WEEK 14 -- CIF PLAYOFFS / SEMIFINALS

CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC 37, MOUNT MIGUEL 0 – The Matadors missed a chance to make history as they were dissected by a hard-charging squad from Cathedral Catholic in Friday's (Nov. 30) rain-pelted SDCIF Division III semifinal in North County.

Mount Miguel (8-4), which has never won two playoff games in succession and last reached the semifinals in 1987, fell behind 14-0 in the early going. The Matadors were in position to make a game out of it in the final minutes of the first half until Jordan Lance intercepted a tipped AARON BRYANT pass in the end zone.

Not only did that kill Mount Miguel's momentum, it set the stage for the Dons' knockout punch. One play after that critical theft, Cathedral's Tyler Gaffney crashed through the Mount Miguel line and raced 93 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead.

It wasn't much of a game after that. Four interceptions by the Dons foiled any comeback plans Mount Miguel might have been entertaining. Two of the thefts led directly to Cathedral touchdowns.

Cathedral (9-2) has won six straight, clubbing those half-dozen foes by a 245-77 scoring margin. It was first time in 31 games that the Matadors had been shut out.

Mount Miguel, in fact, had averaged more than 28 points in the six games leading up to Friday's washout.

One of the few bright spots was Bryant, who despite a dislocated finger on his passing hand, completed 12 of 22 for 185 yards.

AHMAAD NUNLEY led Mount Miguel receivers with 5 catches for 56 yards. TRAVON CAPLES reeled in 4 passes for 61 yards. ELLIOT TAYLOR topped the Matadors rushers with 46 yards on 16 carries.

Escape from The Mountain
Matadors score with 0:02 to tie,
Improv 2-point Smith run wins it

© East County Sports.com
RAMONA (11-24-07) -- Call it the football version of a walkoff run in baseball -- by stealing home plate.

Moments after Mount Miguel High's AARON BRYANT broke a 40-year-old Matadors passing record (271 yards set by JERRY LOWERY) by surpassing the 300-yard mark, Bryant tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to AHMAAD NUNLEY with 0:02 remaining. RICO SMITH then shocked the entire stadium -- including his own coaching staff -- by running for the tie-breaking 2-point conversion to upend host Ramona, 29-27, in Friday's (Nov. 23) San Diego CIF Division III quarterfinals at The Dawg Pound.

Surviving three costly penalties on a game-winning drive which never should have occurred, Mount Miguel advances to its first Final Four game since the undefeated Matadors of 1987 reached the round of four before suffering their first loss.

The Matadors will meet top-seeded Cathedral Catholic, which waxed Lincoln, 51-7, next weekend.

With the game clocking winding under 2 minutes and Mount Miguel out of timeouts, the Bulldogs led 27-21 yet gambled on 3rd-and-goal from the Matadors-5. Bypassing an 8th straight running play to either run out the clock or set-up a victory-clinching field goal, Ramona tried to get sneaky and punch its ticket to the semifinals with a pass play.

However, senior free safety SAMATRE JONES had other ideas. He stepped in front of an aerial directed towards the tight end and intercepted the pass in the endzone, returning the ball 58 yards before running out of steam and getting caught from behind.

"Ramona kept doing a sweep with the tight end pulling, but this time he didn't pull and did an out route," explained Jones. "Coach said if he does that, jump it, and I did and got the pick."

"I was shocked they passed. I thought it would be 'run, run' -- it was crazy. I don't know why they threw it, but I'm glad because I knew if we got the ball back, our offense can score from anywhere on the field."

Bryant then went to work with a series of passes, completing 4-of-6 tosses, including three straight to TRAVON CAPLES to advance to the Bulldogs-1 with 21 seconds remaining.

Caples also established a Mount Miguel single game record, finishing with 10 receptions for 155 yards. His number of catches ties him with Mount Miguel Hall of Famer JEROME WEATHERSPOON (10 catches versus Helix in 1978) and DEWEY DOROUGH (10 catches vs. Valhalla 1992).

"The corner was trying to jam me up, so I had to get off him as best as I can to make something happen with seconds to go," said Nunley. "My quarterback made a nice pass and I just had to go up and get it."

"It was just confidence -- the coaches told us not to hang our heads -- so I just used my springs to get up and somehow make a play."

Then the pressure of the world seemed to coil upon the Matadors.

A Bryant sneak for an apparent score was nullified for a rarely called pushing penalty when the running backs aided the pile into the endzone, although no such infraction was called on a similar TD rush by Smith on the opening drive of the second half which gave Mount Miguel a 21-14 lead.

"Samatre made a great break on the ball for the interception, then we worked on our 2-minute drill and executed well," said Bryant. "Then we had the penalty, but we had to deal with adversity. We're all humans, but we made plays when it counted."

