The Union-Tribune’s John Maffei picks the winners of this weekend’s CIF San Diego Section high school football championships. 

When: Friday and Saturday

Where: Southwestern College

Parking: $20

Tickets: $17 plus fees for adults; $10 plus fees for students and seniors through GoFan.co. or at the Southwestern College box office. Children under 5 are free. Credit and debit cards only. All tickets are general admission.

Streaming: NFHS Network

At stake: Winners advance to the Southern California Regionals, with pairings announced Sunday.

Division 1: (2) Granite Hills (10-2) vs. (1) San Marcos (11-1)

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Preview: Granite Hills is ranked No. 40 in the state after a 22-16 semifinal win over Carlsbad. The Eagles will be shooting for their third straight San Diego Section title, winning Division 2 in 2022 and edging Lincoln last season for the Open Division crown. Zac Benitez has thrown for 2,049 yards and 26 TDs while completing 67.3% of his 263 passes. Max Turner has rushed 210 times for 1,686 yards and 24 TDs. Gage Spalding has 67 carries for 408 yards. Brenden Lewis has caught 60 passes. Trevor Smith leads the defense with 101 tackles and five interceptions. Parker Vance has a San Diego Section-leading eight interceptions, including the game-winning pick against Carlsbad. Linebacker Brayden Wells has 70 tackles. … San Marcos, ranked No. 36 in the state after a 28-14 win over El Camino in the semifinals last week, attacks through the air. Kreet Makihele has thrown for 3,224 yards and 42 TDs while completing 70.1% of his passes. Jace Nix, who has committed to San Jose State, has 47 catches for 925 yards and 14 TDs. The five-pronged receiver attack also includes CJ Williams (14 catches for 400 yards), Caleb Reese (35 catches for 690 yards), Colton Willard (24 catches for 494 yards) and Brady Pohl (35 receptions for 418 yards). Williams and Reece also play defense. Tight end Elijah Bechtel also plays defense and has 80 tackles. Ty Sagaser has 50 tackles and 10 sacks. The Knights’ only loss is to crosstown rival Mission Hills (17-14). Granite Hills’ losses are to Cathedral Catholic (52-6) and Gilbert (Ariz.) Perry (39-21). There are three common opponents. Granite Hills beat Mission Hills (28-17), Mater Dei Catholic (56-28) and Torrey Pines (31-19). San Marcos lost to Mission Hills (17-14) and beat Mater Dei Catholic (58-14) and Torrey Pines (20-19).

Prediction: Granite Hills 31, San Marcos 28

Division 2: (4) Poway (5-7) vs. (2) Mater Dei Catholic (9-3)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Preview: Poway, ranked No. 131 in the state, lost six in a row before beating Point Loma (28-7) in the CIF quarterfinals and University City (63-27) in the semifinals, setting a school record for points scored in a game. The Titans scored nine TDs — six on offense, two on defense and one on special teams. Ty Hurst has thrown for 2,073 yards with 18 TDs and nine interceptions, completing 54.1% of his passes. Luke Jorgensen has 1,023 rushing yards and 16 TDs. Colin McCann has 36 catches for 607 yards and 10 TDs while Gabe Menck has 25 catches for 407 yards. Oliver Vera tops the defense with 66 tackles, Marko Kirovski has 63 tackles and Peter Wiedeman has 58. The Titans have outscored their opponents 308-291. … Mater Dei Catholic, ranked No. 112 in the state, lost to Cathedral Catholic (56-28), Granite Hills (56-28) and San Marcos (58-14) to start the season. The Crusaders haven’t lost since, winning nine in a row and outscoring those teams 342-126. Kartell Purvis has thrown for 2,604 yards and 34 TDs while completing 68.2% of his 230 passes. Matt Carr and Isaiah Cook both average better than 20 yards per catch. Larell Parker has 43 catches. The Crusaders have two good running backs in Gael Aguilar (627 yards) and Jordan Dumaran (555 yards). Noah Cook leads the defense with 94 tackles; fellow linebacker Diego Mendoza has 54.

