(c) East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (9-17-06) -- Junior running back LAWRENCE WALKER rushed for 196 yards, including scoring bolts of 76 and 15 yards in the second half, lifting undefeated Christian to its third victory in as many starts by rambling past Holtville, 35-8, Saturday (Sept. 16) at Valley Stadium.

The Patriots reached the endzone on three of their first four possessions of the first half, then gave the ball to Walker to place the finishing touches on a wire-to-wire lashing of the Vikings (1-1). Christian ran just 36 plays all contest, yet the point-per-play Patriots averaged 11.5 yards per snap after collecting 415 total yards -- 313 on the ground.

"We just came out and did what we had to do," dead-panned Walker, who found room on the left side for both of his scoring bursts. "Then the defense made a bunch of plays for us."

Included were strong efforts by linebackers PAT KELLY and ADAM NASH, who found room while the Patriots defensive line tied up Holtville's blockers.

"We expected them to run the Wing-T, but they came out in the Double-T or went 4-Wide when passing," noted Kelly. "We've never practiced against either of those formations before."

Added Nash, "We expected something different, but we made some quick adjustments -- we kept everything in control."

The only thing Christian couldn't control on defense was the ball. Holtville fumbled seven times, and -- incredibly -- recovered each one. However, the Pats stopped the visitors four times on fourth-down plays to regain possession.

See what The Imperial Valley Press wrote -- CLICK HERE.

DANNY MITCHELL followed with a 12-yard TD pass to JORDAN GRAVES for a 14-0 lead through the first period, then KYLER DWYER completed a 78-yard march with a 3-yard TD burst for a 21-0 halftime advantage.

After Walker went 76 yards on a toss-left for a 28-0 lead, Holtville back Tyler Bennett broke loose on a 70-yard carry, getting tackled from behind by a hustling JORDAN GRAVES at the Patriots-2. From there, it took the Vikings four plays to finally score, as quarterback Thomas Garcia spun in from the 1.

Walker scored again, then Holtville later went on an 18-play drive which took up nearly all of the fourth quarter, despite a pair of fumbles. However, Christian turned them away on a fourth-down from the Pats-8 to seal the victory.

Christian linebacker Pat Kelly gives a shot to at least a pair of Holtville blockers on the pass rush. CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE (Photo by Chris Edwards)

Lawrence Walker rushed for 196 yards, including TD bursts of 76 and 15 yards, powering Christian past Holtville, 35-8 (Photo by Chris Edwards)

Christian running back Scot Allen gallops 21 yards for the game's first touchdown, scoring just 1:52 into the ballgame. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

Grossmont defender Evan Schwimmer(44) busts through the line (top) to sack Steele Canyon quarterback Miguel Rios (bottom). (Susan Cooper Photography)

(c) East County Sports.com
JAMUL (9-16-06) -- The least-appreciated and under-publicized segment of a football team, members of the special teams units have been coined by various nicknames

The Wild Bunch. The Dawg House.

For the Grossmont Foothillers, special teams ultimately proved to be the difference in Friday's (Sept. 15) battle of defending Grossmont Conference league champions.

Despite allowing a 97-yard kickoff return to Steele Canyon 's JAMIE DALE to open the ballgame, the Foothillers rallied by partially blocking a punt to setup their first score, then recovered a muffed punt and registered an interception over the final five minutes to overcome the host Cougars, 14-10.

"Everyone on defense had the opportunity to make a play and get into their backfield," said JVONE TAYLOR, who collected the dropped football on punt coverage with 2:01 left, denying Steele Canyon a final chance to pull out a victory in a game they once led 10-0. "When the ball popped out of his hands, all of us pounced on it."

The defensive struggle was ultimately decided on turnovers; Grossmont held the upper hand, 4-1, including three fumble recoveries. Steele Canyon also muffed a pair of second-half punts, although they avoided the first bullet with a recovery.

"We did everything we could've done on defense," added Grossmont's ESTEVAN CISNEROS, who intercepted a deep pass along the right sideline with 4:20 left. Little did anyone know, the play would be the last for the Cougars offense.

