Eight Metro Conference teams walked off the playing field with San Diego Section championships this spring. If it isn’t already a record, it has to be now.

Regardless, the honor roll is special.

Eastlake High School’s top-seeded girls beach volleyball team (15-9) started off the monster showing by winning the Division II championship on May 10 with a 4-1 decision over seventh-seeded Canyon Crest Academy (9-8).

San Ysidro High School’s second-seeded boys volleyball team (24-10) slayed top-seeded Monte Vista (23-13) by a count of 3-1 to win the Division V title on May 15.

Mater Dei Catholic High School’s top-seeded boys volleyball team (33-10) defeated sixth-seeded Maranatha Christian (26-6) by a count of 3-1 to capture the Division III championship on May 16.

Olympian High School’s second-seeded girls lacrosse team (13-10) quickly followed by claiming the Division III title on May 17 with a 9-7 victory over top-seeded Tri-City Christian (14-3).

Mater Dei Catholic High School’s third-seeded boys lacrosse team (15-5) followed suit by claiming the Division III banner that same day by a score of 10-9 over top-seeded Classical Academy (17-4).

Three softball finals took care of the rest.

No. 2 Eastlake (20-11-1) opened the floodgates with a 9-0 win over eighth-seeded Rancho Bernardo (13-14-1) in last Friday’s Division I championship contest.

No. 7 Olympian (19-12-1) fired a no-hitter at No. 4 El Centro Southwest (19-9) on Saturday to capture the Division III title by a score of 7-0.

That left No. 1 Mater Dei Catholic (25-7) and No. 3 Bonita Vista (25-7) to duke it out for Saturday night’s primetime Open Division encounter that went to the Lady Crusaders by a 6-1 score.

That’s eight. That’s great!

Incredibly, there’s more.

Mater Dei Catholic’s boys volleyball team went on to sweep through the Southern California Division IV regional bracket to claim a berth in Saturday’s inaugural state boys volleyball championship game. The SoCal champion Crusaders defeated NorCal champion Livingston, 3-1, to emerge with the Golden State’s first gold medal in the division.

Both Mater Dei Catholic and Bonita Vista qualified for the Southern California regional softball playoffs. Quarterfinals were scheduled to start Tuesday, with the championship game slated for Saturday at the remaining highest-seeded team.

The Lady Crusaders received the No. 2 seed and the Lady Barons the No. 3 seed in the Division I bracket behind top-seeded El Modena (22-9).

Overall, the Metro Conference populated five division finals last weekend: three in softball and two in baseball.

On the hardball side, both seventh-seeded San Ysidro (Division II) and top-seeded Otay Ranch (Division IV) held leads in their championship game matchups but were unable to hold them.

San Ysidro (21-13) dropped a 7-3 decision to the fifth-seeded Mt. Carmel Sundevils (21-12) last Friday after coughing up a 3-2 lead while Otay Ranch (23-11) zipped in front of second-seeded Ramona (23-7) by a score of 5-1 but ended up on the short end of an 8-6 score on Saturday that featured a disheartening ending.

Parade of champions
Of the Metro’s three softball champions, Eastlake was the first to celebrate with the banner, the school’s first since garnering runner-up finishes in 2018 (Division I) and 2024 (Division II).

“It couldn’t have been any more amazing,” first-year coach Jandi Diego said. “

Eastlake took control from the beginning of the game with a 4-0 lead through the opening two frames. The Lady Titans distanced themselves from their North County opponent with four more runs in the fifth inning for an 8-0 lead.

Eastlake out-hit Rancho Bernardo 12-2. The Lady Broncos committed five errors.

Senior Rachel Del Busto and junior Bryn Grayson each had three RBI while junior Mia Vasquez and senior Deziree Gomez each drove in one run.

Grayson and senior Bri Ayap each had three hits while Vasquez and senior Mackenzie Olshenskie each scored two runs.

Meanwhile, junior Addison Suriano tamed the Lady Broncos with a one-hitter with six strikeouts.

