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2008 Prep Football
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Week 6 in Review
Patriots (6-0), Norsemen (5-0) still unbeaten
East County boasts two of section's 12 undefeated teams

Posted Oct. 14, 2008
Midway through the 2008 high school football season, 12 teams are still flirting with undefeated regular season campaigns. Among those elite dozen teams are a pair of East County squads. They likely need no introduction at this point of the season: The Christian Patriots and Valhalla Norsemen.

The Patriots improved to 6-0 after defeating Palo Verde, 48-14, on Oct. 11. Christian is one of three 6-0 squads in the section, joining Ramona and Maranatha Christian for the most wins in the section.

The Norsemen reached the halfway point of the season — and the halfway mark to a perfect 10-0 regular season — after topping visiting El Capitan, 32-27, in a regionally-televised game on Oct. 10.

There are seven teams with 5-0 records through the opening six weeks of play. They include the Oceanside Pirates and Westview Wolverines from the North County Conference; Cathedral Catholic Dons, Lincoln Hornets and Madison Warhawks from the City Conference; Bonita Vista Barons from the Metro Conference; and Calvin Christian from the Southern Conference. The San Diego Jewish Academy, which is playing as the section’s lone independent team this season, is 3-0.

The Patriots and Norsemen have all but qualified for the upcoming divisional playoffs and likely need only one more victory to make it a certainty.

Christian tops the Division V standings, followed by Calvin Christian, the San Diego Jewish Academy, and Foothills Christian and Francis Parker, both with 4-1 records. Twelve of 20 teams in the division qualify for the playoffs.

Francis Parker stands in the way of the Patriots’ push for this year’s Coastal League championship title.

Valhalla is vying for a top seed in the Division III playoff field with Ramona and Cathedral Catholic (the defending division champions), along with Central Union and St. Augustine, both with 4-1 records. Twelve of the 19 teams in the division qualify for post-season play. Monte Vista (3-2) and El Capitan (3-3) both look in good shape to make the playoffs, with Mt. Miguel (2-3) and Steele Canyon (2-3) needing strong second-half finishes to secure post-season berths.

The Norsement have remained undefeated behind a blistering passing attack mixed in with some timely defense. Junior quarterback Pete Thomas has thrown for 1,248 yards and 17 touchdowns in five games. Amazingly, he’s been intercepted just once.

Matthew Swanger has caught 18 passes for 322 yards and six touchdowns. Nino Mallory has 16 catches for 245 yards and three touchdowns while Derek White has 16 catches for 204 yards and one score. James Leighton has 11 receptions for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

Traivonne Brown has rushed for 427 yards and four touchdowns in five games to pace Valhalla’s ground attack.

Besides his duties behind center, Thomas also doubles as the Norsemen’s place-kicker. He’s having a superlative season kicking as well after making 18 of 19 point-after-touchdown conversions and two of three field goals.

In the win over the Vaqueros, Thomas passed for 253 yards and three touchdowns while also scoring on a five-yard run.

El Capitan led 21-19 at halftime. The Vaqueros sacked Thomas five times but could not contain him enough times.

Swanger had two touchdown receptions for Valhalla, including a 38-yard catch in the fourth quarter that rescued the Norsemen from a 27-26 deficit.

Tanner Rust passed for 266 yards and three touchdowns to lead El Capitan. Rust hit Brandon Sanchez for a 76-yard TD strike while Jon Molzen caught TD passes of seven and 13 yards.

The Norsemen’s defense played its best when called upon.

Shane Pennis recorded a couple of key sacks late in the game and Wes Parker intercepted a pass midway through the fourth quarter to thwart the Vaqueros’ upset bid. Ivan May batted down a potential first-down pass for El Capitan to end the game. Tanner Hit keyed the Norsemen defense with nine tackles and two bat-downs.

The Patriots’ success has come primarily via the running game. Charles Thompson has rushed for 1,095 yards and nine touchdowns in six games and has scored 10 touchdowns overall. He is averaging more than 179 rushing yards per game and leads the section.

Matthew Fields has rushed for 452 yards and three touchdowns while Michael Ferreira has rushed for 319 yards and six touchdowns.

