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Week 1 in Review
Trojans slow down Spartans, win 14-12
Posted Sept. 10, 2008
d coach George Senesky has served as a coach and teacher for 41 years. Last Friday’s 14-12 non-league victory by his Trojans over cross-town rival Chula Vista ranks among the best ever, he said following the contest’s thrilling conclusion that saw a 39-yard field goal attempt sail just wide with 11.1 seconds left on the scoreclock.
“It was a good Chula Vista team that we played. It was a big win for us,” said Senesky, whose team never trailed in the westside match-up. “This proves that we can beat a good team. It’s great for our confidence. How it ended made it even more exciting.”
Castle Park finished 2-7 last season and was rarely in any early-season contest. That certainly wasn’t the case last Friday playing against a reloading Spartan team missing standout two-way player Taimi Tutogi because of disciplinary action. Even without Tutogi in the lineup, the Chula Vista squad that took the field at Swift Stadium was still a potent group led by quarterback Victor Perez and wily runner Anthony Stanislaus.
Alex Orrantia scored the game’s opening touchdown on a two-yard run to cap a 10-play drive after the hosts had capitalized on a muffed punt.The Trojans maintained their 7-0 lead through the first half. They continued to lead, 7-6, when Perez hit Aaron Taylor for a 45-yard touchdown reception and the Spartans missed the point-after touchdown conversion to start the second half.
Castle Park’s lead quickly ballooned to 14-6 when Senesky’s troops employed some trickery on a reverse hand-off. Gilbert Lopez reserved to Adam Tolbert, who sprinted 72 yards down the sideline.
Once again, the Spartans responded as Stanislaus (12 rushes, 89 yards) scored on a 33-yard run, but the visitors failed on the two-point conversion to tie the game.
The Trojans had a chance to extend their lead but turned the ball over on downs in the Spartan red zone. Chula Vista attempted one final drive, converting a key third-and-seven play with 31 seconds to play to position kicker Johnathan Villa for a potential game-winning field goal.
CV coach Judd Rachow cited missed opportunities as contributing to his team’s loss. On one second-half series, Perez (150 passing yards) hit a wide-open receiver who appeared headed for a certain touchdown but flubbed the catch.
The CP coach said his team grew from last year’s challenging season.
“We learned by experiencing what we did last year,” said Senesky, whose team hosts Mt. Miguel this Friday. “The guys are able to better respond. The biggest thing is that we have more confidence to deal with various things that come up in game situations.”
Mustangs start fast, hold off Foothillers
Otay Ranch kicked off its season ranked among “honorable mentions” in the weekly San Diego Sportswriters/Sportscasters Poll and look to have the potential to climb upward following last Friday’s 21-19 non-league victory against the visiting Grossmont Foothillers.
The Mustangs built an early 14-6 lead and withstood a late challenge by the visitors. Isaiah Hall scored on a one-yard plunge in the first quarter to put Otay Ranch ahead 7-0. The Foothillers answered with a touchdown of their own when quarterback Tyler Mutter hit Dimitri Scott for a 52-yard breakaway pass completion. The missed PAT, however, kept Grossmont behind on the scoreboard.
It was Jordan Jenkins’ turn to dazzle the crowd when he broke loose for a 56-yard scoring run to boost the Mustangs to an eight-point advantage.
Mutter connected with Dominique Bradley for an eight-yard touchdown to bring the Foothillers to within one point, 14-13, at halftime.
Each team scored once in the second half. Hall recorded his second touchdown of the game on a five-yard scoring pass from Otay Ranch QB Juan Leary while John Sharpe brought Grossmont to within two-points on the scoreboard on a one-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.
The Foothillers attempted a two-point conversion to tie the game but failed.
Leary (18 rushes, 198 yards) and Jenkins (13 rushes, 139 yards) helped the Mustangs control the ball on the ground while Mutter finished the game with 244 passing yards for Grossmont.
