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San Diego Section

2007 Football Log

Week 15 Game Reports
Championship-Round Playoffs

Bishop’s downs Christian, 17-7, in Division V title game
Knights claim undefeated 12-0 season

Posted Dec. 11, 2007
The 2007 high school football season has been one laden with superlatives for the Christian Patriots. Following last Friday’s San Diego Section Division V championship game, Christian coach Matt Oliver was singing the praises of … the Bishop’s Knights defense.

The second-seeded Knights managed to contain the top-seeded Patriots’ vaunted running attack, specifically standout Lawrence Walker, who entered the game as the section’s career No. 4 rusher, to claim a 17-7 victory in the rare match-up of unbeaten 11-0 teams.

Walker entered the game, played amid intermittent rain showers at Qualcomm Stadium, with 1,752 rushing yards this season and 30 touchdowns. He ranked as the East County’s top ground-gainer — regular season and playoffs combined — and trailed Madison’s Robbie Rouse (2,055 yards, 18 TDs) among this year’s section leaders. His career totals included 5,112 yards (an East County record) to rank only behind Cathedral Catholic’s Demetrius Sumler (5,560), USDHS’s Justin Green (5,397) and RBV’s Markeith Ross (5,158).

The Bishop’s defense held Walker to 100 yards — 59 yards under his season game average — while limiting Christian’s total rushing offense to 140 yards on 39 carries.

Oliver offered kudos to what he termed a “swarming”Bishop’s defense.

“It was a tribute to them to keep Lawrence to 100 yards,” Oliver said simply.

Walker scored the defending Division V champion Patriots’ lone touchdown in the match-up between Coastal League rivals. It came with 7:02 left in the third quarter to put Christian (11-1) up 7-3 after the Knights (12-0) had taken a tenuous 3-0 lead at intermission in a first-half battle dominated by the defenses of both teams but particularly by that of Bishop’s.

The Knights shut out the Patriots the remainder of the game, using a pair of fourth-down defensive stands to stymie Christian as well as stopping the Patriots on a fake punt attempt. Bishop’s entered the game averaging more than 50 points per contest. Its defense ended the game having held 10 of its 12 opponents to 10 points or fewer.

“Our defense really doesn’t get that much respect because our offense scores so many points,” said Bishop’s head coach Mike David, who personally collected his third CIF division title after winning two previously at Marian Catholic (ironically, one against the Knights). “Our defense came to play. We knew Lawrence Walker was one of the top running backs in the section and we respected him as well as Christian’s other backs. We beat a very good Christian team. We just played an awesome game.”

The teams did not face one another during regular season play due to the cancellation of games by the section in late October due to firestorms throughout the county, with both squads finishing as league co-champions. The title game match-up thus carried added significance from a rivalry standpoint as to which team has actually the best on the field.

After the game, Knights players gathered in huddle in front of their adoring fans and began to chant “We wanted it all! We’re champions! We did it!”

Tim Costello, the Coastal League’s Offensive Player of the Year, exemplified the Knights’ fortunes in the showcase game. He kicked a 31-yard field goal to provide the only points of the first half. He scored on a two-yard run with 3:31 left in the third quarter and then kicked the extra point to give his team a 10-7 lead. He also converted the PAT attempt on Bishop’s game-sealing TD in the fourth quarter to personally finish the game with 12 of his team’s 17 points. He averaged 44.8 yards on four punts, including one for 58 yards, and made an interception (returning the ball 42 yards) on defense.

Safety Mike P. Jensen keyed the Knights defense with nine tackles while tackle Alex Carrillo and linebacker Zach Franz combined for 14 stops.

Despite having been shut out at halftime while gaining just 90 yards and recording four first downs, it appeared as if the Patriots’ offense had begun to find itself in the second half as Christian took the opening kick-off and marched 80 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. A 31-yard pass from Erick Allen (11-of-22, 159 yards) to Manny Walker (five catches, 82 yards) helped set up Lawrence Walker’s TD run.

But the Knights answered quickly with a score of their own as they drove 68 yards in 11 plays, with a 27-yard run down the sideline by Jacob Kelly eventually setting up Costello’s go-ahead TD.

Bishop’s went up 17-7 after taking over at the Christian 36-yard line when the Patriots’ fake punt attempt went awry. Costello promptly carried the ball to the 16 and a face mask penalty moved the ball farther along to the 11. Mike P. Jensen carried to the two-yard line and Knights quarterback Tommy Wornham (5-for-15, 45 yards) shocked everyone by throwing on fourth-and-goal, hitting freshman tight end/linebacker Micah Seau (two catches, 16 yards) for the insurance score.

