FOOTHILLERS SCHEDULE Overall: 6-4-0 Grossmont North League: 2-1-0 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 Horizon (@ Helix) at Montgomery Steele Canyon Monte Vista at Valhalla Granite Hills *at El Capitan *Santana *at El Cajon Valley *West Hills BYE **Scripps Ranch Score 39-07 21-13 14-19 28-07 31-35 23-10 34-31 12-07 ccd. 0-19 3-28 CHEERLEADERS Team Photo yet to be submitted

JUNIOR VARSITY (8-2, 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 Horizon Montgomery Steele Canyon Monte Vista Valhalla Granite Hills *El Capitan *Santana *West Hills BYE 43-18 46-07 19-00 44-06 26-34 43-20 18-06 21-10 no report FRESHMEN (7-2, 3-0 GNL) Date Opponent Score Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 10 Wk 11 San Clemente Montgomery Steele Canyon Monte Vista Valhalla Granite Hills *El Capitan *Santana *West Hills BYE 30-14 37-20 07-27 14-21 55-07 19-00 41-21 48-18 38-24

WEEK 12 / CIF FIRST ROUND
SCRIPPS RANCH 28, GROSSMONT 3 -- It was obvious that the Grossmont Foothillers were not playing with the same offense that they enjoyed during the regular season.

To be blunt, they struggled in Friday's (Nov. 16) SDCIF Division II playoff opener against visiting Scripps Ranch (6-4).

The Foothillers (6-4) actually started fast. A 20-yard pass from quarterback CHARLIE PIRO to CONOR MEREDITH covering 20 yards set up an 18-yard field goal by senior JOSH SIMMS to make it 3-0 in the first period. Grossmont should have gotten more, as it had a first-and-goal at the 2-yard line.

Of course, playing without its No. 1 playmaker, Simms -- unable to assume his regular quarterbacking position due to a broken collarbone -- Grossmont (6-4) seemed out of synch most of the game.

Credit Piro for stepping in for Simms and completing 12 of 18 passes for 151 yards. Five of those connections went to MICHAEL GRAHAM for 58 yards.

The Hillers had even less success running the ball, totaling just 68 yards on 29 carries. KHALID WATERS, who was banged up in Grossmont's regular season finale, rushed for only 43 yards on 16 carries.

Grossmont's DOMINIQUE BRADLEY delivered some big hits but the Foothillers really had no answer to Scripps Ranch's scrambling quarterback, Tate Forcier.

Forcier rushed for touchdowns of 35, 13 and 45 yards, and passed for a fourth, finishing with 158 total yards.

On the defensive side Grossmont did come up with 3 sacks -- one apiece from KYLE VOIGHT, DONOVAN STAUDER and BOBBY LOPEZ.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (11-3-07) — When CASEY ASH was named head coach of the West Hills Wolf Pack less than two months before the start of the season, he admitted he was a little bit on the panicked side.

After a victory in the Islands , the Wolf Pack proceeded to lose four of its next five. Some teams with a rookie head coach might have cashed it in at that point. Not so at West Hills.

“I think we’re peaking at the right time,” Ash said after the visiting Wolf Pack blanked Grossmont 19-0 Friday night (Nov. 2). “There’s no shame in losing to teams like Mission Hills, Helix and Steele Canyon. The important games are the ones we’re playing now.”

Not only did West Hills hand Grossmont its first shutout in 58 games dating back to 2002, but the Wolf Pack (4-4, 2-0 GNL) secured at least a share of the Grossmont North League championship. If the Pack can sack El Cajon Valley in next week’s regular season finale, they will capture the Grossmont North title outright.

“We are motivated,” said senior defensive lineman RUDY ORTEGA, who recorded to sacks. “We came out this week hungry for a win, since we’d gone 20 days without playing a game. We could smell it.”

Do-it-all senior ERIC FIEGE provided the Wolf Pack with the scoring punch to knock out the Foothillers (6-3, 2-1 GNL), garnering 211 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.

On the final play of the first period Fiege – making his senior debut at quarterback – took a snap out of shotgun formation and raced 70 yards for a touchdown.