For the first time all season Grossmont kicker MARCUS FLORES had a kickoff fail to result in a touchback. Instead, Dale took the ball at the 3-yard line and raced down the center of the field for the second longest kick return in Steele Canyon history, just two yards less than TOMMY LONG's record-setting 99-yard KOR against Monte Vista in 2003.

"The kick went to the left hash, and when I took the ball up the middle, everything just opened up," said Dale. "Then I got a key block by TONY MINNIFIELD for a huge hole and I was gone."

The other Steele Canyon score came on the team's only other substantial drive of the night, as an 11-play march stalled at the Grossmont-9, allowing ERIC CARRILLO to boot a 26-yard, second-quarter field goal.

The Grossmont defense only allowed 32 yards in the second half, stifling the Cougars to just 97 yards for the ballgame. The Hillers did a touch better with 168 yards in offense, but field position proved to be the difference.

In the third period, a partially blocked punt gave Grossmont the ball at the Cougars-30. A short, 6-play drive was capped by a 2-yard TD rush by AUGIE WILLIAMS.

Williams later became the lead blocker for KHALID WATERS over much of the second half, with Waters replacing the injured ALTON BERRY (an ACL strain; Berry hopes to return next week against Helix).

Waters scored the go-ahead points on a 2-yard run over the left-side of the line, capping a 3-play drive after the Cougars fumbled on a poor handoff deep in their own territory with ERIC SPRINGE recovering.

"Augie can run or block real well," said Waters, the game's leading rusher with 52 yards. "And with Alton out, it was up to us so we could sew it up."

A pair of Steele Canyon quarterbacks did complete 7-of-11 passes, but were caught holding the ball several times, as RAFAEL VANEGAS, EVAN SCHWIMMER and SHEA PORTER each registered sacks.

The Cougars blanked the Hillers in the first half backed by strong play from defensive end RYAN PEARL, who had nine stops to carry a 10-0 lead into the intermission. ARLIN TAYLOR recorded an interception for Steele Canyon , while JEBARI ROBINSON also had a sack. (c) East County Sports.com

HELIX 27, EASTLAKE 21 -- Helix coach DONNIE VAN HOOK labeled the first quarter of Friday's (Sept. 15) non-league game as "one of the worst I can remember." Van Hook has been part of the Helix football for more than three decades -- so he should know.

No doubt that was due to Highlanders trailing 21-6 after the opening 12 minutes.

But after that quicksand start, the Highlanders (2-1) slammed the door on the No. 10-ranked Titans (2-1) and pulled out a victory on a 19-yard run by TRAVON VAN with 40 seconds remaining.

"It seemed like the whole first half we were starting out at first-and-15 or first-and-20," said Van Hook. "But as poorly as we played in that half, we came back in the second half to play some of our best football of the year so far."

"We think, when we look back, this game will be one of those turning points in our season."

Senior ERIC FORNEY scored on runs of 2, 1 and 21 while rushing for 85 yards on 10 carries. When he wasn't taking handoffs, Forney used his skills as a receiver, hauling down three passes for 70 yards.

Victory did not come easy for the Highlanders, as Eastlake made one final charge in the waning seconds. The Titans had the wind sucked out of their sails when ANTHONY LARCEVAL came up with a victory-clinching interception at the Helix 30 and returned the ball 60 yards to the Eastlake 10. From there the Highlanders elected to run the clock out.

After being burned by a 78-yard halfback pass for a touchdown on the opening play of the game, Helix' defense dug in and held the Titans to seven points. Eastlake did pick up a cheap touchdown in the opening period on a 9-yard interception return, but the Highlanders blocked two field goals and held Eastlake to 274 yards total offense. (c) East County Sports.com

EL CAJON VALLEY 48, KEARNY 13 -- Senior KIANIE BROOKS, who was one of El Cajon Valley's top receivers a year ago, proved his athletic mettle in Friday night's (Sept. 15) rout over visiting Kearny .

The 5-foot-11, 158-pound Brooks rolled up 419 total yards and passed for 6 touchdowns as the Braves turned a 7-7 halftime tie into a lop-sided victory. Brooks' six TD connections ties for 3rd and is only one off the Grossmont Conference record shared by ECV's ABRAHAM MUHEIZE and West Hills' LON SHERIFF.

