played hard and physical all night,” Grossmont coach Anthony Lawrence said. “Drew Sasena (10 tackles), Jonah Yost, Gage Weichelt (seven tackles), Andrew Montano and Ryder Robinson all played great and had big games.
“Offensively, we ran the ball really well led by Jay Smith. Tommy Donovan threw it well and Noah Walker had a massive game. Josh Herber and Kenny Krause also contributed with big touchdowns and conversion catches.”
Smith and Sasena (junior) each had one sack on defense while Yost (sophomore) had one interception.
Waiting in the wings, Westview upset No. 4 Mission Bay (3-8) by a score of 18-14 in the quarterfinals.
Granite Hills 31, Torrey Pines 19
The Grossmont Hills League champion Eagles won last year’s Open Division title and are vying to win this year’s Division I title as an encore. Granite Hills (9-2) got off to solid footing following a first-round bye with the home field win over the No. 6 Falcons (5-7).
The Eagles advance to meet the second-seeded Carlsbad Lancers (8-3) in Friday’s semifinals. The winner moves onto the Division I championship game against either top-seeded San Marcos (10-1) or fourth-seeded El Camino (6-5).
El Camino earned its wings with a 43-27 win over fifth-seeded Mt. Miguel (9-3) in last Friday’s quarterfinals while San Marcos blew out ninth-seeded Del Norte (7-5) by a score of 35-7.
Granite Hills coach Kellan Cobbs called the Eagles’ win over the perennial section power Torrey Pines “a good team win.”
“We started slow on both sides of the ball on Friday but made some adjustments and kids started making some plays,” Cobbs said as the hosts pulled away in the second half.
Sophomore Zac Benitez passed for 95 yards and two touchdowns — both to senior Brenden Lewis (13 catches, 85 yards) — while senior Max Turner rushed for 120 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore Gage Spalding tacked on 46 yards and one touchdown while Lewis finished the game with 127 all-purpose yards with an additional 42 yards in kick returns.
Senior Parker Vance had an interception on defense.
Granite defeated host Carlsbad in last year’s Open Division semifinals.
“Carlsbad is well coached and have some big bodies on both sides of the line,” Cobbs assessed. “We will need to establish the line of scrimmage on defense and rally to the football. Offensively, we will need to have a balanced attack to put up points. Their defense is only allowing 11 points per game, so it will be critical to create some explosive plays.”
Helix 41, La Jolla 25
The host Highlanders (5-6) began their CIF championship odyssey with a key win over No. 6 La Jolla (7-5) in last Friday’s quarterfinals. Senior Pablo Jackson rushed for 275 yards and four touchdowns, including a 66-yard scamper, while senior Harlem Harris uncorked a 78-yard scoring pass to senior Jett Gottlieb.
The Highlanders travel to No. 2 Mater Dei Catholic (8-2) for Friday’s semifinal matchup. The host Crusaders are on eight-game winning streak.
“Our team played with great physicality last Friday,” Helix coach Damaja Jones said. “We have been playing our best football in the last few weeks. I’m proud how we compete and stay engaged throughout the season.
“We are going to play a tough opponent this week. Our plan will be similar on how to win. We must win two out three phases of the game and we must limit turnovers and try to create some. We also need to lean into our identity.”
Teams ending their seasons included No. 8 Christian (9-3) in a 41-28 Division II loss to No. 1 University City (10-1), No. 6 West Hills (6-6) in a 21-14 loss to No. 3 Crawford (6-5) and No 7 Santana (7-5) in a 14-0 loss at No. 2 Bonita Vista (6-5), both in Division V.
