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San Diego Section

2007 Football Log

Week 13 Game Reports
Quarterfinal-Round Playoffs

Patriots remain undefeated at 10-0, advance to CIF semifinals
One win separates three East County teams from title game

Posted Nov. 28, 2007
The finalists for KUSI-TV’s coveted Silver Pigskin Award are to be announced soon. Don’t be surprised if the name of Christian senior running back Lawrence Walker is on the ballot.

Walker, who is closing in on former Helix High standout Reggie Bush on the San Diego Section’s all-time rushing list, gained 251 yards and scored five touchdowns in the Patriots’ 55-0 Division V quarterfinal-round victory against visiting Holtville last Friday. The win advanced top-seeded Christian (10-0) to Friday’s semifinal match-up against Coastal League rival Francis Parker (5-5) at Valhalla High School.

Kick-off is 7:30 p.m.

Walker enters Friday’s game with 1,583 rushing yards this season and 4,841 yards in his career to rank ninth among the section’s all-time leaders. Bush, now a member of the NFL New Orleans Saints, finished his career as a Highlander with 4,925 rushing yards to sit No. 8 on the section’s career rushing list.

Walker relegated former Patrick Henry standout Ricky Williams to the No. 10 spot with last Friday’s performance. Walker scored on runs of three, two, 17, 10 and 68 yards.

Williams rushed for 4,685 yards as a Patriot.

The five touchdowns by Walker against the Vikings tied a school record. He has scored 28 touchdowns this season.

The Patriots, who appear to be closing in on a championship game matchup with likewise undefeated Bishop’s, wasted no time in dominating the Vikings. Christian led Holtville (6-5) by a 14-0 score after the opening period and owned a 27-0 halftime lead.

Sophomore quarterback Erick Allen completed 10 of 15 passes for 103 yards with a 14-yard scoring pass to Manny Walker. Charles Thompson (eight yards) and Josh Schimpf (13 yards) both scored on touchdown runs in the final quarter. Schimpf also scored on a two-point conversion in the game.

Thompson finished the game with 98 rushing yards.

Manny Walker caught three passes for 34 yards while Kurt Metcalfe and Sam Hernandez both snatched two aerials for 44 and 26 yards, respectively.

Defensively, Sam Sniff and Tim Daley each intercepted a pass while Steven Pitts recorded a blocked punt.

Terrific trio
Of the six East County teams that entered last Friday’s quarterfinals, three remain to play another week. The Helix Highlanders, seeded second in the Division II playoff field, and Mt. Miguel Matadors, seeded fifth in the Division III field, both join Christian as divisional semifinalists.

Helix (8-1-1) will host third-seeded Mission Hills (9-1) in the Division II semifinals, with the winner to face either fourth-seeded La Costa Canyon (7-3) or top-seeded Oceanside (9-1) in the division championship game Dec. 7 at Qualcomm Stadium.

Mission Hills rolled past visiting Bonita Vista, 37-0, last Friday while Oceanside topped Scripps Ranch, 42-14.

The Scotties remain the only team this season to defeat the three-time defending section champion Pirates. Helix edged Oceanside, 28-20, in the teams’ season opener on Aug. 31.

•The Highlanders advanced to the semifinals following last Friday’s 35-7 victory against defending Grossmont North League champion West Hills. The Wolf Pack (6-5) previously dropped a 35-0 non-league decision earlier this season to Grossmont South League champion Helix.

•Mt. Miguel (8-3) will face top-seeded Cathedral Catholic (8-2) in the Division III semifinals, with the winner to face either sixth-seeded St. Augustine (7-4) or second-seeded Point Loma (7-3) in the championship game on Dec. 7 at Qualcomm Stadium.

•St. Augustine topped host Steele Canyon, 35-21, to end the third-seeded Cougars’ season at 6-4 while Point Loma rolled over visiting Brawley by a 47-14.

•Santana (4-7) dropped its Division IV quarterfinal opener, 40-7, to top-seeded Mission Bay (8-2-1).

Fantastic finish
The Matadors advanced to the semifinal round after recording a last-second 29-27 victory at fourth-seeded Ramona last Friday. Aaron Bryant threw a six-yard pass to Ahmaad Nunley with two seconds left in regulation play to tie the score and then Rico Curtis scored on a dramatic two-point conversion to boost Mt. Miguel into its first semifinal-round appearance since 1987.