The Lady Titans came full circle after a 11-2 loss to Imperial in last year’s championship game.

“We knew how good we were last year (21-12 record) and fell a little short,” Del Busto said. “This year we played every game as if it was our last. They (my teammates) deserve this.”

The Lady Titans went undefeated through their four section playoff games. They opened with a 3-2 win over seventh-seeded Steele Canyon, defeated sixth-seeded El Capitan, 7-2, in their second game and eliminated Steele Canyon, 10-1, in the division semifinal.

Suriano pitched all four games. She fanned 10 batters in the second win over the Lady Cougars (18-14-1).

Vasquez picked up three RBI in that game with three hits including a double. Ayap had three RBI in the win over El Capitan (16-16) while Olshenskie (double) had two RBI. Grayson and Vasquez (home run) each had one RBI in the playoff opener against Steele Canyon.

“Last year we made it to the championship game in Division II, and this year we were moved up to Division I,” Diego said. “We had a strong schedule. We played in the toughest league in the Metro Conference (Metro-Mesa League). It helped us be competitive in Division I.

“The girls responded. They put the team first. It was a testament to all the seniors. The success to the season started with hard work at practice, the girls knowing their role and playing as a team.”

Team leaders for Eastlake included Olshenskie with a 0.457 hitting average to go with 30 RBI, 10 doubles, one triple and seven home runs, Ayap with a 0.368 average, senior Ryan Pham with a 0.339 average to go with 10 RBI, Grayson with a 0.339 average, junior Kaili Balajadia with a 0.333 average and Del Busto with a 0.326 average, 14 RBI and two home runs. Gomez (0.312 average) chalked up 13 RBI and two home runs while Vasquez (0.282 average0 tallied 10 RBI and two homers.

Suriano finished 9-7 in the pitching circle with a 2.66 earned-run average and 110 strikeouts in 136.2 innings in 25 logged appearances while Balajadia was 4-1 with a 2.51 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 47.1 innings through 10 appearances.

On wings of an Eagle
Seventh seeds aren’t supposed to do much in a championship bracket. But don’t tell that to the Olympian Lady Eagles, who proceeded to reel off five consecutive wins, in the process upsetting the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, to unequivocally stamp their names as the 2025 San Diego Section Division III softball champions.

Sophomore Alexandra Perez made the ride even more memorable by pitching a no-hitter in the championship game against the fourth-seeded El Centro Southwest Eagles.

It’s the second CIF championship title for Olympian, which previously captured the Division II title in 2018.

The Lady Eagles (19-12-1) faced off the division playoffs with a 3-0 win over the 10th-seeded Coronado Lady Islanders (11-14) on May 20 to advance to meet second-seeded Coastal Academy (18-6). The Chula Vista team made its first upset in the bracket look easy with a 7-1 victory.

Seniors Daniella Mendoza and Sophia G. Aquino, each with a double, supplied one RBI apiece in the win over Coronado while freshman Gabriella Mendiola scored twice. Perez pitched a complete game three-hitter with 10 strikeouts.

Mendoza led the way with four RBI and a home run in the victory against Coastal Academy while senior Kaitlynn Robeson knocked in three runs. Perez pitched six innings with three hits, one run allowed and nine strikeouts to pick up her second consecutive playoff win.

The third-seeded San Dieguito Academy Lady Mustangs (18-8-1) were a much different story, however, as Olympian managed to squeeze out a 4-3 win to keep its championship hopes alive. The teams would meet again after the Lady Mustangs eliminated Coastal Academy, 9-0, to force a double-elimination game against the Lady Eagles.

Olympian was up to the task again with a 6-4 victory to secure a berth in the division championship game at SDSU.

Freshman Isabella Zamora had two RBI in the first win over SDA while Robeson and sophomore NiKayla Flowers each drove in one run. Perez once again was in the pitching circle, turning in a complete game effort with seven strikeouts.

