VAQUEROS SCHEDULE Overall: 5-5-0 Grossmont North League: 1-2-0 Date Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9 Nov. 16 Opponent at King Kekaulike, HI at Ramona Coronado University City at Steele Canyon Valhalla *Grossmont *at El Cajon Valley *West Hills BYE *at Santana **at Mount Miguel Score 51-36 21-49 56-36 57-20 27-47 52-33 31-34 21-29 ccd. 46-14 17-34 CHEERLEADERS Double-click to Enlarge

JUNIOR VARSITY (6-3, 2-1 GNL) Date Opponent Score Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 10 Wk 11 West Hills Ramona Coronado University CIty Steele Canyon Valhalla *Grossmont *El Cajon Valley BYE *Santana 13-00 26-06 26-27 20-00 14-16 31-00 06-18 21-00 27-00 FRESHMEN (6-2, 1-1 GNL) Date Opponent Score Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 10 Wk 11 West Hills Ramona Coronado University CIty Steele Canyon Valhalla *Grossmont BYE BYE *Santana 27-00 24-14 32-15 06-00 21-24 29-00 21-41 34-13

WEEK 12 -- CIF PLAYOFFS / FIRST ROUND

Matadors bull over El Capitan
Mount Miguel scores 27 straight points
after the Vaqueros take early 17-7 lead

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (10-17-07) -- Not too long ago Mount Miguel teams were not known for their ability to come from behind. That seems to be changing this year.

Despite turning the ball over five times, and squaring off against an El Capitan offense averaging more than 40 points per game in Friday night's SDCIF Division III first round of the playoffs, the Matadors were able to overcome a 17-7 deficit for their first playoff victory in 20 years, stunning the Vaqueros, 34-17.

"It was a game of make-or-break for both of us," said Hobbs. "It's either I stayed on him, or he broke loose and beat me. He's a very good athlete and I enjoyed the challenge of trying to stop him. I think our whole defense met the challenge of going after a playoff win. We've been looked at as underdogs much of the year and that's only served to be motivation for us."

Corner RICO SMITH, strong safety Evans and nickel back MYCHAQUELL SHIELDS each picked off a Rust pass during the final seven minutes of the game.

It was an extra special outing for Shields, a 5-8, 145-pound senior who has been limited to spot duty. On this night though Shields came up with 2 turnovers, including scooping up a fumble and returning it 20 yards for a touchdown with 4:52 left in the game.

"I don't think our defense can play any better," said Karlo. "To commit all those turnovers we did (5) and still hold a team like El Cap to 17 points shows a lot of character."

Mount Miguel amassed 394 yards total offense. Senior running back ELLIOT TAYLOR came off the bench to lead the ground game with 73 yards on 15 carries.

Trailing 17-14 late in the third quarter, the Matadors successfully executed a fake punt on a 4th-and-1 from their own 37-yard line.

Punter TONY SWINTON took the snap and raced 21 yards to the El Capitan 42. From there Taylor ran for 11 yards, and the Vaqueros were flagged for a major face mask penalty as they brought him to the ground.

Suddenly, Mount Miguel had a first down at the El Capitan 16. Bryant then fired a pass to Caples in the endzone, giving the Matadors a lead they wouldn't lose.

"I told my quarterback that the corners were playing off me on the outside, so hit me on the inside -- and that's what he did," Caples said of the touchdown that gave Mount Miguel a 21-17 lead with 1:25 left in the third period.

Even after that though, the game still was up in the air.

Momentum had clearly swung to the Matadors, who drove 52 yards on 9 plays to the El Capitan 18 early in the fourth quarter.

El Capitan's GARRETT JARVIS thwarted that drive, picking off a pass at the 5-yard line and returning it to the 18. That flickering line of hope for El Capitan was quickly dashed, as two plays later Shields intercepted Rust.

"That was the turning point, right there," Burner said. "We get the ball and stop their long drive, but then give it right back to them."

Three plays later Bryant hit Nunley for a touchdown and a 28-17 lead with 5:09 left.

"We had all the symptoms of a loss in that first half," Karlo said. "But that's the difference with these kids. They play with so much energy and emotion."

"Take Shields, for example," he continued. "As a junior he didn't have much (playing time). And most of this year he's played nickel and special teams for us. He picked a great night to have a big game."

Karlo credited his defensive coaches for devising a superb game plan.

"We played them 'man' all through the first half. In the second half we mixed it up -- some 'man,' some zone," he said. "I think we confused their quarterback."

Rust finishes his junior season with 3,159 passing yards and 30 touchdowns.

"We wanted to keep playing and I think we played hard," Burner said. " Mount Miguel just beat us."

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (11-10-07/Modified 11-11-07) -- It was a record-breaking finish to a shattered season for the El Capitan Vaqueros in Friday night's (Nov. 9) Grossmont North League finale.

Realizing that a loss could conceivably knock them out of the playoffs, the visiting Vaqueros came out firing, playing perhaps their best of the 9-game regular season.

