WEEK 7 -- Thurs.-Sat., Oct. 12-14

Santa Fe ruins Patriots homecoming

(c) East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (10-15-06) -- The Christian High Patriots suffered from a case of too much Corbin Cutshaw, who came to Valley Stadium Saturday night (Oc t. 14) to help Santa Fe Christian spoil the home team's homecoming festivities.

Cutshaw, regarded as one of the San Diego Section's best yet unheralded running backs, tore through the usually solid Christian High defense for 176 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries as the visiting Eagles (4-2) claimed a 30-14 victory in the Coastal League opener for both teams.

Cutshaw scored on runs of 1 and 49 yards as SFC jumped out to a 13-0 advantage early in the second quarter.

Senior TYLER DWYER, the Patriots 5-foot-9, 160-pound human scoring machine, helped his club stage a comeback. Dwyer, who did all of Christian's scoring, scored on a 1-yard dive in the second quarter and then reeled in a 68-yard scoring pass from senior quarterback DANNY MITCHELL in the third quarter. Dwyer kicked both PATs and the Patriots trailed only 16-14 after three quarters.

The outcome was eventually decided by the Eagles' crisp Wing-T offense and its uncanny knack for controlling the clock in the final period.

Christian High quarterback Danny Mitchell. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

Dwyer was Mr. All-Around for the Patriots, accounting for 151 yards. His 26 yards on 8 carries all came in the first half. Dwyer did grab three passes for 109 yards, while Mitchell completed 10 of 18 passes for 154 yards and the one TD.

PATRICK KELLY was the Patriots' top defensive muscle, making 17 tackles two of them for losses in key situations.

The good news for the Patriots (4-2, 0-1), who have lost their last four meetings to SFC, is they are in Division V while the Eagles are in Division IV. Both teams are the odds-on favorites to take home a section championship in December.

(c) East County Sports.com
GRANITE HILLS (10-14-06) -- The list of standout running backs coming out of Helix High is extensive. And a consistent, 3-year varsity performer hopes to add his name to the list following a breakthrough performance.

Senior tailback ERIC FORNEY rushed for a career-high 205 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries, lifting the 6th-ranked Highlanders to a decisive 43-14 crunching of Granite Hills in Friday's (Oct.13) Grossmont South League opener at Valley Stadium.

Forney let everyone know early there would be no room for another upset, after Granite Hills surprised West Hills, 17-14, last week. On the contest's first play from scrimmage, Forney rambled 60 yards for a 6-0 Scotties lead. He later added scoring bursts of 15 and 13 runs, giving Helix a 23-0 advantage through three quarters.

"The fullback kicked-out his man to spring me free," said Forney of his 60-yard gallop, including a key block by lineman STEVEN BRYAN to open the right-sideline. "The coaches told us to always finish in the end zone -- to practice hard and to play hard."

Yet there was more to Forney's game than his opening sprint to the end zone. His running allowed Helix to control the game and the clock. His second score came on a 4-play drive, as Forney carried each play for 47 yards. The tailback then scored to cap Helix' opening drive of the second half, scoring one play after the Scotties avoided a turnover by recovering their own fumble.

"I've been on the varsity since I was a sophomore, and I've run for 85 to 90 yards or so before, but never over 100 -- this was my first 100-yard game," added a beaming Forney.

The suffocating Highlanders defense allowed just 18 total yards on 26 plays in the first half, not giving Granite Hills the slightest hint they could repeat last season's 38-35 shocker. Doing most of the damage was defensive end EDWARD HICKERSON, who collected three of the Scotties' four quarterback sacks in the first half.

"We just wanted to apply pressure all night," noted Hickerson, who closed the half with consecutive takedowns in the backfield. "We just ran some stunts, then I ran off the edge hard."

Hickerson noted that the return of ARMANDO LEON at nose guard vastly contributed to the defense, which finished allowing just 109 yards though three quarters (235 yards for the game) before Helix started clearing the bench.

"Armando really helps us by taking on blockers, which lets us time the snap count," added Hickerson on Leon, who left with a mild ankle turn, but the game was under control at 23-0.

