Players and coaches from Granite Hills of El Cajon had much to celebrate on Saturday night after winning third straight CIF San Diego Section title. Photo: @cifsds / X.com.
These final projections were completed on Saturday night after all CIF section championship games are in the books. It only takes one or two projections to not match what the CIF actually announces to mix up the games we’ve recommended as each choice acts like a ripple down through the rest of the lineup. Still, we enjoy the process and just like to see how close we came to thinking like the commissioners and the CIF’s top officials. It should be early in the afternoon on Sunday when the CIF announces its lineup.
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CIF state championship games on Dec. 13-14 will be played at Saddleback College (Mission Viejo), Veterans Stadium (Long Beach) and Fullerton Union High School District Stadium. Exact dates, times and locations will be revealed on Sunday, Dec. 8 after all of the regional winners are decided. Last season, the Open, D1AA, D1A, D2AA and D3AA championship games were all held at Saddleback College.
OPEN DIVISION
Mater Dei of Santa Ana (CIFSS D1) 12-0 vs.
De La Salle of Concord (NCS Open) 12-0
Comments: Mater Dei won its second straight CIF Southern Section D1 title on Friday night, 31-24, vs arch-rivals from St. John Bosco. De La Salle captured its 32nd straight section title last week, 10-7, over Pittsburg. That was for the CIF North Coast Section Open Division crown.
DIVISION 1-AA
Folsom (Sac-Joaquin Sec D1) 11-1* vs. Pittsburg (NCS D1) 11-2
Lincoln of San Diego (SD Open) 10-2 vs. Newbury Park (CIFSS D2) 14-0
Comments: A classic 31-28 win by Newbury Park over top seed Murrieta Valley on Saturday night not only kept its season going, but got the Panthers to 14-0 and gave them their first CIFSS title since 1993. Lincoln won the SD Section’s top divisional title the previous week, 31-13, vs Cathedral Catholic. Folsom won another SJS D1 title by blanking Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills, 41-0, on Saturday night. Pittsburg won the NCS D1 title on Friday by topping San Ramon Valley of Danville, 35-28. The Pirates are able to drop down to the D1 game after losing in the NCS open. A Folsom vs Newbury Park state final would match two of the top five (maybe even higher) junior QBs in the nation – Ryder Lyons of the Bulldogs and Brady Smigiel of the Panthers.
DIVISION 1-A
Central of Fresno (Central Sec D1AA) 11-2 vs. St. Ignatius of San Francisco (CCS Open) 10-2
Edison of Huntington Beach (CIFSS D3) vs. Granite Hills of El Cajon (SD D1) 11-2
Comments: We said after last week that Central and SI would match up well for this game and that hasn’t changed. The Grizzlies avenged an earlier loss last week with a 33-24 win vs previously unbeaten Clovis East. The Wildcats won the CCS Open Division crown with a 10-7 triumph vs St. Francis of Mountain View. Edison impressed with a 35-14 win on Friday in the CIFSS D3 championship over top seed Simi Valley and didn’t even have leading rusher Julius Gillick (out on a one-game suspension). Granite Hills was the SD Sec Open champ last year, won the CIF D2-A state title in 2022 and on Saturday night won another SD title with a 42-25 triumph against San Marcos.
DIVISION 2-AA
Grant of Sacramento (SJS D2) 10-3 vs. St. Francis of Mountain View (CCS D1) 10-3
Pacifica of Oxnard (SS D4) 9-4 vs Narbonne of Harbor City (LA City Open) 7-2*
Comments: There’s been a lot of chatter about Narbonne in the south. D3 opposite Edison would just be punitive and not based on results since Narbonne (won LA City Open title on Friday 75-31 over San Pedro) has a 49-6 loss on the field to a Los Alamitos team that Edison beat in the Sunset League. Pacifica won the CIFSS D4 title on Saturday night against league rival St. Bonaventure. The Tritons got out to a 27-0 lead at halftime but had to hold on for a 27-20 win. They also avenged an earlier loss to St. Bonaventure. Grant and St. Francis clinched their spots in different ways on Friday. The Pacers had to score with 34 seconds left to top Rocklin, 30-28, in the SJS D2 final. St. Francis was more dominant as the Lancers topped Los Gatos, 27-7, in the CCS D1 final. Similar to Pittsburg in the NCS, St. Francis is able to drop down to D1 in its section after falling in the section open final.
DIVISION 2-A
Twelve Bridges of Lincoln (SJS D4) 13-0 vs Wilcox of Santa Clara (CCS D2) 11-2
Palos Verdes of PV Estates (CIFSS D5) 9-5 vs Frontier of Bakersfield (Central Sec D1A) 9-4
Comments: We ranked McClymonds higher than Twelve Bridges in our own State TOP 50 last week, but after seeing the Raging Rhinos in person in their 55-7 victory on Friday vs Patterson in the SJS D4 championship and seeing how high the computer is ranking them, we’ll switch to them for the higher division. Wilcox is a team that got a win vs Los Gatos in league and won in its sectional game on Saturday night, 35-26, against Palma of Salinas. Palos Verdes captured the CIFSS D5 crown with a 23-7 win over last year’s CIF D2-AA state champs from La Serna of Whittier. Frontier didn’t play this week after grabbing the Central Sec D1-A title with 31-13 victory vs Bakersfield High.
