SD Prep Sports:

2006 Metro Conference

Week 1 Prep Football Report

Olympian comes up a winner in first-ever game

NATIONAL CITY, Aug. 31, 2001 -- Apparently, it is OK to raise one’s helmets after a history-making first win but not OK to dunk the head coach with the water bucket.

“You can do that when you win CIF,” veteran coach Gil Warren said to an exuberant pair of Olympian High School football players following the freshman team’s 8-0 victory at Sweetwater.

Warren serves as the head coach of the first-year Olympian Eagles football program. The Eagles are fielding teams at the junior varsity and freshman levels this season.

Warren runs the JV squad (next year’s varsity team). The job of officially coaching the school’s first-ever football game fell to freshman head coach Mike Kohler and his staff.

Kohler came on board from the Chula Vista Aztecs Mitey Mite Black youth football team. He thanked Warren for allowing him and his assistant coaches the chance to be involved with high school football.

It looks to be a winning combination all around.

“These kids had never played football before. They just started a month ago,” Kohler said with a satisfied smile.

For the record book, the Olympians scored their first points in school history on a safety to take a 2-0 lead in the second quarter. A Sweetwater ball-carrier fumbled the ball deep in his own territory. The ball bounced backward into the end zone and was recovered by the Red Devils under a pile of Eagles.

Chris Gaskil added a five-yard touchdown run — the first touchdown in school history — just before halftime.

The game was otherwise evenly-matched and its outcome was not decided until the final 32 seconds when the Olympian defense stopped the Red Devils on downs after the hosts had driven deep into Eagles territory.

Kohler said the emphasis this first season is “to just have the kids put into play what they’ve learned in practice.”

“Right now, it’s all repetition in terms of the plays we’ve learned,” Kohler said. “It’s a new beginning. We’re just trying to make a name for ourselves.”

The Eagles showed some spunk from the start by holding Sweetwater on its first possession, taking over on downs at midfield after stopping a fourth-and-four situation. Olympian then reeled off a couple clutch first downs on runs by Gaskil and quarterback Jonathan Rodriguez. Gaskil carried for another first down on fourth and four to the SuHi 19. But the Eagles could only advance the ball to the 11 before the Devils took over on downs to show some spirit of their own.

After going up 8-0, Jose Ibarra made an interception for Olympian, bringing the ball down to the Sweetwater 11. But the Devils defense once again held firm in the red zone and the half ended on a fourth-down incompletion.

Jonathan Lora recorded a sack for the Eagles in the second half of play while teammate Ricardo Garcia later made another interception.

JV debut
Olympian made five turnovers in dropping its inaugural junior varsity game, 19-8, at Clairemont last Saturday. Julius Miller was credited with the first touchdown in school history while Ryan Van Nostrand hit Hollis Holland for the two-point conversion.

The kids were a bit nervous, with it being their first game and we made too many mistakes. It was a learning experience,” Warren said.

The Eagles next play at Cathedral Catholic in JV action following a bye this week. The freshman team was scheduled to play at Santana.

Improved Spartans face tough test in early season matchups
CHULA VISTA, Sept. 7, 2006 -- It may not exactly have been the season debut that second-year Chula Vista football coach Judd Rachow would have liked — a 28-14 non-league loss to Castle Park — but make no mistake, the 2006 Spartans are an improved team.

“We have more size and athleticism, overall improvement in skill areas,” said Rachow, whose team finished 2-7-1 in 2005 in a virtual make-over of the entire varsity team. “We will have to play well each week in our league. We could be as good as we want to be but have to keep a good work ethic and maintain discipline.”

The Spartans may have to weather a few more bumps and bruises along the way by playing one of the toughest opening three weeks in the San Diego Section. After dropping the game against Castle Park, a top three team in the Division II rankings, Chula Vista will face Valhalla (ranked among the top two teams in Division III) this Friday and follow that with another non-league game the following week against defending Division I champion Carlsbad.

Top returners include senior linebacker Avon Ariy, senior quarterback Josh Goldilla and senior defensive end Jonathan Martinez, all second team all-league picks last season. Junior running back Matt Stacy earned all-league honorable mention accolades last year. Other top returners include senior strong safety Josh Camargo, senior wide receiver Brandon Taylor and senior tight end Anthony Cazares.

Rachow calls Cazares a “big guy with hands.”

Stacy and Taylor both scored touchdowns in the season opener. Taylor missed last season due to injury.

Chula Vista’s list of impact newcomers includes junior wide receiver/free safety Taylor Julio, junior offensive linemen Oscar Perez and Andrew Quaranaghi, sophomore fullback Taime Tutogi and sophomore linebacker Ruben Solorio.

Both Perez and Quaranaghi will add size to the line, according to Rachow, who added that both Tutogi and Solorio remain but bring some size and intensity to the team.

Rachow called Julio a “great athlete with smarts.”

“The team is much improved,” said Rachow, summing up.

A regional television audience will see just how much improved when the Spartans take on the Sweetwater Red Devils Oct. 19 on Channel 4 San Diego as one of the county’s longest-running high school football rivalries continues.

