San Diego Football Teams Enter Southern california Regional Playoffs with Championship Dreams
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Six San Diego Section football teams are poised to compete for state championships after receiving bids to the Southern California Regional playoffs, announced Sunday afternoon. Despite boasting remarkable regular season records, several teams face challenging matchups against opponents with equally strong credentials, setting the stage for a thrilling postseason run. The winners of the SoCal Regional games will advance to the CIF State Football Championships on December 12 and 13.
Division 1-AA: Cathedral Catholic Faces Tough Road Test
Cathedral Catholic (10-2), the Open division champion, will travel to face Mater dei (12-0) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Division 1-AA regional. Mater Dei, ranked no. 1 in the nation, presents a formidable challenge.Cathedral Catholic, lead by dual-threat quarterback Colin Creason, previously defeated Granite Hills 49-42 in September.
Division 1-A: Granite Hills Welcomes High-Powered Offense
Granite hills (10-3), the Division 1 champion, will host oxnard Pacifica (14-0) at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Division 1-A matchup. This game promises an offensive showcase, with both teams favoring the passing game. pacifica quarterback Taylor Lee, a junior, has been especially prolific, throwing for 3,557 yards and 49 touchdowns against only 10 interceptions, supported by three receivers with 10 or more receiving touchdowns. Granite Hills will counter with their own standout junior quarterback, Zac Benitez, a three-year starter who has thrown for 3,674 yards and 39 touchdowns with nine interceptions. Granite Hills coach Kellen Cobbs was still celebrating his team’s 41-29 comeback win against Lincoln, where thay overcame an early 14-0 deficit. “I’m not going to lie: I looked and said, ‘Oh (darn), this could get out of hand pretty quickly,'” Cobbs admitted. “But I told the guys if we got within a score by halftime, we’d win the football game.”
Division 2-A: Santa fe Christian Battles Undefeated Rio Hondo Prep
Undefeated Santa Fe Christian (13-0) will put their perfect record on the line against Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep (14-0) at 6 p.m. Saturday at Carlsbad High in the Division 2-A regional. This matchup features two small-school programs, with SFC having an enrollment of nearly 420 and Rio Hondo Prep even smaller at around 135 students. SFC coach jon Wallace expressed confidence in his team’s ability to compete. “Our kids will battle,” he stated.
Remaining San Diego Section Matchups
Several other San Diego Section teams will also compete in the Southern California regional playoffs:
- Christian (7-7) will visit Cerritos Valley Christian (11-3) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Division 5-AA regional, benefiting from an injury to Valley Christian’s starting quarterback, Graham Lunzer. According to Christian coach Patrick Bugg, “I feel for ’em…But for us, it’ll definitely be an advantage.”
- Valley Center (7-6) will host Moreno Valley Valley View (9-5) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Division 6-AA regional, needing to contain Valley View quarterback Jesse Vega, who has passed for 1,570 yards and 17 touchdowns and rushed for 1,273 yards and 18 scores.
- Morse (9-4) will face Simi Valley Grace (11-3) at 6 p.m. Saturday at Moorpark College in the Division 6-A regional, where Morse’s defense will be tested against Grace’s potent offensive trio of Riley Williams, jake Williams, and Landon Cooper.
The Southern California Regional playoffs promise exciting football action as these San Diego Section teams strive to reach the CIF State Football Championships and claim a state title.
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