Blitzing safety Chanti Bloomer (20) of Grossmont blocks
the line of vision of Palomar's Roman Ybarra (7) as the Comets'
QB looks to pass in Saturday's (12-07-02) South County Bowl game
at Southwestern College. (Photo by Travis Downs)EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - What is a one-point loss worth?
In terms of the final JC Grid-Wire
National rankings, it's the difference between No. 4 and No. 12.
By virtue of its come-from-behind 20-19
victory over the Grossmont in the
Southwestern South County Bowl (Dec. 14), Palomar College is No.
4 and the
Griffins are No. 12. The Comets concluded the season 10-1, while
the Griffins
pulled in at 9-2.
California State champion Reedley (12-0)
was crowned the mythical national
champion by JC Grid-Wire guru HANK IVES. Butte (10-1) was No.
2 followed by
Northeastern Oklahoma (10-1), Palomar and Joliet, Ill. (11-0).
JC Grid-Wire's state ratings are: No. 1
Reedley; No. 2 Butte; No. 3 Palomar;
No. 4 Moorpark (10-1); No. 6 College of the Canyons (9-2); No.
7 Chaffey
(10-1); No. 8 Fresno CC (9-2); No. 9 Grossmont; No. 10 City College
of San
Francisco (9-2).
For the sake of argument, there is none
in the case of Reedley. No. 2 Butte
lost only to Reedley. No. 3 Palomar lost to a team not in the
Top 20 early
in the season, but beat Moorpark on the final play of the game.
College of
the Canyons crushed Chaffey by 25 points in the SoCal championship,
but lost
to Reedley in the state title game. Fresno's only two losses
were to
Reedley. In addition to its one-point loss to Palomar, Grossmont
was edged
by Chaffey in triple-OT.
The satisfaction that must comfort coach
DAVE JORDAN and his Griffins is that
they were but one point and three overtimes short of finishing
undefeated.
ANOTHER VIEW
According to the final JC Athletic Bureau
ratings, Grossmont is No. 12 in the
state and No. 6 in Southern California.
(12-17-02)
Blitzing safety Chanti Bloomer (20) of Grossmont blocks
the line of vision of Palomar's Roman Ybarra (7) as the Comets'
QB looks to pass in Saturday's (12-07-02) South County Bowl game
at Southwestern College. (Photo by Travis Downs)
EastCountySports.com staff report
SAN DIEGO - Quarterback TANNER ENGSTRAND and linebacker CORDELL WILLIAMS of Grossmont College have been named to the 2002 J.C. GRID-WIRE SCHOLAR/ATHLETE ALL-AMERICA TEAM. Engstrand was also chosen the recipient of the 25th annual Joe Roth Award at the Griffins' football awards banquet Tuesday night (Dec. 10) at Marina Village.
Engstrand, who carries a 3.53 grade-point-average
as a Business major, earned
All-Foothill Conference first team. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound sophomore
completed 177 of 304 passes for 2,682 yards and 23 touchdowns.
The 5-foot-11, 215-pound Williams, who earned
a 3.63 GPA in General Studies,
came back from a broken leg to average close to 10 tackles per
game and blocked 5 kicks this season. Not surprisingly, Williams
was honored as the Griffins' Tackler of the Year.
The Joe Roth Award goes to the San Diego
County community college football
player that best meets the high academic standards and athletic
excellence
that the late Joe Roth exhibited during his All-American career.
Roth, a
gifted quarterback, guided the Griffins to their only undefeated
season and
state championship in 1974. He led Cal to its only Pac-10 championship
in
1975 and was considered a potential first round draft pick before
he died of
cancer in February, 1977.
Linebacker JOHN CASTILLO was chosen the
Griffins' Defensive MVP despite
missing the final 2 ? games with a broken leg. He was also a third-team
J.C.
Grid-Wire All-American.
Running back DONTAY CROWDER was voted the
team's Offensive MVP. The Patrick
Henry product averaged 7.9 yards per carry (second highest in
Grossmont
history) while scoring 50 points.
The top Special Teams player was freshman
TODD WATKINS, who scored 109 points
- second only to the 120 Corey Ransom tallied in 1998. Watkins'
85 kicking
points are second to the 88 markers registered by 1985 All-American
Rich
Ehmke. Watkins, who successfully executed 13-of-14 field goal
attempts
(.929), tied the school record with a 54-yard field goal this
season.
Other awards went to: MAURICE LONDON (Best
defensive back, who logged 8
interceptions); safety CHANTI BLOOMER (Big Hit - for his devastating
blow
against Antelope Valley); DARRYL McFARLIN and BOBBY KELLY (Most
Improved
defensive players); CHAD MACOMBER (Outstanding linebacker); RYAN
MELLO (Best
offensive back); JOSE GUTIERREZ (Best offensive lineman); AUNDREA
LIDDELL
(Best blocker); PRINZ MILTON (Best defensive lineman); ERIC ROMO
(Most
improved offensive lineman); KEITH ROBINSON (Most improved receiver);
SEAN
BOWMAN and DANNY NENOW (Co-Best receiver).
More than 350 attended the banquet to celebrate
the Griffins' third straight
nine-win season.
(12-10-02)
Grossmont QB Tanner Engstrand (15) rolls to
his right with RB Dontay Crowder (27) providing protection, as
Palomar's Brian Nicholson (99) closes in.
(Photo by Travis Downs)
EastCountySports.com staff report
CHULA VISTA - Grossmont College coach DAVE JORDAN could have made excuses for the Griffins' disappointing 20-19 loss to Palomar in Saturday's (Dec. 7) 4th annual South County Bowl at Southwestern College. But he didn't.
"We blew it," the veteran mentor lamented. "From where I was standing, it looked to me like we beat them up pretty good most of the game. But you can't fumble the ball at your own 4-yard line and you can't settle for field goals when you need touchdowns."
The Mission Conference-champion Comets provided an exciting climax to an intense evening of competition with a miraculous comeback in the final seven minutes. Limited to 197 yards and a "gift" touchdown in 49 plays over the first 3 1/2 quarters, Palomar scrambled for 13 points and 175 yards in 19 plays to secure the one-point victory.
"You have to give Grossmont a lot of
credit," Palomar coach Joe Early said. "They played
a helluva game. They've got a great team, and it's unfortunate
that somebody had to lose this game. It was a quality game all
the way
through."
Credit the Comets (10-1) for refusing to
fold. More than once Grossmont (9-2)
was closing in on a potential knock-out punch, but never connected.
"Our guys have been plugging away all
year long," Early added. "We had a lot
of things go against us in the second half. We could have bellied-up,
but we
didn't and that's the character of this team. It's been that way
all year
long."
Palomar put together a 16-play, 95-yard
drive that ate up four minutes but
resulted in a 1-yard leap into the end zone by Comets QB Roman
Ybarra,
slicing the Griffins' lead to 19-14 with 3:06 left.
Grossmont survived an onsides kick attempt,
but failed to run much time off
the clock. Griffin punter JOHN WARREN then boomed a 43-yard punt
into the end
zone, forcing the Comets to start from their own 20-yard line
with 1:57
remaining.
A near interception on first down followed
by an incomplete toss on second
down put Palomar in a third-and-10 situation with 1:43 left. The
Comets, who
converted only four of 15 third-down plays, came up with a big
one this time
as Ybarra fired a strike to Adam Burke on a crossing pattern that
went for an
80-yard TD pass, giving Palomar a 20-19 edge with 1:32 left.
"Grossmont's defense made it tough
for our offense," Early admitted. "We
couldn't get going for the longest time. We were playing percentages
and the
clock, but they forced us to open up our offense."
In other words, the Comets, primarily a
power-running team, had to go to the
air. And Ybarra was up to the challenge, completing 7 of 13 passes
during
Palomar's final two series.
"We dominated the whole game, I thought,"
Grossmont's freshman free safety
CHANTI BLOOMER said. "They just had a couple big plays and
came out with a
victory."
How close was this game? Thanks to Ybarra's
game-winning 80-yard TD strike,
the Comets gained a 372-369 edge in total yardage.
"They won on the scoreboard, but I
thought we played a better game," said
Grossmont quarterback TANNER ENGSTRAND, who completed 15 of 33
passes for 190
yards and rushed for 30 yards on 13 carries. "Maybe I missed
a few passes,
maybe we missed a few blocks, but nobody wanted to lose this game."
It was Palomar's 26th consecutive victory
over a San Diego County opponent, a
streak dating back to the 1988 season.
"All that hooey about how they haven't
lost a game to a San Diego team since
1988 doesn't mean anything to us," Engstrand said. "We've
played them once.
They beat us by one point."
CHAD MACOMBER played a sterling game on
defense for the Griffins, logging 10
tackles, while KYLE HOLLIS made 9 stops. Free safety MAURICE LONDON
made an
acrobatic interception - his eighth of the season.
Grossmont jumped out to a 7-0 lead when
Engstrand fired an 18-yard TD pass to
SEAN BOWMAN with 10:35 left in the opening quarter. CLAY PERKINS
nailed a
30-yard field goal on the Griffins' second series to make it 10-0.
The Griffins could have extended their advantage
after MIKE WASHINGTON
blocked Matt Kovacevich's punt. CORDELL WILLIAMS scooped up the
loose ball
and raced 39 yards to the Palomar 11-yard line. The Griffins advanced
the
ball only 2 yards before Perkins missed a 26-yard field goal.
That miscue
would come back to haunt the Griffins.
With Grossmont leading 10-0, Palomar's defense
did what it's done all year -
forced a turnover. This was a big one as Buick Tuua ran over Engstrand,
causing a fumble that Nick Badin recovered at the 4-yard line
with less than
three minutes left in the opening half.
"We didn't get the turnovers that we
normally average, but we got one big one
and that's what counts," Early said.
Comet running back Alex Thompson cashed
in Palomar's state-record 46th
takeaway when he scored on a 4-yard run, cutting Grossmont's advantage
to
three points with 0:46 second left.
The Griffins came charging back. Engstrand
literally ducked under a heavy
rush of defenders, emerging for a 16-yard gain. He then completed
passes of
26 yards to JOSIAH CLARK and 12 yards to CHRIS MAZZI, setting
up the first of
three TODD WATKINS field goals. Watkins, who connected from 35
yards out to
give the Griffins a 13-7 lead, concluded his freshman campaign
with 109
points.
No question, the Griffins were more than
a bit banged up in the heart of
their defense. Jordan's best defensive player and only All-American
linebacker, JOHN CASTILLO, was on crutches (broken leg - Victor
Valley game
on 11-16-02) when the game started. His second-best defender,
linebacker
CORDELL WILLIAMS, watched the majority of the second half from
the sidelines.
"It was bad enough not having Castillo,
but losing Cordell really hurt our
pass rush," Jordan admitted. "Cordell was experiencing
sharp pain in his back
so we couldn't play him. He has a big future in this game."
DONTAY CROWDER (14 carries, 94 yards) and
MICHAEL YANCY (8 carries, 53 yards)
led Grossmont's ground swell, while JONATHAN MITCHELL reeled in
four passes
for 42 yards. KEITH ROBINSON had 2 catches for 63 yards.
"That was a tough loss," Macomber
admitted. "When we know we played so well,
it's tough to lose like that."
(12-07-02)
Grossmont lineman Darryl McFarlin (56) is about
to wrap up Palomar RB Alex
Thompson (45) in the South County Bowl won by the Comets 20-19
(12-07-02).
(Photo by Travis Downs)
Grossmont receiver/kick returner Keith Robinson (4)
waits for a kickoff. (Photo by Travis Downs)
EastCountySports.com staff report
CHULA VISTA - When it comes to San Diego County community college football, Palomar College is king. Check the record. The Comets haven't lost to a county team since 1988. That's 25 consecutive games without a loss to local challengers. Grossmont hopes to put an end to the Comets' streak when the two squads lock up in the 4th annual South County Bowl Saturday (Dec. 7) at Southwestern College at 5 p.m.
Palomar (9-1), the Mission Conference champion, suffered its last loss to a San Diego County team in the 1988 finale as the Comets fell to Southwestern 32-25. Among the players on that team were Dan Early (current Palomar tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator).
It's been an even longer stretch for the
Griffins, who last bested the Comets in 1987 by a 21-16 count.
Since then, Palomar has polished off Grossmont seven times in
a row. The two teams, however, have not collided since 1994 when
Palomar prevailed 48-28 in a game that ended in a bench-clearing
brawl at Patrick Henry and was called off before the final 2:41
was played. Credit
the coaches for restoring order, because the officials were long
gone by then.
So much for the history lesson.
Not many of the state's bowl games offer
a better match-up than this one.