The Pats got the ball back with 1:06 left. A 42-yard Manny Walker reception moved the ball to the Bishop’s 36-yard line with 42 seconds to go. But the drive stalled with 12 seconds left following a penalty and three incomplete passes.

Kelly led the Knights with 63 rushing yards on 16 carries while Costello rushed nine times for 27 yards and caught two passes for 22 yards. Jensen rushed five times for 27 yards as Bishop’s finished the game with 136 rushing yards.

Charles Thompson rushed 14 times for 44 yards while Sam Hernandez had one carry for one yard and caught three passes for 28 yards. A poor punt from the end zone set up the Knights’ first-half field goal.

For the game, Christian out-gained Bishop’s 303 to 181 in total offensive yards but key defensive stops by the Knights held the Patriots in check.

Patrick Kelly, selected as the 2007 Coastal League Defensive Player of the Year, bolstered the Patriots defense with 11 tackles (three for losses) and one interception.

Of his three CIF titles, David called this one the sweetest. “It was great because both teams were 11-0. You couldn’t have asked for a better championship game,” he said. “We came in with a great game plan and stuck to it. We didn’t do anything different than we had done during the season. That old saying that defense wins championships came true today.”

The title was particularly sweet for Seau, the Knights’ lone East County player and nephew of current NFL New England Patriots and former Chargers legend Junior Seau. “It was great,” said Seau, who scored three touchdowns and collected 56 tackles on defense this season. “We picked it up and got the ‘W’.”

And a lot of respect.

Notepad
This was Christian’s third trip to the Division V championship game since the division’s creation three years ago. The Patriots placed runner-up to Francis Parker in the inaugural division title game in 2005 and defeated the Lancers for last year’s championship. Christian eliminated Francis Parker in this year’s semifinals.

Poway finished as the section’s other undefeated team (12-0) following its 21-7 conquest of Rancho Buena Vista (9-4) in the Division I final. The Titans scored all their points in the second quarter as Nick Ricciardulli (27 carries, 137 yards) burst into the end zone on runs of three and 34 yards and Jared Relyea caught a 10-yard TD pass from Tynan Murray.

Oceanside (11-1) earned a trip to this weekend’s Division II state championship bowl game with a dominating 26-7 victory against a very good Mission Hills team. The top-seeded Pirates held the third-seeded Grizzlies (10-2) to just nine rushing yards in the game while totaling 429 offensive yards. Helix, which fell 17-14 to Mission Hills in the division semifinals, finished as the lone team to hang a loss on Oceanside this season — that coming in the season’s opening contest. The division title was the fourth straight for the Pirates and the Oceanside program’s section-record 10th.

Cathedral Catholic (10-2) recorded an equally impressive victory in the Division III championship game by defeating Point Loma 41-3. The top-seeded Dons limited the second-seeded Pointers (8-4) to 15 passing yards while piling up 395 total yards. Tyler Gaffney and Parker Hipp led the winners with two touchdowns apiece. Point Loma was making its third consecutive trip to the division finals.

In the Division IV championship game, played Dec. 8 at USD’s Torero Stadium, the third-seeded Valley Center Jaguars (9-3) made a statement with their 26-0 victory against top-seeded Mission Bay (9-3-1). Tyler Bernard passed for 252 yards in the rain, wind and mud, connecting with while James Johnson for scores, as Valley Center collected its third division crown since 2004.

Best of the best: Prep football 2007

There's no question that South County football players -- and teams -- left their mark during the recently concluded 2007 season. Several local residents won San Diego Section titles as members of Division III champion Cathedral Catholic and Division V champion Bishop's, both private schools.

A hefty number of Metro Conference athletes simply excelled in a season that seemed to place the spotlight many times squarely on the South Bay.

Top teams
A total of seven Metro Conference football teams advanced to the San Diego Section playoffs, with three -- the Eastlake Titans, Bonita Vista Barons and Chula Vista Spartans -- all posting one win. Of the seven qualified teams, four ended their seasons in the quarterfinal round and one advanced as far as the division semifinals.

The Titans advanced to the semifinals for the second consective year while the Barons (over Mt. Carmel) and the Spartans (over Vista) both posted first-round wins.

Otay Ranch (against Mira Mesa in overtime) and Mater Dei (against Madison in the final minute) both received byes to the quarterfinals and dropped close match-ups. Montgomery (Division III) and Olympian (Division V) both lost first-round contests each by three points.