Samatre Jones started the game-winning drive with an interception in the end zone as the host Bulldogs were preparing to wrap up a trip to the semis with a touchdown of their own. But the Ramona drive was halted by the Matador five-yard line as Jones returned the pick 58 yards. With no timeouts remaining, Mt. Miguel – under the leadership of record-breaking passer Aaron Bryant – proceeded to work its way down field for the turnaround score.

The Matadors survived three costly penalties to prevail in the face of adversity to hand the Bulldogs (6-4) their first home loss of the season.

Bryant, who set a new single-game passing mark with 307 yards, completed four of six passes to move his team to the Ramona one-yard line with 21 seconds to go. Travon Caples caught three consecutive passes on the drive to set a new school record with 10 catches for 155 yards.

Mt. Miguel suffered two penalties in the face of the goal line. An apparent quarterback sneak by Bryant was nullified, bringing the ball back to the six-yard line. Bryant promptly rectified that situation with the TD toss to Nunley in the corner of the end zone.

The tie game was set up when Arthur Hobbs had blocked the PAT conversion try on the Bulldogs’ final score that had given them a 27-21 lead.

That meant Mt. Miguel could win the game on a successful PAT conversion of its own. The extra-point kick by Alain Romero was good but nullified on a penalty that moved the ball back 10 yards. Smith, the PAT holder, then made what Bryant later termed “a brave decision” by snatching the ball away just before Romero’s foot hit it and scrambled along the sideline to the corner of the end zone for the surprise two-point conversion run.

The two-point run covered 20 yards instead of the usual two yards. Smith later said he executed the play after seeing a Ramona defender cut inside instead of staying outside.

Hobbs secured the win by falling on a loose ball on the ensuing kickoff as the Bulldogs attempted to lateral the ball down field.

Smith finished with a memorable night. Besides scoring the game-winning two-point conversion, he also his team’s first three touchdowns on runs of two, one and 11 yards. He finished the game with 55 rushing yards.

Smith’s first two scores gave the visiting Matadors a 14-0 lead. But that disappeared as Ramona running back Jarred Gallegos passed 10 yards to quarterback Erick Ernst on a trick play and then scored on a one-yard run to tie the game just before halftime.

Mt. Miguel regained the lead at 21-14 on Smith’s third touchdown of the contest but the Bulldogs appeared to pull away for the victory with two unanswered scores. Gallegos scored from 16 yards out to tie the game and then Ryan Morgan put Ramona up by six points on a five-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Bryant completed 22 of 37 attempts to post his record-setting night. Nunley caught seven passes for 103 yards.

South rises again
The Helix-West Hills matchup pitted the reigning Grossmont South League champion Highlanders against the just-crowned Grossmont North League champion Wolf Pack. The South champs prevailed by racking up a 35-0 lead on scores by five different players. JoJo Phillips (three-yard run), Travon Van (36-yard pass reception), Anthony Diaz (five-yard run), Marquise Deadwiler (24-yard pass reception) and Andray Jackson (two-yard run) accounted for the Scotties’ TDs.

Diaz completed six of 11 passing attempts for 132 yards and two touchdowns besides rushing for a score.

The overpowering Helix defense has allowed an opponent to score more than seven points only twice this season, yielding 20 points in the season-opening victory against Oceanside and suffering a 14-10 loss to Carlsbad on Sept. 14.

Tyler Tremor broke the shutout when he caught a 23-yard scoring pass from Chris Misensol in the fourth quarter.

West Hills ended its season 6-5 after having its four-game winning streak snapped by the Scotties. The Wolf Pack’s playoff win the previous week against Westview was the first for the program since 1990.

West Hills coach Casey Ash noted his team graduates 31 seniors.

Saints go marching on
The host Cougars battled back from an early 14-0 deficit against the visiting Saints on a 99-yard kick-off return by Jamie Dale and a three-yard run by Dale later in the second quarter. But the defending Division III champions would not be denied by outscoring Steele Canyon 21-7 over the balance of the game.

The Saints quickly regained the lead on a three-yard run by Daniel Butler, 21-14, but Nick Stathas countered with a 70-yard scoring pass to Scott Perlin to get the Cougars back even. St. Augustine took a 28-21 lead into halftime on a five-yard run by Butler. The Saints scored the only touchdown of the second half – an 18-yard run by Butler in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the visitors.