The Lady Eagles appeared on the brink of disaster after trailing the Lady Mustangs, 4-1, through five innings in the teams’ rematch. But a five-run rally in the top of the sixth inning carried the Metro-South Bay League champions to the come-from-behind win. Olympian rapped out 12 hits in the game while SDA committed four errors.

The Lady Eagles wasted little time in spreading their wings by scoring two runs in each of the opening two frames of the championship game for a 4-0 advantage on the scoreboard. Three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning rounded out the final score.

Olympian out-hit El Centro Southwest 12-0 as each team committed one error.

Robeson and senior Jacqui De Murguia (double, triple) each had two RBI. De Murguia had three hits in the game while Robeson, Zamora and Mendoza (double) each had two hits.

Perez faced 25 batters in the game with two walks and two strikeouts. She threw 84 pitches to complete the no-hitter.

It was the fifth pitching win for Perez in the section playoffs. She improved to 12-7 with 132 strikeouts in 139.1 innings.

Southwest (19-10) was making its first CIF finals appearance since 2018.

Team leaders for Olympian included De Murguia with a 0.487 hitting average to go with 15 RBI, 19 doubles and four triples, Flowers with a 0.479 hitting average to go with seven RBI, Robeson with a 0.447 hitting average to go with 31 RBI and 18 doubles, Zamora with a 0.349 average to go with nine RBI, senior Jaiden Liera with a 0.345 hitting average to go with 19 RBI ang three home runs.

Aquino logged 15 RBI while senior Samantha Becerra and Mendoza each collected 10 RBI.

The CIF championship title nudged Olympian into the No. 4 seed in the Division III Southern California regional playoffs.

Primetime showdown
The Mater Dei Lady Crusaders and Bonita Vista Lady Barons remained the teams to beat in the Metro Conference this season. Bonita Vista one-upped Mater Dei Catholic by winning the Metro-Mesa League title while the Lady Crusaders topped the Lady Barons, 6-1, to win this year’s Open Division championship game.

Played at Helix High School because of a power outage and rain delay at UC San Diego, Saturday’s Open Division final was predictably close — a bunch of zeroes — until Mater Dei Catholic broke through with five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Lady Crusaders added another run in the sixth inning after yielding a run to the Lady Barons in the top of the frame.

Sophomore Arri Romero pitched a complete game for Mater Dei Catholic, though she gave up nine hits and struck out three batters.

The Lady Crusaders appeared to play bend-but-don’t-break.

Juniors Gigi Flores and Liana Quinones, both with doubles, each drove in two runs while senior Bella Hiner picked up the other RBI. Flores had two hits in the game while sophomore Maya Matthies scored twice.

It was the ninth section championship title for MDC head coach Mike Centrullo (three Open Division, one Division I, one Division II and four Division IV). In contrast to most of the season, his team played small ball to win this year’s biggest game.

“We played a tough team like Bonita, I give a lot of credit to Bonita,” Centrullo said. “They out-hit us. The short game has saved us. The small ball is really important.”

“Our motto is Corinthians 1:10 — ‘perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.’” Hiner said. “We trust in God. We trust each other. They’re my sisters. They’re amazing.

“That one inning our energy was insane. We went all out for each other. We trusted our coaches with the calls. We trusted each other with our hits. As a senior, we obviously wanted to go out like this.”

“We had a great season,” BV coach Vanessa Kalavi said. “I knew we were going to be very good. With five seniors (departing), we’re going to be strong again next year.”

Romero improved to 22-4 on the season with Thursday’s regional semifinal matchup looming ahead against Bonita Vista.

Championship photo series by Jon Bigornia

SoCal Regionals

Five Metro Conference teams (four in softball, one in baseball) got a taste of the Southern California regional playoffs, and three (two softball, one baseball) have remained in the hunt for a regional championship.

Open Division semifinalist Eastlake received the No. 4 seed in the Division II regional baseball playoffs and defeated No. 5 Glendora, 4-1, in Tuesday’s opening quarterfinals to advance to Friday’s semifinals against No. 8 Rancho Bernardo, another Open Division section qualifier.