Grossmont comes in averaging 46 points and 476 yards per game,
while the more
conservative Comets are charting 30.5 points and 410.6 yards per
outing.
The key for the Comets is to play keep-away.
"We expect they'll try to overpower
us with their superior size up front,"
Grossmont coach DAVE JORDAN said. "They have us outmanned
by about 30 pounds
up front. Plus they have two tough backs (ALEX THOMPSON and CHRIS
WILLIAMS).
They are a patient team, willing to take their time to control
the clock with
their running game."
Between them, Thompson and Williams have rushed for 1,999 yards and 13 TDs.
Comets quarterback RAMON YBARRA has completed
108 of 229 passes for 1,455
yards and 13 TDs. His favorite target is sophomore All-American
EDDIE
SULLIVAN (53 catches, 832 yards, 10 TDs).
"That No. 3 (Sullivan) is a major college receiver," Jordan said.
Grossmont's fate rests in the hands of quarterback
TANNER ENGSTRAND, a
first-team Foothill Conference performer who ranks 5th in SoCal
for total
offense, averaging 264.2 yards per game. Due to Grossmont's superior
firepower and lopsided scores of most of their games, Engstrand
was permitted
to complete only one of his 10 starts.
"I don't think Tanner averaged three
quarters per game," Jordan said. "We had
to hold a lot of our starters out because the games got out of
hand, and we
didn't want to be accused of running up the score."
Despite their hefty offensive numbers, the
Griffins' offensive crew operated
by committee. Twenty-three players caught passes and 16 carried
the ball.
Nineteen contributed to the scoring total.
DONTAY CROWDER has risen to the top of Grossmont's
running game, averaging
8.3 yards per carry. Versatile KEITH ROBINSON leads the Griffins'
receivers
with 37 catches and 791 all-purpose yards.
End PRINZ MILTON, linebackers CORDELL WILLIAMS
and BOBBY KELLY, corners ERICK
PETERMAN and JORDAN ALFORD along with safeties CHANTI BLOOMER
and MAURICE
LONDON anchor the Griffins' defense.
A LITTLE R&R: RATINGS and RECOGNITION
JC Grid-Wire's national rankings rate Grossmont
No. 7 and Palomar No. 10.
That seems a bit strange considering the Comets' lineup includes
4 JC
All-Americans - second team receiver EDDIE SULLIVAN, second team
safety
WILLIE TAGOAI, third team linebacker ANDREW PAOPAO and honorable
mention
linebacker SEAN SOVACOOL. Paopao and Tagoai were named the Mission
Conference
Central Co-Defensive Players of the Year. . . Sullivan was the
Mission
Central Co-Offensive Player of the Year . . . Grossmont's lone
All-American
pick - linebacker JOHN CASTILLO - is a third-teamer sidelined
with a broken
leg. The Griffins, however, are expected to land a couple of coveted
positions on JC Grid-Wire's Scholar-Athlete Team to be announced
next week.
The JC Athletic Bureau ranks Palomar No.
6 in the state and No. 4 in Southern
California, while that same poll rates the Griffins tied for 7th
in the state
and No. 3 in SoCal. Hmm? Could it be those coaches voting in the
North don't
have a clue?
In the COA/Coaches Regional Poll, Palomar
ranks 3rd in Southern California
and Grossmont is No. 4.
GRIFFIN GRAFFITI - One
thing about bowl games is it allows four-year college
coaches an extra two weeks to watch potential recruits in practice.
Jordan
says representatives from Oregon, San Jose State, Kansas, Bowling
Green,
Weber State, Montana State and Northern Arizona University are
among those to
have dropped by the Grossmont campus the past 10 days . . . Palomar
has
created a state-record 45 turnovers, while the Griffins have forced
32
take-aways . . . This is Grossmont's 6th post-season bowl game
in 9 years. .
. The Griffins have logged three consecutive 9-1 seasons . . .
Palomar, which
has won 19 of its last 22 games, has captured three mythical national
championships (1991, 1993 and 1998). . . The Griffins, who have
won 28 of
their last 31 regular-season games, were undefeated state champions
in 1974
with a 10-0-2 mark . . . Palomar is 10-3 in bowl games, while
Grossmont is
3-7-1 . . . Grossmont has played the Nos. 1, 8, 12,14, 16 and
18 teams in the
final SoCal rankings, beating all but No. 1 Chaffey, which derailed
the
Griffins 43-35 in three overtimes . . . Palomar has faced five
of the SoCal
top 20, losing only to No. 19 Mount San Antonio 31-23.
(12-05-02)
Freshman Grossmont kicker/receiver Todd
Watkins, shown here kicking out of the hold of Dan Nenow, scored
100 points during the 2002 regular season - 2nd highest in Grossmont
College history. (Photo by Travis Downs)
GRIFFINS' CASTILLO, WILLIAMS, MILTON, LONDON, ENGSTRAND, GUTIERREZ NAMED ALL-FOOTHILL CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - Given that Grossmont College's success this season has been achieved on a "by-committee" basis, coach DAVE JORDAN was pleased that his Griffins received many individual honors in the All-Foothill Conference balloting by the circuit's nine head coaches.
"Because so many of our games were
early blow outs, we couldn't let our
starters play a complete game for fear of having people accuse
us of running
up the score," Jordan said. "Doing that caused our kids
to have fewer stats
than they might otherwise have gotten if they had been able to
play a full
game."
Grossmont earned six first-team selections
and four second-team berths after
finishing the conference campaign in the runner-up slot with a
7-1 record.
The Griffins (9-1 overall), ranked No. 3 in Southern California
and No. 7 in
the state by the JC Athletic Bureau, placed linebackers JOHN CASTILLO
(Helix)
and CORDELL WILLIAMS (El Cajon Valley), end PRINZ MILTON (Morse)
and safety
MAURICE LONDON (Creekside, Ga.) on the first-team defense.
Two Griffins gained first team berths on
the offensive side - quarterback
TANNER ENGSTRAND (West Hills) and guard JOSE GUTIERREZ (Brawley).
Both are
somewhat surprising picks in that Engstrand was denied full-time
playing
status in seven of his 10 starts due to the lopsided nature of
Grossmont's
games.
Nevertheless, Engstrand, a sophomore, generated
264.2 yards per game and had
a hand in 27 touchdowns for the Griffins, who averaged 46 points
and 476
yards overall. Boston University is the latest to join in the
recruiting
derby for Engstrand.
Although undersized at 5-11, 248 pounds,
Gutierrez used his quickness to
neutralize larger more cumbersome defensive linemen.
"He's probably the smallest offensive
lineman in the state, but he gets the
job done," Jordan said.
On the defensive side, four Griffins made
the first team. Middle linebacker
JOHN CASTILLO, who suffered a broken leg against Victor Valley,
made enough
of an impact to garner sufficient votes for an automatic nomination
for
All-State recognition.
End PRINZ MILTON, linebacker CORDELL WILLIAMS
and safety MAURICE LONDON also
secured all-conference first team honors.
Second-team recognition was awarded to Grossmont
freshman safety CHANTI
BLOOMER, freshman offensive lineman AUNDREA LIDDELL (6-3, 305),
sophomore
tight end RYAN MELLO and sophomore wide receiver KEITH ROBINSON.
Grossmont standouts earning all-conference
honorable mention went to:
linebackers BOBBY KELLY and CHAD MACOMBER, RB DONTAY CROWDER,
WRs SEAN
BOWMAN, DAN NENOW and TODD WATKINS, DBs ERICK PETERMAN and JORDAN
ALFORD; and
tight end RYAN MELLO.
Grossmont (9-1) plays Palomar (9-1) in the
4th annual Southwestern South
County Bowl on Dec. 7 at Chet DeVore Stadium in Chula Vista.
(11-26-02)
Grossmont's Cordell Williams (3) blocks a punt as Chad
Macomber (33) closes
in during the Griffins' 66-7 victory over Antelope Valley (11-23-02).
(Photo
by Travis Downs)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - Grossmont College will participate in its 6th post-season bowl game in 9 years on Saturday, Dec. 7 when the Griffins take on powerful Palomar College in the 4th annual South County Bowl at Southwestern College in Chula Vista at 5 p.m. The Griffins, who finished 9-1 for the third consecutive season, are meeting the Mission Conference-champion Comets (9-1) for the first time since 1994.
"This should be a great spectator event for the community," Grossmont coach DAVE JORDAN said. "It should generate a lot of interest in that it's a game between two local teams for the county championship."
Palomar will enter the game ranked No. 3 in Southern California. The Comets climbed past Grossmont in the final SoCal rankings, compiled by the California Community College Coaches Association, and trail only No. 1 Chaffey (10-0) and No. 2 College of the Canyons (9-1), who will play Dec. 7 in the Southern California Bowl in Rancho Cucamonga for the SoCal championship.
The Griffins, now No. 4 in the same poll,
are more than a little mystified
how the Comets, who were ranked fifth entering the final week
of the regular season, could leap over them when Grossmont clobbered
Antelope Valley 66-7 while Palomar was stumbling past Golden West
24-10. Both AVC and Golden West finished 1-9.
No one, it seems, is exactly sure who does the voting in the COA Poll.
"The bottom line is we would be playing
for the Southern California
championship if we had beaten Chaffey," Grossmont Athletic
Director BOBBY
THOMPSON said. "Since we can't be No. 1 or No.2, we're excited
to be playing
a quality opponent in a first-class bowl game. It's a good match-up
and it
should draw well."
The Panthers, the only undefeated team in
Southern California, needed three
overtimes to deal Grossmont a 43-35 setback on Nov. 2. Mount San
Antonio
handed Palomar its only defeat 31-23 two weeks earlier.
Palomar and Grossmont, with two of the Nation's
most successful programs,
have not played each other since the San Diego Community College
Bowl in 1994
when the Comets won 48-28.
Palomar hasn't lost to a San Diego County
opponent since 1988. The Comets
have clipped the Griffins seven times in a row, Grossmont's last
victory over
the North County powerhouse coming in 1987 by a 21-16 margin.
Palomar has won 19 of its last 22 games
and 21 of its last 23 regular-season
games.
The Griffins have won 28 of their last 31 regular-season
games and advanced
to the Southern California championship game in 2000 where they
lost to
Bakersfield 22-17 in the Potato Bowl.
The Comets, who are 10-3 in post-season
play, won mythical National
Championships in 1991, 1993 and 1998, and advanced to the State
Championship
game last season in Visalia when they were 10-2, losing to City
College of
San Francisco 61-12. It was TOM CRAFT's final game as Palomar
head coach
before he moved on to San Diego State this season.
Grossmont, which is 3-7-1 in post-season
activity, lost to Pasadena in last
year's South County Bowl 38-17.
(11-24-02)
Grossmont's Kashun McClay (26) runs by Antelope
Valley kicker Carlos Nunez (25) on 73-yard punt return in the
Griffins' 66-7 victory over the Marauders (11-23-02). (Photo
by Travis Downs)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - If there was any pressure on
the Grossmont College Griffins in
Saturday afternoon's (Nov. 23) Foothill Conference finale, it
probably rested
on the shoulders of head coach DAVE JORDAN. Not because the veteran
skipper
was afraid that his high-flying Griffins would stumble against
visiting
Antelope Valley, but rather he was concerned how the Marauders
and their
coaches would react if his club was allowed to perform at full
speed. Jordan
kept a leash on his high-scoring squad and emptied the bench as
Grossmont
mauled the Marauders 66-7 to complete a third straight 9-1 season.
"I hate those kind of situations,"
said Jordan, who will take his Griffins
into post-season play for the sixth time in the last nine years.
"It's been
like that for our team in a lot of games this year. If I let the
starters
play more than a half or so, people accuse us of running up the
score. It's
sort of a no-win situation."
Grossmont brought the house against Antelope
Valley, providing the majority
of his players to enjoy substantial playing time.
"That's one of the good things about
a game like this," he said. "A lot of
kids got to have some fun out there today."
The Griffins (9-1, 7-1 Foothill Conference),
ranked No. 8 in the nation, will
find out what bowl game invitation they'll be extended on Sunday
(Nov. 24).
The "Grossmont Grinder" started
from the get-go against outmanned Antelope
Valley (1-9, 1-7). KASHUN McCLAY returned the opening kickoff
73 yards and
two plays later TANNER ENGSTRAND passed 12 yards to SEAN BOWMAN
for a
touchdown. TODD WATKINS kicked the first of his 8 PATS, and the
Griffins led
7-0 with only 41 seconds gone in the game.
Even the special teams performed in dominating
style for the Griffins.
Blocked punts in the opening quarter by CORDELL WILLIAMS and BOBBY
KELLY led
to instant touchdowns for CHANTI BLOOMER. The freshman safety
out of Helix
High scooped up the first block and scored from 2 yards out. He
recovered
Kelly's block in the end zone six minutes later.
