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2008 Prep Football
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Week 9 in Review
Playoff picture clearing up for section's football teams
Chula Vista downs Hilltop, 42-6, in cross-town Kiwanis Bowl rivalry game

Posted Nov. 6, 2008
With two games left in regular season play – one game for some teams – it's an appropriate time to start charting the upcoming San Diego Section playoffs. Which teams look to be in, which teams need to help themselves and which teams appear out?

The answers to those questions will be delivered very shortly.

Division I
Twelve of 19 teams qualify for post-season play. Eight teams in the division have winning records and 11 teams are .500 or better.

Top teams in the division include La Costa Canyon (6-2), Escondido (6-2), Chula Vista (6-2), Mission Hills (5-2-1), Otay Ranch (5-2-1), Carlsbad (5-3), Mira Mesa (5-3) and Poway (5-3). The team to beat this year appears to be La Costa Canyon, which edged Escondido, 21-17, in a key Avocado League match-up last Friday. Mission Hills owns a 23-0 non-league victory over Chula Vista, which defeated Mira Mesa by a 21-14 score in non-league play.

Poway is the defending Division I champion but last year’s runner-up team, the Rancho Buena Vista Longhorns, have fallen on tough times this season with a 1-7 record and do not appear playoff-bound.

Teams on the edge include Calexico (4-4), Fallbrook (4-4), Vista (4-4), Morse (3-5) and Torrey Pines (2-5-1). With victories in their final two games, Rancho Bernardo (2-6) and San Pasqual (2-6) could conceivably generate some last-minute interest from the playoff selection committee.

Chula Vista (6-2) and Otay Ranch (5-2-1) both appear to be strong candidates for top four seeds in the division. Both are in contention for the Mesa League championship and the teams’ high profile match-up this Friday at Otay Ranch High School could determine which team gets a higher seed in the Division I playoff field.

Chula Vista, stung by a season-opening 14-12 setback at Castle Park, appears to be on a roll now. The Spartans seemingly scored at will against Hilltop in last Friday’s seventh annual Chula Vista Kiwanis Bowl, winning 42-6.

Chula Vista scored on a 70-yard pass play from signal-caller Victor Perez to Aaron Taylor and racked up a 21-0 lead with 3:31 left in the first quarter. The Spartans, who have had to play all their games on the road this season because of stadium repairs, led 35-0 at halftime.

Perez finished the game with eight completions in nine passing attempts for 242 yards and three touchdowns. Two scoring passes (41 and 50 yards) went to Taimi Tutogi, who collected three passes for 115 yards and also scored a 12-yard rushing touchdown. Taylor caught three passes for 170 yards.

Anthony Stanislaus earned the Spartans’ Most Valuable Offensive Player of the Game award after rushing 12 times for 183 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Stanislaus romped into the end zone on a 54-yard run to double Chula Vista’s lead to 14-0 and later broke free for a 77-yard scamper down the sideline to give the Spartans a 28-0 advantage.

Tutogi, whose scoring run made the score 35-0, was named Chula Vista’s Defensive Player of the Game by Kiwanis Bowl officials. The Spartan defense limited Hilltop’s tandem quarterbacks to just one completion in the first half of play.

Jon Villa finished the game with six extra points for the victors.

Hilltop scored on its first possession of the second half, as standout Chris Prather caught a 15-yard touchdown pass.

The Lancers displayed an unusual backfield formation throughout most of the game, with Seth Fadden and Patrick McGrath lining up side by side in a shotgun formation behind center. While Fadden took most of the snaps (and recorded booming punts of 45 and 51 yards in the first half), McGrath had a few surprises in store for the CV defense.

Prather was presented with Hilltop’s Most Valuable Player award by Kiwanis Bowl officials while linebacker Thomas Padilla was named the Lancers’ defensive MVP.

Loaded with a potent offensive arsenal and braced by a solid defense, Chula Vista is beginning to look like a team that could go far in the upcoming playoffs. After Otay Ranch, the Spartans play defending Mesa League champion Eastlake to close out regular season play.

