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2008 Prep Football
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Week 4 in Review
Eastlake unveils new field, tames Cougars 21-14

Posted Sept. 30, 2008
A near-capacity crowd filled Eastlake High School’s Stan Canaris Stadium last Friday to view the Titans’ new stadium turf field. If they were an Eastlake fan, they did not go home disappointed — either by the school’s flashy new digs or the Titans’ 21-14 non-league victory against the visiting Steele Canyon Cougars.

“This was a big win for us,” Eastlake coach John McFadden said. “We didn’t want to start the season 1-3, and the new field was something special.”

The Titans never trailed in the hard-hitting contest but were challenged twice as the Cougars (2-2) rallied to knot the score at 7-7 and 14-14. In fact, the game appeared headed for a standoff until Eastlake recovered a muffed punt at the Steele Canyon 29-yard line with just over four minutes left in the match-up.

Daniel Diaz moved the ball to the Cougars 25-yard line. It looked like the Titans would soon be calling on kicker Kris Almario to supply the game-winning field goal but Tony Jefferson took the next hand-off and scored on a 25-yard run with 3:36 to play to make the hosts’ victory a certainty.

Moments before Eastlake got the ball back on the turnover, the Titans had stopped Steele Canyon on downs at their own 29-yard line.

It was a complete team effort, with both Eastlake’s offense and defense contributing key plays.

“I’m proud of my kids,” said McFadden, whose 11th-ranked team entered the game bruised from a grueling non-league schedule against some of the San Diego Section’s power house teams. “Steele Canyon played well and we weren’t at full strength. Our kids never gave up. Hopefully, we’ll get healthier before league play starts.”

Jefferson — the team’s all-state defensive and now turned offensive star — scored two touchdowns in the game. His 20-yard run gave the hosts a 14-7 lead in the third quarter. He finished the game with 91 rushing yards on 12 carries and also returned three punts for 13.3 yards per return.

Randall Williams gave Eastlake an early 7-0 lead on a four-yard run. He finished the game with 58 yards on 13 rushing attempts.

James Billburg started his second game at quarterback in the place of the injured DeAngelo Barksdale, the team’s season starting signal-caller. Billburg completed two of seven passes for 14 yards.

A pounding running game that racked up 187 yards and some timely defense carried the Titans in the absence of a sustained passing attack.

Steele Canyon standout running back Alex Perlin entered the game with 537 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He was coming off a 309-yard, three-touchdown effort in a 36-18 non-league win at Grossmont but was held to 91 yards on 24 carries and one touchdown by the Eastlake defense.

Cameron Moss tied the game at 7-7 on a seven-yard pass from Chris McColl in the second quarter and Perlin leveled the score at 14-all on a 28-yard run in the third quarter.

The Cougars rushed for 135 total yards and managed only 35 yards through the air.

Eastlake now will look forward to its annual “Clash of the Titans” match-up against Poway, also nicknamed the Titans. The teams will pair up in North County this Friday, with a tape-delayed television broadcast scheduled for Saturday at noon on Channel 4 San Diego.

Poway is 2-2, ranked 15th in the section, and is coming off an 18-14 home field victory against visiting Torrey Pines. Eastlake topped Torrey Pines, 35-17, in the second week of the season.

Nick Ricciardulli leads Poway with 738 rushing yards and six TDs. Eastlake’s Jefferson (284 yards, seven TDs) and Williams (233 yards, two TDs) have combined for 517 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.

Barons, Mustangs remain unbeaten
Bonita Vista rallied with 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to defeat host Castle Park, 28-0, last Friday and visiting Otay Ranch tied fourth-ranked Helix, 19-19, as both the Barons (3-0) and Mustangs (2-0-1) remained undefeated on the season.

Hector Castellanos threw two touchdowns passes, including a 48-yard pass to Andrew Grimes for the game-winner and a seven-yard scoring pass to Spencer Hunter to ignite Bonita Vista’s fourth-quarter rally, while Bryan Montreuil scored on a 10-yard run and David Jimenez scored on an 18-yard fumble return to power the Barons, who trailed 20-7 after three quarters.

Meanwhile, Otay Ranch recovered from a 12-6 deficit to lead 19-12 before the Highlanders scored on a 77-yard pass play from quarterback Ty Culver to Travon Van to tie the game late in the fourth quarter.

Jordan Jenkins led the Mustangs with two touchdown receptions (38 and 30 yards) from QB Juan Leary (144 passing yards) while Rahmare Davis scored on a 30-yard interception return. Otay Ranch had two PAT conversions blocked while Helix missed on one PAT conversion.

South Bay League play to kick off
Who will it be in quest for new league champion?

Posted Sept, 30, 2008
South Bay League play kicks off Friday, Oct. 3, and with the seven member teams sporting a combined 5-22 record, there doesn’t appear to be one single favorite to lay claim to this year’s league championship.