# 7 Titans show spunk in 26-23 loss to state champion Pirates
The defending Mesa League champion Eastlake Titans engaged the defending CIF-state champion Oceanside Pirates in a showcase game last Friday night at Southwestern College. While the Titans may not be as good as the Pirates at this stage of the season, their 26-23 loss made a statement for a possible post-season rematch.
Eastlake drops to the San Diego Section’s Division II playoff division after advancing as far as last year’s Division I semifinals. Standing in the way of a possible trip to Qualcomm Stadium this season could be talent-heavy Oceanside.
The Titans dug themselves into an early hole by trailing 13-0 on the scoreboard but responded admirably to give the Pirates a battle the rest of the game.
Rene Siluiano scored on a six-yard run to put Oceanside on the scoreboard first. Bashiri Washington increased the Pirates lead to 13-0 when he scored on a seven-yard fumble recovery.
Eastlake then gave its fans something to cheer about.
Randall Williams hauled in a 63-yard touchdown pass from DeAngelo Barksdale and Kris Almario kicked a 22-yard field goal to bring the Titans to 13-10.
But Oceanside quickly regained momentum when Jake Fely scored on a two-yard run to put the visitors ahead 19-10.
Eastlake closed to within two points, 19-17, when Williams scored his second touchdown of the game on a three-yard run.
The teams traded touchdowns for the final margin of victory.
The Pirates took control of the scoreboard when J.J. Whitaker scored on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Wynn to go up 26-17.
The Titans got a glimmer of hope when Tony Jefferson scored on a 27-yard punt return in the dying minutes of the game. The conversion attempt failed, leaving Eastlake behind by three points.
Things then got awfully exciting — and nerve-racking on both sidelines — as the Titans attempted an on-side kick. However, the Pirates recovered to escape with the win.
Jefferson rushed 13 times for 101 yards, with a longest effort of 58 yards from the line of scrimmage, while Barksdale completed 14 of 28 passing attempts for 187 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Williams had three receptions for 90 yards, including the 63-yard scoring pass.
The Eastlake defense, led by Patrick Jarin’s 14 tackles (10 solo hits), recovered two fumbles (one each by Jon Ayon and Marcus Mendillo). Jefferson was credited with 13 tackles while Dante Haddock made 12 hits.
“We gave them two touchdowns; we should have won the game,” Titan coach John McFadden said.
Elijah Latham paced the Pirates with 45 rushing yards on 12 carries while Demarin Coleman caught eight passes for 139 to lead all receivers in the game.
The Titans (0-1) travel to Torrey Pines (1-0) for a game this Friday. Kick-off is 7:30 p.m. The Falcons are coming off a 41-0 victory against Los Angeles Roosevelt.
Eagles soar in 35-6 win
The Olympian High School Eagles football team kicked off its season in style last Friday with a 35-6 non-league victory against the visiting Mountain Empire Red Hawks. Ryan Van Nostrand passed for 212 yards and threw three touchdown passes — including two to Eric Paranada and one to Vaughn Thompson — and Alex Cornist and Dre Gibson each added scoring runs to highlight the season-opening win.
Van Nostrand opened scoring in the game by connecting with Thompson on a 65-yard scoring pass. He later hit Paranada on scoring strikes of 29 and 57 yards.
Cornist scored on a one-yard run while Gibson ran the ball in from 17 yards to close out scoring in the game for the Eagles.
Olympian led 21-0 at halftime.
Gibson led the Eagles with 169 rushing yards on eight carries, with a longest run from scrimmage of 78 yards.
Paranada had the two touchdown catches for 86 yards while Thompson had two catches for 79 yards and one touchdown.
Cornist had 10 rushes for 65 yards, scoring once.
Robert Chavira kicked five extra points while also making an interception on defense. Hollis Hulin had five tackles while Gabriel Reyes recorded one interception.
Olympian racked up 269 rushing yards and 481 total offensive yards.
