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2008 Prep Football
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Week 10 in Review
Top 10 match-up for Mesa League football title
#7 Eastlake to visit #10 Chula Vista in battle of 7-2 teams

Posted Nov. 12, 2008
The battle lines have been drawn for this year’s Mesa League football championship: Eastlake vs. Chula Vista.

Call it Showdown Friday.

“It’s for everything,” Eastlake coach John McFadden said succinctly.

The Eastlake Titans will visit the Chula Vista Spartans to determine whether the Titans will repeat as Mesa League champions or whether a new champion — the Spartans — will be crowned.

The timing couldn’t be better for Chula Vista, which returns to campus for its first home game this season after stadium repairs relegated the Spartans to nine consecutive road games. At 7-2 overall and 4-0 in league play, the Spartans have done well for themselves in the face of adversity.
Chula Vista shut out Otay Ranch, 40-0, last Friday on the Mustangs’ field.

Eastlake also is 7-2 overall and 4-0 in league play. The Titans may have played their most complete game this season in last Friday’s 42-12 win against visiting Bonita Vista.

It will take a finest effort-type performance by either team to prevail in a match-up of squads at the top of the San Diego Section rankings.

Eastlake enters Friday’s game ranked seventh in the weekly San Diego Sportswriters/Sportscasters Poll while Chula Vista is ranked 10th.

The Titans have won six games in a row; the Spartans have won five games in a row.
Mesa League showdown

Daniel Diaz led the Titans with a pair of touchdowns. He scored on a three-year run in the second quarter to give Eastlake a 21-0 halftime lead and later scored on a 40-yard pass from quarterback DeAngelo Barksdale to make the score 35-6 in the host team’s favor. He also caught two passes for 65 yards.

Randall Williams was the big gainer on the night for Eastlake with 119 rushing yards on nine carries, with one touchdown, while also logging four catches for 76 yards.

Williams opened scoring in the game on a 27-yard run. Diaz helped set up Eastlake’s opening touchdown by making a 24-yard catch. Tony Jefferson (11 carries, 53 yards) later extended the drive by converting on a short fourth-down run. Williams got the call on the next play and zoomed past would-be Baron tacklers into the end zone.

A Bonita Vista fumble at the Titan 33-yard line stalled the visitors on their next drive and the Barons once again drove into Eastlake territory on their next possession.

But the Titan offense proved virtually unstoppable in the teams’ annual Battle for the Boot match-up.
Jefferson scored on an 11-yard run to double the score at 14-0.

Bonita Vista appeared to make it a game for a brief moment at the start of the second half of play when linebacker Robert Carlos scooped up a fumble by Barksdale (after a hard hit) and returned the ball 41 yards for a touchdown. But the Barons missed the extra point, leaving them trailing 21-6.
Eastlake put the game away with 21 points after that in the third quarter.

Bonita Vista retained the ball for most of the third quarter but was continually backed up into its own end zone, with disastrous results.

The Barons got a huge break when Eastlake fumbled on the BV one-yard line but the visitors proceeded to fumble two consecutive snaps from center after taking over at their one-yard line. The second fumble was recovered in the end zone by the Titans’ Marcus Mendillo for a touchdown. After Diaz’ 40-yard TD catch gave the hosts a 29-point lead, Eastlake’s Donte Haddock picked off a pass on the Barons’ ensuing series and scored on a 37-yard return.

42-6 Titans.

Bonita Vista ended the game on an upbeat note when Andrew Grimes scored on a 37-yard pass from Hector Castellanos as time expired (the PAT was therefore not attempted). But the outcome of the game had long been decided.

Barksdale completed 12 of 15 passing attempts for 201 yards and one touchdown. As a team, Eastlake rushed for 204 yards on 34 carries — an average of 6.7 yards per rushing attempt. Kris Almario kicked six PAT conversions to round out the Titans’ offense.

