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2007 Prep Lacrosse
San Diego Section

Prep Previews/Reports
Titans reward coach with inspirational win in final game
Posted May 15, 2008
Eastlake coach Doug Murphy may have been hobbled by a knee injury at Wednesday’s Metro Conference boys lacrosse game at Bonita Vista High School but there was no problem with his memory. It was clear.

“I thought that from 1982 to 2001 that I was the only one who lived in the South Bay who had played lacrosse. I laughed to myself that they’d never have it down here,” said Murphy, a native of New York and former player at Syracuse University.

Well, history — eight seasons coaching at Chula Vista and Eastlake high schools with four league championships to show for it — have proven Murphy wrong.
And agreeably so.

He went out a winner in his last game coaching the Titans, a come-from-behind 7-6 win against the archrival Barons.

After eight seasons — six at Eastlake — Murphy has decided to step down from coaching at the high school level. He won’t leave the game, just the high school bench.

“Like so many professional coaches and athletes have said, I’m retiring to spend more time with my family, which is true,” said Murphy, whose team had its three-year reign as Metro champs ended this season by the Otay Ranch Mustangs.

Murphy leaves with a lot of memories after raising the Titans from the doormat of the league to a powerhouse, though this year’s team suffered heavily from graduation and showed it on the field with a 7-12 overall record. Eastlake finished 6-2 in league play, with both losses to the Mustangs.

“What I will remember most are the players from our program who have gone on to play at the college level. I think that’s a defining mark of any program,” Murphy said.

Two recent Titan grads — Adrian Van Vleck and Daniel Johnson – are both at Onondaga College in New York playing in the hotbed for the sport. Three more are playing on SDSU’s club team, another at Dominican and UC Irvine. Eastlake will send its first player to a NCAA program this fall when Brandon Ballow steps onto the campus at Notre Dame-de Namur.

The 2008 Titans gave their coach the perfect going-away present as senior Sam Sedillo scored the final two goals of the game — including the game-winner with just 20 seconds to play — to erase a 6-5 Bonita Vista lead.

The meant nothing in the standings, as Eastlake had already clinched a second-place finish, but meant everything in the teams’ ongoing rivalry.

“Eastlake may lose some players (to graduation) as will Bonita, but there will still be a rivalry,” said Sedillo, who led all scorers in the game with four goals and one assist. “One team might be out of it and one team might be going for a championship, or neither team may be in the running for a championship, but there will always be a rivalry. Regardless of where the teams are in the standings, it’s always a close game.”

The latest rivalry match-up — the Titans won 10-8 on their home field earlier this season — featured the always spine-tingling “Ba-rons” chant to start off the proceedings. Brian Mahoney gave the hosts a quick 1-0 lead but Eastlake finished the first half with a three-goal lead on the strength of four unanswered goals, including two by Sedillo and one each by Michael Chiodo and Christian Ballow.

Bonita Vista (3-5, 4-12) again came out firing shots at Titan netminder McCauley Manzano, with Kyle Cruz cutting the hosts’ deficit to 4-2 to open second-half scoring and Jake Cruz following with a goal to narrow the visitors’ lead to 4-3.

Christian Ballow scored his second goal of the game to give Eastlake some breathing room at 5-3 but a run of three unanswered goals — another by Kyle Cruz and a pair by Jorge Solarzano — quickly put the Barons on top.

The momentum promptly shifted, however, and Sedillo — playing his last regular season game as a Titan — saved his best for last.

He has plans to play next season at SDSU. He closed out a six-year playing career with his cousins Derek and Eric Tamayo, all of whom played four years at Eastlake after two years of youth-league play at Rancho del Rey Middle School and the Bonita Vista Lacrosse Club.

“We were looking for another sport to play in the spring other than baseball because we had played all played baseball,” said Derek Tamayo, whose athletic career as a Titan also included a roster spot on the school’s football and roller hockey teams alongside his twin brother. “We wanted to play a different sport than baseball.”

They found it in lacrosse — and rode a wave that included three consecutive Metro championships and three CIF playoff appearances in four years.
“Being three-time league champs was awesome. We were on top of the world,” Sedillo said. “We were hoping to win a fourth title but we’ll take a three-peat any day.”

The BV coaching staff could find little fault with their team’s performance as the Barons clearly left everything they had on the field.

Better days are certain to be ahead for both teams in the future.

Notepad
•Otay Ranch continued to surge toward post-season play after recording three non-league wins in as many outings since concluding Metro play with a 26-0 win against Montgomery on May 7. The Mustangs (16-3 overall) topped host Santana, 9-8, last Friday and bombed visiting San Dieguito Academy by an 11-2 score on Monday before closing out regular season play with a 1-0 victory against visiting Serra on Wednesday.

•Alex Castello scored four goals against San Dieguito Academy and three against Santana while Colton Wood racked up four goals in the win against Santana and three goals against San Dieguito Academy.

Helix picks up first win of season with dramatic 4th-quarter rally

Posted April 22, 2008
When the final whistle blew in Monday’s non-league game at Hilltop High School, members of the Helix High School boys lacrosse team mobbed goaltender Sam Stowe. The Highlanders celebrated like they had not done in over a season.

No, Helix did not just win a league or CIF title. What the Highlanders did do was just pick up their first win of the season after a 0-8 start.