The Eagles will attempt to match last year’s 2-0 start when they host Clairemont on Friday.
Bonita Vista posts 38-3 victory in Hawaii
The Bonita Vista Barons made their trip to Hawaii noteworthy by coming home with an impressive non-league victory against Kamehameha. Andrew Grimes caught one touchdown pass and scored another on the ground to help provide highlights for Bonita Vista.
Grimes was involved in the Barons’ opening two touchdowns. He opened scoring in the game on an 11-yard pass from Hector Castellanos in the first quarter and rushed for a nine-yard score in the second quarter. Bonita Vista pulled away on the scoreboard with three touchdowns in the second quarter.
Bryan Montreuil scored on a 66-yard gallop and Ibahim Hassan added a three-yard scoring run to help catapult the Barons to a 28-3 halftime lead.
Bonita Vista scored 10 points in the second half. Ruben Vasquez kicked a 39-yard field goal in the third quarter and added five extra-point conversions while Matt Blake scored on a 10-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Montreuil led the Barons with 166 rushing yards on 10 carries while Hassan rushed for 129 yards on 15 carries.
Castellanos completed eight of 16 passes for 115 yards, with no interceptions. Grimes had three catches for 63 yards.
Bonita Vista returns to action Sept. 19 at Mission Bay.
Mater Dei bolts past Hoover, 42-20, to win season opener
The Mater Dei Crusaders captured last year’s South Bay League title, winning five consecutive games to close out regular season play after opening the season 0-4. The Crusaders move to the Mesa League this season and from the looks of their 42-20 non-league victory to kick off the 2008 campaign, they will not be pushovers for any opponent.
Marcel Pitre scored two touchdowns — one on an eight-yard run and another on an 18-yard scamper — and quarterback Jake Marrion threw one touchdown pass to highlight the victory.
The Crusaders never trailed in the game, leading 7-0 on Pitre’s opening eight-yard TD run and building a commanding 28-6 halftime lead on three second-quarter touchdowns. After Hoover’s Deontray Johnson cut the Mater Dei lead to 7-6 on a two-yard scoring run, the hosts racked up three consecutive touchdowns to pull away on the scoreboard. Jose Ortiz scored on a blocked punt to help increase the Mater Dei lead to 14-6 and Luis Carrillo followed with a five-yard touchdown run to make the score 21-6.
Marrion then connected on a 10-yard scoring pass to Franklin Ausler to hike the Crusaders’ lead to 22 points.
Johnson scored on two short touchdown runs in the third quarter to get the Cardinals back in the game, with Hoover trailing 28-20. But Mater Dei once again took control, closing out scoring in the game with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. Pitre racked up his second TD of the game while Andres Schramm scored on an eight-yard run.
Jason Myers had a busy night with six extra-point conversions.
The Crusaders host Valhalla this Friday as non-league play continues. Kick-off is 7:30 p.m.
Patriots reload for return to Division V title game
The Christian High School Patriots ended the 2007 prep football season with a loss in the San Diego Section Division V championship game to finish an otherwise exemplary season at 11-1. That team lost 20 seniors to graduation. With seven returning starters, it looks to be more of a challenge to return to the championship game this season.
But not an impossible one, according to head coach Matt Oliver.
The 2008 Patriots are led by top returners Erick Allen (junior quarterback). Charles Thompson (senior running back), Matthew Knight (junior lineman), Michael Ferreira (senior defensive back/running back), Steven Pitts (junior linebacker), Matthew Fields (senior fullback/defensive lineman) and Caleb Farrel (senior defensive back/wide receiver).
Allen commands a looming figure behind center at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds while Thompson (5-10, 180) expects to have a breakout season with the graduation of standout running back Lawrence Walker. Both Allen and Thompson earned Second Team All-Coastal League recognition last season along with Pitts.
Thompson is considered a college prospect, with interest from Stanford.
Fields (5-11, 205) earned first team all-league honors as a defensive lineman.
