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San Diego Section
2007 Football Log
Running back Acosta carries Lancers to third straight win It was a homecoming of sorts for both Southwest and Hilltop in the teams' South Bay League match-up on Oct. 19. Southwest held its annual homecoming game and crowned a new queen and Hilltop head coach Mike Martinez came back to his old stopping grounds where he coached the Raiders for two years. The Lancers stole the spotlight, however, as junior running back Anthony Acosta gashed and sliced the Southwest defense for 223 yards and three touchdowns on 44 carries to help get his coach and his team a 21-19 win over the Raiders. “It was a bittersweet win,” Martinez said. “I still have a lot of friends here, but my guys fought hard and came out with a tough win.” The game went back-and-fourth with each side exchanging touchdowns all night. The first score of the game came from Southwest in the first quarter with 2:15 on the clock. Andres Vargas scored on a two-yard run that was a result of a blocked punt by the Raiders – four plays earlier. Hilltop got on the scoreboard with a 14-play, 66-yard drive during which Acosta was handed the ball on every play and scored his first TD of the season to tie the score at 7-all. However Southwest senior running back Rosendo Luna (13 carries, 192 yards) answered back with two back-to-back runs of 36 and 32 yards with the latter going for a touchdown, but the Raiders missed the extra point attempt, which only put them up 13-7. On the ensuing drive, Hilltop tied the score at 13-all on a five-yard run by Acosta with 4:47 left in the second quarter. But once again Southwest responded with six points off a nine-yard TD run by Luna in the closing seconds of the first half to put the Raiders ahead 19-13. At halftime, Martinez instilled confidence in his team by telling them that even though they were down by six that they were still in the game and that they would come back and win because they were the better team. Hilltop proved this in the second half by controlling the game clock, making key defensive stops and not allowing any points. In the third quarter, Hilltop went ahead for good with a 12-play, 90-yard drive that was capped off by Acosta’s third touchdown of the game and a two-point conversion – a drive during which once again Acosta ran the ball on every play. “It’s my offensive line,” Acosta said after the win. “My O-line did everything. They gave me great holes to run through…my lineman did the job tonight.” With the win the Lancers improve to 3-1 in their league and 3-4 overall. After the game the players chanted “6-4” to mark their goal for the rest of the season, a feat that would be remarkable after starting the 2007 campaign 0-4. Note: The Lancers might have to amend that chant to “5-4” after San Diego Section commission Dennis Ackerman unilaterally cancelled all activities in the section for Oct. 22-28 because of the wildfire crisis. Hilltop’s scheduled home game against Castle Park on Oct. 26 was cancelled and will likely not be made up, leaving the Lancers with nine regular season games.
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Week 8 Game Reports
An act of God: CIF playoffs take on a new twist
Posted Oct. 26, 2007
While the rampaging wildfires of earlier this week may have temporarily played havoc with area high school sports schedules, ultimately the games will go on … including the upcoming San Diego Section playoffs.
In an eerie replay of the 2003 Cedar fire tragedy, the San Diego Section was forced to cancel all practices and games for the period Oct. 22-27 because of unhealthy air quality and danger from encroaching flames. Athletic competitions, including this weekend’s football games, will not be made up, according to a statement from section commissioner Dennis Ackerman released Tuesday (Oct. 23)..
“There will be no make-up of this week’s activities due to state CIF playoffs, facility use and time constraints for fall playoffs,” Ackerman noted in the release.
Unless otherwise noted, activities will resume as scheduled on Monday, Oct. 29, Ackerman said. The section’s girls tennis playoffs will begin as scheduled on Tuesday, Oct. 30.
The week opened with three games remaining in regular season play for all but a handful of the section’s football teams, with this weekend’s slate of league match-ups destined to go a long way in determining just which teams solidified their hold on berths in the section’s upcoming divisional playoffs.
With the cancellation of this week’s games, teams apparently now have just two games to make their playoff bid. League championships also may be affected — or at least given a different spin — with the cancellation of several key match-ups.
No word has been forthcoming on an amended playoff schedule.