Undeterred, Bryant reached his passing milestone with a lob to the right corner of the endzone, as Nunley out-jumped above a defender to come down with the ball to tie the contest at 27-all.

Thus, Ramona's miss on its final conversion -- a blocked kick by Mount Miguel 's ARTHUR HOBBS -- came into play. The Matadors only needed to convert their PAT for the victory... but nothing would be so simple in this epic finish.

Although the boot by ALAIN ROMERO was mis-kicked, the ball still barely blooped over the crossbar for the game-winning point. However, a holding penalty on one of the Ramona wings would not only take the point off the scoreboard, the following try was pushed 10 yards back.

"I could see my kicker was really nervous because he's a freshman, and he barely made the first kick," noted Smith, the holder for PATs. "I knew I had to do something."

Fortunately, Mount Miguel already had a contingency plan for such occasions.

"I didn't know he was going to do it, but, yes, Rico has the option to run the ball if he sees them pinching," said head coach TOM KARLO. "Rico's one of our smartest players and he was very composed. He made the perfect read, then took it in."

"Rico's our overall Mr. Everything -- he runs, returns kicks, plays offense and defense, everything. It's phenomenal in that situation for the kid to sit there and go through that thought process and decide what the best situation is and execute it."

On the snap, Smith, the holder, did his best Lucy impression from the Peanuts comic strip and pulled the ball away just before the kick. Romero stepped between Smith and the Ramona wingman, allowing for clear sailing around the left side for the unconventional and surprising 2-point conversion.

"I saw the outside defensive end was cutting inside," added Smith. "And he was alone, so I knew I could take him outside and burn him."

"But it was the defense and Samatre Jones which gave us a chance. I have to give a shout-out to him."

Added Bryant, "Rico made a gutsy play, but a brave play, and he was fortunate enough to get into the endzone. We didn't want to go into overtime, we wanted to win this game -- now."

A kickoff and four Ramona laterals later, the ball hit the ground and was covered by -- of all people -- Hobbs, triggering the Matadors' celebration.

Smith would finish with 20 points, including TD runs of 2 and 1 yards for a 14-0 lead through the first period. Ramona would tie it by halftime, but Smith's third TD on an 11-yard run put the Matadors back in front on the opening drive of the second half. The march featured a leaping grab by Nunley for a 44-yard gainer.

Ramona then went almost exclusively to running back Jarred Gallegos, who immediately answered the Matadors TD by scoring from 14 yards out. Gallegos, who rushed 36 times for 196 yards, then gained 45 yards on a 65-yard march, capped by a 5-yard TD by Ryan Morgan to gain the Dawgs' first lead just 55 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Mount Miguel had three chances to get even, but the first drive resulted in the Bulldogs' third interception of the ballgame, then the Matadors missed on a fourth down from the Ramona-34 for the late-game heroics.

Bryant finished completing 22-of-40 passes for 307 yards. Along with Caples' record reception total, Nunley finished with 7 catches for 103 yards, while JUDGE EVANS made four grabs for 41 yards.

"We had faith we can block for receivers, who were challenged at halftime by the coaches to do better," said senior left guard ONOSAI SOLO. "We knew we were a better team than Ramona, so we calmed down and kept our composure and made plays."

Smith registered 55 rushing yards for his three scores, plus one catch for 7 yards, and 24 yards in punt returns.

Four plays into the game, FELIX DELEON blocked a Ramona punt to set-up Smith's first score on a short, 24-yard drive. Also in the first quarter, Matadors defender BRANDON KAIMULOA forced and recovered a fumble moments after Mount Miguel lost the ball on a fumble on the previous play.

Down 14-0, Ramona got even on a halfback pass by Gallegos to quarterback Erik Ernst. Then with 17 seconds left in the half, Dean Faddis scored from the 1, set-up when Danny Scherer caught a 50-yard pass from Ernst (6-16-1, 92 yds), then dragged a pair of defenders some 15 yards to advance to the Matadors-3.

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."

STEELE CANYON 25, MOUNT MIGUEL 22 -- Even when the opposition knows that JAMIE DALE is going to carry the mail for Steele Canyon , it doesn't seem to matter.

Somehow the 5-foot-9, 163-pound Dale manages to make would-be tacklers miss with regularity. Such was the case when Dale rushed for 210 yards and 2 touchdowns on 26 carries as the Cougars denied the visiting Matadors a chance at a Grossmont South League championship for the first time in 20 years in Friday night's (Nov. 9) regular season finale.

Dale scored on runs of 3 and 42 yards, helping stake the Cougars to a 22-15 halftime lead.

It was Dale's 4th 200-yard game of the season and the 7th of his career. He finishes the campaign as East County's regular season rushing champion with 1,456 yards on 211 carries.

