SD Prep Sports:

2006 Metro Conference

Prep Football Week 11 Report

Seven Metro teams qualify for CIF playoffs

Chula Vista, Eastlake, Otay Ranch share Mesa League title; Castle Park wins South Bay League

Posted Nov. 16, 2006
A total of seven South County high school football teams qualified for this year’s San Diego Section playoffs. While the number of entries may denote pride, complacency will clearly not be rewarded as teams vie for championship titles in their respective divisions.

The opening round kicks off Friday, Nov. 17. All games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. starts.

Four Mesa League teams and three South Bay League teams qualified for post-season competition.

Marian Catholic (4-5-1) received the third seed in the Division IV playoffs and a first-round bye while Eastlake (7-3-0) received the fourth-seeded position in the Division II playoffs and a first-round bye.

Five Metro Conference teams — Otay Ranch (7-3-0), Castle Park (6-3-1), Chula Vista (6-4-0), Bonita Vista (5-5-0) and Southwest (5-5-0) — will see action in the opening round of the divisional playoffs that will feature one all-South County matchup.

Chula Vista, Eastlake and Otay Ranch all tied for this year’s Mesa League championship title, with Otay Ranch designated as the league champion for seeding purposes. Castle Park won sole rights to this year’s South Bay League title.

Chula Vista and Otay Ranch qualified for the Division I field, with Otay Ranch receiving the seventh seed and Chula Vista the eighth seed. Both teams will host opening-round playoff matches.

Otay Ranch, which shut out visiting Sweetwater by a 63-0 score on Nov. 9, will host 10th-seeded Rancho Bernardo (4-5-0), with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals on Nov. 24 against second-seeded La Costa Canyon (8-2-0).

Chula Vista, which blanked visiting San Ysidro by a 41-0 score to earn its Mesa League co-championship, will host ninth-seeded Rancho Buena Vista (4-5-1), with the winner playing the following week at No.1 seed Carlsbad (7-0-2).

Bonita Vista, Castle Park and Eastlake all were drawn into the Division II bracket, with seventh-seeded Castle Park hosting 10th-seeded Bonita Vista and Eastlake receiving a first-round bye.

The Bonita Vista-Castle Park winner will face second-seeded Helix (8-2-0) in the quarterfinals on Nov. 24.

Castle Park settled for a 21-21 tie at Marian Catholic in its final regular season game to capture sole possession of this year’s South Bay League championship.
Eastlake, which defeated Bonita Vista by a 34-10 score on Nov. 9 to secure a part of this year’s Mesa League title, will host either 12th-seeded Grossmont (4-5-1) or fifth-seeded San Pasqual (5-4-1) in quarterfinal-round action on Nov. 24.

Southwest, which defeated host Hilltop by a 17-7 score in its final regular season game, earned the 12th and final berth in the Division III field and will play at fifth-seeded Brawley (7-2-0). The winner plays at fourth-seeded St. Augustine (7-3-0) on Nov. 24.

Marian Catholic, which finished as the runner-up in the South Bay League, will host sixth-seeded Palo Verde (7-3-0) in the quarterfinals on Nov. 24. The winner will advance to semifinal-round play on Nov. 30.

Among the 12 Metro Conference teams, Montgomery (5-5-0), Hilltop (3-7-0), San Ysidro (3-7-0), Mar Vista (1-9-0) and Sweetwater (0-10-0) all failed to earn a post-season berth.

Montgomery defeated Mar Vista, 35-14, in its final regular season game on the strength of three touchdowns by James King and two touchdowns passes by Juan Moriel. Had the Aztecs not had to forfeit their 35-35 tie against Hilltop because of the use of an ineligible player, they might have been able to secure the final berth in the Division II playoffs, though Grossmont made a strong case for its inclusion after nearly toppling undefeated El Capitan in its regular season finale.
The Vaqueros finished as the section’s lone 10-0-0 team with a 21-14 win against the Foothillers.

Tri-champs
Otay Ranch secured a share of this year’s league title by defeating visiting Sweetwater by a 63-0 score on Nov. 9. The memorable victory doubled as the school’s first homecoming game. “It’s quite satisfying because the kids have worked real hard,” Mustangs head coach Gene Alim said. “It’s nice to win in a situation like that. At 9-1, we thought we had one (a league title) last year.”

The trip to the playoffs is the second in as many years for the Mustangs, who lost a disappointing 24-14 decision to visiting Poway last year. In three years of regular season play, Otay Ranch is 24-6. That’s a record few emerging programs can boast and something of immense pride for the entire program.
Alim called it a remarkable feat that the Mustangs have excelled in such a short period of time. He attributed that to both the dedication of the student-athletes as well as the program’s coaching staff. “We’re fortunate to have the quality of the coaches we have,” he said.