"I scored two touchdowns in a game
once in high school," Bloomer said. "I
recovered a fumble for one touchdown and returned a pick for the
other. But
this was just as rewarding.
"I wasn't sure whether I wanted to
go to Palomar or Grossmont, but I didn't
want to make the commute to Palomar, so I came to Grossmont. It
kinda
surprised me that I was able to earn a starting spot right away.
Coming here
was the right choice."
Bloomer and Co. helped stake Grossmont to a 28-0 lead.
"Those two blocked punts sure shifted
the momentum to our side in a hurry,"
said Grossmont sophomore linebacker CHAD MACOMBER, who noted that
he played
only one play after the Griffins built a 52-0 lead by halftime.
Grossmont easily could have ballooned its
final scoring total into the
stratosphere had Jordan allowed his regulars to continue the pounding.
As it
was, the Griffins finished with the third highest scoring total
in Grossmont
history. The BRIAN SIPE-led Griffins set the record of 72 points
in 1967
against Cypress.
For the first time all season the Griffins'
offense leaned more on its
running game. "Cashin'" McClay rushed for a season-high
127 yards on 11
carries, while DONTAY CROWDER sprinted for 121 yards on five sorties.
Crowder, who rushed for more than 100 yards last week, embarked
on a 61-yard
scoring sojourn to extend Grossmont's advantage to 45-0 with 11:30
left in
the SECOND quarter.
Versatile freshman TODD WATKINS was a perfect
8-for-8 on PATs and added a
34-yard field goal to finish the day with 11 points. The Helix
High alum has
scored 100 points for the Griffins, including 4 TDs and a 30.7-yard
average
as a receiver.
At first, some of the Grossmont coaches
were convinced that Watkins had
broken the Griffins' record for most points in a season with 100.
Close, but
only second best. Another Helix alum - COREY RANSOM - scored 120
points
during the 1998 season when he was named the MVP of the prestigious
Potato
Bowl in Bakersfield in 1998.
Although the Griffins were able to score
at will, it was a pair of
bone-crunching blocks by a pair of non-linemen that brought the
most
vociferous cheers from the crowd.
"I don't know if words can describe
those blocks, but they certainly were
crowd-pleasing hits," Jordan said. Watkins made a crack-back
block that
launched Crowder on a 57-yard jaunt, setting up Grossmont's third
score of
the day.
Bloomer made an even more violent hit on
a lengthy punt return a quarter
later.
"At the last second I think he saw
me," Bloomer said of AVC's 6-foot-3,
305-pound tackle STEVE PUGH. "I hit him straight on. Hit
him in the chest."
Pugh's helmet went flying as did his mouthpiece and chin strap.
Grossmont finished with 530 yards total
offense in 53 plays - an average of
10 yards per play - while Antelope Valley finished with 248 yards
on 74 plays.
(11-23-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - To those who believe statistics
are the bottom line in determining
which team is going to win what game, Saturday's (Nov. 23) Foothill
Conference finale between Grossmont College and visiting Antelope
Valley
might appear that this 1 p.m. kickoff at Roth-Mashin Memorial
Field should
lead to a scoring free-for-all.
Grossmont (8-1, 6-1) has a slim chance to
qualify for the Southern California
championship game, but none-the-less should earn a berth in a
blue-chip bowl
game against a top-notch opponent.
For one of the few times in recent memory,
the Marauders are struggling to
put victories on the board, having lost eight of nine. AVC's lone
win was a
44-26 nod over Desert in week three. The Marauders made life miserable
for
undefeated Reedley (9-0) in the season opener, before succumbing
46-41.
Offense is no problem for Antelope Valley,
which is churning out 24.4 points
and 307 yards per game. Defense, however, has been a disaster
as the
Marauders have been pushed around for 45.3 points and 444 yards
per outing.
This should be an easy mark for Grossmont, which produces 43.8
points and 470
yards per weekend.
However, the ever conservative Grossmont
head coach DAVE JORDAN never views
any opponent as an easy touch.
"They have plenty of incentive for wanting to knock us off," the coach said.
In spite of a lackluster 1-8 record, Antelope
Valley hasn't forgotten how the
Griffins stole a 42-35 victory over the Marauders last year in
Lancaster. AVC
was breezing to a 35-14 win when MIKE CLARK came off the bench
to direct the
Griffins to 28 unanswered points and a thrilling victory. That
comeback paved
the way for Grossmont to play in one of the state's premier bowl
games.
TANNER ENGSTRAND, who was a state player
of the week with 358 yards and 4 TDs
in Grossmont's 52-27 romp over Victor Valley last Saturday, is
the triggerman
of the Griffins' high-powered offense. The talented sophomore
is the Foothill
Conference total offense leader and ranks third in the state,
averaging 276.1
yards per game.
Grossmont freshman WR-kicker TODD WATKINS
is the seventh-leading scorer in
the state with 89 points, which includes 9 pass receptions for
a 30.7 average
and 4 TDs. The transfer from Norfolk State via Helix High has
converted 9 of
10 field goals, including a 54-yarder (which ties the school record).
Antelope Valley features two of the top
three receivers in the conference.
JEROME WRIGHT (71 catches, 951 yards, 5 TDs) is hands-down the
Foothill
Conference leader and ranks No. 2 in the state. JAMES LAWRENCE
(48-639, 3
TDs) is third in the conference and No. 13 in the state.
Grossmont ranks No. 6 among state offenses
and Antelope Valley is third from
the bottom among the state's defenses.
Only cockiness should deny the Griffins their third straight 9-1 season.
NATIONAL ACCCLAIM: It's not often that ESPN
televises anything positive about
community college athletics, but the producers of America's best
known sports
news show thought enough to air highlights of Solano College's
72-69 victory
over the College of Marin. Yes, real highlights were shown to
the nation,
which further proves that this is a viable level of college football.
That
game was 3 points shy of the highest score in JC history, which
was set in
1998 and also involved Marin, which lost to Shasta 73-71.
GRIFFIN GRAFFITI: The Griffins will find
out who and where they will play in
a Dec. 7 bowl game when the California Community College Commission
on
Athletics (COA) releases the match-ups Sunday afternoon (Nov.
24). There are
14 bowl games in California, but only the top two teams from Southern
California and the top two from Northern California will qualify
for the
state championship . . . The latest COA rankings list Grossmont
No. 4 behind
Chaffey (9-0), Pasadena (8-1) and College of the Canyons (8-1)
. . . Palomar
(8-1), which is a probable opponent for the Griffins in the South
County Bowl
at Southwestern College on Dec. 7, is ranked No. 5 on the COA
ladder. . .
Other rankings are JC Grid-Wire, which rates the Griffins No.
8 nationally,
No. 6 in the state and No. 3 in Southern California . . . The
JC Athletic
Bureau lists the Griffins No. 8 in the state and No. 4 in SoCal
. . .
Grossmont owns a 9-4 edge over Antelope Valley, including three
wins in the
last four years.
(11-22-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
VICTORVILLE - This was billed as a history-making
event for the Victor Valley
College football program. The upstart Rams came into Saturday's
(Nov. 16)
Foothill Conference game kicking up their heels and talking about
upsets and
bowl games. It didn't take the visiting Grossmont College Griffins
long to
put the Rams in their place. The Griffins sprinted to a 35-7 halftime
lead
and never looked back as they buried Victor Valley 52-27 in a
game that
wasn't as close as the score indicates.
"I don't think the game was ever in
doubt," said Grossmont coach DAVE JORDAN,
whose team paid a heavy price by the loss of sophomore middle
linebacker JOHN
CASTILLO to a broken fibula. "In the first half, we just
dominated them."
Indeed. The Griffins recorded 7 sacks and
4 interceptions, while virtually
shutting out the home-standing Rams for the first three quarters.
Victor
Valley's lone score during the first 45 minutes was the result
of a fumbled
pitchout, which the Rams returned 49 yards for a touchdown.
Grossmont linebacker CORDELL WILLIAMS was
involved in three sacks and knocked
the Foothill Conference's leading passer DYLAN LOCKWOOD out of
the game on a
blitz late in the first half. Linebacker KYLE HOLLIS also logged
a pair of
sacks for the Griffins, who are ranked 7th in the nation.
"We had a 3-man rush most of the game,"
Jordan said. "But we hurt them with
our blitzes. (Victor Valley) is a much improved team and not easy
to defense."
You couldn't tell that Saturday. Grossmont
safety MAURICE LONDON intercepted
his 6th and 7th passes, while ERICK PETERMAN and CHANTI BLOOMER
pilfered one
pass apiece.
"I have a buddy (receiver PATRICK HARRINGTON)
who plays for Victor Valley and
he and I talked over the telephone all week about this game,"
said London,
who hails from Atlanta and is known as "Georgia" to
his teammates. "Patrick
and I were kidding back and forth how each of our team's was going
shut the
other one down.
"I told him I play for Grossmont and
nobody is going to shut us down. That
wasn't happening. Not today."
Harrington did manage to catch 9 passes
for 103 yards, but he was unable to
find the end zone.
"He's a good player and we're best
friends," London said. "But this was
business. His team against mine. It was about going to a bowl
game. And
that's where Grossmont is headed."
Grossmont quarterback TANNER ENGSTRAND had
a big game passing and running the
option, totaling 358 yards in three quarters of activity. He gave
the
Griffins (8-1, 6-1) the early lead when he rumbled 23 yards to
the end zone.
TODD WATKINS kicked the first of his six PATs to make it 7-0.
Engstrand then unleashed scoring passes
of 35 yards to KEITH ROBINSON and 86
yards to Watkins to open up a 21-0 edge in the opening quarter.
The scoring
strike to Watkins tied him for the 7th-longest in Grossmont's
rich passing
heritage.
Sophomore DONTAY CROWDER picked up the Griffins'
ground game in the absence
of team leader MICHAEL YANCY, who was sidelined with a sprained
ankle.
Crowder crashed his way for a 102 yards, including scoring bursts
of 9 and 60
yards in the second quarter.
"I finally got my chance," said
Crowder, who is the first Grossmont back to
reach the century mark this season. "I mostly ran outside,
and that's when I
scored."
Crowder's 60-yard dash came after the original
play was aborted when he
attempted to run up the gut.
"I was following my fullback inside,
but it was clogged in the middle," he
said. "So I bounced outside and managed to make a couple
guys miss me and I
was on my way."
Backup quarterback MIKE CLARK came off the
bench to guide the Griffins in the
final quarter, He completed 3 of 7 passes for 100 yards, including
a 47-yard
TD connection to JONATHAN MITCHELL. Clark later tacked on the
final Grossmont
score with a QB sneak from the 1-yard line.
Other offensive standouts included receivers
KEITH ROBINSON (6 catches, 68
yards, TD) and DAN NENOW (4 catches, 69 yards).
Although Grossmont claimed a 585-455 advantage
in total yardage, the game
became an endurance test down the stretch. The Rams launched 101
plays from
scrimmage, including 75 passes.
"We did a lot of substituting in the
second half," Jordan said. "But our kids
got awfully tired there at the end. It seemed like (Victor Valley)
had the
ball forever in the fourth quarter."
Meanwhile, the Griffins must find a way
to replace the inspirational 6-foot,
230-pound Castillo, who suffered his season-ending injury on the
first series
of the second half.
"I was on a blitz and they ran a draw
play," Castillo recalled. "I met the
guy head on. It was a gang-tackling situation. I rolled my ankle
and I could
hear the crack. I knew it was bad."
Early diagnosis on Castillo by physicians
at Victorville's Desert Valley
Hospital is a broken right fibula and additional ligament damage
to his right
ankle.
"The key is how much ligament damage
there is," Castillo said. "There was too
much swelling to tell anything right away. But, if there is any
way I can get
back for that state championship game (Dec. 14 in Bakersfield),
which I
believe we should be in, I'll be there."
(11-16-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - Only two years ago Victor Valley
College was mired in a 27-game
losing streak. Much has changed since those sad-sack times as
the Rams are
ranked No. 10 in Southern California today with a 6-2 record.
The buzz in
Victorville this week is Victor Valley is going to make history.
Plainly put,
the Rams say they will upset visiting Grossmont College (7-1)
on Saturday
(Nov. 16) and qualify for the first bowl game in school history.
That warning did not go unheeded at Grossmont
College. Griffins coach DAVE
JORDAN was quick to alert his troops of Victor Valley's stated
intentions by
posting an article quoting the Rams and their coaches.
"This is their last game, and they
know if they beat us they'll go to a bowl
game," Jordan said. "They won't be holding anything
back."
