In a high school football season full of surprises, the biggest of all was a Heisman Trophy winner guiding his alma mater to a state championship on Saturday night in California's toughest division in his rookie season of coaching. Who had Carson Palmer and Santa Margarita on their bingo card toppling Sierra Canyon, Orange Lutheran, Corona Centennial and Corcord De La Salle in a four-game postseason stretch that left the Eagles as Southern Section Division 1 and CIF Open Division state champions?
Oxnard Pacifica had loads of motivation heading into Saturday's CIF state 1-A bowl game. Having fallen to Sacramento Grant in the 2-AA state final last season, the Tritons were anxious to redeem themselves against Fresno Central East in one of the weekend's marquee matchups. The game showcased two high-octane offenses, but every spectacular play by the Tritons was answered by the opponent as they were dealt their first defeat, 42-28, in the second of three games at Saddleback College.
Coach John Beam changed my life when I was a 14-year-old kid on the Skyline High football field. I still remember getting flattened in a varsity drill and looking up to see Beam standing over me, demanding more because he saw more. That was his gift. He coached football, but he taught manhood: accountability, discipline, belief in yourself long before you earned it.
There was no time left on the clock. South Gate trailed by a point with the ball on the Marquez 39-yard line. Quarterback Michael Gonzalez said there was only one play to call - the "everybody go deep play." Incredibly, it worked. He threw the ball up for his receivers to try to catch it in the end zone, and Nicholas Fonseca came down with the winning touchdown for a 63-58 victory over Marquez in the City Section Division I championship game Saturday
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times) At the City Section breakfast on Wednesday morning for teams competing this weekend in championship football games, two linebackers from the class of 2027 were asked to take a photo together, because one day, it could be historic. Elyjah Staples, a 6-foot-3 junior from Marquez, and De'Andre Kirkpatrick, a 6-3 junior from Crenshaw, can match their skills against anyone in the state. College recruiters are paying attention and one day NFL scouts will too. They are helping destroy the stereotype that City Section football is lacking in talent.
The victorious Spartans of De La Salle pose for a group photo with their plaque after defeating Pittsburg in an NCS Open Division high school football championship game, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025 in Pleasant Hill, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron for the Bay Area News Group)
That's a wrap for the high school football weekend. Week 12 highlights included Los Gatos' goal-line stand to beat St. Francis, San Mateo edging previously undefeated Woodside in overtime, Pittsburg rolling past Liberty, California's miracle finish against American Canyon and more. As always, the Bay Area News Group provided extensive coverage of the football week, from features and breaking news to rankings, roundups and game stories.
With heavy rain expected this weekend, the chance for high school football players in Los Angeles to run, tackle and enjoy playing in the mud is more than possible. There's eight City Section teams hosting playoff games Friday night with grass fields that have little grass left. That means fun times ahead. "It's not going to be pretty," Venice coach Angelo Gasca said of his field's condition for a game against Franklin.
When Loyola High defensive lineman Andrew Hilton broke his fibula and suffered ligament damage to his ankle during the opening week of football practice last August, things looked bleak. "He was really down initially," coach Drew Casani said. "He had put in such a great offseason," He underwent surgery and the prognosis was he'd be sidelined eight to 10 weeks, which probably meant missing his senior season.
San Juan Hills had the right player to turn to in the final seconds of its Southern Section Division 2 football playoff game against Downey on Friday night. Kyle Donahue delivered a walk-off 24-yard field goal for a 28-27 victory. The rise of Donahue this season is legitimate. He has made 11 of 13 field goals and kicked 93% of his kickoffs for touchbacks.
Vilma told the president the Fox team had been trying to look up his stats when he played tight end at New York Military Academy in the late '50s and early '60s a comment that drew a swift oh no from Trump. Vilma then asked how many TDs Trump scored back in the day and floated the possibility the commander-in-chief had about 6 or 7 of them. I'm not sure I had any, Trump responded, which got a laugh from both announcers.
