WEEK TWO -- Fri., Sept. 8

Rare West Hills shutout
leaves Cougars stone cold
Grossmont's Flores launches
79-yard punt in losing effort

(c) East County Sports.com
SANTEE (9-9-06) -- Anchored by nose guard NICK ARMSTRONG, the defensive line for West Hills High may be -- for the first time in school history -- the strongest element of the Wolf Pack football team.

With Armstrong, a 6-foot-4, 257-pound Division I prospect, collecting a quarterback sack and a fumble recovery among his many stops, West Hills left Steele Canyon's offense stone cold and off the scoreboard, giving the hosts a surprising 21-0 blanking in a battle of undefeated teams Friday (Sept. 8) at Wolf Pack Stadium.

"We have an experienced D-line which clogged up the front," noted Armstrong. "Then the DB's covered their men. The club played well together -- it was that simple."

Entering the night, no team in the Grossmont Conference owned fewer all-time shutouts than West Hills, tied with Steele Canyon -- a much younger school -- with seven. However, after the Pack's first-unit defense allowed just 111 yards through 3 1/2 quarters, the reserves capped the whitewash in the final minute of play when lineman JONATHAN GERARDEN forced a fumble, which KYLE BESLER recovered just before time expired.

Meanwhile, senior receiver TREVOR KOLOCHESKI continued his assault on the career touchdown reception record by hauling in two more scoring passes -- 17 and 32 yards -- from quarterback ERIC FIEGE, who also ran in another score, as West Hills scored on its first three possessions to mount a 21-0 lead before halftime.

Kolocheski only registered three receptions for 52 yards all contest, as all three scores were setup behind the running of tailback RALEIGH SEVIER. The junior collected large chunks of yardage in the first half, finishing with 119 yards on 19 carries behind an offensive line which dominated Steele Canyon in the opening quarters.

"The defense stepped up and filled the holes, then ( Steele Canyon ) couldn't run to the outside at anytime, too," noted Kolocheski. "Then our offensive line opened holes for Raleigh , while giving Fiege time to throw."

Week Two Action

West Hills receiver Trevor Kolocheski walks into the endzone with one of his two scores as the Wolf Pack blanked Steele Canyon, 21-0. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

El Capitan quarterback Ryan Lindley releases the ball before the Ramona rush can get to him on this first-half touchdown pass. The Vaqueros stopped the visiting Dawgs, 30-14, to capture the battle for State Highway 67. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

Vaqueros receiver Ben Noy hooks in front of the Ramona secondary for his second touchdown reception against the Bulldogs. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

"You have to credit West Hills' lines -- both of them -- for playing really, really well," noted Cougars coach RON BOEHMKE. "I don't think we went three-and-out all night, but our offense stalled at times because they made plays.

Steele Canyon's offense, which scored just once in a 20-13 victory over Cathedral on opening night, moved the chains with first downs throughout the contest, yet never produced a breakthrough play.

West Hills recorded four sacks and forced three fumbles (two recovered) to keep Steele Canyon at bay. Included were stops in the backfield by Armstrong, younger brother JOSH ARMSTRONG, Gerarden and RUDY ORTEGA. The closest the Cougars came to the goal line was the Pack-18 midway through the fourth period, but safety JOSHUA KLIMCZYK ended the threat by returning an interception 18 yards

Fiege finished completing 5-of-8 passes for 123 yards, while Sevier completed a left-handed, halfback option pass for 27 yards to WESLEY CUNNINGHAM. Cougars quarterback MIGUEL RIOS (13-24-1, 144 yards) was forced to throw much of the night after the Pack limited the visitors to just 40 yards on the ground.

For Steele Canyon , RICHIE WICK forced a fumble on a sack which led to a turnover when teammate RYAN PEARL recovered the football. The Cougars also equaled a Grossmont Conference record with zero penalty yards, as their lone infraction came with the ball inside the 1 (half-the-distance to the goal, ball remained next to the goal line for no official yardage). (c) East County Sports.com

Elsewhere
CHRISTIAN 31, SANTANA 29 -- The Patriots sprinted to a 17-0 halftime lead and then nearly saw victory escape them Friday (Sept. 8) at Santee Community Stadium.

Christian offensive coordinator DAVID BEEZER likened the non-league encounter to a horse race, complete with a photo finish.

"It's hard to catch a thoroughbred when he has a 17-length lead," Beezer mused.

