Highlanders in fifth-straight title game
- Updated: November 17, 2018
2018 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL
SAN DIEGO CIF DIVISION I SEMIFINAL
HELIX 42, EASTLAKE 26
EastCountySports.com staff report
CHULA VISTA – The Helix Highlanders are back where they belong and that’s in a CIF title game.
The Highlanders pounded the Eastlake Titans in the first half and advanced to their fifth-straight section title game with a 42-26 San Diego CIF Division I semifinal win at Canaris Stadium on Friday night.
While a limited field and four regular-season losses kept Helix Charter out of the Open Division’s Final Four, the Scotties will ultimately play for a section championship next week against the St. Augustine Saints, a team in which the Highlanders pretty much dismantled during the regular season.
Now, Helix finds itself in a familiar role as a favorite to capture another section crown and all of a sudden a contender for a state Division 2 title, either 2-A or 2-AA.
Helix junior running back FATTO NOA had rushing touchdowns of 50 and 63 yards in the first quarter and finished with 293 yards and four touchdowns. His final score of the game, in the fourth quarter, came from 62 yards.
Noa’s first score, on his first touch of the game, shook the Titan defense immediately.
The offensive line provided Noa with his typical surge, but then the back spun off a small gang of tacklers and he was off to the races again like we’ve seen so frequently over the second half of the season.
Helix junior quarterback DELSHAWN TRAYLOR rushed for 81 yards and a 3-yard touchdown in the second quarter, which increased Helix’s advantage to 21-0.
Scottie quarterback DANIEL AMON, a transfer who passed for over 1,600 yards for the opposition last season, threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end MICAHEL SHAWCROFT for a four-score lead in the second quarter.
Eastlake scored with 1:19 left in the first half on a 24-yard touchdown pass.
Helix junior JEREMIAH FLETCHER had a sack in the first half for Helix. Seniors JACOB RAY and ZEKE RODRIGUEZ also added sacks for the Highlanders.
Noa scored his third touchdown of the night on a 7-yard run in the fourth quarter to make it 35-7, although Eastlake returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown.
Helix senior receiver CHRIS RIVERA had four receptions for 50 yards.
Helix (8-4) already defeated St. Augustine in La Mesa last month, 35-14, with three touchdowns in the third quarter to erase a 14-7 halftime deficit. The teams will meet at Southwestern College’s DeVore Stadium in next Saturday’s division title game at 7.