El Cajon Valley scored 35 points in the third quarter to remove all mystery of which team would finish on top.

"We didn't have a whole lot of drive, except maybe one -- which ended when we fumbled," said Braves coach JASON TEXLER. "There were a lot of circus plays, big plays that weren't designed that way. You know, coach of the year kind of stuff. One time I called a draw play and Kianie didn't hear me and instead threw an 83-yard TD pass. Great call, huh?"

Two of Brooks' scoring passes went to JUSTIN PANGELIAN. The 83-yard bomb during the third quarter uprising went to KEVIN KELLY. JON SABLAN caught a 60-yard scoring pass, BRANDON GETTRIDGE scored on a 30-yard aerial, and JAMES JOYNER hauled in a 6-yard TD pass.

El Cajon Valley's NEIKO ALEXIS intercepted a Kearny pass and returned it 39 yards for the final touchdown.

Pangelian totaled 134 all-purpose yards, including TD pass receptions of 29 and 22 yards. (c) East County Sports.com

WEST HILLS 41, CASTLE PARK 13 -- Officially, West Hills began the 2005 season with six straight wins. That included a forfeit win over Castle Park -- a game that the Wolf Pack lost on the field 42-14. So call it a tainted six-week streak.

But in the back of the minds of the returning Wolf Pack players, they hadn't forgotten they were really manhandled and lost by four touchdowns, regardless of the official interpretation.

Senior TREVOR KOLOCHESKI sparked the Wolf Pack with a 97-yard kickoff return to open the game Friday night (Sept. 15) in South Bay . Kolocheski's runback is the third-longest in the West Hills books.

Kolocheski, who set the West Hills record for receiving yardage (1,069) last season, realizes that the Pack has taken a more conservative approach to their offensive scheme this year.

"Trevor has really taken on a leadership role for us this year," West Hills coach STEVE SUTTON said. Still, Kolocheski caught a 30-yard touchdown pass and also intercepted a pass on the defensive side.

Junior RALEIGH SEVIER, who rushed 131 yards on 15 carries (losing a 60-yard run to penalty) contributed three touchdowns to the West Hills romp. He scored on runs of 3 and 21 yards, and was also the recipient of a 28-yard pass from quarterback ERIC FIEGE.

Fiege, a converted defensive back, lofted only 8 passes, completing 4 --two of them went for TDs. Fiege also rushed for 25 yards and a 4th-quarter touchdown.

"Our offensive line is really big and probably as good as there is in East County ," Sutton said. "And defensively this is one of the fastest groups we have ever had."

Kolocheski totaled 159 all-purpose yards and scored two TDs. To boot, he averaged 35.5 yards on four punts. Sevier's all-purpose yardage count totaled 215 yards.

For the record, the 2001 Wolf Pack opened that season 4-0. All four victories were produced on the field. (c) East County Sports.com

Granite Hills tight end Justin Montgomery slips past the Cavers secondary to collect a 20-yard touchdown pass from Eagles QB Chris Misensol. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

GRANITE HILLS 38, SAN DIEGO 0 -- The bubble of enthusiasm continues to swell at Granite Hills. The Eagles are 2-0 for the first time in four years and thoughts of greatness are spreading among the ranks. If Granite Hills wins next week, it would give the Eagles their best start since 1995.

While Granite Hills was able to smash San Diego for its second win in as many starts, the Eagles -- impressive as they are -- have hardly created a stir among the San Diego CIF elite.

"We're just trying to get the program going," said Granite Hills senior linebacker JOSH STEWART, who was in on four of the Eagles 12 sacks and recovered two fumbles -- one for a touchdown.

In this game it was a runaway almost from the start as the Eagles recorded their first shutout since 1999.

LANDON TURLEY terrorized San Diego quarterback Luis Godoy, sacking the Cavers senior for a Granite Hills record 6½ times.

Quarterback CHRIS MISENSOL passed for 151 yards, including scoring passes of 34 yards to BRANDON CARTER and 20 yards to JUSTIN MONTGOMERY.

"Getting a shutout was great but we know we can be so much better," said Granite Hills coach RANDY DeWITT.