Other key plays by the Helix defense was a hard hit by DESMOND JACKSON, causing a fumble which he would recover. And linebacker ANTHONY LARCEVAL leaped high to break up a pass, as safety MARLO ABEYTA hustled forward to register the interception.

"We were playing a zone most of the time because we got such a good pass rush," noted middle linebacker JERAD RUIZ. "The defensive ends went in-and-out to get inside."

The theft setup an 80-yard Helix TD drive, as reserve back JOJO PHILLIPS carried for 44 yards, including a 1-yard dive on the opening play of the fourth period for a 30-0 lead.

"We're getting really comfortable on defense," noted AREN DODD-WADDINGTON, who flanks Hickerson on the other side of the defensive line, and was noted by Helix coaches for a strong performance. "We'll win some games when we don't get many points."

Granite Hills finally got on the scoreboard when JARED FRANCIS took the ensuing kickoff at the Eagles-8, receiving several key blocks on a 92-yard return for the touchdown.

The wild final minutes saw three quick scores by many of the replacements.

Helix sophomore TREVON VAN scored on a 3-yard run with 4:50 left. The Eagles' TYLER WHITTINGHAM sprinted 43 yards to the end zone with 2:26 remaining. But the Highlanders got the score back on a simple trap play up the middle, allowing ISAIAH SIMS (5 carries, 98 yards) to romp 55 yards.

For the contest, the Scotties collected 411 of their 495 yards in total offense on the ground. Through the air, quarterback DORIAN STATON was efficient with his few attempts, completing 6-of-9 passes without an interception.

For Granite Hills, JOEY SUTHERLAND collected 84 yards on 18 carries, but most of the yards were cosmetic, including 51 yards on a pair of fourth-quarter rushes. He was limited to 14 yards in the first half.

Meanwhile, BRENDAN CARTER collected six receptions for the Eagles for 52 yards from two quarterbacks, while defender EDDIE MINEAR recovered a Helix fumble.

East County's Top Rushing Performances in 2006
Week	Player	Team	Opponent	Att.	Yards
5	Jamie Dale	Steele Canyon	at Hilltop	25	264
6	Jamie Dale	Steele Canyon	vs. El Cajon Valley	23	220
6	Zack Romero	Valhalla	at Santana	29	208
7	Eric Forney	Heix	at Granite Hills	22	205
3	Lawrence Walker	Christian	vs. Holtville	11	196

EL CAPITAN 13, WEST HILLS 6 -- The game plan of veteran coach STEVE SUTTON was on the mark. If not for a penalty here and there, the perennial Grossmont North League power narrowly missed knocking visiting El Capitan off its lofty perch in Friday night's (Oct. 13) league opener in Santee.

Although nobody older than Halloween age likes to believe in any of the myths that go with Friday the 13th, Sutton might concede that the spirits were not lending his side any assistance.

West Hills (4-3, 0-1) had a 60-yard touchdown run called back on a phantom clipping violation that would have tied the game in the second quarter. The Wolf Pack was whistled for nine penalties for 70 yards. It wasn't so much the number as it was the timing. In West Hills' case, it was bad timing.

"Yeah, I guess you could say it was bittersweet," said Sutton. "I was proud of the way our kids played and I thought they deserved a better outcome."

West Hills controlled the clock, launched 26 more plays, gained a 255-228 advantage in yardage, yet still came up short against the resilient and No. 3-ranked Vaqueros (7-0, 1-0).

Things started out well for El Capitan, which breezed 80 yards in 7 plays on its first possession, which ended on a 35-yard TD pass from quarterback RYAN LINDLEY to A.J. CONTI. Credit the senior Conti with a sprawling catch in the end zone.

That 6-0 advantage held up for three quarters until West Hills put the final touches on a 15-play, 60-yard scoring drive that tied the game 6-6. All but one of the plays came off a run. Among the biggest were a 2-yard, third down burst by CHRIS BLUMKA and a 1-yard sneak by quarterback ERIC FIEGE. Durable RALEIGH SEVIER also chipped in to keep the drive alive with a 5-yard scamper on a third-and-3 from the El Capitan-33.