Victor Valley could easily have been 8-0
entering Saturday's 1 p.m. game in
Victorville. They lost to Mount San Jacinto 23-22, and Chaffey
- the only
undefeated team in Southern California - beat them on the final
play of the
game 34-27.
"I think the big difference is a year
ago (when the Rams finished 4-6) we had
two guys that could turn any given play into a touchdown,"
Victor Valley's
second-year coach DAVE HOOVER said. "This year we have six
guys who can do
that."
One of those shining stars is sophomore
quarterback DYLAN LOCKWOOD, the
Foothill Conference's leading passer. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound
Lockwood has
completed 54 percent of 272 passes for 2,375 yards and 18 TDs.
He passed for
369 yards and 2 TDs against Chaffey, and penetrated San Diego
Mesa for 398
yards and 4 TDs on 27 of 42.
"(Lockwood) has a rocket arm," Jordan said.
They don't come much better than VVC sophomore
wide receiver/corner JAMEL
RICHARDSON (6-3, 205), who has 6 TDs and is averaging 21.5 yards
for his 40
catches. In a 68-30 romp over Antelope Valley, Richardson also
recovered a
fumble, knocked down two passes, returned three punts for 41 yards
and two
kickoffs for 44 yards.
"There aren't too many Division I schools
that would trade us what we've got
four across at wideout," Hoover said.
Hoover has a point. PATRICK HARRINGTON (30
catches, 553 yards, 7 TDs), JEREMY
JUSTICE (30-344, 2 TDs) and OZZIE MATHIS (17-328, 3 TDs) are also
ranked
among the conference leaders.
VVC's RASHAD HAWKINS is the third-leading
rusher (123 carries, 647 yards, 5
TDs) in the conference, which helps explain why the Rams are averaging
33.9
points and 376.5 yards per game.
Grossmont, which is cranking out 42.8 points
and 455.6 yards per outing,
should have no problem putting up points against the Rams, who
are allowing
25.9 points and 358 yards per game.
"We don't want to turn the game into
a shoot-out," said Jordan, noting that
both teams utilize the "no-huddle" offense.
Don't look for a scoring free-for-all as
Grossmont ranks No. 1 among the
conference defenses, surrendering 21.5 points and 298 yards per
game.
Middle linebacker JOHN CASTILLO is the anchor
of the Grossmont defense that
features a talented secondary - corners ERICK PETERMAN and JORDAN
ALFORD, and
safeties CHANTI BLOOMER and MAURICE LONDON.
"Those (Victor Valley) receivers are
tall," Jordan said. "We have good cover
people in our secondary, but (the Rams) are capable of making
unbelievable
catches."
TANNER ENGSTRAND is the ringleader of Grossmont's
high-powered offense. The
talented sophomore ranks second in passing and total offense among
the
Foothill Conference quarterbacks.
GRIFFIN GRAFFITI - Grossmont receiver-kicker
TODD WATKINS ranks 13th among
the state's scoring leaders with 74 points and a 9.3 per-game-average
. . .
JC-Grid-Wire has more respect for the Griffins than any of the
various polls,
ranking Grossmont No. 7 in the nation and No. 4 in the state .
. . JC
Athletic Bureau ranks the Griffins No. 9 in the state and No.
4 in Southern
California . . . Unfortunately, it's the COA/California Community
College
Football Coaches Association Regional Poll that is considered
to be
politically correct. The Griffins are No. 5 on that ladder, which
is the rule
for determining which teams play in the Southern California championship
and
play in the various bowl games . . . The Griffins are 8-0 against
Victor
Valley . . . Grossmont has beaten four teams ranked in this week's
SoCal Top
20 . . . The parade of college scouts continued this week as representatives
from Youngstown (Ohio) State and Florida A&M attended Griffins
practices.
(11-14-02)
Grossmont's Chad Macomber (33) and John Castillo (55), shown
here against
Chaffey, played key roles as the Griffins posted their first shutout
of the
season 44-0 against College of the Desert (11-09-02).
EastCountySports.com staff report
PALM DESERT - Any thoughts of a Grossmont
College collapse following last
week's stunning triple-overtime loss to Chaffey were put to rest
Saturday
(Nov. 9) as the visiting Griffins blanked hapless College of the
Desert 44-0
in a Foothill Conference game at Boone Field. It was Grossmont's
first
shutout of the year, and kept the Griffins' hopes for a berth
in the Southern
California championship game alive.
Tied with Saddleback for the No. 5 spot
in the California Community College
Football Coaches Association Poll as play began Saturday, the
Griffins will
take solace in the fact that the Gauchos were beaten by No. 7
Palomar, 19-16.
Unfortunately for the Griffins, No. 1 Chaffey mauled San Diego
Mesa 49-7, No.
3 Cerritos slipped past Long Beach 6-3, and No. 4 Pasadena pounded
El Camino
48-21. Probably won't be a lot of movement in the Southern California
rankings this week.
Although anything but sterling themselves,
the Griffins (7-1, 5-1), ranked
No. 9 in the nation, claimed a 421-140 advantage in total yardage
even though
the two teams each had 68 offensive plays.
"We played down to their level in the
first half, especially our offensive
line," Grossmont coach DAVE JORDAN said.
Nevertheless, the Griffins led 23-0 by halftime.
Grossmont broke out of the gate with some
high-stepping, marching 64 yards in
11 plays. Seven of those plays were rushes adding up to 43 yards.
Fullback
GARY SARTAIN took the ball the final yard for the first of his
two TDs in the
game.
A holding penalty nullified what would have
been a 35-yard TD run by DONTAY
CROWDER on the first play of the Griffins' second offensive series.
It didn't
matter, though, as three plays later TANNER ENGSTRAND passed 20
yards to
JEREMY BUSH for the score. TODD WATKINS kicked the second of his
four PATs to
make it 14-0 with 8:22 left in the first quarter.
"I was glad it didn't rain, but that
wind was something else," Jordan said.
"It must have been gusting up to 50 miles an hour. It blew
me over once, and
my hat flew off another time."
But the primary blowout was on the scoreboard.
"I was really happy with our defense,"
Jordan said. "I thought we picked it
up and played a lot better in the second half."
Grossmont safety CHANTI BLOOMER, who was
denied a record-setting 105-yard
interception return against San Bernardino by a clipping penalty,
picked off
a COD pass and raced 58 yards for a touchdown to swell Grossmont's
lead to
30-0 with 6:32 left in the third quarter.
"I'm pleased to get the shutout,"
Jordan said. "And I think we didn't give up
that many yards."
The Roadrunners generated only 62 yards
in the first half - 40 rushing, 22
passing - and picked up just 4 first downs.
Grossmont corner JORDAN ALFORD intercepted
his third pass of the season,
while reserve linebacker MIKE ENEBERG picked off his first. Linebacker
CHAD
MACOMBER recovered a fumble.
It was the 16th consecutive loss for College
of the Desert (0-8, 0-6), which
had 32 players in uniform for the joust with the Griffins.
The Roadrunners showed their ineptness at
the beginning of the second
quarter, already trailing 14-0. On three consecutive plays, they
fumbled and
recovered on first and second downs before throwing an interception
on third
down. And, unlike most of Southern California, this game was played
on a dry
field with sunshine and gusty winds.
Grossmont's much-maligned special teams
blocked a punt that rolled out of the
back of the end zone for safety in the second quarter. That same
group caused
a punt shank that set up a 2-play, 29-yard drive, culminating
on a 3-yard
scoring junket by KASHUN McCLAY.
McClay completed the scoring with a 2-yard TD run in the final seconds.
Not to be overlooked was Grossmont punter
JOHN WARREN, who averaged 44 yards
on four boots.
MICHAEL YANCY led Grossmont's second-best
rushing effort (207 yards) of the
season with 82 yards on nine carries. KEITH ROBINSON caught a
team-best 5
passes for 61 yards, while tight end RYAN MELLO grabbed three
balls for 47
yards.
Grossmont is hardly home free. The Griffins
face dangerous Victor Valley
(6-2, 5-2) next Saturday (Nov. 16) in Victorville. The Rams lost
to Chaffey
on the final play of their Oct. 19 game 34-27.
"Our kids know what the stakes are,"
Jordan said. "It will be a tough trip,
because we have to leave school at 7 a.m. for the 1 p.m. start.
But we'll be
ready."
NOTE: Grossmont sports information director Robert Trevino
contributed to
this article.
(11-09-02)
Grossmont's Tanner Engstrand (15) hands
off to Taniela Langi (30) as Victor Lauifi (79) and Robert Patmon
(78) block in the Griffins' 43-35 (3OT) loss to Chaffey (11-02-02).
(Photo by Travis Downs)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - Ever the optimist, Grossmont
College football coach DAVE JORDAN
has it figured how his Griffins can still qualify for the Southern
California
championship game on Dec. 7. Logistically speaking, Jordan isn't
just blowing
smoke. It could happen.
Grossmont (6-1, 4-1) needs to sweep its
final three Foothill Conference games
- two of which are on the road - beginning with Saturday's (Nov.
9) encounter
against College of the Desert in Palm Desert at 1 p.m.
Chaffey (7-0, 5-0), which handed the Griffins
a 43-35 loss in triple overtime
last week, is one of only two undefeated teams in Southern California.
The
Panthers claimed all 13 first-place votes in the COA/California
Community
College Football Coaches Association Poll, which are the official
rankings
that determine the state playoff and bowl game match-ups. Grossmont
and
Saddleback - a team the Griffins drilled 38-14 earlier this season
- are tied
for the No. 5 spot.
Oh what a sticky mess this could be.
Looking up the ladder, Chaffey, which travels
to San Diego Mesa (4-3) on
Saturday, appears have a second straight 10-0 regular season finish
within
reach. If that does happen, the Panthers will have the home-field
advantage
in the SoCal finale.
No. 2-ranked College of the Canyons (6-1)
has games remaining with No. 9
Moorpark (6-1) and No. 7 Compton (6-0) among its final three.
No. 3 Cerritos (6-1) travels to No. 10 Long
Beach (5-2) this weekend and
still has a date with No. 4 Pasadena (6-1) on the docket. Pasadena
visits
perennial spoiler El Camino (2-5) - coach JOHN FEATHERSTONE's
Warriors
stunned Cerritos 44-21 two weeks ago - on Saturday.
Saddleback (6-1) hosts Palomar (6-1) on
Saturday. The Comets, who share the
No. 7-ranking with undefeated Compton, are sure to sweep their
final two
regular-season home games against also-rans Golden West and Santa
Ana who
have won one game between them.
Canyons, Cerritos and Pasadena - the three
teams immediately ahead of the
Griffins - are each capable of losing at least once down the stretch.
If all
three stumble, and the Griffins sprint to the finish line untouched,
a
Grossmont-Chaffey rematch in Rancho Cucamonga is certainly a possibility.
For Grossmont, it is simply a matter of
taking charge of its own destiny. In
other words, close out the regular season campaign by beating
College of the
Desert, Victor Valley and Antelope Valley - teams with a combined
6-16
record. Five of those wins belong to Victor Valley, a one-time
doormat with
bowl game aspirations. Grossmont plays its final road game against
the Rams
in Victorville on Nov. 16.
Meanwhile, the Griffins must focus on the
business at hand. The Roadrunners
of COD
have lost 15 straight games, but came close to upsetting bowl-game
contender
Victor Valley just two weeks ago. After losing by 34, 43, 18 and
29 points in
the four previous weeks, the Roadrunners lost to the Rams by only
28-20.
The Roadrunners generated 20 first downs
and 418 yards in total offense
against Victor Valley but served up 5 interceptions in a 34-17
loss at
Southwestern last week.
If there is a strength for the struggling
Roadrunners it's the ability to
intercept passes. COD has picked off 9 passes in the last two
weeks and has a
conference leading 19 for the season.
That doesn't bode well for the Griffins,
a pass-oriented team that ranks
fourth among Southern California's top offenses. Grossmont is
averaging 42.6
points and 462 yards per game.
RANKINGS REEL - Despite their loss to Chaffey
in triple overtime, the
Griffins have not fallen from favor with the various pollsters.
JC Grid-Wire
of Santa Ana considers Grossmont to be among the elite, ranking
the Griffins
No. 9 in the nation, No. 4 in the state and No. 2 in Southern
California. The
JC Athletic Bureau of San Mateo ranks Grossmont No. 4 in Southern
California
and No. 9 in the state.
GRIFFIN GRAFFITI - Receiver-kicker TODD
WATKINS is averaging 10 points per
game, which ranks No.2 in the conference and 12th in the state
. . . Griffins
QB TANNER ENGSTRAND ranks No. 3 in SoCal for total offense, averaging
288.6
yards per game . . . Grossmont has come from behind in five games,
winning
all but the Chaffey game. The Griffins fought back to lead the
Panthers 21-7
and 35-28 before suffering a rare defeat . . . COD has not won
a game since
defeating Los Angeles Pierce 72-13 in the second game of the 2001
season . .
