SD Prep Sports: Football

San Diego Section

2007 Football Log

Barons pull off wunder-win

CHULA VISTA, Sept. 14, 2007 -- Watching highlights of the Mission Bay Buccaneers’ opening two games of the 2007 high school football season on KUSI-TV’s award-winning “Prep Pigskin Report,” one got the impression that the Bucs not only deserved to be ranked among the San Diego Section’s elite teams but that the squad’s No. 5 rating might have been too long. Watching Mission Bay play Bonita Vista in person Friday night at Southwestern College, one got the impression that the host Barons were the team deserving of the top 10 ranking.

Bonita Vista made the Bucs look like just an ordinary team in recording a stunning 30-14 non-league victory.

The game pitted the defending Mesa League tri-champion Barons and defending Western League tri-champion Mission Bay. In one of those rare occasions, it seems, South County out-shone the competition with a brilliance that was almost blinding.

BV head coach Carl Parrick spoke in post-game interviews about the need for his team to avoid costly miscues.

The supercharged Barons owned the game from the kick-off, leading 17-0 at halftime on the strength of stalwart defense and timely offense.

Bonita Vista did what it could do best and built on that momentum.

It was a far cry from what Parrick called “the worst” game he had seen in a BV team play in a 30-7 loss to Maui Lahainaluna two weeks ago in Hawaii. In that contest, the Barons committed six turnovers in the first quarter alone.

This time it was the Bonitans’ turn to shine on the PPR.

“My O-line hit their blocks,” senior running back Wesley Roche told a television crew after the game as jubilant teammates crowded around him. “On defense, we tumbled them.”
Leading the defense was the Barons’ twin towers: senior defensive end D.J. Shields and senior linebacker Jarret Bilbrey.

For those who thought that football players could not get any bigger than Shields, all they had to do was behold Bilbrey, the Barons’ other giant. The roster lists the highly-recruited Shields at 6-4 and 221 pounds. But standing side by side, it appeared that Bilbrey (listed at 6-4, 217) was actually larger.

With the help of teammates like Christian Mua, Liam Sharkey, Cody Lopez and Nick Neely, among many others, Mission Bay super star Dillon Baxter had little chance of success on the night.

Meanwhile, Bucs quarterback Evan Taylor, who looked like a veteran college passer on film, was rendered harmless. He was constantly sent scrambling by the intense BV pass rush and failed to complete a pass in the opening half.

A rather awesome statistic for the BV defense.
Meanwhile, Roche, who is listed at 5-4 and 160 pounds on the BV roster, darted through holes in the Mission Bay defense all night long en route to collecting 191 yards on 32 rushes and three touchdowns. Junior quarterback Myles Morales (6-0, 166) completed four of his five passing attempts for 118 yards and one score.

Both showed they came ready to play from the onset. The Barons scored on their opening two possessions — a seven-yard run by Roche and a 32-yard field goal by senior place-kicker Josh Boyd — to take a 10-0 lead. The BV defense promptly hemmed the Bucs in the shadow of their own end zone. Mission Bay would face horrendous field position throughout the first half.

The Barons appeared ready to strike again, advancing the ball near the goal line early midway through the second quarter. However, some spirited play by the Bucs forced a field goal attempt. On a race occasion in which the hosts did misfire on this otherwise memorable night, Boyd’s kick sailed just wide.

But the high profile visitors could not capitalize on any possible momentum shift.

Operating from deep within their territory for a change, Morales aired out a pass along the BV sideline. The ball took a bounce off a Bucs defender and landed in the hands of senior receiver Mike Cagigas, who was still streaking downfield. Not losing a step, Cagigas advanced the ball to the Mission Bay three-yard line. From there, Morales hit Shields in the front corner of the end zone for a touchdown.

After Boyd supplied the extra point, the hosts had a 17-0 lead.

The Bucs’ attempted march down field in the final two minutes of the half proved to be just that — an attempt.

Mission Bay did respond with the first points of the second half of play, with Taylor scoring on a two-yard sneak. But the Barons — via Roche’s speedy legs — countered with two more touchdowns to increase their lead to 30-7. Roche made the score 23-7 on a five-yard run and later added an 18-yard TD run.
Taylor’s first completion of the night came with the seconds ticking down as he hit Kevin Nash on a 26-yard touchdown pass for an otherwise meaningless score.

Do the Barons deserve to be considered top 10 rankings material or was it just a case of a good team not showing up to play a decent Metro squad? Bonita Vista will need to show last Friday’s “upset” win was no fluke when it battles Castle Park Friday, Sept. 21, at Southwestern College. A victory would give the Barons a 3-1 record and a showdown the following week against a very talented Mt. Miguel team that could well be sporting a 4-0 record.

Coming at you: 3-0 Spartans
EL CAJON, Sept. 14, 2007 -- Following his team’s 39-12 loss Friday to the visiting Chula Vista Spartans, Granite Hills coach Randy DeWitt referred to the victors as the “best team” his team had played to this point of the season not included in the weekly top 10 rankings.

The Eagles kicked off the season with a 21-14 loss to Mission Bay. The Bucs entered the week ranked fifth in the section.

The Spartans ran up a 32-0 cushion on the East County hosts.

The rankings may deserve to come under some scrutiny if Chula Vista keeps piling up the points — and wins.

Facing a quality team from the Grossmont Conference for the second consecutive week, the Spartans proved they can play both physical and finesse football.

A complete thrashing is the only way in which to adequately describe what Chula Vista did to a talented Eagles team coming off the program’s first winning season in a decade (at 6-5). DeWitt set a goal this season of eight wins, including a playoff victory.

Taylor Julio returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown for the first points of the game and the visitors tacked on 17 more unanswered points in the second quarter to lead 24-0 at halftime.

Julio (7-of-9, 122 yards) passed 13 yards to Ruben Solorio to help put the Spartans ahead 14-0. Taimi Tutogi (eight rushes, 51) yards then scored on a four-yard run — the first of his three touchdowns in the non-league contest — to push the Chula Vistans in front 21-0. Andres Canizales booted a 32-yard field goal to increase the lead further to 24-0.

