Defense remains the name of the game for Eastlake Titans

Posted Sept. 28, 2005

The Eastlake Titans know where they would like to be: a mainstay in the weekly top 10 San Diego Section rankings. The Titans appear to be convincing more and more critics each week as they climb closer to that magic designation. After a 3-1 start against teams with a cumulative 40-11 record last season, it may be difficult to deny the Titans much longer.

There has been no secret to the team’s success this season. It has been spelled "defense" since the opening kickoff of the 2005 campaign.

Defense came up no bigger for Eastlake than in last Friday’s 10-6 non-league victory at four-time defending South Bay League champion Marian Catholic. With the Titans protecting the four-point lead, the Crusaders moved inside the Titans’ 25-yard three times in the fourth quarter but were stopped each time.

On the first try, Marian Catholic attempted a run from the three-yard line on fourth down in the first drive but was stopped by Eastlake defenders Charles Parker and Cory Matheson. Corey Moody ended the other Crusader drives with interceptions at the goal line. Additionally, the Titans blocked the PAT on the Crusaders’ lone score in the game.

Impressed? Head coach John McFadden knows his team still has room for improvement, particularly as a young offensive unit matures. In the meantime, defense will remain the key operating word as the Titans search to successfully defend their Mesa League co-championship and seek to advance deep into this year’s section playoff tournament.

Eastlake, which next hosts perennial South Bay League power Castle Park in a marquee non-league matchup on Oct. 7, kicks off Mesa League play on Oct. 14 at Montgomery. Games against Chula Vista (Oct. 21), Southwest (Oct. 28) and Sweetwater (Nov. 4) lead up to the regular season finale against Bonita Vista at Southwestern College on Nov. 10. The Barons and Titans shared last year’s league championship after the teams battled to a 10-10 stalemate on the scoreboard.

Meanwhile, the 0-3 start by Marian Catholic was a first for the program since 1991. The Crusaders will attempt to break out of that funk when they play at Rancho Buena Vista (2-1) on Friday. The Longhorns are coming off a 29-13 loss to San Pasqual.

Last Friday’s win by Eastlake ended a five-game losing streak against the Crusaders. Daniel Ortega kicked a 20-yard field goal in the second quarter and Jacinto Callu tacked on a one-yard scoring run in the third quarter as the Titans scraped together enough points to remain in the win column for the third consecutive week.

Eastlake’s defense, which forced six turnovers in the game, held until Marian Catholic’s Ricky Romero caught a 64-yard scoring pass from Casey Cartier to put a bite into the visitors’ 10-0 lead.

Statistical update

Eastlake has outscored its four opponents 50-33. The Titans are allowing an average of 8.3 points per game on defense (fourth best in the section) but are averaging 12.5 points per game on offense. True to head coach John McFadden’s preseason prediction, Eastlake’s offense has been one fashioned by committee. In all, five players have scored touchdowns this season, with kicker Daniel Ortega accounting for three field goals.

Flynn Anderson keys Titan rushers with 233 yards, followed by Jeremiah Andujo with 158 yards. Derek Witte leads in the passing department with 247 yards and two touchdowns (with two interceptions). Stephen Carr has been the main receiving target so far with nine catches for 165 yards and one score.

Defensively, returning all-state selection Marcus Yarbrough tops the team’s defensive point chart with 30 first hits, 22 assists, 11 hard rushes, one sack, five tackles for losses, one interception and one fumble recovery. Charles Parker ranks next on the team’s defensive point chart with 23 first hits, nine assists, four hard rushes, four sacks and two deflections. Jerrell Mitchell is next with 27 first hits, eight assists and two deflections.

Mustangs improve second-year mark to 12-2

After Otay Ranch went 8-2 last season and was excluded from the San Diego Section Division III playoffs, Mustangs football coach Gene Alim half jokingly said his team would have to go 9-1 this season and win the South Bay League title to earn a playoff berth. After engineering a 4-0 start, Alim might not be too far off the mark.

It would be safe to say that few varsity programs can match Otay Ranch’s amazing 12-2 record midway through the program’s second varsity season.

The Mustangs will receive a barometer reading on how far they have progressed as a program when they host perennial San Diego Section Division II power Helix — a team that has advanced to five consecutive division championship games — this Friday. Other key games include pivotal South Bay League matchups against Castle Park (tabbed as the front-runner this season) on Oct. 28 and Marian Catholic (the defending league champions) on Nov. 4.

Otay Ranch kicks off league play Oct. 14 against Hilltop. Other games that will determine whether the Mustangs remain in the league title chase come against San Ysidro on Oct. 21 and Mar Vista on Nov. 10.

Following last Friday’s 55-6 rout of Southwest, it has certainly been a season of plenty for Otay Ranch, which has outscored its four opponents 188-15. The Mustangs hope it does not end there.