But not surprisingly, DeWitt was pleased by the play of his defense, which held the Cavers to 169 yards.

"Our defensive line was the strength of our team," DeWitt said. "We got a lot of pressure on their quarterback all night."

JOEY SUTHERLAND led the Eagles' ball control ground game with 68 yards on 15 carries. AARON HARRIS averaged 7 yards on 4 carries and scored a touchdown.

The reborn Eagles also featured a solid kicking game, led by COLLIN CRESAP, who converted 5 PATs and split the uprights from 43 yards out. The junior kicker also averaged 36.7 yards on three punts. (c) East County Sports.com

Valhalla's Zack Romero returns the football. (Photo by Travis Downs)

Spencer Myers splits two sets of uprights -- both the Mission Hills defenders and the goal posts -- on this 34-yard Valhalla field goal. (Photo by Travis Downs) CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE

MISSION HILLS 33, VALHALLA 17 -- Turnovers. Last week, Valhalla had five of 'em but managed to beat Chula Vista . More of the same came Friday night (Sept. 15) as the Norsemen fell to the Mission Hills Grizzlies.

Valhalla had 344 yards total offense to only 254 yards total for Mission Hills. But four Valhalla turnovers spelled doom for the Norsemen (2-1), who lost for only the second time in 15 starts.

Norsemen QB TOMAS KARAGIANES had his best passing game of the season,, connecting on 6 of 12 passes for 166 yards and 2 TDs. On the flip side, Valhalla's rushing offense was held to its lowest output of the season, but still a respectable 178 yards on the ground.

"Bottom line is we made didn't make plays, committed turnovers deep on our side, and put (Mission Hills) in position to grind it out at the end," Valhalla coach DAVE HOSTETLER said.

Mission Hills (2-1) started its first possession at its own 38-yard line. Six plays later the Grizzlies were at the Norsemen 39. JON PARKS stuffed the runner for a two yard loss on second down, and, on the next play, linebacker CHRIS THOMAS leveled the receiver on a screen pass for a three yard loss, forcing the home team to punt into the endzone for a touchback.

Starting on their 20, the Norsemen put together a 14-play drive that stalled at the Grizzlies' 8-yard line, so reliable SPENCER MYERS kicked a 35-yard field goal to put Valhalla ahead 3-0 with 2:40 remaining in the first stanza.

The second quarter was a defensive struggle until less than a minute remained in the half. With just under two minutes left, Valhalla coughed up the football on first down at their own 33 yard line. With the fumble returned to the Mission Hills 22, The North County players capitalized quickly, scoring three plays later on a 5-yard run. Following the PAT, the Grizzlies led for the first time, 7-3, with only 56 seconds left before intermission.

The ensuing kickoff, Karagianes and Co. started at their own 20. Karagianes scrambled to the Valhalla 34 on first down, but got hit hard from behind, resulting in a fumble recovered by Mission Hills. It took the Grizzlies team only one play to score on a 34-yard touchdown pass, with 39 seconds left. The PAT attempt was wide left, giving Mission Hills a 13-3 lead.

Taking possession at their own 20, the Norsemen got a spark from running back JON MURRAY. The senior Murray reeled off back-to-back runs of 15 and 23 yards, followed by a short gain of 3 yards, giving Valhalla one last shot before halftime, at the Mission Hills 39, with only 7 seconds left. Karagianes threw a strike to Murray in the back of the endzone for an amazing 39-yard TD as time expired. Myers' PAT narrowed the gap at 13-10.

The third quarter was much like the second, with no scoring until late. With 1:27 left, the Grizzlies scored on a three yard run to boost their lead to 20-10. Starting on their 28 after the kickoff, Karagianes didn't waste any time getting the Norsemen back in the game. On first down, he threw a pinpoint pass to wide receiver KEVIN KRIEBEL, who outran the defender 72 yards to the endzone. After Myers converted, Valhalla trailed 20-17, with 1:08 to play in the third quarter. Valhalla had the momentum going their way--for about 10 seconds. Mission Hills received JOSH QUEJA's kickoff at their 9 yard line and promptly ran it back 91 yards for the third touchdown in 33 seconds. After the successful PAT, Mission Hills took a 27-17 lead, with 54 seconds left in the third quarter, shifting the momentum back to the Grizzlies.

