SD Prep Sports: Prep Football

www.sdprepsports.com

E-mail us at sdprepsports@cox.net

Home   Swimming/Diving   Cross Country  Track & Field   Roller Hockey   Water Polo   CIF Scorecard

2009 Prep Football
San Diego Section

Archives

2008 Season in Review

2007 Season in Review
2006 Season in Review
2005 Season in Review

2004 Season in Review

2003 Season in Review

2002 Season in Review

2001 Season in Review

San Diego Section Log
San Diego Section Scoreboard
Season Preview

Week 1 Report
Week 2 Report
Week 3 Report
Week 4 Report
Week 5 Report
Week 6 Report
Week 7 Report
Week 8 Report
Week 9 Report
Week 10 Report
Week 11 Report

Breaking News
Eastlake Titans bask in glory of 21-14 Division I victory over Vista

Posted Dec. 17, 2009
Making three interceptions in one season might be a career for a defensive back but making three picks in one game — a championship game at that — might seem like a dream.

But it happened to Eastlake senior Daniel Johnson in last Friday’s San Diego Section Division I title game at Qualcomm Stadium and he and his Titan teammates are living any prep pigskinner’s dream as CIF champions.

Johnson, in his words, “watched the ball go into my hands three times” during last Friday’s championship game — the last instance with three seconds to play to preserve second-seeded Eastlake’s harrowing 21-14 victory over the fourth-seeded Vista Panthers.
The Titans, with their undefeated 11-0-2 season, are the reigning Division I champions.

“It means everything to everyone,” Johnson said as the championship plaque — the first-ever for the school’s football team — made its way from hand to hand. “It means everything to everyone watching on TV and everyone in the South Bay … I’m speechless.”

Johnson, of course, had a lot of help. Eastlake coach John McFadden, misty-eyed on a misty night, called the history-making victory a “team effort.” And it was in the truest sense. The Titan offense built a 21-0 lead in the game and, after devastating injuries in the second half, it was up to the team’s defense to make it stand up.

Johnson made three interceptions in the game, including two in the end zone to thwart prime Vista scoring opportunities. The Titans recorded four sacks and held the Panthers on downs a half dozen times during the contest, played in light rain during the first quarter.
Eastlake’s defensive stand was as heroic as it was miraculous and squarely placed the Titans up there with the section’s most deserving football champions — ever.

This truly was a team of destiny.

And Titan players let their emotions show — and flow — during post-game celebrations.
“These guys set the bar,” McFadden said in an emotional post-game address to this team. “Never take it down.”
In a show of sheer resilience and will power, Eastlake won a CIF title with — and without — the program’s greatest player: senior running back/strong safety Tony Jefferson. The U.S. Army All-American Bowl-bound Jefferson entered the game with 1,951 rushing yards and a team-leading 24 touchdowns. He scored the Titans’ opening touchdown against Vista on a three-yard run in the first quarter of last Friday’s championship tilt but suffered a hard hit during the third quarter and ended the game with his arm in a sling.

The obvious target of the bullish Panther defense, Jefferson finished the game with 44 rushing yards on seven carries. But the reigning Mesa League champions lost more than his breakaway-threat running ability; they lost his invaluable field presence on both sides of the ball.

Jefferson’s absence showed just how much he meant to the team — and the team, in kind, showed their gratitude in winning the game for him.

“Tony Jefferson is the type of player who carries a team on his shoulders and one of his shoulders went out in this game,” McFadden said. “The team decided to carry him on their shoulders.”

“That’s the type of team we are — we support each other,” Johnson said in the afterglow of victory. “We help carry each other and that’s what we did when Tony got injured. Tony is a truly great player and we care for him. We carried him.”

The Titans needed every ounce of whatever magical fluid flows through their veins to hold off the rampaging Panthers. Vista got back in the game when junior running back Joseph McFadden scored on a one-yard run with 5:34 left in the third quarter to trim the Eastlake lead to 21-7.

Without Jefferson in the lineup, or senior linebacker Georgy Zhebroilov, the Titans noticeably sagged. The team’s offense suddenly went in reverse as quarterback D’Angelo Barksdale — and whichever reserve running back happened to have the ball — was sacked on nearly every play by a hard-charging Vista front line that likely smelled a change of fortune with the key Eastlake absences on the field.

Conversely, the Titan defense found itself in the midst of a hurricane unleashed by the Panther offense. Vista showed just how it had managed to upset top-seeded La Costa Canyon, 47-7, in the semifinals and the same game plan built around the aerial assault led by junior signal-caller junior Christian Gallardi nearly worked wonders for a second week in a row against a higher-seeded opponent.

As the final of four games at Qualcomm Stadium amid a day-long drizzle, the field for the Division I finale was not in the best of shape. It played to the advantage of both teams at various junctures.

The Titans made use of it first, snatching up a fumble at the Vista 26-yard line. The Eastlake drive stalled, however, when Barksdale’s pass to Chris Kane in the end zone on fourth-and-five was broken up at the last second. But the Titans were soon back knocking on the door when, on their next series, Barksdale hit senior running back Daniel Diaz for a 59-yard sideline scamper. Jefferson capped the scoring drive with 1:36 left in the first quarter.

The Eastlake defense then flexed its collective muscle by halting a Panther drive on downs at the Titan 17-yard line. Jefferson helped set up his team’s second touchdown by promptly moving the ball to the 49-yard line on one of this trademark breakaway bursts. A shoestring tackle along the sideline was the only thing that kept him from going all the way into the end zone. Barksdale followed with a pass to junior Chris Fletcher to the 31-yard line and Fletcher then broke through the Vista defense for a 22-yard gain to the seven-yard line. Diaz was given the honors to score on a sweep to the right, scooting into the end zone with 5:06 left in the second quarter.

Eastlake led 14-0 at halftime when Vista drove to the Titan 15-yard line in the waning minutes of the first half, but senior kicker Larry East’s 32-yard field goal attempt was wide right with 32 seconds left. It was the first of several missed opportunities that would eventually doom the Panthers to defeat.

Eastlake’s battle cry for the second half was to finish what it started. Mission accomplished but it was by no means a sure thing.
The second half opened as the Titans chanted “We’ve got the real defense!” to all those who were within earshot. It was a bold statement but one that they backed up with authority.

In fact, when junior receiver Jordan Hines hauled in a 52-yard touchdown pass from Barksdale with just 2:08 elapsed in the third quarter to hike Eastlake’s lead to three touchdowns, it appeared a rout might be on.

But all that quickly changed with the injuries to Jefferson and Zhebroilov. Senior linebacker Emilio Rangel also had to seek medical attention on the sideline at the same time.

After Vista erased its goose egg on the scoreboard via McFadden’s dive into the end zone on fourth-and-inches, the Panthers suddenly appeared to be a new team.

So were the Titans. Eastlake attempted to revert to a ball-control offense but, without Jefferson, the Titan ground game sputtered.
Eastlake appeared to be on its way to countering the Vista TD when Clark Moses bulled his way to the Vista 26-yard line. However, a very late whistle allowed the Panthers to snatch the ball from Moses’ grasp as he lay face down on a pile of Vista defenders. No matter, the Titan defense held, forcing a punt.

Eastlake appeared to be moving again, as Fletcher recorded a key first down on a fourth-and-one play at the Panther 45-yard line with 44 seconds left in the third period. But on the very next play, a fumble gave the ball back to Vista at the Titan 38.
Giveaways and takeaways.

The fourth quarter was vintage Holiday Bowl.

Gallardi made a key 34-yard completion to senior receiver Trevor McMahon at the Eastlake 16. Later, on fourth-and-nine from the Titan 15, Gallardi hit senior receiver Troy Ware in the end zone for a touchdown.

The PAT made the score 21-14 and all the momentum appeared on the side of the North County team.

The Panthers kept coming in waves.

Johnson made his first interception in the end zone (his second pick of the game overall) with 4:16 left in the game.

A key 22-yard pass to Diaz on third-and-10 with 2:50 left appeared to be just what the Titans needed to help run out the clock. But as the Panthers began spending their allotted three time-outs, the Eastlake drive once again was mired in the muck. Vista took over possession of the ball at its own 26-yard line with 1:37 to play with no time-outs remaining.

At this point, fans on both sides of the stadium had to wonder whether the Panthers would go for a two-point conversion to win the game once they scored their next touchdown.

The play was suddenly that one-sided.

The Eastlake defense was called on once again to save the day. It bent but did not break.

A Gallardi to McMahon completion moved the ball to the 42. A sack by the Titans’ Robert Graves and ensuing incomplete pass moved the clock down to 55 seconds. But Gallardi made a key pass to junior receiver Andre McKee with 45 seconds left that moved the ball to the Eastlake 45. Two pass completions later the ball was at the Titan 16 with 14 seconds left.

A penalty moved the ball back to the 21-yard line, giving Vista one final play to win — or lose — the game. The ball had to go into the end zone and a pair of Titans went up with the intended Panther receiver. The pass was off center and the Vista player never had a chance. The ball floated into Johnson’s hands like a magnet. Johnson then proceeded to fall on his back, with the ball jostling around until the Titan DB finally clamped it firmly against his stomach.

Johnson came up with the ball in one hand and a community — epitomized by its blue body-painted cheer section — erupted in joy.
The beleaguered Eastlake offense took one final play to kneel the ball and the game ended — putting to rest 13 years of frustration since the last time a South County public school won a CIF football championship (Castle Park in 1996) and 25 years since a Metro team last captured the equivalent of a Division I title: the big boys prize.

“With eight minutes left, our defense had to pull it together,” said senior linebacker Matt Cellery, the Mesa League’s 2009 Defensive Player of the Year. “For our seniors, a lot of whom played on defense, it was their last game together. We found the strength to pull together.”

The Titan defense did its job by holding Gallardi to 21 completions in 41 passing attempts, forcing 20 incomplete passes (with three picks), and limited the Vista running game to just 43 yards on 33 carries.

But for the Panthers it was almost enough.

Vista racked up 303 passing yards to nearly double the Titans’ in that department. Gallardi completed 21 of 41 passing attempts but the three interceptions proved costly.

Ware finished the game with 11 catches for 91 yards and one score while senior running back Jordan Alexander had three key catches for 44 yards, senior receiver Ian Richardson had two catches for 48 yards and McMahon caught two passes for 45 yards. Senior receiver Alexander Rice had one catch for 34 yards while McKee had one catch for 19 yards. All were near back-breakers.

The Eastlake offense was much more balanced with 181 rushing yards and 181 passing yards. Barksdale completed seven of 10 attempts with no interceptions. Diaz had three receptions for 94 yards while Hines caught two aerials for 61 yards, including one touchdown. Travis Gardner had one catch for 14 yards while Fletcher had one catch for 12 yards.

The bulk of the team’s offense was spent trying to rule the turf. Fletcher rushed eight times for 59 yards while Diaz had seven carries for 46 yards, Rangel had four carries for eight yards and Moses had three carries for six yards. Barksdale handled the ball six times, gaining 18 yards.

Alexander led Vista with 15 carries for 29 yards while McMahon had four carries for 24 yards.

McFadden admitted the worst thoughts were going through his mind late in the game. “I was thinking that everything that could go wrong, would go wrong — three or four times in a row,” he said. “I’m so thrilled for these guys. They deserved it. The South Bay deserved it. We don’t get a lot of respect down there but this is a big step toward that respect.”

The Titans, who set a school record with 11 wins and an undefeated season, emerged from the fray as a truly great team, no doubt about it. Just how great remains to be determined. Sweetwater’s fabled CIF championship teams of 1983-84 continue to be held in awe for the number of top college and professional players they produced. Ten years from now, the true greatness of this Eastlake team will be measured. In the meantime, the Titans can count their greatness with three letters: C-I-F.

“It was a great team win — everyone did their part,” McFadden said. “We have so many unsung heroes on this team. It wasn’t up to one player. This was a true team victory.”

The sweetest kind.

Pirates give Scotties the boot in CIF final
Resilient Helix drops 26-10 Division II title contest

Posted Dec. 14, 2009
The Helix Highlanders' overachieving season ended with a turnover-laden loss to top-seeded Oceanside in last Friday's San Diego Section Division II championship game at Qualcomm Stadium. Many on the Helix sideline would like to forget the special teams nightmare than led to two Pirate touchdowns and Highlander quarterback Brandon Lewis would certainly like to forget interceptions that led to a pair of other Oceanside scores. But for the youthful Scotties, better memories appear on the horizon.

This year's 26-10 championship game loss was simply a training ground for future glory.

For the team’s allotment of seniors, just being there was something to cherish.

"We just wanted to play hard until the last minute," Helix senior center Jay Barlow said after the disappointing setback. "Everyone was down on us all year but we made it to CIF."

Troy Starr's squad, which featured 15 sophomore starters throughout the season, gave the Pirates, the top-ranked team in the San Diego Section, all it could handle. It took self-destruct mode on Helix's part for Oceanside (13-0) to record the championship victory -- the North County school's section-record sixth consecutive division title.

The Pirates have now won 38 straight games.

But if the spunky Highlanders' showing in this year's championship game is any indicator, that streak could end soon. Next year's Helix squad looks to be a bona fide powerhouse.

This year's team knocked heads with the best. The Scotties (9-5) took the opening kickoff 56 yards to lead 7-0 as Lewis found senior Sean Linton in the corner of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass to cap a lightning-quick six-play scoring drive.

Helix appeared totally undaunted by Oceanside's mystique. Jimmy Pruitt returned the opening kickoff 37 yards to set up the Highlanders’ opening drive. Lewis promptly passed 21 yards to Linton and a carry by sophomore Darrion Hancock took the ball down to the Oceanside 24-yard line. Another Hancock carry put the nose of the ball at the Pirate 14-yard line and the Helix offense kept coming. Lewis moved the ball to the 10-yard line before making the touchdown completion to Linton on third-and-six.

The Highlanders clicked offensively throughout the game. Hancock finished the game with 26 carries for 102 yards while Lewis completed 13 of 26 passes for 126 yards. Linton had four catches for 57 yards while junior tight end Sam Merideth had two catches for 29 yards.

Helix out-gained the powerful Pirates 216-131 in total offensive yards, holding Oceanside to just 66 rushing yards on 22 attempts.

But the East County squad's six turnovers proved costly in the game. The Pirates scored on all six miscues.

After forcing a punt on Oceanside's first possession, the Scotties handed the ball back to the Pirates on the first of two picks thrown in the game by Lewis Oceanside's game-tying touchdown came on a six-yard run by Jerry Whittaker after Whittaker had made the original interception.

The first quarter ended with the teams tied 7-7.

But the Pirates' defense turned the game completely around in a span of 2:12. First, Helix punter Vann Sabin fumbled a loose ball in the end zone after it had been snapped over his head. Instead of kicking the ball out of the end zone for a two-point safety, Sabin tried to pick up the loose ball and it met with disastrous results as Oceanside’s Devin Taverna recovered the ball for a touchdown. The Highlanders did get some measure of consolation when Ryan Salavera blocked the ensuing extra-point attempt to leave the Pirates with a 13-6 lead.

But the Oceanside advantage quickly became 19-7 when Taverna intercepted Lewis, this time returning the pick 46 yards for a score.

Having regrouped at halftime, the Scotties again went toe-to-toe with the five-time defending champions as Sabin redeemed himself with a 29-yard field goal in the third quarter to trim the Pirate lead to 19-10.

But a blocked punt and recovery in the end zone for a touchdown by Oceanside's Sam Niu in the fourth quarter ended any hope of a comeback by the Highlanders.

