WEEK 11
WEST HILLS 24, EL CAJON VALLEY 0 – It takes a caterpillar just a few weeks to transform into a butterfly. It took more than three months for the offensive-minded Wolf Pack to metamorphose into not only a ballclub dominated by defense, but a championship squad, too.

On Friday (Nov. 9), West Hills posted its second straight shutout, clinching the Grossmont North League crown outright after blanking the visiting Braves. In three GNL contests, the Pack allowed just a single touchdown, a feat even the coaching staff would've been hard-pressed to believe.

"We found out from the Grossmont Conference that if El Cajon won the game, and a 3-way tie resulted, that El Cajon would be designated the No. 1 team in our league," said first-year coach CASEY ASH. "I mentioned that to our team. I'm not sure what the effect was but I think it was positive."

West Hills' defense has extended its streak of shutout quarters to 14, handing the Braves (2-7, 1-2 GNL) their only shutout of the season. The West Hills' record for consecutive zeros is 16, established by the 1995 Wolf Pack, of which Ash was the starting free safety.

"We wanted to be recognized as the stingiest scoring defense," said Coach Ash of this year's unit. "We needed a shutout to edge out Grossmont by one point, and we were able to do that. We take a lot of pride in that."

Ash's ability to lead the Pack to the title has not come without hurdles.

"From getting hired just two months before the season, then all the distractions with the trip to Hawai'i ," Ash noted. "Then not scoring in three games, then sitting out three weeks because of the fires. And we started something like 1-and-4 -- we're not used to that here."

Ash, the youngest head coach in the Grossmont Conference at 29, sounded equally as excited as the players in voicing his emotion.

"We came a long way this season. The kids faced some really tough circumstances coming into this season, yet they really pulled through. It's pretty special."

The league crown is West Hills' first since 2004 and the 10th in the 19-year history of the program.

El Cajon Valley stood less than a yard from the end zone midway through the fourth quarter, electing to go for the touchdown on 4th down by rushing to the right side. However, Wolf Pack outside senior linebacker JOSH KLIMCZYK broke through the line to smack the Braves' ball-carrier for a 3-yard loss to force a turnover on downs.

"I knew I was the one who had to make the play if the ball went to my side," noted Klimczyk. "It was really tough, but we wanted to show we have the best defense in the league -- that's what we were playing for."

"They got to our 1, so we got pretty scared, but in the end we all got all pumped up and were ready to go," he added. "And when the tight end released, the back came right at me and I just tackled him and didn't let go."

RUDY ORTEGA finished as the team leader the Wolf Pack, reaching double-digits in tackles. Meanwhile, an interception by ERIC FIEGE set up the first West Hills touchdown after LEVI JACOB gave the Pack the early lead with a 22-yard field goal.

Fiege's 24-yard runback set up a 10-yard TD run by CHRIS BLUMKA for a 10-0 first-quarter lead.

"I ran right between the left guard and tackle," noted Blumka. "They did a really good job creating a big hole, and when a receiver blocked, I was barely even touched."

Meanwhile, West Hills limited the Braves to just 75 yards in total offense in 48 plays.

"We came out aggressive, then stepped up even more as the season went on," said Ortega. "I am shocked we did it -- I really am, because when the season started, we were a team but playing as individuals; we were together, but not as close as we are now."

"And now, since we've been working together, we've put together some wins. We had a bumpy ride this year getting shutout at Mission Hills and Helix, but now we've decided to take it -- we can go far in the playoffs.

A pair of touchdowns late in the 3rd period completed the victory.

CHRIS MISENSOL connected with Jacob on a 40-yard pass, setting up Misensol's quarterback sneak from the Braves-1 for a 17-0 lead. On the next series, the Pack needed only one play, as CHRISTIAN FONSECA ran through a series of arm tackles on a career-high 60-yard romp to the end zone.

Although quarterback ISAAC SOLIZ completed only 2 of 22 passes for 12 yards, GERALD KENDALL rushed for 16 carries for 60 yards.