Mustangs, Trojans, Aztecs come up winners on local turf
CHULA VISTA, Sept. 1, 2006 -- All-league running back DeRaun Deadwiler may now be at Southwestern College but it appears the Otay Ranch Mustangs have discovered many new weapons of mass destruction if Friday’s season opening 45-7 victory against visiting Central Union is any indicator.

Marcus Vasquez scored four rushing touchdowns and Jared Jordan added a 55-yard punt return for a score to highlight the Mustangs’ offensive highlights that included an explosive output of 28 points in the third quarter to break open the contest against the Spartans.

Otay Ranch, which held part of its training camp in Hawaii, never trailed in the game after Vasquez opened scoring on a three-yard run in the first quarter. Central Union briefly tied the matchup on a four-yard scoring run but the Mustangs responded with 10 unanswered points in the second quarter to hold a 17-7 halftime advantage.

Vasquez scored his second touchdown of the game from 17 yards out and Brian Lewis added a 41-yard field goal to account for Otay Ranch’s second-quarter points. Lewis, the 2005-06 South Bay League boys soccer Player of the Year, was kept busy on the evening with kicking one field goal and having six touchdowns to deal with.

Vasquez scored twice in the Mustangs’ 28-point third quarter, capping drives with runs of one and 25 yards. Otay Ranch also recovered a fumble in the end zone on defense.

The Mustangs have the week off before playing at Rancho Buena Vista on Sept. 15 as non-league play continues.

In other non-league games on Friday, Sept. 1:

Castle Park 28, Chula Vista 14
Quarterback Russell McGuire threw two touchdown passes and scored on a one-yard run of his own to help lead the Trojans to the win against their longtime cross-town rival. McGuire opened scoring in the game on an eight-yard touchdown pass to Victor Redd and doubled the score on a 32-yard scoring pass to Martin Bayless Jr. (five catches, 92 yards).

The Spartans, keyed by touchdowns from running back Matthew Stacey and wide receiver Brandon Taylor, closed the gap to 21-14 before McGuire capped Castle Park’s scoring with 11:50 left in the game. After a failed Chula Vista drive, the Trojans ran out the clock in a stunning execution of ball-control that featured 17 consecutive running plays spanning nearly 11 minutes.

Montgomery 31, University City 3
Quarterback Chris Pizarro threw for one touchdown and ran for two scores to help key the Aztecs to the season opening win against the Centurions in a game played at Mar Vista High School. Brandon Meredith scored on a one-yard run while Johnathan Alcala kicked a 17-yard field goal to round out the Montgomery scoring.

Pizarro, who finished the contest with 131 passing yards, hooked up with receiver Juan Moriel on a 55-yard touchdown to open scoring in the game. Moriel finished the game with 74 receiving yards while also rushing for 30 yards.

The Aztecs led 14-0 at halftime thanks to Meredith’s TD. Meredith finished the night with 70 rushing yards.

Montgomery outscored University City 17-3 in the second half. Pizarro scored on runs of five and seven yards in the third and fourth quarters, respectively. Felix Espino keyed the winners’ defense with 12 tackles while also combining with Meredith and Raul Avila for three sacks. Alcala recorded seven kicking points.

Other contributors for the victorious Aztecs included James King (37 rushing yards), Eugene Afalla (29 receiving yards), Onil Vallecillo (28 receiving yards) and Allan Borja (five tackles).

Poway turns back Eastlake, 22-20, in Titan-ic matchup
CHULA VISTA, Sept. 1, 2006 -- Friday’s game between host Eastlake and visiting Poway was looked upon eagerly by both combatants: The Clash of the Titans. It was the hosts who held the lead the longest but it was the visitors who scored last to earn the win.

Poway quarterback Donnie McKillop scored from one yard out in the dying minutes of the contest as the (North County) Titans erased a 20-16 deficit on the scoreboard in dramatic fashion.

“Titans — North and South. It was a battle,” Poway’s Ethan Yang told a KUSI-TV crew covering the game, dubbed the Prep Pigskin Report’s inaugural Game of the Week.

Eastlake, which likely will vie with Castle Park and Otay Ranch for bragging rights to the best team in the Metro Conference this season, built a 14-7 lead on a pair of one-yard touchdown runs by Flynn Anderson (97 yards on 18 rushes).

Yang countered with a pair of one-yard scores for Poway, which went up 16-14 on the strength of a 31-yard field goal in the third quarter.

But the (South County) Titans regained the lead they had held when Jeremiah Andujo broke into the end zone from 14 yards out. The two-point conversion failed, however, leaving Eastlake with a 20-16 lead.

McKillop passed for 119 yards, completing eight of 14 passes, while Myles Gilbert rushed for 117 yards to lead Poway, which entered the game ranked fifth in the inaugural San Diego Sportswriters/Broadcasters Association poll.

Poway drove 75 yards on its game-winning touchdown, overcoming a penalty at the one-yard line that had set the ball back 10 yards before the visitors once again surged toward the end zone.