“We’ve had a package with Fiege at quarterback all season but hadn’t used it yet, said Ash. “The second play at quarterback he made that long touchdown run. It was a big play – I went crazy, everyone did. It was nice to finally break through and get things going the right way.”

Early in the 2nd quarter Fiege displayed his expertise as a wide receiver, hauling in a long pass from quarterback CHRIS MISENSOL for a 66-yard touchdown and a 12-0 lead.

“Fiege made a nice move to get open, but Misensol made the play,” Ash said.

“The play was a slant and go, and Misensol threw a nice pass right over the center’s head and Fiege outran the defense from there. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

“That was the best half we’ve played all year,” Ash said. “We knew Grossmont had a lot of speed, so we got real physical and put a face on them.”

Senior middle linebacker DAVID HERNANDEZ, a 3-year starter for the Wolf Pack, talked about the overall intensity and West Hills’ determination to shut down Grossmont’s running game.

Mission accomplished, as the Foothillers averaged slightly more than two yards per carry on 27 chances.

“We were all hyped up to stop the running game,” Hernandez said. “We had guys plugging up the middle and our safeties putting a hat on them on the outside. They had nowhere to run.”

Grossmont’s woes began when it lost starting quarterback JOSH SIMMS to an apparent broken collarbone early in the 2nd quarter. Early in the 3rd quarter tailback/corner KHALID WATERS followed Simms to the sidelines with pain in his back.

Simms, a standout baseball player, appears to be finished for the season. Senior CHARLIE PIRO, Grossmont’s starting quarterback the past two seasons and part of this one, took over for his injured comrade and completed 10 of 20 passes for 124 yards.

“This game was by far our best,” said Hernandez. “We put the hit on ‘em all night.

People have kinda counted us out from the start. We needed to make a statement and I think we did tonight.”

Ortega talked about the change of coaches from the veteran STEVE SUTTON to the youthful Ash.

“It was a change that was tough on all of us,” said Ortega. “Coach Sutton was the fatherly type, so losing him was like losing your father. In a lot of ways it was heart-breaking.”

Ortega and company have made a positive adjustment to Ash’s way of doing things.

“No matter who our coach is, we’re still a team,” said Ortega. “The biggest difference between Coach Ash and Coach Sutton is Ash pushes us much harder. He’s more demanding.”

That paid off in the win over Grossmont.

“We all want that league championship, including Coach Ash,” Ortega said. “We probably have spent an hour and a half more than usual preparing for this game. I think the results speak for themselves. Everybody was on fire out there tonight.”

A ferocious Hillers defense slapped Santana all over the field, rarely allowing the guests past midfield. But when quarterback JAMES NEEDY found TYLER BLACKLEDGE on a quick slant to the left side for a 53-yard touchdown with 2:31 remaining, suddenly Grossmont faced the prospect of another barnburner finish.

Even the Grossmont faithful became uncomfortably quiet in a game which could've been one-sided yet turned into another nail-biter. Would it be a repeat of the Valhalla disaster or the late triumph over El Capitan?

"We came out stronger after the El Cap game and we got the 'W' -- it felt good," said defensive end ANDRES CHAVARIN, who was huge with three sacks, a forced fumble and an interception return of 40 yards. "We wanted to pressure them and force them to make poor passes and some mistakes."

To make things worse, in addition to the Santana TD, a roughing-the-passer penalty allowed Santana to kickoff on the Grossmont side of the 50. However, BOBBY LOPEZ overcame an accidental kick to the helmet to cover the onsides kick.

"I had to come through for our team, so I took one for the team," noted Lopez, a senior outside linebacker. "It's kind of upsetting that we had to keep picking up our offense, but you know what, next week is a another week. At least everyone gave a 100-percent effort."

Quarterback JOSH SIMMS then broke free on a 30-yard burst for a first down which allowed Grossmont to run-out the clock. The long run gave Simms an even 100 yards for the contest, while KHALID WATERS finished with 93 yards on 18 rushes, 62 of it coming in the first half.

But the focus was on the Grossmont defense, which extended Santana's scoreless streak on offense to nearly 8 consecutive quarters before the Sultans made things interesting in the waning minutes.

Along with Chavarin's 3 sacks, Lopez reached Needy twice for sacks, including one when he forced and recovered a fumble. Meanwhile, defensive back NICK FLOYD was a part of 10 tackles while tipping away a pair of passes.