Butler rushed 18 times for 120 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead St. Augustine. Quarterback David Popkins passed for 203 yards and two touchdowns — 31 yards to Leighland Koonce and 21 yards to Erick Johnson.

Dale, the Grossmont Conference’s regular season rushing leader, finished his senior season with 1,533 yards and 22 touchdowns after rushing 23 times for 77 yards.

Stathas passed for 123 yards, with Perlin making two catches for 86 yards. Jabari Robinson (16 yards) and Dale (15 yards) each made two catches for the Cougars.

The Saints racked up 458 total offensive yards against the Steele Canyon defense, including 255 rushing yards. The Cougar defense did make a goal-line stand, however, stopping St. Augustine at the one-yard line.

Swashbuckled
The top-seeded Buccaneers received three touchdowns from Dillon Baxter while quarterback Evan Taylor passed for one score and ran for another in Mission Bay’s runaway playoff win against the Sultans. Santana’s lone score came on a seven-yard pass from Kyle Romero to Tyler Aubey.

Aubrey completed a standout season with 45 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns.

Metro Conference
Titans squash Spartans, 27-0, advance to CIF semifinals

Posted Nov. 28, 2007
The Eastlake Titans played like a championship football team last Friday. With one more win, they will get the chance to do just that – play for the San Diego Section’s Division I title.

Third-seeded Eastlake advanced to Friday’s Division I semifinal tilt against visiting Rancho Buena Vista after thoroughly demolishing an exceptional Chula Vista Spartans team, 27-0, last Friday in quarterfinal-round action. The outcome was as shocking as it was spirited. It was as close to near-perfection football played by the victors.

The question remains: Can the Titans duplicate such a phenomenal performance again Friday against a Longhorns team fresh off a 24-20 upset victory against second-seeded (and two-time defending champion) Carlsbad?

“If they’re as physical as Chula was, it’s going to be a great test,” said Eastlake coach John McFadden, whose two-time defending Mesa League champions improved to 8-2 with last Friday’s superlative-tinged victory.

Eastlake put an exclamation mark on the season to date with last Friday’s victory against westside rival Chula Vista, leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind as to which team was the best in the Mesa League this season. The teams’ regularly-scheduled Oct. 26 game was cancelled because of firestorms, leaving each squad with only four league games to decide the final standings rather than the full allotment of five league games.

The Titans played as if they had something to prove on Senior Night. The result spoke for itself.

Eastlake rolled up a total of 406 offensive yards and 21 first downs. Chula Vista was limited to 26 total yards – and just one first down – the entire contest.

To say that the Titans executed a dominating defensive performance might be an understatement.

“Our D-line played great. Our linebackers played great. It was a total team effort,” said McFadden, whose team advanced to the Division II semifinals last year. “A lot of guys played great. Quarterback Derek Witte did a wonderful job, so did the entire offense. All of my assistant coaches did a great job but I’d especiallylike to thank my offensive and defensive coaches Lee Price and Eddie Minshew. It’s a great group of kids that we’ve had all season.”

The Spartans (8-3) shocked the sizable crowd with a game plan that featured sophomore Victor Perez in place of senior quarterback Taylor Julio, who instead lined up at wide receiver. The game also marked the return of junior fullback Taimi Tutogi, a bruiser on both sides of the ball with a team-leading 14 touchdowns.

However, none of it seemed to matter.

Just how bad a night was it for Chula Vista offensively? The Spartans completed three of seven passes for 15 yards and gained 19 yards on 19 rushing attempts.

Eastlake totaled 254 rushing yards on 54 attempts and completed 68 offensive plays in the game.

Witte, a senior and three-year starter, completed 10 of 14 passes for 152 yards while senior running back Will Duka rushed for 122 yards and one touchdown. Jordan Koopman, meanwhile, proved to be the all-around target against the Spartans. The 5-foot-8 senior running back rushed for 65 yards, scored the Titans’ first two touchdowns and was on the receiving end all night long of clutch passes from Witte, including grabs of 35 and 42 yards.

Kris Almario added to the theatrics by booting a pair of long-range field goals from 35 and 43 yards. He opened scoring in the game when he split the uprights from 35 yards out to give the hosts a 3-0 lead. His second field goal – and longest of the night – put his team ahead 27-0 with 3:43 left in the final quarter.