Oliver tabs sophomore Tyrone Sauls as the team’s impact newcomer. Standing 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighing 200 pounds, he is expected to see action at linebacker and defensive end on defense and tight end on offense.
Oliver is projecting his team to chase favored Francis Parker for the Coastal League championship but is eyeing a possible Division V title rematch against the Bishop’s School.
The team lost its emotional leader of last season, Coastal League Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Kelly, to graduation and will have to reload in that intangible department as well.
“We lost a huge and very experienced senior class,” Oliver said. “Not only will the returning starters have to step up, we will need several sophomores to play all the way up and help us if we are going to contend. We will be talented but not deep. We have a Division I (college) prospect in Charles Thompson and junior Steven Pitts will be one of the best defensive linebackers in the county. We will be big but inexperienced upfront. Returning quarterback Erick Allen should be an all-league performer. Replacing all-county players Patrick Kelly and Lawrence Walker will hurt.”
Season kickoff
The Patriots kicked off the 2008 season with a 28-0 non-league victory against Federal Prep of Tijuana last Friday at Valhalla High School. Allen threw two touchdown passes — one each to Sauls and Fields — while Thompson led the team with 131 rushing yards, scoring once. Ferreira also scored one rushing touchdown while Michael Gruber kicked all four point-after touchdown conversions.
Ferrerira’s touchdown run came from 36 yards out in the fourth quarter while Thompson scored on a 27-yard run to open scoring in the game. Both of Allen’s TD strikes went for five yards. He completed 12 of 20 passes for 114 yards.
Fields also had 108 rushing yards in the game as the host Patriots moved out to a 14-0 halftime lead. Christian will now prepare for a non-league duel against Santana on Friday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. in Santee. The Sultans are coming off a 42-12 non-league victory at Kearny in their season opener.
No. 2 Scotties brand RBV with 41-7 win
The Helix Highlanders entered the season ranked second among San Diego Section high school football teams in the inaugural San Diego Sportswriters/Sportscasters poll. The Scotties certainly did little to cause themselves to drop below that lofty ranking after demolishing last year’s Division I finalist Rancho Buena Vista, 41-7, in their season opener.
Helix capitalized on five RBV turnovers, turning four into touchdowns. Trelan Taylor returned an intercepted pass for 95 yards to set a school record. Taylor finished the match-up with two picks.
Defensively, the Highlanders did not allow a single pass completion in the game by the Longhorns.
By contrast, Helix quarterback Ty Culver completed 11 of 18 attempts for 159 yards and two touchdowns — one each to Travon Van (17 yards) and Taylor (37 yards).
Van also scored on a three-yard touchdown run while Jo-Jo Phillips (33 yards) and Daniel Veal (18 yards) also scored rushing touchdowns. Phillips (85 yards) and Veal (76 yards) keyed the Highlanders on the ground.
Anthony Diaz finished as the Scotties’ leading receiver in the game with four catches for 62 yards.
Helix led 28-0 at halftime.
Also on defense, Anthony Anderson recovered two fumbles while Anthony Larceval made a game-high 10 tackles.
The Highlanders prepare next for a high-profile top 10 match-up at Mira Mesa, which opened its season with a No. 6 ranking and defeated host Vista by a 16-14 score.
Eagles unveil new field, fall to Bucs in season opener
Granite Hills High School rolled out the red carpet to showcase the installation of the school’s new synthetic turf sports field on Friday, Sept. 5, for the Eagles’ home football game against visiting Mission Bay. The Eagles dropped the non-league game, 40-7, on the scoreboard but the pre-game ceremony provided a winning example of community pride.
The new playing surface at Valley Stadium is a much-needed improvement to the previous worn grass field that had served high school teams for decades. The synthetic turf field was made a reality through fund-raising efforts by the school. A total of $1.2 million was raised from community partners, with Viejas donating $250,000 to the project.