“Each week we have been trying to clean up mistakes and play perfect football or try to play as close to perfection as we can,” CV coach Judd Rachow said. “There’s a lot of improvement yet to come as we play better teams. The next two weeks will be pretty tough.”

Rachow said he was particularly pleased by how his team has responded to its season-long road trip.

“We have to be prepared to play each game whether it’s here or there or on the moon,” Rachow said. “We can’t let that get us down.”

Otay Ranch was brought down to Earth following last Friday’s 38-7 loss at Eastlake, snapping the Mustangs’ three-game winning streak and relegating them to second place in the Mesa League standings.

Eastlake and Chula Vista are both 3-0 in league play.

Otay Ranch owns a 19-19 tie against third-ranked Helix 19-19 and ended Bonita Vista’s 5-0 run to start the season with a come-from-behind 22-17 victory to kick off league play.

Juan Leary hit Deleon Dallas on an eight-yard touchdown pass with just over four minutes left in last Friday’s game at Eastllake to avoid being shut out on the scoreboard. Leary finished the game with 97 passing yards and 32 rushing yards — well under his season average. Jordan Jenkins led the Mustangs with 72 rushing yards on 13 carries.

La Costa Canyon, which is undefeated in section play, appears to be headed toward earning the No. 1 seed in the division. Escondido started off the season 4-0 (and has since lost to Vista and LCC) while Carlsbad appears to be surging after a 1-3 start with four consecutive wins.

Teams that appear hard-pressed to make this year’s divisional field, besides RBV, include El Camino, Granite Hills and San Diego, all with 1-7 records.

Division II
Twelve of 18 teams in the division qualify for post-season play. With two weeks remaining in regular season play, eight teams in the division have winning records, two teams sport 4-4 records and three teams are just one game under the .500 mark. At 6-1-1, Helix looks to grab one of the top two seeds in the division and be a strong contender to advance to the championship game opposite defending Division II state champion Oceanside. But there are quite a few games to go before we get to that point.

Ranked third among section teams, Helix downed host Granite Hills, 54-17, last Friday to improve to 3-0 in Grossmont South League play. Eight players scored touchdowns for the Highlanders, who built a commanding 40-7 halftime lead. Travon Van rushed for 143 yards and scored on a 63-yard touchdown run while Ty Culver passed for 125 yards and three touchdowns. Culver also scored on a six-yard run.

Back-up quarterback Jake Reed led the Scotties with 13 points by running for a 27-yard score, kicking five extra-point conversions and also scoring on a two-point conversion play.

Levine Toilolo (four yards), Trelan Taylor (30 yards) and Sean Linton (22 yards) all caught scoring passes in the game while Paul Blakeney scored on a 30-yard interception return and Daniel Veal ran the ball in from three yards.

In eight games, Culver has passed for 1,219 yards and 14 touchdowns (against six interceptions).

Helix’s rushing game remains diversified. Van has rushed for 499 yards and seven scores in eight games while Jo-Jo Phillips has rushed for 392 yards and five touchdowns. Culver has 45 carries for 311 yards and four touchdowns while Blakeney has rushed 56 times for 312 yards and scored three TDs.

Taylor leads the Highlander defense with three interceptions.

Eastlake looks to be fighting for a high seed, as well, after putting together what can only be described as a complete performance in overwhelming Otay Ranch 38-7.
The Titans showcased their defense early in the game as Emilio Rangel gathered in a tipped screen pass and raced 35 yards to the end zone to put the hosts up 10-0. Rangel later recovered a bad snap on a Mustang punt to set up his team’s offense for an ensuing touchdown.

Tony Jefferson gained 111 yards and 16 carries and scored two touchdowns, as did Randall Williams (a five-yard run and an 18-yard pass from DeAngelo Barksdale) to help power Eastlake’s offense. The Titans led 31-0 at halftime.