Eastlake used touchdown runs of 80 and 11 yards by Jacinto Callu, a three-yard scoring run by Jeremiah Andujo, and a pair of interception returns by Michael Kelly (44 yards) and Dyson Waddles (12 yards) to reclaim the bronzed boot and tie both the Mustangs and Spartans for first place in the Mesa League standings. The Titans rallied from an early 10-6 deficit with the game’s final 24 points.

“It’s always fun to beat Bonita,” Eastlake head coach John McFadden said. “It’s always the best game of the year. After coming up short last year, the kids were ready.”

As for sharing this year’s title, McFadden said his team had some good company at the top. “Otay Ranch has definitely improved. We beat Chula Vista 55-0 last year. Judd Rachow (Spartan head coach) has done a great job.”

Metro Conference first-round playoff previews

Division I
Rancho Bernardo (4-5) at Otay Ranch (7-3)
The Mustangs finished as Mesa League tri-champions while the Broncos finished third in the Palomar League standings. Still, Rancho Bernardo remains a team to contend with after defeating fellow league rival (and early-season top 10 section pick) Poway, 48-47, in the more competitive North County Conference.
Marcus Vasquez threw three touchdown passes and ran for another to lead Otay Ranch to its title-clinching 63-0 victory against Sweetwater. Jared Jordan caught one of Vasquez’ touchdown passes while also running for a score. In all, eight Mustangs scored at least one touchdown and 10 players figured in the scoring.

Vasquez opened scoring in the contest with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jordan, who then scored on a 19-yard run. Vasquez boosted the hosts to a 20-0 first quarter lead by scoring on an explosive 49-yard run. The Mustangs added 29 second-quarter points to lead 49-0 at halftime and added 14 points in the third quarter. Otay Ranch scored on six of its seven first-half possessions.

Joey Vega, who earned honors as the homecoming BMOC, scored on a 52-yard pass from Vasquez. Edgar Valles scored on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Vasquez. Bobby Mark scored on a 20-yard interception return. Ricky Daniels scored on an 18-yard run. Robert McCurdy scored on a 34-yard run and Randy Robledo rounded out scoring on a 49-yard run. Brian Lewis, who booted a school-record 54-yard field goal earlier this season, kicked five extra points and Niko Salazar made one two-point conversion.

Vasquez, whom Mustangs head coach Gene Alim called “the main man” in the team’s offense, finished the regular season with 24 touchdowns — 13 passing and 11 rushing. Alim also singled out offensive standouts McCurdy, a three-year starter, Valles (the team’s deep threat at receiver) and Jared Jordan (a threat out of the backfield both as a runner and receiver). Defensive leaders, Alim said, include Valles, Mark, Mike Azhocar, Sal Adame, Vasquez, Julian Samson and Angelo Diaz.

Rancho Bernardo is led by running back Richard Caldwell with 1,120 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns to his credit. Caldwell scored four touchdowns in the Broncos’ heralded win against Poway — the highest-scoring 11-man football game in section history — while quarterback Gerald Kemp fired three touchdown passes.

RBV (4-5-1) at Chula Vista (6-4-0)
The Spartans won a share of this year’s Mesa League title by defeating visiting San Ysidro, 41-0, to help cap this year’s homecoming festivities. Matt Stacy got things rolling early for the victors with a 94-yard kickoff return and later scored touchdowns on runs of one and nine yards. Taimi Tutogi and Josh Goldilla each scored on one-yard runs while Ivan Rodriguez rounded out the scoring on a five-yard run. Chula Vista wasted little time in staking its claim to part of this year’s championship by racking up a 21-0 first quarter lead and assuming a 34-0 halftime edge.

Stacy leads the Spartans’ ground game with 14 touchdowns while Goldilla has passed for 1,170 yards and 14 scores.

The Longhorns finished fourth in the Avocado League standings but own a regionally-televised 7-7 tie against No. 1-seeded Carlsbad. Chula Vista dropped an early season matchup against the Avocado League co-champion Lancers by a 48-7 score.

RBV is coming off an emotional 34-21 victory against cross-town rival Vista. Ivory Herd rushed for 132 yards to lead the Longhorns, who are led by quarterback Cameron Chadwick (717 passing yards). RBV topped visiting Otay Ranch, 22-21, in non-league play while the Spartans suffered their only league loss to the Mustangs, 27-10. Conversely, Bonita Vista defeated the Longhorns, 27-14, in another non-league game while Chula Vista stopped the Barons, 24-21.