Incredibly, Oceanside went nearly the entire game generating only two first downs on offense. The final statistics had Helix with 16 first downs and the Pirates with five.

The game’s outcome was decided by both teams’ defense.

Oceanside coach John Carroll gave credit where it was due, calling the win "ugly."

"There are three paths to winning a football game: 1) offense, 2) defense and 3) special teams. Our offense has won games for us this year. Our defense has won games for us this year. Today, special teams won this game for us. It doesn’t matter how you win a game. What matters is that you win the game.”

The teams were meeting in the division finals for the sixth time in nine years. For the Highlanders, it was their sixth appearance overall in the last eight CIF finals.

Said Helix’s Lewis: “Those mistakes hurt us. We just couldn’t keep from turning the ball over on offense.”

Said Oceanside’s Taverna: “Coach put us in position to make the plays and we made the plays.”

Extra points
The Pirates' season will extend one more week after defeating the Scotties when Oceanside received an invitation to play in its second state bowl championship game in as many years. The Pirates will battle Bellarmine Prep (14-0) from San Jose Friday, Dec. 18, at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

Oceanside defeated Novato, 28-14, two years ago in the inaugural state bowl game, winning the Division II title. Cathedral Catholic pushed San Diego's winning streak in the Division II state championship game to 2-0 last year.

This year, San Diego has the chance to make it four titles in a row as Francis Parker (11-2) also qualified to play in the bowl state championships. Francis Parker will play for the Small Schools state title after defeating Bishop's, 55-20, in last Friday's Division V section final at the Q. The Lancers will tackle undefeated Modesto Christian (14-0), also Friday at the Home Depot Center.

SWC Mud Bowl a fitting title tribute for Division IV final

CHULA VISTA, Dec. 12, 2009 -- It’s a shame Saturday’s San Diego Section Division IV championship football game at Southwestern College was not on television because viewers would have been treated to a spectacular show: the quagmire of a field at DeVore Stadium that covered players with mud after the first quarter and the imposing sight of Mission Bay senior Dillon Baxter doing what he does best — break records.

Baxter set a new section single-season rushing record by rushing for 384 yards on 29 carries to give him 2,974 yards this season, surpassing the previous record of 2, 866 yards set last year in 14 games by former Cathedral Catholic standout Tyler Gaffney, the 2008 Silver Pigskin Award winner. Baxter scored seven touchdowns in the Bucs’ 48-17 championship game victory over the two-time defending Valley Center Jaguars to equal a section record.

If Baxter doesn’t win honors as this year’s Silver Pigskin Award recipient, the voting is rigged.

The USC-bound Baxter scored all seven Mission Bay touchdowns. The only blemish on the scoreboard for the Bucs’ was a blocked extra-point attempt after a Baxter TD run in the second half.

Baxter entered the game already owning new state records for most combined touchdowns in one season and most combined points. He added to those marks with his whirlwind performance in Saturday’s championship tilt.

The game was a tribute to Baxter and his teammates — and a long-awaited CIF title for Mission Bay coach Willie Matson. The Bucs had been here before in Baxter’s career but had never won a championship.

Mission Bay led 28-3 at halftime.

After two drenching storms that had passed through the county earlier in the week and another storm in the process of arriving, the field conditions at SWC were deplorable with mud seeping through thinning patches of grass on the field to mud holes on the side line. Areas of standing water greeted intrepid interlopers in the end zones.

The sloppy conditions worked to Baxter’s advantage and offered fans a look at old-time football when coming up with a mouthful of sod was considered a badge of honor. At times the game looked like a rugby match as tackles swarmed in for a stop. The Marines would have loved to have a tape of the game to use as a recruiting tool.

For the players, it had to be total fun.

Baxter scored the game’s opening touchdown on a six-yard run and the first quarter ended 7-3 in the Bucs’ favor after a field goal by Valley Center’s David Last. But the Jags were never in the game after that.

Baxter scored three touchdowns in the second quarter to allow his team to pull away on the scoreboard. His 21-yard run put his team ahead 14-3 and a 58-yard interception return by Dorian Howard set up Baxter’s third TD — a nine-yard run.
21-3.

Valley Center, its stingy defense shredded by Baxter’s shiftiness, relied on its ground game and senior standout Stanton Upson in an attempt to try to get back into the game. Good try but not on this damp night.

The Jags methodically drove — no, make that bulled their way — to the Mission Bay eight-yard line in the final minute of play in the first half. Upson had nearly every carry, diving, flying and performing cart-wheels as he was tackled on each play. He has to be the most fearless player in the section. His antics were just as entertaining as those of Baxter.

Upson, who wore the muddiest shirt on the field, finished the game with 253 yards on 48 carries. But he was denied a potential touchdown when the ball was fumbled in the muck at the MB eight-yard line. Baxter punished VC on the very next play when he veered left and bolted 92 yards down the Valley Center sideline for a touchdown with 52 seconds left before intermission.

Baxter flashed his speed on the precarious footing for three touchdowns in the second half. It didn’t matter where the Bucs set up on the field: Baxter proved he could score from anywhere. His 87-yard breakaway run down the hosts’ sideline on the first play of the second half made the score 35-3. A one-yard run later in the quarter gave Mission Bay a 41-3 edge. Valley Center strung a pair of touchdowns together to leave the South Bay with some measure of respect. Quarterback Bo Reilly fired a scoring pass to Tyler Bernard in the third quarter and later hit Patrick Preston on a pass play in the fourth quarter to trim the Bucs’ lead to 41-17.

But Baxter wasn’t quite done, leaving the sizable crowd with more memories during a perfect 13-0 season with a 46-yard sideline jaunt for the game’s final score.

The elements and individual talent assembled on the field combined for one of the most memorable high school football games ever played at SWC — the legendary Holy Bowl matchups between the Saints and Dons included.

Week 14 in Review
San Diego Section Playoffs
Titan pigskinners enjoy their finest hour
#2 Eastlake downs #3 Escondido in Division I semifinals; CIF finals next

Finals preview
If the Titans wish to end their season on a championship note, they will have to chase away any butterflies once they step onto the Qualcomm Stadium turf. The Panthers are not to be taken lightly, especially after ending defending Division I champion La Costa Canyon’s unbeaten streak at 20 games with their 40-point semifinal victory.

The Panthers are averaging 226 rushing yards per game and 117 passing yards per game. Jordan Alexander is averaging 118 rushing yards per game. He scored once in the triumph over the previously unbeaten Mavericks while gaining 132 yards on 20 carries. Shakeel Marshall scored Vista’s final two TDs against LCC, including an icing-on-the-cake 78-yard jaunt to the end zone. Joseph McFadden and Christian Gallardi also scored on touchdown runs while Stefan McClure deposited a 34-yard touchdown pass into the arms of Troy Ware. Larry East opened the game with a 28-yard field goal and supplied five PAT conversions thereafter.

The Panthers scored five unanswered touchdowns to make the semifinal match-up a rout, racking up 504 offensive yards while holding the Mavs to 201 total yards. Vista coach Danny Williams called the resounding victory a “complete game.”

“They play physical and fly around (on defense),” McFadden said. “They have progressed and gotten better offensively as the season has gone on. We’ll try to find and take advantage of their weaknesses.”

The Panthers will have to do the same for an Eastlake team that has to rank as one of the school’s best-ever in terms of offensive and defensive balance. The Titans have out-scored their 12 opponents 443-148 this season. The reigning Mesa League champions are averaging 37 points on offense and are giving up an average of 12 points on defense.

Jefferson leads the Titans with 1,951 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns while Diaz has piled up 665 rushing yards to go with 12 TDs. Jefferson is averaging 163 rushing yards per game and nine yards per carry. Diaz is averaging 55 rushing yards per game and has made 20 catches for 448 yards.

Chris Fletcher is the team’s multi-dimensional threat with 479 rushing yards and 491 receiving yards to go with 14 touchdowns.
Quarterback D’Angelo Barksdale, who threw four touchdown passes in Eastlake’s 42-7 quarterfinal-round victory over El Camino, has thrown for 1,949 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Ten players have scored touchdowns this year for Eastlake. Bannon, Fernando Cabico, Jordan Hines and Travis Gardner each have two touchdowns while Rangel, Georgy Zhebroilov and Graves each have scored once this season. Urrutia has kicked 53 extra-point conversions and three field goals.

Bannon leads the Titans with five interceptions, followed by Fletcher with four picks. Vega and Zhebroilov each have a team-leading eight sacks. Cellery leads the team with 109 tackles, followed by Mendillo with 108 stops.

Eastlake has been a second-half team all season but a fast start might settle the jitters in what expects to be a wide-eyed situation.
An on-campus prep rally is scheduled Friday.

Helix, by gosh, advances to CIF title game
Highlanders meet top-seeded Oceanside in Division II final

During a passing tournament in July, Helix football coach Troy Starr pointed to the future for his young team, which was returning just three starters from the previous season’s squad that had placed runner-up in the San Diego Section Division II championship game. He said his team was taking aim at returning to glory in 2010 but that his hope was that his sophomore-laden squad would “make some noise” in this year’s section playoffs.

The Highlanders (9-4) have performed a veritable symphony in winning three playoff games to reach the division championship game once again.

Yes, as improbable as it might have seemed in July — or even in mid-October — the Scotties are back at Qualcomm Stadium facing a familiar foe: the top-seeded Oceanside Pirates (12-0).

Kick-off for Friday’s Division II title game is 4:30 p.m.

The Pirates are not a surprise finalist after holding the section’s No. 1 ranking throughout the season. Oceanside won a state championship two years ago and, with a victory over Helix, could be headed back to the Home Depot Center in Carson for a repeat appearance. The Highlanders have to be proud to find themselves where they are. Their goal will be to “make some noise” in the championship game and thereby leave a calling card for next season — and the one after that.

Are the Pirates, winners of five consecutive division championship titles, invincible? The Scotties will do their best to prove they aren’t and, in the process, make amends for last year’s 23-19 finals loss.

Helix put this whirlwind in motion by defeating sixth-seeded Scripps Ranch, 17-6, in last Friday’s semifinals. The playoff game was the second in a row on the road for the Highlanders, who entered the divisional draw seeded seventh and upset second-seeded Valhalla in the quarterfinals. The Falcons upset third-seeded Lincoln in the quarterfinals to earn the home field advantage against Starr’s team.

The Scotties proved they were a team of destiny no matter where they had to play after Darrion Hancock scored on a four-yard run, Jimmy Pruitt returned an intercepted pass 58 yards for a touchdown and Vann Sabin kicked a 25-yard field goal.

Helix led 14-0 at halftime.

While the team’s youngsters continued to excel on offense, the Highlander seniors have risen to the occasion in the playoffs. The Scotties held Oklahoma-bound Brennan Clay, one of six players up for this year’s Silver Pigskin Award (emblematic of the San Diego Section Player of the Year), to 73 rushing yards and one touchdown.

Clay scored on a one-yard run in the third quarter to trim the visitors’ lead to 14-6. Sabin tacked on an insurance field goal in the fourth quarter.

Oceanside advanced to the title game with a 28-7 victory over fourth-seeded Mission Hills (9-3) as Jake Fely scored two touchdowns, Quentis Clark connected with Demario Coleman on a 48-yard pass play and King Holder scored on a 15-yard run.

The Pirates have spread out their offense over the course of the season. Four players have thrown passes while 15 players have recorded carries from the back field. Oceanside’s receiving depth chart includes eight players who have caught passes.

Overall, the Pirates have out-scored opponents 467-87 and are averaging 322 yards in total offense per game. Clark averaged 206.5 passing yards per game during the regular season with 15 touchdowns while primary rushing duties were divided between five players: Rene Siluano (394 yards, five touchdowns), Jerry Whitaker (360 yards, nine TDs), Noah Tarrant (239 yards, four TDs), Holder (225 yards, six TDs) and Coleman (205 yards, seven TDs).

Thomas Molesi keyed Oceanside with four sacks during the regular season while Holder and Devin Taverna each had two picks. T.J. Sunia is averaging 13 tackles per game to lead the Pirates’ defense.

The Highlanders, meanwhile, possess a 326-298 scoring edge.

Hancock, who has given Helix a new jump-start in the latter weeks of the season, has rushed for 390 yards in five games and scored three touchdowns. He is averaging 78 yards per game and 6.8 yards per carry. In 12 games, Chris Hunter has rushed for 646 yards and scored three TDs.

The Highlanders have utilized three quarterbacks this season: Jake Reed, Pruitt and Brandon Lewis. Reed, who appears sidelined by injury, rushed for 431 yards, scored six touchdowns and threw for 1,691 yards and 15 TDs in 10 games. Pruitt, the team’s second-string signal-caller, has rushed for 327 yards and scored five touchdowns.

Lewis, the team’s third-string QB, led the Scotties to their final touchdown in an opening round 18-17 playoff victory over visiting Westview. He also played in the Highlanders' next two post-season contests, finishing with 104 passing yards aginast the Falcons.

Hancock led the Higthlanders with 101 rushing yards against Scripps Ranch.

Austin Gonzalez leads Helix's receivers with 43 catches for 734 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games. Cameron Lee has 38 catc hes while amassing 504 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, while Sean Linton has 34 catches for 565 yards and four touchdowns. Raymont Nailon has 18 catches for 126 yards in a support role.

Reed, while he served as the team’s starting quarterback, tacked on 12 extra-point kicks and two field goals to lead the Scotties in scoring with 54 points. Pruitt has scored nine touchdowns. Defensively, he owns a team-leading three interceptions — two of which have gone for TD returns.

Ryan Salavea keyed the Helix defense with 10 tackles against the Falcons; as a team, the Highlanders netted three interceptions against Scripps Ranch.

Semifinal exits
Steele Canyon, seeded seventh in the Division III field, was poised to advance to Friday’s finals after holding a 26-23 lead on the third-seeded Point Loma Pointers entering the fourth quarter. Alex Perlin keyed the Cougars with two touchdowns and 102 rushing yards while quarterback Brad Boehmke threw a 70-yard scoring pass to Cody Simpson for the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.

But Morris Mathews scored his second touchdown of the game on a 12-yard run early in the fourth quarter to put Point Loma over (9-3) the top with what proved to be the game-winning touchdown.

Steele Canyon , which finished the season 8-4-1, trailed 16-13 at halftime after scoring the game's opening touchdown. Reece Dale scored the Cougars' second TD of the game on a 43-yard run in the second quarter for a temporary 13-7 lead. Perlin's second touchdown of the game put Steele Canyon up, 20-16, in the third quarter.

Leslie Rogers, the Pointers' breakaway rushing threat, gained 126 yards and was held to just one TD. But Point Loma had other weapons at its disposal: Keegan Fitzgerald tossed a 74-yard scoring pass to David Callejon and Ruben Diaz kicked a 38-yard field goal with three seconds left in the first half to break a 13-13 deadlock.

Perlin finished the season with 1,544 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns.

The finals appearance is the fourth in fifth years for the Pointers, who will face top-seedeed (and defending state champion) Cathedral Catholic (11-1). Kick-off is 1 p.m. Friday at the Q.

Christian, seeded second in the Division V field, missed the extra-point conversion on its fourth touchdown of last Friday’s semifinal game against third-seeded Bishop’s to fall 28-27. The Patriots had played catch-up most of the game after falling behind by scores of 14-7 and 28-14 to a Knights team they had previously defeated 21-7 in Coastal League play.

Steven Pitts led Christian (7-5) with 163 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He scored the Pats' two TDs in the fourth quarter. But it wasn't enough when the PAT attempt misfield, leaving Bishop's with a one-point lead with 3:05 left in the contest.

