WEEK 10 -- Fri., Nov. 3

Eagles resist Matadors comeback
No. 2 Vaqueros equal mark with 9th straight win

(c) East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (11-4-06) -- For nearly 50 years not much has ever separated the Granite Hills and Mount Miguel football programs. And in 2006, the teams' annual meeting would take on additional significance, deciding which ballclub will finish in the upper tier of the Grossmont South League standings, probably leaving the loser situated in the lower echelon.

In Friday's (Nov. 3) battle at Valley Stadium, each side dominated play for a stretch. The host Eagles owned the first half, building a 21-7 lead, only to see the Matadors dominate play following the intermission in an attempt to rally.

The difference was in special teams, as Granite Hills (6-3 overall, 2-2 GSL) benefited from a series of failures by Mount Miguel (5-4, 2-2) to eventually cling to a 23-20 triumph. The decision levels the all-time series between the teams at 23-23-1.

"In the second half, Mount Miguel played with a lot of heart and chipped away at us," noted defensive end LANDON TURLEY, who posted two of the Eagles' five quarterback sacks. "We were getting tired and they were passing on us, but we pulled it out even with the penalties."

Following a fumble recovery by ROBERT BECERRA midway through the fourth period, Mount Miguel cashed in with a short 13-yard drive, capped by ELLIOT TAYLOR. The East County rushing leader scored his second touchdown of the contest from 6 yards out.

However, Matadors special teams short-circuited on consecutive plays. First, a PAT was blocked by JARED FRANCIS, leaving the Matadors down by three points. Then an onside kickoff squibbed a mere foot or two (instead of the required minimum of at least 10 yards), giving Granite Hills the opportunity to run out the final 3:40 off the clock.

Earlier, Mount Miguel booted a kickoff out-of-bounds to setup the Eagles' initial score, missed another extra point, roughed the kicker on a field goal, then the punter was forced to bat the football out of the end zone for a safety after the snap sailed well over his head.

Not that things were much better for Granite Hills. Along with the late fumble to allow the Matadors back into the ballgame, the Eagles committed 10 penalties for 97 yards; Mount Miguel had 12 for 101.

"We kept shooting ourselves in the foot as much as they did," said Eagles coach RANDY DeWITT. "We're happy with the win because it probably puts us in the playoffs, but we can't keep making these kinds of mistakes if we want to compete with the North County teams."

Granite Hills is assured of its first winning season since 1995 when the Eagles finished 8-3 overall.

The makings of a shootout found the teams exchanging touchdowns following just four plays from scrimmage in the game's opening moments.

After Mount Miguel sent the opening to the sidelines, BRENDAN CARTER took a handoff around right tackle and raced 65 yards for the score. However, on the Matadors' third snap, Taylor rumbled through the center of the line and galloped untouched 41 yards for his first score.

Taylor would finish with 153 yards on 23 carries to become Mount Miguel's first 1,000-yard runner since 2000 (KASHUN McCLAY, 1,544 yards), but the missed PAT would keep Granite Hills ahead the rest of the night.

The second period was all Eagles behind a pair of scoring passes by CHRIS MISENSOL (7-14-0, 92 yards). He found CHASE KETCHUM over the middle on a 2-yard pass for a 14-6 lead. The score was setup when Granite elected to take points off the scoreboard when placekicker COLLIN CRESAP was roughed when connecting on a 32-yard field goal.

On the next possession, a pair of defensive backs bit on a pass-action play fake, as Misensol went over the top of the defense to find JUSTIN MONTGOMERY alone for 37yards and a 21-6 lead at the half. But the Eagles offense would not score again with the revived Mount Miguel defense holding Granite Hills to just 88 total yards in the second half.

The Matadors offense opened the half with a 90-yard scoring drive. KENNY VAUGHN capped the march, which was aided by 30 penalty yards by the Eagles, on a 7-yard run. Quarterback AARON BRYANT rushed for a 2-point conversion to trim the deficit to 21-14.

But when the Matadors were forced to punt after their next possession, the poor snap for the safety proved critical, allowing Granite Hills some cushion since Mount Miguel would need two scores to win.

"The kids eventually played well, but they didn't show any heart in the first half," said Matadors coach TOM KARLO. "It wasn't a complete effort -- they didn't work hard enough for the win."

