Three East County high school football teams will compete for coveted San Diego Section divisional championships this weekend at Southwestern College. The postseason field began with 12 local pigskin teams and was pared down further through last Friday’s semifinals.
Granite Hills (Division I), Steele Canyon (Division II) and Christian (Division III) are the survivors seeking one more winning round to continue their seasons in the regional state playoffs.
Second-seeded Granite Hills (9-3) will contend for its fourth consecutive division banner when it engages the top-seeded Lincoln Hornets (10-2) Saturday, Nov. 29, at 7:30 p.m. The game is a rematch of the 2023 Open Division final captured by the Eagles, 27-26, on the last play of the game at Snapdragon Stadium.
Along the way, Granite Hills has claimed one Open Division title, one Division I title and one Division II championship.
The Eagles defeated the third-seeded Mt. Miguel Matadors (8-4) by a score of 52-30 in last Friday’s semis while Lincoln scored a 49-35 comeback win over fourth-seeded San Marcos (7-5).
Second-seeded Steele Canyon (9-3) defeated 11th-seeded San Diego (7-6) by a score of 21-7 last Friday to take on top-seeded Santa Fe Christian (12-0) in Friday’s Division II final at 7 p.m. Santa Fe Christian remains the section’s lone undefeated team after dispatching 12th-seeded Scripps Ranch (7-6) by a score of 34-20 in the semifinals.
Sixth-seeded Christian (6-7) has played the upset card thus far in this year’s playoffs. The Patriots defeated 11th-seeded Brawley (2-9) in the opening round, 37-16, then upset thirdseeded Ramona (5-6) by a score of 31-28 in overtime before toppling second-seeded Army-Navy Academy (9-2) by a score of 20- 17 in the semifinals. Christian will take on topseeded
Central Union (10-2) in Saturday’s Division III final at 3:30 p.m. Central Union eliminated fourth-seeded University City (6-6) by a score of 44-42 in last Friday’s semifinal round.
Other division finalists include third-seeded Valley Center (6-6) versus fifth-seeded Eastlake (7-6) in Division IV and ninth-seeded Hoover (7-6) versus second-seeded Morse (8- 4) in Division V. Third-seeded Monte Vista (6-6) had its season end with a 50-12 loss at Morse in a bid to defend its Division V championship while Metro-Mesa League runner-up Eastlake will continue its upset run through the division against after sending top-seeded Westview (7-5) to the sideline via a 21-17 semifinal win.
Valley Center eliminated 10th-seeded La Jolla Country Day (6-7) by a 42-35 score in the other side of the Division IV bracket after the Torres had eliminated second-seeded El Capitan (4-7) in the preceding quarterfinals.
Hoover has upset three higher- seeded teams this far: No. 8 Escondido (30-28 in the opening round), top-seeded Sweetwater (52-49 in the quarterfinals) and fourth-seeded Canyon Hills (7- 5) by a tight 10-6 score in the semifinals.
Granite Hills received points from seven players, including a pair of rushing touchdowns from junior Gage Spalding, TD runs by juniors Seth Rodriguez and Zachary Benitez and TD receptions by seniors Tristan Diaz and Isaiah Rodriguez, a 32-yard field goal by junior Jacob Nunez and an interception return for a touchdown by senior Braydon Wells.
The Eagles snapped an early 7-7 standoff with a 38-7 scoring edge, including 17 unanswered points, to lead 45-14.
“We just wanted to pound it home on them,” Spalding said. “They couldn’t stop it and we fed on that.”
The Matadors. keyed by senior Brandon Arrington’s breakaway speed, tallied 16 fourth-quarter points on touchdowns by freshman Tmarrion Williams and sophomore Jayden Stewart to add to earlier scores by sophomore Jeremiah Holliday and senior A.J. Logan.
Steele Canyon is returning to the CIF finals since winning the Division II section championship and Division 3-A State Bowl title in 2017.
A 7-0 season start pointed to something special brewing again.
Junior Gavin Caha completed 10 of 12 passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns — both to senior Jacob Henton (the first 23 yards, the second 32 yards) — while senior Abel Lopez scored on a two-yard run in Steele Canyon’s semifinal win.
Henton made five catches for 63 yards while Lopez (16 carries, 52 yards) had the bulk of the Cougars’ 105 rushing yards. Caha rushed three times for 23 yards to finish the game with 118 total yards.
Junior Luke Rode blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt and returned the ball to the 50-yard line to help set up Lopez’s 14-0 score.
Caha’s second TD pass to Henton gave the hosts a much needed two-touchdown lead.