The Spartans put up the first points of the second half to lead 32-0 as Julio connected with Tutogi on a 62-yard pass play before taking the ball in himself on the two-point conversion try.

Tutogi answered the Eagles’ first points of the game — a 17-yard touchdown pass from Justin Montgomery to Bradley Carter in the third quarter — with a 27-yard scoring run.
Granite Hills notched the lone touchdown of the final quarter clearly for pride as Harold Harris scored on a two-yard run.

Though he did not get into the end zone this game, Matt Stacy provided the bulk of the Spartans’ ground game by rushing 16 times for 115 yards. Tutogi, who continues to develop as a feared offensive weapon, finished the game with three catches for 76 yards to go over the 100-yard mark in total offense for the night.

The Spartans next tee up the football for this Friday’s sixth annual Kiwanis Bowl game against Hilltop. Chula Vista leads the series 4-1 and is coming off last year’s 47-7 victory in the cross-town rivalry game.

For the season, Chula Vista has outscored opponents 119-30. Hilltop is 0-2 and has been outscored 35-0.

Moving up: Mustangs top RBV

By J. Carlos Rico
Sports intern
CHULA VISTA, Sept. 14, 2007 -- Coming off a bye week, Otay Ranch had two weeks to prepare for Rancho Buena Vista and it showed. The Mustangs forced six turnovers, which accounted for four touchdowns and a field goal, and stomped all over the Longhorns, 31-17, in their home opener last Friday night.

“We scouted them and we know they play really hard,” Otay Ranch first-year head coach Brad Burton said. “We thought that if we were aggressive and attacked them that we would have a good chance … and tonight was a team victory.”

The triumph was achieved by contributions by all three facets of the Otay Ranch herd; however, the game did not start off so great for the Mustangs. On their second offensive play, senior quarterback Marcus Vasquez was sacked and fumbled the ball, which was recovered by RBV at the Mustangs’ 10-yard line. Two plays later, the Longhorns scored a touchdown on a quarterback keeper to put the visiting team up, 6-0, one minute into the game.

But the home team would balance out the turnover ratio in its favor. After a three-and-out for the Mustang offense, senior Andre Fajardo recovered a muffed punt on the Longhorns 40-yard line. After a critical fourth-and-three conversion off a naked bootleg by Vasquez, the Mustangs were able to punch in a touchdown on a handoff to senior Orville Roachford.

After a field goal by Rancho Buena Vista that put the Longhorns up 9-7, the Otay Ranch defenders got their hands on the football by recovering three fumbles, which led to 14 points in the second quarter. Vasquez connected with senior Sean Rush for a 23-yard TD pass and junior running back Shannon Daniels ran it in from 10 yards out to put the Mustangs ahead 21-9 at the half.

“We worked hard and executed plays to perfection,” Vasquez said. “We knew they were going to come hard because they played us hard last year, but our team stepped it up.”
In the second quarter it was much of the same. The Otay Ranch defense caused two more turnovers, which resulted in a short field and 10 points.

With 9:28 to go in the third quarter, senior linebacker Mike Azhocar ripped the ball out of the hands of Rancho Buena Vista running back Kyle Haupu. Three plays later,Vasquez threw his second TD pass of the game to senior Keith Phillips — a 16-yard strike.

Later in the third quarter, senior Carlos Lopez intercepted the ball and returned it 25 yards. After a couple of hand-offs to Daniels, which got the ball to the 12-yard line, senior John Baumgardner kicked a 29-yard field goal to pad the lead 31-9 on the second play of the fourth quarter.

Ranch Buena Vista added a touchdown and a two-point conversion late in the game, but the early turnovers were the difference as Otay Ranch improved its record to a perfect 2-0 in the early part of the 2007 football season.

“(Turnovers) are part of our game plan,” said Azhocar, who contributed with three sacks and forced two fumbles. “We just want to go out there and make something happen every play.”

Next up for the Mustangs is a road encounter at Point Loma (1-2) this Friday, Sept. 21 (3 p.m. kick-off).

The Pointers are coming off back-to-back losses to Cathedral Catholic and Culver City. Otay Ranch will be looking for payback for the 20-11 loss it suffered last season at home.

Titans get #7 ranking, win 47-0
CHULA VISTA, Sept. 14, 2007 -- The Eastlake Titans appear to be gaining momentum as the young season unfolds. That could spell trouble for future opponents.
A week after dealing sixth-ranked Torrey Pines a 31-14 setback, the Titans — now sporting the section’s No. 7 ranking — routed longtime Imperial Valley League power Brawley, 47-0, Friday at Stan Canaris Stadium. Eastlake featured a balanced attack — generating 153 rushing yards and 141 passing yards — in securing its second consecutive win.

Titan head coach John McFadden had been hoping his team could put together what he called “four quarters of football.” By scoring points in every quarter and nailing down the shutout victory, one might say that Eastlake did just that against the Wildcats (1-2).
The Titans led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter and owned a 35-0 lead at halftime before scoring a field goal and safety in the third quarter and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Jeremiah Andujo led the Eastlake scoring barrage with three touchdowns, including two on passes from quarterback Derek Witte, while Patrick Jarin and Michael Kelley each scored on interception returns to highlight the team’s defensive showing. Kris Almario kicked a 32-yard field goal and Andrew Feaster closed out the non-league contest with a 20-yard scoring run.

The hosts capitalized on three Brawley turnovers for their first three touchdowns in the game. Jarin, a junior linebacker, intercepted a tipped pass and waltzed 37 yards into the end zone for the Titans’ first score of the night while Kelley, a senior defensive back, took a pick back 31 yards for a touchdown.
Andujo, playing defense, intercepted a pass and later scored on a four-yard run on the ensuing offensive drive to hike Eastlake’s lead to 21-0.

Witte connected with Andujo on scoring passes of 55 and 29 yards in the second quarter.

Andujo totaled 93 receiving yards on the night, with two touchdowns, while rushing four times for 32 yards and another TD. Andujo also returned one punt for 12 yards.

Witte completed four of six attempts for 141 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Jordan Koopman rushed five times for 43 yards, averaging 8.6 yards per carry, while Will Duka ran the football seven times for 37 yards. Dennis Clay had one reception for 42 yards.

