Six San Diego Section football teams — all newly crowned division champions — entered last weekend’s Southern California regional championship games with the bead on playing for a state championship.
Three survived to do just that, including a pair of East County squads.
Division IV section El Capitan defeated Victorville Silverado, 33-19, to capture the Division 5-AA regional title while Division V section champion Monte Vista defeated Pasadena, 41-21, to claim the Division 6-A regional title.
The Lincoln Hornets, the section’s unanimous No. 1 high school football team on the season, recorded an epic 34-27 win over previously undefeated Newbury Park (14-1) in the marquee Division 1-AA regional despite trailing by 13 points entering the fourth quarter.
Winning teams received championship plaques and a ticket to this weekend’s state championship games.
Lincoln (11-2) will play NorCal regional champion Pittsburg (12-2) Friday at 8 p.m. at Saddleback College. The Pirates are coming off a thrilling 28-27 win over Folsom (12-2) in the NorCal regional final.
El Capitan and Monte Vista will play end their seasons at Fullerton Union High School Stadium. El Capitan (11-3) will meet NorCal regional champion Carmel (14-0) Friday at 8 p.m. while Monte Vista (10-5) will test NorCal champion Tuolumne Summerville (13-1) Saturday at 3 p.m.
El Capitan, this year’s Grossmont Valley League champion, is riding the wave of a 10-game winning streak while Monte Vista, the Grossmont Valley League runner-up, has won six consecutive games.
Carmel defeated Lafayette Acalanes, 42-41, to win the NorCal regional while Summerville topped Atherton Sacred Heart Prep, 45-28.
Three other section teams ended their respective seasons in last weekend’s regionals.
Division I section champion Granite Hills (11-3) dropped a highly competitive 34-28 Division 1-A matchup at Huntington Beach Edison (11-4) on Saturday while Division II section champion Poway (6-8) lost, 28-14, to visiting Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep (13-1), in a Division 3-A encounter also on Saturday.
Division III section champion St. Augustine (4-11) fell, 28-7, in a Division 4-A clash at Downey St. Pius X-St. Matthias (6-9) on Saturday.
In state finals. Edison will meet Fresno Central (12-2) while Rio Hondo Prep will tackle Fairfield Vanden (12-2). St. Pius X-St. Matthias will play NorCal regional champion Sonora (12-2) for the state title.
“The kids just have been playing their tails off — flying around on defense and making huge play after huge play,” El Capitan head coach Ron Burner said. “The offense has been steady and scoring points for the most part every game on the 10-game streak.
“We came out and I believe shocked Silverado at how fast we were and how fast our backers were. The offense just took advantage of opportunities they gave us. What I am most proud of is we were without our No. 1 back (Brady Joralemon) for the last two games and the guys found a way to make it happen.
“We are facing a very tough opponent in Carmel Padres —they have been averaging 45 points a game and are on a 14- game winning streak.
“We have really improved since the beginning of the season,” Monte Vista head coach Ron Hamamoto said. “Our defense starts with all juniors except two seniors and one sophomore. They have come a long way and are making plays. We have an experienced offensive line that continues to make holes for Alex Villanueva to rush for over 3,000 yards this season.
“Summerville is 13-1 and a very good team. Hopefully, it will be a great game.”
Feel the sting
Lincoln has had some great teams in the past, and great athletes such as USC alumnus Marcus Allen (16 years in the NFL with 145 career touchdowns, primarily with the Los Angeles Raiders) and Cal State Fullerton alumnus Damon Allen (23 years as a quarterback in the Canadian Football League), but many are calling this year’s team the best ever. The Hornets are certainly the best team in San Diego this season, bar none.
Head coach David Dunn pointed to so much adversity his team had to overcome to be the best. Lincoln had to relocate its home games to Southwestern College after the Hornets’ field was deemed unplayable. Practices were also off campus at Logan Memorial Education Center.
Lincoln responded with a 6-0 home field record at DeVore Stadium.
It was an added bonus for South County fans who got to see the Hornets take on some of the top teams in the Southern California region as well as the City Conference’s Western League.
Lincoln received the No. 1 seed in the Open Division playoffs and held off fourth-seeded Mission Hills, on a last-second defensive play in overtime, to earn a repeat trip to the championship game at Snapdragon Stadium on Nov. 23.
The Hornets were disappointed in last year’s final by Granite Hills on a last-second fumble but erased that heartbreak with a rousing 31-13 win over third-seeded Cathedral Catholic (9-2).
Sophomore Cam Joy (three-yard run), senior Joshua Newbern (15-yard catch) and sophomore Courtney Miller-Thompson (14-yard catch) each scored touchdowns in the Hornets’ speechless fourth-quarter rally to win. Senior Akili Smith Jr. had the TD passes.
Hanging 10
The Vaqueros started the season 1-3 and are now playing for a state championship. Everything seems to be coming together at the right time.
But patience is always appreciated.
Reminiscent of the team’s section championship game, the Vaqueros dominated the first half but had few points to show for it on the scoreboard. Senior quarterback Brandt Barker scored on as six-yard run to push the Lakeside squad to a 7-0 halftime lead.
The Vaqueros left points on the field after recovering a blocked punt at the five-yard line but senior Brayden Ford hit the upright on a 21-yard field goal attempt.
El Capitan came back with 26 points in the second half.
Barker finished the game with 308 passing yards and two touchdowns — 243 yards and both touchdowns came in the second half. Sophomore Michael Valencia caught four passes for 134 yards and one score while senior Ayden Banegas had four catches for 79 yards and one TD.
