Santa Fe Christian head football coach Jon Wallace used one word to describe the final week of the San Diego high school football regular season: “Chaos.”
In the race for the four Open Division playoff spots, La Costa Canyon dropped its finale Friday night to Torrey Pines, a week after handing top-ranked Carlsbad its only loss of the season. Granite Hills also fell to Helix, further complicating things, while Santa Fe Christian closed out an undefeated regular season at 11-0 with a 42-13 win over Bishop’s.
The unpredictability has been a season-long theme among the Open Division contenders. Mission Hills shut out La Costa Canyon 14-0, Carlsbad beat Mission Hills 38-21, and LCC beat Carlsbad.
All of it went into the section’s playoff algorithm, a convoluted formula weighing strength of schedule, margin of victory, signature wins, enrollment and seemingly everything else under the sun.
“Everybody’s been trying to figure out the math and the algorithm all season,” Wallace said. “We’ve kind of lived under this weird shroud. The last two years, we’ve jumped three or four spots in the final week, including going from the No. 5 to the No. 1 seed in Division 2 last year. I think we’ve all gotten used to the chaos of that last week.”
Santa Fe Christian, last year’s Division II section champion, has a high school enrollment of just 423 students. The Eagles outscored opponents 470-68 this season, holding teams to single-digit scoring nine times. They learned their playoff fate Sunday afternoon, earning a spot in the Open Division with a county ranking of No. 4, joining Carlsbad, with an enrollment of 2,300; Cathedral Catholic, with 1,700; and Mission Hills, with 2,700.
“A lot of things had to happen, and a lot of things happened,” Wallace said.
The selection drew criticism online, with some questioning whether Santa Fe Christian belonged in a division alongside schools with much larger enrollments. Wallace said the Eagles had no say in the placement.
“Everybody online is crucifying us for placing in the Open Division. I’m like, hey, we’re just playing who they tell us to play. People online will just say that, well, their competition sucks. But, you know, we’ve got a good little football team. I don’t know if we’re an Open Division team or not. We’re going to find out. But our kids play good football. They’re super tough. They really care about each other.”
“Beyond impressed with our team,” Eagles senior wide receiver Chase Woolley said. “I expected our team to be really talented, but I didn’t expect us to play as well as we do together.”
“We are stoked,” added senior quarterback Dax Labrum. “We were hoping that we’d get this amazing opportunity and are blessed to have been given it. No surprises over here, either. We know that we can compete and are excited to show it.”
Santa Fe Christian will travel to Carlsbad on Nov. 13 for the Open Division semifinal matchup.
North County scoreboard
- San Pasqual 48, Escondido 3
- Oceanside 35, El Camino 6
- Cathedral Catholic 41, Lincoln 18
- Carlsbad 42, Del Norte 14
- Torrey Pines 31, La Costa Canyon 21
- Mission Hills 42, San Marcos 28
- Rancho Buena Vista 56, Vista 21
San Diego County top 20 — Week 11
| Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlsbad | 9-1 |
| 2 | Cathedral Catholic | 7-3 |
| 3 | Mission Hills | 8-2 |
| 4 | Santa Fe Christian | 11-0 |
| 5 | Helix | 8-2 |
| 6 | La Costa Canyon | 6-4 |
| 7 | Granite Hills | 7-3 |
| 8 | Oceanside | 6-4 |
| 9 | Lincoln | 4-6 |
| 10 | San Marcos | 5-5 |
| 11 | Rancho Bernardo | 8-2 |
| 12 | Torrey Pines | 6-4 |
| 13 | Poway | 4-6 |
| 14 | Del Norte | 4-6 |
| 15 | St. Augustine | 6-4 |
| 16 | Point Loma | 7-3 |
| 17 | Mater Dei Catholic | 4-6 |
| 18 | El Camino | 1-9 |
| 19 | Holtville | 7-3 |
| 20 | Imperial | 8-2 |
A look at the North County playoff picture
Open Division — Semifinals, Nov. 13, 7 p.m.
- No. 1 Carlsbad vs. No. 4 Santa Fe Christian
- No. 2 Cathedral Catholic vs. No. 3 Mission Hills
Division I — Quarterfinals, Nov. 13, 7 p.m.
- No. 1 Helix vs. No. 8 Torrey Pines
- No. 4 Granite Hills vs. No. 5 San Marcos
- No. 3 Oceanside vs. No. 6 Lincoln
- No. 2 La Costa Canyon vs. No. 7 Rancho Bernardo
Division II — Nov. 6, 7 p.m.
- No. 6 El Camino vs. No. 11 Grossmont
Division IV — Nov. 6, 7 p.m.
- No. 7 West Hills vs. No. 10 Rancho Buena Vista