. Grossmont leads the all-time series 8-5-3 over COD, claiming
victories in
five of the last six meetings.
(11-08-02)
Grossmont's Todd Watkins (31) races in with a 40-yard TD pass in the Griffins' 43-35 (3OT) loss to Chaffey on 11-02-02. Kyle Bachelor (9) follows. (Photo by Travis Downs)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - Rarely has there been a thicker
emotional haze hovering over Grossmont College's Mashin-Roth Memorial
Field than there was for Saturday's
(Nov. 2) showdown of nationally-ranked unbeaten teams. It took
three overtimes to determine a winner between these heavyweights
- No. 5 Grossmont
and No. 7 Chaffey - before the visiting Panthers (7-0, 5-0) prevailed
43-35.
"The feeling is indescribable. We gave
it all we had," said Grossmont wide
receiver JEREMY BUSH, whose 28-yard touchdown pass from TANNER
ENGSTRAND gave
Grossmont a 14-7 edge midway through the third quarter. "We
just came up a
little short."
Fans flooded the sidelines, encompassing
the Griffins' Field-Turf playing
surface where Grossmont had won 13 straight games without a loss.
But the
Griffins (6-1, 4-1), who trailed early, could not hold leads of
21-7 in
regulation and 35-28 in overtime.
"I never again want to feel the way
I feel now," lamented Grossmont
linebacker JOHN CASTILLO, who anchored the Griffins defense with
14 tackles.
"This is a hard one to swallow."
The Griffins came in averaging 43.8 points
per game, but couldn't get on the
scoreboard until TODD WATKINS slipped behind the Chaffey secondary
to reel in
a 40-yard TD pass from Engstrand to tie the game 7-7.
"My O-line really gave me pretty good
protection," said Engstrand, who
completed only 16 of 39 passes for 265 yards, but delivered four
touchdown
strikes. "I think I held onto the ball too long on some plays
in the first
half."
Engstrand was at his best in the third quarter
when he connected with Bush
for the go-ahead score and then lofted a 48-yard TD bomb to SEAN
BOWMAN to
extend the Griffins' advantage to 21-7 with 5:57 left in the third
quarter.
"Chaffey had a good 'D', and it took
us awhile to find what was open," said
Bush, one of six Grossmont receivers to catch two passes. "That's
when we had
some success."
The two-touchdown lead and an interception
by Grossmont linebacker CORDELL
WILLIAMS that followed seconds later, seemed to put victory firmly
in the
Griffins' grasp.
"I really thought we were going to
win then," Engstrand said. "Our offense
was finally clicking and our defense was playing well."
But the Griffins stalled offensively in
the stretch run, producing a mere 39
yards on the final 22 plays of regulation.
Chaffey, meanwhile, capitalized on a Grossmont
fumble to close the deficit to
21-13 with 12:25 remaining.
Revitalized by the Griffins listlessness
on offense, and a key taunting
penalty against Grossmont with less than four minutes to play,
the Panthers
were on the prowl again. They forced the Griffins to punt into
the wind and
gained excellent field position at the Grossmont 43-yard line
with 2:14
unplayed.
Chaffey's magician-like quarterback, Nick
Fotia, who totaled 359 yards and
accounted for five touchdowns in the game, directed a masterful
eight-play
scoring drive. He passed 8 yards to Lawrence Lovelace for the
touchdown and
then tossed an aerial to Cody Sorensen for the tying two-point
conversion
with just 35 seconds remaining.
"Of all the films we'd seen of them,
Chaffey never played better than they
did against us today," Grossmont coach DAVE JORDAN said.
"We turned the ball
over twice and they scored touchdowns both times. Plus, we had
a couple of
stupid penalties that hurt us. You can't do that kind of stuff
against a good
football team like Chaffey."
Fotia was equally as effective in overtime,
passing for two scores and
running for what proved to be the winning 3-yard TD in round three
of the
extra stanza.
In fact, it was Fotia's 14-yard scramble
on a third-and-13 situation in the
first round of overtime that kept momentum in Chaffey's favor.
Three plays
later, Fotia scored from the 3 to break the 21-21 deadlock.
But the Griffins weren't dead just yet.
Engstrand found DAN NENOW over the
middle for a 22-yard completion on a 4th-and-10 in Grossmont's
first overtime
series. Nenow's effort gave the Griffins a first-and-goal at the
Chaffey 3.
"We went into the game thinking they
left the middle pretty much uncovered,"
Nenow acknowledged. "But for a variety of different reasons
we didn't
capitalize on it. Tanner didn't have a whole lot of time throw.
Our offensive
line did the best they could, but
(Chaffey) has a real good defensive line. It was a battle."
Even after Nenow's clutch catch, the powerful
Panthers pushed the Griffins to
the brink of defeat before TANIELA LANGI leaped over a pile of
humanity at
the goal line on a 4th-and-1 to score the equalizer for Grossmont.
The Griffins forged in front on their second
overtime series, needing only
three plays to find the end zone as Engstrand connected with JONATHAN
MITCHELL for a 20-yard TD pass and a 35-28 lead.
"There's no doubt in my mind that we
should have won that game," Grossmont
corner JORDAN ALFORD said. "It was a big game full of big
plays. It just so
happens on this particular day, the football gods were shining
down on them
(the Panthers)."
For Grossmont, it was a crushing defeat.
Barring a complete collapse by
defending Chaffey, the Panthers will capture their second straight
Foothill
Conference championship, gain a berth in the Southern California
finals, keep
alive the possibility of playing for the state championship Dec.
14 in
Bakersfield, and have a shot at the mythical national championship.
Not that the Griffins are quitting on the season.
"We've still got three games left and
could easily finish the season
9-1,"Jordan said. "If we do that, we'll be playing in
one of the state's
major bowl games."
(11-02-02)
Grossmont College's Jeremy Bush (6), shown here making
a diving catch in an earlier game against Saddleback, figures
to play a key role when the Griffins host Chaffey College on Saturday
(11-02-02) in a battle of nationally-ranked unbeaten teams at
1 p.m.
(Photo by Travis Downs)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - It doesn't get much bigger than
this for Grossmont College. The
Griffins (6-0, 4-0), ranked No. 5 in the nation, host No. 7 Chaffey
(6-0,
4-0) in battle of Foothill Conference front-runners on Saturday
(Nov. 2) at
Mashin-Roth Memorial Field. The stakes run deep in this encounter
which kicks
off at 1 p.m. To the winner goes a probable conference championship,
a berth
in the Southern California finals, the possibility of playing
for the state
championship Dec. 14 in Bakersfield and a shot at the mythical
national
championship.
Whew!
Oh yeah. First things first.
Make no mistake, Chaffey's Panthers, the
defending Foothill Conference
champions, are motivated to earn another shot at the SoCal crown.
After
finishing the regular season 10-0 last year, the Panthers missed
a trip to
the state finals when Palomar clipped them 20-14 in the SoCal
title bout -
Tom Craft's last victory as the Comets' coach before taking the
head coaching
post at San Diego State.
Glancing at the statistics, Chaffey's visit
to Grossmont should be an
offensive shoot out. The Griffins are No. 2 in SoCal and No. 6
in the state
averaging 43.8 points and 485.3 yards per game, while Chaffey
ranks 4th in
SoCal averaging 40.8 points and 463.3 yards per start.
"I've never worked so hard in my life
getting ready for a game," said
Griffins head coach DAVE JORDAN, who has a 108-85-9 record at
Grossmont.
"You're always nervous about these things, but we will be
prepared to play a
football game on Saturday."
Grossmont QB TANNER ENGSTRAND is No. 2 in
Southern California in total
offense, producing 297 yards per game. He has had a hand in 16
TDs despite
playing less than three quarters in the majority of his six starts.
"Tanner is a very low key individual,"
Jordan said. "But the overall progress
he's made as a quarterback and a leader is amazing. Every week
he's gained
confidence, and become more comfortable with the offense."
Chaffey's bread-n-butter is sophomore running
back JOHN BOGARIN, the
conference's leading rusher (144 carries, 935 yards, 11 TDs).
The 5-foot-9,
190-pound speedster has more than doubled the rushing yards of
any running
back in the conference. He ranks third in SoCal for all-purpose
running
(192.8 ypg, 11 TDs).
The Panthers' CODY SORENSON is the Foothill
Conference's fourth-leading
receiver with 31 catches for 509 yards and 3 TDs. KEITH ROBINSON
leads
Grossmont's receivers with 25 catches for 282 yards.
Defensively, both teams rank among the state's elite 15.
These are clearly the best two teams in
the Foothill Conference. Offensively,
Grossmont is No. 1, Chaffey No. 2. On defense, Chaffey is No.
1, Grossmont is
No. 2.
STREAKING - Grossmont has never begun a
season with seven straight wins. Even
the Griffins' 1974 undefeated state-championship squad started
4-0-2 on its
way to a 10-0-2 finish . . . This is the third time the Griffins
have
launched a season at 6-0. The other two times came in 1996 and
2001. Both
streaks ended in losses to Chaffey . . . Grossmont leads the all-time
series
9-8, but the Panthers have clawed their way to victories in six
of the last
eight meetings. The Griffins, however, have won two of the last
three games
at Grossmont.
RANKINGS - Figure this out. JC GRID-WIRE,
directed by JC football guru HANK
IVES, rates the Griffins higher nationally than the JC Athletic
Bureau rates
them in the state. That is, JCAB believes Grossmont is No. 6 in
California
and No. 3 in Southern California. That same poll, which is based
in San Mateo
and is flavored by FRED BAER's 'thumbs-down-to-Southern-California
bias,
confuses the issue by ranking Chaffey No. 4 in the state and No.
2 in
Southern California.
Thus, according to JCAB, if the season were
to end today, Chaffey would play
No. 1 Pasadena for the SoCal championship. Fortunately for the
Griffins, they
will have a voice in the matter if they can beat Chaffey on Saturday.
One more interesting twist is JC GRID-WIRE's
latest poll rates Grossmont No.
1 in Southern California and No. 3 in the state.
The COA Poll, which is conducted by a panel
of coaches and sports information
directors, has Pasadena (6-0), Chaffey and Grossmont ranked 1-2-3.
This is
the OFFICIAL poll for determining state playoff teams and bowl
game
participants.
GRIFFIN GRAFFITI - Grossmont safety MAURICE
LONDON is tied for third in the
state with 5 interceptions . . . Coming from behind has been a
Grossmont
trademark this year. The Griffins have rallied in four of their
six victories
. . . Only six teams in the state and 11 in the nation remain
undefeated . .
. Former Griffins LARRY MOORE (center, Indianapolis Colts) and
AKILI SMITH
(QB, Cincinnati Bengals) are included on the JC Grid-Wire Annual
JC/NFL
All-Star team. This is a team that has included such notables
as the Dallas
Cowboys' ROGER STAUBACH and Buffalo's OJ SIMPSON in the past.
(11-01-02
Grossmont College's WR Sean Bowman (81) beats defender
before hauling in a 67-yard pass completion from QB Tanner Engstrand
in the Griffins' 52-28 victory over San Bernardino Valley (10-26-02).
(Photo by Travis Downs)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - By looking at the final score
one might get the idea the Grossmont College defense got punched
around a bit in a 52-28 victory over San Bernardino Valley College
Saturday (Oct. 26) at Mashin-Roth Memorial Field.
In reality, though, it was a pair of special teams errors and
three lost
fumbles that led to all but one of the Wolverines scores.
"And that fourth one (TD) came against
our reserve units," Grossmont coach
DAVE JORDAN said after his Griffins scored 45 consecutive points
to wipe out
an early 14-0 deficit. "It looked to me like we played pretty
well
defensively."
The victory was the 24th in the last 25
regular-season starts for the
Griffins (6-0, 4-0), who are ranked No. 6 in the nation. It sets
up a battle
for the Foothill Conference championship against No. 10 Chaffey
(6-0, 4-0)
next Saturday (Nov. 2) at Mashin-Roth Field.
"This was a pivotal game for us,"
Jordan said. "We had to win this one to get
a chance to play for the conference championship."
While Grossmont was cutting down San Bernardino,
Chaffey was clobbering
Southwestern 56-7 Saturday in Rancho Cucamonga.
Chaffey coach CARL BEACH had warned his
defending Foothill Conference
champions that they must not look past Southwestern ahead to next
week's
title bout with the Griffins. Six Jaguars' turnovers and a 35-point
second
quarter quickly put Beach's worries on the backburner.