With the fact that Christian is sitting on a 2-0 record while Santana slid to 1-1, Beezer's point is hard to argue. Scoreboards don't lie -- it's either a win or a loss.

A 31-yard field goal by KYLER DWYER extended Christian's lead to 17 points going into the halftime break.

"We really dominated the game in the first half," Christian head coach MATT OLIVER said. "But after that it became a tale of two halves. Give Santana credit. They got us on our heels with their passing game."

Christian managed to hold off the Sultans thanks to a 68-yard kickoff return by LAWRENCE WALKER in the final quarter that padded Christian's lead to 31-22.

On this occasion, Santana's strategy to squib kick backfired. Walker, who edged up in the Christian receiving alignment as an upback, made them pay. He took the short kick on the run and raced down the sideline to the endzone.

"Santana didn't know it, but they kicked the ball right to me," said Walker, whom the Sultans tried to avoid with all their kickoffs. "The coaches snuck me in as an upback and I got the ball. TRAVIS HUNTER made an amazing block to spring me."

"Walker's kickoff return was huge, probably the play of the game," Oliver added.

Walker also rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

The versatile Dwyer also had a big game. He rushed for a team-best 124 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries, in addition to catching an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback DANNY MITCHELL. Dwyer also had an 73-yard kickoff return that set up a Christian score. For extra measure, Dwyer was 4-for-4 on PATs and averaged 32 yards on two punts.

"We were up 17-0 at the half, but we made a couple of mistakes to let Santana back into the game," said Dwyer.

Santana quarterback COLLIN TAYLOR enjoyed a big night, hitting 18-of-37 passes for 191 yards and one score. He also rushed for 41 yards and a TD on 13 carries.

Sultans scoring machine JONATHAN TIPPIN was limited somewhat by the Christian defense. None the less, he caught eight passes for 89 yards, returned a kickoff 50 yards, recovered a fumble in the endzone for a touchdown, and booted three extra points. Not exactly a slow night.

"If we hadn't messed up a couple of kickoff returns in the second half, we'd have won the game," Santana coach DAVE GROSS said. "But it was a great effort, a great comeback. I like what's going on with this team." (c) East County Sports.com

VALHALLA 20, CHULA VISTA 13 -- Whoever said football is a game of inches knew what they were talking about. Valhalla won its second straight game, 20-13, when the visiting Chula Vista Spartans came up inches short on the last play of Friday (Sept. 8) night's non-league game.

In a nail-biter of a finish, the Spartans had one last chance to complete an improbable victory with just five seconds remaining. From the Norsemen-1 quarterback Josh Goldilla handed off to sophomore fullback Taime Tutogi, who apparently stretched into the end zone for a touchdown.

However, the side judge and head linesman ruled that Tutogi's knee touched down with the ball about 6 inches short of the goal line as time expired, giving Valhalla the victory.

East County rushing leader SPENCER MYERS powered Valhalla's 314-yard ground assault with 162 yards on 21 attempts. JON MURRAY tacked on 119 yards on 11 carries. Each back scored on runs of 29 yards in the first quarter.

BRANDON McCLINTIC recorded 5 sacks and JON PARKS collected 4 quarterback muggings, as the Norsemen defense forced three turnovers in the fourth period before staving off Chula Vista's final attempt to score.

The contest started out much the same as last week when Valhalla steamrolled San Ysidro. Starting their first possession at their 30, Chula Vista didn't fare well against the Norsemen defense. Parks stuffed the ball carrier on first down for no gain. Defensive back CHRIS BROWN matched that feat on second down. McClintic sacked the quarterback for a 10-yard loss on third down, forcing a punt to Murray, who returned it 12 yards to the Spartans-30.

Murray then streaked down the right sideline for a 7-0 advantage just three minutes into the game.

Brown then nullified the Spartans ensuing drive with an interception, allowing the Norsemen to strike in a flash on an 86-yard scoring drive.

Quarterback TOMAS KARAGIANES connected with wide receiver KEVIN KRIEBEL for a 35 yard completion to the Chula Vista 44 yard line. Murray tacked on 15 additional yards to the Spartans-29, then SPENCER MYERS bulled his way up the middle, breaking no less than 6 tackles on his way to another 29-yard TD romp.

Indeed, the Norsemen looked unstoppable at 14-0 with 2:52 still to play in the first stanza -- unstoppable, that is, until turnovers and penalties changed the game.