Andujo carried the ball 12 times for Eastlake, gaining 84 yards, while also catching five passes for 54 yards. Quarterback Derek Witte completed 50 percent of his passes for 99 yards. Michael Holt had two receptions for 25 yards while Will Duka and Jacinto Callu each had three carries for 29 and 28 yards, respectively.

Also for the Titans, Jay Haynes had three kickoff returns for 47 yards while Callu ran back two kickoffs for 38 yards. Luis Juvenal added two kicking points on point-after-touchdown conversions while Michael Kelley had two kickoffs for 110 yards and four punts for 149 yards, including a longest effort of 58 yards.

Eastlake will attempt to get into the win column for the first time this season with a 7 p.m. road game at Grossmont on Friday, Sept. 8. Poway will attempt to hike its season opening record to 2-0 with a Sept. 8 game against visiting Mission Hills in a battle of North County heavyweights.

Grossmont, which fell 7-3 to Eastlake in a defensive battle last year, is coming off a spirited 31-0 non-league win against visiting Horizon Christian as Augie Williams and Alton Berry each scored two rushing touchdowns and Marcus Flores added seven kicking points on four point-after-touchdown conversions and a field goal. Berry accounted for 179 all-purpose yards, including 114 rushing yards. His second touchdown came on an 82-yard run from scrimmage. Flores had seven kicking points in the game.

In other non-league games on Friday, Sept. 1:

Hoover 51, Hilltop 14
The Lancers faced a 39-0 halftime deficit in their afternoon season debut at Hoover but won the battle of the second half by a 14-12 score. Jimmy Yaji recovered a fumble in the end zone and Jose Duran scored on a six-yard run to account for Hilltop’s scoring in the third quarter.

Five different players scored touchdowns for the Cardinals, including four by quarterback Corey Trisby. Hoover scored three of its eight touchdowns in the game on defense as Todd Doxey and Gary Lee both ran back intercepted passes and Marquis Blount made a fumble recovery in the end zone. Anthony Wilson got the Cardinals rolling with a five-yard scoring run. Trisby (209 passing yards) scored on a pair of one-yard runs while also tacking on runs of five and seven yards.

Hoover rolled up 378 yards in total offense.

Calexico 25, Southwest 20
Louis Johnson keyed the host Raiders with three touchdowns and 207 rushing yards but the Bulldogs’ Luis Magana scored on a 74-yard pass play to erase a 20-19 deficit in the fourth quarter. Southwest had taken the lead on an 11-yard run by Johnson earlier in the final quarter. Johnson had tied the game at 13-13 on a three-yard run in the third quarter.
The Raiders opened scoring on a 23-run by Johnson, only to see Calexico build a 13-6 halftime lead on a pair of rushing touchdowns by Oscar Sanchez. Sanchez (215 yards) would finish the game with three scores after briefly putting the Bulldogs up 19-13 on the strength of a one-yard run in the fourth quarter.

El Cajon Valley 41, Sweetwater 0
Enthusiasm is rampant on the Red Devils campus and so are the numbers on the football team. This year marked the first time in quite a while that the SuHi program ran out of equipment because of the high number of student-athletes who came out for the team (varsity, junior varsity and freshman units). The freshman team alone boasts more than 70 players. But everyone also realizes a return to former glory will take a while, starting with head coach Tony Garcia, a member of Sweetwater’s CIF championship teams in the 1980s who is in his second year after returning to his alma mater.

The final point-spread against the 2005 San Diego Section Division II finalist Braves might have been different if Sweetwater had not been penalized on two long runs into El Cajon Valley territory before the East County visitors eventually got on a roll and put the game out of reach. The Braves led 28-0 at halftime after the teams played to a scoreless opening quarter. The teams also went scoreless in the final quarter.

Keying revamped El Cajon Valley’s offensive surge was quarterback Kiamie Brooks, who passed for passed for three touchdowns while rushing for two more. Brooks passed to three different receivers for touchdowns in the Braves’ five-wide offensive scheme while Brad Meyers returned an intercepted pass 66 yards midway through the second quarter. The Braves defense stood tall on the evening with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Sweetwater fumbled five times in all.

Brooks finished the memorable night with 230 yards in total offense in taking over for departed CIF Player of the Year Abraham Muheize (now at Grossmont College). Brooks passed for 175 yards, completing 16 of 28 passes, while rushing nine times for 55 yards.

As a receiver last year, Brooks caught 29 passes for 264 yards.

The Red Devils positioned the Braves for two short scoring drives on bad snaps. The first bad snap went over the head of the punter to place the ball at the six-yard line. The second bad snap was low and put the ball again near the SuHi end zone when the punter’s knee touched the turf in trying to field the ball.

Sweetwater will attempt to rebound with a home game against the El Camino Wildcats, also on Sept. 8. Kick-off is 7 p.m.

El Camino is coming off a 10-7 loss to Mission Hills in its opener. El Cajon Valley willl host likewise undefeated Montgomery at 6:30 p.m.