Almario averaged 52 yards on eight kick-offs while successfully converting all six extra-point tries and splitting the uprights on one of two field goals attempts.

The Titans made four interceptions on defense, with Jarin leading with two picks. Jarin also ran in the ball on a two-point conversion on offense. Jarin said containing the dangerous Kyle Mohamed was a key to recording the shutout victory.

For the season, Duka leads the Titans with 255 rushing yards, followed by Koopman (190) and Andujo (141). Koopman and Andujo each have two rushing touchdowns. Andujo tops the team’s receiver corps with 11 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns while Clay has four receptions for 92 yards.
Witte has completed 25 of 47 passes (55 percent) for 363 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions.

Andujo leads the team in total offensive points with 38, followed by Koopman (18) and Almario (14).

Eastlake will receive a test in Friday’s road contest at Steele Canyon. The Cougars, who finished runner-up to Helix in last year’s Grossmont South League standings, have won two in a row after starting the season with a 21-7 loss at Cathedral Catholic and appear to be building just as much momentum as the Titans.

Jamie Dale leads Steele Canyon with 432 rushing yards and three touchdowns also has caught one touchdown pass. He has scored either the game-clinching or game-winning touchdowns in each of the Cougars’ past two contests.

Sweetwater holds off Hilltop in defensive battle

By Scott Hopkins
NATIONAL CITY, Sept. 14, 2007 -- The host Sweetwater Red Devils held off a spirited fourth-quarter rally by the Hilltop Lancers to escape with a 7-0 win in a non-league battle last Friday night at Gail Devers Stadium.
The game’s outcome was in doubt until the final minute when the snap on a fourth-down Lancer play at the Devils’ 19-yard line sailed over the head of quarterback Michael Alcala with 46 seconds remaining. The loose ball was finally pounced on at the 37, giving possession — and victory — to the hosts.

The victory upped Sweetwater’s record to 2-1, already far ahead of last year’s 0-10 mark. Hilltop is still searching for its first victory of the young season, dropping to 0-2. The Lancers have been shut out in both games.
An 82-yard run on a quarterback keeper by Sweetwater’s Fred Fells turned out to be the game-winner, coming on the second play of a Red Devil drive with 4:22 left in the opening period. Allen Gudino’s PAT was accurate.

Alcala led the Lancers on their only sustained drive of the evening as the visitors started from their own eight-yard line and marched 77 yards before the fateful snap. Throwing on every play of the drive, he completed five of seven attempts, three of which were grabbed by junior Chris Prather for gains of 22, 20 and seven yards. Prather had four earlier catches, giving him 110 yards in the game.

Seniors Carlos Ugarte and Kris Ramirez had catches of 18 and 10 yards, respectively, in the final drive.

It was the Red Devils’ run defense that disrupted the Lancers much of the night, causing several fumbles and recording two sacks. Junior Marcus-Pierce Brewster was credited with a sack that resulted in a fumble and 20-yard Lancer loss.

SuHi linebacker Mathew Cortez, also a junior, scooped up a Lancer fumble and raced 34 yards, but a 15-yard penalty on the Red Devils during the return negated nearly half of it.

Mathew Rubalcaba, alternating with Fells at quarterback, tossed a 34-yard completion to Sergio Estrada.

Indeed, penalties and mistakes proved costly to both teams, prematurely ending drives and scoring threats in the process.

For the Lancers, it was a tough loss, as they moved the ball well at times, especially through the air. Several mistakes and costly penalties plagued Hilltop.

Strong performances were turned in by Alcala and Prather along with junior running back Ariel Perez. Senior running back Jordan Fortes threw a bell-ringing block on a blitzing Devil.

Defensively, Hilltop’s Ugarte and Clinton Burton each had interceptions, Ugarte returning his 20 yards to end a second-quarter Sweetwater drive at the Lancer 21.

The Devils threatened again late in the third quarter when the Lancer punter’s knee touched ground while picking up a low snap. Officials awarded Sweetwater the ball at the Lancer 15, but the Devils lost the ball on downs at the five. Linebacker Casey Nicholas made an excellent tackle for a Sweetwater two-yard loss on a third-down play from the Lancers’ three.

Extra points
•Only a handful of plays were run inside either team’s 20-yard line. But there was plenty of action in the middle 60 yards of the turf.

•The Red Devil marching band performed exceptionally well in a smooth halftime display. The program consisted of the first two movements of their developing competition routine. Well done, musicians!

•During pre-game introductions, several Lancer players taunted the Sweetwater side. Unacceptable.

•Sweetwater next plays Friday, Sept. 21, at Santana (1-2) while Hilltop will have its hands full hosting cross-town rival Chula Vista (3-0) in the annual Kiwanis Bowl.

•The Lancers, to their credit, did not appear "down" after the close loss. Following traditional handshakes with the victors, the team jogged, heads held high, to the north end zone to hear coaches assess the game.

Prep Pigskin Report
Plays of the Week
Week 1: Will Duka (Eastlake)
Week 2: Will Stewart (Mater Dei)
Week 3: Diego Guevara (San Ysidro)

Grossmont Conference
Statistical Leaders
Touchdowns
Rico Smith (Mt. Miguel) 7
Tila Case (El Capitan) 7
Josh Simms (Grossmont) 5
Khalid Waters (Grossmont) 5
Tyler Aubrey (Santana) 4
Jamie Dale (Steele Canyon) 4
Larry Gist (Helix) 4
Garrett Jarvis (El Capitan) 4
James Needy (Santana) 4

Rushing Yards
Jamie Dale (Steele Canyon) 432
Khalid Waters (Grossmont) 301
Christian Fonseca (West Hills) 272
Ben Wilkins (El Capitan) 250
Touchdowns: Waters 4; Dale 3; Wilkins 2

Passing Leaders
Tanner Rust (El Capitan) 936
James Needy (Santana) 687
Aaron Bryant (Mt. Miguel) 474
Ty Culver (Helix) 429
Pete Thomas (Valhalla) 339
Isaaz Soliz (El Cajon Valley) 329
Touchdowns: Rust 13; Bryant 6; Needy 6; Culver 4