“Everybody’s excited,” said Helix coach Chris Ticconi of his squad’s dramatic 11-6 come-from-behind win over the host Lancers. “It was the 11th hour before we did it. It wasn’t until the last four minutes that we went ahead. We were down 6-5 heading into the fourth quarter but poured it on at the end.”

The Highlanders ended a season of frustration after going winless in Grossmont Conference play. Sam Pullman led Monday’s effort with four goals. He received support from freshman teammate Tyler Dennis, who scored two goals in the team’s rousing fourth quarter goal explosion.

Other players Ticconi heaped praise on for their spirited play in the game were long stick defender Jesse Cox and midfielders Israel Castro and Peter Wright. Castro scored two goals while Wright added one goal.

The Highlanders coach said the season’s challenging outcome was not entirely unexpected.

“We have a young squad,” Ticconi said. “We lost three all-league defenders and our two leading scorers to graduation. We knew it would be a rebuilding year. We’re trying to move up. Our JV team played in the team tournament at Hilltop over the weekend and did well with two wins, two losses and four ties.”

The Highlanders, who forced Lancer goalie Matt Lozano to make 19 saves, will now prepare for the upcoming Grossmont Conference championship tournament. Seeding for the seven-team event will be announced Thursday, with either Grossmont or Granite Hills likely drawing the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.

The San Diego Section playoffs are scheduled to start in mid-May.

Grossmont (8-1) entered the week holding down the No, 7 ranking in the section while Granite Hills (10-5) was ranked No. 10 in the county. The two conference heavyweights were scheduled to match up Tuesday to determine the top seed for the conference tourney.

Ryan Sablan led Hilltop (1-11) with three goals while A.J. Fiorillo, Jeremy Best and Michael Child were each credited with one goal. The Lancers also had started the season 0-8 before picking up their first win April 9 against winless Montgomery (0-9) by a score of 12-10.

San Diego Section top 10 (through April 19):
1. La Costa Canyon (9-3); 2. Poway (8-1); 3. Coronado (9-2); 4. Santa Fe Christian (6-3); 5. Torrey Pines (6-4); 6. Bishop's (7-3); 7. Grossmont (8-1); 8. Patrick Henry (12-1); 9. Canyon Crest (8-5); 10. Granite Hills (10-5).

Grossmont Conference standings (through April 21):
Granite Hills 5-0 (10-5 overall), Grossmont 4-0 (8-1 overall), Foothills Christian 3-2 (10-5 overall), Valhalla 3-2 (7-5 overall), Santana 1-4 (8-7 overfall), Monte Vista 1-4 (2-10 overall), Helix 0-5 (1-8 overall)

East County notepad
In Grossmont Conference games on Monday, Valhalla topped Monte Vista, 12-5, behind four goals by Will Spetter while Zack Ivy scored 10 goals and Chris Nigh had six assists in Foothills Christian's 15-8 victory over Santana.

Metro Conference Report
Barons batter Lancers, even league record at 2-2

Posted April 17, 2008
Jake Cruz scored four goals, Jorge Solarzano and Trevor Slawson both scored three goals and Chuck Day scored two goals to lead Bonita Vista to a 12-6 Metro Conference victory against visiting Hilltop on Wednesday. The win gave the Barons their second league win in four games and improved their overall record to 3-7. Hilltop dropped to 1-4 in league play, 1-9 overall.

The Lancers, who ended a season-opening eight-game losing streak with a 12-10 Metro win against visiting Montgomery on April 9, staged a late rally but could not overcome an 8-3 halftime deficit.

Cameron Tablit and Joey Chavez both had two goals in Wednesday’s game while A.J. Fiorillo and Ryan Sablan both had one goal.
Hilltop’s Matthew Lozano made 11 goalie saves while BV’s Willie Reikstiens was credited with eight saves.

In the game against Montgomery, Fiorillo led the Lancers with four goals while Sablan and Chavez both scored three goals and Tablit and Jeremy Best both contributed one goal. Lozano (five saves) and Ben Santos (four saves) combined for nine goalie saves against the winless Aztecs (0-4, 0-8).

Eastlake (3-1, 4-10) kept Montgomery in the cellar with a 17-2 victory on Wednesday.

Metro leader Otay Ranch was idle but recorded a key 12-4 non-league victory against visiting Fallbrook last Friday to improve to 7-3 overall.

Mustangs top Titans 13-1, explore new territory at 5-0 in league

Posted April 10, 2008
The 2008 Otay Ranch High School boys lacrosse team has obviously gone where no other Mustang team has gone before. The destination for head coach Bill Maeda’s team looks to be the San Diego Section playoffs after defeating defending Metro Conference champion Eastlake by a decisive 13-1 score on Wednesday on the Titans’ field.

“We’re still working on it,” said Maeda, whose team improved to 5-0 in league play, 6-3 overall.

The Mustangs took a giant step toward wrestling the league title from three-time defending Metro champion Eastlake (2-1, 3-9). Otay Ranch had never beaten the Titans in their four-year history, making Wednesday’s win especially significant in this unfolding year of plenty.

“I think the kids were kind of nervous before the game because we had to do something that never had been done,” Maeda said.

The proverbial butterflies quickly subsided, however, as the visitors took a 5-0 first quarter lead and stretched that to 7-0 at halftime. Otay Ranch led 8-0 before the youth-laden Titans could finally answer on the scoreboard.