Witte was superb, dropping passes into the hands of his receivers on the go. The Titans’ smash-mouth running game, of course, helped set up the signal-caller’s well-timed passes.

Koopman’s touchdowns came on runs of 11 and two yards to put Eastlake up 17-0. His first score gave his team a 10-0 lead heading into halftime. Previously, Chula Vista’s Maurice Strickland had blocked a field goal attempt by Almario to keep the score in single digits.

Koopman’s second TD came with the clock winding down in the third quarter as the hosts did a masterful job of controlling time of possession throughout the second half of play.

Duka sprinted into the end zone from 13 yards to hike the Titans’ lead to 24-0 early in the fourth quarter. A pass to Koopman helped set up the scoring drive.

Heroic performances are nothing new for the Titans’ “little big man.” Koopman scored three touchdowns in a 31-14 victory against Torrey Pines in the second game of the season and duplicated that feat in a 72-14 win against Sweetwater on Nov. 2. However, he said his effort in last Friday’s quarterfinal conquest of the Mesa League rival Spartans meant more personally to him.

“This means more because it’s the playoffs,” he said. “It would have been the last game for us seniors if we had lost.”

Eastlake’s seniors have at least one more game left to play in 2007 – and possibly two more.

Mira Mesa 31, Otay Ranch 24
Fourth-seeded Otay Ranch’s season ended on a pass bat-down on fourth down in overtime as the invading Mira Mesa Marauders claimed a 31-24 victory in last Friday’s San Diego Section Division I quarterfinal playoff game. The disappointing overtime loss came after the Mustangs had valiantly stormed back from a 24-9 deficit to send the game into overtime with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Marcus Vasquez scored two touchdowns – the first on a 17-yard run to give his team a 9-7 lead in the second quarter and the second on a dramatic 53-yard run to help tie the game with five minutes left in regulation time. Vasquez finished the game with 176 rushing yards on 19 carries.

The Mustangs (6-4) scored the first points of the game on a 20-yard field goal by John Baumgardner but went behind, 7-3, when Brandon Chambers caught a 43-yard pass from Shamone Fletcher and Michael Chang successfully converted the ensuing PAT kick. Vasquez then briefly put the hosts ahead once again before the Marauders racked up 17 unanswered points to take a 15-point lead.

Chambers (six catches, 132 yards) was in on Mira Mesa’s next two touchdowns, hauling in a 40-yard pass from Kevin Ozier in the second quarter and scoring on a 14-yard run in the third quarter. Chang kicked a 32-yard field goal to complete the scoring run early in the fourth quarter.

Facing playoff elimination, Otay Ranch had to convert on its remaining possessions. Shannon Daniels scored on an 11-yard run to trim the Mustangs’ deficit to nine points, 24-15, and then made it a one touchdown game when he scored on the ensuing two-point conversion. Just over six minutes remained in the game.

Vasquez’ marathon run closed the gap to one point, with Baumgardner called on to add the PAT to send the game into overtime.

The Marauders (8-3) scored on their overtime possession as Ozier hit tight end Greg Sweeney on a 12-yard pass.

Otay Ranch got the ball at the 25-yard line in the college-style overtime format. Vasquez gained eight yards on a quarterback keeper. However, the Mustangs were pushed back on two subsequent rushing plays, necessitating the critical fourth-down conversion.

But defensive back Jerik Davis made a hard hit on Sean Rush to break up an apparent completion on fourth-and-four to end the Mustangs’ season.

Mira Mesa players were nearly left speechless after the dramatic manner in which the game ended.

The Marauders will visit top-seeded Poway in Friday’s semifinals, with the winner playing either third-seeded Eastlake (8-2) or seventh-seeded Rancho Buena Vista (8-3) in the Division I championship game Dec. 7 at Qualcomm Stadium.

After the game, Vasquez said he was “proud” of how his teammates responded to the challenging situation.

Mission Hills 37, Bonita Vista 0
The Barons’ trip to take on third-seeded Mission Hills ended with a long ride home as the Grizzlies dominated the Mesa League runners-up in last Friday’s San Diego Section Division II quarterfinal playoff game. Vince Misa-Amituanai scored two touchdowns, both on passes from D.J. Zapata, and Michael Van Laar recovered a blocked punt in the end zone to highlight Mission Hills’ victory. Zapata finished the game with three touchdown passes by also connecting on a 55-yard strike to Brennan Metzger.