But there would be no overtime.

Pitts narrowed the Knights' lead to 28-21 on a 16-yard scoring run and then caught a 34-yard scoring pass from Erick Allen, who finished the game with 184 passing yards, to position the Pats for a possible 28-28 tie. Pitts' first TD -- scored on a 70-yard run -- tied the teams 7-7 in the first quarter.

The Division V title game, scheduled for a 10 a.m. start Friday at Qualcomm Stadium, is a rematch of last year's championship game won by Francis Parker (10-2).

Bishop's eliminated Christian in last year's semifinals.

Division IV final at SWC to spotlight Dillon Baxter show

South Bay fans will be in for an added bonus when the San Diego Section Division IV championship game kicks off Saturday at Southwestern College. Leading top-seeded Mission Bay (12-0) against second-seeded (and two-time defending division champion) Valley Center (11-1) is senior quarterback Dillon Baxter, a leading candidate for national player of the year honors.

Start time is 7 p.m.

Baxter, who has committed to USC, will participate along with Eastlake’s Tony Jefferson in January’s U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas. They are the only two San Diego region players named to the West squad. Perhaps not surprisingly, both players have led their respective teams to the section finals.

Baxter set a state single-season record in the Bucs’ 58-42 semifinal victory against fourth-seeded Santa Fe Christian (10-2) last Friday with 70 combined touchdowns (passing, rushing, receiving and defensive). Baxter rushed for three scores, threw for two more and caught a 28-yard scoring pass. He finished the game with 270 passing yards and 185 rushing yards.

The week before in a 56-17 quarterfinal-round win against eighth-seeded Coronado, Baxter rushed for six touchdowns, including a 75-yard jaunt.

For the season, Baxter has rushed for 2,590 yards and 43 touchdowns and passed for 1,922 yards with 25 touchdowns. He has one receiving TD and one punt return for a touchdown. On defense, he has two interceptions and one blocked field goal.

Baxter scored all of his team’s points (five touchdowns and three extra-point conversions) in a season-opening 33-14 win against Madison. He totaled 36 points in the quarterfinal victory over the Islanders.

He is averaging 376 total offensive yards per game — 216 rushing yards per game and 160 passing yards per game. As a team, Mission Bay is averaging 473 offensive yards per game and 46 points per game.

Valley Center, which defeated third-seeded Madison (10-2) by a 16-6 score in the semifinals, is led by Stanton Upson (177 rushing yards per game) and quarterback Beau Reilly (133 passing yards per game).

Upson scored on a one-yard run and David Last kicked three field goals for the winning margin over the Warhawks. Upson rushed for 226 yards and scored four TDs in a 49-6 quarterfinal victory against La Jolla.

The Jaguars’ strength is on the defensive side with just 140 points allowed in 12 games — an average of 12 points per contest. That will be tested against the high-scoring Bucs.

Week 13 in Review
San Diego Section Playoffs
Titans are terrific in 42-7 playoff win
#2 Eastlake draws #3 Escondido in Division I semifinals

Eastlake quarterback D’Angelo Barksdale completed nine of 12 passing attempts for 240 yards and four touchdowns to help pace the second-seeded Titans (9-0-2) past the 10th-seeded Wildcats (4-8).

Jefferson rushed 25 times for 290 yards and scored once to lead the Eastlake rushing attack.

The Titans finished the game with 594 yards in total offense.

A repeat performance will be required in Friday’s semifinal match-up against the visiting Escondido Cougars (8-2-1) if Eastlake has any designs of reaching the prep pigskin promised land: the CIF championship game.

This is the fourth consecutive season that the Titans have advanced to the semifinals. Eastlake will be hosting its third consecutive semifinal game.

All previous efforts have come up short, leading one to wonder whether this year the four-time defending Mesa League champions finally have what it takes to put them over the edge.

Kick-off for Friday’s climactic clash is 7 p.m.

"This doesn't happen very often," McFadden said of the string of CIF semifinal appearances. "It's a badge of honor. It's not where we want to end our season, though. We want to get to the stadium and finish off the season the right way."

Barksdale has passed for 1,914 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. The yardage total may be a school record, pending verification.

Daniel Diaz caught two TD passes while Chris Fletcher grabbed the other two.

Diaz finished the game with four receptions for 140 yards, including a 60-yard gainer. Fletcher, who returned to the lineup after sitting out the team’s regular season finale with an injury, had two catches for 36 yards, including one 23-yard reception. Travis Gardner had two grabs for 57 yards, including one that went for a 34-yard gain.

Once out in the open, the Titans blew past the El Camino secondary.

Jefferson ripped off one 50-yard gainer.

Eastlake led 14-0 after the first quarter as Barksdale connected with Diaz on a 10-yard scoring pass and then hooked up with Fletcher on a 13-yard TD strike.

The Titans had found themselves in a 14-0 hole against Mesa League rival Chula Vista in the league championship game on Nov. 13 before righting themselves with 28 unanswered points to finish regular season play undefeated in 10 games.

The Wildcats were coming off a 31-7 pasting of that same Chula Vista team in the opening round of the playoffs on Nov. 20. Eastlake obviously was determined not to have a replay of the regular season finale cloud the team’s playoff fortunes.

The Titans started fast and never slowed down.

Eastlake led 21-0 on a 36-yard end zone scamper by Jefferson before El Camino finally got on the scoreboard in the second quarter on a two-yard run by xx Daris. The Titans closed out the game with 21 unanswered points.

Diaz raced 50 yards on a breakaway catch-and-carry down the visitors’ sideline in the third quarter after Fletcher had scored on a pass play to give the hosts back their three-touchdown lead. Jordan Hines closed out scoring in the game on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Kicker Marcelo Urruita finished the game with six extra-point convesions.

The Titan defense flexed its collective muscle, led as usual by Matt Cellery (11 tackles), Marcus Mendillo (eight tackles, seven solo stops) and Eddie Vega (seven tackles). Eastlake recorded three sacks — one each by Vega, Cellery and Jacob Desoto.

It was total war.

"The team executed well -- at all levels," McFadden said. "D'Angelo was just great and Tony kind of took it upon his shoulders. Defensively, we stuffed them pretty good."

The Titans will have to be on their toes when they face run-happy Escondido. The Cougars are led by Ricky Seale, the section’s all-time career rushing leader with more than 6,000 yards. Seale rushed for 255 yards and scored four touchdowns in last Friday’s 47-21 quarterfinal victory over visiting Mira Mesa (7-5). Tim Zier added 120 yards and one TD.

For the season, Seale has rushed for 2,418 yards and scored 35 touchdowns while Zier has rushed for 869 yards and scored 13 TDs. Seale is averaging 220 yards per game. The run appears to be where it's at for the Cougars, who are averaging 353.5 rushing yards per compared to just 39.5 passing yards per game.

"Escondido is a very, very good team," McFadden said in a cautionary tone. "We're going to have to stop their running game because that is what they like to do. If we execute like we did on offense against El Camino, we'll be OK."

Eastlake counters with its own potent running game. Jefferson has rushed for 1,711 yards and leads the Titans with 21 touchdowns. He is averaging 8.9 yards per carry. Diaz has gained 557 yards and caught 19 passes for 438 yards for 995 total offensive yards to go with six touchdowns. Fletcher has 21 catches for 491 yards and has rushed for 452 yards for 943 total offensive yards to go with seven TDs.

Gardner has nine catches for 230 yards while Hines has caught 11 passes for 205 yards. Tight end Robert Graves has 10 catches for 170 yards.

Vega leads the Titan defense with seven sacks while Fletcher and Zach Bannon each lead the team with four picks. Cellery has 100 tackles on the season while Mendillo has 97 defensive stops. Emilio Rangel has 64 tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery.

Eastlake is averaging 471 offensive yards per game but will it be enough against an Escondido team that has designs of returning to the division championship game and avenging last year’s 45-28 loss to La Costa Canyon?

Or will the Titans enjoy their finest hour and make a historic journey to the Q with a school-record 10th victory?

It all comes down to one game: Friday against the Cougars. More than just preserving an undefeated season record will be at stake for the Titans.

"It's gong to be a battle," McFadden said. "We're going to have to show up (as a team)."

Eagles’ perfect season ends with 40-14 playoff loss
The Olympian Eagles’ 2009-10 football season will be remembered for years to come as the standard by which all future teams at the eastern Chula Vista school will be measured. The Eagles’ season of plenty ended with last Friday’s 40-14 San Diego Section Division IV quarterfinal-round playoff loss to fourth-seeded Santa Fe Christian at Torrey Pines High School.

But the accomplishments of an 11-1 season will not be erased anytime soon from the team’s collective memory.

Yes, the Eagles, despite sporting an 11-0 record, discovered there were better teams out there. Santa Fe Christian (10-1) racked up a 30-0 lead, before fifth-seeded Olympian got on the scoreboard in the third quarter, and led 40-7 before the Eagles scored their second touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Ryan Van Nostrand engineered both touchdowns for the reigning South Bay League champions with scoring passes to Eric Paranada and Dre Gibson. Paranada had a 46-yard TD reception while Gibson caught a 34-yard TD pass.

Keaton Giannotti rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another to lead SFC, also nicknamed the Eagles. Kurt Luedtke and Sam Hoekstra also scored touchdowns while Matt Kirwan kicked a pair of field goals. Hoekstra, who gained 118 yards on 12 carries, scored on an 82-yard breakaway run to make the score 24-0.

SFC led 17-0 at halftime after the teams had battled to a scoreless first quarter.

The Eagles advance to Friday’s semifinal showdown against top-seeded Mission Bay (11-0), with the winner advancing to the division championship game Dec. 12 at Southwestern College. Second-seeded Valley Center (10-1) will host third-seeded Madison (10-1) in Friday’s other semifinal match-up.

East County football teams take it to the next level
Christian, Helix, Steele Canyon advance to CIF semifinals

The San Diego Section playoff field has been reduced to one-third of its original size heading into the semifinal-round and three of the 10 East County teams that started their post-season odyssey remain in the hunt for a CIF divisional championship title.

The Helix Highlanders, despite being seeded seventh in this year's Division II field, returned to familiar territory with a 24-20 upset win over the second-seeded Valhalla Norsemen in last Friday's quarterfinals while seventh-seeded Steele Canyon also pulled off an upset by dealing second-seeded Ramona a 49-14 setback in a Division III match-up. Also still alive in the playoffs are the second-seeded Christian Patriots after topping Horizon Christian, 51-35, in the Division V quarterfinals..

All semifinal contests are Friday, Dec. 4, with winners advancing to division championship games the following week. Christian will host third-seeded Bishop's in a battle of 7-4 Coastal League foes while both Helix (8-4) and Steele Canyon (8-3-1) will test their post-season fortunes on the road. Helix will play at sixth-seeded Scripps Ranch (7-5) in a match-up of upstart squads while Steele Canyon will pair up against third-seeded Point Loma (8-3).

All games kick off at 7 p.m.

Grossmont (Division II), El Capitan (Division III), Mt. Miguel (Division III) and Foothills Christian (Division V) all saw their playoff runs ended with quarterfinal losses.

Go green
The Highlanders and Oceanside Pirates have met in five Division II championship games in the past eight years and another match-up could be in the making after Helix’s 24-20 upset victory over Valhalla. The youthful Highlanders, with two playoff wins now under their treads, will test Scripps Ranch in the semifinals, with the victor advancing to meet either top-seeded Oceanside (11-0) or fourth-seeded Mission Hills (9-2) in the division championship game Dec. 11 at Qualcomm Stadium.

Oceanside topped eighth-seeded Mt. Carmel, 38-14, in last Friday’s quarterfinals while Mission Hills eliminated 12th-seeded Grossmont 35-7. Scripps Ranch scored a 30-27 upset win at third-seeded Lincoln in quarterfinal-round action to further jumble the division playoff bracket.

The Norsemen had claimed a 28-14 victory over Helix en route to claiming their first-ever Grossmont South League title. But host Valhalla never could maintain any lengthy momentum in the rematch. Instead, the powerful Norsemen were forced into playing catch-up throughout the contest.

The Highlanders, playing with 15 sophomore starters, including reserve quarterback Brandon Lewis, scored the first touchdown on a 12-yard run by Darrion Hancock to lead 7-0. Valhalla matched that early Helix score on a nine-yard TD pass from quarterback Pete Thomas to James Leighton and the teams were tied 7-7 after the first quarter.

But the Scotties took a 14-13 halftime lead as Lewis reached the end zone on a four-yard run to stake the visitors to a 14-7 lead and the Norsemen countered with a 13-yard touchdown run by Traivonne Brown. The extra-point conversion, however, failed to leave Helix with a one-point advantage on the scoreboard.

The Highlander edge became four points after a 28-yard field goal by Vann Sabin in the third quarter and then 10 points after Sam Meredith hauled in a six-yard scoring pass from Lewis in the fourth quarter.

Valhalla got the touchdown back on a breakaway 67-yard scoring run by Brown but could not complete a comeback, falling by four points.

The Helix defense proved the difference, especially in the second half. Thomas, who ended his high school career with 7,505 passing yards and 60 touchdowns, was held to 14e yards and one touchdown by the Highlander defense.

Both the Highlanders (Division II) and Norsemen (Division III) reached the CIF finals last year, with Helix falling by a 23-19 score to Oceanside in one of the most exciting championship games of the last decade while Valhalla dropped a 49-13 title round decision to eventual state champion Cathedral Catholic. However, the Norsemen moved up to the Division II enrollment level this season, leaving room for only one of the teams to advance.

Valhalla ended a phenomenal two-year run into the school history books after finishing second in the CIF finals last year and winning a league title this year.

Men of Steele
With three playoff wins now over the Ramona Bulldogs, one might think that the Steele Canyon Cougars have Ramona’s number. The Bulldogs were seeded second this year and the Cougars seventh but that didn’t seem to intimidate coach Ron Boehmke’s squad as the visitors raced to a 21-7 halftime lead and racked up a lethal 28-7 scoring edge in the second half.

Alex Perlin led Steele Canyon with five touchdowns to tie a school record previously held by Jamie Dale (set in 2007). Perlin amassed 220 rushing yards while also contributing a sack on defense that knocked Ramona quarterback Erick Ernst from the game. On the defensive play, Perlin's hit contributed to an interception by teammate Taylor Mishler.

Cody Simpson caught a 40-yard scoring pass from Cougar quarterback Brad Boehmke to tie the game at 7-7 and visiting Steele Canyon took a 21-7 halftime lead on a pair of Perlin TDs in the closing minutes of the second quarter. Perlin scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 76-yard run. He later scored on a 70-yard run in the second half.

Colin Martin rounded out the game's scoring on a 15-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Brandon Watson recovered a fumble to negate Ramona's opening drive that had reached the Steele Canyon one-yard line while Teddy Cothron made two interceptions.

Ryan Morgan rushed for 213 yards to lead Ramona, scoring on runs of 40 and 34 yards.

The Cougars, who amassed more than 450 total offensive yards against the Bulldogs, will be facing a Falcon team that stunned Lincoln on two one-yard runs by University of Oklahoma-bound Brennan Clay, three field goals by Nick Sloan and an 80-yard blocked field goal run-back for a score by Todd Herrod. Scripps Ranch had previously lost, 42-7, to the Hornets in Eastern League play. Clay is a multi-dimensional offensive force with 1,488 rushing yards, 1,055 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns.

Comeback kids
After the division seedings were announced, the second-seeded Christian Patriots appeared to catch a break with a pair of match-ups against Coastal League foes looming ahead in their quest to reach to the division championship game. The Patriots appear right on course aafter defeating the seventh-seeded Horizon Christian Panthers, 51-35, in last Friday’s quarterfinals. Next up: the third-seeded Bishop's Knights (7-5).

