For the first time in 13 seasons, the La Costa Canyon High School football team is a league champion.
A dramatic 21-11 win over No. 7 Carlsbad (6-2, 2-2) before a full house at LCC gave the Mavericks the Avocado League title. The victory snapped a six-game losing streak to Carlsbad and chased away memories of last year, when the Mavericks lost four games in the fourth quarter.
This is huge, senior captain Brody Ozanne said of the championship. We get to put up a banner in the gym. Weve left a legacy for the kids coming up behind us.
Ozanne, a cornerback, played a big part in getting LCC off to a fast start Friday. He had a sack and a tackle for loss in Carlsbads second series, forcing a punt.
The Mavericks then scored on a 39-yard pass from Quinn Roth to Diego Botron.
The coaches challenged us after last season, Ozanne said. And we took it to heart. Weve been together every day, practicing, lifting. It has been 40-plus guys who believed from the beginning.
We knew we had a great quarterback in Quinn and a talented player in Coby Herman, so it was up to the defense to get stops. We trust in each other. And we got it done.
La Costa Canyon (9-0, 4-0), ranked No. 2 in the county, finishes the regular season Friday at Torrey Pines. The Mavericks could be without Herman, who was on crutches after the game with a sprained left ankle.
Roth completed 16 of 20 passes for 211 yards; he threw touchdowns to Nathan Viemeister, Botron and Nolan Keeping. Herman had 13 carries for 69 yards and caught six passes for 45 yards.
With Morrison out, Carlsbad rushed 23 times for 61 yards. Eli MacNeal completed 18 of 26 for 211 yards. Connor Hawk had seven catches for 88 yards.
San Marcos Kreet Makihele (1) passes against Rancho Bernardo during their game at San Marcos High School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in San Marcos, CA. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Top 10
No. 1 Lincoln 63, St. Augustine 0: Akili Smith Jr. completed 13 of 17 passes for 238 yards and two TDs as Lincoln (7-2, 3-0) clinched the Western League title. Courtney Miller-Thompson caught five passes for 127 yards and three TDs. Aden Jackson carried nine times for 69 yards and two TDs. Cameron Purnell and Abdulahi Shafif intercepted passes, with Purnell returning his pick for a score. Saints finished the regular season 0-10, 0-4, the program’s first non-winning season since 1977, but may still make the playoffs.
No. 3 Cathedral Catholic 55, Madison 6: Brady Palmer completed 9 of 15 passes for 222 yards and four TDs for Cathedral Catholic (7-2, 2-1). Hunter Harrington had four catches for 148 yards and two TDs. Josh Faraimo and Logan Jones intercepted passes. Cathedral held Madison (4-5, 2-1) to 108 yards of total offense.
No. 4 Granite Hills 35, Helix 21: Max Turner rushed for 200 yards, scoring twice, to lead Granite Hills (7-2, 3-0) to the Grossmont Hills League victory. Turner added an 11-yard TD reception. Anthony Mattar added 119 yards rushing and another TD as the Eagles clinched the league crown. Gage Spalding scored the Eagles other TD, adding 53 yards rushing. Granite Hills intercepted three passes. Helix fell to 3-6, 1-2.
No. 5 Mission Hills 21, El Camino 11: Giovanni Harte rushed 25 times for 145 yards and a TD to lead Mission Hills (7-2, 3-1) in the Avocado League game. Troy Huhn and Ryder Tinoisamona had TD runs. Quinn Chavez had a pair of interceptions. Kingston Faatiti rushed for 88 yards and scored the El Camino (5-4, 1-3) TD. Qayden Coleman blocked a field goal, Micha Sega had an interception and Jake Williams has 18 tackles.
No. 6 San Marcos 44, No. 8 Rancho Bernardo 14: Kreet Makihele threw for 331 and four TDs as San Marcos (8-1, 4-0) won at least a share of the Palomar League title. Caleb Reese had five catches for 75 yards and a TD. Brady Pohl had five catches for 74 yards. CJ Williams had a pair of catches for 77 yards and a TD. Jayden Bess scored on a 16-yard pass from Hugo Sanchez for RB (7-2, 3-1); Brady Strachan caught an 18-yard TD pass from Gaige Weddle.