Bryant passed for 143 yards on 12-for-19 accuracy, including 8-of-11 in the second half when they went away from running the ball -- Taylor rushed for 114 of his 153 yards in the first half, yet the Matadors only scored once. DAVID WYNN registered seven receptions from Bryant for 72 yards.

With the Matadors predictably passing, Granite Hills received sacks from EDDIE MINEAR and DEREK COCKRUM, while MIKE GRONE and FRANK CLAUS shared a sack, in addition to the pair of stops by Turley. In addition, JOSH STEWART made a key fourth-down stop to halt Mount Miguel in the fourth quarter. (c) East County Sports.com

EL CAPITAN 44, EL CAJON VALLEY 12 -- It was a big night for undefeated El Capitan, in many ways. Foremost, the Vaqueros tied a school record with their 9th straight win, assuring themselves of no less than a Grossmont North League co-championship, and welcomed home El Capitan alumni and NFL veteran KEVIN McCADAM Friday (Nov. 3) night at Wendall Cutting Field.

El Capitan (9-0, 4-0 GNL) can secure the first perfect regular season in El Capitan history on Thursday (Nov. 9) with a victory over host Grossmont. If the Vaqueros do succeed on that night, they will tie the school record for victories and claim exclusive right to El Capitan's first league title since 2000.

After taking 30-6 halftime lead over the visiting Braves (3-7, 0-4 GNL), it was time to honor McCadam.

To show their regard for a favorite son, the school retired McCadam's jersey No. 5, which he wore during the 1995-96 seasons for the Vaqueros.

McCadam, who also attended Colorado State, Grossmont College and Virginia Tech, spent four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and presently is a defensive back with the Carolina Panthers.

As expected, this was no-contest. El Capitan jumped on top as quarterback RYAN LINDLEY hooked up with BEN NOY for a 63-yard touchdown pass just 3:30 into the first quarter. The same two would connect for an 8-yard scoring pass in the second quarter.

However, Noy, who finished with four catches for 97 yards, was knocked out of the game and perhaps for the season with an apparent broken collarbone. No official announcement was given by El Capitan, but El Cajon Valley coach JASON TEXLER reported that was what he was told. Noy has 47 catches for 750 yards and 12 touchdowns, so his absence would be dearly missed.

Lindley, arguably the top quarterback in the San Diego Section, completed 19-of-35 passes for 269 yards and 4 TDs. A.J. CONTI made seven receptions for 97 yards, including a 41-yard TD reception from backup QB TANNER RUST.

MICHAEL HOLZ and ANTHONY LYBARGER also collected touchdown passes from Lindley.

BEN WILKINS led the Vaqueros' ground game with 92 yards on a dozen carries.

El Capitan forced six El Cajon Valley turnovers. Four of them came via interceptions, two of which were by TAELOR WORRELL. Worrell's second theft resulted in a 30-yard TD return.

The Braves were in the game early on after KIANIE BROOKS delivered a 15-yard TD pass to JON BERMUDES, which cut the Vaqueros' advantage to 7-6. The Braves' offense stalled at that point as El Cajon Valley did not score again until the waning moments when Brooks hit DAMIEN WILLIAMS with a 19-yard TD pass.

Brooks paced the Braves with 212 yards total offense. (c) East County Sports.com

HELIX 21, VALHALLA 0 -- It was already well-known in East County football circles that 6th-ranked Helix has fielded a very good defense this season. Valhalla, on the other hand, has played sporadic defense of late, including a yield of 31 points to Mount Miguel last week.

So it was a bit surprising when both sides turned it up defensively Friday (Nov. 3), in a titanic battle of smashmouth defense at Helix's Jim Arnaiz Stadium.

The first half was nearly a draw, as only Helix kicker KENNY EWERT could place points on the scoreboard with a 44-yard field goal. It was enough to lift the Scotties to their 7th straight victory, clinching at least a share of the Grossmont South League title.

Ewert later added a third-period boot from 44 yards for a 6-0, but it still left Helix vulnerable to a Norsemen upset bid. However, Valhalla (4-5, 1-3 GSL) never did find the endzone.

The Highlanders (7-2, 4-0 GSL) finally put the game away with 15 points over the final 12 minutes, and now need only to beat last-place Monte Vista to capture their first outright league title since 2003.

Seven Highlanders contributed to their 176-yard rushing attack. Quarterback DORIAN STATON completed 5 passes for 61 yards, so this was not an explosive offensive showing by the Highlanders. Credit the Valhalla defense for that.