Eastlake’s defensive showing was just as impressive. Andrew Feaster had 10 tackles, including two sacks, while Emilio Rangel contributed eight tackles (five solo hits). Feaster also had one fumble recovery while Haddock had two interceptions. Chris Fletcher also had one pick as the Titans made three picks in the game.
Bonita Vista generated most of its offense through the air as Castellanos passed for 150 yards, with Grimes making five catches for 65 yards and Gregory McGhee grabbing three balls for 57 yards. McGhee had two rushes for 17 yards while Jon Valdez matched that yardage total on eight carries.

For the season, Jefferson leads Eastlake with 845 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns (16 rushing scores) while Williams has rushed for 488 yards and caught 26 passes for 568 yards with 10 total touchdowns. Barksdale has thrown for 1,027 yards and seven touchdowns while being intercepted three times.

Diaz has rushed for 249 yards and caught 19 passes for 294 yards, with three total TDs.

Jefferson and Williams are a threat to score from anywhere on the field. Jefferson has two punt returns for touchdowns this season while Williams has returned a pair of kick-offs for scores (including a longest of 98 yards).

Haddock keys the Titan defense with three interceptions while Rangel and Fletcher each have two picks on the season.

Eastlake now has kept possession of the rivalry game trophy for the past three years after the Barons’ 14-7 victory in 2005.
McFadden termed Friday’s clash at Chula Vista “a really big game.”

“I thought Bonita Vista’s defense did a super job matching up against us and we still had success on offense. That says a lot for our offense because I thought Bonita Vista’s defense played very well,” McFadden said. “Our defense, of course, played very well. Our defense scored one touchdown.”

Eastlake has outscored its four league foes 157-32, with four of the five touchdowns scored by opponents coming in the fourth quarter. McFadden noted with a sense of pride that his first-team defense is unscored upon in league play.

“I don’t care about CIF right now,” McFadden said. “I want us to go out and play a great game against Chula Vista. I think they (the Spartans) have a great team.”
Chula Vista coach Judd Rachow has pointed his troops toward playing as near to perfection as possible. The Spartans’ shutout win against Otay Ranch had to be close to that. Chula Vista has outscored its last two opponents 82-6 (and 139-42 in five league games).

Aaron Taylor and Taimi Tutogi each scored two touchdowns in last Friday’s game. Taylor caught a 51-yard pass from Victor Perez for the first points of the game and later scored on a 62-yard punt return. Tutogi scored on runs of two and four yards. Anthony Stanislaus scored on a four-yard run while Perez passed two yards to Josh Leon to round out the Spartans’ scoring.

Perez finished the game with 242 passing yards while Taylor caught five aerials for 123 yards.

The Spartans capitalized on three Otay Ranch turnovers to score their first four touchdowns.

Chula Vista, which led 33-0 at halftime, rolled up 27 points in the decisive second quarter.

The stingy CV defense limited Otay Ranch signal-caller Juan Leary to eight completions in 20 passing attempts for 63 yards with three interceptions. Leary averaged just 2.5 yards per carry on 17 rushing attempts, gaining 42 yards.

Isaiah Hall keyed the Mustangs’ ground game with 60 yards on eight rushes, including a longest run of 43 yards from scrimmage. Niall Wilkinson averaged 39.4 yards on five punts.

The Mustangs drove to the CV two-yard line on their opening drive but a fumble ended the promising scoring opportunity. Hector Mendoza was credited with the recovery and five plays later Perez hit Taylor on a screen pass — much the same way in which the two hooked up to score on the first play of the game the previous week at Hilltop.

For the season, Tutogi has scored 14 touchdowns (in seven games) to lead the Spartans. Stanislaus has scored seven touchdowns in nine games. Perez has passed for more than 1,500 yards and 13 TDs.