Kris Almario kicked a 22-yard field goal to give the hosts a 3-0 lead.. Barksdale completed seven of 11 passes for 113 yards, with Williams snagging four passes for 63 yards.

For the season, Jefferson has scored 19 touchdowns (16 rushing touchdowns) and rushed 121 times for 792 yards (6.55 yards per carry) while Williams has 22 catches for 492 yards and nine touchdowns overall (four as a receiver). In five games, Barksdale has passed for 826 yards and six touchdowns while being intercepted three times.

Eastlake hosts Bonita Vista in a key rivalry game this Friday, with both the Mesa League title and playoff seeding on the line besides the bragging rights to the “Battle for the Boot.”

Despite dropping its last three games after a 5-0 start, Bonita Vista looks to be in good shape to qualify for the playoffs and could receive a home game in the opening round. The Barons saw another lead disappear in the late going after visiting Mater Dei erased a 21-14 deficit heading into the fourth quarter with the final 10 points of the game.

Hector Castellanos threw one touchdown pass while Bryan Montreuil scored on a 25-yard run and also returned an intercepted pass 25 yards for a touchdown. Montreuil's pick return rescued Bonita Vista from a 14-13 deficit after Andrew Grimes hit Castellanos on the ensuing two-point conversion play.

Six teams — El Cajon Valley (4-4), Hoover (4-4), Grossmont (4-5), Mt. Carmel (4-5), Sweetwater (4-5) and West Hills (2-6) — appear to be scrambling to fill the division’s final four playoff slots.

El Cajon Valley, which opened the season with four consecutive wins but has dropped its last four contests, closes regular season play with home games against Santana (Nov. 7) and West Hills (Nov. 14) . Both games will be critical to the Braves’ chances of advancing to post-season play. A season-ending six-game losing streak could bump El Cajon Valley from the playoff picture.

The Grossmont Foothillers are clearly a team to watch in the closing weeks of the season. The Foothillers topped the Braves, 49-7, last Friday in a Grossmont North League match-up to move into sole possession of second place in the league standings at 2-1. Grossmont has won three of its last four games after starting the season with a 1-4 record (losses that have come against teams all vying for playoff spots). At 4-5, the Foothillers face a must-win regular season finale at West Hills this Friday, hoping that a .500 record will be enough to catapult them into the playoffs.

Dominque Bradley rushed for 80 yards and scored two touchdowns while quarterback Tyler Mutter passed for 248 yards and tossed a pair of scoring passes to lead Grossmont against El Cajon Valley. Mutter hit Brett Etherton (41 yards) and Colton Bugawasin (58 yards) on scoring passes while Conor Meredith (eight-yard interception return), Cody Sos (two-yard run) and Felipe Valdez (24-yard run) all scored single touchdowns for the host Foothillers, who built a 42-0 halftime lead.

Bradley scored on runs of 49 and three yards while Chance House booted seven extra points.

In nine games, Mutter has passed for 1,642 yards and 12 touchdowns while Etherton has caught 43 passes for 653 yards and five touchdowns. DeSean Waters keys Grossmont with 521 rushing yards.

At 2-6 overall, the West Hills Wolf Pack is teetering on the edge of playoff elimination. Wins in their final two games would boost West Hills to 4-6.

Christian Fonseca has rushed for 768 yards and scored 10 touchdowns to lead the Wolf Pack.

Sweetwater has a bye this week but kept itself in the running after handing Olympian its third consecutive loss last Friday. The Red Devils’ 23-0 South Bay League victory boosted their record to 4-5 overall and handed them sole possession of third place in the league standings. The best Sweetwater can finish is 5-5 with a homecoming game victory over San Ysidro on Nov. 14.

The Devils scored all their points in the first half against the Eagles, who dropped to 5-4 overall and 2-3 in league play. David Fuerte scored on a 59-yard run, Saul Ruiz kicked a 23-yard field goal, Cesar Chavez scored on a one-yard run, as did quarterback Aaron Aguon.

