WEEK 11 -- Thurs.-Fri., Nov. 9-10

Christian settles for draw with Horizon

(c) East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (11-11-06) -- It was a mixed bag for the Christian Patriots.

Executing every big play when needed, the Patriots mounted a quick 17-0 lead. But when fortunes turned, the team was forced to scramble back, finally settling for an unsatisfying 24-24 draw with Horizon in Friday's (Nov. 10) Coastal League finale at Valley Stadium.

A controversial call kept a late Panthers drive alive, allowing kicker Chalium Muir-Miller to boot a 37-yard field goal with 46 seconds remaining to forge the tie. Christian kicker KYLER DWYER, who accounted for all 24 Patriots points, attempted a 54-yard field goal at the gun, but the ball landed about two yards short.

"We didn't seem to get a break all night," noted Dwyer, who rushed for 195 yards and three touchdowns, plus booted a 25-yard field goal and three PATs. "It's hard to go out with a tie. I just can't wait to get them in the playoffs."

Horizon, trailing 24-21, faced a fourth down from near midfield on its final drive, so quarterback Spencer Danielson fired a pass over the middle to Jonathan Cruz. Christian linebacker PAT KELLY made a leaping stab at the ball, which landed to the side of the receiver.

However, the officials ruled that Cruz caught the ball on the deflection for a 17-yard gain and a first down with 2:07 left. Kelly registered stops on the next two plays, then Danielson overshot a wide-open receiver in the end zone in an attempt to win the game, instead settling for the tying field goal.

"We tipped the ball away on fourth down and it clearly bounced off the ground -- what else can you do?" noted Kelly. "It's very frustrating. I would have loved to play it out, even if we lost."

The tie left the teams locked for third place in the Coastal League. Both coaches stated that conference rules did not allow for overtime, even though the teams are both in Division IV, thus requiring extra time according to CIF guidelines.

Dwyer rushed for 113 of his yards in the first half, as the Patriots scored on all three of their possessions. The first drive stalled, setting up Dwyer's field goal, then the senior capped a 75-yard drive by going up the middle for 34 yards and a 10-0 first-quarter lead. The score was set-up on a 44-yard run by LAWRENCE WALKER.

In the second period, Christian took 7:35 off the clock on a methodical 83-yard march, capped by a Dwyer romp of 15 yards. However, just before the intermission, Danielson connected with Miles McPherson, who leaped over a Patriots defender, for a 14-yard TD pass with four seconds left.

The Panthers then took the second-half kickoff and raced 66 yards for another score, as Danielson hit Muir-Miller on an 18-yard pass. Following a fumble recovery, the same combination went for a 31-yard score early in the fourth period to take a 21-17 lead.

Christian immediately reclaimed the advantage by going 79 yards in 12 plays. Not included was a nullified fourth-down play when Horizon was called for pass interference. Dwyer ran the ball over the final five plays of the march, including a 5-yard TD haul up the middle with 3:22 to play.

Walker, who missed last week's game against The Bishop's School, rebounded for a 100-yard effort on 15 rushes.

Running back BRANDON JOHNSTON opened the scoring with a school-record 96-yard TD romp, part of his 207-yard performance which include three touchdowns on just five carries. Johnston also scored on runs of 41 and 43 yards in the second half.

Leading 6-0, ZACH WOLFE posted a breakthrough effort in the second quarter, collecting consecutive TD passes from GARRET CAMPBELL of 13 and 55 yards to mount a 22-6 halftime lead. Campbell went4-for-9 passing for 88 yards

Johnston finished with 22 total points, including a pair of 2-point conversions. The Knights' defense then blanked CLA in the second half, featuring an interception by CHRIS NIGH, which he returned 14 yards, and a quarterback sack by LEVI GARDNER.

BLAINE NURSE and Johnston, both seniors, were the leading tacklers with 11 each, including six primary stops by Nurse.