Trojans, Aztecs count down to South Bay League championship

Posted Nov. 12, 2008
The schedule-makers must have had an inkling of what was to come when they released this year’s South Bay League schedule. The Castle Park Trojans and Montgomery Aztecs were reserved for the final game of regular season play — and both teams have not disappointed the preseason prediction that they would match up for the league title.

Castle Park will host Montgomery Friday. Kick-off is 7 p.m.

Both Castle Park and Montgomery appear to be gaining momentum with each game. The Trojans hiked their seasonal record to 6-3, 5-0 in league play, after defeating visiting San Ysidro, 28-8, last Friday. Montgomery, which finished runner-up for last year’s league title, won its fifth consecutive game to top the .500 mark for the first time this season at 5-4 after last Friday’s 28-14 win against visiting Mar Vista.

Castle Park could make this quite a season to remember after rebounding from last year’s 2-7 finish. The Trojans also are working on a five-game winning streak.

Castle Park 28, San Ysidro 8
Adam Tolbert scored on a 12-yard pass from Richard Cooper and later broke loose on a 48-yard scoring run to help pace Castle Park’s win over the Cougars. San Ysidro went up 8-0 but the Trojans completed scoring in the game.

Gilbert Lopez scored on a 32-yard run in the third quarter to erase an 8-6 Cougar lead; Ivan Enriquez scored on a 26-yard run in the fourth quarter to round out scoring.

Castle Park erupted for 15 points in the third quarter as the Trojans shut out San Ysidro (1-4, 1-8) for the final three quarters.

Montgomery 28, Mar Vista 14
Diego Rodriguez scored three touchdowns for the victorious Aztecs, who opened up a quick 14-0 first quarter lead only to be tied at halftime 28-28 after the visiting Mariners reeled off 14 unanswered points of their own.

Rodriguez (22 carries, 224 yards) scored on runs of six and 21 yards to boost Montgomery to its early two-touchdown lead. He broke the 28-all tie on a 60-yard burst in the third quarter. Ivan Diaz closed out scoring on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Marvin Bobadilla completed seven of 14 passes for 72 yards and was intercepted twice. Tasi Carbullido and Luis Romero each had three receptions for 25 yards. Chris Mathis had one catch for 22 yards.

The ground game was obviously working for the hosts, who racked up more than 300 rushing yards against Mar Vista (1-4, 1-8). Montgomery coach Julio Alcala said he felt his team overlooked the Mariners to some degree. That should not be the case when his team meets Castle Park.

Mesa League Match-ups
Otay Ranch (2-2, 5-3-1) at Mater Dei (2-2, 4-5)
Friday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m. kick-off
The host Crusaders have the chance to show just how good they are with a victory over the Mustangs. Otay Ranch has lost its last two games by a combined score of 78-7 while Mater Dei has suddenly positioned itself for a belated run at a Division IV playoff berth with wins in its last two games.

Jake Marrion tossed three touchdown passes to spoil Hilltop’s homecoming last Friday as the Crusaders cruised to a 38-10 victory. Mario Zayas caught two TD passes and finished the game with five receptions for 91 yards. Marrion completed 11 of 22 attempts for 174 yards. Marcel Pitre rushed for 87 yards while Matt Martinez (11 carries, 55 yards) and Marrion (nine carries, 46 yards) each scored one rushing touchdown.

Marcel Pitre has rushed for 761 yards and scored six touchdowns. In eight games, Marrion had passed for 1,003 yards and seven TDs (with eight interceptions).
For the Mustangs, QB Juan Leary has rushed for 881 yards and scored five times while passing for 793 yards with six TDs (but has been intercepted 12 times).

Hilltop (0-4, 1-8) vs. Bonita Vista (0-4, 5-4)
Friday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m. kick-off at Southwestern College
The Barons are playing for seeding position in the upcoming Division II playoffs. A win would snap a four-game losing streak and give Bonita Vista a 6-4 regular season record. At 1-8, the Lancers are playing the spoiler role.

