WEEK ONE -- Aug. 31-Sept. 1

Fiege reclaims status position,
QB position on West Hills campus

(c) East County Sports.com
SANTEE (9-2-06) -- Two seasons ago, ERIC FIEGE was on track to become the new "big man on campus" at West Hills High School. Fiege, the season-long starter at quarterback, paced the 2004 Wolf Pack freshmen football team to a perfect 10-0 season.

Yet his path to inherit the starter's role on the varsity suddenly became side-tracked... not that Fiege was complaining. Instead of moving up to become the junior varsity QB, the sophomore suddenly found himself promoted -- but to the other side of the football.

"The coaches asked me to play defense at safety because there was a need there," recalled Fiege. "That was okay with me because now I was on the varsity, which is where I always wanted to be."

Fiege even excelled in the secondary, recognized by coaches as the lone sophomore among the All-Grossmont North League honorees with a second-team berth.

"We lost our starting quarterback because he was a senior," noted Fiege. "And we also lost our backup, too, because he was a senior."

Without much recourse, Wolf Pack coaches returned to Fiege, asking if he'd mind making the switch back to offense. And after the first week of the football season, Fiege seamlessly found his way back into the winner's circle.

In his first action at quarterback in two years, Fiege quickly overcame a sluggish first half by connecting with TREVOR KOLOCHESKI on a 52-yard bomb on the team's first offensive play of the third quarter Friday (Sept. 1), igniting the Wolf Pack to a 26-6 triumph over visiting Coronado.

"With Eric under center, he's still undefeated as our quarterback," said Kolocheski, who caught four passes for 74 yards plus a 2-point play reception, all in the second half. "In the locker room, we realized we had to block and play better if we wanted to win this game, and Eric led us there."

Week One Action

Helix' Jerad Ruiz (44) with the perfect form tackle on Oceanside back Armani Taylor. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

Helix kick returner Larry Gist (32) collected more than 125 yards against Oceanside, including this 35-yard kickoff return. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

Helix linebackers Anthony Larceval (50) and Edward Hickerson (23) just miss registering a safety with this goalline stop of Oceanside back Armani Taylor. The Pirates won, 27-0. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

Tied at 6-all at the intermission, Fiege (7-for-13, 142 yards) faked the handoff and fired a pass down the right sideline. Kolocheski slipped past an Islanders defender to make the reception at the Coronado-5 then waltzed into the end zone.

"We noticed their safeties were doing something strange back there, so we decided to go long in order to figure out what they were doing," said West Hills coach STEVE SUTTON.

The Wolf Pack completed their string of 26 unanswered points with a pair of fourth-period scores.

Slotback ANDREW DELGADILLO ran into the backfield to take the ball on modified version of the sweep to the right side. The senior reached the corner, then received a solid downfield block of lineman MICHAEL ROBLES to spring Delgadillo on a 25-yard TD rush. Kolocheski's 2-point catch made it 20-6.

Three plays later, Coronado lost the ball on a poor center exchange, with West Hills recovering. The Pack needed just four plays to cap a short, 32-yard march, capped on RALEIGH SEVIER's second touchdown on an 8-yard gallop.

Coronado running back Ricardo Oberwager touched the ball on nearly every Islanders play from scrimmage. He rushed 25 times for 77 yards, although the Isles' lone score came on an 8-yard run from Geovanni Saldana.

West Hills completed the triumph on an interception return of 14 yards by linebacker NAIULI LEPISI, one of three turnovers forced by the Wolf Pack defense. Senior lineman NICK ARMSTRONG also registered a sack for the Pack, who face Steele Canyon next Friday.

ELSEWHERE
VALHALLA 66, SAN YSIDRO 0 -- SPENCER MYERS got a big kick out of playing the first football game of his senior season Friday (Sept. 1) night , leading Valhalla to a 66-0 drubbing of visiting San Ysidro.

Actually, Myers got a lot of big kicks, including a field goal and 9 straight PATs, but the versatile player didn't stop there. Myers rumbled for 140 yards on 13 carries, including a pair of touchdown runs to give him 24 total points in the rout.

Myers was about to score a third TD when he fumbled at the goal line, but the night truly belonged to the Norsemen after center JAMES RICHARDSON pounced on the pigskin in the endzone for his first career touchdown.

Altogether, Valhalla amassed 452 yards rushing, with the starters not playing much, if at all, after halftime. Wingback ZACK ROMERO, playing his first varsity game, gained 107 yards on just 5 rushes, including a 62-yard sprint in the third quarter.