The Mustangs ended the game with five unanswered goals.

Six players scored goals for Otay Ranch. Colton Wood paced Otay Ranch with three goals and one assist while Brendon Garcia scored three goals, Eric Aguilera notched two goals and two assists, Emmanuel Martinez and Nick Davies each scored two goals and Jacob Perez notched one goal.
Nathan Maeda was required to make just three saves in the contest pitting eastside rivals.

Wood, a sophomore sensation, leads the team in overall scoring (26 goals, 33 points). “He has really grown up this year,” the elder Maeda said.
Wednesday’s win continued a streak of lopsided victories in league play. Otay Ranch topped Hilltop, 15-0, in its prior Metro outing and has outscored its five local foes 85-4.

Despite the dominance in the South Bay, the Mustangs head coach feels his team has yet to play its best lacrosse.

“We haven’t hit our stride yet,” Bill Maeda said. “We’re not where we want to be. The South Bay has always been regarded as the worst in San Diego County lacrosse. We’d like to make a dent in CIF.”

Otay Ranch dropped a 14-2 non-league contest to Rancho Bernardo on April 3, so improvement needs to be forthcoming. The Mustangs host Fallbrook in another non-league encounter on Friday, with game time at 6 p.m.

Meanwhile, the rebuilding season for Eastlake continues. The loss was the sixth straight for the Titans (excluding a pending forfeit victory against Montgomery). Eastlake went 0-3 in the San Diego Spring Break Classic with losses to J. Serra Catholic (16-1), Granite Hills (16-2) and Santana (7-6) and dropped a 6-3 non-league contest at Scripps Ranch on Monday.

“We had ’em right up to the beginning of the face-off,” Eastlake coach Doug Murphy quipped in reference to the outcome of Wednesday’s high impact game.

Murphy indicated his team will need to develop a feeder youth program — much like that of Otay Ranch — to once again become a championship contender.

“It’s been a long, difficult season,” Murphy said “It’s obvious we have to go that route. That’s the way of the future.”

Two players Murphy singled out who have made rapid improvement this season are sophomore midfielder Keith Martin and sophomore long stick middie Justin White. “Those are two JV players who have improved tremendously,” Murphy said. “Justin has a lot of natural ability, possibly because he plays hockey.”

Sam Sedillo scored the Titans’ lone goal.

Eastlake pushing for respect; Mustangs pull down #18 ranking
Posted March 27, 2008
Eastlake coach Doug Murphy has watched his team grow over the years. He hopes this year’s squad will grow a little more by competing in the third annual San Diego Spring Break Lacrosse Classic this week at Santana High School.

“We’ll have to be on our best game because all eight teams are quality teams,” said Murphy, whose team improved to 3-0 in Metro Conference play after receiving a forfeit win from Montgomery on Wednesday. “Last year the field was weaker and we made it to the championship game and lost to Granite Hills.”
This is the third year the Titans will compete in the early season tournament. This year’s field looks to be the best in the tourney’s short history.

Joining Eastlake in the eight-team 2A varsity bracket are fellow San Diego Section rivals Santana, Granite Hills and Canyon Crest. The four area squads will match up against four out-of-town teams: Golden (Colo.), Serra Catholic, Eagan (Minn.) and Amador Valley.

Canyon Crest was ranked eighth in the preseason among San Diego Section teams while Serra Catholic (6-0) and Amador Valley (5-2) are currently ranked 14th and 18th, respectively, in California.

Eastlake (4-4 overall) dropped a 12-3 decision to then fourth-ranked Patrick Henry in a non-league home game on March 14. The Titans played the Patriots even in spurts but could not capitalize on their scoring chances in front of the visitors’ cage. The hosts were not so much out-skilled against Patrick Henry as they were simply inefficient in converting shots on goal.

“The skills are there. Shooting is our problem,” Murphy said. “In two of the four games we lost, we out-shot the other team.”

Bracket play continues Friday with games at 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. The 2A championship game will face off at 8 p.m. on Saturday and will be broadcast by KBCsports.com.

Saturday’s schedule also will feature medal-round games, with the seventh-place game scheduled at 10 a.m., followed by the fifth-place game at noon and the third-place game at 6 p.m.

The four 1A varsity entrants include Fallbrook, Foothill (East Bay), Westview and San Dieguito Academy.

Top local players include seniors Eric Kessler, Zack Blackman and Randy Williams and junior Alex Linder, all from Canyon Crest; Granite Hills seniors Tyler Whittingham and Richie Beswick; Santana senior Derrick Klepper; and Fallbrook senior Chance DeGroff.

Williams was named all-county in 2007 while Beswick was named first team all-league in 2007, Whittingham second team all-league in 2007 and Klepper all-league honorable mention in 2007.

DeGroff has committed to play collegiate lacrosse at Virginia Wesleyan.

Mustangs bomb Barons
Otay Ranch showed it is the real deal, at least as far as being the team to beat in the Metro Conference this season, after hanging a 20-3 defeat on host Bonita Vista Wednesday. The Mustangs received goals from seven players, including four by Colton Wood and three apiece by Emmanuel Martinez and Nick Davies.

Gary Sablan, Alex Castello, Eric Aguilar and Anthony NuÒes all contributed two goals for Otay Ranch, which built a 16-2 lead heading into the final quarter. Nathan Maeda finished the game with five goalie saves.