No. 9 Mount Miguel 57, Steele Canyon 3: AJ Stowers passed for 361 yards and six TDs as Mount Miguel (7-2, 3-1) beat Steele Canyon (4-5, 0-3) in a Grossmont Hills League game. AJ Logan caught nine passes for 115 yards and a TD while Ezelle Buchanan had six catches for 104 yards and five TDs. KJ Shields had 10 carries for 101 yards and Jayden Hunter had eight carries for 85 yards and a TD.
No. 10 Scripps Ranch 31, Mira Mesa 10: Ryan Stadtherr rushed for 161 yards on 21 carries and scored two TDs as Scripps Ranch (9-0, 4-0) clinched the Eastern League title. Parker Armstrong connected with Charlie Barajas for a 64-yard TD pass. Mira Mesa fell to 0-9, 0-3.
Avocado League
Torrey Pines 32, Poway 25: Ryder Young rushed for 79 yards and two TDs for Torrey Pines (45-5, 2-2). Zac Barger caught eight passes for 154 yards and Blake Miller threw for two TDs. Karel Novy also had a TD. Will Barrett had nine tackles and two sacks. Joey Levenberg had 10 tackles. Luke Jorgensen rushed 13 times for 186 yards for Poway (3-6, 0-4). Colin McCann had a 53-yard TD catch. Tyler Hughes hit field goals from 49 and 45 yards.
Central League
Kearny 40, Coronado 20: Brodie Stump completed 24 of 36 passes for 284 yards and four TDs and rushed for 61 yards for Kearny (6-3, 2-1). Jaylin Hill gained 90 yards on 10 carries and caught eight passes for 45 yards. Zaiden Gravely returned a kickoff 87 yards for a score. Tony Cerda recovered a fumble and Mike Clark had 19 tackles. Jaiden Sherman threw a TD pass and rushed for a score for Coronado (4-5, 1-2).
Canyon Hills 29, Hoover 19: Freshman Ma-Kahi Fields-Cook rushed for 232 yards and two TDs for Canyon Hills (3-6, 2-1). Freshman Taylon Sheriff had three catches for 79 yards and a score. After finishing 0-10 last season, Canyon Hills can win the Central League title with a win Friday over Kearny. Hoover is 6-3, 3-1.
San Diego’s Jayden Wade breaks away from Christian’s Jonathan Taylor during the first half of a high school football game Oct., 25, 2024 in San Diego. (Denis Poroy / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
City League
Christian 20, San Diego 14: Kaleb Runkle completed 27 of 32 passes for 240 yards and two TDs and rushed for 61 yards as Christian (7-2, 3-0) clinched the league title. Brady Eads caught 16 passes for 126 yards and a score. Chase Togerson intercepted a pass to clinch the win. For San Diego (6-3, 2-1), Jayden Johnson carried 17 times for 176 yards, including TDs of 45 and 1 yard. Dominick Espalin intercepted a pass.
Crawford 35, Morse 14: Philip Huynh completed 9 of 12 passes for 175 yards and three TDs and rushed for a score for Crawford (4-5, 1-3). Trevon Blanks had four catches for 104 yards and a TD. Morse is 1-8, 0-3.
Coastal League
Army-Navy 21, La Jolla Country Day 20: Nehemiah Brunson Jr. threw for a pair of TDs and had an interception playing defense as Army-Navy improved to 7-2, 1-2. Landon Schrom ran for two TDs and had two interceptions. Vincent Leatherman had an interception and Jonah Yua had 1 1/2 sacks. LJCD is 4-5, 0-2.
Desert League
Holtville 38, Palo Verde Valley 0: Enrique Armas rushed for 75 yards and two TDs as Holtville improved to 9-0, 2-0. Alonso Cuevas was 11 for 13 passing for 195 yards and a TD. Alan Carrillo caught five passes for 106 yards and a TD and Juan Carlos Castillo had four catches for 87 yards and a score. Palo Verde Valley finishes 8-2, 0-2.