Valhalla was just as strong on the defensive side of the ball. The Norsemen allowed the visitors only a total of 46 yards of offense. San Ysidro averaged just a single yard per offensive play, compared to Valhalla's productive 11.4 yards per snap.

Valhalla expressed its will from the opening kickoff, when JON FORTUNA smothered the San Ysidro returner on the 15. Three plays later, free safety TOMAS KARAGIANES cut in front of a Cougars' receiver, snagging an interception on the San Ysidro 45-yard line.

The Norsemen started running-up the electric bill on their scoreboard just four plays later, setup on a Romero 34-yard scamper to the 5-yard line.. Myers bulled his way into the endzone on the next play for a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the contest.

Two minutes later, Valhalla scored again when JONATHAN MURRAY burst through the middle and cut hard to the right sideline on a 35-yard TD run.

It took the Rancho San Diego team four minutes to score again, this time on a 27-yard run by Romero. Two minutes later, Karagianes hit wide receiver KEVIN KRIEBEL with a 19-yard TD pass, extending the lead to 28-0 with 1:55 left in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Karagianes hooked up with wide receiver DEREK WHITE for a 37-yard touchdown pass. After Richardson 's fumble recovery TD, Myers ended the first half scoring with a 17-yard run, courtesy of a huge hole opened by offensive linemen JOSE CORTEZ and HAGEN HO with 1:25 left.

By the time the first half concluded, the Norsemen had a 49-0 lead while San Ysidro mounted a mere 8 total yards in total offense -- negative-4 yards rushing and 12 yards passing.

The second half was more of the same, but without Valhalla's starters.

Myers kicked a 30-yard field goal, then offensive lineman DYLAN MITCHELL, taking over for Karagianes at quarterback, quickly added a touchdown on a 5-yard sprint.

ZACK CORDLE-ROBBINS rounded out the scoring just 39 seconds into the fourth period, carrying the ball in from 7 yards out.

Defensively, sophomore TANNER HITT played the "name game" well from his linebacker position -- hit, hit and hit some more. Hitt finished with 9 tackles and a sack in his first varsity game,while fellow 'backer CHRIS THOMAS was a human wrecking ball on the field, flattening ball carriers left and right.

Defensive end JON PARKS showed why he is a major-college prospect with constant pressure on the quarterback, collecting two sacks and a pair of pass knockdowns. Defensive tackle CHRIS WRIGHT and Ho also recorded sacks for the Norsemen. (c) East County Sports.com

LeRoy McGEE (4-76), KEVIN KELLY (4-49) and JON SABLAN (4-25) each caught a touchdown pass from Brooks as last-year's Division II finalist cruised to a smooth opening win.

"Honestly, Kianie was putting the ball right in our receivers' hands," said El Cajon Valley coach JASON TEXLER. "Basically, it was a matter of our receivers catching the ball. I think they will be able to do that -- I think we will be a little bit better than people expect."

El Cajon Valley intercepted five passes, including one by linebacker BRAD MEYERS who returned it 55 yards for a touchdown. (c) East County Sports.com

EL CAPITAN 49, SERRA 14 -- Quarterback RYAN LINDLEY clicked on 24 of 36 passes for 366 yards and five touchdowns, helping the Vaqueros roll up 489 total yards in Friday's (Sept. 1) season-opening win.

In revised calculations by the El Capitan coaches, MICHAEL HOLZ was Lindley's top target, reeling in 6 aerials for 115 yards and two scores for the Vaqueros. BEN NOY caught 6 passes for 68 yards and two touchdowns, while A.J. CONTI was credited with five receptions for 54 yards and a TD.

El Capitan coach RON BURNER took Lindley out of the game when the score got out of hand. Back-up QB TANNER RUST threw only one pass, but it was a 47-yard scoring strike to ANTHONY LYBARGER.

TILA CASE caught three passes for 65 yards but left the game with an apparent broken collarbone.

"We had a lot of positives,"said Burner, whose Vaqueros led the visiting Conquistadors 28-7 at halftime. "But we paid the price in some ways, because we've probably lost Case for the season."

Lindley, heavily recruited by Division I colleges, set an El Capitan record with his 5 touchdown passes despite sitting out the final 16 minutes of the game.

Conti was 7-for-7 on PATs for the Vaqueros, giving him 13 points for the night.