Blumka finally found the endzone on a 1-yard dive with 11:51 to go in the fourth quarter. But like El Capitan, West Hills missed the PAT, which left the game tied.

Seemingly energized by the thought that they might lose, the Vaqueros caught fire on the ensuing kickoff. Surprisingly, the Vaqueros' Lindley completed only one of his two passes for 29 yards to MICHAEL HOLZ, which proved to be pivotal in El Capitan's winning drive. BEN WILKINS, who had 3 carries for 25 yards during the march, broke the plane by banging off tackle for the final yard. Conti converted the PAT to stake El Cap to a 7-point advantage.

West Hills would have two more chances to win the game. The first drive stalled when linebacker ADAM DENICK dropped Sevier for a 2-yard loss on a fourth-and-5.

After the Vaqueros drove to the West Hills' 19-yard line, the Wolf Pack defense recorded back-to-back 8-yard sacks on Lindley to hand the ball back to West Hills.

Taking possession with 2:28 remaining, West Hills got an immediate boost when quarterback Fiege completed his first pass of the game -- a 21-yarder to TREVOR KOLOCHESKI. Then, just when it appeared the drive was going to stall, Sevier picked up 7 yards on a fourth-and-3 to give the Pack a fresh set of downs.

That's when El Capitan's defense had had enough. The Vaqueros pressured Fiege into three incomplete passes and a 5-yard sack by Denick. Safety TAELOR WORRELL also came up big with 41.5 seconds to play when he broke up a fourth down Fiege-to-Kolocheski pass in the end zone.

"We've got to hand it to our defense," El Capitan coach RON BURNER said. "They spent a lot of time out there tonight. But they made the plays that we had to have, especially in that last series."

Denick, who used to play both ways, focused on defense this week and led the Vaqueros with 12 tackles and a sack. El Cap's leading tackler for the season, TOMMY TOWNS, was in on 10 stops, while Holz had 7 tackles and 2 sacks.

Lindley didn't have the time nor as many plays as he has grown accustomed to, but made the most of 21 passes, completing 13 for 164 yards and his 20th touchdown. Wilkins, who might well have been El Capitan's most effective weapon, was limited to 10 carries for 68 yards.

Conti and BEN NOY caught four passes each, which added up to 131 yards between the two.

TANNER RUST was something of an unsung hero for the Vaqueros in that he intercepted a pass and averaged 35.3 yards on 3 pressure punts.

Sevier compiled 243 all-purpose yards, the bulk of which came on his 38 rushes for 160 yards.

Lindley found himself in an unusual position, as he spent most of the night on the sidelines watching El Capitan's defense.

"We were moving the ball, but kept stopping ourselves for one reason or another," Lindley said. "But you've got to hand it to our defense because they're the ones that won the game for us."

While Lindley praised his defensive teammates, he was equally as proud of Holz's 29-yard catch that put the Vaqueros in position for their decisive touchdown.

"We wouldn't have won the game without that catch by Holz," Lindley added. "But then, too, that was an awfully good catch by A.J. (Conti) there in the first quarter." (c) East County Sports.com

GROSSMONT 45, EL CAJON VALLEY 7 -- It seemed that when the rain began falling the heaviest Friday (Oct. 13) night, the host Grossmont Foothillers were at their best.

AUGIE WILLIAMS scored three of his four touchdowns in the second quarter as the Foothillers opened up a 24-0 halftime lead in the Grossmont North League opener for both teams.

The second half was rather academic, as the Foothillers (3-3-1, 1-0) continue to dominate. Williams finished with his best rushing total of the season, chalking up 139 yards on 24 carries. He added a fourth touchdown on a 5-yard run to make it 31-0 in the third quarter.

"I think our tough preseason schedule is going to pay off, prepare us for league," said Williams, a three-year senior starter. "And as league champs, our main objective is to repeat. We'd like to be 3-0 going into that last (regular season) game against El Cap."

Williams' other scores came on runs of 15, 20 and 1 yards.

"We struggled a little bit with our offensive line," Williams said. "It seems like we've made a lot of changes, but I think we're coming around."

