Records and playoff seedings often don’t tell the full story.
Two teams with 1-9 records were victorious on Friday night in the first rounds of the CIF San Diego Section high school football playoffs.
El Camino, which was a No. 6 seed in Division 2 despite its record, beat No. 11 Grossmont, which was 7-3. And in Division 3, No. 11-seeded and 1-9 Scripps Ranch stunned sixth-seeded Eastlake, which was 9-1 in the regular season.
Those weren’t the only upsets.
Valhalla, a No. 9 seed in Division 3, edged No. 8-seeded Cristian. Mira Mesa, No. 10 seed in Division 3, blanked No. 7 and Madison 29-0.
Brawley, with a 4-6 regular-season record, proved the desert teams can play. The No. 11-seeded Wildcats beat sixth-seeded Westview, which went 7-3 in the regular season.
Olympian, playing in Division 5, was the lowest seed to survive. The No. 12-seeded Eagles, who were 3-7 in the regular season, beat No. 5-seeded and 6-4 Bonita Vista. And 2-8 Mt. Carmel, which was actually seeded ahead of 5-5 and No. 11-seeded Hilltop, beat the Lancers.
Friday marked the opening round in the Divisions 2 through 5-AA brackets.
The four-team Open Division and eight-team Division 1 playoffs start Friday.
Division 2
First round
(6) El Camino 29, (11) Grossmont 26: El Camino (2-9) trailed 19-0 at the half before rallying to beat Grossmont (7-4). Kai Storer passed 23 yards to Milo Thompson for an El Camino score and hit Mael Thompson with a 36-yard scoring pass. Storer rushed 33 yards for the winning score before the defense then held on to secure the win. Grossmont’s Tyler Holmes passed 53 yards to Cedric Norris for a touchdown and 9 yards to Jonah Martinez. Jacob Fee had a 3-yard TD and Holmes had a 4-yard TD run that put Grossmont up 26-14 in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats advance to play No. 3-seeded St. Augustine.
(5) Mater Dei Catholic 56, (12) Mount Miguel 7: Behind Qasim Williams and Adrian Wilson, Mater Dei Catholic (5-6) won their fifth consecutive game. Williams scored on runs of 2, 5 and 15 yards while Wilson scored on a 31-yard interception return and a 15-yard run. Jayden Blondin was 7 of 7 passing for 79 yards with a 13-yard touchdown to Khalonie Jordan. Blondin also rushed for 89 yards on seven carries. The defense intercepted three passes and held Mount Miguel (2-8) to 37 yards rushing. Mater Dei Catholic travels to No. 4-seeded Point Loma.
(8) Holtville 32, (9) Ramona 31: Kai Gonzalez scored with 13.6 seconds remaining in the game and completed a two-point conversion to Zavien Aguirre to lead Holtville (8-3) over Ramona (6-6). With the score tied at 24 at the end of three quarters, Ramona’s Ryan Shaw passed 16 yards to Noah Bedia in the fourth quarter to put the Bulldogs ahead. Holtville’s Gonzalez scored twice on nine carries. Leonardo Riebeling gained 125 yards, scoring a touchdown and three two-point conversions. Rodrigo Martinez had 106 yards and a TD. The Vikings got interceptions from Sammy Hilfiker, Marcos Garcia and Rodrigo Martinez. Holtville will play next at No. 1-seeded Poway.
(10) Patrick Henry 38, (7) Imperial 31: Madin Gardini threw for 486 yards and five touchdowns as Patrick Henry improved to 11-0. Cole Farace caught three touchdown passes. Imperial finishes 8-3. Patrick Henry visits No. 2-seeded Del Norte in the quarterfinals.
Division 3
First round
(11) Scripps Ranch 31, (6) Eastlake 17: Nolan Cooper completed 11 of 19 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a TD and a two-point conversion for Scripps Ranch (2-9). Ian Campbell rushed for 61 yards and a TD. Jordan Zeller had nine catches for 124 yards and a TD. Yonatan Dantamo intercepted a pass. Tomas Zaldivar returned a punt 55 yards for a score and Joe Waters completed a TD pass to Sean Ryan Hughes for Eastlake (9-2). Scripps Ranch advances to the quarterfinals, playing at No. 3-seeded San Pasqual.
