WOLF PACK SCHEDULE Overall: 6-5-0 Grossmont North League: 3-0-0 Date Sept. 1 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9 Nov. 16 Nov. 23 Opponent (Sat.) at St. Anthony, HI Steele Canyon at Mission Hills Mount Miguel at Helix Monte Vista *Santana BYE *at El Capitan *at Grossmont *El Cajon Valley **Westview **at Helix Score 37-16 10-20 00-28 29-26 0-35 2-15 25-07 ccd. 19-00 24-00 28-21 7-35 CHEERLEADERS Double-click to Enlarge

JUNIOR VARSITY (5-4, 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 El Capitan Steele Canyon Mission Hills Mount Miguel Helix Monte Vista *Santana BYE *Grossmont *El Cajon Valley 00-13 12-13 L 26-14 07-34 13-06 27-14 W W FRESHMEN (1-7, 1-1 GNL) Date Opponent Score Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 10 Wk 11 El Capitan Steele Canyon Mission Hills Mount Miguel Helix Monte Vista *Santana BYE *Grossmont BYE 00-27 00-32 LOST 06-18 00-27 00-12 13-00 24-38

WEEK 13 -- CIF PLAYOFFS / QUARTERFINALS
HELIX 35, WEST HILLS 7 -- It was a typical Helix performance, but it could hardly be called a rerun as the No. 2 Highlanders whacked the Wolf Pack in Friday's (Nov. 23) San Diego CIF Division II quarterfinal in La Mesa.

Granted, the Highlanders blanked West Hills 35-0 during the regular season. Once again they led 35-0 before West Hills avoided the shutout in the fourth quarter. By the same token, the Highlanders could have tacked on an additional touchdown in the final minute but elected to take a knee rather than do so.

"They played us tougher this time," stated Helix coach DONNIE VAN HOOK. "They played us tough on defense, stopped our running game and forced us to pass."

While Van Hook was correct concerning the numbers game -- the Highlanders finished with 60 yards fewer than their first bout with the Pack -- he had to admit that the outcome of the game was never in jeopardy.

"The thing about this team is we're able to take one focus at a time," Van Hook noted. "We're confident but not cocky."

Only two of the Highlanders (8-1-1) 10 opponents have scored more than seven points. Top-ranked Oceanside rang up 20 markers on opening night, but the Highlanders, nevertheless, came away with a victory.

Carlsbad, which has since been eliminated from the playoffs, was the only other team to score in double digits against Helix, handing the Highlanders their lone setback, 14-10, on Sept. 14.

"West Hills gave us a tough fight both games," said Helix senior MARQUISE DEADWILER. "We respect every team we play, but realize what the stakes are. We knew we had to win this game and went about it that way."

Deadwiler reeled in a 24-yard scoring pass from quarterback ANTHONY DIAZ, giving Helix a 28-0 lead after three quarters.

"That was a regular hitch pass," said Deadwiler. "Diaz and I work well together. He just throws the ball up and I out-jump the DB."

Deadwiler also caught a 55-yard pass that setup a Helix touchdown.

Helix broke into the scoring column on a 3-yard run by JO-JO PHILLIPS and doubled the advantage on a 36-yard pass from Diaz to TRAVON VAN. A 5-yard run by Diaz gave Helix a 21-0 halftime lead.

"Our offensive line really dominated," said 6-foot-7, 300-pound senior tackle BRIAN MILHOLLAND. "We were getting off the ball and driving their linemen backwards."

That may have been the case some of the time, but the Highlanders mustered just 169 yards on 35 carries. Phillips set the pace with 86 yards on 13 sorties.

PAUL BLAKENEY added 47 yards on just 5 chances, while ANDRAY JACKSON averaged nearly 11 yards on 4 carries, which included a 2-yard TD run.

"When it comes to our running backs we have a variety of choice," said Deadwiler. "They all have different strengths."

Milholland, who is being recruited by USC, UTEP, Cal and Stanford among others, agrees.

"I think what makes our running game go is Diaz, who is an unpredictable scrambler," Milholland said. "Sometimes when I'm blocking a guy for what I think is going to be a pass, I see Diaz race by. He may be a little bit unorthodox, but he makes it work."

Diaz completed 6 of 11 passes for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns in addition to his rushing score.

West Hills (6-5), the Grossmont North League champions, saw its 4-game winning streak and season come to an end.

West Hills avoided a shutout when quarterback CHRIS MISENSOL threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to TYLER TREMOR.