Foothills Chrisitan completes its debut season in 11-man football at 1-9 overall (0-6 in the Pacific League). Last season, the Knights were 5-1 at the 8-man level. (c) East County Sports.com

Ben Wilkins (22) grinds through the line for one of his two touchdowns, rushing for 180 yards to help El Cap complete a perfect 10-0 regular season after downing Grossmont. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

Vaqueros 'get 'er done' for perfection El Capitan completes 10-0 regular season (c) East County Sports.com EL CAJON (11-10-06) -- Although the visiting Vaqueros struggled to a season-ending 21-14 victory over Grossmont to clinch the Grossmont North League title Thursday night (Nov. 9) for their 10th straight win, they will probably earn the top rung in the San Diego CIF rankings next week. Torrey Pines, which at one time was considered invincible, fell on its collective face 29-13, courtesy of La Costa Canyon in Thursday's regular season finale. That leaves the door open to the Vaqueros for the top spot. Consider the facts: The Vaqueros are the only team with 10 wins (as in 10-0) and one of only two undefeated teams. Carlsbad is the other, only the Lancers have two ties among their 10 decisions. El Capitan is a perfect 10 and a prime candidate to be No. 1 heading into the playoffs. "All we talked about going into this game was to finish it," El Capitan coach RON BURNER said, referring to the Vaqueros' first unblemished regular-season record in the 48-year history of the program. El Capitan took a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter, but then had to scramble to the finish line after that. The Vaqueros' defense limited Grossmont to 87 yards on 36 plays. At the same time El Capitan produced 485 yards on 74 plays. Quarterback RYAN LINDLEY, who earlier in the week committed to San Diego State University, wasn't his usual flashy self. But the 6-foot-4, 205-pound senior completed half of his 38 passes for 273 yards and 1 touchdown. Lindley's totals could easily have been higher had not his receivers dropped a half dozen passes. Calling Lindley's efforts sub-par is probably a bit extreme, but junior running back BEN WILKINS picked up the slack. In his finest performance to date, Wilkins crashed his way to 180 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 carries. It was a 3-yard run by Wilkins with 54 seconds left in the third quarter that broke a 14-14 tie. "People wonder whether we can run, well I guess Wilkins showed that we can," Burner said. "Not everybody knows how good this kid is, but he has the size and speed to get the job done." Wilkins also caught 3 passes for 68 yards. A.J. CONTI was El Capitan's leading receiver with 6 catches for 101 yards, including a 40-yarder that setup the Vaqueros' second touchdown. MICHAEL HOLZ, who was injured on El Capitan's first play of the night as he attempted to throw a block on one of the larger Foothillers, rebounded after a short respite to catch 5 passes for 50 yards, including a 13-yard TD strike from Lindley. After Wilkins capped a 6-play, 57-yard scoring march with a 2-yard TD dash to extend El Capitan's advantage to 14-0, the Foothillers' JVONE TAYLOR returned a kickoff 99 yards to chop El Capitan's lead in half. Following El Capitan's second muffed punt of the night, the Foothillers (4-5-1, 2-2 GNL) tied the game on a 25-yard pass from quarterback CHARLIE PIRO to wide receiver JOSH SIMMS with 4:07 left in the third quarter. Determined not to let their perfect season dissolve, El Capitan trooped 75 yards in 10 plays to regain the lead. No doubt the biggest play of the night was a 4th-and-9 gamble from the 32-yard line by the Vaqueros. Coming up short on the majority of its gamble plays, the Vaqueros came through with the game on the line as Lindley connected with Conti for 11 yards and a 1st down at the Grossmont 21. The Vaqueros left it up to Wilkins from there. The hard-charging junior carried 18 yards for a 1st-and-goal at the Grossmont 3. Once again the Vaqueros handed the ball to Wilkins, who appeared to be stopped at the line of scrimmage but managed to bounce outside and carry tacklers into the endzone for what proved to be the winning touchdown. Not to be overlooked was the El Capitan defensive effort which was solidified by the 12 tackles of middle linebacker TOMMY TOWNS. BRYCE BURKLEO had an interception for the Vaqueros. Grossmont's defense, which was riddled by Santana a week earlier, was much more challenging this week. AUGIE WILLIAMS intercepted 2 Lindley passes and Taylor picked off another. Grossmont linebacker MICHAEL BARTLETT made a team-leading 11 tackles, including 1 sack. ERIC SPRINGE added 7 tackles and recovered a fumble for the Foothillers. Williams also had 7 tackles -- one more than EVAN SCHWIMMER and JESS BAIRD. "This is awesome," Burner said of going 10-0. "You talk about goals like this and you hope you can achieve them. Now that we've done it, it really feels good. But the kids, not the coaches, deserve most of the credit. But we're not done because now its playoff time and everybody starts over." Back-to-back losses have no doubt damaged Grossmont's playoff chances. But Foothillers' coach JUDD HULBERT believes the Foothillers still have the credentials to demand a post-season position. "The teams that we've lost to have all been ranked teams at one time or another," Hulbert said. "We've played them all tough. We lost to Helix by four points. We lost to the team that's probably going to be No. 1 by a touchdown. I honestly think we deserve to go, but it's up to the (playoff seeding) committee." Grossmont earned a No. 12 seed and a trip to San Pasqual. El Capitan, the No. 1 seed in Division draws a first-round bye and the knowledge that it will not have to play a road game.