"We had a slow start this year with a bunch of young guys in new positions," said Braves head coach DANNY GOODRICH. "We're a little young and we struggled, but then things started clicking a little bit for us. We made some strides with a great group of kids -- they didn't quit."

Unlike some hit-or-miss campaigns in the past, the Braves seem to be building in the proper direction.

"We have some young guys at key positions: a quarterback, a running back and two sophomore offensive linemen coming back, which is good for next year."

The Braves may be on the upswing, but the re-wiring of the Wolf Pack was completed sooner than anticipated.

"West Hills is a great team," Goodrich added. "Their D-line really set the tone. They have three hogs up front that get it done."

The trio includes Ortega, JOSH ARMSTRONG and DOMINIC LaRUSSA -- each a multi-year starter for the Pack.

West Hills hosts Westview (4-5) in a SDCIF Division II playoff opener on Friday (Nov. 16) at 7:30.

Note -- Since El Cajon Valley lost its final home game during Week 9 due to the mast cancelation of games due to wildfires, West Hills officials were courtesy enough to the allow a "Senior Night" for the Braves by introducing all of their players who were participating in their final high school contest.

“Yeah, you probably want to know how a team can get only 53 yards total offense and still score 21 points,” said a bemused Gross. “We just find a way to score.”

Obviously, not by putting together lengthy drives.

After averaging nearly 250 yards passing in the first four games, the Sultans’ offense has begun to sputter of late. Yet, despite its paltry yardage output in Friday’s (Nov. 2) Grossmont North League game against visiting El Cajon Valley, Santana (4-5, 1-2) was able to snap a 3-game losing streak by playing longball.

After blowing a 14-3 lead in the 4th quarter, the Sultans fought back to win on TYLER AUBREY’s 90-yard kickoff return with 6:31 to play.

“You have to hand it to our defense and our special teams,” said Gross. “Our defense was really great. It seemed like our defense was out there forever, but they did a great job.”

The Sultans forced 5 turnovers – 3 interceptions and 2 fumbles.

Gross singled out KRIS KIMMEL for his defensive leadership.

Kimmel’s 5th interception of the season set up a Santana touchdown in the 2nd quarter. His 39-yard return led to a 1-yard run by quarterback JAMES NEEDY, giving the Sultans a 7-3 halftime lead.

Santana forced a turnover early in the 3rd quarter as DANIEL CAREL recovered a fumble on the El Cajon Valley 25-yard line. Needy eventually culminated the drive with a 9-yard scoring pass to Aubrey, making it 14-3.

As usual, Aubrey was all over the field for Santana. He also made a key field goal block.

The Braves were further frustrated when NIK HODGE recovered a fumble, and the ROMERO brothers, KYLE and BRETT each had an interception.

Four of El Cajon Valley ’s turnovers came in the red zone.

“That really hurt us,” commented El Cajon Valley coach DANNY GOODRICH. “We were down 7-3 at halftime and had four turnovers, and that set the tone for the rest of the game. We should have been up 21-7 at halftime.”

El Cajon Valley took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter when freshman DANNY PETERSON booted a 20-yard field goal with 2:44 left.

The Braves (2-6, 1-1 GNL) looked as if they were going to pull out a victory on the strength of the passing arm of ISAAC SOLIZ. The junior quarterback, who completed 15 of 34 passes for 184 yards, fired scoring strikes of 5 and 32 yards to KEVIN KELLY (7-113) in the final quarter, putting El Cajon Valley on top 17-14.

But Santana’s Aubrey foiled the comeback with his scoring kickoff return.

“Our defense played well but were on the field too much,” Goodrich noted. “It was a very frustrating game.”

© 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.

“It was a case of Calexico double-booking a game on the same night,” Braves coach DANNY GOODRICH said. “Instead of playing us, Calexico elected to play Coachella Valley (a team they beat 23-10 on Friday).”

Goodrich’s dilemma was either to play nine games or look elsewhere for a tenth opponent. Great Oak was one of the few options available.

The visiting Wolfpack (4-1) overcame an early 3-0 El Cajon Valley lead to gain a 35-3 halftime lead.