The Grizzlies, who play at second-seeded Helix (8-1-1) in Friday’s semifinals, led 27-0 at halftime.

The Barons ended the season with a 7-4 overall record, 4-3 in non-league games. Running back Wesley Roche led the team in scoring with 54 points, followed by place-kicker Josh Boyd with 42 points and receiver D.J. Shields with 36 points.

Roche carried the ball 158 times for 772 yards and nine touchdowns while Ibrahim Hassan rushed 80 times for 346 yards and three touchdowns.

Quarterback Hector Castellanos completed 90 of 154 passing attempts for 1,057 yards and nine touchdowns (against 10 interceptions). His main receiving targets were Shields (48 catches for, 517 yards, six touchdowns) and Mike Cagigas (23 catches, 438 yards, three touchdowns).

Boyd completed the season with a 34.9-yard punting average.

Mater Dei’s season ends by inches

By J. Carlos Rico
Posted Nov. 28, 2007
Last Friday’s San Diego Section Division IV quarterfinal-round playoff match-up between the Central League champion Madison Warhawks and host South Bay League champion Mater Dei Crusaders was a game that both coaches felt going into the fourth quarter would be won by the team with the ball at the end. Unfortunately for Mater Dei, that was the case as the Crusaders lost a 34-31 heartbreaker.

The game-changing play came with 2:49 left with Mater Dei up 31-28. Madison defensive end John O’Loughlin caused a fumble on a quarterback option run by Jake Marrion. The Warhawks (8-2) recovered the ball at midfield and four plays later the county’s leading rusher, Robbie Rouse, with 1,614 yards going into the game, ran in an 18-yard touchdown for the winning score.

“We have been put in this position a lot this year where it’s been either close or we’ve been behind … but we made some adjustments,” Madison coach Rick Jackson confidently said. “Our guys are young, but they are real mature and they responded very well.”

Mater Dei (5-5) did get the ball back with 2:27 left on the game clock, but after a four-yard pass, an incomplete pass and a five-yard slant, the Crusaders could not get the one yard they needed most – falling inches short of the 30-yard line for the first down.

“The defense gave up some points and gave up some yardage, but when we needed (a play) they stepped up and rose to the occasion,” Jackson said proudly.

After the game, Mater Dei coach Matt White told his team that they “had nothing to hang their heads about” and offered some encouraging words to lessen the pain.

“You guys got nothing to be ashamed of,” White said. “You battled from a lot of different, adverse situations this year. I’m real proud of you guys. It could have been real easy to quit at any point in the season, especially being 0-4, but you just kept playing hard.”

Then White, lost for words and devastated, said this as he walked off the field: “Give Madison credit. They played real well. They blocked real well on the perimeter. They deserved to win.”

The game went back and fourth, with Mater Dei scoring the first 10 points of the night. Senior Roman Owens (24 carries, 269 yards) scored on a 10-yard touchdown run. The Crusaders later added a 33-yard field goal by Jason Myers that was set up by an interception by senior Rudy Pereyra.

A 75-yard kickoff return by Madison’s Patrick Dalcour helped set up Rouse’s first TD of the game from the one-yard line. Rouse finished the game with 24 carries for 207 yards.

In the second quarter, Owens added his own TD from the one-yard line to put the home team up 17-7. However, Madison answered right back with a TD of its own to cut the deficit to three points.

After intermission it was much of the same, with each side trading off scores. The Warhawks scored seven points coming out of the locker room on Carlton Billingslea’s leaping 45-yard catch. On the next Crusaders drive, it was Owens again with a TD. This time he ran 64 yards up the gut — breaking and dragging would be tacklers — to put his team ahead 24-21.

Fast forward now to the last quarter when Owens put Mater Dei up 31-21 on his fourth touchdown of the game — by far his best performance of the season — just two seconds into the quarter. Unfortunately for Mater Dei, this would be its last score of the night and of the season.

Madison now moves on to face top-seeded Mission Bay (8-2-1) in this Friday’s semifinals after defeating Santana, 40-7, last Friday. The semifinal match-up kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at Balboa Stadium.