"It was not our best performance," said West Hills coach CASEY ASH. "We played them tough defensively, they are just better than we are. We needed to create some turnovers tonight, and that did not happen. They completely shut down our passing game."

West Hills totaled just 171 yards in the rematch against the Highlanders. Misensol was 3 for 11 for 56 yards passing. ERIC FIEGE led the Wolf Pack ground forces with 49 yards on a dozen carries. RUDY ORTEGA added 40 yards on nine rushes, while DAVID HERNANDEZ punched out 17 yards on nine tries.

"We lose 31 seniors from this year's team," noted Ash. "I'm happy with the way the team played this year. We bounced back from a 2-4 start, won four in a row, won our league championship, and won a playoff game in the same season for the first time since 1990 (the school's first senior class)."

West Hills refuses to roll over
Fiege TD with 22 seconds remaining
stuns Westview, 28-20, in CIF opener

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (11-17-07/Modified 11-18-07) -- Could the West Hills Wolf Pack of first-year head coach CASEY ASH be a team of destiny?

Slated by most preseason prognosticators to complete a year of also-ran proportions, the Wolf Pack refuses to go down with little more than a snarl. These Wolves have bite, as they proved to Westview in Friday's (Nov. 16) SDCIF Division II playoff opener.

Moments after Westview running back John Villamoor slid into the endzone on a 4th-down plunge for his third touchdown and a 21-20 lead with 1:10 to play, the Pack fought back.

Fueled by a solid kickoff return by JONATHAN DARBY, West Hills needed just four plays to respond, traveling 53 yards in 48 seconds. ERIC FIEGE capped the game-winning drive with a dramatic 12-yard touchdown run with 22 seconds remaining to power the Wolf Pack past visiting Wolverines, 28-21.

"This one was for my grandfather, who died this past Wednesday," said Fiege. "It was a real emotional week for me, but my teammates helped me to maintain focus. This game was for him."

Fiege took the ball on a toss-right, hit a seam and raced across the goal line untouched.

"I have to give it up to the O-line," added Fiege, who scored 3 TDs and finished a balanced attack with 48 rushing yards on five carries and 52 yards more on three receptions. "They put a body on everybody and it was wide open. All I had to do was get it in the endzone.

The West Hills defense narrowly salvaged the victory before Fiege's decisive run with a goal-line stand after Westview failed to score on three plays from inside the 5-yard line of its final scoring surge. However, Villamoor (9-50) followed his center and right guard to twist over the goal line on a second-effort lunge for the short-lived go-ahead score.

The Grossmont North League champions were not about to accept the apparent outcome.

"Actually -- and I don't know why -- I had a thought we might do something there, that we might pull one out," said Ash. "The defense just missed -- it really is a game of inches. But we came back and made some big plays."

Darby started the winning swell on the runback, gaining 15 yards before running into his own block, then abruptly changing direction to find daylight on the right side to complete a 32-yard binge to near midfield.

"It was designed to go to the left but I ran into my blockers," explained Darby. "Then I saw a hole to the other side, so I just busted it."

"I didn't think Westview would over-pursue that much, so I was really surprised when I saw the opening."

Three plays later, West Hills quarterback CHRIS MISENSOL (9-of-16, 206 yards) faked a handoff to running back CHRIS BLUMKA (6-54) who dashed to the left flat. However, no one was there to defend the senior tailback on pass coverage, as Misensol floated a short pass for a 37-yard pick-up with 27 seconds remaining.

"It was a fake counter, then the quarterback boots out and I sneak out to the flat downfield," noted Blumka. "There was nobody there. The receiver ran off both of their cover guys who were double-covering him and I was wide open."

Fiege then took the ball on a toss-right, found a seam and dashed between defenders for the winning score.

The senior found extra room when the linebackers remained in pass coverage, thinking they were witnessing the same play from six minutes earlier, when Fiege pulled up and threw a halfback option pass to TYLER TREMOR for a 2-point conversion which temporarily gave West Hills a 20-14 lead with 6:31 remaining.

"We've been working on the halfback pass for several weeks and found a great opportunity," added Fiege. "It helped us on both of those plays."
"It was a great call by our offensive coordinator," Ash said. "On the toss, we knew it looked like the option pass a little bit, and they were playing soft anyway and they allowed a little seam and Eric hit it."

Down 14-6 late in the third quarter -- RUDY ORTEGA accounted for the Pack's only first half score on a 3-yard run -- West Hills scored over three straight possessions.