Christian previously defeated Horizon, 28-7, in league play but the Panthers shocked the hosts by scoring the opening two touchdowns in the teams' playoff battle. But the Pats had an answer for that: four unanswered touchdowns and a 31-21 halftime lead.

Quarterback Erick Allen led Christian with three rushing touchdowns and also passed for one score while Steven Pitts racked up 153 rushing yards and scored on runs of 31 and 25 yards. Malcolm Murphy scored on a one-yard run and Michael Gruber kicked a 36-yard field goal to round out scoring for the victors.

Allen, who did not start the season for the Pats, scored on runs of one and five yards and threw a nine-yard scoring pass to Shane Dillon, who had taken over quarterbacking duties at the beginning of the season.

Christian rolled up more than 340 rushing yards and more than 380 yards in total offense.

Nate McLaurin keyed the Panthers with two touchdowns while Markel Byrd tossed 29-yard scoirng pass to Weston Stutz and a five-yard TD pass to Bishieff Jones.

Bishop's eliminated Foothills Christian, 22-7, in the quarterfinals as Alec Fisher scored on runs of 14 and 79 yards, Kyle Gantz kicked a 17-yard field goal and Ribbie Steifer scored on a 62-yard interception return.

Fisher rushed for 213 yards and also made 15 tackles and had one interception on defense.

Foothills Christian (7-5) scored the opening touchdown of the game and led 7-3 at halftime before Bishop's closed out the second half with 19 points.

Foothills quarterback Garrett Campbell finished his senior season with 1,152 rushing yards and 1,271 passing yards with 12 touchdown passes. He scored a total of 107 points on 14 touchdowns, 23 extra-point kicks, two two-point conversions and one field goal. He rushed for 107 yards, passed for 75 and had 10 tackles and one sack on defense in the playoff loss.

Christian previously defeated Bishop's, 21-7, in league play on Nov. 6.

Quarterfinal exits
Mt. Miguel (8-3-1) appeared headed for a Division III semifinal showdown against GSL rival Steele Canyon, holding a 35-28 lead over Point Loma in the fourth quarter, before Leslie Rogers scored the final two touchdowns to lift the Pointers to a 42-35 quarterfinal win. Rogers, who had been sidelined half of the season because of a blood clot, rushed for 171 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead Point Loma's comeback victory.

Matador quarterback A.J. Stanford rushed for two touchdowns and threw two scoring passes while Derall Hunter scored on a 41-yard run. Mt. Miguel initially trailed 14-0 before running off three unanswered touchdowns, with Stanford hitting Hosea Tate (22 yards) and Bryant Mitchell (14 yards) on scoring passes after scoring the Matadors' first touchdown on a one-yard run.

But the Pointers retaliated with a pair of touchdowns of their own to go ahead 28-21 in the third quarter. Then it was Mt. Miguel's turn to turn the tables by grabbing the momentum -- and a seven-point lead -- on two unanswered scores, including a 28-yard scamper by Stanford and Hunter's TD bolt.

However, the fourth-quarter dramatics were reserved for Rogers, who scored on runs of 15 and 56 yards to blunt the Matadors' upset bid.

Hunter, Mt. Miguel's all-time school-record rushing leader, rushed for 176 yards but was held to just one touchdown. He finished the season with 2,090 rushing yards and 33 TDs. Stanford, meanwhile, passed for 190 yards in a standout performance.

Keegan Fitzgerald rushed for one touchdown and passed for another while Jordan Sparkman returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown to complement Rogers' three TDs for Point Loma. Rogers' first touchdown came on a 68-yard run in the third quarter.

El Capitan ended its season with a 7-5 mark after falling to top-seeded (and defending state champion) Cathedral Catholic, 27-6, in last Friday's quarterfinals. The Vaqueros trailed 20-0 before James Gallivan set up the Vaqs' lone touchdown of the game on a 66-yard interception return deep into Cathedral territory. The pick was Gallivan's ninth this season.

The Dons' defense was too much to overcome for the Grossmont North League champions, who were held to less than 100 yards in total offense. QB Mark Scharfenberg was picked off three times.

Cathedral has won 31 of its last 32 games, including two section titles and a state championship.

Grossmont ended its season 6-6 after bowing out of the Division II playoffs. The Grizzlies led 35-0 before the Foothillers closed out scoring in the quarterfinal game on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter by quarterback Tyler Mutter.

Mutter passed for 194 yards but was sacked four times and intercepted twice by Mission Hills defenders.

Breaking News
CIF semifinal pairings set
Posted Nov. 28, 2009
The original playoff field has been cut to one-third its original 60-team complement as semifinal pairings are set in all five of the San Diego Section enrollment divisions. Four lower-seeded teams pulled off upsets in the first round and the second-round of playoff action saw four more lower-seeded teams claim victories. While all top-seeded teams remain in contention for championships, that could take a U-turn in the semifinals with one of the most competitive playoff fields assembled in recent memory.

Division I Recaps
Top-seeded La Costa Canyon (11-0), second-seeded Eastlake (9-0-2), third-seeded Escondido (8-2-1) and fourth-seeded Vista (9-2) all recorded home field victories after first-round byes. LCC ground out a gritty 21-7 win against Avocado League rival Torrey Pines (5-6-1) while Mesa League champion Eastlake tied a school record for victories in one season with a dominating 42-7 victory against upset-minded El Camino (4-8). Escondido held off Eastern League co-champion Mira Mesa, 47-21, while Palomar League champion Vista thwarted Fallbrook's upset bid with a 27-7 win.

Escondido 47, Mira Mesa 21
Section rushing king Ricky Seale gained 255 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead the Cougars to a semifinal match-up against Eastlake. Seale, set a section career rushing record by eclipsing Cathedral Catholic's Demetrius Sumler's 5,650 career yardage total with more than 6,000 yards, promptly staked Escondido to a 14-0 lead against the Marauders on scoring runs of 29 and one yard. Damien Williams answered for Mira Mesa (7-5) with a 75-yard TD run but Seale allowed the Cougars to keep their 14-point cushion with a seven-yard touchdown run. Williams once again narrowed the hosts' lead to a touchdown by returning a kick-off 80 yards for a touchdown. But once again, Escondido was able to respond in kind with a touchdown as Cruz Navarro passed 19 yards to Bubba Novis as the hosts maintained a 28-14 lead. Williams trimmed the Cougar advantage to a touchdown, 28-21, at halftime after scoring on a 57-yard pass from Dominic Richardson.

But that would be it for the sixth-seeded Marauders' explosive offense. The second half would be all Escondido, as the hosts scored 19 more unanswered points to secure the quarterfinal-round victory. Tim Zier, who rushed for 120 yards, scored twice -- the first on a one-yard run and the second on a 30-yard gallop into the end zone. Seale found time to score his fourth TD of the contest between Zier's two scores on a 37-yard scamper. For the season, Seale has rushed for 2,418 yards and scored 35 touchdowns while Zier has rushed for 869 yards and scored 13 TDs. Seale is averaging 220 yards per game while Zier is averaging 79 yards per game. The run appears to be where it's at for the Cougars. As a team, Escondido is averaging 353.5 rushing yards per game but only 39.5 passing yards per game.

A win over Eastlake will return the Cougars to the division championship game where they would like to make amends for last year's 45-28 loss to La Costa Canyon.

Williams entered the game against Escondido with 2,287 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns. However, the Marauders were overpowered by Escondido's 415 rushing yards in the game and 489 total offensive yards in the game.

La Costa Canyon 21, Torrey Pines 7
The top-seeded Mavs kicked off defense of their championship title as quarterback Garrett Krstich scored the final two touchdowns of the game to break a 7-7 deadlock. LCC drew first blood on a five-yard run by Ronnie Crouse but the visiting Falcons tied the score on a one-yard run by signal-caller John Cabot. The teams were even at 7-all after the first quarter of play but the hosts took a 14-7 halftime lead on the first of Krstich's two rushing scores in the contest, a one-yard run. The Mavs posted the only points of the second half on a five-yard scoring run by Krstich. The LCC "Gang Green" defense was led by Paul Quessenberry's four sacks.

Krstich entered the game with 1,309 passing yards and nine touchdowns. Stills entered the game with 914 yards and 10 TDs and set a new section career receiving record in the game with nine catches for 107 yards to push his career total to 2,952 (breaking the year-old mark of 2,930 held by Valley Center's James Johnson).

LCC is averaging 252 rushing yards per game and 165 passing yards per game -- 417 total yards per game in offense. Seth Hanson (99.8 rushing yards per game) leads the Mavs in team scoring with 21 touchdowns.

Week 12 in Review
First-Round CIF Playoffs
Eight East County teams remain in hunt for playoff glory

Posted Nov. 22
Eight of the 10 East County high school football teams that qualified for this year's San Diego Section divisional playoffs remain in the championship hunt heading into this weekend's quarterfinal-round. Of the eight teams that kicked off first-round play on Nov. 20, six were victorious to advance to the next round.

All quarterfinal-round match-ups are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 27, starting at 7 p.m.

Valhalla, seeded second in the Division II field, will host seventh-seeded Helix (7-4) after the Highlanders engineered a dramatic come-from-behind 18-17 first-round victory against visiting Westview (3-8). The Norsemen are 8-2 and previously defeated Helix, 28-14, en route to claiming this year's Grossmont South League championship title.

Christian, seeded second in the Division V field, will host seventh-seeded Horizon Christian (3-8) after the Panthers eliminated 10th-seeded Mountain Empire (6-5), 21-20, in a tight first-round contest. The Patriots are 6-4 and previously defeated Horizon, 28-7, in Coastal League play.

In another Division II quarterfinal game, 12th-seeded Grossmont (6-5) will travel to fourth-seeded Mission Hills (8-2) after upsetting fifth-seeded Bonita Vista (7-4) in comeback fashion, 17-14, in a first-round game played at Southwestern College.

All three East County entrants in the Division III field advanced. Reigning Grossmont North League champion El Capitan (7-4) will play at top-seeded Cathedral Catholic (9-1) after defeating ninth-seeded Brawley (8-3) by a 35-10 score while seventh-seeded Steele Canyon (7-3-1) will play at second-seeded Ramona (8-2) after recording a 28-20 come-from-behind victory over San Marcos (4-7). Sixth-seeded Mt. Miguel (8-2-1) will play at third-seeded Point Loma (7-3) at Mesa College after routing 11th-seeded Hoover (6-5) by a 45-14 score in first-round action.

In another Division V match-up, 11th-seeded Foothills Christian (7-4) will ride the momentum of the school's first-ever playoff win when it plays third-seeded Bishop's (6-4) at La Jolla High School.

Grossmont and Foothills Christian were among four lower-seeded teams to claim upset victories in the opening round of the playoffs. Joining the Foothillers and Knights with intrepid first-round playoff wins were 12th-seeded Fallbrook (7-6 over firth-seeded Rancho Bernardo) and 10th-seeded El Camino (31-7 over seventh-seeded Chula Vista), both in the Division I playoffs.

Ending their seasons in the opening round of this year's divisional playoffs were Mountain Empire and Santana. The Sultans entered the Division IV playoffs with a 2-8 record and lost, 45-7, to the fifth-seeded Olympian Eagles, who became the first team in the section to extend its undefeated record to 11-0 this season. Santana finished the season with an eight-game losing streak.

Quarterfinal winners advance to the semifinals on Dec. 4.

Grossmont 17, Bonita Vista 14
Foothillers coach Ron Murphy said his team made several adjustments following a 49-20 loss to Mt. Miguel on Oct. 2 to turn its season around. "We were young defensively -- we were starting three sophomores," Murphy said. "Our first league game, we lost by three points to El Capitan and we only had ourselves to blame for it because an interception set up one of their touchdowns. Our philosophy was that we would take our lumps knowing that we would get better."

Grossmont closed out its season with a three-game winning streak to finish in sole possession of second place in the GNL standings. Among the changes the Foothillers made was to switch from a one running back offensive scheme to a two-back and tight-end formation. "We had to play to our strengths," Murphy said.

Players also stepped forward. During one stretch in the early going, quarterback Tyler Mutter threw eight interceptions in a three-game span. "That was killing us," the Grossmont coach said.

The Foothillers entered their Nov. 20 first-round battle against Bonita Vista without making a turnover during their three-game winning streak. "We didn't accomplish our (regular season) goal of winning a league championship but there's another championship to play for in the playoffs," Murphy said. "At this point, everyone is zero-zero."

Grosssmont's win over the Barons was by no means one of artistry but of the kind won in the trenches and so often characteristic of post-season play. "After we threw two picks and had one run back for a touchdown, I thought to myself this is getting scary," Murphy said.

The game got scary for the Barons from the opening kick-off when Joey Acosta rambled 46 yards to midfield. The drive ended with a one-yard plunge into the end zone by Desean Waters and a 7-0 Grossmont lead.

Bonita Vista needed only three plays to retaliate with a touchdown of its own as Bryan Montreuil eluded Foothiller defenders with carries of 33, three and 44 yards to tie the game at 7-7 with 4:38 to play in the first quarter.

Grossmont regained the lead at 10-7 on a 24-yard field goal by Chance House to close out action in the first quarter.

Bonita Vista took advantage of a Foothiller turnover to go up, 14-10, at halftime when Jon King intercepted a pass by Mutter and returned the ball 23 yards into the end zone for a touchdown.

With the power running of Montreuil, who had amassed 166 yards on his first eight carries, the Barons looked to avenge last year's first-round loss to Grossmont. But the Foothiller defense rose to take command of the game in the second half and secure another trip to the quarterfinals.

Montreuil finished the game with 187 yards on 23 carries as the Grossmont defense threw up a brick wall, holding the crafty BV ground-gainer to just 13 yards on his final 15 carries in the game.

An interception by Jonah Green helped set up the Foothillers' go-ahead touchdown -- a 12-yard strike from Mutter to tight end Cody Sos in the third quarter.

Bonita's Jake Kemp intercepted Mutter late in the quarter and returned the ball to the Grossmont 31-yard line. But the Foothiller defense pushed the Barons backward to end the threat.

However, poor field position forced Grossmont to punt the ball, with the hosts once again aking over inside the visitors' territory. A fourth-down pass covering 23 yards from back-up quarterback Patrick Schneeman to Michael Bowers placed the ball at the Foothiller seven-yard line early in the fourth quarter. The ball nosed its way as far as the four-yard line before the Grossmont defense rose to save the day. After successive losses on running plays and a five-yard motion penalty, Ruben Vasquez lined up for a potential 25-yard game-tying field goal. But the snap was fumbled by the holder, allowing the marauding Foothiller defense to break up the play as Joey Musgrove fell on the loose ball.

The Barons moved into Foothiller territory twice more in the game's final 6:05 but was thwarted each time by the Grossmont defense.

"They jumped on us early," Murphy said. "We had to get our feet on the ground. The last part of the game we had to keep thinking defense. They were bigger than us. We had to keep pushing up front."

Waters rushed 22 times for 115 yards while Mutter completed nine of 15 passing attempts for 86 yards.

The Foothillers take a four-game winning streak into their next match-up against the Grizzlies.