Fuerte rushed for 96 yards on seven carries while Aguon completed five of 10 passes for 97 yards with one interception.

Five wins would be a glowing number this season for Sweetwater, which finished 0-10 in 2006 and began building back up with a 2-7 record last year.

Teams that appear out of playoff contention include Hilltop (1-7), Southwest El Centro (1-7), San Ysidro (1-7) and Orange Glen (1-8).

Division III
Twelve of 19 teams in the division qualify for post-season play. Nine teams in the division have winning records, four have .500 marks and two more have three wins to make this division one of the more competitive in terms of securing a playoff berth. With two weeks to play, 15 teams are vying for 12 spots.

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

Valhalla looks to be vying for a potential No. 2 seed, top four seed at least, in the division and could be championship game material. Cathedral Catholic, ranked second in the section, is the defending division champion and is the favorite to return to the title game.

Pete Thomas set a school record by kicking four field goals in the Norsemen’s 28-3 Grossmont South League win last Friday against Steele Canyon 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 2,048 yards and 21 touchdowns and — amazingly — has been intercepted just three times. He is averaging 256 passing yards per game and leads Valhalla in scoring with 65 points on three touchdown runs, 26 (of 27) PAT conversions and seven (of 10) field goals.

Leading receivers for the Norsemen include Derek White (36 catches for 436 yards) and Matthew Swanger (34 catches for 533 yards and six touchdowns). Leighton has 23 catches for 331 yards and five TDs.

Defensively, Tanner Hitt leads Valhalla with 111 tackles and is averaging 13.9 tackles per game. Keenan Hirsh scored on a 52-yard interception return against Steele Canyon and also made nine tackles.

El Capitan has won its last three games to take control of the Grossmont North League standings. The Vaqueros have this week off before closing out regular season play with a home game against Santana (3-5). 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 last Friday. 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, last Friday. Quarterback Maurice Payne was involved in four of the Monarchs’ five touchdowns by scoring on three runs (including a pair of one-yard keepers and a 29-yard jaunt) and passing 57 yards to Jerrad Scott (who also scored on a 92-yard punt return).

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

Steele Canyon is 2-1 in league play while the Monarchs are 1-2. Alex Perlin has rushed for 1,196 yards and scored nine touchdowns for the Cougars. He had 102 yards in last Friday’s loss at Valhalla.

The Matadors opened the season 2-0 but has lost five of their last six games. Derall Hunter rushed for 146 yards and scored one touchdown in Mt. Miguel’s loss to Monte Vista. He leads the Matadors with 1,298 yards and 16 touchdowns (15 rushing touchdowns).

Castle Park and Montgomery appear ready to battle for the South Bay League title in the regular season finales for both teams on Nov. 14. The winner will be crowned as league champion and receive an automatic entry into post-season play. The runner-up team also could get in on an at-large basis, as the teams’ remaining schedule would suggest that both the Trojans (currently 5-3 and 4-0 in league) and Aztecs (currently 4-4 and 4-0 in league) should finish no worse than 5-5.

Castle Park took a giant step toward securing a playoff berth by defeating host Mar Vista, 49-20, last Friday. The Trojans host San Ysidro (1-3, 1-7) this Friday.
Receiver Adam Tolbert and quarterback Richard Cooper continue to be key players for Castle Park, which is averaging 42 points per game on offense in four league wins.

Montgomery resumes play this Friday with a home game against Mar Vista (1-3, 1-7) after last week’s bye. The Aztecs are continuing to build on the momentum of a four-game winning streak after an 0-4 start in non-league play.

Brawley will battle Central Union for the Imperial Valley League title on Nov. 14, with the winner assured of a playoff berth as the league champion.
Teams that appear out of the playoff picture include San Marcos (2-6), Mar Vista (1-7), University City (1-7) and Southwest (0-8).