And, with Mater Dei’s move to the Mesa League, there will be a new South Bay League champion this year.

The burning question appears to be who wants it?

Based on strength of schedule and results thus far, Castle Park (1-3), Sweetwater (1-3) and Montgomery (0-4) look to be the South Bay League’s top three teams, with Olympian (3-1) providing the upset factor.

San Ysidro (0-3), Southwest (0-4) and Mar Vista (0-4) have all had their moments in the early going of non-league play but blowout losses have usually been the result once the final whistle is sounded. They look to bring up the rear until they prove otherwise.

Mar Vista at Olympian
The Eagles set a school record with their third win after defeating Escondido Charter, 42-7, last Friday in a game played at Escondido High School. Olympian finished 2-7 last season and qualified for the Division V playoffs, narrowly dropping a 6-3 first-round post-season contest at Holtville. The Eagles will have to qualify for the Division IV playoffs this season and so far are 1-1 against teams from within that division (2-0 against Division V teams).

The win against the White Tigers upped Olympian's modest winning streak to two games after a 50-6 victory at Borrego Springs (Division V) on Sept. 19. Dre Gibson rushed for 97 yards and scored three touchdowns while Ryan Van Nostrand completed three of six passing attempts for 46 yards and scored on two short runs to lead the Eagles to their latest win. Alex Cornist added 98 rushing yards and scored on a 15-yard run. Arutro Perez had a busy night with six PAT conversions.

Olympian led 28-7 at halftime.

Gibson has scored six touchdowns in the Eagles' last two games and has seven rushing touchdowns on the season. Cornist has scored four rushing touchdowns in four games.

Mar Vista remained winless on the season after falling to visiting Serra, 40-8, last Friday. Standout Kevin Gray scored the Mariners’ lone touchdown on a 30-yard ruin in the fourth – that to dent the Conquistadors’ 40-0 lead and prevent a shutout loss. Mar Vista has been out-scored 186-62 in absorbing four successive losses to kick off the season.

Castle Park at Southwest
The Trojans’ three losses have come by a combined score of 11 points. One game was decided by one point (a 14-13 loss at Hoover on Sept. 19) and another by two points (a 16-14 loss to visiting Mt. Miguel on Sept. 12). Castle Park held a 20-7 lead on visiting Bonita Vista last Friday before dropping a 28-20 non-league decision as the Barons rallied for three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

The Trojans appear ready to contend for the league championship but need to work on their ability to close out opponents and limit costly mistakes.

Quarterback Richard Cooper fired three touchdown passes against Bonita Vista, with TD tosses to Tyron Eden (45 yards), Miguel Hodges (two yards) and Adam Tolbert (37 yards).

Southwest is coming off a 56-34 setback to visiting Kearny last Friday. The Raiders have shown the ability to pile up points on the scoreboard but also surrender them in bunches as well.

Sweetwater at Montgomery
The Red Devils are much improved from past seasons and, if they can limit their mistakes, should be a handful for the host Aztecs to contain. Sweetwater recorded its first win of the season two weeks ago when it bested host Hilltop, 21-7, as Cesar Chavez scored three rushing touchdowns. Other offensive weapons include running back Rapi Satoa and quarterback Aaron Aguon.

The Devils are coming off a 42-17 non-league loss to Division V runner-up Christian last Friday. Bright spots offensively included Satoa, who scored on a two-yard run, and Ruben Mendoza, who scored on a 45-yard pass from Aguon (seven-of-11 for 132 yards). Saul Ruiz also kicked a 30-yard field goal. The bad news: The Patriots (4-0) broke out to a 28-0 lead.

Montgomery finished in a second-place tie with Hilltop (now in the Mesa League) in last year's South Bay League standings. The Aztecs looked to build on that place-finish but instead have had to build on adversity with a 0-4 start. Montgomery can take note from Mater Dei, last year's league champion, which started the season 0-4 but promptly went undefeated in league play.

The Aztecs are led by quarterback Marvin Bobadilla and running back Billy Cook, among others. Montgomery has suffered only one blowout loss -- 38-10 to visiting Valhalla two weeks ago -- and has been competitive in most of its other games, giving coach Julio Alcala hope that his team can turn things around in league play.

The Aztecs did get behind 27-0 in last Friday's non-league game at previously winless West Hills before ending the game with two unanswered touchdowns. Bobadilla passed 22 yards to Johnny Mirando and 62 yards to Tasi Carbullido. Bobadilla finished the game with 232 passing yards and also rushed for 49 yards. Chris Mathis had seven catches for 86 yards while Mirando had five receptions for 68 yards.

Extra points
San Ysidro will go for its first win of the season when it hosts Mater Dei in a non-league contest on Friday. The Cougars had last week off after absorbing a 51-7 defeat at undefeated Madison on Sept. 19.