On the opening play of the second quarter, just about the time the full moon appeared in the eastern sky, the Norsemen lost a fumble near midfield. On their next possession, an interception stopped a long march at the Spartans-5, then the next drive crumbled in the red zone following a fumble at the Chula Vista-24.

In what was supposed to be the last play of the first half, McClintic stuffed the quarterback for a sack, but was flagged for a minor face mask penalty, giving the Spartans an additional play.

This time, Goldilla scrambled and hit Tutogi with a 6-yard TD pass in the endzone. On the conversion, Valhalla defensive tackle ANTHONY WARRING burst through the line and blocked the kick, leaving the hosts with a 14-13 halftime lead.

Valhalla started out the third quarter much like the first. Myers ran the kickoff back 33 yards to the Valhalla-48. Karagianes showed he's not afraid to take a hit when he dragged two would-be tacklers 16 yards downfield before they could subdue him. However, at the Chula Vista-20, another fumble -- one of five Norsemen turnovers for the contest -- cost them possession yet again.

Valhalla's defense hung tough, and Valhalla got another chance to score late in the third quarter after MARK COATS snagged a 16 yard Karagianes pass. Romero squirmed into the endzone from 3 yards out, as the Norsemen clung to a 20-13 lead with 3:38 left in the third quarter.

The Valhalla defense kept Chula Vista off the scoreboard -- barely -- the rest of the way. JOHN LOVELESS recovered a Spartans fumble, while another Chula Vista drive was stopped on a series of three sacks over a four-play stretch by CHRIS THOMAS, Parks and McClintic early in the fourth period. Brown then collected his second pick minutes later. (c) East County Sports.com

EL CAPITAN 30, RAMONA 14 -- El Capitan passing sensation RYAN LINDLEY completed 22-of-35 passes for 305 yards, including a pair scoring tosses to BEN NOY, helping the Vaqueros rumble past visiting Ramona.

While Lindley was dividing his completions among seven receivers, the Vaqueros' ground game was pounding out 92 yards on just 23 attempts to account for almost 400 yards in total offense Friday (Sept. 8) against the Bulldogs.

A.J. CONTI was Lindley's top target, with seven receptions for 131 yards. Ironically, his lone touchdown came on his only rushing attempt -- a 1-yard plunge that extended the Vaqueros lead to 17-7 in the third quarter.

"Everybody knows about our offense," El Capitan coach RON BURNER said. "It's been kind of a secret, but our defense is awesome. It keeps us in games just like it did tonight."

Linebacker TOMMY TOWNS recorded 17 tackles -- many of them coming on crucial plays where a possible momentum shift was in the offing.

Not to be overlooked was the dual role performed by MICHAEL HOLZ. The senior running back averaged more than 11 yards on three carries and still found time to catch six passes for 52 yards. On the defensive side, as a linebacker, he notched five tackles and intercepted a pass, returning it 44 yards to set up a score that extended El Capitan's lead to 24-7 with just over two minutes left in the third quarter.

El Capitan's defense was put to the test early in the fourth quarter after the Bulldogs recovered a fumble at the Vaqueros 20-yard line. Trailing 24-14, Ramona (0-1) was in position to make a game of it.

But the Vaqueros' defense, anchored by Towns, corner TAELOR WORRELL and end DEAN BECKWITH, didn't buckle. The threat resulted in a missed field goals -- one of two the Bulldogs had in the game. (c) East County Sports.com

MOUNT MIGUEL 16, LEUZINGER (Lawndale) 12 -- The Matadors opened the season with an impressive win Friday (Sept. 8) night against Leuzinger High of Lawndale.

With 1:30 left in the game, Swinton found Rush with a 72-yard TD pass that erased a 12-9 Leuzinger lead. Rush made the winning reception over two defenders and then won a 40-yard dash to the endzone.

Rush enjoyed a stellar outing, hauling in eight passes for 222 yards. He and Swinton hooked up for an 18-yard scoring pass in the second quarter to give the Matadors a 9-0 lead at the break.

Swinton completed 11 of 27 passes for 236 yards.

Kicker ANTHONY AMODEO, who was afforded few field goal opportunities last year, booted a 24-yarder for a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. That effort matched Amodeo's 3-pointer total as a junior.

Mount Miguel's defense did a quality job containing the Olympians' top weapon. Mark Rodgers, a first team All-Southern Section CIF player as a junior, last year rushed for over 2,000 yards and 27 touchdowns for Leuzinger.

