High School Football: Maffei's picks for Friday's 11 title games
The season ends with 11 head-to-head matchups on Friday, Oct. 30, where every game decides a league championship.
By Nadia Singh ·
Eleven high school football teams in San Diego County will play head-to-head games on Friday, Oct. 30, to settle their league standings. The winner of each matchup claims the title, creating a rare slate where no tie-breakers or point differentials will determine the outcome. John Maffei of The San Diego Union-Tribune has released his predictions for all 11 games, picking the winners based on season statistics and recent form.
The Grossmont Hills League game between No. 3 Granite Hills and No. 7 Helix carries the highest stakes for playoff seeding. Granite Hills, ranked 62nd in the state, has won its last 19 league games, including the previous four against Helix. Maffei projects a close 31-28 victory for Granite Hills, noting that quarterback Zac Benitez has thrown for 2,122 yards and 28 touchdowns this season. Helix, ranked 61st, is on its own four-game winning streak but has struggled against Granite Hills in recent years.
In the Eastern League, St. Augustine hosts San Diego at Balboa Stadium. St. Augustine's Paisios Polamalu is a dominant statistical presence, leading the team with 1,669 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. Maffei predicts St. Augustine will break San Diego's previous 31-0 victory over them, forecasting a 31-21 win. The Imperial Valley League title is decided between Imperial and Holtville, where Maffei favors Holtville 35-28, citing their 300-yard per game rushing average and five-game winning streak.
The City League features undefeated No. 10 Patrick Henry against Mira Mesa. Patrick Henry's Madin Gardini has accumulated 2,542 passing yards and 39 total touchdowns. Maffei predicts a 35-27 win for Patrick Henry, which would secure them the undisputed league title. In the Western League, No. 1 Cathedral Catholic hosts Lincoln. Despite Lincoln's three-game winning streak, Maffei picks Cathedral Catholic 31-28, noting their superior defensive production with linebacker Kevin Clark leading the team with 94 tackles.
Maffei's record for last week stood at 9-1. His season record is 79-21. The remaining title games include Sunset League, Grossmont Valley League, Metro Pacific League, Central League, Palomar League, and Avocado East League matchups, all scheduled for 7 p.m. unless noted. The Metro Pacific League game between Mar Vista and Southwest-San Diego begins at 6:30 p.m., and the Avocado East League game between Poway and No. 8 Rancho Bernardo starts at 7:15 p.m.