Calipatria 20, Vincent Memorial 6
Eastern League
University City 34, Mission Bay 3: Quentyn DeMara completed 15 of 19 passes for 192 yards and three TDs and rushed for 50 yards for UC (8-1, 3-1). Xavier Quintanar caught four passes for 25 yards and two TDs. Mission Bay is 2-7, 0-3.
Grossmont Vaalley League
El Capitan 41, West Hills 0: Brandt Barker completed 14 of 17 passes for 160 yards and four TDs, two of those to Michael Valencia, as El Capitan (6-3, 5-0) captured the league title. West Hills is 4-5, 2-2.
Santana 38, Monte Vista 35: Santana (7-2, 3-1) kicked a field goal with less than 3 minutes to play and the defense stepped up in the victory. Kaiden Hallman gained 108 yards on 18 carries and Caleb Barnes found the end zone twice. Aiden Thornton had 12 tackles and a fumble recovery. For Monte Vista (4-5, 2-2), Alex Valenzuela rushed for 246 yards and four TDs, passed for 29 yards and caught a pass for 19 yards. Rahshawn Florence had four receptions for 82 yards.
Valhalla 35, El Cajon Valley 18: Jackson Newman lead the way with four TDs as Valhalla improved to 4-5, 2-2. Marcus Mikhail added 83 yards and another score. Brody Shartel had 12 tackles, Ahmed Hasani added 11 tackles and Lorenzo Matio had 10. Marcus Martinez had an interception. El Cajon Valley is 0-9, 0-4.
Imperial High School linebacker Darian Romo (18) tackles Brawleys Matthew Moreno (23) during Fridays game. (Trevor Beal)
Imperial Valley League
Brawley 49, Imperial 28: Brawley (8-1, 3-0) scored 24 third-quarter points to clinch no worse than a tie for the league title and handing Imperial (8-1, 2-1) its first loss of the season. Matt Gutierrez led the way, scoring four rushing TDs and throwing a 28-yard pass to Sergio Garcia before exiting late with an injury. Garcia rushed three times for 158 yards and caught two passes for 68 yards and a TD.
Calexico 35, Southwest-El Centro 0
Metro Mesa League
Sweetwater 28, Chula Vista 12: Zaryan Cruz accounted for 279 yards to help Sweetwater improve to 5-4, 1-2. Cruz completed all three of his passes for 100 yards and rushed 26 times for 179 yards and three scores. Faisal Musa added 120 yards rushing on nine carries and scored the final TD. Jacob Gonsalves had a 72-yard reception and Nassir Hicks rushed for 68 yards. LaDarrione Perkins rushed 13 times for 104 yards and a TD for Chula Vista (4-5, 0-3).
Eastlake 14, Otay Ranch 0: Rasharee Demery Jr. intercepted two passes and Eastlake’s defense shut down Otay Ranch to move to 3-6, 2-1. Nathaniel Rodriguez had three sacks. Otay Ranch finishes its regular season 5-5, 2-1.
Metro Pacific League
Mar Vista 28, Southwest-San Diego 20: Freshman Braylon Shumate caught five passes for 163 yards and two TDs to lead Mar Vista (3-6, 2-0) to its first league title since 2016. Peter Thomas completed 15 of 27 passes for 283 yards and three TDs. Southwest fell to 4-5, 1-1.
San Ysidro 28, Castle Park 17
Metro South Bay League
Montgomery 14, Olympian 6: Isaiah Mena-Malija threw for 173 yards and two TDs as Montgomery improved to 6-3, 2-0. Andie Deanda, who moved from QB to receiver, had six catches for 98 yards. Wally Ignacio scored Olympians TD on a 27-yard pass from Jayden Fuentes. Olympian falls to 3-6, 1-1.
Bonita Vista 24, Hilltop 21: Richie Rojas’ 38-yard field goal on the final play of the game lifted Bonita Vista to 4-4, 1-1. The Barons jumped out to a 21-0 lead only to see Hilltop (4-5, 0-2) tie the game with 2 minutes to play, setting up Rojas’ kick. Knecko Vasquez threw for 175 yards and a TD while Lajuan Johnson had rushing and receiving TDs for Bonita Vista. Bryson Grant had 12 tackles and an interception.