On the defensive side, TAELOR WORRELL and GARRETT JARVIS each had an interception, while senior linebacker TOMMY TOWNS recorded 9 tackles for El Capitan.(c) East County Sports.com

STEELE CANYON 20, CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC 13 -- Safety ARLIN TAYLOR returned two fumbles for touchdowns and made 10 tackles to lead Steele Canyon to Friday's (Sept. 1) season-opening victory. The win was extra special as it was the first home game played on the Cougars' Rancho San Diego campus.

Taylor's scores -- one in each half -- came on returns of 7 and 37 yards.

Coming out with a victory was quite an achievement for the Cougars, who totaled only 134 yards on 50 plays.

JOEY GUILLORY was the main cog in Steele Canyon 's offense, rushing for 99 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries. He scored on a 3-yard run that capped an 8-play, 73-yard drive that afforded Steele Canyon with a 13-0 halftime lead.

There is no flash-and-dash when Guillory carries the ball. He's a straight-ahead runner who isn't afraid to run over every defender in sight.

"It's not that we wanted to pound the ball, but I'm kind of a conservative guy," said Steele Canyon coach RON BOEHMKE. "Guillory is a big back, a strong kid who doesn't go down easily."

"But we need to establish our passing game," Boehmke added. The coach was quick to point out that senior MIGUEL RIOS was making his first appearance as quarterback and hit just 2-of-8 passes for 41 yards.

"I think Miguel got a little jittery and so I lost a little bit of confidence in his ability to settle down and play," Boehmke said. "The passing game is something we want to establish, it's not that we just want to pound the ball."

Steele Canyon's defense was rock-hard, as usual. In addition to Taylor , seniors TONY MINNIFIELD and JOSE LOPEZ each recorded a sack.

After three quarters, when Steele Canyon led 27-0, it appeared that the Cougars would win in a breeze. But malfunctions in the punting game and a lost fumble gave Cathedral a chance to spoil Steele Canyon 's celebration.

One of the most influential defensive plays for Steele Canyon came on a third-and-16 with less than five minutes to play.

Cathedral quarterback Nick Russell fired a pass intended for Jared Puente near the goal line. The ball missed the target when Steele Canyon 's BRANDON HUGHES arrived in time to bat the ball away. The Cougars then attempted a field goal, which wasn't even close.

From there, the Cougars ran the clock out. (c) East County Sports.com

GRANITE HILLS 33, CLAIREMONT 21 -- The Eagles gave first-year head coach RANDY DeWITT an early-season present by beginning the campaign with a victory over visiting Clairemont Friday (Sept. 1) night at Valley Stadium.

"I was still nervous when the game was over," said DeWitt, himself a Granite Hills alum. "This is a real nice way to begin the season.

Senior running back JOEY SUTHERLAND scored three touchdowns while rushing for 92 yards on 20 carries for the Eagles.

Linebacker DEREK COCKRUM came up with a key interception in the second quarter and returned the theft 49 yards to Clairemont's one yard line. Sutherland plunged into the end zone from a yard out, giving the Eagles a 19-14 halftime lead.

"Sutherland is such a tough kid," said DeWitt. "Even when he gets tackled, he still manages to fall forward for one more yard. That's the kind of effort we need."

DeWitt was pleased with the Granite Hills defense.

"We were really flying around," he said. "I think our 3-5-3 defense is really going to make a difference. It did a fantastic job tonight." (c) East County Sports.com

CHRISTIAN 42, VINCENT MEMORIAL 0 -- Battling 110-degree temperatures in the early going, visiting Christian High gradually picked up momentum Friday (Sept. 1) night and continued on for the blowout victory in Calexico.

Tailback LAWRENCE WALKER rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns, while fullback SCOT ALLEN collected 48 yards and three touchdowns in a game that was played with a running clock the majority of the second half.

Allen scored on runs of 7, 1 and 4 yards. He also reeled in three passes for 29 yards as well as contributing on the defensive side.

Multi-talented senior KYLER DWYER rushed for 65 yards and one touchdown, caught four passes for 63 yards, returned a kickoff for 26 yards, and was 6-for-6 on PATs.

Not to be overlooked was the passing of senior quarterback DANNY MITCHELL, who clicked on 9-of-11 aerials for 126 yards.

"Mitchell is so much improved over last year," Christian coach MATT OLIVER said. "That just makes us that much more of an offensive threat."