Junior quarterback TANNER RUST set a San Diego CIF record by passing for 597 yards, completing 25 of 38 as the Vaqueros vanquished host Santana 46-14 in a Grossmont North League blowout.

Rust's record roll included 7 touchdown passes, which ties a Grossmont Conference record held by his current quarterback coach LON SHERIFF, who made 7 scoring pitches as a West Hills senior against Valhalla in 1996. El Cajon Valley's ABRAHAM MUHEIZE also grabbed a share of that record against Castle Park in a 2005 playoff game.

"We had a lot of confidence and everything felt good coming into this game tonight," Rust said. "But to tell you the truth, I had no idea that I was compiling those kind of numbers."

Rust finishes the regular season with 2,927 yards and 29 touchdowns with 170 completions in 285 attempts for the Vaqueros (5-4, 1-2 GNL).

"Our receivers did a good job doing what they were supposed to do," said Rust, who garnered a Grossmont Conference with 615 total yards.

As a team El Capitan compiled 659 total yards, which is second on the Grossmont Conference tables to Helix' 707 compiled against Valhalla in 2001.

"Year, sure I like to make records," Rust said. "And I like it even more when my teammates write their names in the record books too."

Senior receiver TILA CASE caught 10 passes for 284 yards and a touchdown. The multi-talented Case moved into third place on the SDCIF section books for receiving yards in a game, trailing former teammate A.J. CONTI (14-326, 2006) and GLEN KOZLOWSKI (Carlsbad-Miami Dolphins, 1980).

El Capitan junior PHILLIP COOK enjoyed a breakout game with 5 receptions for 151 yards and 4 touchdowns. One of Cook's scoring plays was a 93-yard pass from Rust. That long-range strike was 2 yards short of the Vaqueros' record set by SID MELERO on a pass from JASON HEISE against Santana in 1989.

Cook also tied A.J. Conti for the Vaqueros record for TDs receptions in a game.

"We started a new season here tonight," Rust said. "One of my greatest fears coming into this game was that it might be the last of the season, but I was determined to make sure that it wasn't true. I was just hoping that my teammates would follow my lead, and I think they did."

Santana (4-6, 1-3 GNL) had to be pleased that junior quarterback JAMES NEEDY returned to his early season form, clicking of 17 of 24 passes for 201 yards and a pair of scoring passes to TYLER BLACKLEDGE. Blackledge led the team with 6 receptions for 48 yards.

Santana's TYLER AUBREY generated 126 all-purpose yards for the Sultans, including 5 pass receptions for 83 yards.

El Capitan opens the San Diego CIF Division III playoffs at Mount Miguel on Friday (Nov. 16) at 7:30 p.m. Santana will open the Division IV playoffs a week later at Mission Bay (7-2-1) in a 1 p.m. kickoff.

El Capitan homecoming moved to Thursday

© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (11-6-07) -- El Capitan High School will now host its annual homecoming on Thurs., Nov. 8, during the Vaqueros' junior varsity contest against Santana. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m.

The event was moved due to the cancelation of the games of Oct. 26 by the recent wildfires. And since the CIF-San Diego Section declined to rescheduled any of the ballgames, the school -- without a regular-season home date left on its scheudle -- was forced to move the ceremonies as part of its JV contest.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (10-20-07) -- A pair of Grossmont North League teams that appeared to be going in opposite directions collided Friday night (Oct. 19), creating an unpredicted windfall.

Historians who scrutinize the record books will insist that El Cajon Valley's 29-21 upset of visiting El Capitan was not so stunning. After all, they will cite the latest victory by the Braves as their third in four years over El Capitan.

Those in the El Cajon Valley huddle might beg to differ about the importance of this conquest.

"This is a great night to be a Brave," said senior lineman RAMADAN AHMAD. "Nobody respected us since we were only 1-5 coming into this game. I guess El Cap, since they won the league championship a year ago, figured they would just come in here and run us over. But we have some pride at our school. We haven't given up. We had our best week of practice and we were ready for them."

Ahmad, a 5-foot-11, 230-pound two-way starter, made his greatest impact on defense, recording four sacks, forcing a fumble and recovering another.

"They had me lined up across from the guy they call ‘The Beast' (El Cap's 6-foot-8, 332-pound DERYCK BEVERIDGE, who made a verbal commitment to UTEP earlier this week)," said Ahmad. "That guy is huge, but I think I did okay against him."

Ahmad helped create a pivotal safety with pressure on section-passing leader TANNER RUST that cut an El Capitan lead to 21-16 in the third quarter.

"That was sweet," said Ahmad, who forced Rust to intentionally ground a pass in the endzone for a safety. "But the best feeling for me was recovering one of their fumbles on the final play of the game."

Before Ahmad provided the proverbial save, El Cajon Valley scored back-to-back touchdowns on a 49-yard pass from ISAAC SOLIZ to LUCAS STAFFORD and a 10-yard run by GERALD KENDALL.

