Just a few years ago, 8-man football was flourishing throughout San Diego. Sixteen teams played the smaller, wide-open version of the 11-man game.
Now, that number is down to seven. San Pasqual Academy dropped the sport just prior to the start of the season, while Warner canceled its season last week. Participation was the issue at Warner: The team was down to 12 players, and injuries had taken a toll. The WIldcats were outscored 138-14 over their first two games before calling it quits.
That leaves just Borrego Springs, St. Joseph Academy, Horizon Prep, Julian, West Shores, Calvin Christian and Francis Parker, which dropped to 8-man from 11-man just before the start of the season. And several of those teams are down to 10 to 12 players and in danger of not finishing the season.
With so few teams in the San Diego Section, 8-man schools have been forced to travel to places like Helendale, Branson, Wildomar, Downey, Rowland Heights, Hesperia and San Jacinto. And San Diego Section teams Borrego Springs and West Shores, located in Salton City, aren’t exactly around the corner.
Some San Diego Section teams have taken to playing home-and-home series with the same opponent just to get games in.
CIF San DIego Section commissioner Joe Heinz said there will still be an 8-man playoff this season, with six teams making the playoffs.
“We may have to evaluate that next season,” Heinz said.
Football flourishing
National football participation figures have increased by more than 200,000 each year since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey released by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Two of the biggest reasons have been the re-emergence of 11-player football and the skyrocketing numbers of girls playing flag football.
In the year prior to the pandemic, football had recorded its sixth consecutive decline and 10th decline in 11 years. Participation had dropped by more than 100,000 players. The number of participants in boys 11-player football has increased three of the past four years, a trend not seen since the mid-2000s.
The 2024-25 NFHS Athletics Participation Survey listed 1,139,326 participants (boys and girls) in all variations of football: 11-player, 9-player, 8-player, 6-player and flag.
Good to go
The CIF’s Sit Out Period for football players is over, meaning all transfers are eligible to play starting this weekend.
The Sit Out Period, which is typically 50% of the regular season, is for transfers who were not cleared to play immediately by the CIF office.
TV time
The CIF state office’s TV partnership with Spectrum, which has the rights to state championships and playoffs, is over at the end of July after 15 years. The state office will send out a request for bids for a new TV deal.
The CIF and Spectrum (formerly Time Warner Cable) were operating on an $8.5 million deal. However, parts of Northern California don’t get Spectrum, and all too often championship games in football and basketball were moved to make way for Los Angeles Lakers games.
The best around
According to MaxPreps.com, Torrey Pines (18-4) is ranked No. 3 in the state and No. 6 in the nation in girls volleyball. The Falcons’ rival, Cathedral Catholic (22-2), is No. 10 in the state.
La Jolla (6-0) is ranked No. 2 in the state and No. 13 in the nation in field hockey. Torrey Pines (13-4) is No. 3 in the state and No. 23 in the nation. Scripps Ranch (9-2) is No. 7 in the state, while Mission Bay (7-1) is eighth and Bishop’s (6-2) 10th.
La Jolla (13-2) is ranked No. 6 in both the state and nation in boys water polo.
Bonita Vista (10-0) is No. 10 in the state and No. 16 in the nation in flag football. Westview (10-2) is No. 17 in the state and No. 22 in the nation, while Torrey Pines (13-5) is 19th in the state and 25th in the nation. Carlsbad (13-3) is No. 20 in the state, Grossmont (12-2) is 23rd and Mission Hills (11-2) 24th.
Well done
Bishop’s sophomore Yuna Shi won the U18 Recurve Women’s Division at the 2025 Pacific Coast Archery Championship in Sacramento.
Shi broke a 10-year-old state record for the FITA 60-meter distance with a score of 331. Her overall score of 1,345 (out of 1,440) was one point shy of the California FITA record.
Imperial junior wrestler Noah Larios won the 16U Freestyle Heavyweight Division at the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D. He went 6-0 with several tech falls and a pin in 34 seconds. He also made the semifinals in the Greco Division before retiring with an injury.
Rules changes coming
Starting this season, high school softball players will no longer be allowed to record audio or video from the playing surface. The new rule clarifies the use of electronic devices and what is permitted in the sport; new rules were added last season to allow coaches to communicate electrrocially in games.
• Beginning in the 2027 season, a double first base will be required in high school baseball games to minimize the risk of collisions by runners and fielders.