(c) East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (11-10-06/Modified 11-12-06) -- Following every Steele Canyon High football game, the players create the Circle of Steele as a display of team unity. The circle is only concerned about one thing: what the members of the circle believe in.

Ignoring the doubters that stated last season's Grossmont South League title was a fluke, the Cougars converted the big play on offense, defense and special teams, staving off the rally attempt by Mount Miguel, 21-17, in Thursday's (Nov. 9) regular-season finale.

The triumph gave Steele Canyon (7-3 overall, 4-1 GSL) sole possession of second place in the GSL standings. Meanwhile, the Matadors (5-5, 2-3) finished in a 3-way tie for third with Valhalla and Granite Hills.

BRANDON HUGHES returned a kickoff 82 yards for the tie-breaking touchdown late in the first half, then the Cougars repelled three Mount Miguel attempts to claim the lead in the fourth period, and now will enter the playoffs on a hot streak with victories in six of their last seven contests.

"They kept kicking the ball short, but I got the ball on a nice bounce then took it to the house," said Hughes, who noted several solid blocks along his path to the end zone, including one by TONY MINNIFIELD to spring him along the right sideline. "Then we held them with our defense, which is solid because of all the hard work we put in."

Hughes' long return lifted Steele Canyon to a 21-14 lead with 2:30 left in the half. Mount Miguel attempted to respond immediately, but the clock ran out.

The Matadors opened the second half, with a long march to the Cougars-8. However, a hit in the backfield for a loss by RICHIE WICK and a pair of incompletions forced the hosts to settle for a 31-yard field goal by ANTHONY AMODEO, capping a drive which took 8:04 off the clock.

Mount Miguel regained possession three more times, but someone different for Steele Canyon would slam the door on any comeback attempt. Leading the way was defensive back JUSTIN WOODS, who was in on a series of tackles for the Cougars.

Another key stop came on an interception by Wick on the opening play of the fourth quarter. Next possession, the Matadors were forced to punt following a fumbled snap on second down, then Hughes held his position in pass coverage to break-up a third-down pass.

Finally, with 4:31 remaining, JOEY GUILLORY penetrated into the backfield to nail Mount Miguel's ELLIOT TAYLOR for a 4-yard loss on fourth down. The Cougars were then able to collect a pair of first downs to run out the clock.

Taylor finished with 178 rushing yards to maintain his East County lead, but only 42 of his yards came in the second half.

The contest started like a table tennis match, with both teams going up-and-down the field for quick scores.