Division II
Bonita Vista (5-5) at Castle Park (6-3-1)
The Trojans secured sole possession of this year’s South Bay League title after settling for a 21-21 standoff at Marian Catholic in the teams’ final regular season game. Martin Bayless Jr. caught an 18-yard scoring pass from Russell McGuire and later scored on a 12-yard double reverse while Boogie Blossom navigated an 80-yard punt return into another touchdown. Castle Park was in position to score the winning touchdown but fumbled the ball in the shadow of the Crusader goal line.

The Trojan defense gave up a 79-yard touchdown run by Leonardo Carrera on the first play of the game and later parted on a 53-yard touchdown run by Marian Catholic quarterback Michael Fajardo, who threw a 13-yard pass to D’Andre Henry for the game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter.

For the season, Blossom has rushed for 1,119 yards and nine touchdowns while McGuire has passed for 1,178 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Bonita Vista is coming off a 34-10 setback against Eastlake in the teams’ annual "Battle for the Boot" rivalry game. The Barons scored first on a 44-yard field goal and later went up 10-6 on an 80-yard touchdown pass from Ace Morales to Terry Love. But host Eastlake finished scoring in the game with four unanswered touchdowns. Morales suffered three interceptions in the game — two of which were returned by Titan defenders for touchdowns.

Bonita Vista enters post-season play on a three-game losing streak and that seems too long for a team as talented as the Barons, who were outscored 110-38 in losses to Otay Ranch, Chula Vista and Eastlake.

In seven games, Ramses Ramirez had rushed for 709 yards and eight touchdowns while Morales had passed for 767 yards and seven scores and Love had accumulated 589 receiving yards.

The winner faces the Grossmont South League champion Helix, which received two touchdowns apiece from Eric Forney and Andray Jackson in its 55-7 whipping of Monte Vista to close out regular season play.

Division III
Southwest (5-5) at Brawley (7-2)
Memories of 0-10 seasons seem long past now for the Raiders, who out-dueled Hilltop on the Lancers’ host field to claim a playoff berth. Louis Johnson rushed for 90 yards on 12 carries and scored one touchdown while Adrian Jones caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Fabien Varela and Carlos Ruiz hit a 27-yard field goal in Southwest’s 17-7 victory. Edwards and Marco Rey each recorded two sacks on defense.

Johnson has rushed for 577 yards on the season with six touchdowns while Edwards has rushed for 405 yards, four touchdowns and leads the Raiders with 68 tackles. Varela has passed for 210 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Among the team’s receivers, Ruiz had six catches for 192 yards while Edwards has eight catches for 104 yards and Jones has six catches for 98 yards. Jones ranks in a tie for the team scoring lead with six touchdowns (five as a rusher).

Brawley finished regular season play with a 14-7 loss to Central Union in the teams’ annual Battle for the Bell — a game attended by nearly 7,000 fans in Imperial Valley. Cesar Hernandez leads the Wildcats with 1,038 rushing yards and has scored 13 touchdowns this season. Chauncey Rowe has rushed for 617 yards and six touchdowns while quarterback Mark Valdez has rushed for 205 yards and passed for 217 yards. Jared Cato keys the Imperial Valley League runners-up with 58 tackles while Tyler Schoonover and Stephen Dominguez each have recorded four sacks.

Metro Conference
2006 Standings

Mesa League
League Overall
School W-L-T W-L-T
x-Eastlake 4-1 7-3
x-Otay Ranch 4-1 7-3
x-Chula Vista 4-1 6-4
Bonita Vista 2-3 5-5
San Ysidro 1-4 3-7
Sweetwater 0-5 0-10
x-tri-champions

Friday, Oct. 13
Bonita Vista 35, Sweetwater 0
Eastlake 42, San Ysidro 0
Otay Ranch 27, Chula Vista 10

Thursday, Oct. 19
Chula Vista 42, Sweetwater 0

Friday, Oct. 20
Eastlake 25, Otay Ranch 20
Bonita Vista 35, San Ysidro 3

Friday, Oct. 27
Otay Ranch 52, Bonita Vista 7
Chula Vista 21, Eastlake 13
San Ysidro 28, Sweetwater 7

Friday, Nov. 3
Eastlake 44, Sweetwater 3
Chula Vista 24, Bonita Vista 21
Otay Ranch 42, San Ysidro 0

Thursday, Nov. 9
Eastlake 34, Bonita Vista 10
Chula Vista 41, San Ysidro 0
Otay Ranch 63, Sweetwater 0