But that doesn’t mean that Christian cannot score through the air as well. Quarterback Erick Allen has thrown for 642 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Top receivers include Caleb Farrel (11 catches, 229 yards, three touchdowns), Brock Breshears (11 catches, 129 yards, two touchdowns) and Ferreira (10 catches, 202 yards, two touchdowns). The ability to spread the ball around offensively has obviously been a key component to the Patriots’ success.

Michael Gruber leads the East County in kick-scoring with 36 points by successfully booting 30 of 33 PATs and two of three field goals.

Christian rolled up more than 460 yards in total offense in its latest win, with Thompson (10 carries, 206 yards) scoring on touchdown runs of 71 and one yards while also returning an intercepted pass 55 yards for a score.

Farrel, Ferreira and Fields also scored touchdowns against the Yellow Jackets while Tyrone Sauls returned an intercepted pass 40 yards for a touchdown.

Barons drop hammer on undefeated Patriots
Bonita Vista improves to 5-0 with dominating 36-13 win

Posted Oct. 14, 2008
It wasn’t too long ago that players along the Bonita Vista sideline held up a rope to signify their unity; now players are swinging a hammer inscribed with the team’s name.

The words — Bonita Vista Barons — otherwise spell “pride.”

“We went old school,” a BVHS player said as he handed the hammer to a teammate in the waning minutes of last Friday’s 36-13 non-league victory against Patrick Henry at Southwestern College. “We brought back the hammer and we dropped it on Patrick Henry tonight.”

The Barons dropped a lot more than the hammer on the Patriots in the high profile match-up of unbeaten teams. Bonita Vista led 23-13 at halftime on a last-second 36-yard field goal by Ruben Vasquez and out-scored Patrick Henry 13-0 in the pivotal second half.

In short, the Barons dominated. It was even more than the dominating performance the team turned in the previous week’s 31-0 shutout win against Mt. Miguel.

Is Bonita Vista top 10 material? The Barons moved up to the No. 13 slot in the weekly San Diego Sportswriters/Sportscasters Poll. They face their biggest challenge this Friday when they tackle Otay Ranch at Southwestern College.

The Mustangs (3-1-1) are coming off a 42-19 non-league victory at El Cajon Valley last Friday and own a 19-19 standoff against currently third-ranked Helix earlier this season.

Friday’s Mesa League opener will obviously serve as a measuring stick for the undefeated Barons (5-0).

“We’re 5-0 and seem to be getting better every week. We must be doing something right,” BV coach Carl Parrick said. “But Otay Ranch and Eastlake have very solid teams. We’ll have to play our best against them if we have a chance to win. But I can say one thing, we’ll give them a battle.”

Bryan Montreuil (18 carries, 102 yards) led the Barons with a pair of rushing touchdowns. He opened the game with a three-yard scoring run and tacked on another three-yard TD run to hike the hosts’ lead to 20-7 in the second quarter.

Quarterback Hector Castellanos fired a 12-yard scoring pass to Spencer Hunter to put Bonita Vista ahead 13-0 at the end of the opening quarter. Castellanos finished the game with 171 passing yards, completing 15 of 20 passes, with one touchdown and one interception.

Ibrahim Hassan gained 50 yards on 10 carries and scored on a one-yard run in the third quarter to complete the Barons’ scoring in the game.
Castellanos’ prime receiving target was Andrew Grimes with 12 catches for 172 yards.

The Bonita Vista defense finished the contest with three sacks and forced two fumbles.

The Barons knocked the ball loose from Patrick Henry quarterback Kevin Farley midway through the third quarter. The bouncing ball eluded the grasp of a Patriot running back and rolled back into the end zone where Daniel Scanlon fell on it for the Barons to make the score 30-13.

Patrick Henry cut the BV lead to 13-7 on an 83-yard interception return by Demajahli Murphy in the first quarter. Farley scored on a one-yard run in the second quarter to trim the Barons’ lead to 20-13. But the hosts promptly drove down the field in the final minute of the first half to up their lead to 10 points on Vasquez’ field goal.

The Patriots attempted to run a variety of ways but no ball-carrier could muster more than 24 yards in the game. Victor Moya carried six times for 24 yards while William Dabbert had six carries for 16 yards.

Farley completed four of 10 passes for 61 yards. Three of those completions went to Duante Jones, who totaled 46 receiving yards.
Tamaris Surdock led PH with 12 tackles.