Dale was at his best in the second half as the Cougars (6-3, 3-1 GSL) attempted to protect a 7-point lead. He was the primary focus of a 9:20 scoring march that encompassed 17 plays and 76 yards, culminating in a 25-yard field goal by SCOTT PERLIN. That effort gave Steele Canyon a 25-15 advantage with 9:38 remaining.

Perlin's boot turned out to be the winning margin for the Cougars, who have never lost to the Matadors in six meetings.

Not to be overlooked in Steele Canyon's winning effort was the clutch passing of senior quarterback NICK STATHAS, who was on the mark on 7 of 11 passes for 83 yards and 1 touchdown.

The key play of the game did not involve Dale, who was little more than a decoy.

The overzealous Matadors, clinging to a 15-14 advantage with less than a minute to play in the first half, were determined to add to their lead. It proved to be costly. Instead of running out the clock the Matadors elected to throw deep. The result was an interception by Steele Canyon's JEBARI ROBINSON, who gave the Cougars a first down at the Matadors' 35 with 8.6 seconds remaining.

In its haste, Steele Canyon missed an apparent 52-yard field goal attempt. In panic mode the Matadors called time out before the Cougars could get off the short kick.

Thus, the play went over.

Realizing that their kickers were out of range, the Cougars resorted to a Hail Mary pass by quarterback Stathas, who lofted a spiral to the middle of the endzone. No less than a half-dozen players went up for the ball. It appeared that Mount Miguel was going to come down with an interception although the Matador defender did little more than tip the ball in the air.

Steele Canyon's BRANDON BROWN was all by himself in the endzone when he caught the tipped pass for the touchdown.

"When we got that second chance, Coach (RON BOEHMKE) said. ˜Go for the jugular,'" Stathas said. "Although it may not look like it with all the scrambling in the endzone, the pass was intended for Brandon."

Stathas credited Dale for luring the Mount Miguel defenders his way as a decoy.

"That took some of the heat off Brandon ," said Stathas. "They had Jamie surrounded, and that left Brandon in the clearing. Brandon did a great job of getting into position. That was the play of the game."

Brown finished with 3 receptions for 52 yards not to mention a game-high 11 tackles on defense..

Mount Miguel's AARON BRYANT generated 189 total yards, including 10 of 20 passing for 108 yards.

AHMAAD NUNLEY was the ace of the Matadors' receiving corps with 4 catches for 61 yards.

TRAVON CAPLES caught 3 passes for the Matadors for 70 yards, including a 20-yard TD strike from Bryant with 4:48 left in the game.

Many schools have taken up donations to help support the Varshock family.

While the Norsemen did enjoy a 14-7 halftime lead with a chance to play Grossmont South League spoiler, the visiting Matadors scored two touchdowns in the second half, preserving the Mount Miguel ’s chance to win at least a hunk of the league title.

AARON BRYANT completed half of his 26 passes for a season-best 256 yards and 2 TDs to lead the Matadors (6-2, 3-0 GSL). His favorite target was AHMAAD NUNLEY with 6 catches for 158 yards and one TD. Mount Miguel 's stable of running backs rushed for 134 yards in 35 attempts.

For Valhalla (2-6, 0-3 GSL), ZACK ROMERO carried the ball 14 times for 100 yards and a TD, his best effort of the season. Sophomore quarterback PETE THOMAS threw for 128 yards on 12-of-29 and DEREK WHITE snagged five passes for 67 yards for the Norsemen.

The start of the second half was delayed several minutes due to the homecoming ceremony and both offenses started off sluggishly. Valhalla received the second half kickoff, started at its 31-yard line and advanced to its 42, but the Matadors' BRANDON KAIMULOA sacked the quarterback for a 10-yard loss to its 32-yard line. Romero had a quick hitter good for 13 yards to the Valhalla 45, forcing a punt situation. WES PARKER (5 punts, 40.8 average) hit a 42-yarder that pinned the Matadors at their 13-yard line.

On its ensuing drive, Mount Miguel took some punishment by the Valhalla defense, led by senior linebacker TANNER HITT (16 tackles), TREVOR DOTSON (3 tackles for loss) and sophomore defensive end SHANE PENNIX.

After nine plays, the Matadors' offense gained only 20 yards to its 33-yard line. On the 10th play, IVAN MAY intercepted and returned it 35 yards to the Mount Miguel 16-yard line. A personal foul penalty on the return tacked on 8 more yards, giving the Norsemen the opportunity to blow the game open. On second and goal from the 9, Mount Miguel recovered a fumble on an option play, taking the wind out of Valhalla ’s proverbial sails.

Rejuvenated and starting from its 11-yard line, Mount Miguel moved quickly down the field. A key pass play from Bryant to senior wide receiver TONY SWINTON covered 37 yards down the right sideline to the Valhalla 23. Five plays later, Bryant found Swinton open in the endzone for a 12-yard TD pass. ALAIN ROMERO converted the second of his three PAT kicks to tie the game 14-14 with only 10 seconds left in the third quarter.