(9) Valhalla 18, (8) Christian 14: Valhalla (7-4) scored a pair of rushing touchdowns and threw for another, advancing to take on top-seeded Steele Canyon. Christian finishes 6-5.
(10) Mira Mesa 29, (7) Madison 0: Mira Mesa (8-3) showcased a balanced offense in taking down Madison (6-5). Nico Giusti completed 13 of 19 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns, both to Aaron Jones. Niko Cato rushed for 154 yards. Mira Mesa travels to No. 2-seeded San Diego for a quarterfinal game.
(5) La Jolla 31, (12) Central Union 14: Brody Bukich threw for 205 yards and a touchdown for La Jolla (4-7). Joseph Crudo had seven tackles and an interception and totaled 100 yards of total offense. Kali Deberry rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown. Alex Hernandez led Central Union (6-5) with 174 yards passing and two TDs. Jordan Mares had 67 yards receiving. La Jolla travels to No. 4-seeded University City in the next round.
Division 4
First round
(7) West Hills 24, (10) Rancho Buena Vista 14: Evin Dill accounted for almost 200 yards as West Hills (8-3) topped Rancho Buena Vista (5-6). Dill rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown and completed 6 of 12 passes for 84 yards. The Wolf Pack got a 23-yard TD from Marcus Leath and a 2-yard TD from Evan Dorris. Chuck Rosolino caught three passes for 42 yards. Bryce Robertson had a 26-yard field goal. Zack Waters had two sacks and Scott Miller added one. RBV’s Van Piercy threw for 151 yards and a TD and rushed for a score. Ashton Mills had five catches for 82 yards and Kaipo Gutierrez had six carries for 46 yards.
(8) El Capitan 42, (9) Santana 7: El Capitan (7-4) beat cross-town rival Santana (7-4) for the second time this season. Anthony Mattar scored two touchdowns, while Michael Castillo, Michael Valenzuela and Maverick Darnell all had rushing scores. El Capitan ran for 268 yards while Hayden Passanissi tossed a TD pass to Cole LaChappa. The defense held Santana to 181 total yards. El Capitan moves on to play at No. 1-seeded Valley Center.
(11) Brawley 14, (6) Westview 7: Brawley (5-6) stunned Westview (7-4) in the defensive struggle, hanging on during a scoreless second half. The Wildcats travel to No. 3-seeded Otay Ranch in the quarterfinals.
(5) Mission Bay 49, (12) Army-Navy 0: Major Scott caught two touchdown passes and returned an interception 23 yards for a score for Mission Bay (5-6). Backup quarterback Jack Barrett threw three touchdown passes for Mission Bay, which travels to fourth-seeded Bishop’s in the quarterfinals. Army-Navy finishes 3-8.
Fallbrook’s Hudson Quinn, right, can’t hang on to a pass as Mar Vista’s Aaron Shelby attempts to break up the pass in the fourth quarter at Fallbrook High School in Fallbrook on Friday, November 06, 2026. (Hayne Palmour IV / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Division 5
First round
(6) Mt. Carmel 17, (11) Hilltop 13: Mt. Carmel (3-8) mounted a late-game comeback, taking the lead with 42 seconds remaining on the way to its first playoff win since 2012. Hilltop (5-6) was led by Tre Nichols, who rushed for 96 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown that temporarily tied the game. Zion Almamon had 14 tackles and a sack for the Lancers. Mt. Carmel advances to face No. 3-seeded Fallbrook in the quarterfinals.
(4) La Jolla Country Day 32, (13) Classical Academy 13: Keenan Ward rushed for 100 yards and Marvin Jones threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as LJCD (6-5) advances to take on Olympian in the quarterfinals. Classical Academy ends its season 2-9.