Blumka dashed for 38 of his team-high rushing total on a trap up the middle to ignite a massive 93-yard TD march. Fiege finished the drive with a catch along the right flat, then weaved around four defenders on a 34-yard TD from Misensol. That gave West Hills its first lead with 6:31 left.

West Hills' defense came up with four interceptions, including a pair by HAYDEN KALFELL. DAVID HERNANDEZ and Darby registered the others.

"We've been known to step it up the last few weeks," noted Kalfell of the Wolf Pack which is riding a four-game winning streak. "And we didn't want this to be our last playoff game either."

With the triumph, West Hills earns a date with second-seeded Helix. The Highlanders (7-1-1) whipped the Pack, 35-0, in Week 5.

"Coach says if you practice on Thanksgiving, then it's a successful season," added Fiege. "I just hope we can keep this going for more than just one more week."

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.

© 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.”

Seeing his offense blanked in three of its first six starts had to concern West Hills first-year head coach CASEY ASH. But the beginning of GNL play provided an emotional spark as did the annual battle for the Santee Mayor's Cup in Friday's (Oct. 12) against crosstown rival at West Hills.

"We were able to throw the ball early," said Ash of his Wolf Pack (3-4, 1-0 GNL) which claimed a 13-0 first quarter lead.

Senior quarterback CHRIS MISENSOL engineered the Pack's fast start, firing scoring passes of 40 yards to ERIC FIEGE and 3 yards to LEVI JACOB. Misensol hooked up with Fiege for a 60-yard TD pass giving West Hills a 19-7 halftime lead. Fiege also collected one of West Hills' two interceptions. JUSTIN STANPHILL picked off the other.

It was Misensol's finest passing night of the season. The 5-10, 190-pound senior transfer from Granite Hills, was efficient, too, completing nine of 14 passes for 155 yards and the three scores. He also rushed for 29 yards on five carries.

It was also another Fiege field day, as the 5-10, 170-pound senior caught four passes for 121 yards. Fiege also rushed for 40 yards on 10 chances.

"Our offensive line was much improved this week," Ash praised. "They opened up some big holes for our running game and blocked well for the passing game."

West Hills senior running CHRIS BLUMKA accounted for all the scoring in the second half, toting the ball 6 yards to the end zone in the third quarter. Blumka led a strong Wolf Pack running game with 67 yards on 13 carries. CHRISTIAN FONSECA added 57 yards on 8 carries.

"Defensively, we controlled the play pretty much. Our defensive backs played really well," Ash said.

Shutting down the Santana offense is no small chore. The Sultans 3-4, 0-1 GNL) brought a 35-point scoring average across the Santee Lakes Bridge. But they did little against the Pack defense, totaling less than 200 total yards.

All the Santana faithful had to cheer about was a 75-yard punt return by TYLER AUBREY for a second quarter touchdown. Aubrey's effort is the second-longest return of a punt in Santana's 42-year history. DON KEY set the Sultans' punt return record of 71 yards in a 1971 game against Monte Vista.

Santana junior QB JAMES NEEDY connected on 16 of 31 passes for 120 yards. KYLE ROMERO caught 10 of those passes for 88 yards. None of the receptions led to gains longer than 11 yards. Needy led an anemic Santana rushing game with 30 yards on 11 carries.

By defeating the Sultans, West Hills won the Mayor's Cup for the 5th consecutive year.

The grinding Monarchs ground game saw two runners -- quarterback MAURICE PAYNE and tailback NICK WILLIAMS -- each reached the 100-yard rushing plateau Friday (Oct. 5), while the defense saw senior linebacker TONY MARCON register a career-high 4 1/2 sacks to ruin West Hills' homecoming.

Monte Vista (3-2 overall) took advantage of its speed advantage in the secondary, allowing for the defense to place upwards of 8 players in the box to frustrate the hosts.

"We all have quick feet and kept coming at 'em -- we all worked together," said Marcon. "If it wasn't for my teammates, I wouldn't have had any of those sacks."

"We just used our 4-4-3 base defense. Now we're playing defense like we should be -- we're now ready for league."

And when the Wolf Pack (2-3) was forced to pass after switching to their back-up quarterback in the second half, Marcon was able to tee-off on the blitz, garnering two of his sacks on the final series to preserve the defensive shutout after the Wolf Pack earned a 1st-and-goal from the 2.

"We all played hard -- everyone together -- and finally got some momentum going with those stops," Marcon added.

Interestingly, Payne was accountable for all of the game's 17 points.