Stafford's score gave the Braves a 22-21 edge, but the PAT try was wiped out when the Braves were called for holding and eventually misfired on a two-point conversion pass.

It didn't matter as Kendall drove in the final stake with the lone score of the 4th quarter.

"The big thing is we forced five turnovers and did not turn the ball over once ourselves," said El Cajon Valley coach DANNY GOODRICH.

"Our kids were just flying around on defense, just ripping the ball out, causing fumbles. We practiced like we were 5-1 all week. We just played lights out."

Junior free safety GAVINO PINAL forced a fumble and made one recovery for the Braves.

"We played inspired on defense," said Pinal. "They came in here so cocky and that just made us want to beat them more."

On the offensive side, Soliz clicked on only 8 of 25 passes, but generated 215 aerial yards including TDs to KEVIN KELLY, Stafford and Kendall.

"Even after they tied the game we showed we wouldn't quit," said Kelly, who thought he had a season-ending knee injury but found out that wasn't so. "The difference is we are believing in ourselves. They came over talking all the talk but we didn't buckle."

Kendall led the Braves ground game with 61 yards on 18 carries. PETER ALKASS caught 3 passes for 79 yards, while Kelly collected 2 receptions, including a 36-yard scoring strike from Soliz to open the game.

"Our guys were so excited after the game that we were joking about going over to Wells Park to play some more," laughed Kelly.

By winning, El Cajon Valley (2-5, 1-0 GNL) finds itself in the middle of the battle for the circuit championship. El Capitan fell to 4-4 overall and 0-2 in GNL.

In fairness to El Capitan, the Vaqueros were playing without leading rusher BEN WILKINS, sidelined with an ankle injury.

"This was one of the worst losses that we've had since I've been here at El Capitan," said Vaqueros 3rd year head coach RON BURNER. "El Cajon Valley came out ready to play tonight and El Capitan did not."

"We had 4 fumbles – 2 in the red zone," he added. "The intentional grounding in the endzone resulting in the safety was the key play in the game."

Rust completed 21 of 32 passes for 305 yards, including a pair of 19-yard scoring strikes to PHILLIP COOK. It was Rust's fourth 300-yard plus game.

© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (10-13-07) — In a game most believe will determine the Grossmont North League championship, the visiting Grossmont Foothillers grabbed a 34-31 victory over El Capitan in Friday (Oct. 12) night's circuit opener when senior quarterback JOSH SIMMS scored on a 24-yard run with 1:17 remaining at Wendall Cutting Stadium.

"We didn't do any thing fancy, it was just a quarterback keeper," said Simms of his game-winning score. "We worked a play-action to (running back) KHALID (WATERS) and the whole El Capitan defense went after him."

From there, Simms bobbed and weaved his way to the endzone, unfettered.

"That was a fun game to play," said Simms, who scored 2 touchdowns and passed for a third while completing 14 of 23 passes for 210 yards. "This is a lot like the Valhalla game (when the Foothillers blew a 17-point lead in the final quarter). But obviously the outcome of this one was a lot better."

While the ending was favorable to Grossmont (5-2, 1-0 GNL), the beginning appeared that the Foothillers were going to win on a roll.

Waters scored on the Foothillers' first two offensive plays -- darting 72 yards and then 65 yards to stake the Hillers to a 14-7 first-quarter lead. Simms added a 25-yard scoring scamper and it appeared the rout was on.

But remember, El Capitan (4-3, 0-1 GNL) came in averaging 44 points per game.

The Vaqueros rallied behind the passing of quarterback TANNER RUST, who connected with ANTHONY LYBARGER for a 32-yard score, and ALEX ROSTAMIJAM tacked on a 36-yard field goal to leave El Capitan down 21-17 by intermission.

Once again in the 2nd half the Foothillers pulled away as Simms hooked up with Waters for a 70-yard scoring pass, extending Grossmont's lead to 11 points.

Showing no signs of quitting, El Capitan put together back-to-back scoring drives to take a 31-28 lead with 4:22 left. Then senior linebacker JAKE STEUERMANN intercepted a pass with 2:20 remaining.

"I thought we had them then," said Vaqueros coach RON BURNER.

One play later BEN WILKINS fumbled the ball -- his first fumble in two seasons -- and Grossmont junior safety DOMINIQUE BRADLEY recovered with 2:15 left.

"We were running a "dime" defense designed especially for El Cap," said Bradley, who had 14 tackles, 2 sacks and a fumble recovery. "I think we confused them because we were running nine different defenses -- all that looked like our basic "cover two." We call it "discover and disguise."

Grossmont ground out 429 yards, including 155 rushing yards (on 9 carries) by Waters. Simms finished with 274 yards total offense. Waters finished with 241 all-purpose yards.

Even after the Foothillers had taken the lead, El Capitan surged downfield but the Vaqueros' bid for a scoring touchdown when the Hillers' CONOR MEREDITH intercepted a pass at the 3-yard line in the waning seconds.

While the victory was sweet for Grossmont, the Foothillers may have lost senior wide receiver BRYAN HAAR to a separated shoulder.