Eastlake and Chula Vista both posted 8-3 finishes. Five of the Titans eight wins came against teams with winning records while two of the Spartans' eight wins came against teams with .500 records or better.

All three of Eastlake's losses came against teams that advanced to the division finals -- Division II state champion Oceanside (12-1) and both Division I section finalists Poway (12-0) and Rancho Buena Vista (9-4).

All three of Chula Vista's losses came against fellow Mesa League playoff qualifiers Otay Ranch, Bonita Vista and Eastlake.

Bonita Vista posted a 7-4 record, with three wins coming against teams with winning records, including Division IV runner-up Mission Bay. Two of the Barons' three section losses came against playoff finalists: RBV (Division I) and Mission Hills (Division II).

Four of Otay Ranch's six wins came against teams with winning records, including Division III champion Cathedral Catholic and Division I runner-up RBV. Three of the Mustangs' four losses came against winning teams, including Division III runner-up Point Loma.

All-section team
Bonita Vista senior wide receiver D.J. Shields (Mesa League Offensive Player of the Year), along with Chula Vista senior defensive back Taylor Julio and Bonita Vista senior offensive lineman Colin Cummins, both First Team All-Mesa League picks, received honors as members of the All-San Diego Section First Team Offense.

Otay Ranch senior linebacker Mike Azhocar (Mesa League Defensive Player of the Year) and Eastlake sophomore linebacker Tony Jefferson (First Team All-Mesa League) both earned recognition as second team defensive all-section picks.

Silver Pigskin
BV's Shields was among five finalists for the coveted Silver Pigskin Award that is emblematic of the San Diego Section's Player of the Year. Other finalists included Oceanside's Sam Brenner (Utah), Poway's Ryan Deehan (Colorado), El Camino's Nelson Rosario (UCLA) and Helix's Jamar Taylor (undecided).

Rosario emerged as the winner in the closest vote in the history of KUSI-TV's "Prep Pigskin Report."

Five Metro Conference players (the most from any conference in the section) earned recognition among the 14 Play of the Week awards presented this past season on the PPR: Eastlake's Will Duka (week one), Mater Dei's Will Stewart (week two), San Ysidro's David Guevara (week three), Sweetwater's Micah Gleason (week seven) and BV's Shields (week 11).

Titan football team hands out team awards

The Eastlake High School football team has set the standard the past two seasons in Metro Conference play by reaching the San Diego Section division semifinal playoffs. Over that span, the Titans have compiled a 16-5 record, including three playoff victories.

The team held its 2007 awards banquet Dec. 14 at the San Diego Hall of Champions. In attendance were 350 players, coaches, friends, family members and guests. It was the third year in a row that the team has feted its top players at the high profile venue.
Senior slot-back Jeremiah Andujo received honors as the Titans’ Most Valuable Player while senior quarterback Derek Witte was named the team’s Offensive Player of the Year and sophomore linebacker Tony Jefferson was named the team’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Sophomore left tackle Robert Graves received the Most Improved Award. Sophomore left guard Matt Celery received the Best Lineman Award.

“The biggest thing for a lot of the players is that it took place in the hallowed halls of San Diego sports,” said offensive line coach Rone Torres. “I think (head coach) John (McFadden) would agree with me that with such a big senior class it was the best way to send them out.”

Walker piling up football awards

Each year as part of the festivities leading up to the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, the Kiwanis Club of San Diego presents its Most Inspirational Football Player Award. As part of that award, the Kiwanis Club recognizes the nominees at a special luncheon tied into the bowl game.

Christian senior running back Lawrence Walker captured the 2007 award. He was among 22 nominees, including four East County players. Also nominated for the award were Mt. Miguel’s Travon Caples, Santana’s Tyler Aubrey and Foothills Christian’s Travis Wolfe.

The Kiwanis Club honor was the latest accolade for Walker, who was also named to the All-Coastal League First Team Offense and selected as a member of the All-San Diego Section First Team Offense after rushing for 1,852 yards and scoring 31 touchdowns in leading the Patriots to a runner-up finish in the section's Division V championship game.

Caples caught 39 passes for 674 yards and five touchdowns to help lead the Matadors to the Division III semifinals.

Stats on Aubrey caught 45 passes for 676 yards and six touchdowns to help the Sultans reach the 2007 Division IV playoffs.

Wolfe was a first team All-Southern League defensive pick for Foothills Christian.

