Warhawks sweep Hillers out of playoffs
- Updated: November 16, 2019
2019 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL
SAN DIEGO CIF DIVISION I QUARTERFINAL
MADISON 40, GROSSMONT 28
SAN DIEGO – The Grossmont Foothillers traded touchdowns with the Madison Warhawks in the San Diego CIF Division I quarterfinals on Friday night.
And Grossmont senior Robert Tucker traded explosive plays with Madison star Ke’ontae Springs.
However, the fourth-seeded Warhawks held off the fifth-seeded Foothillers, 40-28, to advance to the division semifinals.
The teams had never met in 55 years before Grossmont upset host Madison, 44-42, in a Division I first-round game last season.
Then, Madison came to La Mesa and handed the Foothillers a loss earlier this season, breaking open a close game in the second half for a 31-13 win.
At Madison High on Friday, Springs, a senior somewhat in the mold of his predecessor Kenan Christon, of USC, had over 400 yards of total offense and scored five touchdowns to lead his team into the semis. He also made a critical one-handed interception in the end zone in the second half.
Tucker scored three touchdowns in the first half as the score was tied 21-all. He caught six passes for 172 yards and had 50 yards on the ground.
Grossmont senior quarterback Jaime Odom 21-of-34 passing for 359 yards and three touchdowns, including a 58-yarder to Tucker in the second half.
Grossmont senior Brody Schicker had seven receptions for 70 yards. Hiller sophomore Nate Acevedo had two receptions for 50 yards.
The Warhawks scored first on a touchdown catch, but Grossmont (8-4) countered with an Odom touchdown pass to Tucker from 11 yards to knot the game at 7-all.
Springs had a 48-yard score near the end of the first quarter, but Odom threw a completion to Tucker that resulted in a 40-yard touchdown.
Springs had a 5-yard score to give the Warhawks a 21-14 advantage at halftime.
Tucker scored the first touchdown of the second half of a 7-yard run, once again tying the game.
Springs, however, had a 64-yard score to regain the lead but Odom bounced out of the pocket somehow without going down and hooked up with Tucker for the 58-yard score that gave Grossmont the lead following the PAT.
In the fourth quarter, Springs scored the decisive touchdown on a 1-yard run and added a final score on a 20-yard jaunt to the pylon. His one-handed interception was one of three Madison picks.
Madison (7-4) will host Oceanside next week a Division I semifinal.