After kicking a 22-yard field goal to cap an 18-play, 75-yard drive to open the contest, the sophomore kept the ball on fakes to Williams, sprinting for touchdown runs of 40 and 65 yards to mount a 15-0 halftime advantage.

"The linemen and the wide receivers set-up the blocks, so when the defense went for the running back on the fakes, it got me those easy touchdowns," Payne said.

Payne also saved a touchdown on a poor punt snap in the third quarter, sending the loose ball out of the end zone to only allow a safety.

West Hills marched the ball inside the Monarchs' red zone two other times, but came away empty each occasion.

Late in the first half, on 4th down from the Monte Vista-18, lineman DAVID SPATES broke through the line to hold a Wolf Pack ball-carrier short of the marker for a turnover on downs. Then in the third quarter from the Monte Vista-12, West Hills fumbled the ball to again fail on a 4th-down attempt.

For the contest, West Hills fumbled five times (two lost), included a recovery by Monte Vista's TRACY SHIELDS, then another by JAIME BARBA, who found a ball that was popped loose on a hit by Marcon.

Payne rushed for 118 yards on 11 carries, but the load of the work went to Williams, who recorded exactly 100 yards on 26 carries.

"It's okay if Maurice scores because all we had to do is get the 'W' -- that's all that matters," said Williams. "We’re going for first place -- the Monarchs are back."

For the contest, Monte Vista collected 250 yards on the ground, while Payne completed 5-of-8 passes for 45 yards.

West Hills rushed 33 times for just 62 yards, including 10 plays (5 on sacks) for losses. After passing for just 28 first-half yards, junior JOE ROBERTS was inserted at quarterback for the second half, completing his first five passes and finishing with 78 yards on 8-for-11 accuracy.

CHRIS BLUMKA led the Wolf Pack, rushing for 52-yards on 10 attempts. On defense, linebacker MICHAEL APODACA registered the team's lone sack while DEVON MOSS recovered a fumble.

“Our defense has been there for us every game,” Helix coach DONNIE VAN HOOK said, noting that only two teams – Oceanside and Carlsbad – have scored more than 7 points on the Highlanders (3-1-1).

It’s hard to imagine that Helix’s defense could be any more hard-hitting than it was in Friday (Sept. 28) night’s game against visiting West Hills.

Despite the absence of injured junior blue chip middle linebacker ANTHONY LARCEVAL, the Highlanders smothered West Hills. The Wolf Pack (2-3) was rationed to 121 total yards and never drove deeper than the Helix 41-yard line.

“We just played with a lotta soul,” said senior corner JAMAR TAYLOR. “We try to hit everybody we see as hard as we can, on every play, for four quarters.”

Taylor logged a half dozen tackles on defense and also chipped in on offense with a 43-yard pass reception that setup a touchdown and 9 yards rushing on a single carry.

Linebacker CHRIS PETERSON completed the game with an ice pack on his shoulder, but he was hardly complaining. His play on the field – 8 tackles with an interception and a fumble recovery – was impressive. Being named Homecoming King at halftime was no doubt the highlight of his night.

Considering he was banged up in Friday’s action, his teammates were ragging him that he wouldn’t be fit to attend Saturday’s (Sept. 29) Homecoming dance.

“Are you kidding? I could dance right now,” Peterson laughed. After all, the ice was on his shoulder, not his dancin’ heels.

“It was just a great day,” Peterson said of his football outing. “Our offense was playing complete, our defense was playing nice hard defense, and we got that shutout.”

On the offensive side the Highlanders generated 402 yards. It was a balanced attack led by junior quarterback ANTHONY DIAZ, who was making his first start. Diaz completed 6 of 14 passes for 94 yards, including a 15-yard TD connection with LARRY GIST that staked Helix to a 14-0 halftime lead.

Diaz also led the Highlanders in rushing with 79 yards on 17 carries, including a 39-yard TD scamper midway through the 2nd quarter.

It was an all-around good night for the versatile Gist, who averaged nearly 10 yards on 3 rushes and totaled 128 all-purpose yards.

MARQUISE DEADWILER, who caught a 34-yard halfback pass from JO JO PHILLIPS for a touchdown in the 4th quarter, led the Highlanders’ receivers with 3 catches for 53 yards.

ANTHONY WILLIAMS had 2 receptions for 26 yards, including a 16-yard TD strike from TY CULVER with 6:07 remaining.