“We were just overmatched,” Goodrich said. “We started out okay, but we just couldn’t keep up.”

The Braves (1-5) struck first on a 22-yard field goal by JOSE TORRES. The key play in that score was a 62-yard pass from ISAAC SOLIZ to KEVIN KELLY.

Kelly was on his way to a big night until he suffered a knee injury in the closing seconds of the first half.

“Kevin must have had well over 100 yards receiving, but I think we might have lost him with a torn ACL.”

El Cajon Valley’s final score came in the 4th quarter when PHILLIP ROGERS reeled in a 25-yard pass from Soliz.

“It was very frustrating tonight,” said Culver. “I thought we controlled the game pretty much, but we made too many mistakes on defense. We are still making too many young mistakes.”

On El Cajon Valley ’s side of the field, however, first-year head coach DANNY GOODRICH was disappointed with the loss yet pleased with the efforts of his battling Braves (1-4).

Trailing by six points with the ball at the Monte Vista 40, the Braves attempted a Hail Mary pass by quarterback ISAAC SOLIZ that reached the endzone. The Monarchs were able to bat the ball down to save their victory.

It was one of the few defensive plays that pleased Culver.

“We gave up too much yardage in the passing game,” Culver said.

He had a point. Soliz, who came in averaging 129 passing yards per game, uncorked a career-best 267 aerial yards against Monte Vista. The junior signal caller completed 22 of 36 passes, including scoring strikes of 32 yards to PETER ALKASS and 14 yards to PHILLIP ROGERS.

El Cajon Valley RB Kevin Alkass. (Photos by Chris DeBosier)

Sophomore quarterback MAURICE PAYNE scored what proved to be the winning touchdown for Monte Vista on a 45-yard scamper early in the 4th quarter.

“Our offensive line play was superb all night,” Culver said.

Williams rushed for a career-best 150 yards on 20 carries, while Payne chipped in with 110 yards on 11 sorties. JARED SCOTT pitched in with 49 yards on six carries.

The Monarchs LEVI MILLER came up with a key interception at the goal line to thwart an El Cajon Valley scoring chance late in the 2nd quarter.

GERALD KENDALL, who had rushed for 111 yards in the first four games, broke loose for 120 yards on 14 carries against the Monarchs. His breakout game included a 70-yard run.

Soliz scored on a 4-yard run in the 2nd quarter, marking only the second game in which the Braves have scored on a running play.

“Our kids played pretty well, we battled from start to finish. Monte Vista was able to run on us early. They converted their long 3rd- and 4th-down plays when they had to. Their offensive line blew us off the ball early and we had trouble defensively all night.”

On a brighter note, it was an offensive bonanza for the Braves, who rolled up 384 total yards.

“Our offensive line did a great job blocking for our runners and our quarterback,” Goodrich said.

The 5-foot-11, 167-pound Kelly, who has scored 38 points for the Braves, caught a 48-yard TD from quarterback ISAAC SOLIZ in the 4th quarter to help El Cajon Valley avoid the shutout.

There was a scramble at the goal line and some thought that Kelly might have fumbled the ball into the endzone where a teammate recovered. But the El Cajon Valley coaches didn’t see it that way. Either way, the Braves had a touchdown as FRANK VAZQUEZ came up with the loose ball.

Soliz passed for a career high 188 yards, hitting on 11 of 26 attempts.

PETER ALKASS had 3 receptions for 33 yard, DARIUS WHITE had 2 catches for 53 yards, while LUCAS STAFFORD had 2 catches for 43.

Where the Braves struggled was on running the ball.

“We were not able to run the ball whatsoever,” said El Cajon Valley coach DANNY GOODRICH. “They were more physical than us. We thought we were going to be able to run the ball, but we weren’t able to.”

“On the opening kickoff they returned it to our 17-yard line and went on to score from there. On our second possession we had a bad snap over our punter’s head. Patrick Henry recovered the ball for a touchdown. We couldn’t stop their run all night, and we couldn’t run.”