"We held him to under 100 yards tonight," said Mount Miguel coach TOM KARLO. "We're pretty proud of that."

ROBERT BECERRA had a fumble recovery for the Matadors.

In fairness to the Matadors' defense, one of Leuzinger's touchdowns came on a fumble recovery in the endzone. (c) East County Sports.com

HELIX 36, LOGAN (Utah) 27 -- Suffering a shutout at the hands of top-ranked Oceanside in the season opener led Helix coach DONNIE VAN HOOK to believe that one thing is certain. The Highlanders' strength is running the football.

Seven Helix backs shared in a 441-yard rushing effort that covered 51 plays Friday (Sept. 8) night. KENSLOW SMITH led the way with 192 yards on 24 carries, including a 49-yard touchdown run that gave the Highlanders a 14-7 advantage in the second quarter.

TRAVON VAN dazzled the Helix faithful and the visitors from Utah with some REGGIE BUSH-esque type moves on an 81-yard TD run in the third quarter. Van totaled 114 yards on six carries.

ERIC FORNEY scored on runs of 3 and 36 yards en route to an 89-yard night for the Highlanders, who averaged 8.6 yards per carry.

"We were committed to running the ball; that was our main focus this week," Van Hook said. "We made some changes on offense and I was extremely pleased with how well the guys blocked."

Helix quarterback DORIAN STATON had a better day throwing the ball than he did against Oceanside , completing half of his 10 attempts for 45 yards and a TD. CHRIS SMITH made four of those receptions for 36 yards, including a 10-yard score. (c) East County Sports.com

MONTE VISTA 21, HILLTOP 0 -- Monte Vista senior CORY COOPER scored a touchdown and made a key interception on defense Friday (Sept. 8) night as the Monarchs matched last year's win total in this year's season opener.

Cooper's touchdown -- a 35-yard run -- which came in the second half, put the game all but out of reach of the visiting Lancers (0-2).

Monte Vista 's misdirection offense rushed for 326 yards on 30 carries. VIRDAL MOON was the pacesetter, dancing for 122 yards -- including a 5-yard scoring run -- on 18 carries. CHAREDNICK WILLIAMS bolted for 64 yards and a TD on six carries. Cooper capped his outing with 55 yards on six sorties.

Monarchs QB AARON GOSSMEYER was only 0-for-2 passing, but did rush for 39 yards on 11 carries. SPENCER REED averaged 14 yards on just two rushes.

"It feels good to finally win one," said Monarchs coach PAGE CULVER, who suffered through a 1-9 season a year ago. "With this team I think we have a chance to improve. We have a group willing to work hard enough to do it."

ROSHUN WYNNE and JAMES CODY also had interceptions for Monte Vista. (c) East County Sports.com

EASTLAKE 21, GROSSMONT 7 -- The Foothillers couldn't find their offense in the second half after fighting to a 7-7 draw by intermission in Friday (Sept. 8) night's non-league contest at Grossmont.

A 4-yard run off right tackle by ALTON BERRY, followed by MARCUS FLORES' PAT, pulled Grossmont (1-1) even in the second quarter.

A pair of Eastlake interceptions in the second half proved key for the Titans (1-1). John Arnold's theft setup a 5-yard scoring run by quarterback Derrick Witt. The final score of the game was a 19-yard run by Jeremiah Andujo.

The highlight of the night for Grossmont was Flores' punting, which included a record-breaking 79-yard kick out of his own end zone. Flores' effort was 13 yards longer than the previous school record set by DONNIE ANGOTTI in 1986.

Flores' launch is the second-longest punt in Grossmont Conference history. Only an 85-yarder by Helix's KENT PULS in 1975 is longer.

On the night, Flores averaged 45.5 yards on 4 punts.

Meanwhile, Grossmont QB CHARLIE PIRO completed 12-of-19 passes for 90 yards against Eastlake. JOSH SIMMS made five receptions for 61 yards.

Eastlake throttled Grossmont's running game, holding the Hillers to 76 yards on 27 carries. AUGIE WILLIAMS topped the Hillers with 52 yards on 16 carries, Berry added 32 yards on seven tries. (c) East County Sports.com

MONTGOMERY 42, EL CAJON VALLEY 14 -- Following an impressive opening win at Sweetwater a week ago, the Braves were simply no match for the bigger, more physical Aztecs from South Bay in Friday's (Sept. 8) non-league game at El Cajon.