East County prep football teams
score six first-round playoff wins

Helix 18, Westview 17
With starting quarterback Jake Reed sidelined by a first-half injury, sophomore third-string quarterback QB Brandon Lewis took over the reins of the Highlander offense, leading the host Scotties to a fourth-quarter touchdown on a seven-yard pass to Austin Gonzalez on fourth down to trim the Wolverines' lead to 17-16. With the game hanging in the balance with just 31 seconds left on the scoreboard, Helix head coach Troy Starr elected to go for a game-winning two-point conversion try instead of an extra-point kick to send the game into overtime. Sean Linton took the ball on a pitch from Lewis and lofted a pass into the end zone that Sam Merideth, a six-foot-five, 250-pound tight end, hauled in for the climactic game-winning play.

Reed scored the Highlanders' first touchdown on a one-yard run in the second quarter and back-up signal-caller Jimmy Pruitt drove the hosts down field for a 33-yard field goal by Vann Sabin for a 10-7 Helix halftime lead. But Westview rallied to take a 17-10 lead in the third quarter on a 34-yard field goal by Brenden Watson and an eight-yard TD run by Tyler Musco.

El Capitan 35, Brawley 10
The visiting Wildcats took a 10-7 lead before the Vaqueros rallied with the game's final 28 points. Quarterback Mark Scharfenberg threw three touchdown passes -- one each to Matt Burkett (24 yards), Robert Craighead (six yards) and Brooks Noble (three yards). Burkett scored El Cap's opening touchdown on a 23-yard run while Tyler Mason bowled into the end zone from 11 yards out in the third quarter.

The Vaquero defense stopped three Brawley drives inside their own 20-yard line. James Gallivan intercepted his team-leading eighth pass this season for El Capitan, which won its fifth consecutive game.

Mt. Miguel 45, Hoover 14
Derall Hunter scored three touchdowns and quarterback A.J. Stanford rushed for one score and threw a pair of touchdown passes to lead the Matadors. Hunter rushed for 146 yards in the game to increase his conference-leading rushing mark to 1,914 yards for the season and 32 touchdowns. Stanford passed for 191 yards, hitting Hunter for a 71-yard TD and Hosea Tate on a 66-yard scoring pass.

Derrick Dunn scored on a 40-yard run and Jorge Medina kicked six extra points while taking on a 36-yard field goal for Mt. Miguel, which earned just its third playoff win in 22 years. The Matadors, who led 21-0 after the first quarter, dominated the line of scrimmage and came off the field with four interceptions.

Steele Canyon 28, San Marcos 20
The host Cougars trailed 13-7 in the opening quarter and were down 20-14 at one point in the second quarter before scoring the final two touchdowns of the game to pull out a victory. Brad Boehmke threw a pair of long-distance touchdown passes -- 71 yards to Cody Simpson in the first quarter and 50 yards to Taylor Mishler to put Steele Canyon ahead 21-20 at halftime. Alex Perlin rushed for a two-yard insurance touchdown in the third quarter. Brandon Watson scored the Cougars' second touchdown on a 14-yard run.

Both teams scored twice in the first quarter, with Steele Canyon holding a 14-13 edge. Sebastian Vader passed 66 yards to William Munro and later scored on a two-yard run to boost the Knights, who took an early 6-0 lead on a 36-yard scoring run by Josh White.

Boehmke passed for 228 yards while Perlin rushed for 134 yards to lead the Cougars.

Foothills Christian 28, Army-Navy 8
Garret Campbell, who rushed for 183 yards in the game, threw a 12-yard scoring pass to Justin Esselstrom and later scored on runs of 82 and three yards to lead the Knights to their first-ever playoff victory. Spencer George scored on a 20-yard run for Foothills Christian, which built a 21-0 halftime lead and held a 28-0 advantage after three quarters. Army-Navy (5-5-1) averted a shutout loss when Varden Bernstein connected with teammate Lance Taylor on a 71-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter.

Campbell completed four of seven passing attempts for 87 yards to finish the game with 270 total yards. George rushed for 88 yards on 19 carries while Zach Cummings caught three passes for 78 yards.

The playoff win made amends for a 14-10 loss to Calvin Christian in the Southern League championship game on Nov. 6.

San Diego Section Playoffs
Metro Conference Report

Oh my, Olympian Eagles are 11-0
South Bay League champs rout Santana, 45-7, in playoff opener

Posted Nov. 25, 2009
The South Bay League champion Olympian Eagles, as of this moment, own one distinction that no other high school football team can boast of in the San Diego Section: They are the only 11-0 team around.

The Eagles extended their perfect 10-0 regular season record with yet another milestone: the program’s first-ever playoff victory. Olympian will bid for an unprecedented 12-0 start when it plays fourth-seeded Santa Fe Christian (9-1) in Friday’s quarterfinal-round of the Division IV playoffs. Kick-off is 7 p.m. at Torrey Pines High School.

The fifth-seeded Eagles dispatched the 12th-seeded Santana Sultans for their school-record 11th consecutive win via a 45-7 first-round thumping last Friday. Dre Gibson, Alex Cornist and Guillermo Flores each scored two touchdowns while quarterback Ryan Van Nostrand tossed a pair of touchdown passes.

Olympian led 15-0 after the first quarter and 45-0 at halftime.

“That’s something real special to us, being 11-0,” head coach Gil Warren said. “It’s a high note to all our kids and the school. The kids are fired up.”

Warren substituted freely throughout the contest. Santana ended its season 2-9 with an eight-game losing streak.

Gibson scored the opening two touchdowns of the game on runs of five and one yard. Cornist hauled in a two-point conversion on Gibson’s second TD to give Olympian its early 15-0 advantage.

Cornist then scored the team’s third touchdown on a nine-yard run to kick off the Eagles’ 30-point second quarter point explosion. Van Nostrand followed with a 45-yard scoring pass to Flores and a 33-yard TD strike to Cornist. Flores scored his second touchdown of the quarter on a 10-yard run with 2:21 left before halftime. The hosts completed scoring in the first half on a 31-yard field goal as time expired.

Neither team scored in the third quarter. The Sultans earned some pride points when T.D. Gross hauled in a six-yard pass from Kyle Gasner with 6:16 remaining in the game.

Olympian held Santana to just 23 rushing yards on 18 carries and 37 passing yards for a total of 60 offensive yards in the game. Zach Breidt was just five-of-17 for 28 yards while Gasner was two-of-six for nine yards. Junior Nunez was the Sultans’ leading ball-carrier with four rushes for nine yards. Chris Eidson led the East County visitors with nine tackles, including six solo stops. Breidt punted eight times in the contest for Santana.

For the season, Cornist leads the Eagles in rushing with 873 yards to go with a team-leading 17 touchdowns. Ian Autman has rushed for 635 yards and scored seven touchdowns this season while Gibson has rushed for 619 yards and scored 11 TDs. Flores has rushed for 209 yards and caught 15 passes for 234 yards to go with nine touchdowns.

Van Nostrand has passed for 1,038 yards and 10 TDs against two interceptions. Cornist, coming out of the backfield, leads the Eagles with 18 pass receptions for 281 yards.

Santana Leomiti is Olympian’s defensive leader with 82 tackles (16 for losses), one interception and two fumble recoveries. Other defensive leaders include Asante Gibson (64 tackles), Jacob Samuel (55 tackles, 14 tackles for losses) and Hollis Hulin (62 tackles, two interceptions, one fumble recovery).

The Division IV playoffs boast a killer lineup, with top-seeded Mission Bay (10-0), second-seeded Valley Center (9-1), third-seeded Madison (9-1) and Santa Fe Christian all opening post-season action this weekend after first-round byes. Still alive in the eight-team field are fifth-seeded Olympian, sixth-seeded Central Union (9-2), seventh-seeded La Jolla (5-6) and eighth-seeded Coronado (7-4). It may be one of the most balanced playoff brackets in the section’s five enrollment divisions this season.

Just where to the Eagles and their perfect record stack up? Olympian’s schedule has not been nearly as challenging as those of the top four-seeded teams in the division but there’s no question the Eagles possess a fine team. They will find out just how good they are against SFC, a team that employs a dynamic three-back offensive scheme.
Quarterfinal winners advance to the semifinals Dec. 4. The division championship game is Dec. 12 at Southwestern College.

“We’ll see how it is,” Warren said in reference to his team’s quarterfinal match-up against highly regarded SFC. “We will be well tested by them but I think we’ll be OK.”

Besides Olympian and Mission Bay, three other teams in the section currently maintain undefeated records: La Costa Canyon (10-0), Oceanside (10-0) and Eastlake (8-0-2).

Metro misery: Barons, Spartans, Mustangs, Mariners suffer first-round exits
Missed field goal compounds Bonita Vista's misfortune

If the fifth-seeded Bonita Vista Barons had executed just a wee bit better, their San Diego Section Division II playoff game against the 12th-seeded Grossmont Foothillers might still be going on. The Barons had several chances to capture last Friday’s first-round pairing at Southwestern College, if not send the game into overtime. But each time either a missed block, penalty or poorly-executed play — in this case, a botched field goal attempt in the fourth quarter — seemed to thwart the Barons’ best intentions.

The result was a 17-14 loss and another disappointingly early exit from post-season play.

Leading 14-10 at halftime, it appeared the injury-racked Bonitans would somehow find a way to pull out a win. But, in the end, it was attrition and too many reserve players pushed into action over the course of the season that just didn’t add up. The resilient Foothiller defense also played a huge role, especially in the second half, to deny the Barons a playoff victory.

“At the beginning of the season when we had everyone together, I thought that a successful season for us would be 6-4 and that anything else would be a bonus,” BV coach Carl Parrick said.

The Barons finished 7-4 — and it wasn’t enough as things turned out.

“I’m extremely proud of the guys for getting us here,” Parrick said. “We lost our top two players — middle linebacker Cody Lopez and halfback Miguel Padilla — almost right from the start of the season and other guys went down from there. But the kids really responded. We had seven sophomore starters.”

Grossmont (6-5) was one of four teams in this year’s section playoff bracket to post upset wins in the opening round. The Foothillers will play at fourth-seeded Mission Hills (8-2) on Friday, carrying a four-game winning streak along with them to face the Grizzlies.
“To get eight wins and play Mission Hills would (have been) nice for this bunch,” Parrick said.

The Barons and Foothillers drew a rematch in the first round of the playoffs and the scenario played out almost exactly like last year’s playoff contest: Bonita Vista held the edge until the late stages and then fought valiantly down to the final seconds while staging a spirited comeback.

This time around, Grossmont made fewer mistakes than did the hosts and deserved to win.

“After we threw two picks and had one run back for a touchdown, I thought to myself this is getting scary,” Foothiller coach Ron Murphy said.

Grosssmont’s win over the Barons was by no means one of artistry but wrought of the kind won in the trenches and so often characteristic of post-season play.

The Barons did an admirable job of playing catch-up from the opening kick-off when Joey Acosta rambled 46 yards on the return to set up the Foothillers at midfield. The drive ended with a one-yard plunge into the end zone by Desean Waters and a 7-0 Grossmont lead.
Waters set a Grossmont Conference single-game record with 333 rushing yards and tied a school record with five touchdowns in a 35-21 homecoming victory over Santana

Bonita Vista needed only three plays to retaliate with a touchdown of its own as Bryan Montreuil eluded Foothiller defenders with carries of 33, three and 44 yards to tie the game at 7-7 with 4:38 to play in the first quarter.

Grossmont regained the lead at 10-7 on a 24-yard field goal by Chance House to close out action in the first quarter as both teams combined to score 17 points.

Bonita Vista took advantage of a Foothiller turnover to go up, 14-10, at halftime when Jon King intercepted a pass by Tyler Mutter and returned the ball 23 yards into the end zone for a touchdown. The defensive gem made up for sloppy play just minutes earlier when the Barons had driven to the Grossmont 13-yard line but fumbled away the ball.

With the power running of Montreuil, who had amassed 166 yards on his first eight carries, the Barons looked to avenge last year’s first-round loss to Grossmont. But the Foothiller defense rose to take command of the game in the second half and secure another trip to the quarterfinals.

Montreuil finished the game with 187 yards on 23 carries as the Grossmont defense threw up a brick wall, holding the crafty BV ground-gainer to just 13 yards on his final 15 carries in the game.

That proved to be the death-blow to the Baron offense, already thinned out by the loss of several key players, most recently starting quarterback Joel Gutierrez.

Sophomore Ryan Miguel, recently promoted from the team’s junior varsity squad, started the game for Bonita Vista at the signal-caller position. He seemed tentative on drop-backs but otherwise seemed to hold his composure in the pressure situation of starting a CIF playoff game.

But poor field position — and an ill-timed interception — combined to doom the hosts in the third quarter.

Miguel was picked off by Grossmont’s Jonah Green, who made a short return to the BV 15-yard line. A couple plays later, a 12-yard strike from Mutter to tight end Cody Sos put the visitors back in front 17-14.

The BV defense gave the hosts ample opportunity to snatch a victory, but the Baron offense sputtered when it mattered most.

Bonita’s Jake Kemp intercepted Mutter late in the third quarter and returned the ball to the Grossmont 31-yard line. But the Foothiller defense pushed the Barons backward to end the threat.

Early in the fourth quarter after forcing Grossmont to punt, a fourth-down pass covering 23 yards from back-up quarterback Patrick Schneeman to Michael Bowers placed the ball at the Foothiller seven-yard line early. The ball inched its way as far as the four-yard line before the Grossmont defense rose to save the day.

After successive losses on running plays and a five-yard motion penalty, Ruben Vasquez lined up for a potential 25-yard game-tying field goal. But the snap was fumbled by the holder, allowing the marauding Foothiller defense to break up the play as Joey Musgrove fell on the loose ball.

The missed field goal proved to be the difference in the game.

The Barons moved into Foothiller territory twice more in the game’s final 6:05 but was thwarted each time by the Grossmont defense.

“They jumped on us early,” Murphy said. “We had to get our feet on the ground. The last part of the game we had to keep thinking defense. They were bigger than us. We had to keep pushing up front.”

Waters rushed 22 times for 115 yards while Mutter completed nine of 15 passing attempts for 86 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown pass.

Joining the Foothillers with intrepid first-round playoff wins were 12th-seeded Fallbrook (7-6 over firth-seeded Rancho Bernardo) and 10th-seeded El Camino (31-7 over seventh-seeded Chula Vista), both in the Division I playoffs, and 11th-seeded Foothills Christian (28-8 over Army-Navy Academy) in the Division V field.

Metro misery
Ten East County teams qualified for this year's section playoffs and eight still remain in the hunt for playoff glory heading into the quarterfinals after six of the eight squads involved in first-round action walked off the field with stunning victories.

The Metro Conference qualified six teams for post-season play and only two remain active in the second round after South County squads posted a dismal 1-4 showing in first-round play.

The biggest winners? Ten teams from the North County Conference are in the quarterfinals, including six of the eight teams in the Division I field. Overall, 16 of 19 North County Conference teams qualified for the playoffs, including all seven from the Valley League. La Costa Canyon (10-0) earned the top seed in Division I, Oceanside (10-0) earned the top seed in Division II, Ramona (8-2) earned the second seed in Division III and Valley Center (9-1) earned the second seed in Division IV.

Everything that could go wrong did in 31-7 CV loss to Wildcats
By Scott Hopkins
special correspondent
If Murphy’s Law was applied to a football game, Chula Vista’s first-round Division I CIF playoff loss last Friday against El Camino at Joseph Rindone Stadium might serve as a good example. Consider:

After receiving the opening kickoff, Spartan quarterback Victor Perez’s pass on the first play was intercepted. The Chula Vista defense stopped the Wildcats, but Casey McPerry kicked a 38-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with only 2:01 expired in the first quarter.

Following the kickoff, the Spartans then fumbled on their first play, with players from the Oceanside school pouncing on the ball.

Two offensive plays, two turnovers.