Receiving Leaders
Tila Case (El Capitan) 436
Tyler Aubrey (Santana) 297
Kyle Romero (Santana) 233
Nick Floyd (Grossmont) 213
Touchdowns: Case 6; Aubrey 4

San Diego Section
Top 10 Rankings
SD Sportswriters/Sportscasters Poll
1. Carlsbad Lancers 2-0
2. Poway Titans 3-0
3. Helix Highlanders 2-1
4. Oceanside Pirates 2-1
5. Mission Hills Grizzlies 2-1
6. Mira Mesa Marauders 3-0
7. Eastlake Titans 2-1
8. Cathedral Catholic 3-0
9. Vista Panthers 2-1
10. El Camino Wildcats 2-1

Others (in order of votes): Mt. Miguel Matadors (3-0), Scripps Ranch Falcons (1-1), Mission Bay Buccaneers (2-1), Otay Ranch Mustangs (2-0), Ramona Bulldogs (3-0), Lincoln Hornets (2-0), Rancho Bernardo Broncos (2-1), La Costa Canyon Mavericks (1-2), Christian Patriots (2-1), Chula Vista Spartans (3-0).

Top 10 matchups: Poway at El Camino (Sept. 20); Cathedral Catholic at Carlsbad (Sept. 21)

Week 3 Top 10 Matchups
•Carslbad 14, Helix 10
•Poway 35, Scripps Ranch 13
•Oceanside 42, Escondido 7
•Bonita Vista 30, Mission Bay Buccaneers 14
•Mission Hills 28, West Hills 0
•Mira Mesa Marauders 17, Torrey Pines 0
•Eastlake Titans 47, Brawley 0
•Mission Viejo 44,, La Costa Canyon 14

Week 2 Top 10 Matchups
•Helix 14, Lone Peak (Utah) 7
•Poway 7, Mission Hills 6
•Oceanside 27, La Costa Canyon 20
•Mission Bay 48, Clairemont 16
•Mira Mesa 37, Escondido 14
•Eastlake 31, Torrey Pines 14

Week 1 Top 10 Matchups
•Carlsbad 20, St. Augustine 3
•Helix 28, Oceanside 20
•Poway 27, Eastlake 14
•Mira Mesa 31, Vista 7
•Escondido 22, Fallbrook 14
•Mission Hills 20, El Camino 14
•Mission Bay 21, Granite Hills 14

Week 3 Game Reports

Prep football rankings taking shape

LA MESA, Sept. 14, 2007 -- Three weeks into the 2007 high school football season, the San Diego Section rankings are starting to take shape in earnest. The contenders have started to separate from the pack as they make a collective statement for supremacy in the early going of the season.

Friday’s prime time match-up between No. 1-ranked Carlsbad and No. 2-ranked Helix did not disappoint, and the Lancers (2-0) remain on top of the rankings (both sectionwide and among Division I teams) after their spirited 14-10 non-league victory over the Highlanders (2-1).

The win extended Carlsbad’s unbeaten streak to 22 games. The outcome showed that Helix has to be considered the early favorite to win this year’s Division II banner.

The Scotties took a 3-0 lead on a 27-yard field goal by Anthony Merrill and the score remained 7-3 in the Lancers’ favor at halftime after Michael Vandenkolk hauled in a 61-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Justin Moreno.

The Lancers — two-time defending Division I champions — extended their lead to 14-3 when Marty Porter scooped up a misplayed pitch by Helix signal-caller Ty Culver and raced 36 yards into the end zone for a touchdown. Culver subsequently made up for his on-field gaffe when he scored on a five-yard run, but the host Scotties could not get any closer on the scoreboard as the defenses of both juggernaut teams took over and the teams played to a scoreless stalemate in the fourth quarter.

Culver finished the game with eight completions in 22 attempts for 71 yards with a longest completion of 23 yards and one interception.

Jo-Jo Phillips completed his only pass attempt of the night for 40 yards while Anthony Diaz had a 13-yard completion on his only throw.

Marquise Deadwiler keyed the Highlanders with two receptions for 54 yards. Larry Gist, who had entered the high profile match-up with four touchdowns to his credit in two games, was held in check by the Carlsbad defense with two catches for just three yards. However, Gist did help set up his team’s only touchdown of the game on an 88-yard kick-off return.

Helix head coach Donnie Van Hook offered in post-game interviews he felt Carlsbad proved its No. 1 ranking but said he also felt his team was a close No. 2.

The Highlanders will engage another high profile opponent this Friday when the Scotties host defending Division IV champion Santa Fe Christian. The Eagles are led on the sidelines by 2006 San Diego Section Coach of the Year Brian Sipe, a Grossmont College alumnus.

Carlsbad hosts unbeaten Cathedral Catholic (3-0) in its next game. The Dons are coming off a 49-0 pasting of Mater Dei and will obviously be looking to move up in the rankings with a good showing against the Lancers.

There are those who might argue whether the Scotties should have been dinged for losing to a quality team like Carlsbad. However, that will obviously be up for consideration in the upcoming weeks.

Thirty-four teams ended the second week of regular season play undefeated. After week 3, 19 are still unbeaten.

Poway seems to have a top three spot under wraps for the present after dealing Scripps Ranch a 35-14 loss last Friday while Oceanside, the defending Division II champion, appears to have the No. 4 ranking under lock for the time being after topping Escondido 42-7.

The Titans — runners-up to Carlsbad in last year’s Division I title game — moved into the No. 2 spot in this week’s poll released by the San Diego Sportswriters/Sportscasters Association, relegating Helix to the No. 3 position for now.

There has been quite a bit of movement in the bottom half of the weekly top 10 rankings. A total of 10 teams occupied the No. 5 to No. 10 positions in the opening three weeks of the season. Only two appeared in all three polls: Mission Bay and Mission Hills.

Fifth-ranked Mission Bay was the latest to tumble after its 30-14 loss to Bonita Vista last Friday.