Hughes collected a 36-yard TD pass from NICK STATHAS for a quick 7-0 advantage, but Mount Miguel answered -- thanks to the return of senior LARON RUSH to the lineup -- hauling in a 10-yard scoring pass by AARON BRYANT on a fade route to the left corner of the end zone.

"I felt some pressure from their pass rush, but then I saw Brandon and tossed it up," said Stathas, who completed five of 12 passes for 74 yards. "Then we made some mistakes -- the interception and the fumble -- but we got the offense to work late to hold onto to the win."

In the second period, Guillory, who rushed for 90 yards on 11 carries, capped a 68-yard drive with a TD run from 1 yard out. However, the Matadors countered again by surviving a solid hit by Cougars defender ARLIN TAYLOR, which caused a fumble, but the ball sailed out of bounds.

However, Taylor was injured and did not return. He suffered a broken clavicle (collarbone) in his left shoulder.

"When Arlin went down, it got all of us to play with more energy," Woods noted. "We didn't want them to come back because we lost one of our best players."

Four plays later, Mount Miguel's Elliott Taylor tied the score at 14-all on a 4-yard run to the right side, but the deadlock lasted a mere 11 seconds when Hughes returned the ensuing kickoff 82 yards.

Meanwhile, Mount Miguel's defense tossed a second-half shutout at the Cougars, limiting them to just 44 total yards during the span.

"It was good to see a lot of guys make plays for us," noted Matadors coach TOM KARLO. "(Linebacker) SETH COLLINS made three nice tackles and an interception for us, then there were others who were hustling all over the field."

Collins returned his interception 11 yards. Teammate KENNY VAUGHN also recovered a fumble caused by a hard hit by BRANDON KAIMULOA.

The Matadors earned their second straight post-season berth under Karlo. They'll open the Division III playoffs at Cathedral Catholic on Friday (Nov. 17). Steele Canyon, meanwhile, hosts University City in the Division III opening round.

VALHALLA 33, GRANITE HILLS 23 -- Granite Hills looked forward to ending the regular season on a winning note at Valhalla Thursday night (Nov 9), but ran into a buzzsaw Norsemen defense instead. Valhalla limited the Eagles to minus 5 yards rushing in 26 attempts, to balance its season ledger at 5-5, while dropping visiting Granite Hills to 6-4. Both teams were 2-3 in Grossmont South League action.

Valhalla's senior quarterback, TOMAS KARAGIANES, romped on the ground and through the air, rushing for 200 yards and 4 touchdowns on 23 carries and passing for another 107 yards (hitting 8 of 14). His spark helped Valhalla put up 467 yards total offense. PETE THOMAS, called up from JV, was perfect in the kicking department, making all three of his PAT attempts and was good for two field goals as well.

Granite Hills senior southpaw quarterback CODY SWANSON connected on 14 of 23 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown.

Stuck in the proverbial rut the past few games, HURAN HUTCHINSON, Valhalla's
offensive coordinator, tweaked the game plan this week with splendid results.

"Karagianes is our best weapon," said Valhalla head coach DAVE HOSTETLER. "We wanted to get him the ball more so we moved him around a lot. I think it worked out. Tomas was the fastest guy on the field tonight."

In their first possession, the Norsemen scored quickly in seven plays when Karagianes, shifting to wingback, took off around left end for a 30-yard touchdown romp only 2 minutes into the game.

The lead lasted all of 12 seconds as Granite Hills' JARED FRANCIS took the ensuing kickoff 91 yards for a game-tying touchdown. It was Francis' second KOR for a TD this season. Both teams failed to convert their initial PAT try leaving the score tied at 6.

Less than a minute later, Karagianes ran right on second down and motored 61 yards for his second TD. After Thomas' PAT, the Norsemen led 13-6 with 8:39 left in the
first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, an Eagles turnover resulted in another Valhalla touchdown. Norsemen linebacker JON FORTUNA stripped the ball from a Granite Hills runner and CHRIS THOMAS recovered, giving Valhalla good field position at the Granite 42. Seven plays later, Karagianes took it in from the 11, increasing Valhalla's lead to 20-6 with 5:40 to play before intermission.

