CHARLIE NEUMAN / Union-Tribune

After leading their teams to new levels of success, La Costa Canyon's Jacob Driver (left) and Cathedral Catholic's Tyler Gaffney met for a photo at the Torrey Pines State Reserve.

Crossing new bridges

Gaffney, Driver, Jackson earn top football honors

Dec. 27 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

It was a year of firsts. Cathedral Catholic won the school's first state bowl game. La Costa Canyon won its first section football title. And Madison made its first championship appearance.

For helping their teams reach new heights, Cathedral's Tyler Gaffney and LCC's Jacob Driver have been chosen the 2008 Union-Tribune San Diego Section Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.

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Dec. 27 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Football All-League teams:

CARSON, 9:24 a.m. Dec. 21 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Despite record-breaking numbers, Gaffney focuses on the final score: As Tyler Gaffney exited the field at the Home Depot Center last night, peals of “Gaffney, Gaffney, Gaffney” rained down from the Cathedral Catholic partisans.

CARSON, 9:23 a.m. Dec. 21 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Gaffney's 329 yards rushing, 5 TDs lead Dons: In Tyler, Cathedral trusts. Tyler Gaffney, the Dons' beyond-prolific running back, turned in a performance for the ages last night, leading Cathedral Catholic to a come-from-behind, 37-34 win over Stockton St. Mary's in the Division II State Championship Bowl at the Home Depot Center.

11:33 a.m. Dec. 20 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Front men do dirty work for Cathedral: The past two years, Tyler Gaffney has run for 3,936 yards. That's about 2.2 miles, not enough to even get the Cathedral Catholic High running back from the Dons' Carmel Valley campus to Interstate 5.

Dec. 19

Cathedral has a leg up with kicker Ferreira: Roman Ferreira's e-mail address says it all: Kickittowinit1. Ferreira has been kicking and Cathedral Catholic High has been winning – 13 times without a loss.

Dec. 19
State football championship bowls: What: Five games pitting a team from Southern California against a team representing a high school of similar enrollment from Northern California.

Dec. 18

Five state title bowls kick off tomorrow: Three bowls became five this year, yet even before the games are played the California Interscholastic Federation is looking ahead.

Dec. 15 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Dons get Div. II State Bowl nod: Cathedral Catholic was selected yesterday to represent Southern California in the Division II State Championship Bowl game Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Carson. The Dons will face Stockton St. Mary's.

Dec. 15 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

State football championship bowls :Five games are scheduled for the Home Depot Center in Carson, each pitting a team from Southern California against a team representing a high school of similar enrollment from Northern California.

DIVISION V, CHULA VISTA, Dec. 14 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Parker bests defending champs: He dips, he darts and he dashes. Francis Parker junior quarterback Deon Randall did it all in championship form last night.

Dec. 14 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Cathedral Catholic to play for state championship: Cathedral Catholic High school will represent Southern California next week at the Home Depot Center in Carson in the Division II State Championship Bowl game. The Dons will face Stockton St. Mary's (12-2). The game will be Saturday at 4 p.m.

DIVISION I, Dec. 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Mavericks conquer Cougars: Before last night's San Diego Section Division I championship game, La Costa Canyon coach Darrin Brown said his offense would take what the Escondido defense was giving. As it turned out, the Mavericks didn't bother to ask for directions. They just took what they wanted.

DIVISION II, Dec. 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Oceanside interception denies Helix victory in final seconds: It was the pass that will echo around Qualcomm Stadium for years to come. Here were the No. 3-ranked Helix Highlanders on the verge of upsetting the defending Division II state champions with a first-and-goal at the Oceanside 1-yard line and less than a minute to play in yesterday's San Diego Section finals.

DIVISION III, Dec. 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Cathedral Catholic routs Valhalla as Gaffney scores 4 TDs: You had to see it to believe it, and even if you were at Qualcomm Stadium, you wanted to see it again and again. Cathedral Catholic's Tyler Gaffney is simply a marvel to watch. Unless you're Valhalla. Gaffney scored four touchdowns, delighting the Dons faithful and impressing everyone else in leading Cathedral to its first unbeaten season with a 49-13 victory over Valhalla in the San Diego Section Division III championship.

