The Union-Tribune’s John Maffei picks this weekend’s CIF San Diego Section football championship games:
CIF San Diego Section football championships
All games at Southwestern College
Tickets: $19 for adults. $10 for seniors and students. Tickets are available at gofan.co and at the door. Credit cards only.
Parking: $20
Streaming: All games on NFHS Network
Note: Winners advance to the Southern California Regionals, with pairings to be announced Sunday.
Friday’s games
Division 5: (9) Hoover (7-6) vs. (2) Morse (8-4), 3 p.m.
Preview: Hoover beat No. 8 Escondido, No. 4 Canyon Hills and top-seeded Sweetwater to advance. The Cardinals are led by quarterback Hezekiah Manuel, who has thrown for 2,718 yards and 23 touchdowns and rushed for 1,020 yards and 14 TDs. Rahni Grant (909 yards) and Abdulhakam Abdallah (921 yards) are Manuel’s top targets. Abdullah also has 90 tackles. Taani Tuipulotu has 194 tackles and three interceptions. Noah Contreras has 88 tackles and 16 sacks. Christian Tuipulotu has 96 tackles. … Morse outscored Santana and Monte Vista 88-12 in two playoff wins. The Tigers are led by running back Superior Garror, who has 2,742 yards running, passing, receiving and in returns. Playing defense, he also has 91 tackles and six interceptions. Ethan Esmailian has thrown for 1,446 yards and 13 TDs. Ivan Scarville leads the defense with 103 tackles, Gael Diaz has 89 and Trayshawn McNair has 67.
Common opponents: Hoover lost 14-13 to Crawford and 27-20 to Canyon Hills. Morse beat Crawford 22-13 and Canyon Hills 37-36 in overtime.
Prediction: Morse 35, Hoover 20
Santa Fe Christian Head Football Coach Jon Wallace (left).
(Steve Compos)
Division 2: (2) Steele Canyon (9-3) vs. (1) Santa Fe Christian (12-0), 7 p.m.
Preview: Steele Canyon beat Helix and San Diego to get to the title game. Gavin Caha has thrown for 2,154 yards and 23 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Six receivers have more than 125 yards, led by Jacob Henton, who has 27 catches for 489 yards; and Nico Jara, who has 19 catches for 363 yards. Abel Lopez has rushed for 455 yards. The defense has 17 sacks. Luke Rode and Gunner Minich lead the defense. … Santa Fe Christian edged St. Augustine and Scripps Ranch to advance. The Eagles, who had 12-win seasons in 2001 and 2004 under coach Brian Sipe. are led by Dax Labrum, who has thrown for 2,605 yards and 29 TDs. Eight receivers have more than 100 yards, led by Chase Woolley and Jarius Bolden. The SFC defense has 54 sacks and has intercepted 15 passes. Cole Hajjar has 102 tackles.
Common opponent: Steele Canyon beat Madison 30-20, while SFC beat the Warhawks 35-7.
Prediction: Santa Fe Christian 25, Steele Canyon 21
Saturday’s games
Christian Vargas (29) of Eastlake High School scores a field goal during Friday’s Football game played at Otay Ranch High School in Chula Vista, CA. (Xavier Hernandez for the UT)
Division 4: (5) Eastlake (7-6) vs. (3) Valley Center (6-6), noon
Preview: Eastlake has scored 101 points in playoff wins over West Hills, Mt. Carmel and No. 1-seeded Westview. The Titans are led by Tyler Balko, who has thrown for 860 yards and rushed for 556 yards. David Branco has rushed for 12 touchdowns and, playing defense, has a team-high 131 tackles. Jovani Ceja has 66 tackles and eight sacks. Chris Wilson has intercepted five passes. … Valley Center is at full strength and rolling with playoff wins over Mira Mesa and La Jolla Country Day, scoring 98 points in those games. Braylon Mitchell has thrown for 2,562 yards and 28 TDs. Jesse Morales has 71 catches for 1,105 yards and 13 TDs. Joeisha Ryan Tirado has 1,078 rushing yards and 13 scores. Mitchell Stehly, Brandon Revelas and Max Stehly lead the defense.
Common opponents: Eastlake beat Mt. Carmel 45-27 and Westview 21-17. Valley Center beat Mt. Carmel 31-27, but lost 62-60 to Westview.
Prediction: Valley Center 27, Eastlake 24
Christian quarterback Kaleb Runkle (12) passes during the second half against Army-Navy Nov. 21, 2025 in Carlsbad, Calif. (Denis Poroy / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Division 3: (6) Christian (6-7) VS. (1) Central Union (10-2), 3:30 p.m
Preview: Christian has won four in a row, beating Brawley, Ramona and Army-Navy in the playoffs. Kaleb Runkle has thrown for 2,345 yards and 22 touchdowns. Kai Rosier has 64 catches for 967 yards. Hank Houston has 40 catches and, playing defense, 78 tackles Chase Torgerson leads the defense with 83 tackles. Everick Randall has 72 tackles. … Central Union beat Bishop’s and University City to advance. Quarterback Luis Jimenez leads an offense that has scored 357 points this season. Matthew Lizaola has 900-plus yards.
Common opponent: Central Union beat Brawley 24-3, while Christian won 37-16.
Prediction: Central Union 34, Christian 27
Lincoln’s Junior Curtis #4 celebrates after his touchdown against Long Beach Poly during their game at Lincoln High School on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025 in San Diego, CA. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Division 1: (2) Granite Hills (9-3) vs. (1) Lincoln (10-2), 7:30 p.m.
Preview: Granite Hills goes for a playoff championship four-peat. The Eagles were Division 2 champions in 2002, won the Open Division in 2023 and took Division 1 last season. To get to this season’s title game, Granite Hills beat Rancho Bernardo 56-7 and Mount Miguel 52-30. Zac Benitez has thrown for 3,365 yards and 35 touchdowns. He has five go-to WRs: Noah Walker, who has 58 catches for 1,042 yards and 12 TDs; Zhedan Smith (49-519); Tristan Diaz (61-519); DJ Wilkins (35-481); and Rocket Demery (24-414). Davion Williams is the leading rusher with 451 yards, but he hasn’t played the last two games. So Gage Spalding, Anthony Mattar and Seth Rodriguez stepped up against Mount Miguel. The defense has 20 sacks and has intercepted 15 passes. Brayden Wells, Cayden Phillips and Hunter Hamilton lead the defense. … Lincoln outlasted Poway 51-41 in the quarterfinals of the playoffs, then came from behind to beat San Marcos 49-35 in the semifinals. Quarterbacks Jordan Roa and Kainan Manna have combined for 2,059 yards and 28 TDs. Rashad Robinson and Junior Curtis have combined for rushing 2,594 yards and 37 TDs. Courtney Miller-Thompson has 53 receptions and 10 TDs, and Darreyn Bridges has 29 catches for 518 yards and seven TDs. The defense, led by Prince Tavion, has 29 sacks and has intercepted 12 passes. Seth Fanua has 106 tackles, Tavion has 100, Cam Joy has 81 and Cammeron Pernell 82.
Rankings: Lincoln is ranked No. 11 in the state and No. 84 in the nation by MaxPreps. Granite Hills is ranked No. 17 in the state.
Common opponent: Granite Hills has lost to Open Division champion Cathedral Catholic, 40-30. Lincoln lost to Cathedral Catholic, 42-33.
Prediction: Lincoln 35, Granite Hills 34
Last week: 9-3
Season: 129-44