The synthetic FieldTurf will be able to stand up to frequent use. The immediate beneficiaries are the high school’s 3,000 students, 25 varsity teams, physical education classes and youth football teams that use Valley Stadium for activities.
Nearby Valhalla High School recently unveiled its new synthetic turf field.
As for the Granite Hills football team’s fortunes this season?
Head coach Randy DeWitt expects the 2008 Eagles squad to have an overall winning record and participate in the San Diego Section in November.
Top returners include running backs Aaron Harris and Vicente Stafford, quarterback Tyler Joworski, wide receiver Mike Misensol, running back/linebacker Brandon Huskey, defensive lineman Kenny Krajnak and defensive back Kevin Finley.
Harris rushed for 94 yards on 19 carries while Joworski passed 13 yards to Stafford for Granite Hills’ lone touchdown in the non-league contest.
Impact newcomers on the team include tight end Jonathan Valencia, linebacker Bobby Alvarez, defensive back Brian Carroll, offenisve lineman/linebacker Joe Cardona and offensive/defensive lineman Rob Bickel.
The Eagles now regroup for a non-league game at Westview on Friday, Sept. 12. The Wolverines kicked off their season with a 27-24 come-from-behind victory against Francis Parker.
Season Kick-off Summaries
Horizon 21, Hilltop 14
The host Panthers roared out to a 14-0 lead and then staved off a late Lancer charge to record the non-league victory. Rudy Johnson threw two scoring passes, the last to Weston Stutz in the fourth quarter to snap a 14-14 tie.
Seth Fadden had an otherwise memorable debut as Hilltop’s new signal-caller by completing 15 of 22 passes for 178 yards with two touchdowns. He was intercepted twice.
Chris Prather was Fadden’s primary receiving target throughout the game with nine catches for 89 yards and one touchdown.
Fadden’s first TD toss went for 34 yards to Prather just before halftime to trim Horizon’s lead in half to 14-7.
Fadden connected with Matt Kuehn for a 60-yard touchdown play to tie the game on Miguel Bucio’s ensuing PAT conversion.
But Johnson rallied the Panthers for the win on his 36-yard scoring pass to Stutz. Bashieff Jones (22-yard pass reception) and Christian Johnson (10-yard run) both scored first-quarter touchdowns to gave Horizon the early jump.
Christian Johnson finished the game with 28 rushes for 147 yards while Ethan Lickett kicked extra points on all four Horizon touchdowns.
The Lancers continue their early season road trip with a stop at San Diego High School this Friday.
Mt. Miguel 45, Southwest 0
The visiting Matadors rolled up 420 offensive yards against the Raiders, with Derall Hunter racking up 165 rushing yards and one touchdown while D.J. Nolen and Brandon Ramos each passing for two touchdowns.
James Montano caught a 51-yard scoring pass from Ramos while Tyler Miller hauled ina 43-yard scoring strike from Nolen.
Khalid Abdullah keyed the Mt. Miguel defense with three quarterback sacks while Felix DeLeon had one interception and Vince Hurdle blocked a punt. The Matadors also recorded two safeties in the game.
El Capitan 24, Morse 0
Tanner Rust tossed a 34-yard touchdown pass to Matt Burkett, kicked a 46-yard field goal (fifth-longest in school history) and tacked on three extra points to help guide the visiting Vaqueros to the shutout victory.
Despite the score, the game centered on defense — that by the winners.
Brandon Sanchez broke a scoreless standoff on a one-yard plunge in the third quarter and Anthony Solis later returned an intercepted pass 31 yards for a touchdown to give the Vaqs a 17-0 lead in the fourth quarter. Solis finished the game with three interceptions.
Rust finished the game with 214 passing yards. Jon Molzen caught five passes for 82 yards to lead the team’s receiving corps.
Santana 42, Kearny 12
Sophomore Zack Breidt made his debut with four touchdown passes to lead the visiting Sultans. Travis Reynolds (five catches, 128 yards) caught three of Breidt’s TD passes. Reynolds scored on TD catches of 25, 27 and 58 yards. Josh Brenner caught a 10-yard scoring pass from Breidt.
