Sultans get healthy, home playoff game
- Updated: October 27, 2018
El Cajon Valley wraps up a Santana ball carrier on Friday night. / photo by Antonio Oceguerra
Santana’s quarterback NATHAN TEMPLE returned to the lineup. / photo by Antonio Oceguera
2018 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL
SANTANA 40, EL CAJON VALLEY 6
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON – Santana junior quarterback NATHAN TEMPLE returned the lineup Friday night and his Sultan teammates were pretty fired up about it.
Against the El Cajon Valley Braves, the Sultans had a few kinks to work out before next week’s San Diego Section CIF Division IV playoffs.
El Cajon Valley’s TONY MORALES attempts a punt on Friday night. / photo by Antonio Oceguera.
Santana rushed out to a 21-0 lead on the way to a 40-6 win at recently-anointed Priest Field.
Sixth-seeded Santana (5-5, 1-3 GVL) will host 12th-seeded La Jolla Country Day in the first round at Community Stadium next Friday night.
Temple passed for two scores and rushed for another.
JARED FORSTER caught a short TD pass from Temple to open the scoring, as the Sultans scored three times in the first quarter.
“(Temple) had a little bit of rust still but he looked good,” Santana head coach TIM ESTES said. “He was confident, stood in the pocket when he needed to and ran when he needed to. The kids were pretty excited about him coming back and SEAN (IVERSON) got to go back out and play receiver and he’s pretty happy, too.”
Junior running back BROOKS MOUTAW was on the receiving end of a 37-yard touchdown play in the first. Moutaw also scored a touchdown on a blocked punt and ran for a touchdown in the third quarter.
El Cajon Valley senior ATLANTAS EIDEJUS escapes on Friday night. / photo by Antonio Oceguera
Santana junior JACOB PETERSON rushed for a 3-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“It wasn’t our best game,” Estes said. “But it was still a win, so we’ll take it.
You’re not always as crisp as you would like to be coming off the bye week. We didn’t necessarily have our best pracitices of the season this week.”
El Cajon Valley (0-10, 0-4 GVL) got on the board when upperclassmen ATLANTAS EIDEJUS and BRANDON ROBINSON connected for a 70-yard score, thrilling the crowd on Senior Night.
Sophomore JOE MALONE had over 100 all-purpose yards. Eidejus had over 100 yards passing.
“El Cajon did a good job defensively in the second quarter,” Estes said.
Senior IAN LITTEN had one of Santana’s seven sacks. Litten, like Temple, has missed a majority of the season due to injury.
The Sultans have a formidable task ahead of them in the first round of the playoffs. It was only two years ago, the Torreys and Sultans clashed for the Division IV championship.
El Cajon Valley senior ISAAC BLAKE has the ball on Friday night. / photo by Antonio Oceguera
Should the Sultans prevail, an even more familiar foe awaits in Mar Vista. The teams have played some good ballgames over the last couple of season.
“We played them without Temple the first time and led at the half,” Estes said. “Then we kind of shot ourselves in the foot in the second half.
“I thihk it can be a different game for sure but we have to take care of business at home first.”
Santana was ranked sixth in the final Division IV power ratings, but were promoted to the fifth-seed by way of the Sultans’ regular-season win over Serra.