DIVISION IV, Dec. 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Valley Center repeats as champion: Valley Center senior James Johnson could not have broken the San Diego Section record for career receiving yards with a more significant reception. It came with 40 seconds left in the second quarter of the Division IV final against Madison. Johnson caught a 28-yard TD pass to help the Jaguars establish a 14-point halftime lead on the way to a 31-20 victory over the previously unbeaten Warhawks and a repeat title.

Dec. 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Seale's rushing record cheered by teammates, opponents:Ricky Seale got the record, but it didn't come with a championship ring. Nor did it come with much drama during the Division I title game at Qualcomm Stadium. It came with the Cougars on the short side of a rout as Escondido fell to La Costa Canyon 45-28.

Dec. 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Alim back as Otay Ranch football coach:Longtime South County football coach Gene Alim was hired yesterday to assume his second stint as head coach at Otay Ranch High. Alim, 56, will remain athletic director at the school.

Dec. 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Ground gamers: Friday's championships at Qualcomm Stadium featured an unusually strong trio of running backs. Here's how they did.

Dec. 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Up in the air: San Diego Section's top five in career receiving yards.

Dec. 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

In a rush: San Diego Section's top five for rushing yards in a season.

Dec. 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

High school football highlights:

Dec. 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Pirates treasure: Oceanside won its fifth straight football championship Friday night, a San Diego Section record.

Dec. 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Francis Parker vs. Bishop's preview:

Dec. 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

San Diego Section Football Championships :

Dec. 12 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

San Diego Section Football Championships: GREEN MACHINES Today's San Diego Section football championship game at Qualcomm Stadium game will mark the fifth time that Oceanside and Helix have met for the Division II title in eight years.

Dec. 12 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Gaffney scores four TDs as Cathedral defends Division III title: Tyler Gaffney scored four touchdowns, two rushing and two receiving, as the Cathedral Catholic Dons defended their section Division III title with a 49-13 route over Valhalla on Friday at Qualcomm Stadium.

Dec. 12 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Late interception seals championship for Oceanside: Oceanside's Rene Siluano intercepted Helix quarterback Ty Culver with 42 seconds left to secure a 23-19 win over the Highlanders in the San Diego Section Division II championship game Friday night at Qualcomm Stadium.

Dec. 12 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

West Point salutes top Helix linebacker:LA MESA – Helix High senior Eddie Faamaile sees his future as a potpourri of choices. Military officer? Choreographer?

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 11
Football, family give teen firm foundation: Somewhere, Harvey Randall is smiling. Randall isn't here to witness the family foundation he laid. Nor is he here to watch his youngest son, Deon, perform as one of the region's top high school football players.

Dec. 11 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

S.D. Section Football Championships :

3:16 p.m. Dec. 10 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
El Camino football coach steps down: El Camino High football coach Trace Deneke resigned Wednesday following his fourth losing season in five years. He said he will remain as the school's athletic director.

Dec. 10 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Position a snap for Cathedral QB: When Parker Hipp walked off the field following Cathedral Catholic's final game last year, he didn't know what position he'd be playing this season.

CARLSBAD, Dec. 9 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Mavericks finally get their 'Q': Sept. 26, 2008. Approximately 10:45 p.m. That's when everything changed. About 30 minutes earlier, the La Costa Canyon High football team had lost to Santa Margarita in the final minute. Players were despondent and embarrassed by the collapse. Many didn't want to leave the locker room. Parents were calling cell phones, wondering where their children were.

Dec. 9 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Henry football coach steps down: Mike Williams has stepped aside as head football coach at Patrick Henry High. The Patriots concluded this season with a 7-5 record, winning one playoff game before being eliminated in the quarterfinals.

DIVISION I, CARLSBAD, Dec. 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Mavericks notch first trip to finals: The hottest nightclub in North County last night was actually the La Costa Canyon High football field.

DIVISION I, ESCONDIDO, Dec. 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Escondido advances to title game for first time since 1995: After sitting out last year, Escondido senior Alex Stinton is glad he returned to play football this season. Last night, he made a key play that helped the Cougars advance to the San Diego Section Division I championship.