Mission Hills sealed Valhalla's fate in the fourth quarter with a 9 minute, 16-play drive that resulted in another touchdown, putting the game out of reach with only 3:30 to play. (c) East County Sports.com

EL CAMINO 35, MONTE VISTA 0 -- The Monarchs must have felt they were on a slip-and-slide Friday night (Sept. 15) at El Camino. Fifteen of their 35 plays from scrimmage resulted in losses.

"They are a lot better than we thought they were," admitted Monte Vista coach PAGE CULVER.

Monte Vista (1-1) finished the night with 112 yards. VIRDAL MOON paced the Monarchs with 45 yards on 8 carries. Quarterback AARON GOSSMEYER accounted for 57 yards total offense. All three of Gossmeyer's pass completions went to CHAREDNICK WILLIAMS for 36 yards.

"I was thinking on the bus ride home how really young and inexperienced we are," Culver said. "We don't have any offensive linemen who have played varsity until this year. I think that caught up with us tonight."

The Wildcats (2-1) have pitched back-to-back shutouts and have allowed just one touchdown in three games. (c) East County Sports.com

BONITA VISTA 14, MOUNT MIGUEL 4 -- In an ironic twist, Mount Miguel (1-1) improved its running game dramatically Friday night (Sept. 15) against Bonita Vista at Southwestern College.

Led by junior running back ELLIOT TAYLOR, who accumulated 137 yards on 21 carries, the Matadors made a game of it. A marked improvement from the 20 yards and 22 carries the Matadors totaled in last week's victory over Leuzinger.

However, in the end, the only Mount Miguel scoring came on a pair of safeties.

In fact, Mount Miguel took a 2-0 lead. Linebacker SETH COLLINS, a 6-foot-2, 242-pound senior transfer from Greeley, Colo. , tackled a Bonita Vista ball carrier in the endzone to foil a screen pass in the first quarter. After BV scored touchdowns in the second and fourth quarters, the Matadors' ERNEST JOHNSON blocked a Barons' punt out of the endzone.

Mount Miguel's LARON RUSH, who averaged 27.8 yards on eight receptions last week, was limited to three grabs for 44 yards this week. Taylor also caught two passes giving him 155 all-purpose yards.

SAMATRE JONES also had an interception for the Matadors. (c) East County Sports.com

SAN PASQUAL ACADEMY 30, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 20 -- In a tale of two halves, Foothills Christian scored 20 unanswered points in the second half, but it wasn't enough to overcome a 30-point deficit at the intermission, allowing San Pasqual Academy to hold on to a 30-20 decision over the Knights in a non-league contest at Escondido's Orange Glen High.

Quarterback GARRETT CAMPBELL scored from 4 yards out in the third period to give Foothills (0-3) its first points of the season. Running back BRANDON JOHNSTON then opened the fourth period with a 1-yard TD run to cut the deficit to 30-12.

Campbell then intercepted a pass and raced a school-record 63 yards for a touchdown, then Johnston ran the ball for a 2-point conversion. DYLAN WESTRICK also registered an interception for the Knights.

Campbell passed for 201 yards by completing 15-of-37 passes, but he was picked off four times as the Dragons intercepted five Knights passes for the contest. GAGE PROVENCHER was the leading Foothills ground-gainer with 35 yards on eight carries. (c) East County Sports.com

El Capitan senior quarterback Ryan Lindley went 13-for-16 and 211 yards -- in the first half alone -- en route to a Vaqueros record 417-yard performance against No. 4 Poway.

Vaqeuros linebacker Tommy Towns with one of his 16 tackles to subdue visiting Poway.

El Cap running back Ben Wilkins carries for the second of his three touchdowns -- a 59-yarder. (Photos by Chris Edwards)

© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (9-15-06) -- El Capitan not only wanted to prove it belongs in the county rankings for the first time in more than a decade, the Vaqueros demanded to know how high they would be voted. And they wanted to know with an exclamation point in one of the most impressive performances in school history.

