WEEK 8 -- Oct. 20-21

Cougars post first shutout,
blank Granite Hills, 28-0
Grossmont alone on top of GNL standings

(c) East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (10-21-06) -- You won't find a single member of the Steele Canyon Cougars who believes it's just a coincidence that the team's offense is coming on to become as good as the defense, transforming the team into the best this side of Lakeside in the Grossmont Conference.

On Friday (Oct. 20), Cougars defenders forced five turnovers, including an interception and a fumble recovery by MILES MINICH, while the thunder-and-lightning backfield combination of JAMIE DALE and JOSEPH GUILLORY controlled the clock by running for 162 of the team's 199 yards on the ground, helping Steele Canyon capture its first-ever, on-campus homecoming game by dissolving Granite Hills, 28-0.

"We're fully committed to being a family, with the CIF championship being our ultimate goal," said defensive left end RICHIE WICK, who registered three tackles for loss, including a sack.

The victory sets-up next week's battle for first place in the Grossmont South League when Steele Canyon (5-2 overall, 2-0 GSL) travels to No. 6 Helix (5-2, 2-0).

In addition to his two turnovers, Minich combined with TIM ORANGE to cap a goal line stand to halt the opening drive of the game by Granite Hills. Already leading 7-0, the Cougars barely forced Eagles back TYLER WHITTINGHAM out of bounds at the SC-1 on third down, then stuffed JOEY SUTHERLAND on a dive over the middle on fourth down, as both linebackers jumped over the pile and hit the running back before he could make his own leap.

"Because our offense brought their'A' game (in) trying to match our defense, it was up to the defense to step up, too," said Minich. "We want to be known as the best defense in East County."

The stop was a relief to free safety BRANDON BROWN, who admitted missing a key tackle which kept the 15-play drive alive. However, Brown quickly compensated with the first of three interceptions by the Cougars on the very next drive.

"I missed a tackle which almost let them score -- I wasn't very happy," said Brown, who returned the ball 23 yards. "But others made a play to stop that drive, then I made a play with the interception -- it was a big change of momentum."

Granite Hills knew it would be in for a long night on the opening kickoff, when the Cougars' BRANDON HUGHES took the ball at the goal line, but the officials ruled the ball did not cross the plane and into the end zone. Hughes then rocketed 61 yards with the ball as JARED FRANCIS made the touchdown-saving tackle. Dale then capped a quick 39-yard drive with the first of his two TD runs, both for 3 yards.

Granite Hills followed by barely releasing a punt despite a bad snap, with the 15-yard boot which saw a Guillory runback to the Eagles-23. Guillory then completed the 7-play drive with another 3-yard TD run for a 21-0 halftime lead.

Meanwhile, the defense continued to force turnovers. TONY MINNIFIELD registered the third interceptions by the Cougars, while JUNIOR LeMARIE recovered a fumble, limiting Granite Hills to just 173 yards in total offense -- only 99 yards after the Eagles' opening drive.

The lone score of the second half saw Hughes slip behind the linebackers on a 2-yard TD reception from NICK STATHAS (5-9-0, 32 yards) midway through the third quarter. The score was setup on Minich's interception.

Dale finished with his fourth consecutive 100-yard performance, rushing 23 times for 113 yards. Guillory added 49 yards at fullback.

The stagnant Granite Hills offense tried switching quarterbacks several times, yet found it difficult to penetrate the Cougars defense all night. Sutherland was limited to 46 yards on 14 carries, with just five yards coming in the second half, while JUSTIN MONTGOMERY recorded a game-high three receptions.

At halftime, Steele Canyon's first homecoming court saw lineman LUIS GUERRA named king, while BROOK BOEHMKE, daughter of Cougars head coach RON BOEHMKE, was voted queen.

VALHALLA 31, MONTE VISTA 12 -- A Homecoming win is always sweet. Valhalla honored the class of 1976 Friday night (Oct. 20), playing host to Monte Vista. And unlike the last home game, there wasn't a streaker to be found.

Norsemen running back ZACK ROMERO set the tone for the evening on the first play of the game following the opening kickoff. With a 1st-and-ten from their 35-yard line, center JAMES RICHARDSON opened a huge hole for Romero, who squirted through it for a 28-yard sprint to the Monarchs-37.