The Eagles bounced right back on their next possession. Facing a 3rd and 15 from their own 46-yard line, Swanson connected with senior tight end CHASE KETCHUM for a 29-yard pass play to the Valhalla 25. Swanson then found BRAD CARTER open at the Norsemen 14 for another big gain. Swanson hooked up with Carter once again at the Valhalla 1-yard line. Junior running back TYLER WHITTINGHAM bounced in from there for the TD with 2:06 left in the half. COLLIN CRESAP added the PAT, tightening the score to 20-13.

The Norsemen tried to add to their lead before halftime. Starting at their 28, Karagianes got the necessary spark when he rambled 32 yards to the Granite 33, with 1:11 left to play in the second stanza. He then lofted a fade pass to wide receiver KEVIN KRIEBEL, who made a leaping catch inside the 10-yard line, fought off two defenders for several more yards, fumbled the ball into the air, and eventually caught it as he landed on his back at the 1-yard line.

On the next play, Karagianes walked into the endzone behind left tackle JOSE CORTEZ, who had opened a huge hole, driving the defender 7 yards deep into the endzone. After Thomas' kick, the Norsemen led 27-13 at halftime.

"Valhalla came out in a completely different offense," said Granite Hills coach RANDY DeWITT, who admitted that his team was caught by surprise by the Norsemen's late season changes. "They had Karagianes as their 2-back out of their Wing-T. He's a great ballplayer and they gave him a chance to prove it."

"You watch nine games of film on them, noting all their tendencies and everything they do," DeWitt added. "And then they come out with a completely different look."

As the second half started, Valhalla's defense was inspired. Defensive back MICHAEL COATS stuffed the runner on the first play for a 4-yard loss. On second down, CHRIS BROWN spoiled a reception, knocking the ball away from the receiver. On third down, defensive tackle ANTONY WARRING, who had two sacks in the game, flushed the quarterback, forcing an errant throw, and forcing a Granite Hills punt.

Valhalla put together a time-consuming 13 play drive, using up nearly 8 minutes. Freshman Thomas padded the lead to 30-13 with a 38-yard field goal, with 4:23 left in the third quarter.

"We were due for some spirited play and I think we got it tonight," Hostetler said. "We played a spirited game on defense against Helix (a 21-0 loss last week), and I think that carried over."

The Eagles didn't quit; two minutes later, Cresap also hit a 38-yard field goal, shortening the gap to 30-16.

Thomas added a 28-yard field goal for the Norsemen early in the 4th quarter, making it a three-score game, 33-16. Granite Hills added a late touchdown when Swanson tossed a completion to BRAD CARTER from 36 yards out.

"We've been riding a rollercoaster all season, playing two good games in a row and then followed by one that's not so good," DeWitt said. "Maybe we don't deserve a home game but I truly believe that we are one of the top 12 teams in our division."

Both teams qualified for the playoffs -- Granite Hills in Division I and Valhalla in Division III. The Eagles face third-seeded El Camino in Oceanside, while Valhalla ventures to Ramona for Friday night's openers. (c) East County Sports.com

WEST HILLS 34, SANTANA 20 -- The visiting Wolf Pack came from behind Friday night (Nov. 9) with a strong second half to down the Sultans and retain the Santee Mayor's Trophy for the fourth straight year.

All that ended well did not start that way for West Hills (6-4, 2-2 GNL). Junior quarterback ERIC FIEGE was not allowed to play due to a ruling by the officials, who said they could not clear him without a doctor's note.

"Fiege broke his wrist on his non-throwing hand in the Grossmont game (Oct. 20)," Wolf Pack coach STEVE SUTTON said. "But he didn't tell any of the coaches, didn't say anything about it."