Mission Hills (now at No. 5) dropped a 7-6 decision to Poway in week 2 and is coming off a 28-0 shutout victory against visiting West Hills. Mira Mesa (3-0) deservedly moved up from its No. 7 spot to the No. 6 position after turning back North County power Torrey Pines 17-0.

Friday. Heroes for the Marauders in that game included place-kicker Michael Chang (22-yard field goal), quarterback Chris Garland (four-yard run) and running back Darren Jenkins (17-yard run).

In successive weeks, Mira Mesa has defeated Vista, Escondido and Torrey Pines. Enough said.

Eastlake opened the season at No. 8 and dropped out after suffering a 27-14 loss to Poway in the season opener. But the Titans returned to the top 10 ranking at No. 9 following their 31-14 victory against Torrey Pines on Sept. 7. Eastlake’s 47-0 win against visiting Brawley should ensure the Titans remain regarded among the section’s elite this season.

St. Augustine, which entered the season ranked at the lofty No. 3 spot, fell out of the top 10 rankings after last Friday’s 24-3 loss at San Pasqual. Cathedral Catholic (No. 8), Vista (No. 9) and El Camino (No. 10) all moved up to occupy the bottom three spots this week.

The Monte Vista Monarchs can vouch for El Camino’s top 10 credentials after enduring a 31-14 defeat at the hands of the visiting Wildcats.

Mt. Miguel entered this week ranked No. 11. Watch out for the Matadors.

East County honor roll: Matadors are 3-0
SPRING VALLEY, Sept. 14, 2007 -- Through the opening three weeks of the season, only one East County team remains undefeated: the Mt. Miguel Matadors.

The Matadors, who appear to be the next team poised to crack the top 10 rankings, hiked their record to 3-0 on the strength of their third consecutive blowout victory: 55-10 against the Southwest Raiders. The win follows previous whippings of Monte Vista Christian from Watsonville (53-9) and Castle Park (48-7).

Mt. Miguel has not had a winning season since 2000 but head coach Tom Karlo believes this year’s squad not only has a chance to push into winning territory but has a chance to win every game this season.

Rico Smith led the Matadors’ scoring binge against Southwest with four touchdowns, including a pair on punt returns. His 86-yard punt return is a school record. He also scored on a 53-yard punt return while rushing into the end zone on runs of 25 and three yards. Smith finished the game with 196 all-purpose yards while also scoring on a two-point conversion run.

Elliot Taylor, the Grossmont Conference’s leading regular season rusher last season, made his season debut by scoring twice (touchdown runs of seven and five yards). Quarterback Aaron Bryant (five-for-nine, 141 yards) threw one touchdown pass, ran for a touchdown and added a two-point conversion. James Montano caught one scoring pass for 22 yards.

Mt. Miguel broke away in the second quarter to lead 41-10 at halftime. Through three home games, Bryant has thrown for 474 yards and six touchdowns (against two interceptions) while Derall Hunter has led the ground game in Taylor’s absence with 145 yards on 20 carries (7.3 average) with two touchdowns.

Bryant threw four touchdown strikes in the Matadors’ victory against Castle Park, connecting twice with Judge Evans for scores (two and five yards) and once each with Travon Caples (eight) and Ahmad Nunley (40 yards). Caples also caught a 30-yard scoring pitch from Joe Gaxiola for a fifth Mt. Miguel passing touchdown.

Bryant completed nine of his 11 passing attempts for 120 yards while also rushing for 66 yards on five carries.
Smith opened scoring on a 20-yard run. Arthur Hobbs returned a blocked punt 14 yards for a touchdown to highlight the contribution by the Matadors’ defense.

The Matadors, who racked up nearly 350 yards in total offense in the first half of play against Castle Park, will be looking to improve to 4-0 by defeating host West Hills this Friday (Sept. 21). The Wolf Pack is coming off a 28-0 loss at Mission Hills last Friday. West Hills is led by Christian Fonseca (272 rushing yards), Chris Misensol (244 passing yards) and Eric Fiege (118 receiving yards).

Vaqueros stampede past Islanders, 56-36; look to pile up points
LAKESIDE, Sept. 14, 2007 -- After falling 49-21 to Ramona in the second week of the season, one thing is certain: El Capitan High School’s football team will not get out to an 11-0 start in 2007. But that doesn’t mean that great things aren’t yet in store for this talented Vaquero squad.

El Capitan defeated Coronado, 56-36, in Friday’s home opener. The Vaqueros hiked their record to 2-1 and will attempt to make it 3-1 when they host University City this Friday (Sept. 21).

Tanner Rust threw six touchdown passes — two apiece to Garrett Jarvis and Tila Case — while Ben Wilkins scored twice (one on a three-yard run and another on a 14-yard pass). Rust finished the game with 386 passing yards. In three games this season, Rust has thrown for 936 yards and 13 touchdowns — a complete season for most high school signal-callers.

Case, who has grabbed 22 aerials for 448 yards thus far, has six touchdown receptions to his credit while Phillip Cook (who had one TD catch in the win against Coronado) had made 10 catches for 199 yards and one score. Jarvis has 10 catches for 156 yards and three touchdowns. Wilkins, who leads the Vaqueros with 250 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, also has a TD pass reception so far this season.

Last Friday’s non-league contest was close after the first quarter, with El Capitan holding a 7-6 edge on a three-yard run by Wilkins. The offenses for both teams opened up in the second quarter, however, with the Vaqueros out-scoring the visitors 21-14 for a 28-20 halftime lead.

El Capitan scored the lone points of the third quarter — a 14-yard touchdown pass from Rust to Wilkins — before the teams combined for 38 points in the final quarter. El Capitan extended its lead by scoring 22 of those 38 fourth-quarter points. Case caught a pair of scoring strikes from Rust (22 and 38 yards) while Jarvis (on defense) returned an interception 47 yards for another score. Jarvis highlighted the three TD night by catching a two-point conversion pass from Rust.

Case finished the very productive night with seven catches for 138 yards while Cook grabbed five aerials for 124 yards. Jarvis had six receptions for 72 yards. Wilkins rushed 15 times for 94 yards — an average of 6.3 yards per carry.