For El Capitan, Rust completed 22 of 34 passes for 241 yards. AARON COOK caught 8 passes for 84 yards, and GARRETT JARVIS reeled in 7 for 76 yards.

"I think we have the best chance to win it -- this game was pretty much for the league championship," said Bradley.

Simms agreed. "We've had this game circled since last year," he said. "They beat us on our field last year and we were so looking forward to getting even this year. Yeah, I think we're in the driver's seat, but we can't let up."

© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (10-06-07) — BEN WILKINS, arguably the finest running back in East County, put on a clinic Friday night (Oct. 5) at Wendall Cutting Stadium.

The 6-foot, 215-pound senior rambled for an El Capitan record six touchdowns as the host Vaqueros cruised by Valhalla , 52-33. Wilkins scored on runs of 59, 39, 18 and 12 yards, along with a couple of 1-yard scampers. In addition to his scoring bonanza, Wilkins rushed for 192 yards on 19 carries.

“Everything was clicking for us,” said Wilkins. “ Valhalla was keying on the pass and that opened up the run. The draw was there all night. But we didn’t just stick to one or two plays. We gave them a lot of different looks and that seemed to keep them on their heels the whole game.”

Wilkins’ scoring binge broke the El Capitan single game scoring mark of 31 points set by FRED HIGHT in a 1968 game against Santana. Wilkins’ effort also ties him with West Hills’ MATT HOUAR (1994 vs. Eastlake ) for second all-time on the Grossmont Conference list.

Valhalla sophomore fullback TRAIVONNE BROWN broke the century mark for the first time as a varsity athlete, garnering 103 yards in 10 attempts. But all that running aside, coaches RON BURNER and STEVE SUTTON showed why they have the top two passing teams in the Grossmont Conference.

Vaquero junior quarterback TANNER RUST had a field day of his own, completing 16 of his 27 passes (with one pick) for 366 yards and two touchdown tosses to senior wide receiver GARRETT JARVIS (5 catches, 123 yards).

El Capitan amassed 636 yards of total offense in a game that was almost close.

Valhalla's 6-foot-5 sophomore QB, PETE THOMAS, completed 19 of 38 passes (also with one interception) for 342 yards and 2 TDs. Valhalla finished with 473 offensive yards.

Do the math: The two teams had 1,109 yards of total offense. It was the fourth time El Capitan (4-2) had scored 50 points or more.

Not surprisingly, the game began with a bang as El Cap’s TILA CASE returned the opening kickoff 82 yards. Valhalla kicker JOSH QUEJA made the touchdown-saving tackle at the Norsemen’s 12. That respite was brief.

On first down Wilkins plowed the 12 remaining yards into the endzone and El Cap led 6-0 only 20 seconds into the contest.

Rust completions of 31 yards to Jarvis and 20 yards to ANTHONY LYBARGER took the Vaqueros to the Norsemen 3-yard line, and on the next play, the Rust-Jarvis combo worked for a 3-yard TD pass, with 7:10 left to play in the initial period.

Valhalla senior CHRIS BROWN returned ALEX ROSTAMIJAM's kickoff 52 yards to the El Cap 46-yard line giving the Norsemen fine field position. From there, Thomas didn't waste any time, hitting BRANDON GIANDONI for a 41-yard gain to the Valhalla 12. Thomas eventually scored on a 3-yard run and added the first of his three PAT kicks.

On its next drive, El Capitan began marching down field, but Valhalla's WES PARKER sacked Rust for a 5-yard loss as the first quarter ended, leaving the Vaqueros with a 3rd-and-18 at the Norsemen 35-yard line.

Top: El Capitan's Ben Wilkins (22) gets two solid blocks to score one of his six touchdowns against Valhalla. Bottom: The left side of the Vaqueros' offensive line features guard Jeff Plourd (56) and tackle Deryck Beveridge (78) -- both seniors. (Photos by Mark Gonzales)

A series later, El Cap scored quickly on an 18-yard TD pass from Rust to Jarvis. Rostamijam's kick was true and El Cap increased its lead to 25-7, with 5:31 to play before intermission.

Valhalla (2-3) managed to cut the deficit before the break. The key play was a Thomas spiral to Giandoni for 40 yards. That set up ALEX JOHNSON’s 4-yard charge into the endzone for a touchdown, courtesy of a superb block by offensive lineman NATE BROWN.

Burner tried a little razzle-dazzle before intermission, with a flea-flicker pass from Rust to PHILLIP COOK, who pitched it to Case, who was cutting back against the middle. Case sprinted 42 yards to the Valhalla 31, where he was dragged down by TANNER HITT.

Burner wasn't through with the trick plays. On 1st- and-10 from the Valhalla 19, he called a reverse to Case, who has both excellent speed and moves. However, Valhalla defensive back SHANE MALLORY made a sure-handed open-field tackle to foil the play. On 4th and 1 from the Valhalla 9, linebacker KELLEN WILEY stuffed Wilkins for no gain, turning it over to Valhalla and holding the halftime score to 25-14.