Behind 417 passing yards and four touchdowns -- three passing, one rushing -- by senior quarterback RYAN LINDLEY, the No. 8 Vaqueros surged to a 26-0 advantage to quickly and decisively bounce previously undefeated and 4th-ranked Poway, 46-28, in the CIF-SDS Thursday Night Special (Sept. 14) held at El Capitan Stadium's Wendall Cutting Field.

The Vaqueros are now 3-0 for the first time since 1987. That crew went on to win their first four starts, but concluded the season 6-5, so optimism is guarded in the Lakeside huddle.

Lindley threw for more than 200 yards in each half, leading El Capitan to 656 yards in total offense after a host of teammates collected more than 100 yards each.

"Everybody came in and did their jobs -- we were ready," said Lindley. "Our coach said, 'If you can't get up for this one, you're not ready to play football.'"

Running back BEN WILKINS rushed seven times for 102 yards and three scores, while receivers BEN NOY (9-165) and A.J. CONTI (6-128) each reached triple figures, while MICHAEL HOLZ just missed the century mark at 91 yards on nine receptions.

"We saw Poway's corners pressing forward in Cover 2," said Noy. "So we hit them on the rail between the safeties and the corners and took it from there."

El Capitan jumped quickly on the Poway secondary, which played off the speedy Vaqueros receivers. Just 3:29 into the contest, Lindley found Noy on a quick slant. Noy spun out of a tackle, dodged two other Titans defenders and raced 60 yards for the score.

Two possessions later, ANTHONY LYBARGER busted through the line for a 40-yard romp, setting up Lindley's sneak from the Poway-1 for a 14-0 lead after one quarter.

"Our whole group was hitting them hard," said Towns. "We made a lot of stops on third down and played smart defense."

The other big El Cap hit came courtesy of cornerback TAELOR WORRELL, who bounced the ball away from a Poway receiver after a big gain. Two plays later, Wilkins galloped 59 yards for a 46-20 lead to ice the victory midway through the fourth period.

"We worked hard to cover their big tight end," noted Worrell. "Once we stopped their running game, they were done."

For Wilkins, it was his second score over a 36-second span. He also scored on a 4-yard run for a 20-0 lead in the second period, then a 1-yarder in the fourth.

"The offensive line opened holes for me, then I went to work," said Wilkins. "We liked being the underdog, so it was a good win for us."

McKillop (14-27-0) finished with 289 passing yards and three scores in his comeback attempt, but Poway never moved closer than 12 points throughout the second half.

These Vaq-packers go wild after watching their team steamroll to 656 total yards on just 65 plays -- a 10.1 average/play! (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

Two times Titans make for
heavyweight opponents

(c) East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (9-14-06) -- A pair of schools proudly boasting the Titans moniker -- along with a Top 10 ranking -- will face Grossmont Conference schools seeking to prove they belong in the county ratings, too, highlighting Week 3 action in high school football.

No. 4 Poway at No. 8 El Capitan -- The patented Poway (2-0) ground game has always been a weapon, but with 6-foot-5 tight end Justin Peelle now collecting passes, the 4th-ranked Titans will again be a force in the Palomar League.

El Capitan has not posted a winning record since 2002 (6-3-1), and hasn't captured a league title since 2000 (3-1). Throw in a regional television audience for this Thursday night special and things could be doubly difficult under the heat of the spotlight.

Yet, the Vaqueros do possess the SDCIF's leading passer in RYAN LINDLEY (335.5 YPG) and three receivers with 10 or more catches. Linebacker TOMMY TOWNS comes in averaging 15 tackles per game for the Vaqueros.

If Poway can run the ball and keep the Vaqueros' passing game on the sidelines, the Titans could easily win in double digits. However, El Capitan utilized the same game plan to pull away and down Ramona last week. So if the Vaqueros can place points on the scoreboard early this could become a barnburner in an East County Sports UPSET SPECIAL with El Cap taking -- surprise! -- a 28-21 decision.

Helix at No. 10 Eastlake -- Eastlake's Titans downed defending North League titlist Grossmont last week, moving into the Top 10 while knocking the Foothillers out of the poll. Can Helix do the same after bouncing back from a difficult setback to No. 1 Oceanside to defeat the defending state champions from Utah last week?