The cancelled games include some “biggies” — No. 7 Chula Vista at No. 8 Eastlake (this was supposed to be the Titans’ homecoming game), Otay Ranch vs. Bonita Vista at Southwestern College and Montgomery at Mater Dei (for the outright South Bay League championship). The marquee game lost in East County was Mt. Miguel at No. 5 Helix in a battle of Grossmont South League unbeatens. Also, key Grossmont North League games pitting Grossmont at El Cajon Valley and West Hills at El Capitan were cancelled.
Besides league titles being won or lost, the cancellation of games also deals a financial setback to hosting schools in terms of ticket revenue.
Of course, all this becomes trivial when compared to the plight of the half-million evacuees from fire zones around the county, Chula Vista included.
If Friday’s games are, in fact, lost, fans of the Montgomery Aztecs might have the most to be upset about — if that really matters at this point because of all the tragedy and suffering that has made itself apparent through various news media this past week.
Mater Dei owns a 3-0 league record while the Aztecs are 3-1. A Montgomery victory would have likely forced at least a co-championship and possibly even a tri-championship in the South Bay League if Hilltop were to have finished its three regular season games undefeated.
Call it an act of God.
The section’s divisional playoffs are scheduled to start Nov. 16 and conclude with championship games Dec. 7 at Qualcomm Stadium. Titles in five enrollment divisions will be awarded to 11-man teams as well as a separate title in eight-man play.
Here is a breakdown of the current playoff formula:
Division I
Twelve of 18 teams qualify for the Division I playoffs. In games through last weekend, nine teams in the division sported at least four wins (winning records) with 11 teams owning at least three wins. Four teams had 2-5 records, the Sweetwater Red Devils and Granite Hills Eagles among them.
Division leaders include Poway (7-0), Carlsbad (6-1), Chula Vista (6-1), Mira Mesa (5-2), Eastlake (5-2), Vista (5-2), Rancho Buena Vista (5-2), Otay Ranch (4-3) and Rancho Bernardo (4-3). All those teams appear to have playoff spots more or less locked up, barring a late season meltdown.
Eastlake put itself in the driver’s seat with last Friday’s 14-6 Mesa League victory at Otay Ranch (1-1 in league play). The game was a defensive showcase, particularly for the victorious Titans who coughed up an interception and blocked kick but escaped by allowing just two field goals. Meanwhile, Eastlake capitalized on a Mustang miscue when Sal Adame intercepted a pass to set up the Titans’ go-ahead touchdown by utility standout Jeremiah Andujo on a nine-yard run just before halftime. Will Duka scored an insurance touchdown for Eastlake in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run.
John Baumgardner had both Otay Ranch field goals — 27 and 19 yards. The latter kick was set in motion when the Titans halted three Mustangs plays starting at the one-yard line.
Chula Vista defeated visiting Sweetwater, 38-0, last Friday to go up 2-0 in the new Legacy of Pride trophy series and cut the Red Devils’ advantage to 36-22-3 in the teams’ 61-year rivalry series. The Spartans, cheered on by a homecoming crowd, were led by four touchdowns by fullback Taimi Tutogi, including two on passes from quarterback Taylor Julio. Eddie Enal also scored on a 36-yard interception return while Andres Canizales booted a 32-yard field goal.
The Eagles dropped to 2-5 following their 49-0 loss at Helix on Oct. 19. The loss was the third consecutive for Granite Hills which concludes regular season play with Grossmont South League games against Monte Vista (Nov. 2) and Valhalla (Nov. 9) — all at home. The Eagles Oct. 26 game against Steele Canyon has been cancelled.
Standouts for Granite Hills remain quarterback Justin Montgomery (667 passing yards, seven touchdowns) and Bradley Carter (377 rushing yards).
The Division I playoffs likely will feature five of the section’s top 10 teams, with No. 1 Poway and No. 4 Carlsbad leading the way. Both teams paired up in last year’s Division I title game, with Carlsbad recording its second consecutive championship.
A particularly thorny issue could involve what to do with the currently 1-6 Torrey Pines Falcons. Once strong Torrey Pines closes the season with a couple of winnable games. Should the Falcons finish with two or three wins, there is the outside possibility of Torrey Pines advancing based on strength of schedule over a team with more victories.
Teams that appear out of the playoffs include winless Morse and San Diego, both with 0-7 records.