BV quarterback Hector Castellanos has passed for 1,173 yards and 11 touchdowns (with seven interceptions) while Andrew Grimes has 45 catches for 805 yards and six total touchdowns (five receiving TDs).

Seth Fadden completed five of 18 passing attempts for 66 yards in Hilltop’s 38-10 loss to visiting Mater Dei last Friday. Chris Prather had four catches for 66 yards. Fadden scored on a one-yard run while Miguel Bucio kicked a 50-yard field goal for the Lancers’ point total.

In eight games, Fadden had passed for 940 yards and eight touchdowns (with seven picks). Prather had 32 catches for 560 yards and six touchdowns.

South Bay League Prep Football Match-ups
San Ysidro (1-4, 1-8) at Sweetwater (3-2, 4-5)
Friday, Nov. 14, kick-off 7 p.m.
The formula is simple for the Red Devils -- win and have a chance at snaring the last spot in the Division II playoffs or likely watch post-season play from the stands. Sweetwater currently holds third place in the South Bay League standings and has notched just one victory against a team with a winning record — Olympian, 23-0, in league play. What could wind up hurting the Devils is a season-opening loss to Orange Glen, a team that ended regular season play with a 2-8 record.

Twelve of 19 teams in the division qualify for post-season play. Eight teams have winning records while four teams are 4-5, another is 4-6 and another is 3-6 — leaving 14 teams vying for 12 berths.

Mar Vista (1-4, 1-8) at Southwest (0-5, 0-9)
Friday, Nov. 14, kick-off 7 p.m.
These two teams match up in their annual Battle for the Bell rivalry game. The Raiders can avoid an 0-10 season finish with a win in their regular season finale while the Mariners can double their win total with a victory.

Greg Charley had one touchdown pass in last week’s 28-14 loss at Montgomery (63 yards to Ismael Covarrubias) while Kevin Gray scored on a 47-yard run.
Southwest is coming off a 53-28 loss to visiting Olympian last Friday. The Raiders had the early advantage on a pair of kick returns for touchdowns.

East County Report:
Football teams face deadline in playoff race

Updated Nov. 11, 2008
The conclusion of regular season play this weekend will bring last-minute revelation for some teams and disappointment for others as the San Diego Section playoff brackets are finally filled in. Several East County high school football teams appear “locked into” this year’s playoff field while several others are still scrambling to qualify.

There is one game left before the playoffs start. For many teams on the edge, this Friday’s gridiron match-ups put everything on the line.

Division III
Twelve of 19 teams in the division qualify for post-season play. Twelve teams in the division have winning records, one is 4-4-1 while another is one game under the .500 level to make this division one of the more competitive in terms of securing a playoff berth. With one week to play, 15 teams are vying for 12 spots.

Teams that appear playoff-bound include Cathedral Catholic (9-0), Central Union (8-1), Ramona (8-1), Valhalla (8-1), Serra (7-2), El Capitan (6-3), Castle Park (6-3) and St. Augustine (5-4). Teams on the edge include Brawley (5-4), Kearny (5-4), Monte Vista (5-4), Montgomery (5-4), Steele Canyon (4-5), Pt. Loma (4-4-1) and Mt. Miguel (3-6).

Valhalla hosts Granite Hills (1-8) to wrap up Grossmont South League play on Friday. Barring an upset in Helix’s league finale against visiting Monte Vista, it appears the Norsemen will finish second in league play to the third-ranked Highlanders (7-1-1). Should Ramona lose to No. 1-ranked Oceanside (9-0) in their Valley League finale, there is a distinct possibility that Valhalla could earn the No. 2 seed in the Division III playoffs with a 9-1 regular season record.

Cathedral Catholic, ranked second in the section with an undefeated 9-0 record, is the defending division champion and is the favorite to return to the title game.