Valhalla couldn't move the ball on its next possession against the fired-up Matadors defense, having to punt less than a minute into the last period. Mount Miguel then put together a nine-play, 64-yard scoring drive, culminating in the go-ahead touchdown on a 5-yard run by DERALL HUNTER with 7:13 left to play in the game. Hunter led the Matadors’ rushers with 62 yards on 13 carries.

Late in the game, Valhalla mounted an 18-play drive that was marred by dropped passes and a holding penalty, but the Norsemen managed to get to the Matadors' 36-yard line when SAMATRE JONES leaped for an interception at the Mount Miguel 25-yard line, ending the attempted Norsemen comeback.

Early in the second quarter, Valhalla broke the scoreless deadlock. Romero burst through the middle of the line, sprung by TAYLOR PHIPPS' crushing block, and cruised 43 yards to the endzone. Following Thomas PAT kick, the Norsemen led 7-0, with 9:36 left to play in the half.

After JOSH QUEJA planted the ensuing kickoff in the endzone for a touchback, the Matadors went on the attack. Bryant hooked up with Nunley for an 83-yard scoring strike, which included the senior receiver’s ability to shake a couple of tacklers. Nunley’s effort is the sixth longest pass play in Mount Miguel history.

Valhalla responded immediately, moving quickly down the field from its 11-yard line, highlighted by a 19-yard screen pass from Thomas to White, and a 25-yard gain on a slant pass from Thomas to fellow sophomore NINO MALLORY, setting up the Norsemen at the Mount Miguel 15.

Valhalla coach STEVE SUTTON then called a play that would make ex-Charger quarterback Drew Brees proud. Thomas handed off to Mallory, who started to sweep right. Thomas took off down the left sideline and Mallory quickly stopped and threw a fade pass to Thomas in the endzone for the go-ahead TD, with 4:09 remaining in the second stanza. Thomas' kick gave the Norsemen a 14-7 lead at the halfway mark.

Both defenses ruled the field until midway through the first quarter when Valhalla's May returned a punt 28 yards to the Matadors' 39-yard line, giving Valhalla excellent field position. On first down, Thomas threw a dart to fellow sophomore Mallory for a 13-yard gain to the Mount Miguel 26. Three plays later, Thomas rushed for a first down at the Matadors' 14. Three plays and two dropped passes later, Valhalla had to try a 30-yard field goal, but Thomas' kick was blocked, ending the only scoring threat by either team in the initial period.

The Matadors (5-2, 2-0 GSL) passed, ran and played defense worthy of a gold medal, taking a 21-0 lead over the visiting Monarchs (3-4, 0-2 GSL). And that's a good thing, since Mount Miguel, which is locked in a 3-way tie with Helix and Steele Canyon for the league lead, will need such an effort when they meet the Highlanders next Friday (Oct. 26) in La Mesa.

After building a 28-7 lead with 10:56 remaining in the game, the Matadors suddenly lost their championship poise. What had been a spotless effort began to wilt, starting with muffing the 2nd half kickoff.

Two additional Mount Miguel turnovers further fueled Monte Vista's comeback fires.

The Monarchs crawled as close as 9 points with less than 6 minutes remaining before the Matadors sealed the victory with a 9-play, 53-yard time consuming scoring drive.

"Mount Miguel is a big play team and I thought we did a good job of keeping them from doing that," said Monarchs coach PAGE CULVER. "They weren't very polished."

The Matadors' longest play of the game was a 33-yard pass from QB AARON BRYANT to AHMAD NUNLEY during a 2nd quarter drive that led to a Matadors' touchdown.

Bryant passed for 187 yards on 11 of 17 accuracy, but all of his scoring came on short runs -- three of them on quarterback sneaks from a yard out.

"Those were quarterback keeps and I'm the lead blocker," said 5-foot-9, 181-pound senior running back RICO SMITH. "I just run into the linebackers and let Aaron score. It doesn't matter who scores as long as we win."

Smith also scored on a 3-yard run, giving Mount Miguel a 14-0 lead in the 2nd quarter. He totaled 80 yards rushing on 15 carries. He also intercepted a pass on a play following a 4th-quarter Matadors turnover.

Sophomore DERALL HUNTER paced Mount Miguel's running game with 108 yards on 16 carries. He also caught one pass for 27 yards. Nunley finished with 3 receptions for 69 yards, and JUDGE EVANS caught 3 passes for 62 yards.

Mount Miguel coach TOM KARLO wouldn't come out and say that his team was looking ahead to next week's showdown against Helix, considering the Matadors were celebrating their 50th anniversary, homecoming and the beginning of their Athletics Hall of Fame.