Division II
Twelve of 18 teams qualify for the Division II playoffs. In games through last weekend, 10 teams had already totaled at least four victories (.500 or better), with 15 teams possessing at least three wins — thus making this a highly competitive sprint to the finish with the likelihood of several deserving teams not qualifying for post-season competition.
Bonita Vista —one of the four South County teams in the division —appears to have a playoff berth locked up after improving to 5-2 via last Friday’s 39-0 win at San Ysidro. John Valdez rushed for 102 yards and scored three touchdowns while Hector Castellanos added 158 passing yards and a TD toss to D.J. Shields. Christian Mua scored the other Baron touchdown while Josh Boyd made five PAT conversions. The BV defense also recorded a two-point safety.
Helix and Grossmont —two of the three East County teams in the division — also appear to have playoff berths locked up. Both teams are leading their respective leagues. League champions receive automatic entry into post-season play.
Division leaders include Oceanside (6-1), Mission Hills (6-1), Hoover (6-1), Helix (5-1-1), Grossmont (6-2), San Pasqual (5-2), Bonita Vista (5-2), La Costa Canyon (4-3), Patrick Henry (4-3) and Mt. Carmel (4-4).
With 3-4 records, Scripps Ranch, Westview, West Hills, Hilltop and San Ysidro all will need strong finishes to secure a playoff berth. Castle Park (1-6) will definitely not participate after being handed five forfeit losses at midseason for use of an ineligible player.
Hilltop won its third game in a row by dealing host Southwest a 21-19 defeat. The Lancers, who improved to 3-1 in league play, received three rushing touchdowns from Anthony Acosta (44 rushes, 242 yards). QB Michael Alcala added 132 passing yards.
Rosendo Luna ( 12 rushes, 195 yards) scored two rushing touchdowns for Southwest, including a 32-yard romp.
Helix extended its unbeaten streak to four games (3-0-1) by blowing past Granite Hills on Oct. 19. The Highlanders (2-0 in Grossmont South League play) need wins at Steele Canyon (Nov. 2) and Monte Vista (Nov. 9) to finish unbeaten in league play. The Scotties’ Oct. 26 home game against Mt. Miguel was cancelled — with strong ramifications as to the order of finish in the league standings with the Matadors unable now to challenge Helix for outright possession of first place.
The Highlanders received touchdowns from six players in the win over Granite Hills. JoJo Phillips, Homer Mauga and Travon Van scored on touchdown runs while Anthony Diaz connected with Marquise Deadwiler and Greg Corder on touchdowns passes, Larry Gist scored on a 93-yard kick-off return and Ty Culver tossed a 17-yard scoring pass to Van for his second touchdown of the game. Anthony Merrill kicked seven PAT conversions in the game. Helix, once again led by a ferocious defense that limited the Eagles to 126 total yards (including just one passing yard), led 35-0 at halftime.
On the season, Culver has passed for 652 yards and nine touchdowns while Gist (244 rushing yards, 183 receiving yards) leads the team with seven scores.
Grossmont took a big step toward securing this year’s Grossmont North League title after defeating visiting Santana, 12-7, on Oct. 19. The win raised the Foothillers’ league record to 2-0 and dropped the Sultans to 0-2 in league play. Grossmont has one regular season games left on its schedule —Nov. 2 at home at West Hills in what is quickly shaping up as this year’s league championship game.
Josh Simms rushed for 109 yards, passed for 149 yards and kicked four field goals to lead Grossmont. Santana made the game close on the scoreboard when James Needy connected with Tyler Blackledge for a touchdown in the waning minutes of the game but the Hillers’ defense continued to shine to shut down the Sultans’ challenge. Dominique Bradley and Eric Springe led the Grossmont defense each with 10 tackles while Bobby Lopez contributed two sacks and Andres Chavarin collected one sack, one fumble recovery and one interception.
Since being inserted at the QB spot prior to midseason, Simms has responded with 1,436 passing yards and seven touchdowns while rushing for 345 yards and seven TDs. Khalid Waters continues to lead the Foothillers with 671 rushing yards and eight touchdowns while also keying the team with four interceptions.