Wednesday’s victory hiked the Mustangs league record to 3-0 and overall mark to 4-2 after Otay Ranch pulled out a thrilling 6-5 non-league win against Carlsbad on March 19 that may scramble next week’s rankings.

In the win over the Lancers, the Mustangs rallied with four goals in the final quarter. Wood had the game-winner.

“We had a big win against Carlsbad,” Otay Ranch coach Bill Maeda said. “If it’s not been Eastlake, it’s been Bonita (for the league championship). I don’t want to seem overconfident about us being the favorite this year. I believe you have to prove it on the field. A lot of kids have stepped up. I told them if they wanted to be successful that they had to play year-round whether it was a camp or off-season. Besides good coaching, I think our success this season is due to that.”

Jake Cruz, Kyle Cruz and Steven Contreras all scored once for Bonita Vista, which sank to 0-2 in league play, 1-4 overall. Willie Reikstins was credited with 11 goalie saves.

In collecting three league wins, Otay Ranch has racked up a prodigious 57-3 scoring edge.

A schedule change has Otay Ranch playing at Eastlake on April 9 and the teams rematching April 30 on the Mustangs’ turf.

Grossmont Conference Report
Boys lacrosse rankings taking shape
Grossmont, Granite Hills both crack section’s top 10 list

Posted March 25, 2008
With three weeks gone in the season, the 2008 boys lacrosse rankings in the San Diego Section are quickly starting to take a meaningful shape. And several East County teams appear to be contenders.

Grossmont sported a 4-0 record heading into spring break, with Santana (5-2), Granite Hills (3-2), Valhalla (3-2) and Foothills Christian (4-3) likewise owning winning marks a third of the way through the season.

According to computer rankings maintained by the laxpower.com Web site, Grossmont held the No. 6 rating among the 37 schools fielding boys lacrosse teams in the section. Granite Hills was rated No. 9 to give the East County two top 10-ranked teams.

Valhalla (#16), Foothills Christian (#19) and Santana (#20) rounded out the top 20 rankings, providing the seven-team the Grossmont Conference with an exceptionally strong showing.

League play faces off April 3.

Grossmont served notice it might make some noise in the section playoffs this season after topping North County power Rancho Bernardo, 7-5, in a non-league game played March 13.

Santana absorbed a 9-8 loss to 12th-ranked San Marcos on March 11 and following that with a pair of victories – 14-1 against visiting Hilltop on March 14 and 17-4 against visiting Preuss on March 18.

Derrick Klepper keyed the Sultans in their win over Preuss with five goals while Trevor Barkhimer scored four goals and Kris Kimmel scored three goals.

Granite Hills fell short of state power De LaSalle. 9-3, in a high-profile non-league match-up on March 15 but bounced back with a 10-6 win against visiting Canyon Crest Academy on March 18.

Tyler Whittingham and Tory Aylward each scored four goals to lead the Eagles in the win over Canyon Crest.

Foothills Christian opened the 2008 campaign with a pair of very respectable losses – 13-9 to then third-ranked Patrick Henry and 13-11 in overtime to then sixth-ranked San Marcos -- before claiming four of its next five games.

The Knights, who boast 10 returning starters, reeled off three consecutive wins, defeating Fallbrook (10-8, Preuss (15-10) and Eastlake (13-8). Carlsbad ended Foothills’ winning streak with a 12-8 victory on March 14 but the Knights promptly got back in the win column after edging visiting Otay Ranch by a 9-7 score on March 17.

Zack Ivy had three goals in the win over Fallbrook while Keith Bridgeforth and Chris Nigh both had four goals in the win over Preuss.

This is the third year for the Knights program and for the first time, according to coach Bill Nigh, the small enrollment school with be playing with a majority of upperclassmen in its lineup.

Foothills Christian will look to continue to make a statement with a non-league game at Bonita Vista on March 31.

This is the fourth season that Valhalla has fielded a team and the 2008 Norsemen look to have the most depth of any previous squad. Team leaders include senior middie Sean Mallory, senior defenseman/long-stick middie Dillon Mitchell and senior attackman Will Spetter.

The Norsemen have claimed notable wins in the early going against Mt. Carmel (6-5 in overtime), La Jolla Country Day (10-2) and Francis Parker (10-4). Losses have come against San Marcos (12-11 in overtime) and Patrick Henry (14-8).

Both Helix and Monte Vista have opened the season with losing records. The Highlanders dropped a 12-2 contest against seventh-ranked Westview while the Monarchs lost 18-4 to sixth-ranked Poway. The Monarchs edged Mt. Carmel, 6-5, in overtime on March 14 to halt a 0-3 start.

Helix opened the season with a 7-4 loss to visiting Eastlake.

Players to watch on Monte Vista include senior middie Robert Burroughs, junior goalie Tony Lopez, junior middie Josh Parris and junior middie Juve Stangland. The Monarchs qualified for last year's playoffs but face a reloading season with four returning starters.

Improvement, particularly at the start of the season, will be the key operating word for Helix, which overcame an 0-5 start last season by winning eight of its final 11 games. Impact players include senior middie Sam Pulman, senior middie Ruben Valenzuela and junior attackman Alex Zimmerman.