Grossmont end PRINZ MILTON bagged four sacks
to pace the Griffins (6-0, 4-0),
who held San Bernardino (2-4, 1-3) to 68 yards rushing (40 carries)
and 190
yards passing.
"This is what we work all week for,"
said Milton, who leads the Griffins with
nine sacks. "We've just got to keep that outside containment,
because we're
pretty much holding our own in the middle. We got a good performance
out of
our secondary, too."
MAURICE LONDON's fifth interception of the
season, a fumble recovery by
DARRYL McFARLIN and a blocked punt by linebacker CHAD MACOMBER
all led to
Grossmont touchdowns. A clipping penalty nullified what would
have been a
record 105-yard interception return by CHANTI BLOOMER in the closing
seconds
of the first half.
"It was a big day for the defense," Milton said.
Grossmont's defensive pressure started the
Griffins on the comeback trail.
Grossmont was awarded a safety when San Bernardino was detected
holding in
its own end zone with 1:10 left in the opening quarter.
A Milton sack of SBVC quarterback SERGIO
OLVERA caused a fumble that was
recovered by CORDELL WILLIAMS near midfield that set up the go-ahead
touchdown. It took the Griffins one play to find the end zone
as DONTAY
CROWDER hauled in a 51-yard TD pass from TANNER ENGSTRAND, lifting
Grossmont
into a 17-14 lead with 11:47 left in the first half.
It was the second time Engstrand and Crowder
hooked up for a score. KASHUN
McCLAY's 31-yard return of SBVC's free kick following the safety
gave the
Griffins excellent field position at the Grossmont 42. JONATHAN
MITCHELL then
made a fine leaping catch of a 36-yard pass from Engstrand on
first down.
Engstrand then delivered a 22-yard TD pass to Crowder to cut SBVC's
lead to
14-9 with 29 seconds left in the first quarter.
Overall, the Griffins' vaunted passing game
shredded the Foothill
Conference's top aerial defense. Engstrand completed 18 of 23
passes for 379
yards and three touchdowns, including a 7-yard scoring toss to
tight end RYAN
MELLO for a 24-14 lead late in the second quarter. MIKE CLARK
came off the
bench to add 27 additional passing yards as Grossmont's total
offense swelled
to 446 yards for the day.
"Dang, that's a lot of yards,"
said Engstrand, who seemed surprised when
informed of his passing totals for 2 ? quarters of action. His
final pass
before leaving the game was a 67-yard connection with SEAN BOWMAN.
"I was supposed to play the rest of
that series and Mike was going in after
that," Engstrand noted. "But (the SBVC lineman) just
hit me right in the ribs
when I was throwing (to Bowman), and I wasn't sure if I could
make it down to
the huddle in time. My rib protectors didn't do their job, I guess.
I'll just
put some ice on it and it'll be cool."
KEITH ROBINSON led the Griffins with 5 receptions
for 47 yards, while JEREMY
BUSH caught 4 balls for 70 yards. TODD WATKINS, who converted
all five of his
PAT kicks, also made 2 receptions for 54 yards.
"We practiced all week for their cover
two man, man free and press coverage,"
Engstrand said of the Wolverines, who were allowing only a 41
percent
completion rate and 147 passing yards per game. "We put in
a few new wrinkles
and we were able to beat their 'man' coverage. It was awesome
because our
receivers are really good. They can all catch the ball and make
good plays."
MICHAEL YANCY led the Griffins' ground game
with 68 yards on 11 carries,
including scoring junkets of 45 and 7 yards. TANIELA LANGI scored
on a 1-yard
plunge in the third quarter, and McClay capped the scoring with
a 6-yard run
in the final period.
In spite of the sloppy start, the Griffins
never seemed to panic. That's
become a trademark of this Grossmont team, which has come from
behind for
four of its six wins.
Grossmont College's Kashun McClay (26) scores
on a 6-yard run with 29 seconds left in the Griffins' 52-28 victory
over San Bernardino Valley (10-26-02).
(Photo by Travis Downs)
(10-26-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - The Grossmont College Griffins
climbed the national ladder
another rung to No. 6 according to this week's JC Grid-Wire rankings.
That
same poll has the Griffins (5-0, 3-0) ranked No. 4 in the state
and No. 2 in
Southern California. But that lofty perch doesn't make life any
easier for
Grossmont coach DAVE JORDAN, who is preparing his Griffins for
Saturday's
(Oct. 26) Foothill Conference encounter against visiting San Bernardino
Valley College at 1 p.m.
An interesting twist to this game is San
Bernardino (2-3, 1-2) is the
Foothill Conference's top-rated defense, allowing just 147 yards
and 41
percent completions per game. Quarterback TANNER ENGSTRAND and
the Griffins
are Southern California's most prolific offense, averaging more
than 42
points and 493 yards per game.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Lineman VICTOR LAUIFI and kicker/receiver
TODD WATKINS were selected the
offensive players of the week by the Grossmont coaches. Defensive
honors went
to safety MAURICE LONDON and linebacker BOBBY KELLY. CASEY HANCHETTE
and
JUSTIN WASHINGTON were selected the special teams players of the
week for
Grossmont's victory over Southwestern.
GRIFFIN GRAFFITI - The Griffins have more
than doubled the scoring of their
opponents, 211-101 . . . Grossmont has won 23 of its last 24 regular-season
games, including eight straight . . . Recruiters from Cal, Akron,
UNLV and
Idaho State have been among those to visit Grossmont the past
couple of
weeks. . . GC leads the all-time series over the Wolverines 17-5
. . . The JC
Athletic Bureau out of San Mateo ranks Grossmont No. 7 in the
state and No. 4
in Southern California. The COA's California Regional State Poll,
which is
conducted from balloting by a panel of state football coaches
and sports
information directors, is recognized as the official yardstick
for the
selection of state playoff and post-season bowl game participants.
The
Griffins are ranked No. 4. The top two teams in the COA poll will
advance to
the Southern California playoffs on Saturday, Dec. 7.
(10-25-02)
Grossmont
College's Danny Nenow (5) dives for an overthrown pass as Southwestern's
Anthony Lewis (3) looks on in Grossmont's 39-16 victory on Saturday
(10-20-02).
(Photo by Travis Downs)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - TODD WATKINS didn't realize he
had kicked his way into the Grossmont College record book with
his booming 54-yard field goal in the
third quarter of Saturday's (Oct. 19) Foothill Conference victory
over Southwestern at Mashin-Roth Memorial Field.
But Watkins, who tied the Grossmont record
for longest field goal set by
JORGE DaSILVA against Palomar in 1974, was more elated by the
total
contributions he made in the Griffins' 39-16 victory over the
visiting
Jaguars.
Watkins scored the final 13 points of the
game, booting two field goals and
reeling in a 23-yard TD pass from MIKE CLARK to seal the victory.
Watkins
totaled 15 tallies for the game, raising his season count to 54
points. That
includes nailing 8 of his 9 field goals attempts, all of which
have been from
36 yards or longer.
"I didn't know that (about the record),
but it's cool," the 6-foot-3,
180-pound Watkins said. "I didn't start kicking until my
junior year (at
Helix)."
Watkins, who followed his record-tying shot
with a 42-yard field goal in the
fourth quarter, was quick to share the wealth.
"My holder DANNY NENOW is the best
I've ever had," Watkins said. "He gets
that ball down every time. We have a good snapper, too, in GARY
SARTAIN. I
give all my compliments to them."
At his current kicking pace, Watkins will
surely climb near the top of the
Griffins ladder of successful kickers. RICK EHMKE holds the Grossmont
field
goal record, achieving All-America status in 1985 for converting
19
three-pointers in 26 attempts. With half the (regular-) season
left, Watkins
is already tied for sixth on the Grossmont kicking charts.
"Kicking is definitely psychological,"
said Watkins, who noted that he's
split the uprights from as far out as 56 yards in practice. "But
that
54-yarder was definitely my longest in a game. I knew I hit it
pretty good,
but I was still nervous until I saw the ref put his arms up. I
was pretty
happy when he did."
Only 12 Grossmont College field goals have
been 50-plus-yards in the 41-year
history of the program.
"It depends on where I am on the field
as to how hard I kick it," Watkins
said. "If the ball is, like mid-range, I don't swing my hardest.
A lot of
people don't do that, but that's just the way I do it."
On his record kick, Watkins admitted "I swung all the way through."
Watkins' "long ball" seemed to give the Griffins the lift they needed.
"It got everyone fired up," he
said. "We were pretty flat in the first half,
but we came out a different football team in the second half."
The Griffins (5-0, 3-0), who are ranked
No. 7 in the nation, No. 5 in the
state and No. 4 in Southern California, remained tied with Chaffey
(5-0, 3-0)
for the Foothill Conference lead. The Panthers scored on the final
play of
the game Saturday, to defeat Victor Valley 34-27.
Watkins' TD reception was the only scoring
aerial the Griffins could muster
against a Southwestern defense determined to ground Grossmont's
vaunted
passing attack.
Although pass interference was called on
the Southwestern defender assigned
to cover Watkins, the lanky Griffin still managed to make the
catch.
"I'm not concerned about what he's
doing," Watkins said. "I'm just focused on
the ball. Besides, they were holding our receivers all day."
DONTAY CROWDER scored on runs of 7 and 11
yards to give the Griffins a 14-6
lead with 9:44 left in the first half. But the Jaguars (2-4, 1-3)
turned a
fake field goal into a touchdown and a two-point conversion to
pull even with
4:58 left in the opening half.
The second half was all Grossmont. The Griffins
scored on their first five
possessions after intermission to send Southwestern packing.
It was KASHUN McCLAY's 14-yard TD scamper
with 10:34 left in the third
quarter that gave Grossmont a 20-14 lead it wouldn't lose.
"Our offense has carried us the past
couple of weeks, but the defense won
this game for us," Grossmont head coach DAVE JORDAN said.
"I could tell
during practice and in pre-game warm-up that our players weren't
mentally
ready. I heard them talking about how this was going to be an
'easy' game
because we 'killed Mount San Jacinto' and they (Jaguars) lost
to them."
The biggest mistake Southwestern made was
during its halftime exit to the
locker room.
"They were going up the stairs yelling
a lot of smack at us," said Griffins
sophomore linebacker CHAD MACOMBER, who recorded 9 tackles and
one sack.
"That just got our defense fired up."
Credit Grossmont linebacker coach JIM NOTTOLI
for "lighting the spark" under
the listless Griffins at halftime.
"Coach Nottoli walked in, didn't say
anything, and wrote 'T-A-C-K-L-E' on the
board - and walked out," said Grossmont sophomore linebacker
JOHN CASTILLO,
who notched a team-high 11 tackles.
Castillo and his teammates were stunned.
"We were kind of surprised because
he wasn't his usual self, yelling at us,
and telling us all the stuff we were doing wrong," Castillo
added.
Perhaps, it was the fact that Nottoli "spiked"
the chalk after scrawling his
message on the chalkboard and then departed silently.
"I was thinking, 'wow, I've never seen
that side of him before,'" Macomber
noted.
Nottoli's message hit home with the Grossmont
defense, which limited the
Jaguars to 26 yards on 16 rushes and 142 yards on 10-for-17 passing
in the
second half. MAURICE LONDON intercepted two passes and ERICK PETERMAN
picked
off a third to curtail any thoughts Southwestern had of launching
a comeback.
"I thought we did a good job of getting
momentum changes for our offense,"
Macomber said. "And our special teams helped a lot too, pinning
them (the
Jaguars) down close to the goal line on kickoffs (in the third
quarter). That
was a tremendous help for our defense."
Grossmont defensive lineman DANIEL WIDDERS
had a sack and blocked a field
goal in the fourth quarter, which sucked the last gasp out of
the Jaguars'
huddle.
It was not a banner day for the Griffins'
offensive stars. Quarterback TANNER
ENGSTRAND generated 141 yards total offense and a touchdown in
32 plays,
which included 12-for-28 passing accuracy. Clark came on in relief
to
complete 4 of 7 passes for 86 yards, including the scoring strike
to Watkins.
"Some days you're going to come out
flat," Jordan said. "But our kids felt
like they (the Jaguars) were rubbing their noses in it, verbally,
and I think
that made a big difference in the change in attitude."
MICHAEL YANCY led the Griffins' ground game
with 62 yards on 12 carries,
while KEITH ROBINSON grabbed a team-high 4 passes for 39 yards.
McClay finished with a team-best 103 all-purpose
yards.
(10-19-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - No Grossmont College football
team has ever been ranked higher
than No. 3 in the nation. The Griffins reached that lofty perch
in 1974 when
the late JOE ROTH led them to their only undefeated season (10-0-2)
and lone
state championship.