Prediction: Mater Dei Catholic 35, Poway 27

Division 3: (7) St. Augustine (3-10) vs. (4) San Pasqual

When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday

Preview: St. Augustine, ranked No. 282 in the state, is the defending San Diego Section Division 1 champion. The Saints were 0-10 this season before beating La Jolla Country Day (16-0), Holtville (10-6) and San Diego (20-14) in the playoffs. Vincent Smith has thrown just 104 passes for 397 yards. Caelyb Aguirre has 160 carries for 625 yards. Sophomore Pai Polamalu has emerged as the team leader, playing both ways. He has 1,079 yards rushing, receiving and returns and, playing defense, has 125 tackles. Defensive back Charlie Berkley has 74 tackles and 463 yards on offense. Jonathon Sanchez has 67 tackles and 5 1/2 sacks. The Saints have been outscored 322-130. … San Pasqual started the season losing its first four and was 1-5 after six games. The Eagles, ranked No. 286 in the state, have now won six in a row, beating Eastlake (34-13) and No. 1-seeded Central Union (30-23 in OT) in the playoffs. Once a midline, triple-option offense, San Pasqual is now led by QB Robert Renteria, who has thrown for 1,905 yards and 18 TDs. He also leads the team with 486 rushing yards. The Eagles have rushed for just 1,192 yards, but have 19 rushing TDs. Marcos Rocha has 59 catches for 1,076 yards and 11 TDs. Landon Lockwood leads the defense with 127 tackles and five interceptions. Kaleo Bartolome has 69 tackles.

Prediction: San Pasqual 30, St. Augustine 21

Division 4: (5) Westview (5-7) vs. (2) El Capitan (9-3)

When: 3 p.m. Friday

Preview: Westview, ranked No. 472 in the state, has playoff wins over Vincent Memorial (23-12), Mission Bay (18-14) and Montgomery (19-14). The Wolverines had lost three in a row before the start of the playoffs. Mason Walsh is the leader, throwing for 1,173 yards and completing 59.5% of his passes, He’s also a running threat with 394 yards and 11 TDs, including two in each of the last two games. He also has 41 tackles. Langdon Mullica has 733 yards rushing and receiving. Aiden Chen is the top receiver with 23 catches. Defensive lineman Mateo Bresenden is a force with 63 tackles and 20 1/2 sacks. Linebacker Alexander Loveless has 78 tackles while Lukas Ho-sing-loy has 71. … El Capitan, ranked No. 353 in the state, has won eight in a row, beating Chula Vista (44-13) and Grossmont (35-14) in the playoffs. Brandt Barker, who has 2,1166 passing yards and 24 TDs, is the leader. He has completed 56.2% of his passes. Brady Joralememon has 121 carries for 766 yards and 10 TDs. Ayden Benegas has 56 catches, while Michael Valencia has 33. Aaron Altamirano heads the defense that has allowed just 148 points all season. He has 120 tackles. Linebacker Lukas Garcia has 89 tackles. There is one common opponent: Westview beat Montgomery 19-14, while El Cap beat Montgomery 14-6.

Prediction: El Capitan 31, Westview 17

Division 5: (12) Monte Vista (8-5) vs. (2) Bonita Vista (7-5)

When: Noon Saturday

Preview: Monte Vista, ranked No. 645 in the state, was the last team to get in the playoffs and is the lowest-seeded team alive in any division. The offense revolves around Alexander Villanueva, who has rushed 332 times for 2,709 yards. He has six 200-yard games and had 365 yards against Hoover and 351 vs. Grossmont. Derrick Taylor has thrown just 90 passes for 757 yards and seven TDs. Rahshawn Florence has 32 catches for 717 yards. The Monarchs have won four in a row, beating Fallbrook (34-33), Hoover (46-46) and No. 1-seeded Vista (34-14) in the playoffs. … Bonita Vista, ranked No. 587 in the state, has also won four in a row, beating Santana (14-0) and Crawford (27-12) in the playoffs. Kenneth Jordan keys the offense with 1,000-plus rushing yards. Isayah Luna has started the last five games at QB. Heyden McMackin averages 25.8 yards on 14 catches. The defense is led by Alexander Yepis and Aiden Cortes. .. There is one common opponent. Bonita Vista lost to Vincent Memorial, 25-16; so did Monte Vista, which fell 21-0.

Prediction: Monte Vista 21, Bonita Vista 20

Last week: 6-4

Season: 116-51

Originally Published: November 28, 2024 at 10:00 AM PST