Metro Conference Report
Mustangs gallop to 2-0 league start
Otay Ranch has outscored Hilltop, Montgomery 37-0

Posted March 13, 2008
The Otay Ranch Mustangs emerged as the preseason favorite to win this year’s Metro Conference boys lacrosse title. After out-scoring their first two league rivals by a combined score of 37-0, the Mustangs appear to be a solid pick to do just that.

Otay Ranch improved to 2-0 in conference play following Wednesday’s 16-0 victory at Hilltop. The Mustangs faced off the season with a 21-0 win at Montgomery the previous week.

“This is the fourth year of our program and we have come light years during the past two seasons,” coach Bill Maeda said. “During the past two years, we have established a middle school team that is now beginning to pay dividends. We have a pipeline of kids coming into our program for years to come. We have a saying, 'Little kids become good big kids.' We consider this the key to not only remaining competitive in the Metro league, but being competitive with the lacrosse powers in San Diego.”

The Mustangs proved the latter point with a 9-5 loss to longtime East County power Granite Hills in a prime time non-league match-up on Monday. Otay Ranch’s 2008 schedule is perhaps its most challenging in the program’s short history with other high profile non-league contests against third-ranked Rancho Bernardo April 3 (away), ninth-ranked San Marcos May 5 and top-ranked San Dieugito Academy May 12, the latter two both at home.

The Mustangs also will battle Santana, Monte Vista, Fallbrook, Mira Mesa, Carlsbad and Foothills Christian in a slate heavy on out-of-area competition. Otay Ranch will play a double-round league schedule consisting of eight games – two games each against Bonita Vista, Eastlake, Hilltop and Montgomery. Chula Vista elected not to field a team this season, leaving the Metro Conference with five teams. Overall, this is the seventh season for CIF-sanctioned Metro play.

Key players listed by Maeda this season include goalie Nathan Maeda, attack-midfielder Alex Castello and defenseman Jacob Perez – all juniors. Overall, the Mustangs return 10 starters from last year’s 13-8 team.

Maeda said his team has several players who may go unnoticed but their contributions to the team are undeniable. They include middies Eric Aguilera and Brendan Garcia as well as attackmen Nick Davies, Gary Sablan and Darwin Livingston. Ryan Catabona and Colton Wood also figure prominently in the team’s overall success.

Davies and Wood have opened the season with a bang with 19 goals between them. Both had four goals in Wednesday’s victory at Hilltop. Davies had five goals in the season-opening win at Montgomery while Wood scored four goals.

Castello has racked up seven goals this season, including six in the season-opening win against the Aztecs and one against Hilltop.

Aguilera scored three goals in Wednesday’s game to also make a statement about his playing talent.

The senior Maeda said his squad boasts several college prospects.

Nathan Maeda, with two seasons of varsity play already behind him, may top the list. He is considered an excellent one-on-one goalie with exceptional stick handling skills. Last season he earned All-Metro First Team honors and was chosen the Mustang MVP. He has racked up 555 saves in two prior varsity seasons after starting as a freshman.

Perez, a six-foot, 200-pounder, is -- in Bill Maeda’s words – “without a doubt a legitimate Division I prospect.” Last season Perez was named All Metro Second Team and Otay Ranch's Defensive Player of the Year.

“Jacob has excellent field vision and is a playmaker on the field,” the Mustang coach said. “Jacob makes plays rather than reacting to what the opposing offense is doing.”

Castello, yet another talented junior, led the Mustangs in scoring last season with 39 goals en route to earning All-Metro First Team accolades and the Mustangs’ Offensive Player of the Year award. The senior Maeda calls Castello “a pure dodger and the player who wants the ball when the game is one the line.”

Senior defender Joe Martinez has emerged as a dominant force on defense, according to Maeda. “He has learned the meaning of team defense,” the Mustang coach said. “He has made great strides since last season. He advances the ball very well and becomes an offensive threat.”

The list of college prospects continues with junior midfielder Emmanuel Martinez, who started playing lacrosse as a sophomore but has emerged as one of the team's top middies, according to Maeda. “He combines speed and a powerful shot to become an offensive threat. Emmanuel, without a doubt, can play lacrosse on a higher level,” the Otay Ranch coach said.

Martinez scored two goals against Hilltop while Garcia and Leoni Gonzalez each scored once.

Nathan Maeda made six saves to record the team’s second consecutive shutout in league play.

Monday’s game was tied early 2-2 before the visiting Eagles took a 4-2 halftime lead. The hosts narrowed the score to 4-3 in the third period before the defending Grossmont Conference champions closed out their victory by scoring five of the game’s final seven goals.

The senior Maeda felt his team let a potential win slip away. He his team nonetheless learned a valuable lesson from the loss – one that was aptly put to use in Wednesday’s victory. The Mustangs rallied with two dramatic goals in the closing moments of Monday’s non-league match-up against the Eagles, including a goal with just 0.4 seconds left on the score clock.

“We let (the game) get away from us. We had it coming down to the end,” he said. “We have to learn to grow a little more. We’re trying to do everything we did last year but do it better. We’re trying to improve our lacrosse mentality -- to see the game happening in front of us.”

The strength of this year’s Otay Ranch team is in its defensive end and goalkeeping but, with so many returners, Maeda feels it’s only a matter of time before the team’s midfield will catch up with the offensive attack.

Garcia led the Mustangs with two goals against Granite Hills while Davies, Martinez and Wood each scored one goal. The younger Maeda was credited with eight goalie saves.

