Chargers knocked out of playoff contention by Kansas City

KANSAS CITY (12/28/2014) Propelled by a monster performance from linebacker Justin Houston, who sacked Phillip Rivers four times, the Kansas City Chiefs (9-7) earned a 19-7 victory to spoil the playoff hopes of the San Diego Chargers (9-7).

Kansas City took a 10-0 lead late in the second quarter after Chase Daniel's pass to Dwayne Bowe was fumbled at the goal line and recovered in the end zone by tight end Travis Kelce. The Chiefs went the entire season without completing a touchdown pass to a wide receiver.

USC holds off Nebraska in Holiday Bowl

QUALCOMM STADIUM (12/27/2014) In one of the most highest scoring affairs in the history of San Diego's premier bowl game, the Southern California Trojans (9-4) came away with a thrilling victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-4) in front of 55,789 fans.

Down 45-27 late in the third quarter, Nebraska rallied back with 15 unanswered points. With one second left to play, the Huskers had one last shot at a game-winning hail mary, but Tommy Armstrong Jr.'s pass was knocked down by Nelson Agholor.

Navy edges Aztecs 17-16 in Poinsettia Bowl

QUALCOMM STADIUM (12/23/2014) San Diego State kicker Donny Hageman tied a Poinsettia Bowl record with three made field goals, but it was the one he missed from 34 yards with 20 seconds left to play that decided the game.

With no timeouts left, the Navy Midshipmen (8-5) was able to kneel on the ball and seal their first win over the Aztecs (7-6) in school history.

Sophomore Donnel Pumphrey rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries to become SDSU's single-season rushing leader with 1,867 yards. He passed George Jones who set the record with 1,842 yards in 1995.

"Honestly, it's great but we didn't get the win," said Pumphrey, who lost a fumble late in the fourth quarter that led to the game-clinching field goal. "It was a hard one."

Aztecs' Rocky Long expects “Three yards and a cloud of dust” at the Poinsettia Bowl

San Diego State Aztecs (7-5) vs. Navy Midshipmen (7-5)

Tuesday, December 23rd at 6:30 p.m. PT (ESPN)

Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego, CA)

DOWNTOWN (12/22/2014) On the eve of the 2014 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, the head coaches of both teams addressed the media at the Omni Hotel in downtown San Diego.

The meeting concluded with San Diego State's fourth-year head coach Rocky Long explaining how Navy's unique triple-option attack works.

“I was nervous before I came,” Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “But now to hear him tell our offense in detail...not only the head coach, but the defensive coordinator....”

Saturday Recap: Chargers comeback to stun 49ers in overtime, El Capitan's historic season ends with heartbreak

San Diego Chargers (9-6) 38

San Francisco 49ers (7-8) 35

FINAL OT

SANTA CLARA (12/20/2014) Nick Novak nailed a 40-yard field goal in overtime to give the San Diego Chargers (9-6) a 38-35 win over the San Francisco 49ers (7-8) on Saturday night, keeping them in contention for the AFC playoffs.

Trailing 28-7 after a brutal first half, the Chargers finished the game on a 31-7 scoring run to complete their biggest come-from-behind victory since 2006.

The 49ers scored on their fourth play from scrimmage with a 52-yard touchdown run by Frank Gore. They followed up with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Colin Kaepernick to Brue Ellington, and an interception returned 49 yards to the end zone by Antoine Bethea to take a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Phillip Rivers got the Chargers on the board with a 15-yard touchdown strike to Eddie Royal, but the 49ers answered back with a one-yard touchdown run by Ellington to end the half.

Prep Football: Oceanside runs into a buzz saw at State Championship

Photo Credit: Jose M. Martinez

CARSON (12/19/2014) Folsom quarterback Jake Browning threw for 445 yards and six touchdowns as he led his Bulldogs (16-0) to a 68-7 rout over the Oceanside Pirates (14-1) in the CIF Division I State Championship at the StubHub Center Friday night.

Browning finished the season with 91 passing touchdowns to tie the national single-season record. He also broke the career record with 229 touchdown passes, while Folsom as a team set a new national record for most points in a season with 915.