The Norsemen defeated host Mt. Miguel. 21-14, last Friday to move into contention for a top four division seed (at minimum). Quarterback Pete Thomas (19-of-31, 233 passing yards) scored on a pair of one-yard runs and booted all three extra-point tries. Valhalla showed some spunk by rallying from a 14-7 deficit. Traivonne Brown’s six-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winning touchdown.

Thomas set a school record by kicking four field goals in the Norsemen’s 28-3 Grossmont South League win against Steele Canyon on Halloween in the teams’ annual rivalry game for the Jamacha Helmet. Thomas caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from James Leighton (on a trick play) and also booted two extra-point conversions to finish the game with 20 points.

For the season, Thomas has passed for 2,281 yards and 21 touchdowns and — amazingly — has been intercepted just four times. He is averaging 253 passing yards per game and leads Valhalla in scoring with 80 points on five touchdown runs, 29 (of 30) PAT conversions and seven (of 10) field goals.

Leading receivers for the Norsemen include Derek White (41 catches for 496 yards) and Matthew Swanger (37 catches for 548 yards and six touchdowns). Leighton has 26 catches for 375 yards and five TDs.

Defensively, Tanner Hitt leads Valhalla with 123 total tackles and is averaging 13.7 tackles per game. Kellen Wiley keyed Valhalla with 16 tackles against the Matadors while Keenan Hirsh scored on a 52-yard interception return against Steele Canyon.

El Capitan has won its last three games to take control of the Grossmont North League standings. The Vaqueros had last week off but can finish no worse than in a tie for first place after West Hills’ 38-30 upset win against visiting Grossmont last Friday. El Capitan closes out regular season play with a home game against Santana (4-5). Overall, El Capitan has won five of its last six games — that loss being 32-27 at Valhalla on Oct. 10.

El Capitan topped host West Hills, 34-20, in a battle of GNL unbeatens on Oct. 31. The Vaqueros went up 9-0 but trailed 14-9 before going scoring four of the game’s final five touchdowns. Quarterback Tanner Rust passed for 303 yards and four touchdowns to lead El Capitan, which received touchdowns from five players. Anthony Lima scored on a 30-yard interception return while Rust connected with Phillip Cook (30 yards), Brandon Sanchez (37 yards), Tyrone Wiggins (37 yards) and Jon Molzen (24 yards) on scoring passes. Cook led all receivers in the game with eight catches for 113 yards.

Rust has passed for 1,962 yards and 18 touchdowns (with nine interceptions) while Molzen has 31 catches for 558 yards and eight TDs.

Monte Vista took a big step toward earning a possible playoff berth by defeating GSL and division rival Mt. Miguel, 35-14, on Oct. 31 and then topped visiting Granite Hills by a 33-0 score last Friday. At 5-4, the Monarchs can finish no worse than .500 and could dramatically enhance their playoff seeding with an upset win against Helix.

Jerrad Scott scored two touchdowns to lead Monte Vista against Granite Hills while quarterback Maurice Payne was involved in four of the Monarchs’ five touchdowns against Mt. Miguel. Against the Matadors, Payne scored on three runs (including a pair of one-yard keepers and a 29-yard jaunt) and passing 57 yards to Scott (who also scored on a 92-yard punt return).

Monte Vista is 1-3 against teams in its division — losing to Point Loma (29-26), Steele Canyon (20-7) and Valhalla (31-7).

Steele Canyon is 2-2 in league play along with the Monarchs. After losing 42-13 last Friday at Helix, the Cougars face a must-win situation when they close out league play at Mt. Miguel this Friday. Should both Steele Canyon and Monte Vista finish with 5-5 records, the Cougars own the head-to-head win between the teams.

Alex Perlin has rushed for 1,244 yards and scored nine touchdowns for the Cougars. He had 102 yards two weeks ago against Valhalla.

The Matadors opened the season 2-0 but has lost six of their last seven games. Derall Hunter rushed for 146 yards and scored one touchdown in Mt. Miguel’s loss to Monte Vista on Halloween and scored on a pair of TD runs in last Friday’s homecoming game loss to the Norsemen. He leads the Matadors with 1,376 yards and 18 touchdowns (17 rushing touchdowns).