Other nominees for the 2007 Kiwanis most inspirational award included Francis Parker's Brendan Ahern, Hilltop's Michael Alcala, Castle Park's Ricardo Anzar, San Ysidro's Oswaldo Arce, Mission Bay's Gavin Boger, La Costa Canyon's Darrin Brown, Escondido's Jared Chapman, San Marcos' Tim Eagebrits, Madison's Steven Earner, Rancho Bernardo's Alex Ghahremani-kat, Ramona's Aaron Harlan, San Pasqual's Jarrett Jernigan, St. Augustine's Timbo McGarry, Vista's Brian McMullen, La Jolla's Kevin Miller, Army-Navy Academy's Nico Mosley and Otay Ranch's Sean Rush.

The Kiwanis Club most inspirational award is also known as the “Kiwanis Club of San Diego Spirit of Football Award” and perhaps that best explains what it embodies.

High school coaches around the section were asked to submit nominations in advance of the Dec. 27 bowl game. The Kiwanis Club of San Diego then tasked itself with selecting a winner.

Walker’s story had to certainly be the most inspirational. His father is not in his life; his mother moved to North Carolina when he was a freshman in high school. He lives with his cousin and an older brother who is a recent college graduate.

While Walker struggled early on academically in high school, he has matured to become a leader both on the football field and in the classroom, being selected team captain this past season and receiving the $5,000 Walter J. Zable scholarship presented by the San Diego Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

The 5-11, 190-pound Patriot ball-carrier finished with a career total of 5,112 rushing yards that ranks fourth-best in section history.

“He has earned the respect of his teammates, coaches and opponents,” Christian coach Matt Oliver said. “What impresses me most is that he has never felt sorry for himself. Every day is a new challenge and every day this young man answers the bell.”

Walker led a parade of 10 players from East County teams on the 2007 All-San Diego Section football team, as presented through the San Diego Hall of Champions.

Other all-section picks included Helix senior offensive lineman Brian Millholland (First Team Offense), El Capitan junior quarterback Tanner Rust (Second Team Offense), Steele Canyon senior running back Jamie Dale (Second Team Offense), El Capitan senior wide receiver Tila Case (Second Team Offense), Christian senior linebacker Patrick Kelly (First Team Defense), Helix senior defensive back Jamar Taylor (First Team Defense), Granite Hills senior defensive lineman Landon Turley (Second Team Defense) and Helix junior linebacker Anthony Larceval (Second Team Defense).

All-state
Walker and Kelly, the Coastal League's Defensive Player of the Year, were awarded further accolades as members of CalHiSports's small school enrollment all-state first team while Rust was named to the all-junior first team and Valhalla's Pete Thomas was named to the all-sophomore second team.

Rust passed for a section-leading 3,159 yards and 30 touchdowns while Thomas passed for 1,961 yards.

All-conference
Dale earned honors as the Grossmont South League's Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 1,533 yards and scoring 22 touchdowns while Rust was named the Grossmont North League's Offensive Player of the Year.

Helix's Homer Mauga earned recognition as the Grossmont South League's Defensive Player of the Year while West Hills' Jonathan Darby was the Grossmont North League's Defensive Player of the Year.

Scholarship winner
Grossmont High’s Alexander Arroyo was the recipient of the 24th annual Holiday Bowl memorial scholarship named in the memory of R. Hastings Garland, one of the bowl game's founders who passed away in 1983. Arroyo, who maintains a 4.64 grade-point average, serves as editor of the campus magazine, is a member of the Grossmont Interact Club, varsity academic league, musical activities club, California Scholastic Federation and yearbook staff. He is also a varsity letter-winner on the school's tennis and wrestling teams.

A dedicated Eagle Scout, Arroyo has applied to UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UC Davis, Northwestern, Rice, Harvard and Stanford and plans to study chemical engineering, specializing in pharmaceutical development.

Holiday bowls
The 17th-ranked Texas Longhorns defeated No. 12 Arizona State, 52-34, at Qualcomm Stadium to cap this year's Holiday Bowl a week after former Monte Vista standout Darrell Mack led Utah to a victory over Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl, also played at the Mission Valley venue.

Other East County alumni involved in holiday college bowl games included Monte Vista grad Joshua Edwards (UCLA, Las Vegas Bowl), Steele Canyon alum Wes Davis (Boston College, Champ Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla.), Grossmont College product Chris Johnson (Oregon State, Emerald Bowl in San Francisco), Mt. Miguel's Darren Newborne and Monte Vista's Sharrod Davis (Fresno State, Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Ida.) and Grossmont College's Mozique McCurtis (USC, Rose Bowl).