Junior nose guard PAT KELLY was a defensive menace for the Patriots. He also recovered a fumble for the Patriots.

"It was sack-city out there for us tonight," Oliver said. "Kelly was all over the place."

Christian limited Vincent Memorial to 110 yards while forcing four turnovers that were all fumbles. (c) East County Sports.com

SANTANA 35, PATRICK HENRY 21 -- Fast starts are not uncommon for the Santana Sultans. That wasn't quite the case when the Sultans kicked off the season against visiting Patrick Henry, when Santana found itself trailing 14-0 after the first quarter Friday (Sept. 1) night at Santee Community Stadium.

Senior JONATHAN TIPPIN scored a Santana record 29 points as the Sultans overcame the early deficit to dump the Patriots in the non-league opener.

Tippin scored on passes of 15, 15, 13 and 55 yards from COLLIN TAYLOR in the middle two quarters. Tippin, who was also 5-for-5 kicking PATs, broke the old mark of 24 points held by six Sultans. KYLE ROMERO scored on a 22-yard pass from Taylor as well.

Taylor finished with 19 completions in 30 attempts for 198 yards. On top of that, he rushed for 43 yards on 10 carries. Just for the record, Tippin totaled 155 all-purpose running yards.

While obviously please by the Sultans' offensive streak, Santana coach DAVE GROSS did not fail to praise his club's defensive efforts. DANIEL CAREL blocked a punt that led to a touchdown, and BLAKE KAHLER recovered a fumble that led to a score. (c) East County Sports.com

GROSSMONT 31, HORIZON 0 -- ALTON BERRY (21-114, TD), JVONE TAYLOR (4-92, TD) and AUGIE WILLIAMS (4-40, 2 TDs) led the host Grossmont Foothillers to the easy non-league win in the season opener for both teams Friday (Sept. 1) night.

Berry accounted for 179 all-purpose yards. MARCUS FLORES booted a 27-yard field goal and narrowly missed on a 52-yard try. He was 4-for-4 on PATs.

"We got done what we needed to get done," said Grossmont coach JUDD HULBERT. "Our offensive line did a great job and Flores proved that he's one of the best kickers in the county. If we can keep our offense going, Flores could lead the county in kick scoring. This was a great opening game for us." (c) East County Sports.com

(c) East County Sports.com
LA MESA (9-1-06) -- The Oceanside Pirates quickly demonstrated why they entered the season as the top-rated football team in the CIF-San Diego Section. Throwing the baseball equivalent of a 5-hit shutout, the defending Division II champions yielded just five first downs all contest in blanking host Helix, 27-0, in Thursday's (Aug.31) season opener at Benton Hart Stadium/Jim Arnaiz Field.

Both teams have been playoff combatants, including one semifinal and three San Diego Section championship games. Yet for now, Helix will need to play catch-up after the Pirates placed a rubber stamp on their No. 1 grading.

"We were just talking about that, how Oceanside deserved to be No. 1," said Highlanders coach DONNIE VAN HOOK. "They are a solid ballclub with an offensive line that blocks really, really well."

The blocking made life easy for Oceanside running back Armani Taylor, who rushed 23 times for 141 yards. And as the Pirates backfield kept accumulating yards, Helix defenders finally became tired or cramped-up after keeping their team in the contest for three quarters, only trailing 12-0.

"Our line did their assignments, were aggressive and executed," noted Taylor, who scored both first-half touchdowns. "Last year, it didn't matter who played quarterback because of our line, but the switch has made us even better."

Jeff Small and Steven Carroll shared QB duties in 2005. But with Small now at slot back opposite of Taylor , Helix was left chasing the ball all night. And when the Scotties failed to wrap up tackles, the Pirates marched to several long drives to finally wear out their perennial postseason rivals.

Taylor broke three tackles on the initial scoring play, taking a screen pass from Carroll and rolling 22 yards for the first-period score. Taylor then capped the next Oceanside drive on a 3-yard rush up the middle. Both conversions were missed.

Frustration then ensued on each Oceanside scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Both times, Helix defenders forced fumbles, only to see the Pirates recover each time, then score shortly thereafter.

Carroll (15-32-0, 162 yards) tossed his second TD pass to Lamont Enyard in the third period. Enyard, in a jump ball situation in the corner of the end zone, seemed to get away with a push-off, then collected a 20-yard pass. Reserve back Jordan Vaeena later added a 13-yard run, rumbling through three tacklers en route.