Again, the Spartan defense, led by Thomas Tutogi, held until, on a fourth down-and-three play, a Chula Vista lineman jumped offside, giving El Camino a first down. From there, the Wildcats scored on an eight-yard pass play from quarterback Dominick Markham to J.J. Taele.

El Camino 10, Chula Vista 0 after only 5:32 elapsed.

Following the third Wildcat kickoff, Perez & Co. began moving the ball, picking up several first downs as they appeared ready to jump back into the game. But with 3:35 left in the first quarter, Perez suffered his second interception of the quarter.

This time the Wildcats powered down the field, ripping off 10- and 15-yard gains on each play and, with 2:10 left to play in the first quarter, Joseph Daris scored from eight yards out.
El Camino 17, Chula Vista 0 after 9:50 of play.

But the first-half nightmare wasn’t over for Chula Vista.

Early in the second quarter, another of Perez’s pass attempts was batted into the air by a Wildcat defensive lineman. The ball landed in the hands of a fellow line mate, and El Camino gladly accepted yet another Spartan gift.

The Wildcats then sank their fangs into the Spartans with a 77-yard pass-and-run from Markham to six-foot-five Ryan Ena.

El Camino 24, Chula Vista 0 with 13:46 played.

Following a 14-yard touchdown run by El Camino’s Xavier Finney in the third quarter, the Spartans got on the scoreboard.

Defensive back Tyrone Richardson, a five-foot-eight Spartan senior, leaped high into the air to take a pass away from a Wildcat receiver. Perez followed the turnover with a nine-yard scoring pass to Josh Leon. Jesus Vela tacked on the PAT, bringing the score to 31-7 before a scoreless fourth quarter.

To their credit, Chula Vista’s players battled until the final second, a tribute to their teammates and coaching staff.

The Spartans, who finished second in the Mesa League, ended their season with a 6-5 mark (4-1 in league).

The Wildcats moved to 4-7 on the season after finishing 3-2 in the Palomar League. They bring a three-game winning streak to Friday’s quarterfinal match against Mesa League champion Eastlake (8-0-2) at 7 p.m. at Stan Canaris Stadium.

San Diego Section First-Round Playoff Game Summaries

Division I
Torrey Pines 27, Otay Ranch 17
The host Falcons (5-5-1) rallied from an early 14-7 deficit with a string of 13 unanswered points to eliminate the ninth-seeded Mustangs (3-7-1). Joseph Driscoll scored on a one-yard run to give eighth-seeded Torrey Pines an early 7-0 lead but Otay Ranch responded with the game's next two touchdowns to take a seven-point lead. Ernie Hicks scored on a four-yard run in the first quarter to tie the game and Marcus Hernandez then threw a nine-yard scoring pass to Keyhanti Henry.

But the game was tied 14-14 at halftime after John Wilson scored on a 35-yard run for Torrey Pines. Blake Busse then booted field goals of 21 and 44 yards in the third period as the Falcons went ahead 20-14.

Otay Ranch narrowed the score to 20-17 on a 34-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. But the hosts closed out the game with an insurance touchdown on a 20-yard run by Kevin Cuff.

The Falcons advance to play top-seeded La Costa Canyon (10-0) in the quarterfinals in an Avocado League rematch. LCC defeated Torrey Pines, 30-20, on Nov. 13.

Division III
St. Augustine 42, Mar Vista 20
Rommel Cooper scored on an 80-yard run to give 12th-seeded Mar Vista (5-6) an early 6-0 lead but the fifth-seeded Saints (7-4) stormed back with the game's next 14 points to take a lead they would never relinquish in a first-round match-up at Balboa Stadium. St. Augustine led 28-12 at halftime.

Evan Crower threw five touchdown passes to lead the winners — all five to Dana Barbaro, who scored on catches of five, three, nine, 19 and 74 yards. Crower completed 13 of 16 passes for 247 yards while Barbaro had eight catches for 174 yards.

The Saints amassed 363 total offensive yards, including 116 rushing yards on 13 attempts. D'andre Crowder scored St. Augustine's second touchdown of the game on a 66-yard run. Paul Hundley finished the game with six extra-point conversions.

The Mariners, who won their final four games of the regular season to qualify as the final team in the Division III field, made it a game early on when Anthony Tapia recovered a fumble in the end zone to bring the score to 14-12. But St. Augustine reeled off the next four TDs in the game before MV's Justin Peoples closed out scoring in the game on a three-yard run in the fourth quarter. Peoples tossed a successful two-point conversion pass to Milo Lofton to end the game on a positive note for the Mariners.

The Saints defense was especially active, with four players registering tackles in double digits: Chris Avery (18), Tim Cookson (16), Donny Walsh (16) and Charlie Salanger (11). Cookson recovered a fumble while Sam Macias blocked a field goal attempt.

James Houseman led Mar Vista with 14 tackles.

St. Augustine advances to play at fourth-seeded Serra (6-4) in Friday's quarterfinals. The Saints will be out to avenge a 37-14 regular season loss to the Conquistadors.
Crower is averaging 190 passing yards per game while Crowder is averaging 93 rushing yards per game.

The Saints kicked off the 2009 prep pigskin campaign with a 15-14 non-league victory over Carlsbad Sept. 3 at Mater Dei High School.

American Youth Football Association

CV Aztecs Jr. Midgets claim Super Q Bowl title
Olympian Saints, Eastlake Panthers also claim county championships

Posted Nov. 25, 2009
Revenge was sweet for the Chula Vista Aztecs Junior Midget youth football team — two times over — after capturing its division championship title at last Saturday’s Super Q Bowl at Southwestern College.

The Aztecs, who play their home games at Chula Vista High School, defeated the previously undefeated Balboa Raiders, 14-6, to become one of seven San Diego Youth Football and Cheer Conference champions declared on the day at DeVore Stadium. The Chula Vista team hiked its season record to 10-2 with the titanic victory while the Raiders fell to 9-1-2.

The next step for the Aztecs: a berth in the American Youth Football Association national championship tournament in early December in Orlando, Fla.

Aztec head coach Michael Kohler called the season “special.”

“The fact that we started the season 1-2 was the reason,” Kohler said. “We lost to Balboa in our first game, beat last year’s champion in our second game, then lost to Eastlake. We came full circle in the playoffs by beating both Balboa and Eastlake. Revenge was sweet.”

In order to call themselves Super Q Bowl champions, the Aztecs had to win their final nine games of the season. In those nine games, the CV team allowed only 26 points on defense.
The Aztecs were seeded fourth in the division bracket and defeated the 13th-seeded Clairemont Hawks, 28-6, in their first playoff game. Chula Vista then drew the 12th-seeded Olympian Saints in the second round after the Saints had upset fifth-seeded Skyline 22-14. The Aztecs defeated their crosstown rivals 41-0.

The semifinals proved to be an all-Chula Vista affair, with the Aztecs recording a 22-0 shutout over the eighth-seeded Eastlake Panthers (after the Panthers had knocked off top-seeded Otay Ranch). That left only the second-seeded Raiders to beat.

Kohler singled out three players for their outstanding performances: quarterback Danny Gutierrez, Q Bowl MVP Isiah Strayhorn and safety Alize Ward.
The Junior Midget level includes players aged 12-13.

Flag Division
The championship game pitted two South County programs: the Olympian Saints Black and the Eastlake Panthers Black. In the Q Bowl championship game, the Saints defeated the Panthers, 31-0, to remain undefeated and unscored upon. The flag team became the first Olympian squad to advance to the Super Q Bowl.

Olympian Black received the No. 2 seed in the playoffs and defeated 15th-seeded Chula Vista Royal, 36-0, to advance to the quarterfinals against 10th-seeded Skyline Blue.

Eastlake Black was seeded fifth after finishing 7-1 in regular season play and defeated 12th-seeded El Cajon, 34-14, in the opening round to advance to the quarterfinals against fourth-seeded Skyline Gold.

Eastlake Silver earned the No. 9 seed after finishing 5-2 in regular season play and topped eighth-seeded Otay Ranch White, 42-34, in the first round to advance to the quarterfinals against top-seeded Steele Canyon Red.

Mitey Mite
Two South County teams advanced to the quarterfinals: eight-seeded Eastlake Black and 14th-seeded Otay Ranch Blue. Eastlake, which finished 6-2 in the regular season, edged ninth-seeded Mira Mesa Gold, 12-8, in the first round while Otay Ranch upset third-seeded Del Norte Blue, 20-6.

Junior Pee Wee
Two South County teams butted helmets in the Super Q Bowl championship game: the Eastlake Panthers and Otay Ranch Broncos. Eastlake won, 32-0, to remain undefeated on the season at 12-0 and extend its two-year record to 27-0.

The Panthers, who own 11 shutout victories in 12 games this year, will play in the upcoming Junior Rose Bowl in Los Angeles where they will conclude their season by competing against other elite teams from California, Arizona, and Nevada.

The majority of Eastlake’s players and coaching staff return from last year’s AYFA national champion Mitey Mite squad that went 15-0. This tight-knit football and cheer family has worked hard the past two years to create a squad that is disciplined, well conditioned, game smart, and physical. For most of the players on this team, it was their first year in the Junior Pee Wee Division, which meant an increase in both the weight and age of the players on opposing teams.

The Panthers are cheered on by a county championship cheer squad. Eastlake took first place in the large squad division at the San Diego Youth Football Conference cheer competition Nov. 1.
Eastlake Black finished 8-0 in regular season competition to earn the top seed in the playoffs, followed by Eastlake Blue with a 7-1 regular season mark (fourth seed). Both teams advanced to the quarterfinals with first-round victories — Eastlake Black defeated Del Norte, 48-0, while Eastlake Blue defeated Chula Vista Royal 19-6. Otay Ranch White, seeded 11th, pulled off a first-round upset of sixth-seeded Los Toros to also advance to the quarterfinals. The South San Diego/ Imperial Beach Chiefs earned the No. 2 seed in the bracket and defeated South Bay, 56-6, to advance to the quarterfinals. Both Otay Ranch (over third-seeded Skyline) and SSD/IB (over seventh-seeded Steele Canyon) advanced to meet in the semifinals.

Pee Wee
Only two South Bay teams advanced to the quarterfinals: second-seeded Chula Vista (58-0 over Olympian) and sixth-seeded South San Diego/Imperial Beach (44-12 over Otay Ranch).
For more information, visit the conference’s official Web site at www. sandiegoyouthfootball.org.

Week 11 in Review
Ten, count ’em, East County teams make CIF football playoffs
Valhalla earns #2 seed in Division II field; Christian rewarded with #2 seed in D5
Posted Nov. 17, 2009

A total of 10 East County high school football teams were selected to participate in this year’s San Diego Section playoffs. The large number of teams (only four of the region’s 14 high school programs did not qualify for post-season competition) was a testament to the high quality of play exhibited this season by teams from the eastern edge of the county.

Four of the six teams from the Grossmont South League qualified for the playoffs while three of the five Grossmont North League teams advanced, plus Christian from the Coastal League, Mountain Empire from the Pacific League and Foothills Christian from the Southern League.

First-round play kicks off Friday, Nov. 20, followed by quarterfinal-round play on Nov. 27 and semifinal-round play on Dec. 4. All games start at 7 p.m.

The section playoff committee has given GSL champion Valhalla (8-2) an inside track to the Dec. 11 finals at Qualcomm Stadium by virtue of handing the Norsemen the No. 2 seed in the Division II field while Christian (6-4) gained the No. 2 seed in the Division V bracket.

Also included in this year’s post-season field are Helix (6-4) and Grossmont (5-5), both in the Division II playoffs; Mt. Miguel (7-2-1), Steele Canyon (6-3-1) and GNL champion El Capitan (6-4), all in the Division III playoffs; and Santana (2-8) in the Division IV playoffs.
Both Foothills Christian (6-4) and Mountain Empire (6-4) will compete in the Division V playoffs.

All but the Norsemen and Patriots, who both received byes to the quarterfinals, will participate in first-round action.

In Division II games on Nov. 20, seventh-seeded Helix will host 10th-seeded Westview (3-7) while 12th-seeded Grossmont will play fifth-seeded Bontia Vista (7-3) at Southwestern College.

In Division III first-round contests, sixth-seeded Mt. Miguel will host 11th-seeded Hoover (6-4) while seventh-seeded Steele Canyon will host 10th-seeded San Marcos (4-6) and eighth-seeded El Capitan will host ninth-seeded Brawley (8-2).

Twelfth-seeded Santana will travel to play South Bay League champion Olympian (10-0) in a first-round Division IV match-up in Chula Vista.

In a pair of Division V road games, 11th-seeded Foothills Christian will play sixth-seeded Army-Navy Academy (5-4-1) at El Camino High School while 10th-seeded Mountain Empire will play at seventh-seeded Horizon Christian (2-8).

Valhalla will host the Helix-Westview winner when the quarterfinals kick off Nov. 27 while Christian will host the Mountain Empire-Horizon Christian winner.

In rounding out the quarterfinals for area teams, fourth-seeded Mission Hills (8-2) will host the Grossmont-Bonita Vista winner in a Division II match-up while in Division III pairings top-seeded Cathedral Catholic (9-1) will host the El Capitan-Brawley winner, second-seeded Ramona (8-2) will host the Steele Canyon-San Marcos winner and third-seeded Point Loma (7-3) will host the Mt. Miguel-Hoover winner.

The Santana-Olympian winner will play at fourth-seeded Santa Fe Christian (9-1) in a Division IV quarterfinal match-up while the Foothills Christian-Army-Navy winner will play at third-seeded Bishop’s (6-4).

Four East County teams failed to make the playoffs: Granite Hills and Monte Vista in the GSL and West Hills and El Cajon Valley in the GNL. Granite Hills failed to qualify for a berth in the Division I playoffs after losing its final six games of the season after a promising 3-1 start. Monte Vista may have been among the best teams in the section with two wins but that apparently wasn’t enough to sway the selection committee, which tabbed San Marcos as the team with the least number of victories (four) to qualify in the Division III field. West Hills (4-5-1) and El Cajon Valley (2-6-1) both did not qualify in the Division II field.

Grossmont defeated West Hills, 26-14, in the regular season finale for both teams on Nov. 13 to effectively score a “play-in” win to the Division II playoffs.

Extra points
Valhalla enters the playoffs riding the momentum of a six-game winning streak, inclusive of a perfect 5-0 showing in GSL action. The Norsemen eliminated Granite Hills from playoff contention with a 49-14 victory in the final regular season game for both teams on Nov. 13. Traivonne Brown scored three touchdowns to lead Valhalla, which also received two scores from Jevon Hasten. Quarterback Pete Thomas fired three TD passes in the game, which the Norsemen led 35-0 at halftime. Valhalla amassed 402 passing yards in the contest and rolled up 571 total offensive yards in the rout. The Eagles finished 0-5 in league play.

Mt. Miguel scored its first varsity football win over Helix after 19 consecutive defeats to reclaim the Claymore sword. Multiple school record-holder Derall Hunter keyed the Matadors (3-1-1 in GSL play) with five second-half touchdowns to help erase a 14-10 Highlanders halftime lead. Hunter finished the game with 330 rushing yards, including daring dashes to the end zone of 70 and 83 yards.

Steele Canyon finished 3-1-1 in GSL play by virtue of its 35-14 victory over neighborhood rival Monte Vista. Alex Perlin scored three rushing touchdowns and Brad Boehmke tossed a pair of scoring passes (one each to Cody Simpson and Taylor Mishler) to lead the Cougars.