On the next play, linemen JOSE CORTEZ and JON BUBIS sprung senior quarterback TOMAS KARAGIANES for a 14-yard gain to the Monarchs-23. It looked like the Norsemen drive was going to stall on 3rd-and-six from the 19, but guard CHRIS WRIGHT made a crushing block on a defender, allowing Romero to romp to the Monarchs-7 for another Valhalla first down. Karagianes capped the 9-play, 63-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run just 3:09 into the contest.

The defense of Valhalla (4-3 overall, 1-1 GSL) was relentless in the first half, not yielding a first down -- nevermind a score -- to Monte Vista's offense over five possessions. Linebackers TANNER HITT, JON FORTUNA and CHRIS THOMAS, and defensive tackles ADAN PORFIRIO and EISSA JAMIL completely stuffed the Monarchs' running game, allowing only 22 yards total offense by the visitors prior to halftime homecoming festivities.

Meanwhile, the home team posted 301 yards offense during the first two periods, including a pair of Karagianes TD passses in the second quarter, lifting Valhalla to a 21-0 lead at intermission.

The Monarchs opened up the second half with a bang when running back LEVI MILLER broke loose and rumbled 51 yards for a touchdown, putting Monte Vista (1-5-1, 0-2 GSL) on the scoreboard, with 9:53 left in the third stanza. Buoyed by this sudden surge of offensive prowess, the Monte Vista defense suddenly got stingy, forcing Valhalla to punt after a three-and-out possession.

Valhalla's ZACK CORDLE-ROBBINS boomed a 43-yard punt, backing up Monte Vista to its 10-yard line. The Norsemen "D" rose to the occasion with its own three-and-out, placing the offense in solid position near midfield. Ten plays later, Romero bulled his way into the endzone on a 4-yard run to capa 55-yard drive to increasethe lead to 28-6 late in the third quarter.

Following the kickoff, Thomas came through with a spectacular play. The linebacker single-handedly tackled a Monarchs ball-carrier for a 5-yard loss, stripped the ball loose and recovered the fumble to gain possession on the Monarchs'-25. However, Monte Vista showed some heart as well, keeping Valhalla out of the endzone, preventing even a first down, as the third quarter ended.

Monte Vista answered by piecing together a 13-play march, with NICK WILLIAMS making a nifty 27-yard TD run to cap off the drive. Fortuna flattened the runner on the 2-point PAT attempt, enabling Valhalla to maintain a 29-12 lead with only 5:31 left to play.

JOSH QUEJA finished the scoring with a booming 39-yard field goal to complete the victory.

Romero led all rushers with 152 yards on 26 carries. Karagianes added 94
yards rushing and 117 yards passing (3-7-0), hooking up with MARK COATS
twice for 70 yards and JON MURRAY once for 47 yards. (c) East County Sports.com

HELIX 17, MOUNT MIGUEL 14 -- Helix's DORIAN STATON has taken a lot of abuse for being a sub-par quarterback, but such criticism has been unfair.

In a predominantly run-oriented offense, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Staton has shown steady improvement while the No. 5 ranked Highlanders have won six of seven starts (officially 5-2 due to a forfeit).

Staton completed 7-of-13 passes for 107 yards including a 27-yard TD strike to TRAVON VAN, as the Highlanders maintained their share of the Grossmont South League lead with Steele Canyon.

Helix hosts Steele Canyon on Friday (Oct. 27) in the Highlanders' homecoming game at 7.

Staton has ignored the criticism of his abilities to lead the Highlanders.

"They say we don't have a quarterback, but I'm right here and I throw the ball pretty well," he said. "It was a little tough in the second half of this game because it seemed like I had the ball the whole fourth quarter."

Staton had a point, as the Matadors reeled off 15 plays to just 4 for Helix.

Staton and his teammates were aware but not enthralled by Helix's 19th straight win in the battle for the Claymore Sword, which goes to the annual winner of this game.

"The thing about it, it wasn't a big deal to us," Staton said. "We weren't thinking about the Claymore, or the rivalry or none of that. It was just another game to us."

An early fumble recovery by DERRICK PERRAULT set up a 32-yard field goal by KENNY EWERT that gave Helix a 3-0 lead.

Mount Miguel wasted little time flexing its muscle as quarterback AARON BRYANT scored on a 50-yard run to leave the Matadors on top 7-3 after the first quarter.

When a Mount Miguel fake field goal backfired early in the second quarter, Staton fired a 27-yard TD pass to TRAVON VAN to secure a 10-7 lead for the Highlanders.