Fiege eventually submitted to a doctor's exam and wound up with a cast on his left wrist. West Hills coaches and trainers wrapped the cast and it was sufficient to pass the pre-game examination by the officials prior to the Santana kickoff.

"I've never heard of a referee having to require a doctor's note in order for a player to play," Sutton said. "I thought that was up to us to get clearance."

Thus, Fiege had to watch from the sidelines as sophomore MICHAEL LIFGREN made his first varsity start. Lifgren, a converted wide receiver, had appeared briefly in three previous games, throwing a total of two passes.

In spite of all of that, West Hills scored 21 points in the third quarter to erase a 14-6 Santana lead. All of those plays were rushes, which -- to anyone who knows the history of Wolf Pack football -- might be a record.

RALEIGH SEVIER scored 2 of his 3 rushing touchdowns in the third quarter. He also ran across a 2-point conversion, which at the time tied the game, 14-14.

Sevier, ever the workhorse, racked up 228 rushing yards on 34 carries.

With West Hills clinging to a 27-20 lead in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, Sevier bolted 50 yards for the victory-clinching touchdown with less than 2 minutes to play.

West Hills' TREVOR KOLOCHESKI, a senior wide receiver/defensive back/kick returner/punter, took over at quarterback in the second half. Kolocheski fired a 60-yard TD pass to nose guard NICK ARMSTRONG.

"That was something to see," said Sutton. "Armstrong almost had to call for a fair catch on that pass, but once he caught it he turned around and straight-armed the DB and then had to "serpentine" the final 25-30 yards for the touchdown."

Once again Santana's offensive focus hovered around senior quarterback COLLIN TAYLOR, who scored on a 1-yard run and threw touchdowns passes to JON TIPPIN and BLAKE KAHLER.

"Collin took a physical beating but threw for something like 202 yards," Santana coach DAVE GROSS said. "But the bottom line is their big offensive line just wore us down, they just pounded us."

Taylor totaled 249 yards total offense and had a direct hand in all three Santana touchdowns.

At 5-4, Santana made the SDCIF Division IV playoffs and will host Valley Center in the Nov. 24 quarterfinals.

"We didn't have super expectations coming into this season," Gross said. "But I think we can score on anybody in our division."

West Hills also earned a Division II playoff berth and hosts Scripps Ranch in the opening round Friday (Nov. 17). But Sutton is miffed that a victory over the Falcons will send his Wolf Pack north to face top-seeded and two-time defending champion Oceanside. Sutton's beef is that Castle Park -- a team the Wolf Pack overpowered 41-10 on Sept. 15 -- is seeded No. 8, one notch lower the Trojans. Castle Park, however won the South Bay League title and therefore was guaranteed a home game.

"I know there are teams with better records than we have," Sutton said. "But we're the best 6-4 team in town." (c) East County Sports.com

HELIX 55, MONTE VISTA 7 -- Color the Helix Highlanders ready for the San Diego CIF Division II playoffs. The Grossmont South League champion Highlanders (8-2, 5-0 GSL) pounded out 336 yards and 8 touchdowns in a regular season ending rout of visiting Monte Vista Thursday night (Nov. 9).

Helix coach DONNIE VAN HOOK began a parade of substitutions in the first half as the Highlanders led 21-0 after one quarter and 41-7 by intermission. A running clock was instituted in the second half.

ERIC FORNEY carried the ball only 5 times for 20 yards, but scored Helix's first two touchdowns on short runs. He also caught a 13-yard pass from quarterback DORIAN STATON, who completed 6 of 7 passes for 131 yards and 2 TDs.

Forney was pulled from the game early as were most of the Helix starters.

Nine Highlanders contributed to Helix's 205 yards on 35 rushes. Junior GEORGE CONLEY paced the Helix ground game with 58 yards on 7 carries. ANDRAY JACKSON, also a junior, collected only 18 yards on 6 carries, but scored 2 touchdowns.

Sophomore JOJO PHILLIPS scored on a 29-yard run and finished with 35 yards on 3 carries for the Highlanders. KENSLOW SMITH added 6 carries for 20 yards and one score.