College football:
Lindley passes for 4 TDs, leads SDSU to first win
Former El Cap star named MWC Player of the Week

Posted Sept. 30, 2008
San Diego State University freshman quarterback Ryan Lindley put on a show-stopping performance Sept. 27 against the Idaho Vandals with 433 passing yards and four touchdowns to lead the Aztecs to their first victory of the season, 45-17, after a 0-3 start.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Lindley earned honors as the Offensive Player of the Week in the Mountain West Conference.

"We had a great balanced attack," Lindley said."Coach Miller (offensive coordinator Del Miller) called great plays. The (offensive) line was running, pass blocking and it was great. It was a team effort. We ran the ball; we passed the ball. It was great for a first win."

An Alpine resident, Lindley completed 24-of-38 passes in his fourth career start. The 433 passing yards and four passing touchdowns both set SDSU and MWC records for a freshman.
The 433 yards marked the top passing effort by a freshman nationally and the sixth-highest passing total by a Bowl Subdivision player this season. He became just the 14th player in school history to record a 400-yard passing game.

The former El Capitan High School standout and 2006 San Diego Section Offensive Player of the Year, entered the game against Idaho with 766 passing yards on 66 completions in 133 attempts, four touchdowns and three interceptions. He completed 29 of 59 passes for 274 yards and one touchdown and rushed for a one-yard in SDSU’s 21-13 loss at Notre Dame on Sept. 6 and passed for 140 yards and no touchdowns in the Aztecs’ disappointing 35-10 setback at San Jose State the following week.

Lindley’s — or the Aztecs’ — performance against Idaho was hardly disappointing in the team’s final non-conference game. The ex-Vaquero star got the offense rolling with a 41-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Brown (Rancho Cucamonga) with 10:20 left in the second quarter to extend the hosts’ lead to 17-0. The two players then combined on a 48-yard hook-up to extend the Aztecs’ lead to 24-0 with 4:32 left in the opening half.

SDSU led 24-3 at halftime and increased its lead to 31-3 when Lindley connected with Brown for a third TD, this time on a 51-yard bomb, with 8:57 to play in the third quarter. Lindley threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game to former Poway standout Brandon Sullivan, who broke past the Vandals’ defense for a 45-yard score.

Lindley left the game with his team comfortably leading 45-10. SDSU totaled 15 passing first downs in the contest and racked up 603 yards in total offense, including 445 passing yards and 158 rushing yards.

Atiyah Henderson (Rockledge, Fla.) gained 119 yards on 21 carries, scoring twice on the ground. Brown had eight catches for 183 yards while Mekell Wesley (Chandler, Ariz.) caught six passes for 109 yards.

Lane Yoshida (Pinole) kicked a 26-yard field goal early in the second quarter to round out SDSU’s scoring barrage.

The Aztecs averaged eight yards per offensive play.

"I think there was a connection with the receivers as a whole,” Lindley said. “I've been saying all year we've got a gifted group of guys. I'm just trying to get them the ball in space. And that's what I think we did."

Defensively, Marcus Yarbrough (Eastlake High School) and Luke Laolagi (Reseda) each registered a game-high six tackles for the Aztecs. Corey Bourdeaux (Orange), Romeo Horn (Fresno) and Jose Perez (Oceanside High School) all logged picks while Matthew Kawulok had a fumble recovery. Two of the Aztecs' three interceptions came in the end zone to stymie Idaho scoring chances.

SDSU coach Chuck Long was obviously pleased by the outcome. “ I thought all three phases of our game played well, including special teams,” he said. “I am really excited for our guys. It has been a tough go. Our last win was in late October last year and that is a long time to wait, but our guys stuck with it and did a great job. I am very proud of the way our offense moved the football. I was especially pleased with the yards after catch. We really worked hard on that."

SDSU faces an uphill struggle this season as MWC play opens. The Aztecs (1-3) play at TCU (4-1) on Oct. 4 but do run into a streak of four winnable games before meeting defending conference champion BYU on Nov. 8.

SDSU hosts the Air Force Academy on Oct. 11 in its next home game. The contest also will double as the annual KGB SkyShow. Kick-off is 6:30 p.m.

Extra points
Lindley's 29 completions against Notre Dame, a game nationally televised on NBC-TV, bettered his season debut mark of 27 completions against Cal Poly. His rushing TD gave SDSU an early 7-0 lead. Lindley later hit Darren Mougey (five catches, 97 yards) on a 15-yard play to put the San Diegans ahead by six points.

The Aztecs played the Irish tough, holding Notre Dame to one touchdown in the five trips to the red zone in front of a partisan crowd of 80,795 in South Bend, Ind. The Irish finally broke through for the game-winning touchdown with just 2:08 left in the game. In fact, Notre Dame scored twice in the fourth quarter to escape with the non-conference victory. SDSU was unlucky not to win, as Brandon Sullivan fumbled in the end zone to negate an apparent touchdown with the Aztecs leading 13-7 with 11:55 to play.