Division IV
Eight of 14 teams in the division qualify for post-season play. With one week remaining in regular season play, 12 teams are still contending for playoff berths. It looks to be a wild finish to regular season play, with the potential for a team with a winning record not to make the post-season cut. Overall, seven teams have winning records, one team is 4-4-1 and four teams are 4-5.

Teams that appear playoff-bound include Madison (9-0), Imperial (8-1), Valley Center (8-1) and Coronado (7-2). After that, the next eight teams are separated by just two wins.

At 4-5 overall, Santana finds itself on the edge but has played a tougher schedule than some teams in the division — perhaps the team’s saving grace in the end.

The Sultans snapped a three-game losing streak with a last-minute 33-27 win at El Cajon Valley last Friday. Sophomore standout Zach Breidt passed for 161 yards and two touchdowns as Santana rallied with 16 fourth-quarter points against the Braves. Kris Kimmel and Travis Reynolds caught fourth-quarter TD passes. Breidt connected on a 39-yard score to Reynolds with just 50 seconds left in the game to break a 27-27 tie. Josh Van De Vrudt finished the game with a pair of field goals (27 and 45 yards) and booted PATs for the Sultans, who were buoyed on defense by a 35-yard interception return by Ronald Steen and a game-saving pick by Cody Hosford with 13 seconds to play.

Santana closes out GNL play at El Capitan this Friday.

What the Sultans have going for themselves is a 19-0 non-league win at Imperial in the third week of play. The Tigers have won seven consecutive games since then and look to qualify for post-season play as the Mountain-Desert League champion.

Breidt has passed for 1,757 yards and 14 touchdowns (with 13 picks) while Kris Kimmel has 39 catches for 547 yards and eight TDs.

Division V
Twelve of 20 teams in the division qualify for post-season play. With one week remaining in regular season play, 14 teams appear in playoff contention — nine with .500 or better records.

The Christian Patriots (9-0) and Francis Parker Lancers (8-1) both appear to be destined to meet up in the Division V championship game. The Patriots are seeking their fourth consecutive trip to the division title game. The teams willl pair up for the Coastal League championship on Friday in a pre-playoff preview.

Christian topped Bishop’s, last year’s Division V champion, by a 27-20 score last Friday to set up this week’s Coast League title showdown against the Lancers. Erick Allen threw three touchdown passes — two to Caleb Farrel — while Charles Thompson rushed for 140 yards and scored on a 70-yard scoring run.

Thompson leads the Patriots with 1,522 yards and 21 touchdowns (20 rushing scores). He is averaging nearly 170 yards per game.

The Southern League champion receives an automatic playoff berth and that looks to go to either Foothills Christian (8-1, 6-0 in league) or to Calvin Christian (8-0, 6-0 in league). The teams meet in the final regular season game to determine the league championship.

Garret Campbell had a “average” game performance in last week’s 49-0 win against San Pasqual Academy by scoring four touchdowns (three on runs and another on a punt return) while passing for another score and supplying all seven point-after-touchdown conversions to finish the contest with 31 points.

Campbell leads the Knights with 1,224 passing yards and 841 rushing yards. He has thrown 16 touchdown passes (with 12 picks) and rushed for 11 touchdowns. Overall, he has scored 138 points on 11 touchdowns, 37 PAT conversions, one two-point conversion and three field goals. He has two kick-off returns for touchdowns (92 and 100 yards), has returned punts of 64 and 70 yards for scores. He also has four sacks on defense.

