CIF Football Semifinals Kick Off Thursday Night

Can anyone stop the Helix juggernaut?

Mission Hills High of San Marcos will be the next to try when the Grizzlies visit La Mesa for Thursday night's CIF San Diego Section Division II semifinal game.

Divisions I through IV will determine their finalists, playing on Thursday night to allow enough time for the winners to prepare for Monday's championship games at Qualcomm Stadium. The Division V semis will be on Friday night, with the winners meeting for the title the following Friday at Mesa College.

Helix stumbled in its season opner against Eastlake, but the Highlanders have destroyed 10 opponents since as they try to win their first section title since 2001. They have gone 0-for-6 in championship games since, losing five of those times to Oceanside, which is trying for its eighth straight Division II title. The Pirates visit La Costa Canyon, which beat Oceanside during the regular season.

In Division I, top-seeded Poway hosts San Pasqual. The teams tied 17-17 when they met in September, the lone blemish on the Titans' 10-0-1 record. Vista, the defending Division I champ, has overcome an 0-4 start to earn a spoy in the semis against Eastlake.

A couple of upstarts will be the sentimental picks in Divisions III and IV.

Unseeded Mar Vista upset second-seeded St. Augustine 42-28 last week and will visit South Bay neighbor Olympian in Division III. Coronado used six touchdown passes from Austin Denson to knock off top-seeded Mount Miguel 54-36 and will visit fourth-seeded Santana (whose only loss was to Mount Miguel) in Division IV.

Top-seeded Santa Fe Christian will have to get by defending state champion Bishop's to reach the Division V final.

Here are the semifinal pairings (all games have 7 p.m. start times), with schools covered by San Diego Patch sites in bold:

Division I

Thursday's Semifinals:

San Pasqual (8-2-1) at Poway (10-0-1)

Vista (6-5) at Eastlake (8-3)

Monday's Finals: 7:30 p.m., Qualcomm Stadium

Division II

Thursday's Semifinals:

Mission Hills (7-3-1) at Helix (10-1)

Oceanside (8-2-1) at La Costa Canyon (9-2)

Monday's Finals: 4:30 p.m., Qualcomm Stadium

Division III

Thursday's Semifinals:

Mar Vista (11-1) at Olympian (8-3)

Point Loma (8-2-1) at Cathedral Catholic (10-1)

Monday's Finals: 1 p.m., Qualcomm Stadium

Division IV

Thursday's Semifinals:

Coronado (9-3) at Santana (10-1)

Valley Center (10-1) at Madison (10-0-1)

Monday's Finals: 10 a.m., Qualcomm Stadium

Division V

Friday's Semifinals:

Bishop's (6-5) vs. Santa Fe Christian (10-1) at Torrey Pines High

Francis Parker (6-4-1) vs. Christian (8-3) at Granite Hills High

Finals: Friday, Dec. 9, 7 p.m., San Diego Mesa College