Coach DAVE JORDAN, who directed the Roth-led Griffins that memorable
year,
again has his 2002 Griffins climbing the national ladder at a
rapid pace.
Heading into Saturday afternoon's (Oct. 19) Foothill Conference
encounter
with visiting county rival Southwestern College, Jordan's Griffins
are ranked
No. 7 in the prestigious JC GRID-WIRE national Poll. That same
poll rates the
Griffins No. 5 in the state and No. 3 in Southern California.
Only 12 of the nation's 188 junior college
football teams enter this weekend
with unblemished records. Eight of those schools are in California,
five of
them are in the southern region of the state.
"I wanted our kids to know that other
important people recognize what they
are achieving," Jordan said. "I want this to serve as
an incentive, a
building block to keep striving to make the state playoffs."
Only the top two teams in Southern California
and top two in North California
qualify for the coveted state title. The regional champions (semifinal
winners) meet for the state championship Dec. 14 in Bakersfield.
Considering Grossmont is 2-0 in the Foothill
Conference and 4-0 overall makes
talk of the state playoffs premature. The Griffins need a victory
over pesky
rival Southwestern (2-3) in Saturday's 1 p.m. game at Mashin-Roth
Memorial
Field to keep their chances for a record-breaking year intact.
MORE POLLING
The JC Athletic Bureau out of San Mateo
ranks Grossmont No. 7 in the state
and No. 4 in Southern California. The COA's California Regional
State Poll,
which is conducted from balloting by a panel of state football
coaches and
sports information directors, is recognized as the official yardstick
for the
selection of state playoff and post-season bowl game participants.
VICTORY TICKET
The Griffins rarely have an easy time against
Southwestern, which snapped a
three-game losing streak by outscoring Antelope Valley 51-32 last
week in
Lancaster. Freshman QB DAVID BELLINGER completed 13 of 20 passes
for 278
yards and three TDs for the Jaguars, who totaled a season-high
571 yards in
the game.
"They are always at their best when
they play us," Jordan said of the
Jaguars. "They have a very talented offense and a tough defense."
Grossmont, meanwhile, mauled Mount San Jacinto
with relative ease, storming
to a 47-0 lead with 28 minutes remaining. As they have all year,
the Griffins
marched a literal parade of skill-position players into the game.
QB TANNER ENGSTRAND is the ringleader of
the Griffins' offense, averaging a
conference-high 314 yards total offense.
"He's a happy-go-lucky appearing kind
of guy when he's off the field," Jordan
said. "He doesn't act or look like a typical football player.
Once he gets on
the field, though, he's as good as there is. He's all business."
GRIFFIN GRAFFITI - Corner JORDAN ALFORD
was recognized as a JCAB State Player
of the Week for his two interceptions - one which he returned
22 yards for a
TD in Grossmont's 50-14 rout of Mount San Jacinto. Earlier in
the year,
Alford returned a fumble 67 yards for a TD in the Griffins 38-14
romp over
Saddleback, a team currently ranked No. 12 in the state . . .
GC's TODD
WATKINS leads the Foothill Conference in kick scoring with 33
points, which
includes 6 FGs . . . Sophomore LB JOHN CASTILLO returns to the
GC lineup
after missing last week's game with an ankle sprain . . . Should
the
Griffins run the table in their final six games they would be
assured of a
berth in the Southern California championship game. They'd most
likely face
the Cerritos-Pasadena winner on the road on Dec. 7 . . . City
College of San
Francisco, Fresno CC and Reedley are the frontrunners in the Northern
California polls . . . Grossmont remains the top offensive unit
in Southern
California, averaging 524.3 yards and 43 points per game. . .
The University
of Utah coaches are the latest to visit the Griffins' practices
. . .
Southwestern WR RICHARD GAINES has 22 receptions for 343 yards
. . .
Grossmont leads this all-time series over Southwestern 17-12-2,
including
wins in 5 of the last 6 meetings.
(10-18-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
HEMET - Veteran Grossmont College head coach
DAVE JORDAN recognized the
warning signs. The earmarkings for an upset were cluttering his
mind all
week. Jordan's worry, however, proved for naught as the Griffins
buried host
Mount San Jacinto College 50-14 in Saturday's (Oct. 12) battle
of Foothill
Conference rivals.
This game wasn't as close as the final score
indicates, and it could have
been woefully more one-sided if Jordan and his staff wanted to
make it that
way. The Griffins race-horsed to leads of 21-0, and 37-0 and were
riding a
47-point spread with 11:43 remaining - IN THE THIRD QUARTER.
"I was so relieved when we started
marching up and down the field," said
Jordan, whose Griffins (4-0, 2-0) leapfrogged MSJC (3-2, 2-1)
to move into a
tie for the Foothill Conference lead with idle Chaffey (4-0, 2-0).
"Our offense just took charge of things.
We came out in a no huddle and just
charged down the field."
Big surprise there. Grossmont owns the second-most
explosive offense in the
state. The Griffins, ranked No. 10 in the nation, No. 6 in the
state and No.
5 in Southern California, basically bullied the usually opportunistic
Eagles,
who came boasting a No. 20 state-ranking and a No. 10 rating in
Southern
California.
"Mount San Jacinto has been winning
by forcing their opponents into making
mistakes and turning those errors into points," head coach
Jordan said.
The Griffins, however, offered a different
twist. Grossmont offensive
coordinator MIKE JORDAN is an unheralded mastermind in terms of
devising
piranha-like strategy to pick apart even the most sophisticated
defenses.
His latest plan was pure perfection.
"Mike used formations that spread (the
Eagles) out wide," Dave Jordan said.
"Nobody before us had done that, so (MSJC) was able to put
eight guys in the
box and control the game. We had them running al ver the place."
"It was quite an offensive display by our offense."
Three quarterbacks, 14 receivers and nine
running backs helped Grossmont
compile 475 yards against MSJC.
"We called off the dogs early,"
said the elder Jordan, whose son is the
Griffins' offensive maestro. "We played everybody."
Grossmont's starting quarterback TANNER
ENGSTRAND might have set a bevy of
records if he hadn't been removed from the game in the second
quarter to keep
MSJC from crying foul - accusing the Griffins of running up the
score.
Engstrand completed 12 of 18 passes for 199 yards, including a
9-yard scoring
strike to SEAN BOWMAN for the first score early in the game.
The best part of Engstrand's abbreviated
outing was his nifty footwork. The
6-foot-1, 180-pound field general galloped 66 yards for a touchdown
to give
Grossmont a 14-0 advantage midway through the first quarter.
"Tanner is faster than he looks," Dave Jordan said.
Engstrand's scoring sojourn was the second
longest by a quarterback in
Grossmont College history. Only multi-talented RICHARD HARDWICK's
84-yard
scramble against Southwestern on Nov. 4, 2000 was longer.
On his long run, Engstrand dropped back
to pass, and then, due to pressure
from the Eagles, stepped up and rolled to his left before breaking
down the
sideline. The stunning part of this excursion was Engstrand's
ability to
straight-arm a pair of MSJC defenders en route to the end zone.
Grossmont finished with a modest 475 total
yards. Engstrand garnered 254
total yards despite his brief performance.
Backup QB MIKE CLARK delivered scoring passes
of 24 yards to JEREMY BUSH and
10 yards to KEITH ROBINSON to extend Grossmont's advantage to
37-0 with six
seconds left in the first half.
Perhaps the most impressive display of Grossmont's
offensive excellence was a
97-yard scoring drive in the final minute of the first half. It
took the
Griffins just six plays to cover the necessary distance. The
Engstrand-to-Robinson hookup capped that one-minute drive.
Grossmont kicker TODD WATKINS enjoyed another
productive day. In addition to
catching an 11-yard pass at his wide receiver post, Watkins converted
6-of-6
PAT kicks and field goals of 43 and 36 yards.
On the defensive side, Grossmont cornerback
JORDAN ALFORD intercepted two
passes, returning one for 22 yards and a touchdown that gave the
Griffins a
47-0 lead with 11:43 left in the third quarter. It was Alford's
second
scoring scoop of the season as he earlier returned a fumble to
the end zone.
(10-12-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
HEMET - The Mount San Jacinto College Eagles
are the mystery team of the
Foothill Conference. Blue-collar warriors who are as amazing as
they are
crafty. Perennial state power Grossmont College visits the Eagles'
lair
Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in a match up of teams ranked among
Southern
California's Top 10.
The Eagles (3-1, 2-0) have won three straight
and are tied with Chaffey (4-0,
2-0) for the conference lead. The Griffins (3-0, 1-0) are a half-game
back in
third place.
In its latest victory, MSJC parlayed an
interception TD return, a blocked
extra point and a fake punt into a 23-22 victory at Victor Valley
last
weekend.
Diandrew Anderson blocked a Victor Valley
PAT that would have tied the game
with 4:46 left. The fake punt was actually a save of sorts, as
the Eagles
were enjoying a one-point lead at the time. Quarterback Danny
DeNardo, also
the punter, executed the fake on a 4th-and-7 at the MSJC 39-yard
line with
two minutes remaining. His pass completion to T.J. Boozer allowed
the Eagles
to keep possession while forcing Victor Valley to use all three
time outs. By
the time the Rams got the ball back, only 23 seconds remained.
The game ended when MSJC's Ricky Davis intercepted
on the final play. As
Davis was ridden out of bounds in front of the Eagles' bench,
a melee ensued.
Both teams were threatened with massive ejections, but a ruling
(from an
unknown source) dismissed the post-game brawl because it occurred
after time
had expired. No suspensions were handed out.
What happened after that game is of no concern
to Grossmont College coach
DAVE JORDAN. It's what the Eagles have been doing on the field
that has the
attention of the Griffins' veteran skipper.
"They've won every game by forcing
turnovers, scoring on defense and scoring
on special teams," Jordan said.
Even more stunning was MSJC's 27-24 victory
at Riverside CC in week two. The
Eagles were massacred on the statistical sheet - RCC claiming
a 21-4 edge in
first downs and a 401-108 advantage in yardage. Yet, the Eagles
left with a
victory in their talons.
A 100-yard kickoff return, an 81-yard punt
return and a 39-yard fumble return
- all for touchdowns - were Mount San Jacinto's tickets to victory
at
Riverside.
Defense was the key to MSJC's 17-6 victory
over Southwestern in week three.
Although the Eagles were limited to 166 yards, they converted
an interception
and a fumble recovery inside the red zone for a pair of TDs.
The Eagles are a Wing-T team that relies
on ball-hogging and clock control to
keep their defense fresh.
Grossmont is a high-octane offense that
is also capable of controlling the
ball, but is equally as adept at striking quickly.
Led by the passing of quarterback TANNER
ENGSTRAND (67-for-102, 946 yards, 8
TDs), the Griffins rank No. 1 in Southern California and No. 2
in the state
for total offense. Grossmont averages 541 yards and 41 points
per game.
The key for Grossmont is the ability of
its defense to turn the ball over to
the offense.
"Honestly, they don't look good on
film," Jordan admitted. "They try to
control the ball with dive left, dive right. They are satisfied
with getting
the short gain and maintaining control of the ball. We can't let
them do
that."
Grossmont's defense features several changes
for this week's game. Freshmen
ANDREW SPRINGER, DARYL MCFARLIN and DANIEL WIDDERS have taken
over up front.
ROBERT KELLY joins JOHN CASTILLO, CHAD MACOMBER and CORDELL WILLIAMS
at
linebacker. The secondary consists of corners ERICK PETERMAN and
JORDAN
ALFORD and CHANTI BLOOMER and MAURICE LONDON are the safeties.
In its lone defeat, Mount San Jacinto was
shredded by West Los Angeles'
aerial game, 32-13 on opening day. The Oilers gushed for 363 yards
on
19-of-43 passing, but mustered only 8 yards 16 rushes.
That comes as good news for the Griffins,
who prefer to pass first and run
second.
Grossmont's QBs were not sacked and only
two of Grossmont's 71 plays resulted
in losses in last week's 48-28 romp over San Diego Mesa. But the
Eagles play
a different brand defense. They take pride in physically punishing
an
opponent.
"Our (offensive) line is really coming
along," Jordan said. "And that's made
all the difference."
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
End ANDREW SPRINGER (West Hills HS) and
linebacker JOHN CASTILLO (Helix HS)
were Grossmont's defensive players of the week for the Mesa game.
Offensive
winners were receiver SEAN BOWMAN (Phoenix Christian HS, Ariz)
and lineman
JUSTIN ERNEST (San Diego Southwest HS). Specialist of the week
is ERNESTO
GRADILLAS (Sweetwater).
