San Diego Section Open Division football playoff bracket breakdown: Can Carlsbad stay unbeaten?

Here’s everything you need to know about the Open Division bracket:

The San Diego Section released its 2021 high school football playoff brackets for all six division on Saturday, Oct. 30. Since divisions 1-5 played their first round of games last week, we saved the Open Division breakdown for last.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Open Division bracket:

OPEN DIVISION BRACKET | ALL CIF-SDS FOOTBALL BRACKETS

TOP STORYLINES:

Will Carlsbad and Cathedral face off for the fourth consecutive postseason?

The Dons and Lancers entered the fall season as the top two teams in the San Diego Section and after 11 weeks of regular season action, not much has changed up top. They've met in the playoffs in four of the last five seasons, including each of the last three, and look to be headed towards another meeting this postseason that would settle the battle for San Diego's top team.

Cathedral Catholic challenged themselves with a grueling schedule that included trips to Corona Centennial and De La Salle that both resulted in losses. The Dons have won five straight since losing at De La Salle that includes their win by forfeit over Lincoln in week 11. In the four games played on the field since their trip north, the Dons have averaging over 49 points per game and feature a talented and experienced offense that will be a huge challenge for any opponent to slow down.

Carlsbad went unbeaten during the spring season, beating all five opponents by an average of 40 points per game. They've continued that momentum into the fall season, returning 13 starters while unleasing sophomore blue chip quarterback Julian Sayin. Facing top tier competition during the regular season, they've won all ten games, extending their overall winning streak to 15 straight while beating their opponents by an average of 25 points.

Can a road team win an Open Division playoff game?

Since the adoption of the Open Division by the San Diego Section prior to the 2013 season, there have been 41 Open Division playoff games. Only three of those games have been won by the road team. Mission Hills and Torrey Pines, the two teams facing the task this postseason, just happen to be two of the three teams that have pulled off the impressive road win during the first seven seasons of the Open Divisions' existence. Mission Hills was the first, taking down Grossmont, 49-48, as the five-seed in 2016. Torrey Pines followed it up by taking down La Costa Canyon as the five-seed, 40-0, in 2017.

FIRST ROUND (SEMIFINALS) MATCHUPS AND PLAYERS TO WATCH:

No. 1 Carlsbad (10-0) vs. No. 4 Torrey Pines (6-3):

The Falcons and Lancers played one of the section's top games during their week seven battle. The Falcons took a 33-28 lead with 73 seconds left to play before Julian Sayin and Carlsbad put together a 80 drive that culminated in a touchdown pass from Sayin to senior receiver Josh Davis as time expired for a one-point victory. Carlsbad has dominated in their four games since that last second win, beating their four opponents by a combined 138 points. Torrey Pines won three of their four games down the stretch, losing only to Mission Hills by six points.

The Falcons enter the rematch without the services of junior running back Easton Clements, who's foot injury will cost him the remainder of the season. He totaled 208 yards and three touchdowns against Carlsbad in October. Junior running back Alex Taylor has stepped up in Clements' absence, rushing for over 150 yards in consecutive games for the Falcons to finish up the regular season. Junior quarterback Remi Baere has tossed 15 touchdown passes in his first full season under center. Baere and senior two-way starter Wyatt Gardner have developed a knack for the big play this season, averaging 33 yards per catch. Eight of Gardner's 14 catches have results in touchdowns. Senior defensive lineman Zach Rowell, who announced his commitment to Stanford in the summer, leads the Falcons pass rush with five sacks during the regular season.

Carlsbad was missing senior running back Paulo Burak for the previous matchup, but have seen him come back on fire. In four games during October, he rushed for over 12 yards per carry and had five touchdowns including a 225-yard performance against La Costa Canyon. Burak's return has lessened Anthony Ferrelli's offensive workload, allowing him to return to an experienced defense that includes Barrett Brennan, Josh Davis and Christian Sarem. Julian Sayin attempted only 14 passes as a freshman while backing up his brother Aidan as a freshman and has stepped right in this season and delivered. He's completing 71% of his passes and had thrown 16 touchdown passes and zero interceptions over his past four games. Seniors Josh Davis and Matt Moore have given Sayin two reliable pass catchers while averaging over 16 yards per catch. The duo have combined for 21 touchdown receptions this season while forming an excellent receiver duo that has largely flown under the radar.

No. 2 Cathedral Catholic (8-2) vs. No. 3 Mission Hills (8-2):

The Dons and Grizzlies have only one previous meeting, a 2016 Open Division semifinal game won by Cathedral, 44-21. The Dons were dominant that night, rushing for 320 yards and were unstoppable that season, finishing up a few weeks later with a win over Stockton St. Mary's to claim a D1-AA CIF State Championship, completing the perfect 15-0 season.

This season's version of the Dons is much different but still features a devastating rushing attack. Senior Lucky Sutton broke out during the spring season and has carried it over into the fall. He surpassed 1,500 total yards during the regular season to go along with 26 touchdowns. Senior Charlie Mirer, now in his second full season as the Dons starter under center, has tossed 11 touchdown passes. The Dons only go to the air 12 times per game, primarily looking for senior receivers Rex Haynes and Deric Wood. The Dons defense, led up front by Stanford commit Jaxson Moi, has stifled San Diego teams this season, allowing just over 11 points per game.

Mission Hills entered the fall right trailing only Carlsbad and Cathedral Catholic in SBLive San Diego Section Top 10. They suffered an early season loss at Lincoln and were dealt a devastating blow when senior quarterback Gunnar Hensley went down with a season-ending leg injury of their week five loss to Carlsbad. The Grizzlies battled the remainder of the game, losing 13-7, and haven't lost since. Senior Jaiden Letua has starred at linebacker for Mission Hills over the past couple seasons and has added running back to his resume this season.