"We stepped it up on defense," said Lloyd. "The whole team -- special teams, defense and offense -- were ready to play."

With the triumph, Grossmont (6-2, 2-0) expects to meet West Hills (3-4, 1-0) -- both undefeaten in league -- for the Grossmont North title (although that was before it was known that El Cajon Valley stunned El Capitan to also remain unbeaten in the GNL).

"I expect West Hills to be a great game," added Lloyd. "It'll be just like the playoffs, so it will be a big game."

Santana (3-5, 0-2) posted its own share of defensive stops, but could only force a single turnover on the game's opening play from scrimmage when junior linebacker KRIS KIMMEL intercepted Simms.

Top: Running back Khalid Waters. Bottom: Quarterback Josh Simms. (Photos by Greg Eichelberger)

The Sultans also registered four stops in the red zone, forcing Grossmont to settle for field goals. Simms, who also serves as placekicker, was perfect by converting a kick in each quarter with connections from 20, 20, 36 and 19 yards for all of the team's scoring.

The four field goals by Simms is one short of the San Diego CIF record of five, first set by SCOTT WEBB of Helix in 1982, then equaled by Ramona's Tim Valencia in 2001. Four others have also kicked four FGs in a game, including JOE NIKODEM of Helix in 1983.

And Simms' 12 points ties him for 8th place on the SDCIF all-time list for kick-scoring in a contest.

At quarterback, Simms completed 15-of-28 passes for 149 yards, including six receptions to Floyd for 65 yards. TERREL CHAPPLE and MICHAEL GRAHAM added three catches each.

For Santana, Needy was 18-for-38 for 217 yards, including seven strikes to Blackledge for 118 yards. TYLER AUBREY added four catches for 49 yards, while KYLE ROMERO caught three balls for 34 yards.

On the defensive side, Grossmont linebacker ERIC SPRINGE led with 10 tackles. Safety DOMINIQUE BRADLEY added 8 stops. Lopez added 2 sacks, 4 tackles and recovered a fumble.

© 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."

No question, Grossmont’s defense was the swing factor in Friday’s (Oct. 5) triumph over visiting Granite Hills.

Interceptions by KHALID WATERS (resulting in a 15-yard touchdown return), DOMINIQUE BRADLEY and BOBBY LOPEZ helped secure the Foothillers’ 4th win in 6 starts.

Grossmont’s defense came up big in the waning moments of the 4th quarter after the Eagles’ JAKE CASTILLO blocked a Foothillers punt that was recovered by Granite Hills’ GAGE MILLER at the Grossmont 10 with 7:54 remaining.

It took the Eagles (2-3) three plays to advance to the Grossmont 3-yard line. A 4th down pass from Granite Hills quarterback JUSTIN MONTGOMERY sailed over the head of the intended receiver, handing the ball back to Grossmont with 5:45 to play.

“Too many turnovers, too many missed chances,” Granite Hills coach RANDY DeWITT said. “Those are the kind of things you can’t do against a good team like Grossmont.”

Grossmont quarterback JOSH SIMMS scored early on a 46-yard run, but after that was under siege and unable to cross the line of scrimmage again.

“In that first scoring run, it was just a designed running play to the left, like student body left,” said Simms, who finished with 246 yards total offense. “But (Granite Hills) made adjustments in the 2nd half, started shifting guys and basically made us struggle on offense.”

Simms kicked field goals of 33, 24 and 28 yards and finished with 17 points for the Foothillers. In the last two games Simms has accounted for 48 of Grossmont’s 54 points.

“I love playing quarterback,” said Simms, who was a wide receiver last year. “But this was a tough game and we have to hand it to our defense. They won it for us.”

ERIC SPRINGE paced the Foothillers with 12 tackles and a sack, while Bradley had 11 tackles to go along with his interception. WILL KEYS made 8 stops, one more than Lopez.

“Defensively, we played very well,” said Hulbert. “Granite Hills did the right things against us, caused us some problems offensively. They wouldn’t let Simms get outside, and that was smart.”

Granite Hills quarterback Montgomery completed 15 of 30 passes for 109 yards, including a 2-yard scoring pass to MIKE MISENSOL on the final play of the 1st half. That left the Eagles trailing by 10 points.