West Hills had a bye last week but has two games remaining — a road contest at Grossmont on Nov. 2 before hosting El Cajon Valley on Nov. 9. Thus, it appears West Hills (1-0 in league play) controls its own championship destiny.
Season leaders include Christian Fonseca (434 rushing yards, three touchdowns), quarterback Chris Misensol (511 passing yards, four touchdowns) and Eric Fiege (350 receiving yards, three touchdowns).
Division III
Twelve of 19 teams qualify for the Division III playoffs. In games through last weekend, 12 teams had at least four wins, including Montgomery (5-3), with three more teams having at least three victories and three teams owning a pair of wins.
Montgomery picked up a crucial win last week to improve to 3-1 in South Bay League play by defeating visiting Olympian 43-0. Brandon Meredith (10 carries, 140 yards) and Juan Moriel (15 carries, 122 yards) both scored two rushing touchdowns, with Moriel topping the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Meredith also caught a scoring pass from signal-caller Marvin Bobadilla, who kicked five PAT conversions in the game. Eugene Afalla also scored on a short run for the Aztecs, who led 30-0 at halftime.
Top teams in the division include Central Union (6-2), Cathedral Catholic (5-2), Point Loma (5-2), Steele Canyon (5-2), Mt. Miguel (5-2), Kearny (5-2), Ramona (5-3), Montgomery (5-3), Brawley (5-3), Serra (4-2-1), St. Augustine (4-3) and El Capitan (4-4). Following are Lincoln (3-4), Monte Vista (3-4) and University City (3-4).
It appears all contenders likely will have to close the season with a couple wins.
The Steele Canyon Cougars and Mt. Miguel Matadors both picked up crucial wins last week to improve to 2-0 in Grossmont South League play. Steele Canyon pummeled Valhalla, 28-7, on homecoming while Mt. Miguel, also celebrating homecoming (and its 50th anniversary), dispatched Monte Vista by a 35-19 score.
El Cajon Valley upended visiting El Capitan, 29-21, in what could lead to a late playoff push for the suddenly resurgent Braves (2-5).
Top teams in the division include Central Union (6-2), Cathedral Catholic (5-2), Point Loma (5-2), Steele Canyon (5-2), Mt. Miguel (5-2), Keary (5-2), Ramona (5-3), Montgomery (5-3), Brawley (5-3), Serra (4-2-1), St. Augustine (4-3) and El Capitan (4-4). Following are Lincoln (3-4), Monte Vista (3-4) and University City (3-4).
It appears all contenders will likely have to close the season with a couple wins.
Jamie Dale, Steele Canyon’s 150-pound warrior, rushed for 214 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead the Cougars to their third consecutive victory to help his team go 2-0 in the battle for the Jamacha Helmet, the new rivalry game against the Norsemen. Quarterback Nick Stathas also scored on a short run while passing for 96 yards.
Dale has rushed for a conference-best 1,151 yards in seven games with 17 total touchdowns, including 15 rushing scores.
“This year we had three goals: to beat Valhalla, to win a league championship and win a CIF championship,” Dale told a television audience on KUSI-TV’s “Prep Pigskin Report” following the game. “We got the first one of those goals tonight.”
The second goal will likely come down to Steele Canyon’s last two games against Helix (Nov. 2) and Mt. Miguel (Nov. 9) — both at home. All three teams currently sport 2-0 league records.
In Mt. Miguel’s win over cross-town rival Monte Vista, quarterback Aaron Bryant scored four rushing touchdowns while Rico Smith added a fifth rushing score. Bryant completed 11 of 17 passes for 187 yards. For Monte Vista, Jerad Scott scored two touchdowns — one on a 13-yard pass from Maurice Payne and another on a 94-yard kick-off return. Payne also tacked on a one-yard rushing score but it was not enough for the Monarchs, who had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
For the season, Bryant has passed for 1,078 yards and 10 touchdowns while Derall Hunter (356 rushing yards, two touchdowns) and Smith (315 rushing yards, six touchdowns) lead the Matadors on the ground.Ahmad Nunley leads Mt. Miguel with 19 catches for 308 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
In the Grosssmont North League shootout involving El Cajon Valley and El Capitan, the Braves rallied from a 21-14 deficit in the third quarter to prevail on the strength of 15 unanswered points. After recording a two-point safety, the Braves used a 49-yard pass from Isaac Soliz to Lucas Stafford and a 10-yard run by Gerald Kendall to record the victory that further jumbled the league standings. The score was the second of the game for Kendall, who previously caught a 14-yard TD from Soliz (215 passing yards, three touchdowns) in the second quarter.