"They just ran us over," said El Cajon Valley coach JASON TEXLER. "They had a running back who was a real hog -- just bowled us over."

One of the few bright spots for El Cajon Valley was quarterback KIANIE BROOKS, who accounted for 241 total yards. Brooks, who completed 19-of-38 passes, hooked up with JAMES JOYNER to tie the game 7-7 in the first quarter.

Brooks, who rushed for 23 yards, added a late touchdown run, but the game was out of reach by then.

NIEKO ALEXIS had 14 tackles and KEVIN KELLY intercepted a pass for the Braves. (c) East County Sports.com

Cougars look to defense
to muzzle Wolf Pack

(c) East County Sports.com
SANTEE (9-8-06) -- The defense for 13th-ranked Steele Canyon accounted for a pair of touchdowns in last week's season-opening victory over Cathedral, courtesy of a pair of fumble returns for scores by senior safety ARLIN TAYLOR. Toss in an important pass deflection in the closing minutes by BRANDON HUGHES and the strong defensive unit allowed Steele Canyon to carry the wave of emotion to victory in its first-ever, on-campus home game.

Following a visit to the Steele Canyon campus this past week, nearly every player asked vowed a letdown -- perhaps the biggest obstacle facing the Cougars this week -- will not occur. However, the team won't see a single piece of videotape to gain insight to this year's version of the respected Wolf Pack passing game.

West Hills maintained a conservative package in its opening night victory over Coronado , eventually overcoming a pair of muffs on special teams to post 26 unanswered points to strand the Islanders. Only twice did Wolf Pack quarterback ERIC FIEGE go long, yet both went for important completions -- one to setup the game-tying score and the other reaching the end zone for six points and the lead.

Sounds like a great match-up.

So often in a battle between "strong offense vs. strong defense," it's the opposite units which truly determine the victor. And this is where Steele Canyon may get the edge.

The Cougars will run and run the ball behind running back JOEY GUILLORY, who rushed 27 times last week. Convert a few first downs, especially in third-down situations, and the Wolf Pack defense wears down and the offense remains on the sidelines.

Coronado designed the correct game plan, but didn't field enough athletes to accomplish its mission as too many Islanders were two-way players. Steele Canyon will not face such difficulties, and is anticipated to grind out a 21-14 triumph.

Christian at Santana -- With the revamped playoff classifications because of the new CIF State Championship Bowl format, the Sultans are now listed in Division IV, along with schools such as Santa Fe Christian. Thus, a victory over the top program in Division V would boost the school's prospects for seeding in the postseason rather than the game being viewed as a cupcake victory for a Division I or II school.

The Christian Patriots are hardly a cupcake.

In the schools' first meeting since Christian was a member of the Grossmont Conference for a single season some 25 years ago, the Patriots own vast experience facing schools with greater enrollments -- and a game plan proven effective by simply running the ball between the tackles.

A trio of effective runners in LAWRENCE WALKER, KYLER DWYER and SCOT ALLEN will keep the Sultans defense on the field. If Santana can force turnovers, the school's 10-game win streak in September will remain intact. However, this group of Patriots will be unlike last week's pack of Patrick Henry Patriots, so look for Christian to escape Santee Community Stadium with a 13-7 victory.

Ramona at No. 15 El Capitan -- Over the past five seasons, one of these schools always seemed to receive the preseason hype (Ramona), while the other (El Capitan) was always in rebuilding mode.

In 2005, the role suddenly reversed for Ramona. The Bulldogs were picked for the Valley League basement, yet gained a share of the league title. In 2006, El Capitan is looked to challenge for the Grossmont North League title following a stretch of dormancy, and now gets a chance to prove it.

Despite an excellent showing in the series of San Diego CIF Kickoff Classic scrimmages, Ramona is nowhere listed among the county rankings, while the Vaqueros are ranked 15th... make that 15th with a bullet (as in the music industry charts) after quarterback RYAN LINDLEY threw for 366 yards and five TDs in a romp over Serra.

The Bulldogs haven't played since the SDCIF fundraising event, which might give El Cap a slight advantage. However, half of the residents of Ramona (at least, it seems like that many) will make the trek down the mountain for its closest and easiest road trip in years.

Ramona showed enough speed on defense against Grossmont to defend Lindley's aerials. The Bulldogs are in revenge mode after El Cap went north to claim a 19-14 decision last season, and the novelty of playing on an artificial surface didn't seem to effect the Dawgs in the scrimmage against the Foothillers.