For the Islanders, Ricardo Oberwagner (10 rushes, 105 yards) and Kyle Brown (13 rushes, 81 yards) each scored two touchdowns. However, the game was never in doubt in the second half, with the hosts leading 48-20 at one point.

University City is off to a 2-1 start but dropped its last game, 42-14, to La Jolla last Friday. The Centurions are led by running back Alex Scarlett and quarterback Skyler Dougherty.

Ramona built a 28-0 lead on the Vaqueros in handing the reigning Grossmont North League champions their first loss of the season. Rust finished the Sept. 7 game with 205 passing yards, throwing two TDs while also rushing for a score.

The Vaqueros made a statement with a strong debut as Rust passed for five touchdowns, ran for another score and kicked three extra-point conversions in a 51-36 victory against defending Hawaii state champion King Kekalike Aug. 31. Case caught three of Rust’s aerials while also returning 92 yards for a touchdown in another scintillating individual performance. Brandon Sanchez and Garrett Jarvis also caught scoring passes for El Capitan, which also got a rushing score from Wilkins.

Braves, Sultans score first wins of 2007
The El Cajon Valley High School football team tasted victory for the first time in three starts as the Braves defeated host El Centro Southwest, 36-14, Friday (Sept. 14) in El Centro. The visiting Braves forced eight turnovers and rolled up 314 total yards in offense to keep the Eagles winless.

Gavino Pinal scored two touchdowns while rushing for 103 yards while Kevin Kelly — who had scored all his team’s 19 points in two previous losses — hauled in a 35-yard scoring pass from quarterback Isaac Soliz and also kicked a 40-yard field goal. Lucas Stafford also recorded a 43-yard rushing touchdown to highlight the first head coaching victory for ECV skipper Danny Goodrich.

El Centro Southwest coughed up six fumbles and two interceptions to the Braves. Six of those turnovers came in the first half as the visitors built a 29-0 halftime lead. Abel Cervantes keyed the ECV defense with two interceptions.
The win came after losses to Sweetwater (23-9) and San Ysidro (28-10) to open the season.

Kelly accounted for all 10 points in the loss to San Ysidro after catching an 11-yard touchdown pass from Soliz, kicking the extra point and later booting a 25-yard field goal. However, the visiting Braves could not hold onto their 10-0 advantage and surrendered 28 unanswered points to the Cougars, who picked up their first win of the season.

ECV kicked off the season with the home field loss to Sweetwater — a team that finished 0-10 last season but boasts a 2-1 mark following last Friday’s defensive-minded 7-0 victory against visiting Hilltop. In the loss to the Red Devils, Kelly kicked a 43-yard field goal and connected with Soliz on an electrifying 71-yard pass play for a touchdown.

The Braves, who finished 3-7 last season, have been battling depth in terms of lineup numbers all season and apparently will continue to do so.

Solis completed eight of 20 passes in the season opener, racking up 126 yards in his varsity debut. Through three games, he has thrown for 329 yards and three touchdowns. Kelly remains the team’s leading offensive weapon with eight catches for 172 yards and three scores.

El Cajon Valley will attempt to make it two wins in a row when the Braves visit Patrick Henry for a non-league game on Friday (Sept. 21).

Santana 35, Imperial 13
The Sultans won their first game of the 2007 season also in convincing fashion by topping the visiting Tigers.
James Needy paced the Santana offense by throwing for 186 yards and touchdowns to three different receivers: Tyler Blackledge (eight yards), Tyler Aubrey (11 yards) and Kyle Romero (45 yards). The Sultans, who received rushing touchdowns from Brian Burgio (13 yards) and Kris Kimmel (17 yards), racked up 401 yards in total offense.

Needy passed for 186 yards, completing 13 of 27 attempts with one interception. His longest pass of the night went to Romero (four catches, 103 yards). Aubrey rushed for 51 yards and caught three passes for 36 yards. Moreno had three catches for 32 yards. Anthony Moreno successfully converted all five point-after touchdown attempts.

The Santana defense chipped in with three interceptions. Overall, the Tigers (1-1) committed seven turnovers.
Maurice Mack scored both Imperial touchdowns (34, 49 yards) on passes from Tyler Beal.

For the season, Needy has thrown for 687 yards and six touchdowns — four to Aubrey (20 catches, 297 yards). Romero has 12 catches for 233 yards and one score.

After opening the season 0-2, the Sultans will attempt to even their record at 2-2 by defeating visiting Sweetwater (2-1) on Friday.

Diamond Ranch 6, Christian 0
Defending Division V champion Christian tasted its first loss of the 2007 campaign after jump-starting the season 2-0 with a pair of convincing victories. The Patriots fell 6-0 in begrudging fashion to Pomona’s Diamond Ranch in an away contest on Saturday (Sept. 15).

Christian will attempt to return to the win column Friday, Sept. 21, when it visits the Hamilton Bobcats in Anza.

The Patriots allowed a first-quarter touchdown to Diamond Ranch quarterback Joe Carrillo on an 18-yard scramble, but the Christian defense — led by nose guard Pat Kelly — stiffened from there against a school fielding twice the number of players on the sideline and with an enrollment four times that of the private El Cajon school.

Lawrence Walker leads Christian with 406 rushing yards and seven touchdowns while sophomore Erick Allen has thrown for 286 yards and four touchdowns.

Both the Matadors and Patriots deserve honorable mention consideration for the weekly section rankings but will need to score wins against higher-caliber opponents to crack the top 10.

Other teams to watch include Ramona, Steele Canyon and Grossmont. The latter two squads hooked up last Friday, with the visiting Cougars pulling out a 19-14 victory in a game that was not decided until the final play. Steele Canyon shaded West Hills, 20-10, in week 2 to give the Cougars a two-game winning streak heading into Friday’s non-league game against Eastlake, also on a two-game winning streak after toppling traditional section powers Torrey Pines and Brawley in successive weeks.

The Foothillers, meanwhile, had kicked off the season 2-0 until stopped by Steele Canyon. Grossmont will host Monte Vista (1-1) on Friday with a chance to improve to 3-1 with a win.

The Cougars (2-1) deflected a potential game-winning touchdown pass in the final seconds to preserve the victory against Grossmont. Jamie Dale’s one-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter rescued Steele Canyon from a 14-13 deficit.