The only scoring in the 2nd half was a field goal by Simms.

BRADLEY CARTER was a double-threat for the Eagles, rushing for a game-high 54 yards on 8 carries. He also caught 4 passes for 32 yards and returned one kickoff for 14 yards.

For Grossmont Waters caught 3 passes for 59 yards and rushed for 24 in addition to his interception return for a touchdown.

NICK FLOYD also caught 2 passes for 50 yards, while MICHAEL GRAHAM reeled in a pair of passes for 63 yards for the Foothillers.

Sutton, East County’s offensive maestro, was talking about the Norsemen passing game – and opponents who have to defend it. His team put that practice into motion Friday night (Sept. 28) and eventually wore down the visiting Foothillers for a thrilling come-from-behind victory.

Valhalla (2-2) scored 21 points over the final 20 minutes of the second half to stun the Foothillers (3-2). TRAIVONNE BROWN sandwiched a pair of touchdowns around RUFFY BACONG’s 5-yard scoring run to complete Valhalla ’s comeback.

“Like a lot of teams we play, all of Grossmont’s skill guys go both ways,” said Sutton. “They run pass patterns on offense and then have to cover our pass patterns on defense.”

Valhalla executed 75 plays, which is on the high end for a high school team.

“We just ran them into the ground with our no-huddle,” Sutton noted.

Valhalla began it winning drive at the Grossmont 44 with 2:49 remaining. On first down, Norseman quarterback PETE THOMAS faked a handoff, holding the ball at his side, biding his time. Brown wandered out to the left flat.

Thomas then zinged the ball to him, and Brown put it into overdrive, taking off for the endzone.

A Grossmont defender caught Brown at the 5-yard line, but the determined Norseman literally dragged the would-be tackler the last 5 yards into the endzone. It was his third touchdown of the game and Valhalla ’s first lead of the night.

Senior quarterback JOSH SIMMS tried to initiate a last-ditch effort for the Foothillers, completing successive passes of 14 and 13 yard for a first down at the Valhalla 45. Simms would have kept the Foothillers’ drive alive had not two of his last four passes been dropped.

Top: Running back Khalid Waters. Bottom: Quarterback Josh Simms. (Photos by Susan Cooper Photography)

Starting his second game at quarterback for Grossmont, Simms got the Hillers on the board first with a 19-yard TD strike to NICK FLOYD. Simms kicked the first of his 4 PATs in the game to make it 7-0 with 3:48 left in the first quarter.

Grossmont’s offense is much ado about Simms, as the versatile signal caller proved a minute later. On first down Simms hit CHARLIE PIRO for a 10-yard reception, and then Piro lateraled to KHALID WATERS, who picked up 18 yards to the Valhalla 32. Waters sprinted 22 yards on the next play, down to the Norsemen 10-yard line. It appeared that Valhalla was going to thwart the drive when defensive tackle TREVOR DOTSON tackled Waters for a 2-yard loss, but a penalty put the ball at the 6 and Simms found Floyd wide open in the end zone for their second TD hookup.

Back-to-back 18-yard runs runs by ZACK ROMERO and RUFFY BACONG helped position the Norsemen at the Grossmont 15. Thomas then threw a perfect fade pass to the back of the endzone that was grabbed by wide receiver BRANDON GIANDONI (6 catches, 115 yards). Thomas kicked the first of his 5 PATs, closing the gap to 14-7, at the 10:09 mark of the second quarter.

Grossmont came right back on its next possession, driving 59 yards in 8 plays, upping their lead to 21-7 on a 17-yard toss and catch from Simms to wide receiver BRYAN HAAR.

Valhalla's offense sputtered and stumbled on its next possession until it had a first-and-28 from its own 26-yard line. Thomas threw a bomb downfield to Giandoni for a 61-yard gain to the Hiller 13. Four plays later, running back Brown burst through the middle of the Grossmont defense for a 3-yard TD run

Grossmont wasn't done, however. Simms maneuvered his team down the field quickly, hooking up with Floyd for a 24-yard pickup and with Haar for a 43-yard pass gain to the Valhalla 12. When the drive stalled at the Valhalla 7-yard line, Simms kicked a 23- yard field goal to give the Foothillers a 24-14 halftime lead.