END REGULAR SEASON

South Bay League
League Overall
School W-L-T W-L-T
Castle Park 4-0-1 6-3-1
Marian Catholic 3-1-1 4-5-1
Southwest 3-2-0 5-5-0
Montgomery 2-3-0 5-5-0
Hilltop 2-3-0 3-7-0
Mar Vista 0-5-0 1-9-0

Friday, Oct. 13
Marian Catholic 52, Hilltop 14
Castle Park 52, Mar Vista 7
Southwest 9, Montgomery 7

Friday, Oct. 20
arian Catholic 62, Mar Vista 34
Hilltop 35, Montgomery 35 (Hilltop wins tiebreaker)
Castle Park 41, Southwest 6

Thursday, Oct. 26
Hilltop 29, Mar Vista 22

Friday, Oct. 27
Castle Park 45, Montgomery 7
Marian Catholic 35, Southwest 7

Friday, Nov. 3
Hilltop 55, Castle Park 28
Montgomery 26, Marian Catholic 21
Southwest 20, Mar Vista 7

Thursday, Nov. 9
Castle Park 21, Marian Catholic 21
Southwest 17, Hilltop 7
Montgomery 35, Mar Vista 14
END REGULAR SEASON

Metro Conference Team Leaders
Rushing
Castle Park: Boogie Blossom 1,119 yards, 9 TD.
Hilltop: Jose Duran 920 yards, 7 TD; Craig Rasmussen 584 yards, 5 TD.
Southwest: Louis Johnson 577 yards, 6 TD; John Edwards 405 yards, 3 TD.

Passing
Castle Park: Russell McGuire 1,178 yards, 17 TD.
Chula Vista: Josh Goldilla 1,170 yards, 14 TD.
Eastlake: Derek Witte 1,119 yards, 9 TD.
Hilltop: Craig Rasmussen 1,589 yards, 14 TD.

Receiving
Hilltop: Kyle Howard 959 yards, 5 TD; Chris Prather 447 yards, 4 TD.

Metro Conference Statistical Leaders
(Based on team reports)

Rushing Leaders
Player (school) Yards
Roman Owens (Marian) 1,214
Boogie Blossom (CP) 1,055
Jose Duran (Hilltop) 857
Marcus Vasquez (Otay Ranch) 779
Ramses Ramirez (BV) 709
Juan Moriel (Mont) 665
Momo Williams (MV) 664
Will Duka (Eastlake) 604
Brandon Meredith (Mont) 534
Robert McCurdy (Otay Ranch) 517
Louis Johnson (Southwest) 487
Craig Rasmussen (Hilltop) 478
Jared Jordan (Otay Ranch) 438
John Edwards (Southwest) 382
Ricky Daniels (Otay Ranch) 226
Ezra Rubio (Otay Ranch) 209
Adrian Jones (Southwest) 172
James King (Montgomery) 165
Touchdowns: Owens 14, Vasquez 10, Blossom 9, Duka 9, Moriel 8, Ramirez 8, Meredith 7, Duran 7, Johnson 5, Rasmussen 5, Williams 5, Daniels 4, Jones 4, Jordan 4, Edwards 3, Rubio 2, McCurdy 1.
Note: Chula Vista rushing statistics not reported.

Passing Leaders
Player (school) Yards
Craig Rasmussen (Hilltop) 1,374
Russell McGuire (Castle Park) 1,126
Derek Witte (Eastlake) 1,119
Josh Goldilla (Chula Vista) 1,012
Chris Pizarro (Montgomery) 991
Ace Morales (Bonita Vista) 767
Michael Alcala (Hilltop) 573
Touchdowns: McGuire 16, Goldilla 13, Rasmussen 13, Pizarro 10, Witte 9, Morales 7.

Receiving Leaders
Player (school) Yards
Kyle Howard (Hilltop) 888
Michael Davis (Mar Vista) 792
Terry Love (Bonita Vista) 589
Jeremiah Andujo (Eastlake) 547
Edgar Valles (Otay Ranch) 497
Juan Moriel (Montgomery) 468
Chris Prather (Hilltop) 447
Martin Bayless (CP) 349
Brian Pike (Hilltop) 322
James King (Montgomery) 293
Carlos Ugarte (Hilltop) 208
Onil Vallecillo (Montgomery) 198
Carlos Ruiz (Southwest) 181
Jose Duran (Hilltop) 126
Adrian Jones (Southwest) 82
Jose Rivas (Hilltop) 81
Eugene Afalla (Montgomery) 73
Touchdowns: Love 7, Valles 7, Andujo 5, Bayless 5, Howard 5, Moriel 4, Pike 4, Prather 4, Davis 3, King 3, Vallecillo 3, Afalla 2, Gaytan 2, Jones 1, Rivas 1, Ugarte 1.