The best Helix' offense could muster was an advance to the Pirates-34. After gaining just 26 yards and a single first down in the first half, the team gained 62 yards and four first downs (one by penalty) in the second half. Oceanside ran 72 plays to Helix' 37.

One bright night note for the Highlanders was kick returner LARRY GIST. Included was a 26-yard return to open the second half, complete with a dazzling leap over two Pirates tacklers before the kicker made the touchdown-saving stop. Gist later returned a kickoff 35 yards after bouncing off a pile of players.

"I still have the utmost respect for our team and we will learn from this," added Van Hook. "We got beat up a bit, but we didn't quit. Our defense never gave up, while we had a couple of crucial dropped passes." One was a potential TD miscue in the second quarter that would have left the Highlanders down only 12-7 at intermission.

The Highlanders (2-7-1 in 2005) completed just 1-of-14 passes for 4 yards.

Two small plays which showed that the Highlanders are on the right path to contend for the Grossmont South League title included an interception by DESMOND JACKSON on a 2-point conversion attempt, and a hustling JAMAR TAYLOR, who downed a punt near the Oceanside goalline.

Note -- The contest was the first in a season-long series of Thursday night games on Cox Cable 4 television. However, immediately following the debut, the success of the series is already in question.

No more than 200 fans made the trek from the North County to attend the game between Top 10 rated teams, while the Helix stands were only 70-percent full. A broadcaster for the game's cybercast admitted only a handful of listeners were online, while a Cox official who asked not to be identified told East County Sports that strong ratings were not expected.

THE WEEKLY WIZARD -- PREDICTIONS

East County schools given little respect as season opens early with Thursday special

(c) East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (8-31-06) -- Grossmont Conference football teams will be receiving little respect when the county rankings by the San Diego County Sportswriters-Sportscasters Association are released later this week. Only one local football team will be listed among the top 15 in the CIF-San Diego Section entering the season, with Helix receiving a berth in the No. 7 slot.

So there's only one thing to do to earn respect: Go out and play -- and beat -- the best. And many East County programs will be preparing to do such, including a meeting with a defending CIF champion in this week's season openers.

In the debut of CIF-SDS Thursday Night Football, 2005 CIF Division II titlist Oceanside will travel south to meet rebounding Helix.

One night later, eight more East County schools will kick it off, including defending Grossmont South League champion Steele Canyon hosting perennial CIF Division III kingpin Cathedral Catholic.

Thurs., Aug. 31
Oceanside (10-3, 2-3) at Helix (2-7-1, 1-3-1) -- The Pirates may no longer be rotating their pair of standout quarterbacks, with Jeff Small switching to a slot positions to accept passes from Steve Carroll. But the change-over is small compared to the total makeover of the Highlanders, who promote a vast array of underclassmen to replace a disappointing senior class of a year ago.

However, with the influx of talent from a 9-1 junior varsity roster, the North County Times calls Helix' 2005 campaign a "hiccup" and expects the Highlanders to quickly recover. But enough to take on its longtime Division II postseason rivals?

Come playoff time, the Helix Green could get the nod, but until this team grows up -- which could develop quickly -- the Green of Oceanside will receive the nod, 26-20.

Fri., Sept 1
Cathedral Catholic (8-4, 3-2) at Steele Canyon (6-4-1, 4-0-1) -- Last season marked the Dons'first after relocating to the Del Mar Highlands, but the campaign was marred by a pair of losses to archrival St. Augustine, including a setback in the playoffs.

Steele Canyon's 2005 campaign was marked by a first-ever league championship, only to see the Cougars quickly vanquished by Westview in the first round of the postseason.

Both programs may be on the brink of becoming true powerhouse programs, yet with new lights now installed for the first-ever, on-campus home game for Steele Canyon, all of the back country near Jamul should be proud after a 28-24 triumph for the Cougars.

Patrick Henry (1-9, 0-5) at Santana (5-6, 0-4) -- The fast-starting Sultans, who own a perfect 9-0 record in September over the past two seasons, have no reason to fear the once proud Patriots program, which has hit rock bottom over the past half-decade.

Patrick Henry once produced the likes of future Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams and a host of other top collegiate and professional talent. Today, the Patriots are coming off consecutive 1-9 seasons with little reason for any better effort this go-round.

For the Sultans, the game plan is simple: Score early and get the starters off the field, somehow finding a way to stay healthy for the October-November schedule. Santana 28-20.