Culver, a junior quarterback who averaged 121 yards through the first four games, played the final quarter against West Hills, completing all 5 of his passes for 35 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback controversy at Helix? Diaz has established himself as a superior runner while Culver has the passing touch. Helix should look at this as a plus as it will no doubt create a lot of long nights for its opponents.

Despite the lopsided loss West Hills can point to its arduous preseason schedule for its losing record. Two of the Pack’s losses have come to Top 10 teams. None of its four Grossmont North League rivals even faced a Top 10 team.

West Hills was not without its standouts against the Highlanders.

Do-everything senior ERIC FIEGE rushed for 51 yards on 12 carries, caught a pass for 13 yards, and accumulated 49 return yards. The 5-9, 160-pound senior logged 5 tackles and recovered a fumble.

Senior safety JONATHAN DARBY logged a game-high 11 tackles for West Hills.

Wolf Pack senior linebacker DAVID HERNANDEZ chalked up 6 tackles, one more than did linebackers RUDY ORTEGA and KYLE PETERSON.

WEST HILLS 29, MOUNT MIGUEL 26 – In perhaps the first early upset of significance in East County , the Wolf Pack knocked off undefeated Mount Miguel Friday (Sept. 21) night in Santee .

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).”

After that the Wolf Pack kept the 10th-ranked Grizzlies (2-1) out of the endzone until just over two minutes remained in the 3rd quarter.

“Defensively I thought we did a pretty good job,” said West Hills coach CASEY ASH. “We held them to two field goals in the first half and then gave up a couple of touchdowns late.”

Unfortunately West Hills did not get its offense on track. The Wolf Pack was limited to 96 yards rushing. CHRISTIAN FONSECA led the way with 56 yards on 6 carries.

It was a rough night for Pack quarterback CHRIS MISENSOL, who was shaken up near the close of the first half.

“One of those big (Mission Hills) linemen stepped on his foot,” Ash said. “He stayed in the game, which shows you he’s pretty tough. At the same time, it hampered his ability to scramble and took away some of the things we wanted to do offensively.”

Misensol completed 7 of 19 passes for 72 yards while suffering one interception. Half of those completions went to senior wingback ERIC FIEGE for 38 yards.

On the defensive side, JUSTIN STANPHILL recovered a fumble at the Mission Hills 25-yard line in the 2nd half. The Wolf Pack was unable to capitalize on that turnover.

Standouts on defense for West Hills included strong safety JONATHAN DARBY and tackle RUDY ORTEGA. Darby also had 3 kickoff returns totaling 111 yards.

West Hills center Colin Lowry (60) is set to snap the footballto quarterback Chris Misensol. (Photo by Travis Downs)

The two teams relied on might rather than finesse to decide this bout, which was determined when Cougars running back JAMIE DALE took over in the 2nd half.

While the Cougars (1-1) seemed bent on developing their passing game, they found themselves trailing 10-7 at the half. Dale contributed only 29 yards on 8 carries during the first two quarters.

“Jamie gave an inspirational talk at halftime, challenging our senior to not let West Hills beat us for a third straight time,” Steele Canyon coach RON BOEHMKE said.

Turns out Dale put his money where his mouth was when he scored on a 68-yard run on Steele Canyon ’s first play of the 2nd half.

“He got some good blocking in there on that lead and really popped one,” Boehmke said.

Paving the way on Dale’s TD dash were RORY ZAVARID and JACKSON REEVES and fullback SCOTT PERLIN.

“Those guys knocked the nose guard back and DAN WILLIAMS cleaned up,” Boehmke noted.

Dale finished with 186 yards rushing on 16 carries and caught 2 passes for 47 yards, including a victory-clinching 16-yard pass from quarterback NICK STATHAS with just over three minutes to play.

Stathas completed 6 of 13 passes for 78 yards. He also scored a touchdown on a 1-yard quarterback sneak.

Steele Canyon’s final touchdown surge followed a major defensive stand against the Wolf Pack (1-1).

With victory still within range, the Pack’s DAVID HERNANDEZ plunged into the line on a 4th-and-one. He was unable to reach the line of scrimmage as Steele Canyon ’s BEN KAUFFMAN, MILES MINNICH, JOSIAH SMITH and Zavarid pushed him back with 5:52 remaining.

“That was a huge play,” Boehmke said. More accurately, pivotal.

From there the Cougars stormed 79 yards for their victory-clenching score. The key play was a 52-yard run by Dale.

For West Hills quarterback CHRIS MISENSOL completed 13 of 24 passes for 130 yards, including a 6-yard scoring strike with 5 seconds left in the first half that gave the Pack a 10-7 advantage.