Ramona is sporting a shiny 3-0 record after downing Calexico, 27-19, on their heels of a spectacular 49-21 win against visiting El Capitan on Sept. 7. Jarred Gallegos scored three touchdowns against the Vaqueros while teammate Joey Dambose scored twice as the Bulldogs built a 28-7 halftime lead.

Escondido Charter 48, Foothills Christian 27
Among the section’s smaller schools, Foothills Christian has gotten out to a 2-1 start. The Knights kicked off the new season 2-0 before suffering a 48-27 to Escondido Charter Friday (Sept. 14).

Standouts for the Knights include quarterback Garret Campbell, who has passed for 294 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for 282 yards and three more scores, and receiver Mattison Rundlett (10 catches, 206 yards, four touchdowns).

Rundlett scored two touchdowns (rushes of25 and 34 yards) while Campbell opened scoring in the game on a 78-yard kick-off return. John Magana scored Foothill Christian’s final touchdown on a seven-yard run. The Knights, who list 20 players on their roster, trailed just 21-13 at halftime against what is shaping up as one of the section’s small schools powers.

Foothills Christian improved to 2-0 with a 23-8 non-league victory against Borrego Springs on Sept. 7. In that game, Rundlett scored on two passes from Campbell, who also returned a kick-off 87 yards for a touchdown and kicked a 38-yard field goal. Travis Wolf led the Knights’ defense with three sacks.

Aztecs shut down Patriots, 23-6, claim first win in '07
OTAY MESA, Sept. 14, 2007 -- The Montgomery Aztecs likely rated as one of the best 0-2 teams in the San Diego Section and proved that in picking up their first win of the season last Friday by overpowering visiting Orange Glen by the score of 23-6. The Aztecs bulled to an early 10-0 lead and cruised thereafter behind the combined 334 rushing yards of Juan Moriel and Brandon Meredith.

Montgomery led 10-0 after the first quarter on a 21-yard field goal by Marvin Bobadilla and a two-yard touchdown run by Brian Dominguez. The Aztecs tacked on 13 points in the second half of the non-league contest on two touchdowns by Meredith — the first on an 80-yard TD run in the second quarter and the second on a 15-yard pass from Armando Meza in the fourth quarter. The Patriots (0-3) notched their lone points of the game in the final quarter on a 15-yard run by Justin Newark.

Moriel led all rushers in the game with 175 yards on 24 carries, averaging 7.3 yards per carry, while Meredith stacked up 159 yards on 12 carries for a prodigious 13.2 rushing average.

Andrew Early keyed Orange Glen with eight rushes for 71 yards while teammate Mark Lambert had six rushes for 67 yards. The Aztec defense limited Patriots signal-caller Mack Harvery to just 12 passing yards.

Montgomery will attempt to even its record at 2-2 when it visits Kearny this Friday (Sept. 21). The Komets (2-0) are coming off a 21-14 non-league victory at San Diego.

Hoover 22, Castle Park 14
The host Trojans (0-3) likely played their best game this season, holding the undefeated Cardinals to a 7-7 halftime standoff. Deontray Johnson (13 rushes, 158 yards) scored Hoover’s final two touchdowns on runs of 45 and 57 yards in the second half.

Francis Parker 56, Mar Vista 14
The Mariners remained winless on the season (0-3). Maurice Williams and Nate Bennette each scored on short rushing touchdowns for Mar Vista, which fell behind 28-7 after the first quarter and trailed the host Lancers (2-0) 42-7 at halftime. DeMarre Harris (eight rushes, 92 yards) scored three times for Francis Parker, while Deon Randall (192 passing yards, 20 rushing yards) threw two touchdown passes, ran for another score and returned a fumble for a touchdown.

Cathedral Catholic 49, Mater Dei 0
Tyler Gaffney scored four touchdowns to lead the visiting Dons (3-0) over the Crusaders (0-3). Gaffney scored on runs of 17, 2, 3 and 56 yards for eighth-ranked Cathedral Catholic, which was engaging the Crusaders for just the fifth time in the respective schools’ 50-year histories.

Midway Baptist powers to first win of season, 58-0
The visiting Patriots received scores from seven players — including a pair of touchdown runs by Luis Molina — to earn their first victory of the season after kicking off the 2007 campaign 0-2. The eight TD performance added up to a 58-0 non-league win against Liberty Christian Friday at Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach.

Michael Matosich got Midway Baptist on the scoreboard after catching a 23-yard touchdown pass from A.J. Miller. Tim Borgogna scored on the two-point conversion to give the visitors a quick 8-0 advantage. Molina hiked the Patriots’ lead to 14-0 on the strength of a one-yard run.

Midway Baptist put the game out of reach with 30 points in the second quarter. Miller hit Borgogna on a 25-yard scoring pass and then scored himself on a 25-yard pass from Joe Altig. Deleon Dallas scored on a 54-yard interception return and Altig added a 10-yard scoring run. Molina added a pair of two-point conversion runs in the 30-point explosion while Aaron Lazaro also tacked on a two-pointer.

Molina exploded through the line of scrimmage on a 55-yard scoring run in the third quarter, followed by a two-point conversion run by Miller, while Rudy Taniguchi closed out scoring in the game on a 49-yard run in the final quarter.

The Patriots will host Arrowhead Christian on Friday, Sept. 21, in a bid to even their win-loss record.

Kiwanis Bowl game highlights cross-town rivalry

By Scott Hopkins
One of the longest-running football rivalries in the South Bay kicks off Friday, Sept. 21, at Robert Dodds Stadium as the host Hilltop Lancers square off against the visiting Chula Vista Spartans.
The two high schools have played nearly 50 times, and five years ago, the Chula Vista Kiwanis organization became involved, designating the team’s annual game the “Kiwanis Bowl” and awarding a perpetual trophy to the winner.

The organization also donates $1,000 to each school’s athletic program and presents a trophy to the outstanding offensive and defensive player from each team following the final gun.