Soliz has passed for 1,095 yards and 10 scores this season.
Tanner Rust accumulated 305 passing yards for the Vaqueros, who dropped to 0-2 in league play. Phillip Cook caught six passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. For the season Rust has thrown for 2,300 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Division IV
Eight of 13 teams qualify for the Division IV playoffs. Six own winning records at this point, with four more teams within reach of finishing at the .500 mark or better. Division leaders include Mission Bay (5-2-1), Valley Center (5-2), Madison (5-2), Palo Verde (4-3), La Jolla (4-3) and Coronado (4-3), with Mater Dei (3-4), Crawford (3-4), Santana (3-5), Escondido Charter (3-5) and Santa Fe Christian (2-4-1) all needing strong finishes to nail down a playoff berth.
Mater Dei won its third consecutive game by defeating host Mar Vista, 34-24, last Friday. Quarterback Jake Marrion threw three scoring passes and added a rushing touchdown to lead the Crusaders. Marrion, who scored on a 15-yard run, hit three receivers for scores: Rudy Pereyra, David Matranga and Mario Zayas. Roman Owens scored an insurance touchdown in the fourth quarter on an 11-yard run.
Maurice Williams and Greg Charley each scored two touchdowns for Mar Vista, which fell to 2-6 and near playoff elimination in the Division III standings. Williams had four touchdowns in a 34-6 victory at Olympian the previous week.
Santana closes with home games against El Cajon Valley (Nov. 2) and El Capitan (Nov. 9). QB James Needy leads the Sultans with 1,345 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns.
Division V
Twelve of 19 teams qualify for the Division V playoffs. Defending champion Christian is 6-1 and apparently will not get to play unbeaten Bishop’s (7-0) for this year’s Coastal League title. The teams were scheduled to meet Oct. 26 before the section cancelled all games for the week. Instead, the Patriots (1-0 in league play) will focus on remaining games against Francis Parker (Nov. 3) and Horizon Christian (Nov. 9) in search of a league title — or possibly at least a share of one.
Christian had last week off. Team leaders include Lawrence Walker (1,035 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns) and Erick Allen (700 passing yards, six touchdowns).
Nine teams in the division have at least four wins and 12 have at least three wins. Mt. Empire improved to 3-4 following its Desert-Mountain League victory over Vincent Memorial on Oct. 19. Four teams hover in the background with two wins, meaning that no team currently with three wins is safely guaranteed a playoff berth.
Top teams in the division include Bishop’s (7-0), Christian (6-1), Sun Valley Charter (6-2), Army-Navy Academy (5-1), Midway Baptist (4-2), Francis Parker (4-3), La Jolla Country Day (4-3), Holtville (4-3), Imperial (4-3), Julian (3-3), Mountain Empire (3-4) and Foothills Christian (3-4).
Midway Baptist has won its last four games, including a 42-14 Southern League game against Sun Valley Charter on Sept. 27. The Patriots can earn an automatic berth in the playoffs by winning their final two league games at Julian on Nov. 2 and at home against Foothills Christian on Nov. 9.
Foothills Christian is 3-4 but the loss of standout quarterback Garret Carpenter has hampered the Knights in recent weeks. Foothills Christian has lost its last three games by a combined score of 138-6.
Southern League Standings:
Midway Baptist 1-0, Julian 0-0, Sun Valley Charter 1-1, Foothills Christian 0-1
East County Power Poll
1. Helix (5-1-1)
2. Steele Canyon (5-2)
3. Grossmont (6-2)
4. Christian (6-1)
5. Mt. Miguel (5-2)
6. El Capitan (4-4)
7. Valhalla (2-5)
8. Monte Vista (3-4)
9. West Hills (3-4)
10. Granite Hills (2-5)
11. Santana (3-5)
12. El Cajon Valley (2-5)
13. Mountain Empire (3-4)
14. Foothills Christian (3-4)