Grossmont recorded its third straight victory to clinch second place in the GNL standings with a 3-1 record as Tyler Mutter threw a 16-yard scoring pass to Brett Etherton and also ran for a two-yard score.

ECV’s Alex Hann passed for 330 yards and four touchdowns — three to Anthony Jackson, who had four touchdowns in the second half thanks to a 56-yard interception return — to conclude a disappointing season via a 42-35 win over Santana. The Braves won their season opener and could only manage one tie (against West Hills) before recording a victory in their final game of the season. ECV finished a very misleading 2-6-1 overall, 2-1-1 in GNL play.

Santana will be out to end what has become a seven-game losing skid when it tackles the Eagles in playoff action. The Sultans got 316 passing yards and four TDs from quarterback Zach Breidt in the loss to the Braves. Junior Nunez caught two of Breidt’s scoring passes and also scored on a 20-yard rushing touchdown.

Foothills Christian, which dropped a tight 14-10 contest to Calvin Christian on Nov. 6 to relinquish the rights to the Southern League title, closed out regular season play with a 41-6 victory against Julian as quarterback Garret Campbell threw three touchdown passes and rushed for two scores.

Mesa League Report
How do you spell pigskin perfection?
10-0 (Olympian Eagles) and 8-0-2 (Eastlake Titans)

Posted Nov. 19, 2009

What do 10-0 and 8-0-2 add up to if you are the Olympian Eagles and Eastlake Titan high school football teams? Undefeated seasons — a pair of them. The first in school history for both teams, to be more exact.

The double dose of pigskin perfection had to be the highlight of the prep fall sports season for Chula Vista’s east side neighborhood teams.

Both Olympian (South Bay League) and Eastlake (Mesa League) wrapped up league championships with their perfect regular season performances and both earned home field advantage in their opening playoff games — not necessarily an easy thing to accomplish for South County teams in the eyes of their peers throughout the San Diego Section.

The Eagles clinched their history-making league title with a 35-7 victory against the visiting Southwest Raiders on Nov. 6 and promptly wrote the next chapter in their amazing breakthrough season with a 47-16 win against the visiting Horizon Christian Panthers last Friday.
Eastlake, meanwhile, captured its fourth consecutive Mesa League championship with a dramatic come-from-behind 28-14 victory against visiting Chula Vista as the Titans rallied from a 14-0 halftime deficit with four touchdowns in the second half, including three by All-American Tony Jefferson.

The last two Metro Conference teams to finish with undefeated regular seasons were Chula Vista and Marian Catholic, which both turned in identical 10-0 marks in 2003.

Eastlake earned the No. 2 seed in the Division I playoffs while Olympian received the No. 5 seed in the Division IV playoffs.
The Eagles and Titans are among just five section teams to post unbeaten regular seasons. Also recording undefeated regular season campaigns are La Costa Canyon (10-0), Oceanside (10-0) and Mission Bay (10-0).

Ironically, both Eastlake and Olympian have another undefeated team in their playoff division. LCC is the top-seeded team in Division I while Mission Bay is the top-seeded team in Division IV. Oceanside received the top seed among Division II teams.

Soaring Eagles
The Eagles concluded their first league championship in school history with a 6-0 South Bay League record and, in the process, became the first team in the four-year history of the football program to complete an undefeated 10-0 regular season varsity campaign. Olympian out-scored its 10 regular season opponents 370-124.

Alex Cornist rushed for 208 yards and scored three touchdowns in last Friday’s 10-0 perfect season clincher, while Dre Gibson rushed for 119 yards and scored twice. Ian Autman and Ryan Van Nostrand scored one rushing touchdown each to round out the offensive assault against Horizon Christian (2-8). Cornist’s first touchdown came on a 70-yard breakaway run. He was also credited with TD runs of 22 and 10 yards while Gibson scored on runs of 13 and five yards. Autman (four yards), Van Nostrand (one yard) both scored on short rushing plays.

The Eagles led 14-3 after the first quarter and put the game away with 33 points in the second quarter to lead 47-3 at halftime.
Cornist upped his team-leading rushing totals to 827 yards and 15 touchdowns with last Friday’s showcase effort.

Other team leaders include Van Nostrand, the team’s quarterback who has served as the team’s field general since his freshman season, and receivers Guillermo Flores and Hollis Hulin. Gibson has rushed for 539 yards and nine touchdowns while Autman and Flores have seven TDs each. The team’s offensive line has contributed heavily to the team’s average of 220 rushing yards per game.

Defensive leaders include Richie Garcia, who had a team-leading 14 sacks entering the Eagles’ regular season finale, as well as Hulin with three interceptions and Santana Leomiti with 81 tackles.

Head coach Gil Warren lauded the long journey taken by the team’s seniors, the school’s initial freshman class. “I told them to be patient, that it would get better,” Warren said. “I said those who stayed would be champions. We’re real proud of the way it turned out. Our freshman and JV teams also won league championships, so we feel we have a program here now.”

This is the second playoff appearance for Olympian. The Eagles qualified for the Division V playoffs their first varsity season, losing 6-3 at Holtville, but did not qualify for the Division IV playoffs last year despite owning a 6-4 record.

The Olympian-Santana winner will play at fourth-seeded Santa Fe Christian (9-1). The Sultans finished 0-4 in Grossmont North League play and are currently riding a seven-game losing streak after dropping a 42-35 decision to El Cajon Valley last Friday.

Santana’s strength comes through the air. Zach Breidt passed for 316 yards and four touchdowns in the loss to the Braves. For the season, he has passed for 1,580 yards and 14 touchdowns. Leading receivers include Josh Brenner (20 catches, 301 yards) and John Burke (21 catches, 255 yards). Junior Nunez caught two of Breidt’s scoring passes against ECV and also scored on a 20-yard run.
Santana is averaging 278 offensive yards per game, including 176 passing yards. Olympian is averaging 302 offensive yards per game, including 79 passing yards.

Titanic win: Eastlake tames Spartans with big second-half comeback
How do you spell dynasty? The Titans can now proudly claim that distinction after rolling to their seventh league title — fourth consecutive in Mesa League play — in the last 10 years, all under head coach John McFadden. Eastlake finished regular season play with eight wins and two ties to become the first varsity team in school history to post an undefeated season. Eastlake, which out-scored opponents 366-126, opened the 2009 season with back-to-back ties against Moorpark (21-21) and Lincoln (35-35) before running off eight consecutive victories —five in league play.

The final league title-clinching victory had to be the most satisfying — and harrowing — for the Titans this season. Untimely penalties and mistakes helped negate ball movement down field, resulting in a 14-0 Chula Vista lead. The Titans had driven to the four-yard line before a penalty brought the ball back 15 yards, forcing quarterback D’Angelo Barksdale into a long passing situation. CV’s Tyrone Richardson intercepted Barksdale’s pass a yard into the end zone and promptly began to weave through Eastlake tacklers up field, crossing to the far sideline and returning the pick for a touchdown. Richardson’s 101-yard interception return had the crowd buzzing on both sides of the field.

The Spartans, who were riding a four-game winning streak, weren’t finished. Aaron Taylor picked off a Barksdale pass under similar circumstances and returned the ball 89 yards for a two-touchdown CV lead. The visiting fans were beside themselves.
While the Spartan defense was excelling on the field, the CV offense was finding it difficult to move the ball any great length against the Eastlake defense. The Titans recorded a shutout against the Spartan offense and managed to get their offense moving in a higher gear the second half.

“If you look at the stats, we were moving the ball in the first half,” McFadden said. “But when you throw two 100-yard interceptions, it’s going to make you look bad. They (the Spartans) are a very good team. We were lucky to come out and play as well as we did in the second half.”

Jefferson broke the Titan goose egg on the scoreboard with a 19-yard TD scamper with 8:12 left in the third quarter. It was then time for the Eastlake defense to make a momentum-turning play when Zach Bannon made an interception to kill a CV drive at the Titan seven-yard line. Eastlake promptly reversed gears and drove 93 yards down field to tie the score at 14-14 on a one-yard run by Jefferson with 3:24 left in the quarter.

The Titans took their first lead on the scoreboard with 10:37 left in the game when Fernando Cabico hauled in a 10-yard scoring pass from Barksdale. Eastlake was able to shut down a Spartan drive that reached midfield before Jefferson closed out scoring in the game on another one-yard scoring run.

Jefferson had been held to just 25 yards on 10 carries in the first half but broke loose in the second half to finish the game with 171 rushing yards on 28 carries. His longest run from scrimmage was 25 yards. He ripped off one 45-yard TD romp early in the game but it was called back due to a penalty.

Barksdale was credited with 187 passing yards.

Defensively, Matt Cellery led Eastlake with eight tackles while Marcus Mendillo and Daniel Johnson had six tackles each. Eddie Vega, who ranked second on the team with six sacks during the season, had two sacks in the climactic league championship game victory over Chula Vista.

Jefferson, who will participate in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio on Jan. 9, has keyed Eastlake all season long, rushing for 1,421 yards with a team-best 20 touchdowns. Chris Fletcher, who missed last Friday’s game due to a minor injury, ranks second in regular season scoring with 12 touchdowns while rushing for 442 yards and catching 19 passes for 455 yards. Diaz has been another prime time contributor to the team’s success with 547rushing yards and eight touchdowns while other top receivers include Jordan Hines, Chris Kane, Travis Gardner and Robert Graves.

Mendillo and Cellery lead the Titan defense with 89 tackles each, followed by Emilio Rangel (59 tackles), Bannon (51 tackles) and Georgy Zhebroilov (48 tackles). Bannon and Fletcher lead the team with four interceptions each while Zhebroilov has eight sacks.
The Titans are scheduled to host a quarterfinal-round playoff game Nov. 27 against either El Camino (3-7) or Chula Vista (6-4), with the winner advancing to the Dec. 4 semifinals. The Division I championship game is Dec. 11 at Qualcomm Stadium.

The Eastlake school record for wins in one season is nine (the Titans finished 9-2 in 2000 and 9-3 in both 2005 and 2008).
McFadden called his team being awarded the No. 2 seed in the Division I playoffs a “big honor.”

“We’ve had a great season so far,” McFadden said. “The goals we set for the regular season have pretty much been accomplished. Now our second season is starting and we’d like to accomplish our other goal, which is to win a CIF championship.”

League champions Eastlake, Olympian head list of six Metro Conference CIF football playoff qualifiers

A total of six Metro Conference football teams were selected to participate in this year’s San Diego Section divisional playoffs. The top four teams in the Mesa League standings qualified for post-season play while the top two teams in the South Bay League standings advanced.

Of the Metro’s 13 varsity teams, four posted winning records while six finished at the .500 mark or better. Of those teams, only Montgomery (5-5) failed to make the playoff cut.

Eastlake (8-0-2) and Olympian (10-0) both qualified as league champions while Bonita Vista (7-3), Chula Vista (6-4), Mar Vista (5-5) and Otay Ranch (3-6-1) all received at-large bids.

Twelve teams were selected in each of the section’s five playoff divisions.

Eastlake received the No. 2 seed in the Division I playoffs and earned a bye to the quarterfinals on Nov. 27. The Titans will play either seventh-seeded Chula Vista or 10th-seeded El Camino (3-7), which meet in first-round action this Friday on the Spartans’ home turf.
Otay Ranch also qualified for the Division I playoffs and will play at eighth-seeded Torrey Pines (4-5-1), also on Nov. 20. The winner plays at top-seeded La Costa Canyon (10-0) in the quarterfinals.

No. 5 seed Bonita Vista was the region’s lone Division II qualifier and will host 12th-seeded Grossmont (5-5) Friday at Southwestern College. The winner plays at fourth-seeded Mission Hills (8-2) in the quarterfinals.

By virtue of its runner-up finish in the South Bay League standings, Mar Vista earned a first-round Division III match-up against fifth-seeded St. Augustine at Balboa Stadium. The winner plays at fourth-seeded Serra (6-4) in the quarterfinals.

Olympian earned the No. 5 seed in the Division IV playoffs and will host Santana (2-8) in first-round play, with the winner advancing to meet fourth-seeded Santa Fe Christian (9-1) in the quarterfinals.

First-round games start at 7 p.m.

Quarterfinal winners advance to the division semifinals on Dec. 4. Four championship games will be played Dec. 11 at Qualcomm Stadium (Division I, Division I, Division III and Division V) while Southwestern College will serve as the host venue for the Division IV title game on Dec. 12.

Division I
#10 El Camino (3-7) at #7 Chula Vista (6-4): The Spartans finished runner-up for this year’s Mesa League championship after dropping a 28-14 match-up last Friday at Eastlake. Both of Chula Vista’s touchdowns were scored on defensive plays — a 101-yard interception return by Tyrone Richardson and an 89-yard interception return by Aaron Taylor, both in the first quarter. The Spartan offensive will have to kick it in gear against the Wildcats (third in the Palomar League standings) and their deceiving record. Quarterback Victor Perez has thrown for 1,635 yards and 19 touchdowns to spearhead the Spartan passing attack while rushing leaders include Anthony Stanislaus (643 yards), Thomas Tutogi (454 yards) and Richardson (249 yards). Perez’ main aerial targets include Taylor (24 catches, 446 yards) and Bobby Hatchett (31 catches, 382 yards). Jesus Vela has kicked 50 extra points and three field goals this season. Tutogi leads the CV defense with 11.9 tackles per game while Josh Leon paced the team with three sacks. Taylor, Richardson and Stanislaus each have two interceptions this season.

Six of El Camino’s seven losses have come against teams with superior records, including three to top 10-ranked teams. The Wildcats rose two defensive touchdowns (a 49-yard interception return by Dominick Markham and a fumble recovery in the end zone by Tony Henderson) and a 19-yard field goal by Casey McPerry to a 16-14 victory over Carlsbad last Friday to secure a playoff berth.
#9 Otay Ranch (3-6-1) at #8 Torrey Pines (4-5-1): The Mustangs’ 34-8 homecoming game victory against visiting Mater Dei last Friday likely proved the difference to making or not making this year’s playoff field. All five of Otay Ranch’s section losses are to playoff-bound teams. Torrey Pines’ season has gone a similar way with all four of the Falcons’ section losses to teams with winning records. Torrey Pines has the ability to shock higher-regarded opponents, as evidenced by its 21-21 tie in Avocado League play against then fourth-ranked Escondido.

Division II
#12 Grossmont (5-5) at #5 Bonita Vista (7-3): Both teams enter the game with regular season-ending wins. The Barons defeated Hilltop, 21-0, last Friday behind a pair of interception returns by Kellan DeLaRosa (95 and 37 yards) while Greg McGhee caught a 64-yard scoring pass. The Foothillers defeated West Hills, 26-14, in what was essentially a "play-in" game to qualify for the playoffs. Tyler Mutter threw a 16-yard scoring pass to Brett Etherton and also ran for a two-yard score. Grossmont’s Desean Waters set a single-game school record with 333 rushing yards and five TDs in an Oct. 30 game against Santana. Bonita Vista’s Bryan Montreuil is averaging 98 rushing yards per game.

Division III
#12 Mar Vista (5-5) at #5 St. Augustine (7-3): Mar Vista closed the regular season with four consecutive wins, including key wins over Montgomery and Castle Park to nail down the division's final playoff berth. St. Augustine was upset by Serra early in the season to be den ied a top four seed.