The Patriots kick off Eastern League play this Friday at eighth-ranked Mira Mesa (3-2).

While the Barons are halfway to a perfect 10-0 regular season, Parrick said it would be unfair to compare the current edition to the fabled 10-0 team of 1993.

“In 1993, we had five Division I prospects and had two players (Scotty Shields and Byron Frisch) go in the second round of the NFL draft,” Parrick said. “This year we maybe have one Division I recruit on our team. This is more of a blue-collar team.”

The Barons will face a Mustang team led by quarterback Juan Leary, who has terrorized opposing defenses both with his passing and running ability. Leary passed for 262 yards in a 35-22 victory against Rancho Buena Vista earlier this season and rushed for 170 yards in a 21-19 season-opening win against Grossmont. He was held to just nine passing yards and intercepted three times last Friday by the Braves but exploded for 202 rushing yards on 17 carries and scored three touchdowns.

The Mustangs scored seven rushing touchdowns in the game while also tacking on a 23-yard field goal by Niall Wilkinson.

Leary scored on runs of 43, 16 and 12 yards. Jordan Jenkins scored on a pair of 55-yard jaunts while Alex Marshall (two yards) and Isaiah Hall (one yard) also scored on touchdown runs.

Jenkins rushed for 162 yards on 12 carries. Leary and Jenkins combined for 364 rushing yards on 29 carries – an average of 12.6 yards per carry.

Defensively, the Mustangs yielded 206 passing yards to ECV’s Isaac Soliz, who threw for two touchdowns and was picked off twice. Soliz hit Gavino Pinal on a 41-yard scoring pass and connected with Kendall Conley on a 25-yard scoring play. Gerald Kendall tied the game early on for the Braves on a two-yard run in the second quarter.

The teams were tied 6-6 before Jenkins’ first 55-yard scamper gave the visitors a 12-6 halftime lead. Otay Ranch buried the hosts with an avalanche of points in the second half, out-scoring ECV by a 30-13 margin.

Isaiah Hall and Keyhanti Henry each had one interception for the Mustangs.

Pinal gathered in all three picks for the Braves, who saw their record dip to 4-2 after zooming to a meteoric 4-0 start. El Cajon Valley could be the favorite to capture this year’s Grossmont North League title, challenging both Grossmont (2-4) and El Capitan (3-3) for top honors in the five-team circuit.

It is evident that both the Barons and Mustangs are seeking respect from the rankings-makers, particularly Otay Ranch, which already owns a victory against last year’s Division I runner-up team in the guise of the RBV Longhorns.

“We’ll have our hands full,” Parrick said of the impending encounter with the high-powered Mustangs. “We can’t make any mistakes against Otay Ranch if we want to win. They are well-coached and have skilled players.”

Spartans top #4 Marauders, become team to watch
Posted Oct. 15, 2008
Following last Friday’s 21-14 upset victory at previously fourth-ranked Mira Mesa, the Chula Vista Spartans clearly established themselves as a team to watch for the remainder of the season. The Spartans kick off Mesa League play Friday at league newcomer Mater Dei.

Will the Crusaders provide the upset this week or will Chula Vista give further reason why it deserves to climb higher on the section’s ranking ladder.

Junior quarterback Victor Perez completed 12 of 22 passing attempts for 187 yards and two touchdowns. His 30-yard scoring pass to Darian Phillips in the fourth quarter came on a pivotal fourth down play and proved to be the difference in the outcome of the non-league game. Perez threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Josh Leon in the second quarter.

Both Chula Vista and Mira Mesa will be vying for berths in the upcoming Division I playoffs and the Spartans’ victory will be crucial for a higher seed should the teams finish with identical records.

Both the Spartans and Marauders reached the midpoint of the 2008 campaign with 3-2 records.

Certainly, Chula Vista is a different team since Taimi Tutogi rejoined the lineup following a two-game suspension to kick off the season. He adds a new dimension both offensively and defensively. He scored on a four-yard run and then bulled into the end zone on the ensuing two-point conversion to enable the Spartans to tie the game at 14 points in the third quarter.

Mira Mesa led 7-6 at halftime.

The CV defense played an exceptional game to make up for several minor miscues on offense and special teams, according to head coach Judd Rachow. The game ended with the Marauders firing ineffectively into the visitors’ end zone on fourth down after marching to the Spartan 25-yard line.

