Highlanders have clutch gene in 4th
- Updated: August 24, 2019
2019 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL
HELIX 28, CAJON 22
By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com
LA MESA – In the opening minutes of Friday night’s season opener against out-of-town visitor Cajon, the Helix Highlanders appeared lost without a cause.
Fortunately for the Scotties, the game against the Cowboys wasn’t a lost cause.
The third-ranked Highlanders and Elelyon Noa proved to have the “clutch gene” in rallying from a near-disastrous start to overtake Cajon twice in the fourth quarter for a 28-22 victory.
Noa had a 2-yard touchdown run to give Helix a 26-22 lead in the fourth quarter. A two-point conversion produced the final result.
Noa also had a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Highlanders a 20-16 lead with 2:51 left in the third quarter.
Noa had a 64-yard touchdown on a screen pass from quarterback Kamryn Brown to close Cajon’s lead to 16-13 in the second quarter.
“Just another game, onto the next,” said the soft-spoken senior super back.
Cajon recovered its own opening kickoff after stripping the ball to take an 8-0 just a couple of minutes into the game. Then the visitors got the ball right back on a turnover but Helix denied them a second consecutive score.
Delshawn Traylor, an Army commit, aptly went airborne with an undercut hit but he crossed the goal line for a game-tying score in the first quarter. The PAT was no good as Cajon led, 8-6.
Cajon scored on a spectacular touchdown pass and had a two-point conversion to lead, 16-6
Cajon took the lead on a terrific touchdown pass reception by AJ Waters but Helix denied the conversion, leaving the Cowboy lead at 22-20 with just a tick over two minutes to play in the third.
Jeremiah Fletcher had a big part in sealing the deal with an interception with 45 seconds left in the game. He also recovered a fumble with 3:47 to go in the contest.
Fletcher and Tyler Tucker combined for a sack in the fourth quarter.
Senior punter Nicholas Gavin boomed a 49-yard to pin the Cowboys back inside their own 20 with under two minutes to play.