El Cajon Valley (11-3, 3-1) at Sweetwater (1-8-1, 1-3-1) -- El Cajon Valley was the Headline Story of 2005 -- just ask Orange Glen (56-26), Castle Park (56-32) and Mira Mesa (26-21), teams which can attest that the Braves were formidable after suffering playoff defeats during their playoff run to Qualcomm Stadium.

The role of Cinderella will be found elsewhere, but it won't be the Red Devils. The rebuilding Braves, now with a deeper roster after football became "the cool thing to do on campus," will outlast SuHi, 33-12.

Serra (2-8, 1-4) at No.18 El Capitan (3-7-1, 1-2-1) -- The Vaqueros would like to sneak up on its 2006 opponents, but the secret is already out -- the team will be listed among the county's honorable mention when the SSA poll come out on Thursday.

Not that the Conquistadors can do anything about it. El Cap claimed an easy 41-8 victory, and another pasting by an improving Vaqueros' pass attack may make the score even more lop-sided this time over the repaired carpet at El Cap Stadium, 56-6.

Christian (8-4-1, 3-2) vs. Vincent Memorial (3-8, 3-3), at Calexico -- Divisional alignments in the San Diego Section have been revamped to meet state guidelines with the new state bowl system set to debut this season. Thus, many of the Patriots' top playoff opponents have been elevated to Div. IV status, while Christian remains in Div. V... and with few prospects to challenge them.

The Scots will not be one of those to sneak up and catch Christian off-guard, or off-tackle or any other way. The Patriots rolled to 48-6 and 58-6 last season, and the coaching staff believes this year's edition is even better. The team can't help but roll to a comfortable 53-6 (the average of last season's scores) decision.

San Ysidro (5-6, 1-4) at Valhalla (9-1-2, 3-0-2) -- Sure, Steele Canyon and Cathedral may have ended their respective seasons on disappointing notes, so please explain how brutal the feelings must be for the Norsemen. Undefeated through 11 contests, Valhalla suffered its lone setback to St. Augustine by a single point on the final play of the game in the CIF Div. III quarterfinals.

In other words, the visiting Mustangs don't stand a chance when the Norsemen tee-up the ball for their first game following the best season in school history.

The Valhalla offense scored more than 40 points per contest in 2005, but it may be the defense which could push the Norsemen over the top this fall. All-East County pick JON PARKS will anchor the line along with BRANDON McCLINTIC, an all-league pick.

Valhalla traveled to the border community to claim last year's opener, 52-13. The return match could be much worse, 59-10.

Clairemont (2-8, 1-4) at Granite Hills (4-6, 1-4) -- The rebuilding Eagles moved to within a game of the .500 plateau last season, but the next step will be without former head coach DAVE WAASTAD, so Granite Hills will look to RANDY DeWITT to continue the program's re-emergence.

The improvement on defense should continue with returning all-leaguers in linebacker DERRICK COCKRUM, and backs JARED FRANCIS and TORRE BAILEY. However, Clairemont likes to run the ball, so the last team to score will probably win. Here's saying the Eagles will score last for a 20-17 decision.

Coronado (7-4, 4-1) at West Hills (8-4, 2-2) -- Both teams see each other as the perfect opponent to open the season. Both sides lost most of their 2005 starters, leaving just four returnees for the visiting Islanders, so the team which worked harder in the offseason to prepare for this pairing should gain an initial victory.

The difference: the Wolf Pack should possess the speed to neutralize the Islanders’ traditional running attack, while Coronado only met one team last season which came close to matching the fancy pass attack of West Hills, highlighted by All-East County receiver TREVOR KOLOCHESKI (50 rec., 1,069 yards, 15 TD) to give the hosts a 35-12 advantage.

Horizon (5-5, 2-3) at Grossmont (7-3-1, 3-0-1) -- Foothillers running back AUGIE WILLIAMS returns, but with little success from the offensive line in the Kickoff Classic scrimmage against Ramona, the pressure switches to the defense to keep Grossmont in the ballgame.

Unfortunately, the small-school Panthers possess speed and lots of it. Their downside is a ton of two-way players which will run them down and keep Grossmont in contention. At least head coach JUDD HULBERT knows what needs to be fixed.

If the defense can match last season's 11-points allowed per game effort, watch for Grossmont to escape with a 12-11 triumph.