Early in the second half, a punt by Valhalla ’s WES PARKER hit a Grossmont player and the Norsemen recovered at the Hiller 41. Thomas eventually attempted a 30-yard field goal that hit the left upright and bounced back into the field of play.

As momentum swung to Grossmont, Simms spotted Haar wide open down the field and heaved the pigskin to him for a 55-yard TD, extending Grossmont’s advantage to 31-14 with 7:41 left in the third stanza.

As the third quarter wound down, the Norsemen put together an 11-play drive, with Thomas throwing strikes to sophomore NINO MALLORY three times, getting down to the Hiller 10-yard line. Then, center JEFF ALEXANDER and guard SPENCER COUGHENOUR opened up big holes on successive plays for Brown, culminating in a 2-yard touchdown run up the middle to make it a 10-point deficit.

The Norsemen, rapidly becoming known as a passing team, proved they can run the ball with consistency. Bacong scored his first touchdown of the season on a 5-yard run – Valhalla ’s seventh consecutive running play in that series. Suddenly it was a 3-point with 6:48 to play.

An interception by Valhalla defensive back KEENAN HIRSCH was a huge play for the Norsemen. Unable to advance past the Grossmont 12-yard line, Valhalla turned it over on downs, electing not to try another field goal, which would have tied the game.

“Yeah, that was kind of a gamble,” Sutton said. “But we figured that they were tired and our defense could hold them and give us another chance.”

And so they did.

For Grossmont Floyd caught 7 passes for 89 yards with 2 TDs, while Haar caught 3 passes for 117 yards and 2 TDs. Waters accounted for 128 all-purpose yards. Linebacker DOMONIQUE BRADLEY topped Grossmont with 22 tackles.

Grossmont running back Nick Floyd (Photo by Susan Cooper Photography)

Simms completed 20 of 26 passes for a career-high 266 yards, including a 7-yard scoring strike to former incumbent quarterback CHARLIE PIRO in the fourth quarter.

“Josh had a great game at quarterback,” said Hulbert. “He ran the offense well and showed a lot of poise. It was a nice transition game for him.”

Simms also rushed for 44 yards and one touchdown on 7 carries, giving him 310 yards total offense for the night.

Grossmont (3-1) took a 14-0 lead on 1-yard scoring runs by KHALID WATERS and Simms in the first half.

Monte Vista refused to roll over as JERAD SCOTT cut the lead in half on a 1-yard dive, followed by BRANDON EGBERT’s PAT kick.

The Foothillers, who tied Monte Vista a year ago, put the game away with a pair of touchdowns in the final period. Waters (29 carries, 69 yards) scored on a 1-yard dive to make it 20-7. Simms passed to NICK FLOYD for the 2-point conversion.

Floyd led the Foothillers with 6 receptions for 118 yards. BRYAN HAAR reeled in 5 receptions for 87 yards.

“This was a good comeback win for us after the way we played last week,” said Hulbert. “We had a good game plan designed by our coaches on both sides of the ball. The players reacted to the game plan well.”

DOMONIQUE BRADLEY had 10 tackles, MICHAEL BARLETT made 9 tackles and a fumble recovery, while CONOR MEREDITH had 8 tackles and a fumble recovery as well.

“Our defense was very impressive,” Hulbert added. “They flew to the ball all night. We were ready for everything they threw at us tonight. We had no surprises. It was nice to get a win at home. It was important for us to come out and show everyone what Grossmont football is all about.”

NICK WILLIAMS paced Monte Vista (1-2) with 118 yards on 16 rushes. Only two Monarchs broke the 100-yard barrier last season. JOSH GOSSMEYER caught two MAURICE PAYNE passes for 65 yards.

“We shot ourselves in the foot on special teams all night,” said Monte Vista coach PAGE CULVER. “We had two bad snaps on punts that led to the first two Grossmont scores. We took a big step forward last week against El Camino. This week we took no steps at all.

“JOSH GOSSMEYER played another great game for us,” added Culver. “He’s been playing well all season.”

“We’ve given up 42 (of 49 points) on either kickoff returns, interception returns or bad punt snaps.”