Hoping El Capitan isn't in look-ahead mode for its Thursday Night Special against Poway, look for the Vaqueros to claim a 35-31 shootout.

Hilltop at Monte Vista -- The visiting Lancers should have shaken off the butterflies following a Kickoff Classic whipping by No. 3 Mira Mesa, but werewhipped just as badly in a 51-14 pasting from Hoover in the opener. Meanwhile, the rebuilding Monarchs have been quiet on all fronts leading up to their opener after taking a bye during the opening week.

The Monarchs are fresh and eager to prove last year's 1-9 finish was a fluke. Look for them to send Hilltop reeling, 35-6.

Chula Vista at Valhalla -- Chula Vista hasn't won a non-league contest in two years, although the Spartans did display some improvement in a 28-14 setback to Castle Park last week.

However, if El Cajon Valley can score 56 points in a playoff game at Castle Park last season, then 41 more in its opener at Sweetwater (which tied Chula Vista last season in league play), the Norsemen can again call their shot. Chula Vista was unable to stop Castle Park 's ground game at crunch time, so why should they halt the Norsemen rushing attack?

Let's just hope -- unlike San Ysidro -- the coaches at Chula Vista will allow the running-clock rule to be enacted in Valhalla 's 42-6 drubbing.

Montgomery at El Cajon Valley -- The worst thing to hit South Bay football was the establishment of the Eastlake (and surrounding areas) housing developments. Three recently-opened schools are diluting each other's talent base.

The Aztecs scored just 70 points all last season, while the Braves approached such numbers in a single game twice in 2005. ECV rolled up 56 points on two occasions, then scored 41 more in its '06 opener with KIANIE BROOKS seamlessly stepping into the role of starting quarterback following the graduation of SDCIF Offensive Player of the Year ABRAHAM MUHEIZE (who now plays for Grossmont College ).

In another no-contest, the Braves move to 2-0 with a 38-0 blanking.

Eastlake at No. 10 Grossmont -- Those sneaky Foothillers. Hiding a great deal more talent than they let on in their Kickoff Classic scrimmage, head coach JUDD HULBERT displayed an offensive line which blocked well enough for more than 250 yards to unseat Horizon 31-0 in the opener.

However, the Coastal League Panthers in no way compare to Eastlake 's Titans, who went down to the wire before eventually falling to No. 5 Poway, 22-20. Poway 's Titans scored with 2:07 remaining, which should make the Eastlake-Grossmont affair an emotional, hard-hitting contest.

While Eastlake fields a strong runner in Flynn Anderson, Grossmont can run the misdirection with a fleet of runners, including ALTON BERRY, AUGIE WILLIAMS & Co., enough of a different in the Hillers' 20-14 victory.

Lawndale-Leuzinger at Mount Miguel -- Basketball standout LARON RUSH seeks a second All-Grossmont South League berth at wide receiver, but with most of the offensive line and the starting quarterback graduated, it may take a while for the Matadors offense to get in gear.

Meanwhile, Leuzinger's Olympians are an all-pass, little-defense team which would make the teams in the 1960s American Football League proud -- they averaged almost 30 points per outing.

In fact, the lowest-scoring game Leuzinger played saw the teams combine for 33, while most contests were in the 50s and 60s, topped by a 48-27 decision over Lynwood and a 42-40 shootout setback to Manhattan Beach-Mira Costa in the Southern Section's Bay League.

The flip side shows a team porous on defense which now has a new head coach. Mount Miguel has a lot of new faces, but coach Tom Karlo is a bit of a magic man himself. Give this one to the more veteran Olympians by a 38-20 count.

Logan ( Utah ) at Helix -- The Grizzlies from Utah are the defending state champions, posting a 13-1 record capped by a 56-21 pasting of St. George-Pine View in the finale. Logan also took the state title in 2000.

However, Logan lost standout back Ruley Nelson (Utah State '09 signee following an LDS mission), who set numerous football state records. But that didn't stop The Deseret News' Parry Power Guide from making Logan the second-ranked team in Utah because of its balanced attack, averaging almost as many rushing yards as passing.

Let's face it, Helix isn't ducking anyone in taking on the likes of Oceanside and the Grizzlies in consecutive weeks, but it will now take the offense longer to develop. Look for Logan to hand Helix a second consecutive loss, 21-7, but keep looking in the rearview mirror for the Highlanders to quickly gain on the competition.