Helix extended its advantage to 17-7 on a 34-yard touchdown run by LARRY GIST early in the third quarter. From then on the game turned into a battle between the Mount Miguel offense and the Helix defense.

The overlooked star of the game was Mount Miguel running back ELLIOT TAYLOR, who rushed for 160 yards on 29 carries. Taylor had his hands on what could have been a game-winning catch passed from Bryant but juggled the throw and eventually dropped it.

"There are six or seven plays in the course of a game that decide it," said Mount Miguel coach TOM KARLO. "That was just one. There were five more that we could have made, but we didn't."

Bryant accumulated 117 yards and scored both Matadors touchdowns.

"Their offense was better than we thought going in," said Helix coach DONNIE VAN HOOK. "And that Elliot Taylor is a great running back. Their offensive line got off the ball -- they were outstanding."

This was the fifth straight road game for the Highlanders, who now close the regular season with two home games.

"We've been on the road for 49 days," Van Hook told his team. "It'll be great to play in front of our home crowd, and you guys will realize the difference." (c) East County Sports.com

SANTANA 43, EL CAJON VALLEY 10 -- One of the best unknown quarterbacks in the San Diego Section is Santana senior COLLIN TAYLOR -- this guy is a stealthy, offensive magician.

In Friday's (Oct. 20) Grossmont North League rout at El Cajon Valley, Taylor accounted for 278 total yards and five touchdowns for the Sultans (4-2, 1-0 GNL). Taylor completed 15-of-27 passes for 208 yards and five TDs and could have had more had he not been removed from the game in the rout.

The five scoring strikes matches Taylor's output in the season-opening win over Patrick Henry. It is also one scoring toss short of the Santana record set by D.J. BUSCH against El Capitan in 1999. Taylor has 19 TD passes for the season.

Versatile senior JON TIPPIN was his usual stellar self, performing in just about every avenue. He tied his own Santana school record with 29 points -- 4 TDs, 3 PAT kicks, and one 2-point PAT run. Tippin also scored 29 points in a season-opening victory over Patrick Henry.

Santana's T-N-T combination exploded for 20 points before El Cajon Valley (3-5, 0-2 GNL) could find the scoreboard. Tippin did all the scoring and Taylor delivered two TD passes.

For the game Tippin totaled 246 all-purpose yards. His biggest moneymaker was on the receiving end of Taylor passes, which totaled 127 yards on 8 catches. Tippin also returned an interception 45 yards and a kickoff 50 yards.

El Cajon Valley scored on a 25-yard field goal by KEVIN KELLY and a 3-yard TD scamper by quarterback KIANIE BROOKS.

Brooks totaled 173 yards, collecting most of his yardage on the run.

The Braves did present a new wrinkle in the form of 5-foot-9, 184-pound freshman DAMIEN WILLIAMS. As a running back, Williams contributed 115 yards on 9 carries and also caught a 13-yard pass. On the defensive side, he logged 7 tackles and a pair of sacks.

"We moved the ball the whole game, but kept finding ways to stop ourselves," said Braves coach JASON TEXLER, whose team totaled 386 yards in offense.

El Cajon Valley's NEIKO ALEXIS, predominantly a defensive standout, proved that he can play offense as well. Alexis rushed for 98 yards on 14 carries and caught 3 passes for 45 yards. (c) East County Sports.com

West Hills tackler Jonathan Darby (5) gets hold of Grossmont running back Khalid Waters, with aid from Wolf Pack safety Trevor Kolocheski. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

GROSSMONT 17, WEST HILLS 12 -- Somehow the Grossmont Foothillers have been forgotten in the grand scheme of things in East County as well as the San Diego Section.

No doubt the Foothillers (4-3-1, 2-0 GNL) have been anything but flashy, but at present rank as the leading team in the Grossmont North League race.

Patience appears to be the motto for these Foothillers, who garners 221 yards on 52 rushes. AUGIE WILLIAMS (19 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD) and KHALID WATERS (12-60) were the primary ballcarriers in Friday's (Oct. 20) key conquest of West Hills.

The telling blow, however, came through the air as quarterback CHARLIE PIRO lofted a 25-yard scoring pass to JOSH SIMMS early in the fourth quarter. That connection gave Grossmont a 17-6 advantage.

West Hills (4-4, 0-2 GNL) refused to fold. Losers of its last four, the Wolf Pack marched downfield and eventually scored on an 11-yard run by RALEIGH SEVIER, cutting the deficit to 5 points.