The Norsemen simply shut down the Highlander offense in the first half, allowing a mere 39 yards to the home team (12 rush and 27 pass).

On its first play, Helix's Staton was sacked for a 9-yard loss by AAHRON MIMS and CHRIS WRIGHT. On the next play, the ball carrier was tackled for a 1-yard loss by BRANDON McCLINTIC and JACOB BAUCHMAN.

Late in the quarter, the Helix offense crossed mid-field for the first time, but on 3rd-and-9 from the Valhalla 43, defensive tackle ANTONY WARRING stuffed the ball carrier for a 4-yard loss, forcing a punt.

Sparked by a 21-yard scamper by senior quarterback TOMAS KARAGIANES, the Norsemen stormed their way to the Helix-17, but the Highlanders rose to the occasion and stopped the drive, forcing a 33-yard field goal attempt that was wide right.

The Highlanders tried to mount another drive, but gained only 14 yards before they had to punt it away again. Finally, a short Valhalla punt gave Helix the field position for a field goal, although Ewert needed to kick twice, as his original 34-yard attempt was negated by a holding penalty.

In the third quarter, Helix pieced together an impressive 10-play drive, gaining a 2nd-and-goal from the Norsemen-1. However, a fumble backed the Highlanders up to the 7, then Thomas stopped the runner in his tracks for a short gain to the 6. On fourth down, defensive backs CHRIS BROWN and ANDREW ROSENBURG broke up a pass in the endzone, ending the scoring threat.

It was a nice defensive stand, but the Highlanders would do better down the stretch, including the forcing of a fumble near midfield to set-up their second field goal.

Staton threw a bullet to tight end MATT COBB for 20 yards, only to see Valhalla defensive back EDDIE STEWART make a highlight reel-type dive to knock the pass away. Undeterred, Staton came right back to Cobb and hooked up for a 21-yard pass play to the Norsemen-24, setting up Ewert's 33-yarder with 1:19 left in the stanza.

Helix finally pulled away with a pair of fourth-period touchdowns.

Following a short punt, Helix once again got good field position at its own 44. Seven plays later, ERIC FORNEY banged into the endzone from 2 yards out, then ran in for a successful 2-point conversionn and a 14-0 advantage with 8:28 remaining..

The Helix defense, which has been gaining strength each week, then forced a three-and-out by Valhalla, followed by an 18-yard punt return by LARRY GIST to the Valhalla-25. On the very next play, TRAVON VAN sprinted to the endzone to seal the verdict.

The final numbers reflected the strong efforts on defense, especially by the rising Scotties in posting their first shutout of the season. Helix accumulated 235 yards of total offense compared to just 141 by Valhalla. (c) East County Sports.com

FRANCIS PARKER 27, CHRISTIAN 14 -- The Patriots knew they needed to stop Lancers senior Gino Gordon. They just didn't figure it would be when he was on defense.

After Gordon ran for more than 100 yards to lead Parker past Christian in the SDCIF Division V championship game last season, Gordon was responsible for two touchdowns on defense to pace the Lancers to another victory over the Patriots. Parker has won 8 of the last 9 from Christian.

Ironically, Gordon was held under the century rushing mark, rushing for 85 yards on 20 carries.

However, Gordon intercepted a first-quarter pass and returned it 46 yards for a score. In the second half, he hit Christian quarterback DANNY MITCHELL just as he released the ball. The Lancers' Kit Barmeyer made a shoestring interception and bolted 57 yards for a score to build a 27-7 lead.

On a night when Christian played without leading rusher LAWRENCE WALKER, senior leader SCOT ALLEN and was forced to make some key offensive line switches, the Patriots did manage to take an early 7-0 lead on a 12-yard TD run and subsequent PAT kick by KYLER DWYER.

Parker (6-3, 2-2 Coastal League) packed all of its scoring into the middle two quarters.

Christian added a late TD in the final quarter. KURT METCALFE scored on a 3-yard run that was setup by a 57-yard Mitchell-to-JORDAN GRAVES pass.

Mitchell finished the game with 12 completions and a career-best 196 yards on 25 attempts. It was a big night for Graves as well, as he caught 6 passes for 107 yards.