Staton's touchdown passes went to tight end MATT COBB for 18 yards, and to DERRIC MILLER covering 30 yards. Kicker KENNY EWERT converted 7 of 8 PAT kicks.

Helix's CHRIS SMITH made 2 receptions for 64 yards.

EDDIE FAAMAILE, DEREK ANCRUM, ISMAEL REVELES and RONALD BROOKINS each recovered a fumble for the Helix defense. ARAN DODD-WADDINGTON notched a sack for the Highlanders.

Monte Vista (1-8-1, 0-5 GSL) avoided the shutout when sophomore JEFF HARTMAN completed a 3-yard pass to KYLE RICHARDSON with three seconds left in the first half. JAVIER LUNA kicked the PAT.

The Monarchs finished with 170 total yards. That included Hartman's 3-for-5 passing that covered 65 yards.

Helix, which missed the playoffs for the first time in 29 seasons a year ago, now has two weeks to get ready for the Division II playoff quarterfinals. (c) East County Sports.com

El Capitan quarterback Ryan Lindley (File photo by Chris Edwards)

(c) East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (11-8-06) -- Following the advice of his quarterback coach, El Capitan senior RYAN LINDLEY, one of East County's most prolific passers, has accepted a scholarship offer to play football at San Diego State.

Lindley selected the Aztecs, the same school attended by his mentor, former SDSU starting quarterback LON SHERIFF, after narrowing his choices among three schools including Fresno Sate and Idaho. Lindley informed Aztecs head coach Chuck Long of his decision late Monday.

"I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to play close to home," Lindley said. "I believe this is a program on the rise."

Lindley leads all East County passers (second in the SDCIF) with 2,576 yards and 27 touchdowns heading into Thursday's (Nov. 9) regular-season finale at Grossmont, as the Lindley-led Vaqueros seek a perfect 10-0 record. The team is ranked second in the section.

Wizard's picks: psychic or psycho?

(c) East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (11-7-06) -- Much to the surprise of area football coaches, The Wizard again proved to be prophetic if not accurate in recent weeks.

Well, sort of.

In this column, we stated that Santana quarterback COLLIN TAYLOR would have a breakout outing as the Sultans would light-up the scoreboard. Then again, we noted the effort would come against El Capitan, but it actually occurred a week later versus Grossmont.

Close. Blame that one on a riff in the time-space continuum.

Two weeks ago, we predicted Steele Canyon would bump off Helix. Although the Highlanders won, then came through with another victory in their next outing, the Scotties actually dropped in the section rankings, falling to No. 7. Indeed, we did foresee that Helix would go down, but the details got a bit twisted -- this Remote Viewing thing can sometimes get extremely tricky.

So with respect to ART BELL and other residents in The Philippines (the late-night talk radio show host recently moved from Pahrump, Nev.), here's a look at East County's final regular season ballgames. Grossmont Conference games will be held Thursday (Nov. 9), while Christian plays on Friday (Nov. 10), with the SDCIF playoff seeding meeting scheduled for the following morning.

El Capitan at Grossmont -- The Foothillers thought they would be playing for the outright Grossmont North League title, but key injuries and the arm of the Sultans' Taylor derailed those plans.

The best Grossmont can achieve is a co-championship (or a 3-way share of the crown should Santana defeat West Hills, too), but after allowing a 22-point lead to slip away, even a homecoming crowd may not be able to overcome the physical woes. Running back AUGIE WILLIAMS is in position to collect more than 1,000 all-purpose yards, but the Vaqueros -- the top defensive unit in the GNL -- is well aware of it.

However, El Cap lost a top player when BEN NOY snapped a collarbone. Noy can be replaced on offense thanks to a deep receiving corps to keep the 2nd-ranked Vaqueros on track to reach the SDCIF Division III final at Qualcomm Stadium?