Trailing 31-14, Valhalla 's special teams continued to shine as Brown returned a kickoff to the Vaqueros' 37-yard line. A penalty advanced the ball to the El Cap 18. A controversial call by the line judge nullified an apparent Valhalla touchdown pass from Thomas to DEREK WHITE, forcing Valhalla to attempt a 25-yard field goal which was partially deflected, veering wide left.

Valhalla got the ball right back, however, after Hitt intercepted a pass at the El Cap 23-yard line and rumbled 9 yards to the Vaqueros' 14, where RUFFY BACONG scored 3 plays later on a 3-yard TD run around left end, cutting the Vaqs lead to 31-20.

It took the Vaqueros 20 seconds to score on two plays following the kickoff. Rust hit Case for a 33-yard pass play to the Valhalla 39-yard line. On the next play, Wilkins pounded his way through the middle of the Valhalla defense with some quality blocking by 6-foot-6, 302-pound JEFF SCHILLER and 6-8, 332-pound DERYCK BEVERIDGE for a 39-yard TD run. That stretched El Cap’s lead to 38-20, with 4:29 to play in the 3rd quarter.

Valhalla appeared to answer quickly on its next possession when, on 4th-and-goal from the 2-yard line, it appeared that sophomore NINO MALLORY had broken the plane of the endzone behind the cone before he hit the ground, but he was ruled down inside the 1-yard line.

That was a major turn-around and all but sealed the deal for El Capitan .

The Vaqueros drove 99 yards in 17 seconds, with Wilkins burning for a 59-yard TD run with 42 seconds left in the 3rd stanza.

Down by 25 points entering the final period, Valhalla used a 42-yard run by Brown to set up a 4-yard TD pass from Thomas to White.

Any hopes of catching the Vaqueros ended a few minutes later when Rust found Jarvis for a 19-yard TD for a 52-20 with 7:14 left in this 3 hour game.

Despite the setback, at least one Valhalla wish was granted. Nino Mallory fulfilled his promise to his mother that he would score a touchdown on her birthday, hauling in a 3-yard Thomas pass with 40 seconds to go.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (9-29-07) — It was a record-breaking performance for Steele Canyon Friday (Sept. 28) night against visiting El Capitan. It was also a unique night for the Cougars, who found themselves in a rare shootout against the high-scoring Vaqueros.

Bottom line: Steele Canyon won, 47-27.

“I guess the score doesn’t look like a typical game for us,” said Cougars head coach RON BOEHMKE. “We had a lot of guys have a big night.”

The Cougars’ momentum began building long before the opening kickoff when Steele Canyon assistant coach JOE SCHRAMM asked each of the seniors to stand up and say what they were going to do to help the team win. It may sound corny, but it proved to be effective.

Either Perlin was a magician, or more likely was a man of his word, as he repeatedly knocked El Capitan defenders on their heels.

Dale rushed for 261 yards and 5 touchdowns on 27 carries to lead the Cougars to their third win in five starts. Dale’s 30 points is a Steele Canyon record – tying him for 4th in Grossmont Conference history. Dale’s rushing total was 3 yards short of the record he set a year ago at Hilltop. Dale scored on runs of 4, 39, 55, 14 and 25 yards.

“El Capitan had 9 guys in the box, even their free safety,” Dale said. “The only guys outside were their corners, who were covering our receivers. Our O-line had a great day of opening holes, and once you were able to break through, you were on your way. On the majority of my runs I never got touched.”

Same could be said about Perlin, the Cougars’ 5-10, 192-pound senior fullback, who is normally the lead blocker for Dale. Only on this particular evening Perlin had a breakout game, rushing for a career-high 136 yards and 2 touchdowns on only 5 carries.

“Our O-line was amazing,” said Perlin, who averaged more than 27 yards per carry. “I scored on a zone trap and a C-quick down. Those plays don’t work unless our line is following their blocking assignments.”

Perlin also gathered in the only pass completion (in 3 tries) by quarterback NICK STATHAS along with converting 5 of 6 PAT kicks. On top of that Perlin booted the ball so deep on kickoffs that the Vaqueros had to accept 4 touchbacks.

Boehmke was proud to credit his offensive line of tight end CAMERON MOSS, tackles ROBERT FORESTER and BEN KAUFFMAN, guards JAMES OSBORNE and ROBERT HARVEY, and center RORY ZAVRID

“Our offense runs on zone blocking,” Boehmke said. “It’s not all that simple and it’s taken us time to mesh.”

Top: El Capitan's Ben Wilkins (22) avoids the blitz by Monte Vista linebacker Tracy Shields (44). Bottom: Vaqueros coach Ron Burner (left) talks strategy with quarterback Tanner Rust (8). (Photos by Chris DeBosier)

“Those guys did a great job,” he said. “I know what it takes to block so I appreciate their effort.”

Steele Canyon rushed for a school record 404 yards on 36 carries to obliterate the old mark of 351 yards set against West Hills in 2003.