Do-it-all Dwyer rushed for 97 yards on 21 carries, caught 4 passes for 70 yards, returned 3 kickoffs for 26 yards, and punted twice. Oh yeah, and he was 2-for-2 on PATs. (c) East County Sports.com

STEELE CANYON 42, MONTE VISTA 6 -- JOEY GUILLORY, JAMIE DALE and ERIC CARRILLO scored two touchdowns apiece to lead host Steele Canyon to the Grossmont South League victory over the Monarchs Friday (Nov. 3) night.

Steele Canyon (6-3, 3-1 GSL) did all of its scoring in the first half. Carrillo, who caught touchdown passes of 19 and 36 yards from quarterback NICK STATHAS in the opening quarter, was a perfect 6 for 6 on PAT kicks.

Stathas had a nice touch on his passes, hitting nine of 13 for 180 yards.

Guillory, the Cougars' fullback, scored on runs of 1 and 23 yards, while speedy tailback Dale scored on runs of 3 and 34 yards. Dale totaled 127 yards on only 13 rushes.

Guillory chipped in 44 yards on five carries and ANTHONY ARNOLD added 55 yards on a dozen carries.

"It was Senior Night," said Steele Canyon coach RON BOEHMKE. "All the kids got to play. I guess you could say this was just what the doctor ordered."

Boehmke was talking about how his team bounced back from last week's disheartening 28-14 loss to Helix.

"We were able to spread it out and get a lot of kids involved tonight," Boehmke added.

It was the fifth win in the last six starts for Steele Canyon, which figures to earn the Cougars a first-round home game in the Division III playoffs.

Boehmke said he could see the Cougars being seeded as high as sixth or seventh in the 12-team bracket.

Guillory, the Cougars' fullback, scored on runs of 1 and 23 yards, while speedy tailback Dale scored on runs of 3 and 34 yards.

Monte Vista (1-7-1, 0-4 GSL) avoided a shutout when LEVI MILLER scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter. Miller rushed for 65 yards on 20 carries, while JAMES CODY added 54 yards on 12 carries.

"Our kids just lack confidence," Monte Vista coach PAGE CULVER said of his youthful squad. "You ask them what they are supposed to do and they can tell you. But when it comes time to do it on the field, they are a little bit hesitant. I will say though that our offensive line guys did a pretty decent job blocking tonight." (c) East County Sports.com

Highlanders can clinch share of GSL crown

(c) East County Sports.com
LA MESA (11-2-06) -- Talk about a pair of roller-coaster seasons for Helix High head coach DONNIE VAN HOOK.

Coming off the disappointments of a dismal 2005 season, the Highlanders have quietly bounced back to the top of the Grossmont South League and can clinch at least a share of the league crown with a victory at home against slumping Valhalla.

A repeat of 2005 seem inevitable following a pair of home losses (one by forfeit) to open the 2006 campaign, then the Scotties were "out of sight, out of mind" with a brutal 5-game roadtrip. Although the numbers have not been impressive, the results certainly have been.

A consistent if not stellar defense allowed Helix to sweep all five road contests, then the Dawgs of Defense posted a second-half shutout against Steele Canyon to all-but-mathematically eliminate the defending GSL champion Cougars from the pennant race.

Helix's list of credentials on defense may not be as flashy as some of their league conference rivals.

Granite Hills owns a pair of shutouts; Mount Miguel has limited three of eight foes to just a single touchdown; and Steele Canyon opened conference play allowing just 10 points over a 3-game span before the Helix offense burned them for four scores last weekend.

Bottom line, though, is the Highlanders have come up big when they've had to.

Sure, the stingiest the Highlanders have been in limiting points is 14 over each of their last four outings. Keep in mind, that Helix has played the toughest schedule of the Inland teams.

Helix began flexing its muscles in week three when they blanked Eastlake over the final three quarters of a 27-21 victory. A week later against Grossmont, the Highlanders blanked the Foothillers in the first half and then forced a fumble in the closing seconds to preserve the victory. Helix then traveled to Brawley and posted a second-half shutout to allow the offense an opportunity to rally for the triumph.

The Highlanders took a 30-0 halftime lead at Granite Hills and then won going away. Mount Miguel was limited to a single touchdown in the second half, then was kept at bay when the Matadors had a chance to win late. And finally, last week's second-half blanking of Steele Canyon.

The increments of improvement have been steady, and Van Hook decided that the win over Steele Canyon was Helix's best effort to date.