Prep Football: Oceanside advances to State Championship, Christian's winning streak falls to St. Margaret's

Photo Credit: Jose M. Martinez

Oceanside Pirates (14-0) 37, Edison Tigers (12-2) 22.

OCEANSIDE (12/12/2014) Senior Josh Bernard put up three touchdowns on the ground as the Oceanside Pirates defeated the Edison Tigers of Fresno in the CIF Southern California Regional Championship. The win earned the Pirates a trip to the StubHub Center in Carson where they'll take on the Folsom Bulldogs (15-0) in the Division I State Championship next Friday at 8 p.m. pacific time.

This will be the Pirates' third state championship appearance in school history. They won state titles in 2007 and 2009 under head coach John Carroll, who was honored this week with the stadium being renamed after him.

2014 CIF Section Champions Crowned

The newly renovated DeVore Stadium at Southwestern College was the stage where six CIF San Diego Section Championships were decided. With packed stands and high praise from the people in attendance, the Chula Vista venue turned out to be a huge success. But you can also credit the 12 teams that competed for providing the action.

As we recap the games, we would like to congratulate all six San Diego Section champions and wish the best of luck to the three teams selected to represent the county in the state playoffs.

Sunday Recap: Chargers fall to Patriots on Sunday Night Football, 2014 Bowl Games Announced

Chargers doomed by scoreless second half

QUALCOMM STADIUM (12/07/2014) With a 16-14 lead midway through the fourth quarter, Tom Brady found Julian Edelman, who broke away from two tackles and scored a 69-yard touchdown. That proved to be the dagger as the New England Patriots (10-3) defeated the San Diego Chargers (8-5) 23-14 Sunday night.

The Chargers' offense was only able to score off a 15-yard pass from Phillip Rivers to Malcom Floyd. On the ensuing possession, Jahleel Addae's  forced fumble on Brandon LaFell was picked up by Darrell Stuckey and returned 53 yards to the end zone, giving the Chargers a 14-3 lead late in the second quarter.

The Bolt's defense played solid for almost the entire game. Brady's interception to Manti Te'o before halftime was followed by four straight three-and-outs. But a lack of offensive production in the second half allowed New England to seal the win with 20 unanswered points.

Next week the Chargers return home to take on the first place Denver Broncos (10-3), who could clinch the AFC West title with a win.

Prep Football: Bishop's and St. Augustine rally to win CIF section titles

CHULA VISTA (12/05/2014) The CIF San Diego Section Championships at DeVore Stadium on the campus of Southwestern College got off to an exciting start as both Friday games went down to the wire.

Division IV Championship

 #8 Bishop's Knights (13-0) 19, Mater Dei Crusaders (8-6) 16 OT.

Bulla Graft rushed for 105 yards, recorded an interception on defense, and scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime as Bishop's bounced back from a 10-0 fourth quarter deficit to earn their fifth section title in school history.

Sparking the late comeback was two straight touchdown passes from junior quarterback Griffin Seasman to freshman receiver Mozes Mooney. Their 24-yard connection with 47 seconds left to play gave the Knights a 13-10 lead.

2014 Prep Football Rankings (CIF Finals)

Here's our updated rankings as 10 teams get set for Friday and Saturday's 2014 CIF San Diego Section Championship games taking place at DeVore Stadium on the campus of Southwestern College.

Open Division (Saturday, Dec. 6th, 7:00 p.m.)

#3 Helix Highlanders (10-2) vs. #1 Oceanside Pirates (12-0)

Division I (Friday, Dec. 5th, 7:00 p.m.)

Madison Warhawks (9-3) vs. #10 St. Augustine Saints (7-5)

Division II (Saturday, Dec. 6th, 3:30 p.m.)

Rancho Bernardo Broncos (10-2) vs. #2 El Capitan Vaqueros (12-0)

Division III (Saturday, Dec. 6th, 12:00 p.m.)

#7 Christian Patriots (12-0) vs. Hoover Cardinals (10-2)

Division IV (Friday, Dec. 5th, 3:30 p.m.)

Mater Dei Crusaders (7-5) vs. #8 Bishop's Knights (12-0)