Otay Ranch established a new varsity single-game scoring record with the lopsided victory against the host Raiders. Southwest scored the game’s opening touchdown and the Mustangs followed with 55 unanswered points. Jeff Smith threw a pair of touchdown passes to Derrick Murray and Brian Lewis ended the game with seven point-after-touchdown conversions. DeRaun Deadwiler also scored twice in the game.

It was Deadwiler who got things rolling for the visitors by scoring on a 70-yard run. Jared Jordan added a stunning 99-yard scoring run to help Otay Ranch take the lead at 14-6. Joey Vega upped the Mustang margin to 21-6 by scoring on a 25-yard interception return. A 20-yard pass from Smith to Murray and a 10-yard scoring run by Deadwiler handed Otay Ranch a 35-6 halftime lead. Murray caught a 10-yard scoring pass for the only points of the third quarter while Robert McCurdy (nine yards) and Jeremy Hunt (two yards) added touchdown runs in the final quarter.

The Mustang defense continued to hold its opponent to one touchdown or less. Julio Torres keyed Otay Ranch with 10 tackles, one sack and one blocked kick.

In other games on Sept. 23:

Castle Park 35, Morse 0

The Trojans won their second consecutive game in commanding fashion by shutting out the visiting Tigers. D’Andre Sampson rushed for 150 yards and scored three touchdowns to pace Castle Park, which led 28-0 at halftime. Martin Bayless Jr. opened scoring in the contest pitting 2004 playoff qualifiers when he caught a 34-yard pass from quarterback Russell McGuire. Sampson added scoring runs of three and 45 yards to triple the lead and Anthony Saunders returned an intercepted pass 50 yards to cement the Trojans’ 28-point halftime edge. Sampson, who scored five times in a 42-14 rout of Grossmont North League champion West Hills the previous week, closed out scoring in the game on a one-yard run in the third quarter.

Since opening the season with a 20-6 loss to defending Division I co-champion Torrey Pines, Castle Park has outscored its last two opponents 77-14. The Trojans will seek to extend their two-game winning streak when they visit cross-town rival Chula Vista (0-3) in a non-league encounter on Friday. The Spartans are coming off a 26-7 loss at Granite Hills.

Bonita Vista 21, Hilltop 7

Starr Fuimaono (134 rushing yards) scored two rushing touchdowns to lead the Barons to their third consecutive victory to kick off the 2005 campaign. Max Tatar scored from one-yard out to help stake Bonita Vista to a 7-0 lead. The Barons, who have started out 3-0 for the first time since 1993, led 14-0 after the first quarter but a 40-yard Craig Rasmussen to Vince Pernicano pass play halved Hilltop’s deficit to seven points, 14-7, at halftime in the game played at Southwestern College. Fuimaono scored an insurance touchdown in the third quarter for the Barons, who test seventh-ranked Vista (1-1-1) in a battle for South County respect Friday at Southwestern College.

The Lancers, who dropped their second consecutive game, will attempt to regroup when they face Steele Canyon in a Sept. 30 contest at Grossmont High School. Rasmussen passed for 106 yards and Tyler Trenga managed 80 rushing yards against a steadfast BV defense. 

Scripps Ranch 28, Mar Vista 21

David Dudek and T.J. MacFarlane scored fourth-quarter touchdowns to keep the visiting Falcons’ record perfect at 3-0 in scoring the come-from-behind victory. The Mariners led 21-13 entering the final quarter of play after Aaron Mason scored on a 97-yard kick return and 71-yard run and John Sholty caught a 10-yard pass from Eddie Oliver.

Mar Vista’s record dropped to 1-2 with the loss. The Mariners will attempt to even their record when they travel to winless Montgomery (0-4) on Friday.

The 3-0 start was a first for Scripps Ranch since the school opened in 1994. The Falcons will attempt to add to that school-record start when they take on Kearny (1-2) at Mesa College, also on Friday.

Kearny 33, Sweetwater 6

The Red Devils remained winless on the season at 0-3-1 after falling to the host Komets. Kearny, which limited Sweetwater to two field goals, received three touchdowns from Robert Underwood (119 rushing yards), including a fumble recovery in the end zone. Vernon Mapp (115 rushing yards) scored on a 14-yard run for the Komets, which sealed the win on a 22-yard interception return.

In dropping their last two games, the Devils have been outscored 80-6. Sweetwater will attempt to break out of its winless streak when it hosts Granite Hills in a non-league game on Oct. 7.

San Diego 21, Montgomery 13

The Aztecs fell to 0-4 after the loss to the Cavers (1-2). Montgomery will seek to score its first win of the season as it reaches the halfway mark of regular season play this Friday at Mar Vista (1-2). Chris Pizarro leads Montgomery with 402 passing yards — 242 of them to receiver Danny Peimbert.

Midway Baptist 26, Capistrano Valley Christian 10

The Patriots evened their record at 2-2 as Sunti Campbell scored three touchdowns.