This Friday (Nov. 3), Helix also hopes to avenge a disturbing 17-17 draw with Valhalla, as the Norsemen kicked a field goal with 0:01 remaining to salvage an undefeated regular season. Look for at least one half of shutout ball by the Scotties. . . Helix 28-7.

Mount Miguel at Granite Hills -- Two teams that know how to shoot themselves in the foot will attempt to avoid any costly mistakes in a battle which should have some say as to who will finish second place in the Grossmont South.

Right now, the advantage is with the rising Matadors, who has pieced together an offense that is always good for at least two touchdowns per contest with a defensive unit that's been steady. Plus, Mount Miguel running back ELLIOT TAYLOR needs a mere 73 yards to crack the 1,000-yard plateau.

Taylor could be the first Matadors back to gain 1,000 yards since KASHUN McCLAY (1,544) achieved the feat in 2000.

If Granite Hills wants to step up to the next level, gain a first-division finish in the GSL standings, and make the Division I playoffs, this is a must-win situation. Most would consider that an upset. There are a few more checkmarks on the side of. . . Mount Miguel 28-21.

Monte Vista at Steele Canyon -- Even though Steele Canyon saw its four-game win streak end last week at Helix, the Cougars figure to rebound against the hapless Monarchs.

A co-championship remains a possibility for the Cougars, who need to close the season with a pair of wins to gain a prime playoff position.

Steele Canyon running back JAMIE DALE, owner of five straight 100-yard rushing efforts, could outgain the entire Monte Vista offense. . . Steele Canyon 35-3.

El Cajon Valley at El Capitan -- The Vaqueros could've, yet didn't, run-up the score on neighborhood rival Santana. And the underdog Braves are less of a threat than the Sultans because of injuries and way too many two-way players.

El Capitan should tie the school record for consecutive victories with No. 9 on this night.

Three El Capitan receivers have 36 catches or more. One overlooked statistic involves A.J. CONTI. Among the top 10 receivers in the San Diego CIF Section, Conti owns the best yards per reception average (19.3) and ranks third overall (850 yards) in yardage. Conti is also tied for 12th in kick scoring in the section (36 points).

Look for a repeat of last week's El Cap homecoming victory, only without the shutout, as quarterback RYAN LINDLEY will get his 250 yards then head for the bench. . . El Capitan 35-7.

Grossmont at Santana -- The Sultans offense had scored no fewer than 29 points all season until El Capitan laid a big zero on them last week. And Grossmont's defense has a reputation of being just as good.

The biggest question is how many points the Foothillers will score on Santana.

In a similar situation last season, AUGIE WILLIAMS rushed for 156 yards to help Grossmont post a 47-0 spanking against a Sultans roster with limited depth. There are just too many similarities to go any other way than Williams gets another 100 and. . . Grossmont 30-14.

Christian at Francis Parker -- The Patriots can eliminate the Lancers, an opponent they simply do not like (and haven't defeated since 2001), from Coastal League crown consideration with a victory in Linda Vista.

A year ago, Gino Gordon ran for 161 yards and three TDs in a 28-7 triumph when the teams were ranked 1-2 in Division V. Gordon (26-108) and the Lancers later dumped the Patriots 16-7 in the Division V final for Parker's first 11-man title.

Gordon is back, ranking second in the San Diego CIF with 1,130 yards, but the O-Line is banged-up.

Christian has similar problems, but switching linebacker/offensive lineman PAT KELLY (6-foot-0, 215 pounds) to running back -- it's like old-time football seeing a player wearing No. 55 lining up in the backfield -- may have solved any problems in maintaining a ground-control offense.

Turnovers should spell the difference. . . and Christian rarely drops the ball -- Christian 21-17.

Annual East County Rushing Leaders since 2000 (Through 10-30-06)
Year..	Player,.School..........	.GP	...Att	..Yards	.Avg	..TD	..Lg	.G/Avg
2000	Richie Smith, GH	11	280	1,704	6.1	19	78	154.9
2001	Reggie Bush, Hel	13	183	2,200	12.0	26	73	169.2
2002	Reggie Bush, Hel	12	140	1,691	12.1	23	85	140.9
2003	Darrell Mack, MV	13	237	1,626	6.9	15	80	125.1
2004	Darrell Mack, MV	12	274	2,452	8.9	27	80	204.3
2005	Garen Demery, Val	12	300	2,558	8.5	39	80	213.2
2006	Elliot Taylor, MM	8	148	927	6.3	8	71	115.9