Pacific League
Classical Academy 31, Francis Parker 21: Sawyer Bray threw for 166 yards and a 37-yard TD to Jordan Simmons to lead Classical Academy (5-4, 2-0). Justus Smith had 22 rushes for 135 yards and two TDs. Parker is 4-4, 2-1.
Palomar League
Mt. Carmel 50, Fallbrook 31: Kelle Leuck threw for three TDs and ran for another as Mt. Carmel improved to 6-3, 2-2. Shane Carter ran for two scores. Fallbrook (0-9, 0-4) was led by Evan Thomas, who threw for three TDs and had 76 yards rushing. Grant Hall rushed 27 times for187 yards and had a 30-yard TD catch.
Del Norte 43, Ramona 20: Diesel Tayor threw five TD passes, including two each to Chase Jordgens and Braxton Jones, as Del Norte moved to 6-3, 3-1. Ramona (1-8, 0-4) got TD runs from Noah Bedia, Ethan Grajada and Juan Robley.
Sunset League
OFarrell Charter 27, Mountain Empire 6: Cholle Critte had an 80-yard kickoff return for a TD, Mario Guerrero had a 30-yard TD run and Tyjon Nathan returned an interception for a score as OFarrell improved to 2-7, 2-2. Mountain Empire is 1-8, 0-4.
Tri-City Christian 9, Coastal Academy 7
Maranatha Christian 37, Rock Academy 0
Valley League
Escondido 31, Rancho Buena Vista 7: Caden Thompson threw for 198 yards two TDs as Escondido improved to 6-3, 3-2. Ezekiel McIntyre had a 69-yard punt return for a TD and intercepted two passes. RBV is 1-8, 0-5.
San Pasqual 46, Vista 0: Robert Renteria threw for 163 yards and three TDs and rushed for 65 yards and two scores for San Pasqual (4-6, 3-2). Cooper Marquez had 59 rushing yards and caught a 27-yard TD pass. Marcus Rocha had three catches for 105 yards and two scores. Mason Turnbaugh had three sacks while Trevor Bennett and Curren Anderson both had two. Jaiden Whitfield and Adrian Leon blocked kicks. Vista is 2-7, 0-5.
Valley Center 31, Westview 0: Jhett Puentes-Stehly, Daniel Stehly, Gauge Wright and Bear Morales scored TDs for Valley Center (7-2, 5-0). Beto Rizo, Puentes-Stehly and Noah Todd all intercepted passes. Matt Guimond had a pair of interceptions and completed a pass for a first down on a fake punt for Westview (3-7, 2-4).
Nonleague
Santa Fe Christian 31, Escondido Charter 8: Dax Labrum threw for 226 yards and three scores, PJ Rogers had two TD receptions and Chase Wooley caught a TD pass and rushed for a score for SFC (8-1). George Adams had a rushing TD. Escondido Charter is 1-8.
Mater Dei Catholic 54, Grossmont 20: Regan Nicanor threw for 285 yards and two TDs to lead Mater Dei Catholic (6-3). Larell Parker caught six passes for 96 yards and a score and Gael Aguilar rushed for 75 yards and a TD. Noah Cook had 14 tackles and a sack. Matt Carr and Caron Scott intercepted passes.
Point Loma 34, La Jolla 20: Ryder Watson completed 13 of 17 passes for 215 yards and two TDs and rushed for a score for Point Loma (5-4). Romeo Carter had eight catches for 179 yards and a TD and Canon Ogden had a rushing TD. For La Jolla (6-3), Aidan McGill rushed for 127 yards and a TD. Hank Hansen had 165 yards in total offense and one TD.
8-man
Manzanita League
Horizon Prep 62, Borrego Springs 30
Julian 50, West Shores 8
Ocean View Christian 39, Warner 0
Ocean League
St. Joseph Academy 24, Foothills Christian 6
Steve Brand and Don Norcross contributed to this report