"I think we did exactly what we wanted to do in the first half," Karlo said. "And then in the second half we had some mistakes that allowed them to get back into the game. But overall I think this was a good win for us."

It was Mount Miguel's third straight win.

"I thought Bryant had a great game and Rico had another solid game," Karlo added.

For Monte Vista, junior JERAD SCOTT displayed his versatility. The 5-10, 160- pound Scott accounted for 250 all-purpose yards and 2 touchdowns. He did his best work returning kickoffs, with 169 yards on 3 attempts.

Scott's best effort came just when it appeared Mount Miguel was going to create a blowout in the 4th quarter when he returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.

Senior JOSH GOSSMEYER didn't roll up the same kind of numbers as did Scott, but played a solid role for the Monarchs. Probably his best play of the night came in the 1st quarter when he executed a 59-yard "quick kick" on 3rd down which pinned Mount Miguel on its own 1-yard line.

Gossmeyer also caught 3 passes for 48 yards while rushing for 37 yards on 8 carries.

"Our kids played inspired in the 2nd half, which is something I can't say about our effort in the 1st half," Culver said. "We need to control the ball and you can't do that when you can't hang onto the ball."

The Monarchs turned the ball over four times, three in the 1st half.

Monte Vista junior linebacker TRACY SHIELDS registered a game-high 13 tackles. AAREON MILLER and LEVI MILLER made 8 stops apiece.

JOSE AMADOR led the Matador tacklers with 7 stops.

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (10-17-07) -- When Mount Miguel High School first opened for business, the 1957 Chevrolet was an extremely popular automobile. That model of car is considered a classic in today's transportation market.

It is not known whether the Matadors' homecoming king and queen candidates will be seated in '57 Chevys as Mount Miguel celebrates its 50th anniversary on Friday (Oct. 19).

Homecoming activities actually will begin a little earlier than usual at 4:30 in the high school's gymnasium where the inaugural athletes and coaches will be inducted into the Mount Miguel Athletics Hall of Fame. A catered dinner will be served for $20 (which includes a game ticket to the evening Grossmont South League contest against Spring Valley rival Monte Vista).

The list of inductees is highlighted by Mount Miguel's undefeated 1968 San Diego CIF boys basketball championship team. Many members of that squad -- MIKE ELA, BLAKE MATHEWS, DAVE LOWER, CHARLES GREGG, MICHAEL PADGETT, CRAIG SANDLING and JOHN WOODWARD -- will be in attendance. ROBERT RIDGWAY will represent his deceased father, DICK RIDGWAY, who coached the Matadors to a 33-0 finish.

Other inductees include 13-year NFL veteran ROBERT GRIFFITH (Class of '88), pro baseball player PETE JERNIGAN, baseball coach DUANE FREEMAN (led the Matadors to their only league crown in 1980); National Wrestling Hall of Fame Coach NED BLASS; JEROME WEATHERSPOON (football-basketball); football Division I college blue-chippers WALLY JOHNSON (along with wrestling), KHALIF BARNES (Washington) and BILLY JOE WINCHESTER (Oregon State), BRIAN SMITH (football and track), long-time softball coach JANE TRUDE, softball aces CARRIE BELANGER (SDCIF player of the year), STEPHANIE OLOW and CHARMELLE GREEN; wrestlers TOMMY MOUNT, J ROBINSON, DON JACKSON and BOB JACOBSON (as well as football); and RICK WURTZ (aquatics)

Probably the best known of the inductees is Griffith, who was a standout in football, basketball and track for the Matadors. After a successful career as a defensive back at SDSU, Griffith spent 13 seasons with the NFL's Vikings, Browns and Cardinals, playing in the 1999 Pro Bowl. Griffith now does local television commentary.

Tickets are $20, which includes the dinner and the Grossmont South League football game. For further information or to purchase tickets, contact Sylvia Sposato at (619) 667-6472.

The Matadors welcomed the return of running back ELLIOT TAYLOR, playing in only his second game after suffering a knee injury last spring. Taylor gained 80 first-half yards -- capped by a late 5-yard touchdown for a 21-0 halftime advantage -- en route to an easy Senior Night triumph.

Taylor finished with 85 yards on 15 carries plus a pair of catches to reach 96 total yards, then DERALL HUNTER mopped up with 8 carries for 69 yards.

"I feel good about where I'm at -- it's been a good comeback so far," said Taylor, one of East County's top rushers in 2006. "Sure, I missed some games, but this is where it's at -- winning league games. You gotta start somewhere and we're going for everybody."

On the Eagles' sideline, the news was not good where quarterback JUSTIN MONTGOMERY was out due to a high ankle sprain. Forced to start a third-stringer at quarterback, Mount Miguel quickly realized it would open Grossmont North League play with a victory by simply stopping the run.