The Cougars, who scored on 7 of their 10 possessions against the Vaqueros, also established a school record for scoring, breaking the previous high of 42 points set against Ramona in 2004.

The result wasn’t what El Capitan coach RON BURNER had in mind. Much like their lopsided loss at Ramona earlier in the year, the Vaqueros found themselves behind 19-0 on scoring runs of 4 and 39 yards by Dale and a 73-yard burst by Perlin midway through the 2nd quarter.

“Steele Canyon had a great night, totally out-manned us,” Burner said. “I guess you could say they just ran over us.”

Although he hesitated to do so, Burner noted that El Capitan ’s pre-game plans were disrupted.

“I don’t want to make excuses for our play on the field, but our bus (slated to take the team to Rancho San Diego) was an hour late,” Burner said. “And then the bus that they sent was so small that we had to have 10 kids drive to the game. And of those kids, half of them got lost. It really messed things up, because from there everything went haywire.”

In spite of the frustrating loss, the Vaqueros did get some reasonably sound efforts out of their offense.

Versatile senior TILA CASE caught 9 passes for 129 yards and 1 touchdown while garnering 175 yards in all-purpose running.

Vaqueros quarterback TANNER RUST scored on a pair of short runs while completing 18 of 35 passes for 227 yards and 1 TD.

Vaqueros senior running back BEN WILKINS, who missed most of the week’s practices due to illness, rushed for only 25 yards on 8 carries but did score on a 1-yard run.

Vaqueros quarterback Tanner Rust (8) makes the play-call. (Photo by Chris DeBosier)

Wilkins rushed for a career high 225 yards and 3 touchdowns on 17 carries as the Vaqueros scored a season high at the expense of the visiting Centurions (2-2).

“Ben didn’t even play three quarters, but he wanted to stay in there,” Burner said. “He was getting pretty banged up but like I told him, there was no sense in leaving him in a game that was already decided.”

El Capitan led 22-0 after one quarter and 36-6 by halftime.

Wilkins scored on runs of 30, 2 and 35 yards – the latter two TDs coming in the 3rd quarter.

“Ben kept telling me how good he felt and how he had the rhythm going,” Burner said. “But enough is enough.”

When Wilkins left the game El Cap led 50-6.

The Vaqueros rolled up 556 yards (301 rushing, 255 passing), which is the fifth highest in El Capitan history. The Vaqueros’ scoring output ranks fourth all-time in Lakeside, and marks the third time in four starts that El Capitan (3-1) had broken the 50-point barrier this season. The Vaqueros have a total of 185 points so far.

Quarterback TANNER RUST turned in another sterling performance for El Capitan, passing for 255 yards including scoring connections of 3 and 5 yards to TILA CASE and a 3-yarder to ADAM DENICK. Later in the game Denick returned an attempted onside kick 45 yards for El Cap’s final TD of the night.

Much like Wilkins, Rust wanted to extend his play but Burner showed him the bench early in the second half.

The 5-9, 175-pound Case caught 7 passes for 129 yards, rushed for 36 yards and a TD on only two carries, returned 4 punts for 58 yards, returned a kickoff 18 yards and intercepted a pass. That computes to 256 all-purpose yards.

“No matter where we play Tila, he always comes through,” Burner noted. “He’s the best return guy I’ve seen at this level. Whether he’s returning a kick or a punt, he does a great job of setting up his blocks.”

Case is the East County all-purpose leader with 1,141 yards.

Other El Capitan standouts against University City included PHILLIP COOK, who caught 3 passes for 81 yards, DARIUS HAWKINS, who intercepted 2 passes, and ALEX ROSTAMIJAM, who was 7 for 8 on PATs. Rostamijam has missed only 1 of 13 attempts over the last two games.

El Capitan's Ben Wilkins scores on a 3-yard dive (top) to open the scoring, then gets chooped down by a Coronado defender in a 56-36 triumph. (Photos by Tori Mills)

While the latest edition of the Vaqueros continue to work to put things together, they have achieved some feats of note. Remember, last year’s El Capitan team never scored 50 or more points. These Vaqueros have broken the 50-point barrier twice, including Friday night (Sept. 14) when they downed visiting Coronado .

Junior quarterback TANNER RUST established four personal records with 403 yards total offense, 386 passing yards, 6 touchdown passes, and 21 pass completions (in 35 attempts). His passing totals rank 3rd to last year’s superstar quarterback RYAN LINDLEY, who pitched two games of 417 yards.

Keep in mind now, in the almost five decades of its football program, El Capitan has been built on a mind set of run first and pass later. Since Burner grabbed the reins three years ago, the Vaqueros (2-1) have turned their focus to the West Coast offense.

“We are hardly at full strength,” Burner said. “I think Tanner suffered some kind of hip flexor early in the game, and I was thinking about taking him out. But no way was he coming out.”

Obviously, the decision to leave Rust on the field was the difference in the game.