The latest additions to take a 3-point stance in Grossmont's offensive front were senior EVAN SCHWIMMER -- a converted fullback, and SCOTT MARRUJO.

"We had a whole new left side and I think they did a really good job," Williams said. "Schwimmer has good size and mobility and has the ability to pull. He did real well getting off the ball, pushing them (the Braves linemen) back. Marrujo also stepped in and did a great job knocking them off the ball."

El Cajon Valley avoided the shutout when quarterback KIANIE BROOKS scrambled 15 yards for a touchdown early in the final period. Despite the score, however, it was not the best of offensive nights for Brooks, who totaled only 82 yards.

The Braves (3-4, 0-1) had little time to celebrate, as KHALID WATERS returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Waters' runback tied the Grossmont record set by JASON ESKRIDGE in 1990 against Monte Vista.

Waters, who rushed for 80 yards on 7 carries, closed out the scoring with a 57-yard TD run.

Grossmont kicker MARCUS FLORES was perfect on 6 PATs and booted a 43-yard field goal. (c) East County Sports.com

MOUNT MIGUEL 28, MONTE VISTA 7 -- It took a little deception to allow Mount Miguel to take the early lead against Spring Valley rival Monte Vista in Friday's (Oct. 13) Grossmont South League opener.

The visiting Matadors capitalized on the speed of KENNY VAUGHN, who turned a fake punt into a 56-yard touchdown run. That was the only score of the opening half but proved to be the jumping off point for Mount Miguel (4-2, 1-0).

The Matadors added scoring runs of 6 and 4 yards by ELLIOT TAYLOR and a 1-yard quarterback sneak from AARON BRYANT to tame the Monarchs (1-4-1, 0-1) for the second straight season.

Although Vaughn totaled 77 yards on just 3 carries and was the leading receiver with 3 catches for 42 yards, it was Taylor who was the Matadors featured back. A 5-foot-9, 165-pound junior, Taylor shouldered the load, compiling 134 yards on 24 carries.

ANTHONY AMODEO converted all four extra point kicks and also caught a pass for 5 yards.

Vaughn's presence was felt all over the field as he played safety on defense and recovered a fumble. On special teams Vaughn returned 2 punts for 15 yards.

Mount Miguel junior RICO SMITH intercepted his third pass of the season and also had two kickoff returns totaling 63 yards.

Monte Vista, which has scored only 38 points in its first five games, appeared ready to make a game of it when junior fullback LONNIE ALEXANDER scored on a 1-yard run and JAVIER LUNA followed with the extra point to cut the Matadors' lead in half.

Unfortunately, the Monte Vista offense is one-dimensional. The Monarchs managed 176 yards on 46 rushes, but completed 1-of-2 passes for 9 yards.

JAMES CODY paced Monte Vista's rushers with 61 yards on 9 carries. LEVI MILLER added 42 yards on 10 carries and caught the Monarchs' lone completion for 9 yards. (c) East County Sports.com

 MIDWAY BAPTIST 8, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 0 -- Although it was another setback for the Knights, it was also their best effort of the season in dropping a narrow Pacific League decision at Junior Seau Field, as Foothills Christian fell one yard and a conversion short of forcing overtime against the Midway Baptist Patriots.

The scoreless first half nearly saw Foothills break through when freshman GARRETT CAMPBELL took the ball on a fake punt. However, Campbell was stopped following a 14-yard gain by the last Patriots defender between him and the end zone as the half ended.

ZACH WOLDE returned the ensuing kickoff 40 yards to the Midway-31. Foothills then marched to the Midway-18, but lost the ball on a fumble under the rainy skies.

The Patriots then took 9 more minutes off the clock by driving to the Knights-2, but the lack of a kicking game haunted them, as Foothills converted a goal line stand. Included was a key fourth-and-goal stop by lineman JOSH SWAN and linebacker BRANDON JOHNSTON for a 2-yard loss.

The Knights then needed to go 96 yards in the final three minutes -- and almost pulled it off with their best drive of the season.

Campbell and Johnston rushed for 15 and 13 yards, respectfully. Three plays later, Campbell connected with sophomore GAGE PROVENCHER on a 41-yard pass play to the Patriots-18. Campbell followed with a 10-yard scramble for a first down at the 8, but the clock was running with FCHS out of timeouts.