Maeda said credit for the team’s steady development should go to assistant coach Leo Hsu, who played and coached at Whittier College. “He has brought in a system that is taking the team to another level,” Maeda said.

The Mustangs’ elementary and middle school feeder program should continually replenish the high school program. Otay Ranch could be on the verge of becoming the conference’s next dynasty after Bonita Vista and Otay Ranch each enjoyed a run of three league championships.

The youth feeder program ensures that the Mustangs will be competitive year-in and year-out from now on.

“We’re junior and sophomore heavy,” Maeda said. “We’re going to be good next year and the year after that. We’re seeing a pipeline of kids coming from our middle school feeder program. It’s the only way to compete with the better teams in the county.”

Otay Ranch rates to be just as tough next season should it be unable to claim this year’s league banner, as expected.

The Mustangs continue league play with a March 26 game at Bonita Vista.

Eastlake, the three-time defending league champion, looks to be the Mustangs’ chief challenger this season after scoring a 10-6 victory over visiting Bonita Vista on Wednesday. The Titans improved to 2-0 in Metro play following their 13-6 win at Hilltop the previous week.

Eastlake finished 13-9 last season, including 9-1 in league play. The Titans’ lone league loss last season was to the Barons.

Next up for the defending champions are non-league games against Patrick Henry (Friday at home) and Francis Parker (March 18 away). The Titans resume league play March 26 at Montgomery.

Bonita Vista finished 12-7 last season. The Barons once again rate to contend for this year's league banner -- or at least have a say in who else wins it. “Our goal is to challenge for the Metro league title,” head coach Jason Snyder said.

Bonita Vista, like Eastlake, lost 15 players to graduation but will rely on the overall strength of its program to reload. Team leaders according to head coach Jason Snyder include senior middie Jake Cruz and senior attackman Trevor Slawson, both returners, and junior long-stick middie Chuck Day.

A bright spot in the team’s 1-3 start has to be the play of rookie goalie Willie Reikstins, who had never played lacrosse before this season.

Cruz led the Barons with three goals in Monday’s 11-5 loss to visiting Santana while Slawson and Steven Contreras each scored one goal. Reikstins’ 15 goalie saves drew raves from Snyder.

Bonita Vista opened the season with an 11-1 home field loss to third-ranked Patrick Henry and then defeated Monte Vista 6-3 for its first win of the season last Friday on the Monarchs’ field.

“We’ve been up and down so far,” Snyder said. “We didn’t play well our first game and played better our second game.”

Grossmont Conference Preview
Granite Hills Eagles face challengers in 2008
Grossmont, Santana rate as title contenders

Posted March 10, 2008
The Granite Hills High School boys lacrosse team went undefeated in Grossmont Conference competition last season but dropped its opening-round playoff game. Head coach Jeff McDade has set two goals this season: To repeat as league champions and “to make some noise,” in his words, in the playoffs.

Both could be met, though it appears the Eagles will have challenges in both departments as the quality of play continues to rise across the board in the San Diego Section.

Grossmont looks to be Granite Hills’ chief challenger for the league title, with improved Santana, Valhalla and Foothills Christian squads all battling for respect.

“Our first goal is always to win league,” McDade said. “Our second goal is to win a CIF game.”

The Grossmont Conference comprises seven teams again this season: Foothills Christian, Granite Hills, Grossmont, Helix, Monte Vista, Santana and Valhalla.

The Eagles went 12-0 in conference play in 2007, finishing with an 18-3 overall record and a two-goal loss to Rancho Bernardo in the playoffs.

Grossmont went 12-8 overall while Monte Vista was 14-7, Helix was 8-8, Valhalla was 9-11, Santana was 7-14 and Foothills Christian was 3-15. Look for several teams to better last year’s marks this season.

The Eagles have jumped out to a 2-1 start in 2008 after blowing past Hilltop by a 17-1 score in the season opener on March 3, then falling 10-7 to third-ranked Patrick Henry on March 7.

Kyle Dodson had four goals in the win over Hilltop while Tyler Whittingham and Simon Menard each scored three goals and Steven Berraclough had two goals.

McDade picked Whittingham, a senior attackman, along with senior long-stick midfielder Richie Beswick and junior goalie Jack Gaughran as three players to watch on his team. All are returning all-conference picks, with both Whittingham and Beswick looking to continue their lacrosse careers in college. Defenseman Ed Minear is another all-league returner.

Whittingham had four goals in the loss to Patrick Henry.

Players who have been asked to step up to fill the shoes of departed players include middies Austin Carver, Kyle Dodson, Menard and Josh Small. Carver and Menard are both juniors while Dodson and Small are seniors.

Small was one of four players who scored two goals in Monday’s 9-5 non-league victory at Otay Ranch. Beswick, Tory Aylward and Whittingham also racked up a pair of goals in the game against the team favored to capture this year’s Metro Conference title.

The host Mustangs closed to within 4-3 at one point in the third quarter but Granite Hills quickly regained control of the scoreboard with five of the game's last seven goals. The Eagles’ win showed that South County teams, despite rapid improvement in recent years, are still playing catch-up to their East County counterparts.

“We graduated 15 players from last season’s team and most are now playing college lacrosse,” McDade said. “We were the first team to go undefeated in Grossmont Conference play last year (since lacrosse became a CIF-sanctioned sport).”