(3) Fallbrook 42, (14) Mar Vista 22: Easton Lucy completed 10 of 15 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown and Caleb Way rushed 17 times for 125 yards and two TDs as Fallbrook (6-5) advanced. Junior Hernandez rushed nine times for 108 yards, Hudson Quinn caught five passes for 88 yards and Austin Bryden had four catches for 35 yards and a TD. Makki McDonald had five tackles, recovered a fumble, broke up two passes and returned an interception for a TD. Mar Vista finishes 6-5. Fallbrook advances to the quarterfinals, hosting Mt. Carmel.
(7) Chula Vista 35, (10) Coastal Academy 33: Chula Vista’s defense stopped a two-point conversion with 7 seconds remaining to hold on. Gabriel Ruiz rushed for 109 yards on 19 carries and a pair of touchdowns and caught a 13-yard scoring pass for Chula Vista (5-6). Isaiah Orta was 8 of 12 for 144 yards and a TD. Jaylen Clark caught five passes for 114 yards. Chula Vista will face No. 2-seeded Hoover in the quarterfinals. Coastal finishes 3-7.
(12) Olympian 28, (5) Bonita Vista 21: Isaiah Mena threw for 185 yards and a touchdown while rushing 16 times for 139 yards for Olympian (4-7). Aideen Smith had five catches for 101 yards. The Eagles advance to play No. 6-seeded Mt. Carmel. Bonits finishes 6-5.
(2) Hoover 35, (15) Canyon Hills 13: Hezekiah Manuel completed 19 of 29 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns for Hoover (8-3). Jayden Cunningham gained 100 yards on 15 carries and scored two TDs. Jayden Stewart caught 10 passes for 123 yards and a TD. Canyon Hills finishes 3-8. Hoover hosts seventh-seeded Chula Vista in the quarterfinals.
(1) Morse 63, (16) Monte Vista 44: Deandre Eleby scored six touchdowns as Morse (6-5) scored its most points since 2019. Morse hosts No. 8-seeded Coronado in the next round. Monte Vista finishes 3-8.
(8) Coronado 17, (9) Southwest-San Diego 10: Melo Avetyan scored a rushing touchdown and Reese Pagon caught a TD pass for Coronado (3-8). Dominic Parm and Bill Apodaca IV intercepted passes, while Max Berg and Jace Fernhaber both had sacks. Coronado advances to face top-seeded Morse in the quarterfinals. Southwest-San Diego finishes 7-4.
Division 5-AA
Quarterfinals
(1) Escondido Charter 49, (8) Foothills Christian 14: Silas Greene threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns to lead Escondido Charter (10-1) into the next round. Sam Hinrichs caught nine passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns, and Kyler Seavello caught four passes for 67 yards and a TD. Cameron Iviecevic returned an interception 52 yards for a TD and had five tackles. Escondido Charter advances to host No.4-seeded Mountain Empire. Foothills Christian finishes 6-4.
(4) Mountain Empire 55, (5) Clairemont 28: Elisha Robinson rushed for 424 yards and six touchdowns as Mountain Empire (6-4) scored a season high in points. Amar Mahan added 83 rushing yards and a TD. Nick Terlan intercepted a pass and David Oney forced and recovered a fumble. Mountain Empire advances to play No. 1-seeded Escondido Charter. Clairemont finishes 5-6.
(2) Palo Verde 30, (7) Calipatria 0: Holding Calipatria (3-8) to 180 total yards, Palo Verde (9-2) beat the Hornets for the second time this season. Tony Baron led the defense with a strip-sack that was recovered by Cesar Lianez for a touchdown, while Wesley Dill added five sacks of his own. Palo Verde advances to face No. 3-seeded Vincent Memorial.
(3) Vincent Memorial 43, (6) O’Farrell Charter 0: Emiliano Sanchez rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns to lead Vincent Memorial (9-2) past O’Farrell (5-6). Fernando DeLeon added 95 rushing yards and a TD. Juan Mendoza threw for 175 yards and a score and rushed for 76 yards. O’Farrell Charter finishes 5-6. The Scots move into the semifinals, playing at No. 2 Palo Verde.
Don Norcross and Steve Brand contributed to this report.