The foundation of Steele Canyon football is defense. But the Cougars (2-1) had to look to their offense Friday night (Sept. 14) at Grossmont to steal a victory from the Foothillers (2-1).

After falling behind 14-13 the Cougars engineered a 2-minute drill with precision not familiar to their offenses of the past. Coming from behind in the final seconds is something that hasn’t been a part of the Steele Canyon playbook.

Cougars quarterback NICK STATHAS, who completed 11 of 21 passes for 178 yards, glued his attention on JEBARI ROBINSON as the clock was winding down. It appeared that Stathas and Robinson had connected for a game-winning touchdown.

The official did not see it that way, ruling that Robinson had stepped out at the 2-yard line.

“We’ve looked at the film several times and we can’t see where Jebari stepped out of bounds,” said Cougars coach RON BOEHMKE. “It should have been a touchdown.”

It didn’t matter though, as senior rushing leader JAMIE DALE scored what proved to be the winning touchdown on a 2-yard run with 0:37.8 seconds to play. The Cougars went for and missed a 2-point conversion.

But Steele Canyon would make one final stand. The Cougars thought that the game had ended only to discover the officials had ruled that Grossmont would be awarded one more play with 0:001 remaining on the clock.

“I think we got jobbed a little bit by the home team’s clock,” Boehmke. “We got snakebit with a lot of little things that didn’t go our way. I felt karma should at least go our way with 1/10th of a second left.”

Steele Canyon was given a chance to test that on the final play of the game.

Grossmont quarterback CHARLIE PIRO lofted a pass to KHALID WATERS, who was surrounded by five Cougars defenders near the goal line. Piro’s pass was high and ricocheted off Waters’ hands at the 2-yard line. Had Waters caught the pass, he would have never reached the endzone as he was flattened immediately by BRANDON BROWN and TED WOMACK.

“I think we earned this win,” Boehmke said. “But at the same time I think we’re lucky to be 2-1 because I know this team can be a heckuva lot better than they are right now.”

The multi-skilled Dale paced the Cougars with 156 all-purpose yards. Quarterback Stathas had one of his best games, completing 10 of 17 passes for 207 yards and one touchdown. Robinson pulled down 6 passes for 111 yards, including a 15-yard TD strike that tied the game 7-7 at halftime.

Fullback SCOTT PERLIN was a stealth contributor to the Steele Canyon win. The 5-10, 192-pound senior rushed for 38 yards and a touchdown and caught 5 passes for 54 yards. Dale also caught 2 passes for 42 yards and returned one kickoff for 20.

The Foothillers, who have lived by the running game for decades, received 71 yards and a touchdown on 18 rushes by Waters.

Quarterback JOSH SIMMS (11-23, 190 yards) and Piro (3-10, 51 yards) helped Grossmont total 341 yards in a losing effort. Floyd caught 5 passes for 107 yards while MICHAEL GRAHAM (3-44), COLTON BUGAWISAN (3-48), and Waters (3-48) completed the Foothillers’ passing attack.

Waters had 2 interceptions and WILL KEYS logged 11 tackles to lead the Foothillers. CONOR MEREDITH, DOMONIQUE BRADLEY and ERIC SPRINGE had 10 tackles apiece.

Grossmont's Bobby Lopez (22) and Nick Floyd "greet" Aztecs quarterback Marvin Bobadilla. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

GROSSMONT 21, MONTGOMERY 13 (Revised) -- Versatile senior JOSH SIMMS was a triple threat for the Foothillers in Friday’s (Sept. 7) non-league win at Montgomery (0-2).

Simms caught a 41-yard scoring strike from CHARLIE PIRO in the opening quarter, scored on a 1-yard sweep in the 2nd period, and then delivered a 20-yard game-winning scoring pass to BRYAN HAAR in the 3rd quarter, which locked up Grossmont’s second win in as many starts.

“I scrambled right and Bryan came across left,” said Simms. “He was our backside receiver on that play, and I hit him in the middle.”

Haar hauled in a career-high 6 passes for 69 yards.

Simms, who has a baseball scholarship to the University of Pacific , played most of the 2nd half at quarterback.