San Diego Section Playoffs:
What's at stake in Week 11
One game left in regular season play as teams scramble for precious playoff berths

Posted Nov. 9, 2008

Division I
Vista (5-4) at Rancho Buena Vista (1-8)
The Panthers could scramble the division seeding meeting with a win in their regualar season finale against the cross-town rival Longhorns. Vista defeated Escondido, 28-14, in non-league play but has lost to division rivals Mira Mesa (16-14), Carlsbad (28-18) and Poway (27-23). The Panthers should be ranked ahead of Fallbrook, which they beat 31-6 in non-league action. A win over RBV, could catapult to a high playoff seed while a loss could drop the Panthers toward the bottom. Either way, Vista figures to be somehwere in the middle of the division seedings, possibly earning a home field game in the first round with a solid finish.

La Costa Canyon (7-2) at Torrey Pines (3-5-1)
The host Falcons face a tall order aginst the odds-on favorite to grab the No. 1 seed in the division. Torrey Pines has played a tough schedule and does own a tie against Mission Hills, a team that started off the season in top 10 rankings. A loss against LCC would drop the Falcons to 3-6-1. Is Torrey Pines better than Calexico (4-5), Morse (3-6), San Pasqual (2-7) and El Camino (2-7)? That will be a question for the playoff selection committe to decide. A strong showing against the Mavericks is a must for the Falcons -- win or lose.

Escondido (7-2) at San Pasqual (2-7)
The visiting Cougars have much to lose in this game should they be upset by the cross-town rival Golden Eagles. Escondido's two losses have come against Vista (28-14 in midseason) and LCC (21-17 last Friday). The Cougars opened the season with a 70-0 non-league victory against Calexico -- a team ying for a Division I playoff spot. A win over San Pasqual could hand Escondido the No. 2 seed in the division -- a loss could relegate them to a first-round game.

Eastlake (7-2) at Chula Vista (7-2)
0 Chula Vista's 40-0 win at Otay Ranch last Friday likely places the Spartans in the running for a top four seed. Chula Vista will host Eastlake for the Mesa League title this Friday. A win by the Spartans would give them an 8-2 regular season mark with losses only to Castle Park (14-12 in the season opener) and Mission Hills (23-0 in Week 4). Chula Vista has steadily improved with each game this season and has the potential to go deep in the Division I playoffs. A loss to Eastlake would still place Chula Vista ahead of Otay Ranch in the division seedings. A victory by the Titans would extend their reign as Mesa League champions for another year while almost certainly nail down the No. 3 seed in the Division II playoffs for Eastlake.

Division II
West Hills (3-6) at El Cajon Valley (4-5)
The Wolf Pack may just have the playoffs in sight after defeating Grossmont last Friday. The Foothillers end regular season play 4-6 overall -- a record West Hills can match with a win against the Braves. It would reason that should West Hills and Grossmont tie with identical 4-6 overall records that the Wolf Pack would get an edge in playoff selection based on its head-to-head victory over the Hillers. El Cajon Valley, meanwhile, could conceivably keep its fading playoff hops alive with an upset win against West Hills. Such would give the Braves a 5-5 overall record and drop the Wolf Pack to 3-7. An El Cajon Valley win could put both the Braves and Grossmont ahead of West Hills in the playoff hunt.

Serra (7-2) at Hoover (4-5)
The Conquistadors are going to the playoffs after defeating visiting Mission Bay last Friday for the Western League title. Hoover needs a win in its regular season finale to have any kind of chance of extending its season past 10 games. A loss by the Cardinals would drop them to 4-6 and in a dogfight with El Cajon Valley, Grossmont, Sweetwater and West Hills for a playoff berth. Hoover did beat Castle Park in the second week of the season while Sweetwater lost to Castle Park. Grossmont and West Hills have played a tougher schedule, perhaps giving them an edge.

San Ysidro (1-8) at Sweetwater (4-5)
The formula is simple for the Red Devils -- win and have a chance at snaring the last playoff spot in the division or likely watch post-season play from the stands. Sweetwater currently holds third place in the South Bay League standings and has notched just one victory against a team with a winning record -- Olympian, 23-0, in league play. What could wind up hurting the Devils is a season-opening loss to Orange Glen, a team that ended regular season play with a 2-8 record.