Borrowing from another big football game, Friday’s match could be called Kiwanis Bowl VI. Chula Vista leads the bowl series 4-1.
As for the games, many of these turf wars have not reflected the schools’ annual records leading up to “The Game.” In other words, you can often throw out the season records of each team, as anything can happen in this annual battle.

Take this season for example. Chula Vista is riding high, sporting a 3-0 record and an offense that is piling up nearly 40 points per game.

Hilltop, on the other hand, is not only winless, but at 0-2 has yet to score a point.

All that could change Friday.

Chula Vista head coach Judd Rachow has a unique perspective on the series since he spent his prep career wearing Hilltop green.
Rachow clearly recalls each series’ game during his high school days. One that still irks him involved the Spartans coming back from a 9-0 deficit to edge the Lancers 14-9.

“At one time, Chula was the only high school in the city,” said Rachow in citing the rivalry’s infancy. “Then, with the opening of Hilltop in 1958, many of the great athletes at Chula were suddenly playing for Hilltop. Also, there were distinct boundaries. Kids used to go to their own schools, so little kids grew up watching Hilltop or Chula Vista, knowing they would go there someday. All other schools were like that too.”

In recent years, with special programs and new high schools opening to the east, South Bay students often have a choice of high schools they will attend and pure geographic loyalties have diminished.

So what does Rachow need to do in the week leading up to Friday’s bowl game?

“I explain to the team about the rivalry and how long it’s been going on,” he said.

For some younger players, this is the first they have heard of it.
Other than that, it’s business as usual at Chula Vista practices as Rachow challenges his players to “play 48 minutes of Spartan football.”

While the Kiwanis organization provides financial gifts to the teams, it has little other involvement with the teams and players before or after the contest. Perhaps members could involve themselves with each school in some capacity and provide some form of memento for each player.

Rough start
Hilltop could be looking at a long season if its season opening 28-0 loss to visiting Monte Vista was any indication of what might come. Despite causing two turnovers and having the ball in the red zone twice, the home team could not capitalize on key possessions and got shut out for the second straight year by the Monarchs on Sept. 7.

“They were just more prepared then us,” said Hilltop head coach Mike Martinez, who was making his debut with the Lancers.

This was evident from the first play of the game, when Monte Vista’s Josh Grossmeyer took the opening kick-off 70 yards for a touchdown.

“It is my job to get the team prepared and I take full responsibility for the loss,” an emotional Martinez said after the game. “This is a leaning curve.”

The Hilltop offense ended the game with 76 total yards. Quarterback Michael Alcala was 14-for-23 for 71 yards passing, and Chirs Prather had five catches for 54 yards.

Hilltop coaches called the season “a marathon — not a sprint.”
After dropping a defensive 7-0 battle at Sweetwater last Friday, the Lancers appear to be learning quickly.

J.Carlos Rico contributed to this story

Chula Vista Kiwanis Bowl Series History
2002: Chula Vista 44, Hilltop 14
2003: Chula Vista 57, Hilltop 37
2004: Chula Vista 27, Hilltop 20
2005: Hilltop 32, Chula Vista 13
2006: Chula Vista 47, Hilltop 7

Fledgling Olympian Eagles bid for 3-0 start

One might suppose that the coaches and players who comprise Olympian High School’s inaugural varsity football team might be more than just a little pleased with the Eagles’ 2-0 start. But complacency is not a virtue to hold, especially in competitive sports.
The Eagles therefore will be out to extend their fledgling varsity record to 3-0 when they host their first established Metro Conference rival, the San Ysidro Cougars, Friday, Sept. 21.
Kick-off is 7 p.m.

When asked about rivalries with nearby schools, Olympian head coach Gil Warren said it was a bit premature to suggest any. “Geographically, we’re near Otay Ranch and Eastlake but they’re not in our league and we won’t play them,” said Warren prior to his team’s history-making 20-18 victory at Mountain Empire on Aug. 31.

The Eagles thumped McNally Secondary from Edmonton, Canada, by a 48-0 score on Sept. 7.

Olympian enjoyed a bye Sept. 14 to reflect on its rather giddy start.
Ryan Van Nostrand completed seven of 10 passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns without an interception against McNally Secondary. He also scored a rushing touchdown in the international-themed match-up.

Julius Miller (33 receiving yards), Shanoi Williams (19 yards) and Jordan Jenkins (nine yards) each caught two passes while Hollis Hulin made one grab for 38 yards. Miller and Jenkins each scored one TD through the air.

Twelve players handled the ball on rushes, with Jenkins rushing 11 times for 71 yards and two touchdowns. Miller had six rushes for 41 yards while Chris Gaskill had five carries for 65 yards and Marquez Garrette had five rushes for 44 yards and one TD.

Robert Jones had two carries for 39 yards while Robert Chavira had three carries for 27 yards and Keven Daniels had two carries for 22 yards.

Miller also had three punt returns for 34 yards while Gaskill had one kick-off return for 22 yards. Chavira averaged 42 yards on seven kick-offs.

Season leaders
•Miller leads the team with 106 rushing yards on 18 attempts, followed by Gaskill (13 carries, 100 yards), Chavira (18 carries, 95 yards), Jenkins (11 carries, 71 yards) and Jones (seven carries, 62 yards). Miller has five catches for 93 yards and three touchdowns. He leads the team overall with four TDs while Jenkins has three.

•Albert Flores has appeared in two games at quarterback, completing three of four attempts for 60 yards and two touchdowns.

•San Ysidro has won once in three tries thus far, dropping a 17-0 non-league game to visiting Madison last Friday after recording a stirring 28-10 come-from-behind victory against visiting El Cajon Valley the previous week. The Cougars totaled 110 yards in offense last week against the Warhawks.

•Quarterback Diego Guevara was the recipient of KUSI-TV’s "Prep Pigskin Report’s" Player of the Week award last week. In three games, he has rushed for 115 yards, scoring twice. He had thrown for 146 yards and once score in two games in which statistics were reported.

•Guevara scored on two touchdown runs and also threw an 80-yard scoring pass to Frankie Alvarez in the team’s lone win thus far. Josh Morrison got the Cougars’ rally going with a 42-yard interception return for a touchdown.

•San Ysidro kicked off the season with a 46-0 loss at San Marcos.