DIVISION 3-AA
McClymonds of Oakland (Oakland) 8-3* vs. Amador Valley of Pleasanton (NCS D2) 8-5*
Bakersfield Christian (Central Sec D2) 11-2 vs. Murrieta Mesa of Murrieta (SS D6) 10-4
Comments: The one team in this group that won its title on Saturday was Murrieta Mesa as the Rams ground down Glendora, 17-7, to take the CIFSS D6 plaque. Bakersfield Christian won on Friday, 28-7, vs Central Valley Christian of Visalia. An Amador Valley-Mack contest would pit two teams both from the East Bay. Mack defeated Oakland, 32-7, to take the Oakland Section title. The Dons knocked off Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland on Friday, 42-18, to win the NCS D2 title. Their last losses were by one point to San Ramon Valley and in overtime to California of San Ramon.
DIVISION 3-A
Hughson (SJS D5) 13-0 vs Pleasant Valley of Chico (Northern Sec D2) 9-3
Rio Hondo Prep of Arcadia (SS D7) 12-1 vs Poway (SD Sec D2) 6-7
Comments: The win by Vanden over Oakdale in the SJS D3 championship on Saturday changes things. While Oakdale (the top seed) has a head-to-head loss to Sonora, Vanden doesn’t have the same. Hughson has a higher computer ranking than Vanden and so does Pleasant Valley so we made the change to have those two play each other. Hughson had to convert a two-pointer at the end of the game on Saturday to beat Sutter, 31-29, to win its title. Pleasant Valley played on Saturday night and beat Red Bluff, 48-21. Rio Hondo Prep with its low enrollment continued to make mince-meat of bigger schools with a 43-16 win against Warren of Downey. The Kares also won a CIFSS title for the second straight year, but this time in a higher division. Poway went 0-5 in the Avocado League (same as Carlsbad, Mission Hills, etc) but heated up in the playoffs and won the title in the same division as usual heavyweights Mater Dei Catholic of Chula Vista and Helix of La Mesa. The Titans won on Saturday, 62-24, against MD Catholic.
DIVISION 4-AA
Vanden of Fairfield (SJS D3) 11-2 vs Sonora (SJS D5) 11-2
Highland of Lancaster (CIFSS D9) 10-4 vs Coalinga (Central Sec D4) 14-0
Comments: Highland slugged it out for a 14-13 win on Saturday night vs Long Beach Wilson. Coalinga became the first team in the state this season to reach 14-0 with a 34-33 win on Friday vs Shafter. Yes, we would still have the Central Sec D4 winner ahead of the D3 winner (Kerman) based on being 14-0 and being higher in the computer rankings. In the north, Vanden upended top-seed Oakdale to take the SJS D3 title with a 49-35 victory. Sonora knocked off top seed Bradshaw Christian (also was 12-0 coming in) by a 23-20 score on Friday.
St. Vincent de Paul players show off CIF North Coast Section championship awards after their win on Saturday vs Sonoma Valley. Photo: @SVHS_FB / X.com.
DIVISION 4-A
Carmel (CCS D3) 13-0 vs. Acalanes of Lafayette (NCS D3) 10-3
Kerman (Central Sec D3) 12-2 vs St. Pius X-St. Matthias of Downey (SS D8) 5-9
Comments: While we have been placing Carmel higher than Hughson and Sonora in our small school state rankings, the MaxPreps/CalPreps computer has the Padres a lot lower and that likely will be the same despite a 62-35 victory on Friday vs Aptos for the CCS D3 title. For these projections, we’ll now have Carmel opposite Acalanes. The CIF D3-AA champs from last year got onto the NorCal board once again on Friday with a 20-17 triumph vs their rivals from Campolindo of Moraga. Kerman won its first-ever section title on Friday by topping Madera, 42-28, under head coach Damon Jenkins (a former Concord De La Salle player). In the CIFSS D8 final, St. Pius X-St. Matthias knocked off Serrano of Phelan to complete a crazy, competitive equity run. The 38-19 win only improved the team’s record to 5-9, which included an 0-8 start.