Scoring Leaders
Player (school) TD
Roman Owens (Marian) 14
Juan Moriel (Montomery) 12
Matt Stacey (Chula Vista) 11
Ramses Ramirez (BV) 10
Jeremiah Andujo (Eastlake) 9
Will Duka (Eastlake) 9
Jose Duran (Hilltop) 7
Terry Love (Bonita Vista) 7
Brandon Meredith (Mont) 7
Edgar Valles (Otay Ranch) 7
Craig Rasmussen (Hilltop) 5
Kyle Howard (Hilltop) 5
Louis Johnson (Southwest) 5
Adrian Jones (Southwest) 5
Momo Williams (Mar Vista) 5
Martin Bayless (Castle Park) 5
John Edwards (Southwest) 4
Chris Prather (Hilltop) 4
Brian Pike (Hilltop) 4
Michael Davis (Mar Vista) 4
Carlos Ruiz (Southwest) 2

Kick Scoring Leaders
Player (school) Total Points
Julian Sesma (Castle Park) 44
Jason Myers (Marian Catholic) 38
Adrian Canizales (Chula Vista) 37
Jonathan Alcala (Montgomery) 35
Josh Boyd (Bonita Vista) 33
Billy Loss (Hilltop) 25
Enrique Gaytan (Southwest) 11

Thursday Night Game of the Week
All games 7:05 p.m.
Channel 4 San Diego
Regular Season Schedule
August
31: Oceanside 27, Helix 0
September
7: Bogalusa (Louisiana) 19, Bonita Vista 14
14: El Capitan 46, Poway 28
21: West Hill 31, Monte Vista 3
28: Mission Hills 21, Valley Center 7
October
5: Escondido 38, Ramona 19
12: Steele Canyon 31, Valhalla 7
19: Chula Vista 42, Sweetwater 0
26: Hilltop 29, Mar Vista 22
November
2: Carlsbad 7, Rancho Buena Vista 7
9: St. Augustine 31, Cathedral Catholic 23

San Diego Section Rankings
SD Sportscasters/Broadcasters Poll
(Nov. 6)
(Records throiugh Nov. 4)
1. Torry Pines (9-0-0)
2. El Capitan (9-0-0)
3. Oceanside (6-2-1)
4. La Costa Canyon (5-2-0)
5. Carlsbad (6-0-2)
6. Escondido (7-2-0)
7. Helix (7-2-0)
8. Mission Bay (7-1-0)
9. Point Loma (8-1-0)
10. Mission Hills (7-2-0)

Others (in order of votes): Santa Fe Chrisitan (7-2), St. Augustine (6-3), Hoover (7-2), Mira Mesa (5-4), El Camino (6-3), Poway (5-4), Steele Canyon (6-3), Brawley (7-1), Central Union (8-1)

San Diego Section: The Undefeated
(Through Nov. 10)

Division I
Carlsbad (7-0-2)

Division III
El Capitan (10-0-0)

Eight-Man
San Pasqual Academy (9-0-0)

Measuring up

Metro Conference
Non-League Standings
(Through Oct. 7)
Team Record
Bonita Vista 3-2-0
Eastlake 3-2-0
Montgomery 3-2-0
Otay Ranch 3-2-0
Castle Park 2-3-0
Chula Vista 2-3-0
San Ysidro 2-3-0
Hilltop 1-4-0
Mar Vista 1-4-0
Marian Catholic 1-4-0
Southwest 1-4-0
Sweetwater 0-5-0

Metro Tracker
Non-conference opponents
Metro Conference: 13-31 (.295)

Metro Conference Schedule/Results

Friday, Sept. 22
Castle Park 38, Morse 6
Eastlake 32, Marian Catholic 14
Chula Vista 45, Granite Hills 7
Montgomery 42, Kearny 0
Southwest 17, San Ysidro 0
Point Loma 20, Otay Ranch 11
Santana 56, Sweetwater 0
Scripps Ranch 42, Mar Vista 0

Friday, Sept. 29
Eastlake 28, Castle Park 19
Otay Ranch 35, Marian Catholic 20
Steele Canyon 33, Hilltop 17
Orange Glen 20, Montgomery 10
Vista 28, Bonita Vista 3
Coronado 19, Mar Vista 7
Hoover 34, Southwest 7

Friday, Oct. 6
Chula Vista 47, Hilltop 7
Santa Fe Christian 35, Marian Catholic 14
San Ysidro 22, Mar Vista 21
Bonita Vista 27, RBV 14
Granite Hills 52, Sweetwater 6
Otay Ranch 48, Sultana (Hesperia) 3