“As a coach in my position, you can’t help but think about getting that first win,” Goodrich said. “Your worst nightmare is to go 0-10. It’s not like you dwell on it, but it’s in the back of your mind.”

Goodrich had plenty of time to think about it as the team drove 90 miles into the desert Friday (Sept. 14) to face winless El Centro Southwest. No doubt, both teams had thoughts of victory dancing in their heads.

And then there’s always the heat factor, which on this particular evening did not come into play.

El Cajon Valley (1-2) forced 8 turnovers (6 fumbles, 2 interceptions) – 6 of them coming in the 1st half as the visiting Braves stormed to a 29-0 lead.

“We got off to a pretty good start last week at San Ysidro (10-0) and then just folded,” Goodrich said. “Sure, we had a pretty big lead at Southwest, but you never know when you don’t have a lot of depth.”

Once again the Braves were strongest in the 1st half, accounting for 144 of their 164 yards rushing in the first two quarters.

“For the first time in three games, our offensive line seemed to be more in synch,” Goodrich said of a youthful group which includes two sophomore starters. “When those guys play well, everything seems to work.”

GAVINO PINAL turned in a strong rushing effort for the Braves, picking up 103 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 14 carries. LUCAS STAFFORD scored on a 43-yard run for El Cajon Valley , which totaled 314 yards for the night.

El Cajon Valley senior KEVIN KELLY had 2 catches for 44 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback ISAAC SOLIZ. Kelly also booted a 40-yard field goal and returned 2 punts for 55 yards.

ABEL CERVANTES led the Braves’ defense with a pair of interceptions.

“Getting this first win under my belt is special,” Goodrich said. “Hopefully it will help our team get off the schneid.”

And Kelly has done it with versatility. He scored two touchdowns, booted two field goals and kicked one extra point. El Cajon Valley’s problem is no one else has figured out the Kelly formula.

El Cajon Valley (0-2) jumped out to a 10-0 first quarter lead in Friday night’s (Sept. 7) game at San Ysidro (1-1). ISAAC SOLIZ fired an 11-yard TD pass to Kelly, who then kicked the extra point and moments later booted a 25-yard field goal.

“We were doing everything pretty much at will on both ends of the ball in the first quarter,” said Braves coach DANNY GOODRICH. “Then we had some turnovers and a lot of mental mistakes. We had a lot of basic things that we seemed to regress on. We’ll be working on those in practice.”

El Cajon Valley's Edwin McGee (22) and Kevin Kelly (9) sandwich a running back from Sweetwater. (Susan Cooper Photography)

The Braves' multifaceted Kevin Kelly. (Susan Cooper Photography)

“We’ve had some injuries, and that’s caused us to move people around to positions that they’re not used to playing,” Goodrich said.

El Cajon Valley totaled only 118 offensive yards in 56 plays.

Goodrich, who was an offensive coach during the Braves’ record-breaking 2005 season, saw his debut as a head coach delayed by Mother Nature and bedeviled by Sweetwater.

“It felt good to play tonight but it was weird for us overall,” said Goodrich. “The field was wet from the rain and, due to the lightning, we had to call our JV game and didn’t get the varsity game going until after 7:30. We didn’t know if we were going to be able to play.”

What offense the Braves were able to generate was centered around senior KEVIN KELLY. The 3-year varsity veteran erased an early 3-0 deficit with a 43-yard field goal in the 2nd quarter.

Two quarters later Kelly would reel in a 71-yard scoring pass from junior quarterback ISAAC SOLIZ. By then it was too late, as the Red Devils were sitting on a 14-point lead as the clock wound down.

Soliz completed 8 of 20 passes for 126 yards in his varsity debut.

“We were able to move the ball well in the first half, but we shot ourselves in the foot too often,” Goodrich said. “We were a faster team than (Sweetwater). I would like to play them again on a dry field.”

“The defense played well overall. We gave them a couple of big plays and we had too many blown assignments. The O-line needs to dominate more up front. That’s what we’ll be working on this week.”

© 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).