While the Matadors defense shined, sophomore quarterback AARON BRYANT enjoyed another strong passing outing (12-24-0, 191 yards) with three touchdown strikes, including a pair of scores to AHMAD NUNLEY in the first period.

Nunley hauled in a short screen pass to the right side, then scampered 50 yards to cap the game's opening series just 1:50 into the ballgame. Nunley then took an 18-yard pass from Bryant with 11.8 seconds left in the period and the romp was on.

"I just try to run my routes as well as I can and catch anything that comes my way," said Nunley. "I hope we keep this up. This is a good start for league -- this is what we wanted."

The start was a bit surprising considering some predicted the Matadors to finish dead-last in the Grossmont South League.

"That's horrible -- I was hurt -- so we put it all out on the field," exclaimed linebacker Ernie "Chocolate" Johnson. "We were picked sixth in league, but we changed all that. We played a good game, with the O-line and D-line picking it up."

Taylor capped an 85-yard drive with his first touchdown of the season. Hunter keyed the march with runs of 8 and 35 yards, then TRAVON CAPLES leaped high to out-muscle a Granite Hills defensive back for a sparkling 27-yard reception along the Eagles sideline for a 3rd-down conversion to set-up Taylor's score.

Meanwhile, Mount Miguel's defense, knowing Granite Hills was unable to pass, took liberties on Eagles ball-carriers by bringing members of the secondary closer to the line of scrimmage. Included was a dramatic hit by linebacker RANDY TAITI, who smacked VINCENTE STAFFORD into a complete, 360-degree flip for the 3rd-down stop just a yard short of a first down marker.

Granite Hills kept going to the well with a counter handoff to BRADLEY CARTER, but after one successful 6-yard gain early, middle linebacker BRANDON KAIMULOA made it his responsibility to prevent the play from working again.

"We just worked harder over the last two weeks -- it was the best bye week we've ever hard -- and we had a good game plan to win," noted Kaimuloa.

For the contest, Granite Hills ran for just 147 yards on 40 carries, including a cosmetic 88 yards by tailback AARON HARRIS. Much of his yardage came on a 35-yard pitch on an option play to the left side, setting up a Stafford TD of 5 yards to break the shutout with 7:31 remaining.

Mount Miguel finished with 405 yards in total offense, including 214 on the ground, much of it going to the left side.

"We just tried to play hard the last two weeks in practice, then came out and tried to dominate them," noted left guard ONASI SOLO. "And we don't mind if Elliot misses every other practice (because of his knee injury) -- he's that good."

Bryant finished the scoring with a 56-yard pass to TONY SWINTON by going over the top of the Granite Hills secondary with 4:37 left. The Matadors intentionally took a knee at the Eagles-1 to expire the clock.

Both teams registered one sack, as KHAALID ABDULAH made one for a 10-yard loss for Mount Miguel, while the Eagles received a backfield hit by EDDIE MINEAR for a 12-yard loss, with FRANK CLAUS gaining an assist.

After trailing by as many as 10 points Friday (Sept. 28), Mount Miguel firmly moved down the field en route to what looked like the go-ahead touchdown on the opening drive of the second half. However, free safety Andrew Carbajal intercepted a pass at the goal line -- the first of three consecutive turnovers forced by Bonita Vista -- keying the turnaround for the Barons (3-1).

"Right now, we're turnovers away from being a good football team," said Matadors coach TOM KARLO. "We didn't capitalize on some of our opportunities and it cost us."

While Bonita Vista moved the ball steadily behind the running of Wesley Roche (27 carries, 146 yards, 2 touchdowns), the Matadors (3-2) managed just 15 yards of offense in the first quarter with their starting quarterback on the bench with a finger injury.

Forced to do something to get back into the contest, AARON BRYANT returned in a relief role, completing his first four passes to ignite the offense.

TRAVON CAPLES and RICO SMITH hauled in consecutive passes for two quick first downs, then AHMAD NUNLEY grabbed a 25-yarder to set-up a Smith run to the Barons-3 to trim the deficit to 10-7 with exactly 1 minute left in the half.

Receiving the ball to start the second half, SAMATRE JONES returned the kickoff 26 yards to near midfield, then Bryant again directed the Matadors down the field, advancing to the Barons-14. But his pass to the end zone, hampered by the finger injury, fell well short and into the arms of Carbajal.

"We knew they were a passing team, so I just played the ball," said Carbajal. "The defense just held them the entire second half."

The next pair of Mount Miguel drives ended on a lost fumble -- recovered by Theend McZeal -- and another injury-impaired, underthrown pass which was picked off by sophomore linebacker Cody Lopez.