Aaron Taylor led the CV offense with 102 yards on five catches, including a longest pass reception of 52 yards. Anthony Stanislaus averaged 3.8 yards per carry on 12 rushing attempts.

Mater Dei (2-3) is keyed by Marcel Pitre’s 417 rushing yards while Andres Schramm has rushed for 264 yards in five games. Both have scored four rushing touchdowns.

In four games, quarterback Jake Marrion had thrown for 334 yards and two touchdowns but had been intercepted five times.

The Crusaders snapped a three-game losing streak with a 62-20 non-league victory at San Ysidro two weeks ago.

In another Mesa League opener, Eastlake (3-2) will host Hilltop (1-4) in a homecoming game. Tony Jefferson keys the Titans offense with 399 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, including nine rushing touchdowns. He is also the team’s leading defensive player with 58 tackles (41 solo hits), one sack and one interception
(returned for a touchdown).

Hilltop is led by quarterback Seth Fadden and receiver Chris Prather. Fadden has thrown for 720 yards and six touchdowns (with five picks) in five games while Prather has 23 catches for 431 yards and five scores.

South Bay League Report:
Olympian Eagles soar to 5-1 mark
Posted Oct. 15, 2008
The wins keep piling up for the Olympian High School Eagles. Respect is sure to come.

What will be determined in Friday’s game against visiting Castle Park is whether the Eagles have grown enough feathers to contend for the South Bay League championship title.
Olympian hiked its second-year varsity record to 5-1 after last Friday’s 49-35 victory at San Ysidro. The Eagles are 2-0 in league play.

Castle Park, which was idle after defeating Southwest by a score of 60-0 in its league opener two weeks ago, is 1-0 in South Bay League play, 2-3 overall.

The Eagles compete at the Division IV level; the Trojans compete at the Division III level. There is a disparity in strength of schedules between the two teams and much will be answered in Friday’s matchup as Olympian coach Gil Warren returns to his former stomping ground at Swift Stadium.

The bottom line: The Eagles are off to a school-record start.

Dre Gibson rushed for 289 yards and scored one touchdown while Alex Cornist (18 carries, 126 yards) led the Eagles with two scores in last Friday’s South Bay League win. Quarterback Ryan Van Nostrand scored on a pair of one-yard keepers and also threw a 21-yard scoring pass to Cornist, who finished the game with three touchdowns overall.

Cornist scored on runs of nine and 13 yards in the second half while Gibson entered the end zone on a 20-yard run in the second quarter. Cornist scored on the pass play to put the Eagles up 14-7. Guillermo Flores scored on a seven-yard run in the second quarter to give Olympian a 28-19 halftime lead.

Robert Chavira was seven-for-seven on extra-point conversions.

Van Nostrand completed five of nine passing attempts for 94 yards against the Cougars. In six games, he has thrown for 616 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions.

Gibson has rushed for 764 yards and eight touchdowns in six games while Cornist has racked up 466 rushing yards and six scores. Flores has rushed for 353 yards and five touchdowns.

Meanwhile, San Ysidro (0-1, 0-5) prepares to host Montgomery (2-0, 2-4) on Friday.

Josh Morrison rushed for 209 yards on 20 carries and scored three touchdowns to lead the Cougars against Olympian. Morrison ripped off a 76-yard TD run in the third quarter to bring his team to within a point, 28-27 on the scoreboard.

Other San Ysidro offensive highlights included an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Tim Johnson and a 47-yard scoring run by Tremaine Mitchell.

Morrison has rushed for 528 yards and five touchdowns on the season while quarterback Paulino Gonzales has passed for 319 yards, one touchdown and eight picks.

Diego Rodriguez scored on runs of nine and 34 yards to lead Montgomery past visiting Southwest, 48-0, last Friday. Marvin Bobadilla threw a pair of 11-yard scoring passes to Johnny Miranda and Chris Mathis while also tossing a 20-yard TD pass to Alex Cobb. Bobadilla also scored on an eight-yard run and booted six extra points to have a direct hand in four of his team’s eight touchdowns on the night.

Billy Cook scored on a 15-yard run in the fourth quarter. The Aztecs led 21-0 at halftime.