DIVISION II, CHULA VISTA, Dec. 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Late goal-line stand propels Helix into another title game: Helix's 6-foot-8, 247-pound Levine Toilolo is known as a big man. Now he's known as a “Big Play Man” as well.

DIVISION II, OCEANSIDE, Dec. 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Oceanside lights up for win: In a game that might be remembered more for a nearly two-hour power outage than the final outcome, the Oceanside High Pirates turned out the lights on Scripps Ranch's season.

DIVISION III, EL CAJON, Dec. 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Valhalla rules neighborhood with shutout over Steele Canyon: Valhalla left no doubt about which of the two high school football teams in the Rancho San Diego area is superior this season.

DIVISION III, Dec. 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Cathedral pounds St. Augustine as Gaffney sets scoring records: When Tyler Gaffney took the field against parochial rival St. Augustine last night, records were not on his mind. Oh, he knew he was close to the section season scoring mark. He was not aware he was one touchdown behind the season TD record.

DIVISION IV, VALLEY CENTER, Dec. 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Valley Center edges out Coronado, heads for Division IV final: Very little was going right for the Valley Center High football team when it found itself down 20-14 early in the fourth quarter.

DIVISION IV, Dec. 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Rouse runs for 245 yards, leads Madison past Mission Bay: He doesn't have much hair on his face. He's not even tall enough to reach the shoulders of most of his teammates.

DIVISION V, Dec. 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Morrison earns 100th win as Francis Parker beats Army-Navy: For most coaches, achieving 100 victories at one high school is an amazing accomplishment. In John Morrison's case, he's hoping to celebrate after number 101 – when it comes attached to a potential championship.

DIVISION V, EL CAJON, Dec. 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Unseeded Bishop's rallies to beat Christian 30-23 in overtime: Unlikely? Try unprecedented. An unseeded Bishop's team that had to win two playoff games to scratch back to .500, a team that was 0-4 in the tough Coastal League, a team starting a freshman quarterback, a team that had never before played an overtime game last night earned a berth in the San Diego Section Division V championship.

Dec. 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Championship schedule:

ESCONDIDO, Dec. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Escondido's Seale leading pack: Chad Carlin isn't asking for a Rolex or dinner at Donovan's. Running backs have been known to thank their offensive linemen when they have great seasons. Carlin, an offensive tackle at Escondido High, is simply saying, come on, how about a little something for the effort.

Dec. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Rivalry splits neighbors Steele Canyon, Valhalla:It's a tale of two campuses as Grossmont South League rivals Steele Canyon and Valhalla prepare to play in tonight's Division III football semifinals.

Dec. 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Saints fans concerned Dons' stadium too small: Maria Oliver hadn't been in her office 15 minutes yesterday when Cathedral Catholic High students and fans were lined up to buy tickets for tomorrow's football semifinal against rival St. Augustine.

Dec. 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Forcier vs. Oceanside figures to be a dandy: Scripps Ranch High quarterback Robert “Tate” Forcier remembers that last year's Division II quarterfinal matchup against Oceanside was a physical affair. Well, he sort of remembers.

ESCONDIDO, Nov. 29
Seale's 280 yards propel Cougars: Punters typically don't get much media attention – especially when they share the same uniform as Ricky Seale, the San Diego Section's leading rusher.

POWAY, Nov. 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Zapata leads Mission Hills to 20-14 upset win over Poway: Without their leading rusher, Mission Hills quarterback D.J. Zapata and his teammates transformed into a passing team and rode the airways for an upset victory over the defending San Diego Section Division I champions.

CHULA VISTA, Nov. 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Barbour's close shave keys Lancers: Ashston Barbour says he's not superstitious. But after last night, he might consider himself lucky.

Nov. 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Cathedral Catholic rallies to foil upset-minded Point Loma:What a relief for Cathedral Catholic. After two consecutive blowout losses at the hands of the Dons, Point Loma came out and knocked down the defending section champions early last night in the San Diego Section Division III quarterfinals.

LA MESA, Nov. 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Helix has all the answers against outmanned Grossmont: It did not live up to the traditional encounters the Grossmont Conference's oldest football rivalry has produced in the past.