San Diego Section
Divisional Playoffs
Division I
First round
Friday, Nov. 20
(9) Otay Ranch (3-6-1) at (8) Torrey Pines (4-5-1), 7 p.m.
(12) Fallbrook (2-8) at (5) Rancho Bernardo (8-2), 7 p.m.
(11) Carlsbad (3-7) at (6) Mira Mesa (6-4), 7 p.m.
(10) El Camino at (7) Chula Vista (6-4), 7 p.m.
Byes: (1) La Costa Canyon (10-0), (2) Eastlake (8-0-2), (3) Escondido (7-2-1), (4) Vista (8-2)

Quarterfinals
Friday, Nov. 27
Otay Ranch-Torrey Pines-Otay Ranch winner at (1) La Costa Canyon (10-0), 7 p.m.
Fallbrook-Rancho Bernardo winner at (4) Vista (8-2), 7 p.m.
Mira Mesa-Carlsbad winner at (3) Escondido (7-2-1), 7 p.m.
El Camino-Chula Vista winner at (2) Eastlake (8-0-2), 7 p.m.

Semifinals
Friday, Dec. 4
Teams TBA

Championship
Friday, Dec. 11
Teams TBA at Qualcomm Stadium, 8 p.m.

Division II
First round
Friday, Nov. 20
(9) Morse (6-4) at (8) Mt. Carmel (4-6), 7 p.m.
(12) Grossmont (5-5) at (5) Bonita Vista (7-3), 7 p.m.
(11) Orange Glen (4-6) at (6) Scripps Ranch (5-5), 7 p.m.
(10) Westview (3-7) at (7) Helix (6-4), 7 p.m.
Byes: (1) Oceanside (10-0), (2) Valhalla (8-2), (3) Lincoln (6-3-1), (4) Mission Hills (8-2)

Quarterfinals
Friday, Nov. 27
Mt. Carmel-Morse winner at (1) Oceanside (10-0), 7 p.m.
Grossmont-Bonita Vista winner at (4) Mission Hills (8-2), 7 p.m.
Scripps Ranch-Orange Glen winner at (3) Lincoln (6-3-1), 7 p.m.
Helix-Westview winner at (2) Valhalla (8-2), 7 p.m.

Semifinals
Friday, Dec. 4
Teams TBA

Championship
Friday, Dec. 11
Teams TBA at Qualcomm Stadium, 4:30 p.m.

Division III
First round
Friday, Nov. 20
(8) Brawley (8-2) at (8) El Capitan (6-4), 7 p.m.
(12) Mar Vista (5-5) vs. (5) St. Augustine (7-3) at Balboa Stadium, 7 p.m.
(11) Hoover (6-4) at (6) Mt. Miguel (7-2-1), 7 p.m.
(10) San Marcos (4-6) at (7) Steele Canyon (6-3-1), 7 p.m.
Byes: (1) Cathedral Catholic (9-1), (2) Ramona (8-2), (3) Point Loma (7-3), (4) Serra (6-4)

Quarterfinals
Friday, Nov. 27
El Capitan-Brawley winner at (1) Cathedral Catholic (9-1), 7 p.m.
Mar Vista-St. Augustine winner at (4) Serra (6-4), 7 p.m.
Mt. Miguel-Hoover winner at (3) Point Loma (7-3), 7 p.m.
Steele Canyon-San Marcos winner at (2) Ramona (8-2), 7 p.m.

Semifinals
Friday, Dec. 4
Teams TBA

Championship
Friday, Dec. 11
Teams TBA at Qualcomm Stadium, 1 p.m.

Division IV
First round
Friday, Nov. 20
(9) Escondido Charter (8-2) at (8) Corondao (6-4), 7 p.m.
(12) Santana (2-8) at (5) Olympian (10-0), 7 p.m.
(11) Clairemont (4-6) at (6) Central Union (8-2), 7 p.m.
(10) Palo Verde (5-5) at (7) La Jolla (4-6), 7 p.m.
Byes: (1) Mission Bay (10-0), (2) Valley Center (9-1), (3) Madison (9-1), (4) Santa Fe Christian (9-1)

Quarterfinals
Friday, Nov. 27
Coronado-Escondido Charter winner at (1) Mission Bay (10-0), 7 p.m.
Santana-Olympian winner at (4) Santa Fe Christian (9-1), 7 p.m.
Central Union-Clairemont winner at (3) Madison (9-1), 7 p.m.
La Jolla-Palo Verde winner at (2) Valley Center (9-1), 7 p.m.

Semifinals
Friday, Dec. 4
Teams TBA

Championship
Friday, Dec. 11
Teams TBA at Qualcomm Stadium, 8 p.m.

Division V
First Round
Friday, Nov. 20
(9) Calipatria (6-4) at (8) Calvin Christian (7-3), 7 p.m.
(11) Foothills Christian (6-4) at (6) Army-Navy Academy (5-4-1), 7 p.m. (El Camino HS)
(10) Mountain Empire (6-4) at (7) Horizon Christian (2-8), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 21
(12) San Diego Jewish Academy (6-2) at (5) Tri-City Christian (7-2-1), 7 p.m. (El Camino HS)
Byes: (1) Francis Parker (8-2), (2) Christian (6-4), (3) Bishop's (6-4), (4) La Jolla Country Day (9-1)

Quarterfinals
Friday, Nov. 27
Calvin Christian-Calipatria winner at (1) Francis Parker (8-2), 7 p.m.
Tri-City Christian-San Diego Jewish Academy winner at (4) La Jolla Country Day (9-1), 7 p.m.
Foothills Christian-Army-Navy Academy winner at (3) Bishop's (6-4), 7 p.m.
Horizon Christian-Mountain Empire winner at (2) Christian (6-4), 7 p.m.

Semifinals
Friday, Dec. 4
Teams TBA

Championship
Friday, Dec. 11
Teams TBA at Qualcomm Stadium, 10 a.m.

Playoff Qualifiers/League
(Winning percentage noted, entire league)
Valley League: 7 (Oceanside, Valley Center, Ramona, Mt. Carmel, San Marcos, Westview, Orange Glen) - 0.600 PCT
Pacific League: 6 (La Jolla Country Day, Escondido Charter, Tri-City Christian, Army-Navy Academy, Calipatria, Mountain Empire) - .590 PCT
Eastern League: 5 (Cathedral Catholic, Mira Mesa, St. Augustine, Lincoln, Scripps Ranch) - 0.694 PCT
Coastal League: 5 (Francis Parker, Santa Fe Christian, Christian, Bishop's, Horizon Christian) - 0.612 PCT
Western League: 5 (Mission Bay, Point Loma, Serra, La Jolla, Hoover) - 0.550 PCT
Avocado League: 5 (La Costa Canyon, Mission Hills, Escondido, Torrey Pines, Fallbrook) - 0.534 PCT
Imperial Valley League: 4 (Central Union, Brawley, Imperial, Palo Verde) - 0.653 PCT
Grossmont South League: 4 (Valhalla, Mt. Miguel, Steele Canyon, Helix) - 0.552 PCT
Mesa League: 4 (Eastlake, Chula Vista, Bonita Vista, Otay Ranch, Hilltop, Mater Dei Catholic) - .0.509 PCT
Palomar League: 4 (Vista, Rancho Bernardo, El Camino, Carlsbad) - 0.443 PCT
Central League: 4 (Madison, Coronado, Morse, Clairemont) - 0.443 PCT
Southern League: 3 (Calvin Christian, Foothills Christian, San Diego Jewish Academy) - .436 PCT
Grossmont North League: 3 (El Capitan, Grossmont, West HIlls, El Cajon Valley, Santana) - 0.408 PCT
South Bay League: 2 (Olympian, Mar Vista) - 0.414 PCT

Playoff Qualifiers/Conference
Coastal Conference: 11/13 = 0.846 PCT (Coastal League + Pacific League)
North County Conference: 16/19 = 0.842 PCT
City Conference: 14/19 = 0.737 PCT
Southeastern Conference: 4/6 = 0.667 PCT
Grossmont Conference: 7/11 = 0.636 PCT
Metro Conference: 6/13 = 0.462 PCT
Southern Conference: 3/8 = 0.375 PCT

San Diego Section League Standings
North County Conference
Avocado League
La Costa Canyon 5-0
Mission Hills 4-1
Esondido 2-2-1
Torrey Pines 2-2-1
Fallbrook 1-4
San Pasqual 0-5

Palomar League
Vista 5-0
Rancho Bernardo 4-1
El Camino 3-2
Carlsbad 2-3
Poway 1-4
Rancho Buena Vista 0-5

Valley League
Oceanside 6-0
Valley Cen ter 5-1
Ramona 4-2
Mt. Carmel 3-3
San Marcos 2-4
Westview 1-5
Orange Glen 0-6

City Confernece
Eastern League
Cathedral Catholic 4-1
Mira Mesa 4-1
St. Augusitne 3-2
Lincoln 3-2
Scripps Ranch 1-4
Patrick Henry 0-5

Western League
Mission Bay 5-0
Point Loma 4-1
Serra 3-2
La Jolla 2-3
Hoover 1-4
University City 0-5

Central League
Madison 6-0
Coronado 5-1
Morse 4-2
Clairemont 3-3
San Diego 2-4
Kearny 1-5
Crawford 0-6

Grossmont Conference
Grossmont South League
Valhalla 5-0
Mt. Miguel 3-1-1
Steele Canyon 3-1-1
Helix 2-3
Monte Vista 1-4
Granite Hills 0-5

Grossmont North League
El Capitan 4-0
Grossmont 3-1
West Hills 1-2-1
El Cajon Valley 1-2-1
Santana 0-4

Metro Confernece
Mesa League
Eastlake 5-0
Chula Vista 4-1
Bonita Vista 3-2
Otay Ranch 2-3
Hilltop 1-4
Mater Dei Catholic 0-5

South Bay League
Olympian 6-0
Mar Vista 4-2
Montgomery 4-2
Sweetwater 4-2
Castle Park 2-4
Southwest 1-5
San Ysidro 0-6

Coastal Confernece
Coastal League
Francis Parker 4-0
Santa Fe Christian 3-1
Christian 2-2
Bishop's 1-3
Horizon Christian 0-4

Pacific League
La Jolla Country Day 7-0
Escondido Charter 5-2
Tri-City Christian 4-2-1
Army-Navy Academy 4-2-1
Calipatria 3-4
Mountain Empire 3-4
Holtville 1-6
Vincent Memorial 0-7

Southeastern Conference
Imperial Valley League
Central Union 5-0
Brawley 4-1
Imperial 3-2
Palo Verde 2-3
Southwest El Centro 1-4
Calexico 0-5

Southern Conference
Southern League
Calvin Christian 7-0
Foothills Christian 6-1
San Diego Jewish Academy 5-2
San Pasqual Academy 4-3
Midway Baptist 3-4
Julian 2-5
Borrego Springs 1-6
Chula Vista Calvary Christian Academy 0-7

College Football Notebook
Ex-Trojan Sampson shines in SDSU win over Colorado State
Posted Oct. 29, 2009
Former Castle Park High standout DeMarco Sampson posted career numbers in helping lead San Diego State University to a 42-28 Mountain West Conference victory over the Colorado State Rams last Saturday in Ft. Collins, Colo. Sampson, a senior wide receiver, caught 15 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns as the Aztecs rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to post the clutch come-from-behind road victory.

Sampson had 12 receptions that went for first downs and 11 that went for more than 10 yards. He had three catches for 72 yards on SDSU’s game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, including the winning touchdown on a 38-yard catch.

Aztec quarterback Ryan Lindley (El Capitan) threw six touchdown passes while racking up 459 passing yards. Sampson and Lindley shared this week’s MWC Offensive Player of the Week award.

Sampson, who also was nominated for All-America Player of the Week honors, registered personal career and single-game highs in the win over the Rams. His previous best had been five catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-28 loss to then 18th-ranked BYU on Oct. 17. The ex-Trojan has 20 catches for 334 yards and five touchdowns in his last two games.

“I’ve dreamed of this, but I think I was happier when I saw some of the younger guys score,” Sampson said in post-game interviews. “It is a great feeling to see us gel together.

“It’s amazing when your coaches believe in you because it makes a big difference. When the whole team believes in you, it makes you want to play every down like it is your last down.
“I believe our team has come together as a real team and we are going to fight until the end.”

SDSU (1-2 MWC, 3-4 overall) kicks off a rare three-game home stand with a Halloween matinee conference match-up against New Mexico (0-3, 0-7) at Qualcomm Stadium. Start time is 4:30 p.m.

The Aztecs’ three wins surpass or equal those recorded in four of the last nine seasons while SDSU’s 3-4 start is its best since 2005.

SDSU Locals Only
East County: Ryan Lindley (sophomore quarterback, El Capitan HS); Larry Parker (sophomore defensive back, Grossmont JC); Derek Mack (freshman defensive back, Spring Valley); Jacob Tauanuu (junior defensive lineman, Helix HS); Tommie Draheim (sophomore offensive lineman, El Capitan HS); Brian Milholland (freshman offensive lineman, Helix HS)

South County: DeMarco Sampson (senior wide receiver, Castle Park HS); Bryan Shields (junior kicker, Bonita Vista HS); Marcus Yarbrough (junior linebacker, Eastlake HS); D.J. Shields (freshman tight end, Bonita Vista HS); Drew Westling (senior quarterback, Southwestern JC)

North County: Josh O’Brien (junior defensive back, Santa Fe Christian HS); Brian Stahovich (sophomore kicker, Cathedral Catholic HS); Jose Perez (junior defensive back, Oceanside HS); Roberto Wallace (senior wide receiver, Oceanside HS); Jon Toledo (senior wide receiver, La Costa Canyon HS); Brandon Sullivan (junior running back, Poway HS); Vincent Camarda (sophomore defensive back, Cathedral Catholic); Brice Heers (freshman fullback, Santa Fe Christian HS); Jacob Driver (freshman linebacker, La Costa Canyon HS); Michael Kaiser (freshman long-snapper, La Costa Canyon HS); Osmond Nicholas (freshman wide receiver, Oceanside HS); Michael Vandenkolk (freshman wide receiver, Carlsbad HS); Javier Nicholas (sophomore wide receiver, Oceanside HS)

City/Metro: Josh Wade (freshman defensive back, Point Loma HS); James Simon (sophomore running back, University City HS); Chris Godert (freshman linebacker, Mira Mesa HS); Demetrius Barksdale (sophomore linebacker, University City HS); Denny Tran (freshman offensive lineman, Mission Bay HS); Marven Jones (freshman wide receiver, Kearny HS)

Southwestern College Statistical Leaders
2009 Season Schedule
Sept. 5: Palomar 55, SWC 0
Sept. 12: SWC 21, Chaffey 7
Sat. 19: Grossmont 59, SWC 20
Sept. 26: SWC 13, Compton 6
Oct. 3: L.A. Harbor 56, SWC 51
Oct. 17: SWC at Mt. San Jacinto, 1 p.m.

Players of the Game
Oct. 3: Marquise Deadwiler (Helix), offense; Nathan Sapla (Chula Vista), defensive; Abel Perez (Castle Park), special teams; Eric Carrillo (Steele Canyon), big stick award
Sept. 26: Brad Carter (Granite Hills), offensive; Rickie Crouch (Valencia), defensive; Scotty Miller (St. Augustine), special teams; Eric Carrillo (Steele Canyon), big stick award
Sept. 19: Aaron Harris (Granite Hills), overall; Aaron Lazaro (Otay Ranch), defensive; Abel Perez (Castle Park), special teams; Lakeem Lewis (Eastlake), big stick award

SDSU Aztecs
Former Castle Park High standout Demarco Sampson has recorded 17 catches for 205 yards in SDSU’s 2-3 start to the 2009 Division I college football season. The Aztecs host 18th-ranked BYU Saturday, Oct. 17, in a Mountain West Conference game at Qualcomm Stadium.