Division IV
Eight of 14 teams in the division qualify for post-season play. With two weeks 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 4-4and four teams have three wins.

Teams that appear playoff-bound include Madison (8-0), Imperial (7-1), Valley Center (7-1) and Coronado (6-2). After that, the next eight teams are separated by just two wins, with the final two weeks of regular season play likely to scramble their current positions.

Clairemont (5-3), Olympian (5-4) and Mission Bay (4-3-1) all have winning records and all look to finish the season with winning marks. Mission Bay can earn automatic entry to the playoffs by winning the Western League title. The Bucs face a Nov. 7 showdown at Serra (3-0, 6-2).

Clairemont lost, 21-7, to Madison last Friday but defeated Olympian, 42-18, in the second week of the season. Olympian is off to a school-record start but two of its wins have come against Division V opponents; the Eagles are 0-3 against teams with .500 or better records.

Mater Dei’s 24-21 dramatic come-from-behind win over Bonita Vista could completely scramble the playoff picture, especially if the Crusaders finish the season with at least one more win. Mater Dei’s schedule is significantly tougher than that of many teams in the division and that can only help in collecting sway votes.

Marcel Pitre scored two touchdowns to pace the Crusaders in their upset win over the Barons, scoring on a one-yard run to open scoring in the game and later galloping 30 yards into the end zone to put his team up 14-7.
Matt Martinez’s one-yard run tied the game in the fourth quarter and Jason Myers won the game for the Crusaders on a 32-yard field goal.

Mater Dei quarterback Jake Marrion completed 14 of 23 passes for 233 yards but was intercepted three times. Pitre rushed for 157 yards on 23 attempts while catching five passes for 85 yards. Will Stewart had five catches for 78 yards.

Olympian, meanwhile, can enhance its cause with a season-ending victory at Southwest this Friday. At 6-4, it might be difficult to pass the Eagles over for a playoff berth.

At 3-5 overall, Santana finds itself in a must-win situation in its final two GNL games at El Cajon Valley and El Capitan. The Sultans have lost three games in a row and four of their last five after a 2-1 season start. What Santana has going for it is a 19-0 non-league win at Imperial in the third week of play. The Tigers have won six consecutive games since then and look to qualify for post-season play as the Mountain-Desert League champion.

Sophomore standout Zach Breidt has passed for 1,572 yards and 12 touchdowns (with 10 picks) while Kris Kimmel has 37 catches for 487 yards and seven TDs.

Division V
Twelve of 20 teams in the division qualify for post-season play. With two weeks remaining in regular season play, 14 teams appear in playoff contention — 11 with .500 or better records.

The Christian Patriots (8-0) and Francis Parker Lancers (7-1) 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 appear ready to pair up for the Coastal League championship on Nov. 14 in a pre-playoff preview.

Bishop’s captured last year’s Division V championship but has been hit hard by graduation this season and currently sports a 4-4 record. Christian visits the Knights this Friday in a rematch of last year’s division title game.

The Patriots are led by Charles Thompson with 1,382 yards and 20 touchdowns (19 rushing scores). Thompson is averaging 172.8 yards per game.

The Southern League champion receives an automatic playoff berth and that looks to go to either Foothills Christian (7-1, 5-0 in league) or to Calvin Christian (7-0, 5-0 in league). The teams meet in the final regular season game to determine the league championship.

Garret Campbell leads the Knights with 1,135 passing yards and 734 rushing yards. He has thrown 15 touchdown passes (with 10 picks) and rushed for eight touchdowns. Overall, he has scored 107 points on 11 touchdowns, 30 PAT conversions, one two-point conversion and three field goals. He has two kick-off returns for touchdowns (92 and 100 yards) and has returned a punt 70 yards for a score. He also has four sacks on defense.

At 3-5, the Mountain Empire Red Hawks are vying with San Pasqual Academy (4-4) and Holtville (3-5) for one of the last playoff berths in the division but have already lost to both this season.

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.