After a failed first down, Johnston ran inside for 6 yards, Campbell sneaked for a yard to the 1, but on fourth down with 34 seconds to play, Johnston was tripped by one of his own linemen for a 2-yard loss -- and another Foothills loss to fall to 0-6 (0-3 league).

Johnston, who moved from outside linebacker to the middle on defense by the coaching staff this week, finished with 10 solo tackles and assists on 14 others. He is the season-long leader in takedowns for the Knights. (c) East County Sports.com

With an 8-inch height advantage, Steele Canyon receiver Tony Minnifield goes over the top of Valhalla defender Andrew Rosenberg (5) on this 22-yard touchdown pass from Nick Stathas, the first of two scores for the tandem to pace the visiting Cougars past the Norsemen, 31-7. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

(c) East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (10-13-06) -- The success of Steele Canyon High defense, a unit which many rank as the best in East County, can be targeted to one key, trusted area: its coverage cornerbacks.

With JEBARI ROBINSON and ARLIN TAYLOR effectively eliminating the Valhalla deep passing game, Steele Canyon was able to stack the majority of their defenders in the box. The plan resulted in more than 44 minutes of shutout football Thursday (Oct. 12), as the reigning Grossmont South League champion Cougars opened defense of their title with a resounding 31-7 thumping of the host Norsemen.

The victory also gave Steele Canyon possession of the Jamacha Helmet, the new rivalry award between the schools. The helmet, donated by Sportland Team Sports, is half Valhalla orange and half Steele Canyon navy blue.

With Robinson and Taylor limiting Valhalla to just two short receptions to its wide receivers for a mere eight yards each, the rest of the Cougars were able to collect a pair of fumbles for turnovers to grab an early lead.

"Our linebacking play has really improved, so we just have to defend the wideouts and follow them all over the field," said Taylor. "It's a great feeling to shut down a team like Valhalla."

Brandon Hughes romps 52 yards for a Steele Canyon score, giving the Cougars a 10-0, second-quarter lead (Photo by Chris Edwards)

"The coaches moved JACKSON REEVES to a guard, so they made a place for me," noted Estevane. "The last three days, they have been coaching me up to get me ready."

Trailing 10-0, the Norsemen went for it on a 4th-and-2 from the Cougars-12 with a left-side sweep. But the strategy backfired when middle linebacker MILES MINICH shucked his blocker and stopped the ball-carrier a yard short of the first-down marker.

"My brothers on defense stayed with their players, bringing the running back right to me," noted Minich. "It was a real team effort out there and plays like that really showed it."

Valhalla quarterback Tomas Karagianes surveys the field in Thursday's game with Steele Canyon. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

Stathas was near-perfect with his passing, hitting on 10-of-12 attempts for 134 yards. His first strike to Minnifield went 22 yards to the deep right-side of the end zone for a 17-0 halftime lead.

The pair also capped the opening drive of the second half on a simple swing pass to the left side. But when Minnifield broke a pair of tackles in the open field, the senior was off to the races on a 48-yard score and a 24-0 advantage, eliminating any Valhalla hopes of matching last season's dramatic 30-30 shootout draw between the programs.

"They kept saying we got a lucky win last year," added Robinson, as the Cougars won the SDCIF tiebreaker, 6-3, in the teams' 2005 meeting. "We showed them it wasn't lucky -- we won because of hard work."

The rest of the Cougars' effective running game found JAMIE DALE reaching triple figures for the third straight ballgame, gaining 109 yards on 27 carries. Teammate JOSEPH GUILLORY, when not blocking for Dale, added 38 yards and a 1-yard, fourth-quarter TD, as the Cougars hit the 200-yard mark in team rushing for the third straight contest.

"I love to pound people, especially if I can help put teams away and we win," said Guillory. "That's just what I do."

Not coincidentally, Steele Canyon (4-2, 1-0) has won all three ballgames.