A desperate team, West Hills -- which has lost four games by a total of 16 points -- nearly converted an onside kick following the Sevier touchdown.

NICK FLOYD made the key recovery on the squib kick for the Foothillers. That spelled the end for West Hills.

The Foothillers maintained control with a 10-play drive spearheaded by Waters.

In the early going it appeared that Grossmont was going to run away and hide against the West Hills team that had suffered three emotionally damaging losses in a row. MARCUS FLORES put the Hillers on the board with a 32-yard field goal -- a Grossmont record 26th of his career.

Williams' 3-yard run made it 10-0 before West Hills' JONATHAN WICK booted back-to-back 36-yard field goals to make it a 4-point game after three quarters.

Another plus for West Hills was the passing of quarterback ERIC FIEGE, who had completed only 4 of 22 passes in his previous two games. Fiege was 12 of 24 for 98 yards against the Foothillers. TREVOR KOLOCHESKI was Fiege's main target, pulling in 5 passes for 62 yards.

This was a strange game in the fact that the two teams combined for 10 punts in the first half.

Grossmont leads the GNL by a half-game, as No. 2-ranked El Capitan (7-0, 1-0) had a bye date.
(c) East County Sports.com

CHRISTIAN 65, ARMY-NAVY ACADEMY 0 -- In a game where the final score makes the winning team's output offensive at first glance, junior defensive back SAMMY SNIFF cast a major vote for the Patriots defense by intercepting a school-record 3 passes in Christian's Coastal League massacre of Army-Navy Friday night (Oct. 20).

Sniff gained 89 yards off his three thefts, while KURT METCALFE returned his lone interception 45 yards for a touchdown.

JOHN FERREIRA picked off a 5th pass for Christian and also recovered a fumble.

But this game was not focused on defense.

The Patriots bolted out of the starting gates for 31 points in the first quarter. Quarterback DANNY MITCHELL was the point man in the early surge, firing touchdown passes of 44 yards to CHRIS CAMP and 7 yards to Metcalfe before taking scoring on a 3-yard run himself.

KYLER DWYER, one of the top scorers in the San Diego Section, booted a 37-yard field goal before Metcalfe returned his interception for a touchdown. But remember, all of that came in the first quarter.

Then it was LAWRENCE WALKER's turn. The junior standout scored on runs of 40 and 53 yards to stake the Patriots to a 45-0 halftime lead. Walker was limited to only seven carries on the night, but made the most of his abbreviated activity with 134 yards. He also caught a pass for 14 yards.

Christian began the second half with a 76-yard kickoff return by Dwyer. Mitchell added his third TD pass for the night, hitting JORDAN GRAVES with a 10-yard strike. PATRICK KELLY punched across the final score from the 1-yard line. (c) East County Sports.com

Wolf Pack falling in time warp

(c) East County Sports.com
SANTEE (10-19-06) -- If high school football lasted just 36 minutes instead of 48, the West Hills Wolf Pack would be undefeated at 7-0 and riding high near the top of the CIF-San Diego Section rankings.

What a season it would be!

Instead, in one of the most frustrating streaks this side of the Arizona Cardinals, West Hills has watched three consecutive fourth-quarter leads or ties disappear, leaving the Pack treading water at 4-3 entering Friday's (Oct. 20) must-win situation for both teams in a key Grossmont North League football game.

West Hills will host defending league champion Grossmont (3-3-1) on homecoming night at Wolf Pack Stadium, but will the Pack come out howling? The team threw away three games via a trio of different methods, making it difficult to focus on fixing any single problem.

In order, West Hills was first nipped due to poor pass protection and the Granite Hills kicking game to fall on a late field goal; Mount Miguel utilized the deep pass to stun the Pack the following week; then El Capitan used a blend of the run and pass to break a late tie and then rode a stellar defensive effort to win last Friday. That loss to the Vaqueros was emotionally draining and the Wolf Pack may have trouble regrouping.

At least the Foothillers aren't stumped on which repairs are needed to get back on track. After three consecutive winless outings, Grossmont shifted back into gear in romping past El Cajon Valley, 45-7, to grab an early share of the GNL lead with No. 2-ranked El Capitan.