"Things like that tend to add up," added Karlo. "Seven or 8 plays in the course of a game are the difference, and it seemed like tonight they got 6 or 7 of them. That's a tough thing to overcome against a team like Bonita Vista."

Still, the Matadors defense came close making several keys stops.

Defensive lineman RANDY TAITI and linebacker KHAALID ABDULAH combined on a third-quarter hit to force a Roche fumble, but the Barons' Alex Mangubat made the recovery. Hector Castellanos eventually capped the drive with a 25-yard TD pass to Mike Caglgas for a 17-7 lead.

Roche bounced back with his second score on a 4-yard, fourth-quarter run. He earlier scored on an 11-yard rush to open the scoring.

For the ballgame, Mount Miguel yielded just 272 yards, including a sack by senior defensive back JUDGE EVANS, but the sputtering offense gained just 188 yards while losing the turnover battle, 4-0.

"Our offense put our defense into some bad spots," added the coach. "Defensively, we played pretty well, but when our backs were against the wall, we didn't respond as well as I would've hoped."

On special teams, Matadors punter TONY SWINTON pounded a 50-yard kick, while Smith garnered 26 yards on a pair of punt returns. Smith also rushed for 27 yards and caught 3 passes for 21 yards.

Two-way standout RUDY ORTEGA scored on a 20-yard fumble return and a 12-yard run as well as a 2-point conversion to stake the Wolf Pack to a 14-0 first quarter lead.

Although the Matadors rallied in the middle quarters, scoring bursts of 30 yards and 1 yard by CHRISTIAN FONSECA allowed the Wolf Pack (2-2) to pull off the upset.

“This was just what our team needed,” said Pack first-year coach CASEY ASH.

“We took their best shots and responded well. We showed a lot of courage coming back like we did in the fourth quarter. This was our first win on the “mainland” after we opened with a win in Hawaii .”

Ash rotated ERIC FIEGE into several positions and the versatile senior adapted without a hitch.

“Fiege took us on his back,” Ash said. “We asked him to play tailback, which is not his regular position, and he came through even though he was cramping up most of the second half.”

Fiege finished with 106 yards on 17 rushes and caught 2 passes for 26 yards. He also tacked on 77 yards in returns. Fonseca finished with 83 yards on 14 carries. Ortega racked up 53 yards on just four rushes.

“It’s games like this that shows you who your leaders are,” Ash noted.

Mount Miguel starting quarterback AARON BRYANT completed 5 of 14 passes for 65 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown strike to AHMAD NUNLEY before leaving the game with an injury just before halftime.

Reserve quarterback JOE GAXIOLA hit 4 of 10 passes for 66 yards, including a 2-yard TD toss to Nunley.

Perhaps the most outstanding warrior for Mount Miguel was senior ARTHUR HOBBS, who found two ways to score. With the Matadors on the brink of disaster, Hobbs ignited a 20-point second quarter for Mount Miguel with a 44-yard return for a touchdown. It was Hobbs ’ third interception of the season.

Hobbs, a defensive specialist for the Matadors’ basketball team, picked up a blocked punt created by ERNEST JOHNSON and returned it 13 yards for his second touchdown.

For Mount Miguel this game was all about defense, as the Matadors offense – suffering from the loss of ELLIOTT TAYLOR (sprained knee) and Bryant, who broke an index finger on his throwing hand late in the first half – had to rely on its tackling ability.

“We had so many chances to win that game,” said Mount Miguel coach TOM KARLO. “We don’t know whether we’ll have Taylor or Bryant for the Bonita Vista game (Sept. 28).”

Credit Taylor for scoring runs of 7 and 5 yards, but Smith went on a scoring rampage.

The 5-foot-9, 181-pound Smith totaled 26 points in the rout – one point less than Mount Miguel record-holder ROB CANNON tallied against Point Loma in 1984.

Smith returned 3 punts for touchdowns – one of which was nullified by penalty. His 86 and 53-yard scoring returns lodged their way into Mount Miguel football annals. The longer of the two is also a Mount Miguel record, breaking the old mark of 78 yards set by RICHARD TURNER in a 1999 game, also against San Diego Southwest.

As if Smith’s showing on special teams wasn’t enough, the speedy Matador also scored on rushes of 25 and 3 yards. He topped off his night with 196 all-purpose yards and tacked on a 2-point conversion.

Leading only 13-10 early in the second quarter, the Matadors (3-0) went on a scoring binge to take command 41-10 by halftime.

Mount Miguel has outscored its opponents 153-26. That total might be even more inflated had a running clock not been utilized in the second half of those games.

“Obviously, we’re elated to have Elliott back with us,” Mount Miguel head coach TOM KARLO said of the premier running back who has been sidelined by injury for several months. Taylor rushed for 55 yards on 8 carries against Southwest and also caught a pass for 51 yards.