Guillory's touchdown came after the Cougars botched a field goal attempt, but Carrillo scooped up the ball and hit Orange for five yards. A measurement saw Orange gain the first down by less than an inch, placing another nail in the victory as the drive lasted an extraordinary 9:19 and went 76 yards on 17 plays.

Valhalla finally scored with 3:28 remaining when quarterback TOMAS KARAGIANES (7-16-0, 87 yards) rolled in on a keeper from 1 yard out. ZACK ROMERO setup the score with four straight carries totaling 35 yards, giving him a team-best 101 yards on the ground on 19 rushes.

November showdowns come early

(c) East County Sports.com
SANTEE (10-12-06) -- The final week of the college football each November is always ripe with traditional match-ups of national interest: USC-UCLA, Florida-Florida State, Texas -Texas A&M, Ohio State-Michigan. . . And many often decide conference titles and BCS Bowl berths.

However, there might not be such a climatic finish to the league races in the East County this fall, with pairings among the projected top two teams in each of three leagues -- both Grossmont Conference circuits and the Coastal League --occurring in the first round of circuit play this weekend. Thus, the winners this week could well represent their respective league as champion entering the SDCIF playoffs.

So the Wizard's job is simple: Pick this week's winner and the selection will serve for the league race, too. Well, the concept is simple, the selections can be, shall I say, difficult.

Grossmont North League order of finish (surprise!) -- 1. West Hills; 2. El Capitan; 3. Santana; 4. Grossmont; 5. El Cajon Valley.

No. 3 El Capitan at West Hills -- After speaking with both camps this week, one thing is certain: El Capitan relished the role of underdog while West Hills declared its intention to be tabbed favorites. . . not that their politicking would ever influence the Wizard!

Let's just say there are three reasons why the Wolf Pack will win in the East County Sports.com's Upset Special of the Week!

First: pass defense. Sure, El Capitan has the top-rated passer in the San Diego Section in RYAN LINDLEY, but the West Hills secondary practices every day --not just this year, but the past 10-plus years -- against one of the area's more sophisticated passing games. The Vaqueros could wheel their receivers, run the stop-and-go, or just sprint on fly patterns or post routes, and the Wolf Pack should not be surprised.

Second: pass blocking. Sure, Granite Hills and Mount Miguel provided fits to the Wolf Pack offensive line with various blitz packages, but El Capitan relies more on man coverage in the secondary to defend the pass. Thus, West Hills quarterback ERIC FIEGE should easily better his career-low 2-for-11 performance from a week ago.

On a side note, if El Capitan plays for the pass first, watch West Hills play ball control on the ground to run down the clock. Fewer, longer possessions means Advantage: Wolf Pack.

Third: "been there, done that." Sure, El Capitan is undefeated and ranked third in the San Diego Section. Nevertheless, there are few recent league championship banners flying above Wendall Cutting Field. West Hills, on the other hand, has won eight league flags in the past 11 years.

No matter what the Vaqueros coaching staff tells their players, an element of doubt naturally creeps into each player's mind -- "Can we really do it and win the GNL title?"

Throw in other factors. Such as playing on grass (not on an artificial surface) and with rain in the forecast having to deal with the possibility of trudging through mud.

A loss here would mark three straight for West Hills, which began the season with four straight wins. That can only dampen the Pack's playoff hopes.

Of course, El Capitan is the well-deserved favorite, but you still have to play the game. This contest will go down to the wire. . . West Hills 28-27.

El Cajon Valley at Grossmont -- In 2005, this was the battle for the GNL championship, with the Foothillers escaping with a 13-12 decision. This fall, it may become the battle to avoid the basement.

The Braves are in a similar situation as last week, which is bad news considering they lost to Steele Canyon, 41-3. The offense plays spotty against a strong defensive opponent, while its own defense will face an emerging offense.

Now, Grossmont's offense may not have taken the recent giant strides like the Cougars of late, yet the Hillers should be able to successfully run the ball and take time off the clock... Grossmont, 17-7.

Grossmont South League -- 1. Helix; 2. Valhalla; 3. Steele Canyon; 4. Granite Hills; 5. Mount Miguel; 6. Monte Vista.