EL CAJON, Nov. 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Brown, Valhalla run down Serra, advance to Division III semifinals: Normally as pass-happy as a team can be, Valhalla unveiled a different run-first strategy last night that wound up taking the Norsemen to places they had never been before.

OCEANSIDE, Nov. 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Pirates in top playoff form with shutout win over Lincoln: The Oceanside High football team is so familiar with postseason success that the Pirates scheduled Senior Night for last night's quarterfinal playoff game against Lincoln rather than their last regular-season home game.

CHULA VISTA, Nov. 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Goal-line stand helps St. Augustine hold off El Capitan: In a game when yards were gobbled up in bunches, a few inches were all that prevented a major upset.

CARLSBAD, Nov. 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Hanson's heroics help La Costa Canyon cool hot Panthers: The La Costa Canyon High Mavericks, top-seeded in the San Diego Section Division I football playoffs, proved they were worthy of that status last night against the Vista Panthers.

SOLANA BEACH, Nov. 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Sprained fingers don't stop QB from leading Coronado to win: Coronado starting quarterback Mason Mills sprained four fingers on his throwing hand in the Islanders' first offensive series Friday afternoon. An injury like that would end most quarterbacks' days. But Mills isn't most quarterbacks.

Nov. 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Forcier a force in Scripps Ranch win over Westview:Scripps Ranch quarterback Robert Forcier has made many big plays out of the shotgun formation in his usual spot on the field.

CHULA VISTA, Nov. 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Baxter's run leads Bucs to semifinals for 4th straight season: Midway through the third quarter, it looked like Dillon Baxter was going to hit the turf for a costly third-down sack. Then the Mission Bay High quarterback shook a defender at midfield, sprinted to the left sideline, picked up some blocks, cut back again and strolled into the end zone at the right hash mark.

Nov. 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

High School Football Highlights:

LA MESA, Nov. 28 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Helix senior sparks defense: Seems like Helix High's Trelan Taylor has been a defender ever since he was a little boy. Asked to describe the most memorable moment of his life, Taylor was quick to recall a time as a third-grader when he and two older brothers defended their mother from an abusive boyfriend.

Nov. 28 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

High School Football Playoffs: Get the U-T's rundown on tonight's quarterfinal action in all five divisions of the CIF San Diego Section football playoffs.

CARLSBAD, Nov. 27 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Receiver makes winning connections: La Costa Canyon High receiver Kenny Stills enters the playoffs with 52 catches for 1,039 yards and 14 touchdowns.

TIERRASANTA, Nov. 27 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Defenders can't catch a break: Serra High's pass-catching trio of Andrew Nycum, Josh Magallanez and Colton Bradley present quarterback Arthur Stewart with reliable options anywhere on the football field.

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 27 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

The comeback kid: Spend a few minutes with Amha Abebe, and it's hard not to be impressed by his physique and composure. Francis Parker High football coach John Morrison said he believes the 6-foot, 175-pound Abebe is one of the best-conditioned athletes he has seen.

Nov. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Ironman Ware powers Fallbrook: Fallbrook running back Jake Ware has a message for his dad, Marine Lt. Col. Randy Ware, who is serving in Iraq: “I love you. I hope the good guys keep winning.”

LAKESIDE, Nov. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

El Cap capitalizes on Brawley errors: Statistically inferior in all ways but on the scoreboard, El Capitan took advantage of Brawley mistakes to pull out a 41-22 victory last night in the first round of the CIF San Diego Section Division III playoffs at Wendell R. Cutting Field.

Nov. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Patrick Henry's Dabbert scores 3 TDs in win over West Hills: William Dabbert and the Patrick Henry offensive line took over the fourth quarter of last night's San Diego Section Division II playoff opener against visiting West Hills.

Nov. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Motivated Bishop's makes all the right moves to top Julian: After overmatching Julian last night in the first round of the San Diego Section Division V playoffs, Bishop's head coach Mike David chose his words very carefully. Rather than compare the talent level of the teams involved in the Knights' 49-0 victory at La Jolla, David assessed his Coastal League as a whole.

SAN MARCOS, Nov. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Mission Hills busts loose after halftime against El Camino: Locked in a scoreless tie going into halftime, it looked like the Mission Hills-El Camino first round playoff matchup last night was destined to be a grueling defensive struggle.