Senior slotback TILA CASE, who missed the majority of his junior season with a broken collarbone, picked up his hobbling quarterback by catching 7 passes for 138 yards, including scoring strikes of 22 and 38 yards.

"The middle was open all the time,” Case said. “We just took advantage. We ran the same play on both of my touchdowns when ( Coronado ) tried to cover me with a linebacker. It seemed like we could do whatever we wanted to do offensively.”

That’s exactly what Case has been able to do in the first three games of the season. The 5-foot-9, 179-pound scooter has caught 22 passes for 448 yards and 6 touchdowns – and that’s only as a receiver. Case is also the East County all-purpose yardage leader with 885 yards.

“Since I didn’t contribute much last year, I feel like I have to compact my junior and senior years this season,” Case noted. “I want to do whatever it takes to get us to the Stadium.”

Not to be overlooked was the performance of the Vaqueros’ 6-4, 170-pound two-way senior GARRETT JARVIS.

“He was amazing,” said Case of his teammate.

Case wasn’t just talking about Jarvis’s 6 pass receptions for 72 yards and 2 touchdowns, he was pointing to Jarvis’s 47-yard TD interception return, which crushed a Coronado comeback bid and gave the Vaqueros a 20-point lead with 3:32 remaining.

Jarvis was not available for comment, but Case noted that his teammate told him that he was cramping about 20 yards away from the goal line en route to completing his interception return.

El Capitan’s PHILLIP COOK had a big night, reeling in 5 passes for 124 yards and one touchdown. Cook also intercepted a pass that set up an El Capitan score.

Running back BEN WILKINS rushed for 94 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries. He also caught 2 passes for 26 yards and a score.

El Capitan totaled 535 yards – the seventh highest in school history.

“And to think that we were missing both of our starting slotbacks and had several other key guys hurting,” Burner said.

On the defensive side, senior linebacker JAKE STEUERMANN posted 10 tackles and a pair of sacks for the Vaqueros. Overall, El Capitan had 5 sacks and a gang-tackling defensive effort.

El Capitan's Aaron Denick (31) barely slips past Ramona defender Mike Head for the touchdown. (Photos by Tori Mills)

By that time the Bulldogs had built a 21-0 lead and were soon to extend their advantage to 28-0 in the second quarter.

Ramona (2-0) played demolition derby with the Vaqueros (1-1). The Bulldogs led 35-7 midway through the 3rd quarter and there was no doubt as to the outcome after that.

Although the Vaqueros’ offensive line held a size advantage over the Bulldogs defenders, El Capitan quarterback TANNER RUST was sacked seven times.

Despite the constant pressure, Rust was able to complete 15 of 26 passes for 205 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Vaqueros junior signal caller did a masterful job directing an 8-play, 80-yard scoring march in the 2nd quarter for El Capitan ’s first tally. Rust scored on a 1-yard dive and then kicked the extra point, making it 28-7 at the time.

Senior running back BEN WILKINS averaged more than 7 yards per carry for the Vaqueros. The problem here was Wilkins only ran the ball six times.

The game was won in the trenches where Ramona used its speed to dominant the Vaqueros size.

Top Left: Vaqueros quarterback Tanner Rust (8) with a pass in the red zone. Top Right: El Capitan defender Gabe Marocco (79) with the plant on Ramona's Mike Head. Bottom: Garrett Jarvis (7) gets a solid block from lineman Deryck Beveridge (78) for a nice gain vs. Ramona. (Photos by Tori Mills)

© East County Sports.com
PUKALANI, Maui, Hawai'i. (9-1-07/Updated 9-2-07) — While most of Southern California slept, the El Capitan Vaqueros proved that they could ride the Pineapple Express in Friday night’s (Aug. 31) season opener in Maui as they defeated Hawai'i’s defending state champion King Kekaulike, 51-36.

Quarterback TANNER RUST, who might shudder at walking in the footsteps of El Capitan’s record-breaking passer, RYAN LINDLEY (now at San Diego State), showed that he is a prospect those in the college ranks might want to keep an eye on.

The 6-foot-3, 201-pound junior, who spent the majority of last season establishing himself as East County ’s leading punter with a 41.3 average on 23 kicks, went berserk as a varsity starter, completing 16 of 23 passes for 345 yards and 5 touchdowns. Rust, who also played shortstop and catcher on the varsity baseball team, scored on a 60-yard run and converted 3-of-4 PAT kicks.

Day-long rain soaked the field prior to the opening kickoff.

“The balls were wet and the field was soggy, but I don’t think any of us cared,” said Rust. “I felt good all night. Our coaches thought that their coaches were able to recognize our plays, but it didn’t bother me. The post routes were there and I think our play-action kept them off balance.”

TILA CASE opened the scoring with a Grossmont Conference record 95-yard punt return in the first quarter. That return is the third-longest in San Diego CIF history. Case caught 8 passes for 232 yards and 3 touchdowns, playing longball with receptions of 71, 67 and 41 yards. He also rushed for 35 yards on 4 carries and intercepted a pass on defense.