Steele Canyon at Valhalla -- For the fourth and final time this season, the "Thursday Night Lights" of cable television comes to East County for the battle between the top two teams in the GSL from 2005. Could this game finish as close as last season's dramatic 30-30 draw (the Cougars won CIF tiebreaker, 36-33, but it wasn't needed)?

If this contest was held four weeks ago, the Norsemen would be the easy selection. However, significant changes have occurred in this battle to see which side gets to meet Helix for the Grossmont South League title.

Steele Canyon re-tooled its offense, placing JOSEPH GUILLORY back to his comfortable fullback role because of the development of JAMIE DALE, who has a pair of 200-yard rushing performances in as many starts. Dale is the East County rushing leader averaging 108.4 yards per outing.

Meanwhile, the Norsemen run attack is hampered by the loss of leading rusher/kicker SPENCER MYERS (knee injury) for the season. The good news is JONATHAN MURRAY is penciled to return to action this week.

Steele Canyon's defense may rank higher, but the Cougars may be tested more. Unlike the Cougs, Valhalla throws the ball quite well on the strength of TOMAS KARAGIANES. Thus, the Norsemen will win by a little bit. . . Valhalla 24-22.

No. 6 Helix at Granite Hills -- Who made this terrible, terrible schedule for the Highlanders, who continue with Friday's fourth game in a draining 5-game roadtrip.

Nevertheless, the Scotties have escaped with victories by margins of 6, 4 and 3 points respectfully, against Eastlake, Grossmont and Brawley to stretch their win streak to four. And the season-opening loss to Oceanside ? It's a distant memory for a team focused on sweeping into the playoffs.

Meanwhile, we're still attempting to figure out the Eagles. Are they the team that was steamrolled by Chula Vista, or are they the one which rallied for 10 points in the fourth quarter to knock West Hills out of the CIF-SDS rankings?

Both teams posted the top non-league records (4-1) among all GSL schools. And both ballclubs are coming off byes, sort of, as Helix had the week off while the Eagles swamped lowly Sweetwater.

However, Helix is determined to right its ship, including a narrow 38-35 defeat handed to them by the Eagles last season. And with the speed in the secondary needed to slow the Granite Hills passing game, look for the Scotties to take the first step to the GSL title. . . Helix 34-14.

Mount Miguel at Monte Vista -- Among the list of leading contenders, Matadors mentor TOM KARLO surely must be included on a list of coach of the year candidates. Mount Miguel is off to a 3-2 start and has been in every ballgame this season-- despite preseason predictions to the contrary.

Which is why it makes it even more difficult for the Wizard to place the Matadors in fifth place in a revolving GSL pennant race.

However, the setback to Christian seems to be the microcosm for the entire Mount Miguel season: a team full of talent, yet lacking experience. Toss in the loss of LARON RUSH (broken collarbone), the team's top receiver, may leave the team short in a run at the league crown.

Monte Vista may be in a similar classification yet is still a few paces back. Let Mount Miguel 's scoring ability spell the difference. . . Mount Miguel 20-6.

Coastal League -- 1. Santa Fe Christian; 2. Christian; 3. Francis Parker; 4. The Bishop's; 5. Army-Navy Academy.

Christian vs. Santa Fe Christian, at Granite Hills -- This Saturday's (Oct. 14) homecoming contest for the Patriots features the top two ballclubs in the Coastal League facing-off at Valley Stadium.

Every school in the Coastal League, easily the best of the small-school leagues in the San Diego Section, features every team with 4-1 records, except Santa Fe Christian, which comes in at 3-2, but clearly played the most difficult schedule, including a pair of narrow losses to Top 10 programs in Mission Bay and El Capitan.

None of this fazes the Patriots, who must complete the season without one of their top performers in SCOT ALLEN (broken collarbone). Without him, one SFC pattern which has haunted Christian is the ability to prevent long, scoring marches; the Eagles have produced drives of 15 or more plays against the Patriots in recent years, taking more than eight minutes each time.

Thus, turnovers are the key. If the Patriots are to win the turnovers battle, a mild upset could occur. However, not turning the ball over is a strong point for the Eagles, so we give Santa Fe Christian the slight nod. . . Santa Fe Christian 20-14.