By Phillip Brents

Posted Aug. 15, 2005

Practices for all high school fall sports began Aug. 15. Who will walk the parade of champions in 2005-06? It’s time to start sizing up talent as well as dedication and heart, perhaps the most important ingredients to any championship season.

The 2004 San Diego Section Division I championship game ended in a 14-14 tie between Torrey Pines and Vista, awarding both teams 10-2-1 co-championship seasons. The teams would have played overtime to determine a winner in any of the preliminary rounds but ties in the title game are designed to reward both teams.

Photo: Players grapple for possession of the football during Helix High's annual spring Green-Gray game.

Helix advanced to the Division II championship matchup against Oceanside, which completed a 13-0 season with a 27-10 victory. However, the Pirates’ perfect season needed an asterisk in the form of a forfeit win against Eastlake during non-league play.

Two teams that put true undefeated campaigns on the line were Valley Center and Brawley in the Division III title contest. Valley Center won the battle of division unbeatens, 39-36, to finish 11-0-2. Brawley, braced by record-setting running back Zay Shepard, finished 12-1.

Valley Center’s season of destiny included a 24-22 semifinal win against Monte Vista, which had forged a perfect 11-0 season as the division’s top playoff seed prior to the upset loss.

Santa Fe Christian topped Palo Verde, 20-12, to win last year’s Division IV championship.

With the move to state playoffs in 2006 (or at least a series of state-level bowl games), the San Diego Section is expected to alter its playoff format to showcase five enrollment divisions. Under the 2004 playoff format, 12 teams in each of the top three enrollment divisions qualified for postseason play, with eight teams advancing in Division IV and six/eight teams participating in the eight-man playoff bracket.

La Jolla Country Day bested San Pasqual Academy, 53-12, to win last year’s eight-man championship title.

With five divisions being contested for 11-man play this season, the section may have to limit teams jockeying for playoff positioning by requesting a move in enrollment division. In the past, several teams have requested to move up an enrollment division in an effort to find better competition. Such a move benefited at least one Division III squad last year that moved up to the Division II ranks. Otay Ranch, with an 8-2 overall record, and Harbor League co-champion Madison both found themselves locked out of last year’s Division III postseason field because of the excess of deserving teams.

How a proposed five divisional split will facilitate postseason play will be interesting, particularly among the smaller "big" schools desiring to escape perceived weaker playoff bracketing.

Under the proposed five division format, 12 teams will participate in both the Division I and Division II playoff fields, with 14 teams qualifying for the Division III field. Eight teams will advance to both the Division IV and Division V playoffs. A total of 44 teams participated in 11-man postseason competition last season. The new five divisional format will showcase 54 teams in postseason play this season – an increase of 10 teams.

The revised eight-man playoff field will consist of four teams.

Regular season play kicks off Sept. 1 and will conclude Nov. 11. The first round of the Division I-III playoffs, the quarterfinal-round of the Division V playoffs and the eight-man semifinals will be contested the weekend of Nov. 18-19. The eight-man championship game will take place either Nov. 25 or Nov. 26, with the Division I-IV quarterfinals scheduled on Nov. 25. The Division V semifinals are slated for either Nov. 25 or Nov. 26.

The Division I-IV semifinals and Division V championship game are all scheduled for Dec. 2. In a departure from previous formats, higher-seeded teams will host semifinal games as opposed to playing at a neutral site.

The sites for the Division V title tilt and the eight-man championship game have yet to be determined. Qualcomm Stadium, however, will serve as the venue for the Division I-IV championship games on Dec. 13. The Division IV title game will kick off the quadruple-header at 10 a.m., followed by the Division III game at 1 p.m., the Division II game at 4:30 p.m. and concluding with the Division I game at 8 p.m.

Proposed playoff enrollment divisions are as follows:

Division I will include18 schools: Vista, Torrey Pines, Poway, Rancho Buena Vista, Carlsbad, Rancho Bernardo, Morse, Fallbrook, San Diego, El Camino, Chula Vista, Granite Hills, Calexico, La Costa Canyon, Sweetwater, Escondido, Bonita Vista and Eastlake. Eastlake missed the Division II cut by two students.

Division II will include 18 schools: Mira Mesa, Patrick Henry, Helix, Southwest (San Diego), Montgomery, Castle Park, Oceanside, Grossmont, Hilltop, Scripps Ranch, Orange Glen, West Hills, San Pasqual, Mar Vista, El Cajon Valley, Southwest (El Centro), Hoover and Mt. Carmel.

Division III will include 20 schools: Mt. Miguel, Otay Ranch, Westview, Pt. Loma, Ramona, Serra, Monte Vista, El Capitan, Valhalla, University City, Steele Canyon, Mission Hills, Brawley, San Ysidro, Santana, Crawford, Central Union, Cathedral Catholic (formerly University of San Diego High School), St. Augustine and Marian Catholic. Cathedral Catholic, St. Augustine and Marian Catholic all opted to move up an enrollment division.

The major changes are in Division IV and Division V.

Division IV includes 11 schools: Mission Bay, La Jolla, San Marcos, Kearny, Madison, Valley Center, Clairemont, Coronado, Palo Verde, Imperial and Santa Fe Christian (which opted to move up).

Division V includes 12 schools: Holtville, Army-Navy Academy, Bishop’s, Mountain Empire, Francis Parker, Christian, Horizon, Calipatria, La Jolla Country Day, Tri-City Christian, Vincent Memorial and Julian.

The new five divisional format has allowed some of the section’s smaller schools to return to 11-man football. Entering August, just eight schools had committed to eight-man play in 2005, with one of those teams (Midway Baptist) rostered in the Southern Section. The seven section schools listed for eight-man football in 2005 include Borrego Springs, San Diego Jewish Academy, West Shores, Calvary Christian, San Pasqual Academy, Warner and San Diego Academy. The All Tribes American Indian Charter School is also tentatively included among the eight-man ranks.

Photo: Defenders break up a pass play in the end zone during Helix High's annual spring Green-Gray game.

As for 2005-06?

Both Grossmont and Helix advanced to the Division II semifinals. Grossmont got there after topping regular season Grossmont North League champion West Hills in the quarterfinals while Helix, the runner-up finisher to Monte Vista in the Grossmont South League standings, eliminated Westview in the quarterfinals. The Highlanders moved onto the championship round after scoring a 23-17 overtime win against the Foothillers in a rainstorm.

Steele Canyon advanced as far as the Division II quarterfinals while Christian qualified for the Division IV quarterfinals.

The third annual San Diego Section Kick Off Classic is scheduled for Aug. 26 at Poway High School and Aug. 27 at Otay Ranch High School. Each day will feature a scrimmage double-header played under game-like conditions.

On Aug. 26, Monte Vista will tackle Madison at 5:30 p.m., followed by Brawley against host Poway at 8 p.m. The Aug. 27 double-header will feature Calexico against Francis Parker at 5 p.m., followed by Chula Vista against host Otay Ranch at 7:30 p.m.

For more information on the Kick Off Classic, call the section office at (858) 292-8165.