Overall, the Eagles return six starters but spread across the field. Whittingham is the team’s top returning scorer but he is the lone returning starter at his position. Granite Hills returns two starting middies and two starting defensemen along with Gaughran in the net.

McDade concedes that his team lost what he termed “some high-profile guys” but feels that younger players who had been pushing for starting positions last season will step up to fill the void.

Gaughran, who started as a sophomore and made improvement with each game last season, looks to have the goalie position locked down this season.

Granite HiIlls will host state power De La Salle at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 15, in a showcase tilt.

Grossmont returns seven starters this season, including a large part of its defensive line. Leading the defensive unit is senior goalie Max Cohen, a four-year starter. Other players to watch include attack-middie Ryan Landis and long-stick middie A.J. Day.

The Foothillers have opened strong with a 3-0 start that includes wins over Scripps Ranch (13-2), Francis Parker (11-4) and La Jolla Country Day (10-4).

Foothills Christian looks to make some noise in regular season play if its 2-2 start is any indicator. The Knights opened the 2008 campaign with very respectable losses against 3-0 teams: 13-9 to third-ranked Patrick Henry and 13-11 in overtime to sixth-ranked San Marcos.

Foothills Christian, boasting 10 returning starters, promptly evened its record with wins against Fallbrook (10-8) and Preuss (15-10).

Zack Ivy had three goals in the win over Fallbrook while Keith Bridgeforth and Chris Nigh both had four goals in the win over Preuss.

This is the third year for the Knights program and for the first time, according to coach Bill Nigh, the small enrollment school with be playing with a majority of upperclassmen in its lineup.

Santana, which improved to 3-1 following Monday’s 11-5 non-league victory at Bonita Vista, may be the Grossmont Conference’s surprise team this season. The Sultans have never recorded a winning season in their seven-year history but that could change this season.

“We’re a lot better than people think we’re going to be,” Santana coach Adam Vickery said. “We’re pretty good this year. Our goal is to place top three in league and make the playoffs.”

The Sultans received goals or assists from nine players in Monday’s game, keyed by four goals and two assists by Trevor Berkhimer, two goals and two assists by Derrick Klepper and a goal and three assists by Cody Campbell.

Other players picking up goals in Monday’s win included Kris Kimmel, Garret Halvax, Kevin McKinnon and Bryce Bass while Steven Woerner made seven goalie saves and 10 good clears.

Klepper scored three of his team's goals in a 6-4 win against Scripps Ranch on March 7.

Santana returns four starters – two attackmen and two defensemen – but has continuity throughout the lineup as all the starters on last year’s junior varsity team that placed second in the conference standings have been promoted to varsity positions this season.

“We only have five seniors – we’re young but not shockingly young,” Vickery said. “We’ll have 21 returners next year. We’ve got a lot of kids who are not very well known throughout the county yet but who are good players.”

This is the fourth season that Valhalla has fielded a team and the 2008 Norsemen look to have the most depth of any previous squad. Team leaders include senior middie Sean Mallory, senior defenseman/long-stick middie Dillon Mitchell and senior attackman Will Spetter.

Both Helix and Monte Vista have opened the season with 0-2 records. The Highlanders dropped a 12-2 contest against seventh-ranked Westview while the Monarchs lost 18-4 to sixth-ranked Poway.

Players to watch on Monte Vista include senior middie Robert Burroughs, junior goalie Tony Lopez, junior middie Josh Parris and junior middie Juve Stangland. The Monarchs qualified for last year's playoffs but face a reloading season with four returning starters.

Improvement, particularly at the start of the season, will be the key operating word for Helix, which overcame an 0-5 start last season by winning eight of its final 11 games. Impact players include senior middie Sam Pulman, senior middie Ruben Valenzuela and junior attackman Alex Zimmerman.

Metro Conference Preview
Eastlake Titans' three-year dynasty threatened
Otay Ranch Mustangs tabbed as 'the team to beat'

Posted March 6, 2008
To listen to Eastlake boys lacrosse coach Doug Murphy, the Titans’ three-year reign as Metro Conference champions is all but at an end. “I picked up to finish third in our league this year,” he said in regard to preseason predictions.

Now to watch the Titans in action, well …Eastlake looks to remain Metro champions until actually deposed.

“We lost 15 seniors to graduation, including eight starters,” Murphy said. “Two of our key players this season are freshmen. We lost our all-county goalie. We have two seniors – Will Duka and Jeremiah Andujo – who are first-year players coming over from football. We’re going to have a major battle with Otay and Bonita. I hear Otay had 100 kids try out this year. They have kids coming from everywhere. Bonita is always tough. I think Otay is the team to beat this year.”

That said, Eastlake looks to be highly competitive in defense of its title. The Titans went up 1-0 in league play following Wednesday’s 13-6 victory at Hilltop. The win improved Eastlake’s early season record to 2-2 after opening the 2008 campaign with a 7-4 victory against Helix on Feb. 28, a 10-8 loss to visiting Santana last Friday and an 11-3 setback against Carlsbad on Monday.

The Lancers, who are also facing a rebuilding season according to coach Pete Bishop, led 1-0 on a goal by Ben Potter and later tied the score at 2-2 on a goal by Justin Trinidad. But the Titans, employing a physical game, began to score in bunches, leading 6-3 on a goal by Austin Hardman with 15 seconds to go before halftime. Eastlake took an 11-4 advantage into the final quarter.