“What can I say about Rico Smith? He’s a pretty explosive guy anytime he gets his hands on the ball,” said Karlo.

Senior quarterback AARON BRYANT played a prominent role in Mount Miguel ’s latest conquest. He fired a 22-yard touchdown pass to JAMES MONTANO, scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak, and picked up two more points on a conversion run. Bryant completed 5 of 9 passes for 141 yards. Montano had two of those catches for 34 yards.

Safety SAMATRE JONES had 2 kickoff returns for 78 yards.

Outside linebacker ERNEST JOHNSON was the backbone of the Matadors’ defense, recording 2 tackles for loss and charting 2 pass break-ups.

Karlo scoffed at the idea, noting that the games were scheduled against teams that have been perennial powers in the past. Regardless, Karlo has to be happy that his Matadors have won their first two games by a composite score of 98-16.

The Matadors churned out 250 total yards and led 42-0 in the first half against one of the weakest Castle Park teams in recent memories. Only a running clock in the 2nd half kept the results from being even more lop-sided.

Matadors quarterback AARON BRYANT fired 4 touchdown passes ­– two of them going to JUDGE EVANS (3, 6 yards) and one each to TRAVON CAPLES (7 yards) and AHMAD NUNLEY (39 yards). JOE GAXIOLA pitched a 5th scoring strike – a 32-yard bullet to Caples – as the Matadors mauled the Trojans (0-2).

“This was probably the best first half of football that we’ve played in the three years that I’ve been here,” said Karlo.

Bryant completed 9 of 11 passes for 120 yards and rushed for 66 yards on 5 carries.

“Our receivers ran perfect routes,” Bryant said.

Mount Miguel’s defense lent a helping hand. A blocked punt by SAMATRE JONES was picked up and returned 24 yards by ARTHUR HOBBS for a touchdown.

Karlo, a standout quarterback at Grossmont College in the middle-90s, is running the Griffins’ offense with talented players able to execute the plan.

“I think this could be our year,” Karlo said.

This game was all about long runs. A 62-yard pass from quarterback AARON BRYANT to TRAVON CAPLES gave the Matadors a 21-6 halftime lead.

Bryant, who passed for 213 yards on 12 of 20 completions, scored on runs of 3 and 12 yards for the Matadors.

TONY SWINTON caught 5 passes for 57 yards, but it was Caples who made the big impact with 4 receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown. JUDGE EVANS also caught 3 passes for 40 yards.

Sophomore DERALL HUNTER tacked on a pair of touchdowns with runs of 33 and 7 yards, giving the Matadors a 50-9 lead. Hunter, stepping in for injured ELLIOT TAYLOR, led the Matadors’ balanced attack with 90 yards on 11 carries.

Smith turned in a solid all-purpose effort with 179 yards and a touchdown.

On the defensive side, Mount Miguel’s ARTHUR HOBBS had an interception, as did SAMATRE JONES and ERNEST JOHNSON for the Matadors. MYCHAQUELL SHIELDS recovered a fumble, as did SKYY HUBBARD. RANDY TAITI registered a sack for Mount Miguel.

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (7-18-07) -- Few people know that the original sports mascot for Mount Miguel High School was going to be the 49ers. According to the school's website, Melvin C. Grant, the first principal, revealed a steering committee's decision that the school's theme would be American Heritage, with special attention to California's Gold Rush period.

However, a student referendum overruled the steering committee and voted to change the nickname to the Matadors (although the concept colors of red and black were accepted) when the campus opened for classes to 1,400 students on Sept. 10, 1957.

Fifty years later, Mount Miguel will celebrate its golden anniversary with a special dinner prior to the Matadors' homecoming football game on Fri., Oct. 19. During the dinner, the school's Athletics Hall of Fame will introduce 20 former athletes, coaches and teams for induction ceremonies.

Included will be (alphabetically): Khalif Barnes, Carrie Belanger, Ned Bless, Mike Ela, Duane Freeman, Charmelle Green, Robert Griffith, Don Jackson, Bob Jacobson, Pete Jernigan, Wally Johnson, Tommy Mount, Stephanie Olo, J Robinson, Brian Smith, Jane Trude, Jerome Weatherspoon, Billy Joe Winchester, Rick Wurtz, and coach Richard Ridgeway's 1968 CIF Champion and undefeated boys' basketball team.

The catered dinner runs from 4:30-6:30 p.m., followed by the football game against crosstown rival Monte Vista. Tickets are $20, which included admission to both the dinner and the football contest, with a special guest speaker and professional entertainment to be featured.

For further information or to purchase tickets, contact Sylvia Sposato at (619) 667-6472, Shaun Harvey at (619) 644-8400 ext. 113, or fill out an application HERE (.pdf format).

Further information is also available on the Mount Miguel High Alumni Association webpage HERE.