RATINGS GAME
The Griffins are ranked No. 10 in the nation,
No. 6 in the state and No. 4 in
Southern California by JC Grid-Wire of Santa Ana. The JC Athletic
Bureau of
San Mateo ranks Grossmont No. 8 in the state and No. 5 in Southern
California. The COA's Regional Poll rates the Griffins No. 5 in
SoCal.
For the record, the JCAB ranks Mount San
Jacinto No. 20 in the state and No.
10 in SoCal. The COA Regional Poll confirms the Eagles No. 10
SoCal ranking.
GRIFFIN GRAFFITI - Grossmont's 550 yards
against Mesa is the 13th highest in
the 41-year history of the program . . . Engstand's .759 passing
accuracy
(22-for-29) against the Olympians is 8th-best on the Grossmont
books . . .
The Griffins have won 22 of their last 23 regular season games
. . .
Grossmont leads the all-time series over the Eagles 9-2, including
a 22-7
home victory last year . . .Mount San Jacinto's last win was three
years ago
41-17 in Hemet. It took a pair of last-second field goals for
the Griffins to
edge the Eagles 31-28 in 1997 and 17-15 in 1996.
(10-05-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - When you've won 22 of your last
23 regular-season games, falling
behind in the early stages of a particular contest hardly causes
tremors in
the ranks. However, when San Diego Mesa barged in front of favored
Grossmont
College 21-7 on the Griffins' home turf Saturday (Oct. 5), there
was cause
for concern. An upset in the making? Perhaps, but the Griffins,
ranked No. 9
in the state and No. 5 in Southern California, foiled those plans
when they
scored on six consecutive possessions to send the Olympians packing
48-28 in
their Foothill Conference opener.
Grossmont quarterback TANNER ENGSTRAND scored
on a 6-yard option keeper and
then fired scoring strikes of 7 and 9 yards to SEAN BOWMAN to
propel the
Griffins into a 28-21 lead with 10:42 left in the third quarter.
"When we fell behind it was mainly
us beating us (two lost fumbles)," Bowman
said. "That's what we talked about all week was us beating
us. Don't let our
own mistakes let them beat us."
After the Griffins (3-0, 1-0) took the opening
kickoff and marched 81 yards
on 10 plays for a 7-0 lead, the momentum switched. That sudden
shift reeked
of overconfidence, as the Griffins were caught flat-footed while
the
Olympians (1-3, 0-2) put together three scoring drives to assume
a 14-point
advantage with 4:34 left in the opening half.
"We knew that it was just a matter
of us focusing mentally," Bowman said.
"Once we did that it we could turn things in our favor."
That's exactly what happened. Trailing by
14 points as the close of the
opening half neared, Engstrand saddled up to engineer a late Grossmont
charge. The West Hills High graduate completed three of four passes
for 41
yards, and then capped the 70-yard, five-play march with a 5-yard
option
keeper to the end zone. TODD WATKINS booted the second of his
six PATs to
pull Grossmont to within 21-14 as 2:59 remained on the clock.
The Griffins weren't through. After Mesa
submitted to a three-and-out,
Grossmont regained possession and stormed 49 yards in six plays
to knot the
score at 21-all with 0:49 left in the opening half.
It was the cerebral combination of Engstrand-to-Bowman
that covered the final
7 yards with a magnetic aerial.
The same duo hooked up for a 9-yard scoring
strike to give Grossmont a 28-21
lead early in the second half.
A few seconds later, a bad snap put the
Griffins in scoring position again. A
27-yard pass from Engstrand to running back MICHAEL YANCY gave
Grossmont a
first-and-goal from the 5-yard line. TANIELA LANGI carried the
pigskin across
the goal line from there for his second TD and gave Grossmont
a 35-21 lead.
Mesa fought back to close the lead to seven
points - 35-28 with 2:30 left in
the third quarter - but fell apart on special teams when a bobbled
punt snap
and a hike over the punter's head enabled Grossmont to tack on
a pair of easy
scores.
Grossmont totaled 550 yards, led by Engstrand's
22-for-29 passing that netted
286 yards and three TDs.
Mesa College transfer KEITH ROBINSON had
a hand in almost every offensive
phase for Grossmont. The Mount Miguel High graduate caught five
passes for 53
yards, rushed one time for 28 yards, returned two kickoffs for
42 yards and
executed a halfback pass for 24 yards.
GRIFFIN GRIFFITI: Big hit of the day went
to Castillo, who planted Mesa QB
Rathe in front of the Olympians' bench just as he released a long
pass. "You
live to get a shot like that," Castillo grinned . . . Sixteen
Grossmont
receivers reeled in passes in the win over Mesa. After three games,
22
Griffins have shared in the 78 receptions handed out by three
Grossmont
quarterbacks. . . Equally as stunning was nine Grossmont running
backs netted
158 yards and three scores on 33 carries. . . Grossmont's QBs
were not sacked
and only two of Grossmont's 71 plays resulted in losses . . .
The Griffins
have now beaten Mesa five times in a row, which is quite a switch
considering
the Olympians used to dominate this series a decade ago.
GRIFFIN ALUMNI: Former Griffins quarterback
CLINT WOMACK is back on center
stage at Northern Arizona University. The Lumberjacks junior completed
11-of
-18 passes for 266 yards as 12th-ranked NAU edged Weber State
26-21 Saturday
(Oct. 5) in Flagstaff, Ariz. The Lumberjacks (4-1, 2-0 Big Sky
Conf.) won
their fourth straight game as Womack connected with junior wide
receivers
Johnny Marshall and Clarence Moore nine times for 231 yards. Several
of those
hook-ups came on deep routes. But it was a 7-yard strike from
Womack to Moore
in the third quarter that put NAU in front to stay.
(10-05-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - It should be points aplenty at
Grossmont College Saturday (Oct. 5)
afternoon when the Griffins host San Diego Mesa in their Foothill
Conference
opener at 1 p.m.
The Griffins (2-0, 0-0), who are coming
off a bye, are rated the top
offensive unit in Southern California and No. 5 statewide. Directed
by highly
successful offensive coordinator MIKE JORDAN, Grossmont is cranking
out 536
yards and 37 points per game.
Mesa (1-2, 0-1) is no slouch when it comes
to lighting up the scoreboard,
either. Coach MARTIN MOSS' men are churning out 433 yards and
33.3 points per
outing.
Good thing this one is getting an early
start, because there are no lights at
Grossmont's Mashin-Roth Memorial Field.
Sophomore quarterback TANNER ENGSTRAND,
who is completing 62 percent of his
passes and averaging 330 aerial yards per outing, will be at master
control
for Grossmont. Mesa's main man is sophomore Michael Rathe, who
has thrown for
742 yards and a conference-high 11 TDs in three games.
"Rathe is a strong-armed passer who
is particularly dangerous when he gets
outside," Grossmont head coach DAVE JORDAN said. "He's
real fast, and seems
to hit his receivers a higher percentage of the time when he's
on the run
than when he's standing still."
Mesa scored 42 points and generated 500
yards in its conference opener
against Victor Valley last week. AND LOST, as the Rams rumbled
for 522 yards
and 56 points.
"They (the Olympians) have a whole
lot of weapons," Jordan said. "And that
makes them scary."
Same can be said for the Griffins.
Engstrand is the conference leader in total
offense, while Mesa's Justin
Green (61 carries, 290 yards, 2 TDs) and Grossmont's MICHAEL YANCY
(90.5
yards per game) rank second and third, respectively, among conference
rushers.
The two teams have eight receivers listed
among the conference leaders. Mesa
transfer KEITH ROBINSON is Grossmont's leading receiver with 8
catches.
Griffin DANNY NENOW is averaging 25.8 yards per grab, while teammate
JONATHAN
MITCHELL tops the club with 2 TD receptions.
Shawn Corley (13-133) and Frank Parker (13-228, 2 TDs) are Mesa's top targets.
The deciding factor here is which side can
play defense. Grossmont, led by
lineman PRINZ MILTON, and linebackers CORDELL WILLIAMS, JOHN CASTILLO
and
CHAD MACOMBER, ranks 10th in the state for overall defense. This
unit turned
in a sparkling performance in a 38-14 romp over Saddleback two
weeks ago. The
Griffins limited the Gauchos to a net 17 yards on 29 rushes that
afternoon.
Saddleback did manage 260 yards through the air.
RATINGS GAME - The Griffins are ranked No.
15 in the nation by JC Grid-Wire,
No. 9 in the state by JC Athletic Bureau and No. 5 in Southern
California by
the COA/California CC Football Coaches Association.
GRIFFIN GRAFFITI - Recruiters are beginning
to check out the Griffins'
practices. Representatives from Oregon, Arizona State and Colorado
State are
among those who have paid a visit . . . Mesa leads the all-time
series
21-8-1, but the Griffins have won the last four meetings by a
combined 157-66
score. Grossmont won only 28-20 last year, however. . . Mesa's
last win in
this series came in 1993 when former NFL quarterback Tony Banks
scored on a
2-yard sneak and then carried across the two-point conversion
with 7 seconds
left for a 28-27 nod at Merrill Douglas Stadium . . . City College
of San
Francisco broke the all-time record for consecutive victories
at 39 by
smothering San Jose CC 63-3 on (Sept. 28).
(10-03-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - Although rankings at this point
don't carry much weight, let us
not forget 'tis better to be included in the various polls than
to be
ignored. In recent years, Grossmont College has been a perennial
favorite,
earning the respect of the various pollsters to finish among the
elite teams
at the high end of the ratings ladder. Perhaps winning 21 of its
last 22
regular-season games has helped. Granted, it's still early in
the 2002
season, but the Griffins find themselves listed in every community
college
poll.
Coming off an impressive 38-14 romp over
Saddleback on Saturday (Sept. 21),
the Griffins (2-0) vaulted up to No. 14 in the nation according
to the latest
JC Grid-Wire national rankings.
JC Athletic Bureau pegs the Griffins at
No. 9 in the state and No. 6 in
Southern California.
The California Community College Regional
State Football Poll, which is
comprised of voters from the coaching fraternity, sports information
directors and selected media, ranks the Griffins No. 6 in its
latest ratings.
This poll is under the thumb of the California Commission on Athletics,
but
carries the greatest impact in determining which four teams (the
top two from
Southern California and top two from Northern California) will
vie for the
state championship in December.
Although the Griffins have a bye this week,
they will definitely move up in
the polls, especially in the coveted COA Regional Poll. That's
because No. 4
Palomar (2-0) and No. 5 Long Beach City (2-0) square off Saturday
(Sept. 28)
at Escondido High at 1 p.m. The loser will surely tumble a couple
of notches,
which leaves room for idle Grossmont to advance.
Looking ahead, Grossmont hosts No. 3 Chaffey
(2-0) on Saturday, Nov. 2.
Top-ranked Pasadena (2-0) and No. 2 Cerritos (2-0) are slated
for a Nov. 16
showdown. The point here is the current alignment doesn't carry
much impact,
as a shuffle in the order is imminent.
Next up for the Griffins is a meeting with
crosstown rival San Diego Mesa on
Saturday, Oct. 5 at Mashin-Roth Memorial Field.
GRIFFIN GRAFFITI -
Grossmont ranks No. 5 among the state's elite offenses,
averaging 38 points and 536 yards per game . . . On defense, Grossmont
is No.
15 in the state, allowing 266 yards and 21 points per game . .
. Grossmont is
the No. 1 offense and defense in the Foothill Conference . . .
Griffins QB
TANNER ENGSTRAND, who was named one of the JCAB's state athletes
of the week,
ranks third in the state with 660 yards . . .Freshman kicker-receiver
TODD
WATKINS earned state specialist of the week for his four field
goals and 2
PATs (14 points) against Saddleback . . . Speaking of powerhouses,
three-time
defending state champion City College of San Francisco is off
to a 2-0 start,
which has extended the Rams' record to 38 consecutive victories,
which ties
the national JC mark.
(09-24-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - (Updated 9-22-02) The unranked
Grossmont College Griffins have a
bone to pick with the know-it-all pollsters as to which team deserves
to be
rated where. Granted, it's only two weeks into the season, but
the Griffins
find it hard to believe that there are 25 teams in this nation
better than
they are. Saddleback might tend to agree after the Griffins ran
roughshod
over the Gauchos 38-14 Saturday (Sept. 21) at Grossmont's Mashin-Roth
Memorial Field.
TANNER ENGSTRAND completed 21 of 36 passes
for 353 yards and two TDs as the
Griffins (2-0) demolished the Gauchos (1-1). Engstrand fired TD
passes to
DONTAY CROWDER (28 yards) and JONATHAN MITCHELL (17 yards).
"We needed some stats today,"
said Grossmont head coach DAVE JORDAN after the
Griffins rolled up 511 total yards. "I think we showed we
can move the ball
and put up p