Because of graduation ceremonies, the game was moved back. The Titans (21-10-1) will host the Broncos (19-13) at 12:30 p.m.

Both Eastlake and Glendora managed four hits apiece. The Titans scored one run in the bottom of the first inning to take the early lead and beefed up with three runs in the fourth inning. Glendora got its only run in the top of the fifth inning.

Junior Hamza Hatahet (double) keyed the hosts with three RBI while senior Kalani Jauregui tacked on one RBI. Senior Nick Romero struck out 11 batters in six innings while allowing three hits. Freshman Lucas Yriqui finished up with one hit in one inning with two strikeouts.

Eastlake’s newly crowned Division I section champion softball team (21-11-1) will meet No. 2 Westlake (20-14) in Friday’s Division II regional semifinals at 4 p.m. on the road, also a date change because of graduation.

The Lady Titans edged No. 3 Bakersfield Christian, 3-2, in Tuesday’s regional opener as junior Addison Suriano pitched a complete game with five hits allowed, five strikeouts and one earned run and senior Rachel Del Busto (two hits) supplied the offense with three RBI, including a home run.

Bakersfield Christian finished its season 23-10.

Westlake defeated No. 7 Rancho Bernardo, 5-3, on Tuesday. Either Eastlake or Westlake will face No. 1 Christian (24-8-1) in the regional championship game on Saturday after the Lady Patriots edged No. 4 Monache (18-7-1) by a slim 1-0 score in Thursday’s semifinals.

Saturday’s championship game is set for a 4 p.m. start.

Freshman Alyssa McCurty drove in the semifinal game’s one run in the bottom of the sixth inning as senior Tyler Krystek scored the winning run. Christian employed the services of three pitchers in the contest. Junior Ava Barrios went four innings with three hits and three strikeouts while McCurty pitched one inning with one strikeout. Sophomore Sienna Staite pitched two scoreless innings with one hit.

The Lady Pats emerged victorious by generating just four hits.

The Division III section champion Olympian Lady Eagles, seeded fourth in the Division III regional bracket, shaded No. 5 West Ranch, 7-6, in nine innings on Tuesday to advance to Thursday’s semifinal at Division II section champion Point Loma.

Senior Jacqui De Murguia led the offense for the hosts with four hits, including a double, and two RBI. Sophomore NiKayla Flowers (two hits), freshman Isabella Zamora and senior Kailynn Robeson (double) each knocked in one run.  Senior Daniela Mendoza scored two runs.

Senior Alexandra Perez pitched eight innings with six runs allowed (four earned) and six strikeouts. West Ranch finished its season with a 17-16 record.

Regional no. 1 seed Pt. Loma (27-6-1) won 3-0 on Thursday to end the Lady Eagles’ season at 20-13-1. Perez pitched six innings with four hits, two earned runs allowed with three strikeouts.

Mater Dei Catholic continued their tug-of-war with a dramatic encounter on Thursday after both teams received a bye in the Division I quarterfinals. No. 3 Bonita Vista took an early 3-1 lead in the semifinal matchup before No. 2 Mater De Catholic went in front 4-3 in the fourth innings. The teams were tied 4-4 through six innings before the host Lady Crusaders won in walk-off fashion with a run in the seventh inning to prevail 5-4 on the scoreboard.

Mater Dei Catholic (26-7) will travel to No. 1 El Modena (23-9) for Saturday’s regional championship game after the Lady Vanguards topped No. 5 Poway (24-9) by a score of 8-6 in nine innings in Thursday’s semifinal.

Senior Lilia Alpuche had three hits and two RBI for the Lady Crusaders in Thursday’s game. Juniors Bella Harris and Liana Quinones each delivered one RBI. Quinones scored two runs in the game while Harris, sophomore Anabelle Gallagher and senior Bella Hiner each scored once.

Sophomore Arri Romero pitched five innings with four earned runs allowed and three strikeouts while senior Analesse Garcia pitched two innings with one hit, one walk and one strikeout to record the win.

Bonita Vista finishes an otherwise stellar season 25-8.