Suddenly, these two teams have question marks, but fewer on the Vaqueros' side... El Capitan, 35-10.

West Hills at Santana -- Since 2000, every team in the Grossmont Conference has fielded at least one 1,000-yard rusher, except one: the Wolf Pack. However, RALEIGH SEVIER is now within 51 yards of the magic number. Sevier helped West Hills snap a four-game losing streak last week, but the team still might need another victory to get into the SDCIF playoffs. Situation: Desperate.

The biggest problem for the Wolf Pack may be on the other side of the ball. Although their rush defense has performed well, they have allowed a ton of yards against passing teams, which, in turn, have posted the most points against them.

The exception was the El Capitan contest, yet West Hills still lost, 13-6, in the GNL opener. Can the Pack lift their play to similar levels, or will Santana's Taylor get a second chance at eclipsing the Sultans pass-yardage record?

We forecast West Hills playing keepaway with Sevier running the ball, so if the Sultans don't score early, they may not get a chance to play catch-up like they did against Grossmont... Give the Santee Mayor's Trophy to... West Hills, 17-14.

Granite Hills at Valhalla -- The downfall of the Norsemen offense can be tied to the loss of running back SPENCER MYERS. With the senior, Valhalla averaged more than 30 points per outing; sans Myers, the team has scored just two touchdowns in three outings (not counting the victory over last-place Monte Vista).

However, Valhalla thinks it learned some things after looking at last week's video, when Mount Miguel shutdown the Eagles in the second half. If the Norsemen can post similar results, maybe a single touchdown is all that is needed. Thus, a low-scoring game should go Valhalla's way; plenty of points means an Eagles victory.

Meanwhile, Granite Hills has been very predictable. Against strong teams, the Eagles are not quite ready to make the jump to the next level, but against comparable opposition -- notably West Hills and Mount Miguel -- they keep winning by a field goal. So why change here?. . . Granite Hills, 20-17.

Monte Vista at Helix -- The Highlanders have been warned: The rest of the county wanted a repeat of 2005's failures, so they voted you down in the polls, hoping to influence the SDCIF seeding committee to give you a poorer playoff position.

Conspiracy theory? Perhaps, but it may be the motivation the Scotties need to go far into the playoffs. And a healthy team entering the postseason with consecutive shutouts would force the North County to take notice... Helix, 21-0.

Steele Canyon at Mount Miguel -- Unless Monte Vista pulls off a miracle, the defending GSL champion Cougars are playing for second place against the Matadors. The Cougars' road to a repeat was detoured two weeks ago, when Helix shut them out in the second half. Mount Miguel's road to a first-division finish was temporarily halted when Granite Hills raced to a 21-7 halftime lead last week, then staved off a Matadors rally.

However, Mount Miguel can still post its best GSL finish this decade and capture the Spring Valley city championship with a home-field triumph.

So in the battle of East County rushing leaders -- Mount Miguel's ELLIOT TAYLOR (1,081 yards) vs. JAMIE DALE (1,014) of Steele Canyon -- we'll take the team with the slightly better passing game of late... Mount Miguel, 22-20.

Christian vs. Horizon, at Granite Hills -- Game time has been switched to 7 p.m. Friday at Valley Stadium, where the Patriots can still claim second place in the Coastal League.

Christian may have lost the top seed in the playoffs with last week's Coastal League setback to Francis Parker, but five key performers were either missing or playing other positions. Many will return for this week's game with the Panthers, one of three teams tied with Christian for second place in the standings.

One of the returnees is running back LAWRENCE WALKER, who has a season-high of 196 yards this season. If Walker can push past the total and reach 217, he'll reach 1,000 yards for the second straight season.

The most recent East County runners to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons are: ABRAHAM MUHEIZE (El Cajon Valley), GAREN DEMERY (Valhalla), JERRAD SCHNAUTZ (Santana), and REGGIE BUSH (Helix), who reached the mark three times.

Throw in a great home-field record and we'll take... Christian, 28-14.