Division III
Central Union (8-1) at Brawley (5-4)
These two long-time rivals meet in the Imperial Valley League championship game, with the winner assured of a berth in the division playoffs. The Spartans' lone loss this season has been 35-15 to Christian, last year's Division V finalist. Central Union could land a high playoff seed with a win but could tumble down the seeding ladder with a loss against the Wildcats.

Pt. Loma (4-4-1) at La Jolla (4-5)
The Pointers could make some noise in post-season play but getting there will likely require a win against the Western League rival Vikings. Pt. Loma is 2-1-1 against division opponents, with wins against El Capitan (24-7) and Monte Vista (29-26) in non-league play, a tie against Mission Bay (38-38) and losses to Serra (34-31) and Cathedral Catholic (42-10) La Jolla needs a win to secure one of the final Division IV playoff berths.

Steele Canyon (4-5) at Mt. Miguel (3-6)
A loss by the host Matadors would almost certainly eliminate them from playoff contention while a loss by the Cougars could still keep them from getting the playoff axe. Suffice it to say that the winner of this game will go into the playoff seeding meeting feeling a whole lot better. Steele Canyon's playoff chances look a bit brighter with a 20-7 Grossmont South League win over Monte Vista already in hand.

Division IV
Bishop's (4-5) at Santa Fe Christian (5-4)
The host Eagles can enhance their chances of qualify for the division's short playoff field with a Coastal League win over the defending Division V champion Knights (who have lost much to graduation this season). Santa Fe Christian lost to La Jolla in non-league play, meaning the Vikings could get the playoff edge should the teams both finish at 5-5.

Santana (4-5) at El Capitan (6-3)
The host Vaqueros have clinched at least a tie for the Grossmont North League championship and earn it outright with a victory over the Sultans, sending them to the Division III plyoffs. Santana can obvously play the spoiler's role with a win and also solidify their chances of landing the final Division IV playoff berth. What the Sultans have going for them is a win over Imperial, and Imperial's win over Palo Verde. Imperial is 8-1 on the season but has not played as tough a schedule as Santana.

College Football:
Poinsettia Bowl tabs WAC opponent in back-up plan

Posted Ocr. 30, 2008
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl officials recently announced they have signed a contingency agreement with the Western Athletic Conference that impacts the 2008 and 2009 bowl games.

The contract stipulates that if the bowl’s agreement with the Pacific-10 Conference doesn’t yield a bowl eligible team with six or more wins, then the Poinsettia Bowl will get a team from the Western Athletic Conference.

The bowl’s primary agreement with the Pac-10 calls for the San Diego post-season game to receive the seventh place team. The WAC agreement is activated only if that seventh place Pac-10 team fails to reach the required six wins.

Currently, UCLA occupies seventh place in the Pac-10 standings with a 2-3 conference record, 3-5 overall.

The Pac-10 or WAC participant will face a team from the Mountain West Conference. The bowl receives the second selection from the MWC; the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl picks first.

"The WAC looks forward to returning to San Diego and hopefully playing in the Poinsettia Bowl this December,” WAC Commissioner Karl Benson said. “There is so much history and tradition with the 'red coats' dating back to the ’80s and ’90s. I know our teams and fans are very excited with this possibility."

The WAC participated in 18 of the first 20 Pacific Life Holiday Bowls. The Holiday and Poinsettia Bowls are produced by the same organizers, the “red coats.”

“We are really excited about this partnership,” 2008 Poinsettia Bowl President Larry Baber said. “This contingency plan assures us a great matchup and creates a natural and necessary regional tie.”

The fourth annual San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl kicks off at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 23 at Qualcomm Stadium. The game is televised on ESPN. For ticket information, visit www.PoinsettiaBowl.net or call (619) 285-5061.