VISTA, Nov. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Quick-striking Vista marches on with rout of Otay Ranch: The Vista High football team won its final three games of the season to make it into the San Diego Section Division I playoffs, and it kept rolling against visiting Otay Ranch last night.

CHULA VISTA, Nov. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Point Loma wins, gears up for second chance against Cathedral: Leslie Rogers couldn't put it past him. Neither could the rest of his Point Loma teammates returning from the 2007 season.

OCEANSIDE, Nov. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Special plays and special teams help Carlsbad top Falcons: Carlsbad quarterback Michael Leonard took one for the team, but it was a special play that propelled the Lancers into the second round of the playoffs.

CHULA VISTA, Nov. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Grossmont to enjoy Turkey Day after upset of Bonita Vista: Football players love playing football on Thanksgiving – especially when it means they're still alive in the playoffs.

Nov. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Westview plays special game all-around in blanking Hoover: Westview coach Mike Woodward might have been a little upset about having to play in the first round of the San Diego Section Division II playoffs despite an 8-2 record, but the Wolverines' best defensive effort of the year more than made up for it.

Nov. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Serra gladly takes sloppy, come-from-behind win over MV: Serra High defender Jordi Kata homed in on Monte Vista quarterback Maurice Payne when his team badly needed a big play. Kata didn't disappoint.

LA MESA, Nov. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

It's a family affair for joyous, victorious Foothills Christian: The parents gathered at midfield like kids around a Christmas tree brimming with gifts. This was not something that they, nor anyone else associated with the Foothills Christian football program, had ever seen – a playoff victory.

Nov. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

La Jolla Country Day clamps down on Mountain Empire: All season long, 6-foot-2, 285-pound defensive tackle Junior Togiaso has wanted to carry the ball. Last night against Mountain Empire, the La Jolla Country Day sophomore got a chance to finally show what he could do when he got his hands on the football.

Nov. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

High school football highlights:

Nov. 21 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

High School Football Playoff Preview: FIRST ROUND Games at 7 p.m. today.

Nov. 20 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Workhorse leads Titans to playoffs: As an aspiring youth running back attending Poway High football games, Nick Ricciardulli took special note of the traditional role of a workhorse in the Titans backfield.

EL CAJON, Nov. 20
Christian's Fields plows through foes: No matter what the Christian High football team achieves this fall, the Patriots are unanimous about what they consider the season's most memorable play. It occurred last month in Christian's 45-21 victory over Santa Fe Christian. It was not a play that shows up in the statistics.

CHULA VISTA, Nov. 20
Spartans quarterback seeking his legacy: At first glance, the office of Chula Vista High football coach Judd Rachow appears jumbled. Dusty trophies are piled on file cabinets. Old photos line every square inch of wall space. Tables are littered with paper.

Nov. 18 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
A lot has changed: A high school football team's popularity is simple to measure. Call it the parking-lot barometer.

Nov. 18

Oceanside QB switches commitment from Colorado to Utah: Oceanside High quarterback Jordan Wynn has reneged on his commitment to Colorado, saying he will accept a football scholarship offer to Utah instead.

Nov. 16 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

LCC, Oceanside get No. 1 playoff seeds: Maybe the San Diego Section has finally gotten the high school football seeding procedure down.

Nov. 16 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

High School football playoffs :

CHULA VISTA, Nov. 15 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Eastlake tops Chula Vista to win Mesa championship: Eastlake coach John McFadden obviously has a way with words – words he can't always share with the general public.

RAMONA, Nov. 15

Oceanside ties Ramona, wins title: When entering Ramona via the winding state Route 78, motorists are greeted by a white sign. “Welcome to Bulldog country” reads the sign with a caricature of bulldog between the words.

Nov. 15 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Gaffney scores 7 TDs, ties record: The three most remarkable things Tyler Gaffney did last night did not include his tying the San Diego Section record with seven touchdown runs. Nor did they include the 231 rushing yards he amassed as Cathedral Catholic ran away from Scripps Ranch 70-37 to win the Eastern League championship and cap a perfect 10-0 regular season.