Foothills Christian (4-1) vs. H-Town (2-8, 2-2), at San Diego Mesa College -- The Knights leap from 8-man ball to the traditional variety and a slot in the Pacific League, returning every member of their 2005 roster except one -- starting quarterback DREW WINDHAM.

However, senior running back/linebacker BRANDON JOHNSTON, Foothills's MVP last season, should be able to carry the load for head coach CHRIS HAMILTON. Co-captain R.J. NAJERA, a junior, will be a force at inside linebacker.

The Knights, which were voted fifth in their division to barely miss the 4-team, 8-man playoffs last season, should remian competitive against opponents with similar roster sizes (28). However, this week's foe -- the Lions -- are experenced with several transfers from Helix to allow H-Town to pull away late for a 25-16 triumph.

PREP FOOTBALL POLLS ARE BACK CLICK HERE TO VOTE ON WEEK 1 ACTION

Mount Miguel senior Laron Rush (1) leaps above double-coverage to haul in this TD pass, leading the Matadors past Coronado at Friday's CIF Kickoff Classic scrimmage, 40-21, at Mira Mesa High. In Saturday's games at Grossmont, El Capitan raced past Palo Verde, 37-14, while Ramona blanked the host Foothillers, 27-0. (Photo by Tori Mills)

El Capitan running back Ben Wilkens runs over a Palo Verde defender, literally, to power the Vaqueros in the CIF Kickoff Classic. The 2006 high school football season officially opens on Thursday night, when Oceanide visits Helux. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (8-19-06) -- The CIF-San Diego Section has announced the participating schools for the fourth annual CIF Kick Off Classic.

The Kick Off Classic begins on Friday (Aug. 25) at Mira Mesa High with always-tough Division III Mount Miguel playing Central League power Coronado at 5:30 p.m. In the following contest at 8 p.m., South Bay favorite Hilltop taking on the Division II semifinalist Mira Mesa.

Grossmont High will host both games on Saturday (Aug. 26), when the always-tough Division IV program from Palo Verde battles Division III powerhouse El Capitan at 5 p.m. In the final Classic contest, North County's Ramona goes against up-and-coming host Foothillers at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $6 each night.

East County Sports.com
LINDA VISTA (8-5-06) -- Early speculation turned into fact as Monte Vista and West Hills high schools will indeed be the participants in a replacement contest to the new CIF-San Diego Section lineup of Thursday Night football games. The ballgame moves from Sept. 22 to Sept. 21, starting at 7:05 p.m. at Wolf Pack Stadium.

However, El Cajon Valley's attempt to regain its slot in the Prime Time lineup fell through, as the Sept. 28 date was filled by the Valley Center at Mission Hills contest. The Braves, which lost their cable appearance against Patrick Henry when San Diego City Schools voted to bypass its participation in the Thursday program, failed to presue the CIF to include a home game with Calexico, as Imperial County schools were shutout from Thursday Night participation Cox Cable Chl. 4.

Complete revised schedule:

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (7-22-06) -- The return to prime time television for the El Cajon Valley High football team has been put on hold.

Slated for cablecast on the new Thursday Night Football showcase in the San Diego Section, the Braves were forced to return their contest with Patrick Henry to its original Fri., Sept. 22, time slot when officials of the San Diego Unified School District recently voted against allowing its member schools from playing on Thursday nights. The kickoff also returned to 6:30 p.m.

"The city school district voted against allowing Thursday night games, which is very, very disappointing," said El Cajon Valley head coach JASON TEXLER. "It was a great opportunity for players from both schools."

Other contests removed include:La Costa Canyon at Mira Mesa (Sept. 28) and Crawford at Coronado (Oct. 26). Two other members of the City Conference -- Cathedral Catholic and St. Augustine -- are slated to close the regular season against each other on Nov. 9, yet since both are private schools, the game is expected to remain on the Cox schedule.

Other games involving East County schools, including the 2006 kickoff opener when Helix hosts Oceanside on Aug. 31, remain as scheduled. The other ballgames featuring Grossmont Conference schools include Poway at El Capitan (Sept.14) and the South League opener featuring Steele Canyon at Valhalla (Oct. 12).

The local CIF section office plans on filling the voids in the 11-game, regular-season schedule on Cox Cable 4 with other contests.

The status of the Mount Miguel at Madison contest, slated for the night of Thurs., Sept. 21 -- although not a Cox cablecast -- has yet to be determined.