Kyle Hayes (13 yards) and Junior Nunez (two yards) scored rushing touchdowns for Santana, which led 21-12 at halftime and tacked on 21 unanswered points in the second half. Josh Van de Vrugt finished six-for-six on PAT conversions.
El Cajon Valley 33, Clairemont 23
The host Braves got out to a 26-10 lead on the Chiefs and held on to post the non-league victory. Alex Hann scored on two short touchdown runs while teammates Anthony Jackson and Gerald Kendall added rushing touchdowns to key El Cajon Valley’s offense. Quarterback Isaac Soliz fired a 32-yard pass to Peter Alkass to round out the Braves’ parade of five touchdowns on the night.
Foothills Christian 43, Escondido Charter 21
Garret Campbell rushed for 183 yards, scoring once, passed for 120 yards and three touchdowns, returned the second-half kickoff 92 yards for another score, kicked a 39-yard field goal, booted two extra points and made a sack on defense to lead the Knights.
Mattison Rundlett caught two touchdown passes while Campbell also hit Gage Provencher for a scoring strike. Campbell’s rushing score came on a 63-yard run.
Orange Glen 7, Sweetwater 0
The visiting Patriots finally broke a defensive struggle on Andrew Early’s two-yard run in the fourth quarter to record the non-league victory. Early rushed 19 times for 118 yards while quarterback Miles Godfrey was limited to three completions in 11 attempts for just 27 yards.
Sweetwater made it inside the Orange Glen five-yard line twice but fumbled both times.
The Red Devils will now prepare for their annual Legacy of Pride game against Chula Vista Saturday at Southwestern College. Kick-off is 7 p.m.
Sweetwater will honor players from its 1983 CIF championship team as part of a 25th anniversary observance.
University City 24, Montgomery 19
The host Aztecs were in a battle all evening against the Centurions, twice coming from behind to take leads, only to fall in the end in the non-league encounter.
Skylar Dougherty kicked a 22-yard field goal to put University City up 3-0. The Cents carried that narrow lead into the fourth quarter before the teams combined to score 40 points — 21 of them by UC.
Billy Cook scored on a five-yard run and Luis Barragan tacked on the PAT to put the Aztecs up 7-3. But the visitors promptly rallied with two touchdowns of their own to retake the lead at 17-7.
Chris Mathis then sprung loose on a 65-yard pass from Johnny Mirando to trim the UC edge to 17-13 and Joseph Carbullido put the hosts ahead on the scoreboard after catching a 16-yard scoring pass from quarterback Marvin Bobadilla. At this point Montgomery led 19-17.
But Dougherty hit teammate Andrew Swasey for a 70-yard touchdown completion to win the game.
Bobadilla completed 14 of 19 passes for 175 yards with one touchdown and one interception and a longest completion of 60 yards in the game.
Montgomery will search for a win when it travels to Grossmont for a non-league game on Friday.
Madison 60, Mar Vista 28
The Mariners were overwhelmed by the visiting Warhawks and, specifically, by Robbie Rouse, the section’s leading rusher last season, in their season opener last Friday. Highlights for the hosts included two fourth-quarter touchdown runs by Kevin Gray, who also scored on each of the ensuing two-point conversion attempts.
Greg Charley rushed for one touchdown and passed 15 yards to Francisco Contreras for another. Charley finished the non-league game with 141 rushing yards on 13 attempts while also passing for 70 yards.
Both Charley and Gray scored on 70-yard runs in the contest.
Gray totaled 135 rushing yards on 16 carries for Mar Vista, which hosts Kearny this Friday. The Komets took it on the chin, 42-12, in their opener against visiting Santana.
Rouse rushed 10 times for 137 yards, scoring twice. He also returned a kick-off 98 yards for a touchdown and had an 80-yard punt return for a fourth TD.