Six goals. Zero allowed. And one very happy group of Knights.

San Marcos High varsity field hockey shut out Rancho Bernardo 6–0 on October 22, giving the Knights plenty to celebrate. The program had another win to cheer on October 27, when the JV team defeated La Costa Canyon 1–0. Two teams, two shutouts—and a photo that says plenty about the mood.

Knights Field Hockey Has Two Reasons to Celebrate

The varsity Knights made their mark against Rancho Bernardo on October 22, putting six goals on the board and keeping their opponents scoreless. The JV squad followed with a 1–0 win over La Costa Canyon on October 27, giving the program a second shutout to celebrate.

Across town, Mission Hills field hockey had plenty of reasons to smile, too: the Grizzlies beat Sage Creek 4–0 on October 23, Westview 2–1 on October 26, and Vista 7–0 on senior night October 28.

The wins weren't confined to the field hockey turf. On the cross-country course at Mt. SAC, Mission Hills runners were finding their own ways to stand out.

Four Top-Tens at Mt. SAC

At the October 24 invitational, Mission Hills' Jackson Namboothiri finished fifth in the boys' Varsity Blue B race in 15:20.00, with Tate Filice ninth in 15:29.30. On the girls' side, Mckenna Sanchez placed fifth and Esther Seo sixth in Division 1 Varsity Yellow. Four top-ten finishes across two races. That's quite a team announcement.

Mission Hills' Allisson Flores was 11th in 18:56.30, and boys runner Nathan Smith placed 29th in 16:10.20. More teammates, more reasons to celebrate.

San Marcos High's Sean Blake-Haskins took 27th in boys' Division 1 Varsity Red (15:59.60), while Kai Finley was 29th in girls' Division 1 Varsity Yellow (20:12.40).

A Hard Finish in the Flag Football Bracket

Wednesday's CIF Open Division playoff games were much tougher for the town's flag football squads. San Marcos fell 34–7 to Carlsbad on October 28, while Mission Hills lost 12–6 to Helix that evening.

San Marcos had also beaten Scripps Ranch 47–26 on October 22, a scoring burst that makes the playoff turn feel even sharper.

Mission Hills had blanked Ramona 19–0 on October 22. Playoff opponents can rewrite the script in a hurry.

The defeats don't erase what both teams accomplished to reach the Open Division.

Volleyball Playoffs and a Big Pool Score

At the volleyball net, Mission Hills lost 3–1 to Granite Hills in a Division II playoff match on October 28. St. Joseph Academy pushed West Hills to five sets the same night before falling 3–2 in Division IV.

San Marcos High's girls had dropped a 3–0 match to Torrey Pines on October 22, with an Open Division match against Coronado scheduled for October 29. Different brackets, different tests, and no shortage of reasons to check the next result.

Meanwhile, Mission Hills boys water polo beat Escondido 23–5 on October 27. After all those hard-fought brackets and three-mile runs, the Grizzlies gave local fans a score that needed very little explanation.

Catch up on the previous week's San Marcos sports roundup for more local results.

Questions You May Have About San Marcos Sports

How did San Marcos High field hockey do this week?

The Knights’ varsity team shut out Rancho Bernardo 6–0 on October 22, and the JV team defeated La Costa Canyon 1–0 on October 27.

Which Mission Hills runners reached the top ten at Mt. SAC?

Jackson Namboothiri placed fifth and Tate Filice ninth in boys' Varsity Blue B; Mckenna Sanchez placed fifth and Esther Seo sixth in girls' Division 1 Varsity Yellow.

How did the San Marcos flag football teams fare on October 28?

San Marcos lost 34–7 to Carlsbad and Mission Hills lost 12–6 to Helix in CIF Open Division games.

What happened in St. Joseph Academy's volleyball playoff?

The Crusaders fell 3–2 to West Hills in the Division IV bracket on October 28.

Sports scores, records and statistics are compiled from school and team sources, MaxPreps, NFHS Network, CIF San Diego and other available sports reporting sources. North Valley Flare works to verify information before publication.