“I like playing quarterback,” added Simms, who completed 3 of 5 passes for 65 yards. Simms also caught 2 passes for 47 yards and rushed 8 times for 42 yards.

There's a fumble!. . . as Foothillers defender Conor Meredith (1) makes the recovery. (Photos by Chris Edwards)

NICK FLOYD caught 3 passes for 48 yards and CONOR MEREDITH pulled down 2 for 25 yards.

Once again KHALID WATERS was Grossmont’s top rusher, with 85 yards on 19 carries. He also caught one pass for 14 yards.

The game would have been even more lop-sided in Grossmont’s favor if two touchdowns not been wiped out by penalties.

(L-R): Nick Floyd (2) finds room to run; Kendall Colosimo (23) jumps for joy; while Michael Bartlett (5) pressures Montgomery punter Brandon Meredith.

Grossmont's Josh Simms (8) strolls into the end zone for the easy touchdown vs. Montgomery. Simms is flanked by Danny Demas (72), Conor Meredith (1) and Donovan Stauder (51). (Photos by Chris Edwards)

Friday’s (Aug. 31) season opener belonged to the running game in general and KHALID WATERS in particular. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound senior rushed for 145 yards on a dozen carries, and scored on runs of 6, 42 and 46 yards as the Foothillers stormed to a 32-7 halftime lead in the non-league contest.

Waters proved himself one of East County’s top two-way stars as he also scored from the defensive side, returning an interception 35 yards for a 2nd quarter touchdown.

This was a brilliant start for Waters, who totaled 36 points in 11 games last year. On this day he totaled 204 all-purpose yards.

The only score in the 2nd half was a 30-yard pass from CHARLIE PIRO to JOSH SIMMS in the 3rd quarter. Simms earlier contributed a 2-yard scoring run in the 1st period.

It was a solid day for Simms, who was 3-for-3 passing for 39 yards in relief of starting QB Piro (6-20, 99 yards). Simms also accounted for 33 yards rushing and 21 on two receptions.

With the exception of one long run by Horizon in the 2nd quarter, the Foothillers literally bullied the Panthers.

Junior defensive back DOMINIQUE BRADLEY posted a team-best 11 tackles, while senior linebacker ERIC SPRINGE made 8 stops, and MICHAEL BARTLETT had 6 tackles. RAYSHAWN GLOBE recovered a fumble, made a sack and totaled 3 tackles upfront for Grossmont. MICHAEL O’NEILL recovered a fumble as did KEVIN WRIGHT, and ANDRES CHAVARIN also had a sack as Foothillers’ coach JUDD HULBERT made wholesale substitutions.

In two meetings with Horizon, Grossmont has claimed a 70-7 scoring edge.

© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (8-16-07) -- The first five ballgames for CIF Football Friday telecasts have been announced, as Channel 4 San Diego has switched last season's Thursday Night specials to the traditional final day of the school week.

Included will be a Week 3 (Sept. 14) matchup between two of county's most respected programs, as Helix (10-3 last season) will entertain defending CIF Division I champion Carlsbad.

Then in Week 5 (Sept. 28), the pairing will feature Valhalla (6-7-0) playing its second-ever home game on a brand new artificial carpet against Grossmont (4-6-1).

Both the Highlanders and Norsemen also hosted Channel 4 contests last season, including the series debut at Helix' Jim Arnaiz Field.

Cox Cable producer JASON BOTT, the husband to former All-CIF women's basketball player PAULA (MASCARI) BOTT, noted that the station will utilize a flex schedule, thus, the final six regular season contests won't be annouced until about two weeks prior to the cablecast, ensuring top-flight match-ups.

Games which are opposite San Diego Padres ballgames will be shown on tape delay following the baseball post-game program. Otherwise, the games will be shown live, starting at 7 p.m.

Steve Quis will be joined by Chris Ello of XX Sports Radio (AM-1190) to announce the first game. After that, it will be Ello (play-by-play) over the course of September.

Cox Cable 4 Schedule
Aug. 31: Carlsbad vs. St. Augustine (at Douglas Stadium)
Sept. 7: Oceanside at La Costa Canyon
Sept. 14: Carlsbad at Helix
Sept. 21: Escondido at Rancho Buena Vista
Sept. 28: Grossmont at Valhalla