DIVISION 5-AA
St. Vincent de Paul of Petaluma (NCS D5) 12-1 vs American Canyon (NCS D4) 11-2
Silverado of Victorville (CIFSS D10) 9-5 vs St. Augustine of San Diego (SD D3) 4-10
Comments: Previously unbeaten Sonoma Valley (12-0) was no match for St. Vincent de Paul on Saturday night as the Mustangs posted an overwhelming 51-7 victory. American Canyon won the NCS D4 title with a 35-28 triumph against Redwood of Larkspur. St. Vincent could actually be higher than McClymonds and others based on its computer ranking, but to us that’s just too high for the small school based on all factors. Silverado took out higher seeded St. Anthony of Long Beach, 30-14, on Saturday night to win its title. It was more of a slog for St. Augustine further south as Saints got past higher seeded San Pasqual of Escondido, 13-7. Yes, the team that went 0-10 in the regular season is still alive to win a CIF state title in one of these lower, competitive equity driven divisions.
DIVISION 5-A
Winters (Northern Sec D4) 11-0* vs. Arcata (NCS D6) 12-1
Portola of Irvine (CIFSS D11) 8-6 vs. El Capitan of Lakeside (SD D4) 10-3
Comments: We have seen that CIFSS D12 champ Palmdale now has a much higher computer ranking than CIFSS D11 champ Portola, but generally don’t see the CIF altering its order of teams from the CIFSS unless there’s even more evidence to do that. Portola won its first-ever CIFSS title on Friday with a 31-14 win vs El Rancho of Pico Rivera. El Cap was a favored team that won as the Vaqueros beat Westview of San Diego, 17-7, in the SD Section D4 final. We had Winters and Arcata in this division before and their computer rankings are quite close together. Winters already had clinched its spot one week earlier. Arcata took on Miramonte of Orinda on Friday and came out with a 28-21 win.
DIVISION 6-AA
Summerville of Tuolomne (SJS D7) 12-1 vs. Lassen of Susanville (Northern Sec D3) 10-3
Palmdale (CIFSS D12) 9-5 vs King/Drew of Los Angeles (LA City D1) 10-4*
Comments: Summerville ventured over to Stockton St. Mary’s on Saturday afternoon and won a section title with a 38-12 win vs Stone Ridge Christian of Merced. We now have the Bears opposite the Lassen Grizzlies, who played on Saturday night and got past Orland, 49-35. As mentioned earlier, we wouldn’t be surprised if the CIF moved up Palmdale in front of some other CIFSS champions based on its computer ranking. The Falcons raised their trophy after knocking off Carter of Rialto on Saturday, 45-43. King/Drew, meanwhile, won its first-ever section title by outscoring Palisades of Pacific Palisades, 56-35.
DIVISION 6-A
Moreau Catholic of Hayward (NCS D7) 9-4 vs. Sacred Heart Prep of Atherton (CCS D5) 7-6
Selma (Central Sec D5) 9-5 vs. Pasadena (CIFSS D13) 8-6
Comments: It was quite a game between Moreau Catholic and Ferndale on Saturday night, but the host Crusaders held on for a 21-19 win to claim their section title. Due to geography, it also was easy to have Moreau opposite Sacred Heart Prep. The Gators won their title with a 21-19 victory on Saturday vs Burlingame. There’s no way around some travel between one of the Central Section teams and others further to the south. Selma to Pasadena would be a haul, but that’s the one we have. The Bears won their section title on Friday, 32-28, over Morro Bay. The Bulldogs took out higher seeded Gahr of Cerritos, 21-17, on Saturday night.
DIVISION 7-AA
Leland of San Jose (CCS D5) 10-3 vs. Balboa of San Francisco (SF Sec) 7-5
Monte Vista of Spring Valley (SD D5) 8-5 vs. Chatsworth (LA City D2) 9-5
Comments: Chatsworth stunned South Gate, 38-36, earlier on Saturday to win its section title in the final seconds. South Gate had a 36-33 lead and took a safety with one second left. On the ensuing kick, however, disaster struck as the ball wasn’t kicked that far and rolled out of bounds for a 15-yard penalty. That was all the Chancellors needed to kick a game-winning 32-yard field goal. Monte Vista RB Alex Villanueva, meanwhile, went past 3,000 yards rushing for the season to lead the Monarchs past Bonita Vista of Chula Vista, 38-20. In the north, Leland won the CCS D5 title on Saturday with a 27-21 win against Sequoia of Redwood City. Balboa won the annual Turkey Day game last Thursday at Kezar Stadium and avenged an earlier loss with a 23-7 victory vs Lincoln.
DIVISION 7-A
Lindsay (Central Sec D6) 9-5 vs Los Molinos (Northern Sec D5) 8-5
Panorama of Panorama City (LA City D3) 8-6 vs Pioneer of Whittier (CIFSS D14) 9-5
Comments: In the end, we still have five from the Central Section in the south and two in the north and just don’t see any from the middle to lower divisions going north. Lindsay won its section title on Friday by blanking Mira Monte of Bakersfield, 28-0. The Cardinals will go from one state rushing leader to another as Harrison Hamre of Los Molinos could be next. His team won last Wednesday night, 32-25, over Maxwell. Panorama ended the hopes of old school Van Nuys from winning an L.A. City title with a 38-29 win. Also on Saturday, Pioneer won the first CIFSS title in school history by downing San Gabriel, 13-6.
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