Rust credits fullback BEN WILKINS, who rushed for 113 yards and 1 touchdown on 12 carries for lighting a fire under the Vaqueros offense.

“I think they were intent on stopping Ben,” said Rust. “But we showed them that we have a lot of weapons. They thought they knew us because they ran some weird defense, but they found out that we’re a pretty good team.”

How good are these Vaqueros? Only the San Diego Union-Tribune included El Capitan in its preseason rankings. The other media poll snubbed the Vaqueros.

“I think they’ll all see that El Capitan is no one-hit wonder,” Rust emphasized. “When we have Wilkins picking up yardage running it makes the defense focus on him. When they do that, it opens up our passing game.”

Also joining in El Capitan ’s scoring parade was GARRETT JARVIS, who reeled in a scoring pass of 33 yards from Rust. BRANDON SANCHEZ also accepted an 11-yard scoring pass in the 2nd quarter, giving El Capitan a 13-0 advantage.

The Vaqueros led 31-14 after 3 quarters before the humidity began taking a toll on the Lakeside 11. Even so, the two teams were able to trade touchdowns, as each team scored three times for a total of 42 points in the final 12 minutes.

Jarvis also had an interception, as did Case, for the Vaqueros.

Case proved his versatility by collecting 447 all-purpose yards, while Wilkins had 141 all-purpose yards.

© East County Sports.com
KEARNY MESA (7-14-07) -- A large contingent of fans from Lakeside witnessed a microcosm of the El Capitan High football program's transition in a single game Friday (July 13), when several Vaqueros plus game MVP TREVOR KOLOCHESKI of West Hills powered the South to a 14-0 victory in the Alex Spanos All-Star Classic at Mesa College's Douglas Stadium.

El Capitan quarterback RYAN LINDLEY, who is contending for a roster spot at San Diego State, directed a pair of second-half scoring drives, as Kolocheski registered key receptions on both drives.

The first was a 65-yarder to set-up a 1-yard touchdown gallop by Lester Arnold of Point Loma in the third period, then Kolocheski was rewarded following a 19-yard gainer by running the ball in from the 1-yard line out of the right slot on a sweep to the left side with 2:55 remaining.

"You have to chalk it up to the defense, we got some points on the scoreboard by making them pay for being too aggressive on defense," said Lindley, who completed 12-of-18 passes for 169 yards. "I think you're starting to see a lot more parity in San Diego County football."

The Vaqueros had been a .500 program in recent years, then posted a perfect 10-0 regular season slate in 2006, ranking No. 1 in both major San Diego CIF polls.

"Look at what we did at El Capitan this past year -- we were unknown before that," added Lindley. "A lot more people are putting in the work and taking football a lot more seriously."

"Now you see a lot of kids going to big schools after putting in the work for four years. Todd (Doxey of Hoover) is going to Oregon, for example -- now you're getting your school paid (college scholarships) as people are realizing San Diego football -- not just North County -- is for real and they're taking notice."

Meanwhile, the South defense dominated the perennially powerful North squad. Following a stalemate in the first half which left the contest scoreless, the South defenders maintained control in the second half, limiting the North to a mere 55 yards in total offense in one of the most dominating performances in the Classic's 17-game series.

"Our spread offense was opening up and moving the ball downfield -- everything just clicked," said Kolocheski, who indicated he has yet to finalize his college choice for this fall. "In the first half, it was pretty even -- they stopped us, we stopped them -- but after that, we controlled the game."

"They bit on our fake and we were wide open."

The short passing game of the South featured a game-high five receptions for 44 yards by El Cap's BEN NOY, who will play for Hawai'i this season. Arnold was the leading ground-gainer with 56 yards on 10 carries, following the lead of East County linemen, including TOMMIE DRAHEIM and TOMMY TOWNS of El Cap, JUAN BALANOS of Mount Miguel, West Hills' MIKE ROBLAS and Steele Canyon's LUIS GUERRA.

Meanwhile, the defense yielded just two first downs in the first half, then capped the shutout by getting to North quarterbacks for five quarterback sacks, including a pair of backfield hits by Grossmont College bound defensive lineman Richard Moore. Other sacks were recorded by MIKE HOLZ (El Capitan), Bobby Erskine (St. Augustine) and UCLA bound Robert McCurdy (Otay Ranch).

"We were really psyched for that goose(-egg, as in a shutout)," noted Towns. "The first thing to come in our minds was don't let them in the end zone."

Added Draheim, "We were just trying to prove the South has the ability, even if we don't have the same resources as a North County team. And we were willing to prove it here."

"We had something to prove and we proved it on the field. We had a lot of guys from El Cap here and our work ethic really helped us to win tonight. It was a great game and I enjoyed playing in it."

Other locals participating included: SCOT ALLEN and KYLER DWYER (Christian), TAELOR WORRELL and CODY FURR (El Capitan), DERRICK PERRAULT, MATT COBB and JERAD RUIZ (Helix), and RICHARD WICK (Steele Canyon).