The game highlighted the overall depth of the Titans program. “We’re just as physical as we were last year,” Murphy said.

Sam Sedillo led Eastlake with four goals while Hardman and Brandon Ballow each scored three times, Christian Ballow registered two goals and Michael Chiodo scored once.

Murphy lists Sedillo, a senior attackman, Brandon Ballow, a senior midfielder, Christian Ballow, a freshman attackman, and freshman midfielder Zach Brannon as the team’s impact players this season. Taking over in the net for departed Metro Conference Player of the Year David Johnson is Eric Santana.

Despite the heavy losses due to graduation, the Titans -- 13-9 last season -- appear able to switch lines without much drop-off in talent. In the game against Santana, senior Raoni Mancera keyed Eastlake with three goals and three assists while Chiodo garnered a goal and two assists and Sedillo scored twice.

The Lancers, meanwhile, are facing the loss of their entire defensive unit. Hilltop opened the season with a 17-1 loss to Granite Hills before dropping Wednesday’s league match by seven goals. “It was a kind of buzz saw,” Bishop said.

Potter scored twice in Wednesday’s game while Ryan Sablan, Joey Chavez and A.J. Fiorillo each picked up one goal. Matt Lozano made 14 goalie saves. He had 13 saves in the loss to the Eagles.

“We graduated our entire defense. When you lose an entire unit like that, it takes time to rebuild,” Bishop said. “When you have a group of players playing as a unit, they not only know where to go but when to go. Our new group seems to know where to go but they’re still learning when to go. We’ve got a lot of games left. It’s a long season.”

Impact players for Hilltop include Sablan, Chavez, Trinidad, Potter, Fiorillo, Lozano as well as midfielders Tyler Wenbourne and Cameron Tablit, face-off specialist Tyler Tablit and defenders Todd Cooker and Ben Santos.

As for the favored Mustangs?

Otay Ranch opened league play with a 21-0 victory at Montgomery on Wednesday. Key players listed by coach Bill Maeda this season include goalie Nathan Maeda, attack-midfielder Alex Castello and defenseman Jacob Perez.Overall, the Mustangs return 10 starters. Castello led the team with six goals in the season-opening win against  the Aztecs.

“This is the fourth year of our program and we have come light years during the past two seasons," the senior Maeda said. "During the past two years, we have established a middle school team that is now beginning to pay dividends. We have a pipeline of kids coming into our program for years to come. We have a saying, 'Little kids become good big kids.'We consider this the key to not only remaining competitive in the Metro league, but being competitive with the lacrosse powers in San Diego."

The Otay Ranch coach said his team, which returns all its starters from last year's 13-8 squad, boasts several college prospects.

Nathan Maeda, a junior goalie, may top the list. He: is considered an excellent one-on-one goalie with exceptional stick handeling skills. Last season he earned All-Metro First Team honors and was chosen the Mustang MVP.

Junior defender Jacob Perez, at 6-0 and 200 pounds, is -- in Bill Maeda's words -- "without a doubt a legitimate Division I prospect." Last season Perez was named All Metro Second Team and Otay Ranch's Defensive Player of the Year.

"Jacob has excellant field vision and is a playmaker on the field," the Mustang coach said. "Jacob makes plays rather than reacting to what the opposing offense is doing."

Junior middie Alex Castello led the Mustangs in scoring last season. Last season he was named All Metro First Team and the Mustangs' Offensive Player of the Year. "He is a pure dodger and is the player who wants the ball when the game is one the line," the senior Maeda said.

Senior defender Joe Martinez has emerged as a dominant force on defense, according to Maeda. "He has learned the meaning of team defense," the Mustang coach said. "He has made great strides since last season. He advances the ball very well and becomes an offensive threat."

The list of college prospects continues with junior midfielder Emmanuel Martinez, who started playing lacrosse as a sophmore but has emerged as one of the team's top middies, according to Maeda. "He combines speed and a powerful shot to become an offensive threat. Emmanuel, without a doubt, can play lacrosse on a higher level," the Otay Ranch coach said.

Maeda said his team has several players who may go unnoticed but their contributions to the team are undeniable. They include middies Eric Aguilera and Brendan Garcia as well as attackmen Nick Davies, Gary Sablan and Darwin Livingston. Ryan Catabona and Colton Wood also figure prominently in the team's overall success.

Davies had five goals and Wood four goals in the win against Montgomery.

Maeda said credit for the development of the team should go to assistant coach Leo Hsu, who played and coached at Whittier College. "He has brought in a system that is taking the team to another level," Maeda said.

Otay Ranch continues league play with a March 12 game at Hilltop.

Bonita Vista finished 12-7 last season. The Barons once again rate to contend for this year's league banner -- or at least have a say in who else wins it. "Our goal is to chalenge for the Metro league title," head coach Jason Snyder said.

Bonita Vista, like Eastlake, lost 15 players to graduation but will rely on the overall strength of its program to reload. "We've been up and down so far," Synder said of his team's 1-2 start.

A bright spot has to be the play of rookie goalie Willie Reikstins, who had never played lacrosse before this season.

Team leaders include senior middie Jake Cruz and senior attackman Trevor Slawson, both returners, and junior long-stick middie Chuck Day.