Junior Brody Copp rushed 13 times for 35 yards with one touchdown.
Besides the scoring plays, junior Logan Dulyea caught a 58-yard pass late in the game.
The teams combined for 45 points in the second half. Silverado tried to keep pace with 19 points.
The Vaqueros led 14-0 following a 56-yard scoring pass from Barker to Valencia. Silverado got back in the game on an 85-yard kick-off return by senior Sire Foster.
The hosts shot ahead 24-7 with 10 unanswered points on a 20-yard pass from Barker to Banegas and a 27-yard field goal by Ford.
The El Capitan defense had to contend with Silverado senior quarterback Jace Weiss, who entered the game with 2,998 passing tards and 37 touchdowns. Weiss finished the game with 228 passing yards and two touchdowns — both to senior Jamani Tharpe (four catches, 86 yards).
Tharpe made the score 24-13 on a 16-yard strike for Weiss. But the Vaqueros once again rolled up 10 more points on a 35-yard field goal by Ford and a five-yard scoring run by Copp.
33-13 El Capitan.
Weiss closed out scoring with a 43-yard TD to Tharpe.
Vaquero players said Silverado was one of the best teams they have played this season. The state championship game rates to bring the competition up a level.
Lion’s mane
Senior Alex Villanueva essentially proved to be a one-man wrecking crew with 242 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the Monarchs’ 38-20 win over Bonita Vista in this year’s San Diego Section Division V championship game. His teammates came to the rescue of the section’s career rushing leader (3,151 yards) with four much-needed touchdowns in the regional playoff to advance to the state championship game.
Villanueva did rush for 145 yards and scored two touchdowns in Saturday’s game but junior quarterback Derrick Taylor rose to the occasion with 235 yards while rushing for three scores while also passing for another.
Junior Rahshawn Florence had five catches for 206 yards to help extend the chains.
Ball control proved to be a top order for the hosts. Villanueva capped a 16-play, 80-yard drive that took 8:12 off the clock with a three-yard run.
Pasadena quickly came back through the air on a 36-yard pass from sophomore Dutch Burbidge to senior C.J. Solis-Lumar (12 catches, 180 yards) to level the teams at a touchdown apiece.
Photos by Jon Bigornia
The Monarchs followed with another 80-yard drive to go in front, 14-7, as Taylor connected with senior Andrew Barka on a 24-yard pass play. They then came back with a 10-play drive to move in front 21-7 at halftime on a one-yard scoring run by Taylor.
Monte Vista opened the second half with another one-yard run by Taylor to jump on top 27-7.
The Bulldogs made it a game with 14 unanswered points on a pair of 70- and 58-yard scoring passes from Burbidge to junior Anthony Fields (five catches, 161 yards) to tighten the score to 27-21 entering the final quarter.
The Monarchs roared back with 14 unanswered points to punch their ticket to the state championship game.
Taylor scored his third touchdown of the game on a one-yard run to push the hosts ahead 34-21. Villanueva, who Pasadena had tried to contain most of the game by stacking the line of scrimmage, made his presence felt on defense with a 97-yard interception return to negate a Bulldogs scoring threat.
Villanueva weaved his way across the field to score his second touchdown of the game — and the game-clincher.
In the trenches
Granite Hills won a state championship two years ago but was stalled in the quest to get there again, though just barely.
Eagles head coach Kellan Cobbs called the season-ending setback to Edison a “tough loss.”
“We let things get away from us in the second quarter, but the kids did a heck of a job battling back and making it a competitive game in the second half,” Cobbs said. “We got the ball back with just over four minutes and had a chance. Unfortunately, we came up a little short. The kids battled all year. We have a ton coming back, so we hope can build off this for next year.”
Like Lincoln, Granite had to battle back from a sizable deficit. The Eagles trailed the Chargers, 27-7, before storming back to make it a one score game at the end.
Senior Max Turner, voted the KUSI-TV Prep Pigskin Report’s Offensive Player of the Year, led the sizzling comeback with three rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown. The Grossmont Hills League champions made it 27-14 when Turner passed 44 yards to junior Tristan Diaz with 8:30 to play in the game.
Turner scored on two more one-yard runs to add to a first-half score.
Senior Parker Vance, who was nominated for the PPR’s Defensive Player of the Year, recovered a fumble with 9:16 to play and caught a 26-yard pass on the next play to set up Turner’s third TD of the game.
The Eagles challenged to win the game with a last-minute drive before sophomore quarterback Zac Benitez had a fourth-down pass tipped and intercepted by Edison.
Turner finished the 2024 season with 32 rushing touchdowns.
The Division 4-A regional paired St. Augustine (0-10 in the regular season) against St. Pius X-St. Matthias (1-9 in the regular season). Both teams caught fire in the playoffs, but the Warriors (6-9) proved the hotter team in the head-to-head matchup.
St. Pius X-St. Matthias led 21-0 on an interception return midway through the third quarter. Saints sophomore Pai Polamalu averted a shutout by scoring on a three-yard touchdown run with eight seconds left in the game.
Poway looked invincible in the Division II section final against a Mater Dei Catholic team that had won nine games in a row. But the Titans were brought back to earth by Rio Hondo, which held a 321-204 edge in total yards and carried a 28-7 lead into the final minutes.
Poway junior Luke Jorgensen (13 carries, 45 yards) scored one rushing touchdown while senior Colin McCann (four catches, 36 yards) scored once on a receiving touchdown.
Junior Noah Penunuri keyed the Kares with 169 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