Eastlake's players "can't help myself" for feeling good with the Grossmont victory (coming off a narrow 22-20 defeat to Poway ), then performing a song-and-dance number during a school fundraiser earlier in the week. They may not be The Four Tops, but an opportunistic defense and a short passing game directed by quarterback Derek Witte (115.5 YPG) will keep the Titans in games all season.

Helix's strength is running the ball, but the passing game has been weak to say the least. The Scotties posted 441 yards on the ground last week, but have mustered just 56 yards through the air in two games.

The challenge is great for Eastlake to defeat another quality program, but a victory may be even more meaningful for Helix in its attempt to re-establish its status as a Top 10 program. Believing the Highlanders will be able to run the ball while waiting for the defense to become better tacklers, look for Helix to outlast the Titans, 34-31.

Grossmont at Steele Canyon -- Back in the early 1970s, when San Diego City College still fielded a football team, the Knights lost to San Diego Mesa College in consecutive years by scores of 6-0, 3-2 and 2-0. Talk about defensive battles.

Following disappointing efforts by their respective offenses last week -- 166 total yards by the Hillers, just 184 by the Cougars -- neither may be able to accomplish much more this week against sound defensive units.

Thus, look for a key turnover for great field position to decide this intra-conference battle. And with Steele Canyon presently owning a better turnover differential, look for the Cougars to take a 7-6 decision to remain undefeated at home.

Mount Miguel vs. Bonita Vista, at Southwestern College -- The Matadors opened the season with a victory over a team from Greater Los Angeles, so it's hard to judge how good they may be. The same can be said for the Barons, who traveled to Washington , D.C. , to play a team from Canada , then hosted a traveling squad from Louisiana last week.

The only known item about the teams is Mount Miguel seems to be healthy, while Bonita Vista's sidelines showed at least 10 players out of uniform with various bumps and bruises.

Look for the speed of Mount Miguel to take control in an 18-14 decision.

Kearny at El Cajon Valley -- The Braves defeated a poor program in Sweetwater, then got steamrollered by Montgomery as the Aztecs matched last season's victory total (2).

Kearny is somewhere in between, but closer to Sweetwater... Braves 27-14.

Monte Vista at El Camino -- El Camino whipped Sweetwater, 54-0, last week, but hardly raised any eyebrows. There is more interest in how the revamped Monarchs will challenge them.

While the Wildcats -- rated among the top defenses in the section -- held Mission Hills (112 total yards) and Sweetwater (minus 36) in check, Monte Vista rushed for 336 yards while blanking Hilltop. Thus, something's got to give, so we'll give the home team the nod in the Wildcats' 14-12 triumph.

West Hills at Castle Park -- The Trojans have stayed close with big-school opposition over the past few seasons, but last week's 38-6 whipping by Torrey Pines may indicate the team is slightly down.

Meanwhile, the Wolf Pack may be the surprise team from the East County this season, with talent on both the offensive and defensive lines to control ballgames. . . The Pack, 21-6.

Valhalla at Mission Hills -- The Grizzlies may be North County's most improved team, highlighted with a fourth-quarter rally to upend El Camino, 10-7, to open the season. The Norsemen may have been looking ahead after staving off Chula Vista a week ago, yet funny bounces can occur north of the 56 Freeway. The last team to score wins. . . Mission Hills, 31-28.

San Diego at Granite Hills -- The Eagles: an improving ballclub -- without the butterflies following a victory over Clairemont on opening night, plus an additional week to prepare.

The Cavers: see Sweetwater above (or ask San Diego's video coordinator, who is a volunteer for East County Sports -- talk about inside information!). . . Granite Hills, 28-6.

Holtville vs. Christian, at Granite Hills (Sat.) -- Both teams enter this affair following victories over a pair of Imperial Valley's lower-tier programs. The Vikings rushed for 324 yards to whip Calipatria, 50-7, while the Patriots blanked Vincent Memorial before holding off Santana.

The ground game is the forte for each side, so any stops by the defense could signal the difference. Holtville's defense is known to force turnovers, which is key for them, but the Patriots rarely turn the ball over. If the trend continues, Christian should sink the Vikings, 31-7.