The difference may be as simple as style, which in the case of these teams, is similar. West Hills will try to operate a ball-control offense, while the Foothillers know how to shorten the game with their running game. In the quickest game of the season, look for Grossmont to defeat the Pack for the third time in two years. . . Grossmont 13-7.

Elsewhere
Granite Hills at Steele Canyon -- In searching for a team which runs an unorthodox 3-3-5 defensive scheme similar to what Steele Canyon has been operating in recent victories over El Cajon Valley and Valhalla, we discovered the University of New Mexico runs this style, except the Cougars run it without the heavy blitzing utilized by the Lobos.

Should this become the long-term solution for The Canyon for the duration of the season to defend its Grossmont South League crown? Or could it actually open the door for Granite Hills to hang close.

The improving Eagles have gone with a balanced attack, but the emphasis of late in on the ground game with JOEY SUTHERLAND carrying the bulk of the load. In fact, only one East County ball-carrier -- ERIC FORNEY of Helix -- has scored more rushing touchdowns than Sutherland.

Plus, Granite Hills catches the Cougars in a perfect sandwich situation between contests with Valhalla (a 31-7 TNF triumph) and Helix next week. It's the perfect time to call for the Eagles to receive the "Upset Special" nod, but we're not going that far. Look for a much-closer than anticipated ballgame, but it's still. . . Steele Canyon, 28-21.

Santana at El Cajon Valley -- This could become the final opportunity for either program to collect one final victory this season -- sorry, but the truth can hurt.

Turnovers seem to be the key. The Sultans may not collect many fumbles or interceptions, but the Braves turn the ball over even without much pressure from the opponent.

The speed of the Braves should be enough to score points, but too many second-chances will keep Santana within range behind COLLIN TAYLOR, who ranks second among East County QBs in passing yardage.

However, the running ability of ECV quarterback KIANIE BROOKS, who ranks right behind Taylor in pass yardage, may give the Sultans fits. Thus, in a slight alteration to the Wizard's original GNL predictions, we'll side with El Cajon Valley in the East County Sports.com Upset Special of the Week. . . El Cajon Valley 35-31.

Unlike a year ago, a trio of Highlanders -- KENSLOW SMITH, ERIC FORNEY and TRAVON VAN -- currently rate among the East County leaders, just like it's been for the previous 25 years or so.

In the first quarter, when the 31-7 final was decided, only three plays spelled the difference in handing Valhalla its first GSL setback since 2004. Two were fumbles which gave Steele Canyon the ball at midfield or closer to the Norsemen goal, while a failed fourth-down conversion killed a drive which would've given Valhalla the lead.

Throw in a long commercial break between quarters, which allowed the Cougars to setup their first play from scrimmage of the second quarter -- a 52-yard TD romp -- then another failed fourth down in the red zone, and it quickly turned into a long night for the Orange.

So, even with Helix on the horizon, the not-as-bad-as-we-saw Norsemen will not fail in their Homecoming affair. . . Valhalla, 41-7.

Both teams have overall records of 4-2, but don't let that fool you. Christian has played some real teams, the folks from Carlsbad haven't. Look for the outcome to go like this. . . Christian 35-6.

(c) East County Sports.com
ESCONDIDO (10-17-06) -- For the first time this season, there is an unanimous selection at the top of the CIF-San Diego Section football rankings, as voted by members of the San Diego County Sportswriters-Sportscasters Association.

And El Capitan High missed gaining all 22 first-place votes by just four minutes.

While the Vaqueros broke a fourth-quarter tie to defeat West Hills, 13-6, for their school-record seventh straight victory to open the season, top-raniked Torrey Pines did them one better. The Falcons (6-0) scored two late touchdowns in the final four minutes to nip Poway, 38-26.

Thus, Torrey Pines maintained its position at No. 1, receiving every first-place nod on every ballot. Meanwhile, El Capitan received the majority of votes for second place, moving up one position, although some could argue that since the Vaqueros blasted Poway during Week 3 after jumping out to a 26-0 lead, maybe the Lakesiders should rate at the top of the ladder.

Elsewhere, previous No. 2 Carlsbad (4-0-1) slipped a notch to third following a 10-10 draw with No. 4 Oceanside; the Pirates (3-2-1) remained fourth, followed by No. 5 La Costa Canyon and No. 6 Helix (both 4-2).

The remainder of the Top 10 rankings includes Mission Hills at seventh, followed by Escondido, Poway and Mission Bay. The lone East County team among the honorable mention is Steele Canyon (4-2).