Wolf Pack senior ERIC FIEGE, who began last season as the West Hills quarterback, returned to his more familiar slotback position. Fiege caught 8 passes for 80 yards and accumulated 192 all-purpose yards.

A standout of defense for the Wolf Pack was JONATHAN DARBY, who accounted for one of West Hills’ 3 interceptions and posted a game-high 9 tackles. JUSTIN STANPHIL and HAYDEN KALFELL also had interceptions for the Pack.

© East County Sports.com
MAUI, Hawai'iI (9-2-07) — First-year head coach CASEY ASH was not overly fond of going to Hawaii to begin his varsity career at West Hills.

When Ash and the Wolf Pack escaped with a 37-16 victory over St. Anthony’s of Hawaii Saturday night (Sept. 1), the skipper had to admit he was pleased.

“I’m just glad we didn’t have any problem,” said Ash, who also spent his high school football career in the Wolf Pack secondary. “Yeah, I’ll have to admit it feels good to get that first win. It’s nice to get it out of the way. But making this trip – and all the bonding that goes with it – well, I’m just so happy that everything went so well.”

CHRIS BLUMKA’s 55-yard touchdown run just 1:07 into the game propelled West Hills into a 7-0 lead.

ERIC FIEGE, last year’s quarterback, who is now playing slotback and running back, touched the ball only twice and scored on runs of 30 and 20 yards.

Blumka, a 5-foot-8, 170-pound senior, accumulated 120 yards on 9 carries. CHRISTIAN FONSECA, a 6-0, 185-pound junior, led the Wolf Pack with 187 yards on 19 carries including a 27-yard TD dash.

Overall, West Hills totaled 419 yards.

Senior kicker LEVI JACOB booted a 32-yard field goal and converted 4 of 5 PATs for the Wolf Pack.

“ St. Anthony’s only had 23 players in uniform because they had 10 guys injured in their season opener last week,” Ash said. “And in Hawaii , the Mercy Rule is 35 points and then it becomes a running clock.”

West Hills led 28-3 at halftime, which created a twofold dilemma for Ash.

“We wanted to get all of our kids in the game but we were aware of what the rules were over here,” Ash said. “So it was kind of a precarious situation for us since we had such a big halftime lead. We wanted to give all our kids a chance to play.”

And so Ash did.

“By the 2nd half we knew we were going to win the game,” Ash said. “So our biggest goal was to allow every kid a chance to say he played in the Hawaiian Islands .”

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (6-30-07) -- West Hills High defensive coordinator CASEY ASH has been named the interim head football coach of the Wolf Pack, athletic director DON RUTLEDGE announced. Ash, 28, becomes the youngest head football coach in the Groissmont Conference after operating the defense for the past three seasons.

A strong safety for West Hills in the 90s, Ash joined the coaching staff as secondary coach of the Wolf Pack freshmen, then served as junior varsity head coach before being promoted to the varsity staff for the 2004 season.

"It certainly is a position I wanted, but not so soon," said Ash. "I got it earlier than I wanted or expected, but with (assistant) coaches who have been coaching a long time and will support us, the transition will go smoothly."

Ash steps in for STEVE SUTTON, who resigned earlier in the week to take over the program at Valhalla High. Under Sutton, the only head coach in Wolf Pack history, the team became known as one of the CIF-San Diego Section's top passing teams.

"We're not sure on what offense we'll run just yet," noted Ash, who teaches English. "We'll do whatever fits the personnel best. We're still looking for coaches to put the best staff together we can. We know it's short notice, but we will turn it into a positive thing."

Ash is seeking an offensive coordinator to complete his coaching staff. A physical education teaching position is probably available, replacing Sutton's vacated position.

"It was important to maintain continuity since the position became open so late and the team is preparing to open the season in Hawai'i," said West Hills principal BRIAN WILBUR. "But that doesn't mean I won't remove the 'interim' tag at the end of Noivember. Casey will make a fine coach."

According to Wilbur, Sutton will remain as head softball coach for the Wolf Pack. He is one of the San Diego Section's all-time leaders in coaching victories, resting 18 short of the magic 500 total for his career at both West Hills and Grossmont.

Sutton welcomes the challenge for a Norsemen team which will play on a new artificial surface. The ballclub will share the field with Christian High, which makes the move from its longtime second-home of Valley Stadium at Granite Hills High.

"There are a lot of positives here at Valhalla," said Sutton. "But right now, we only have about 60 players, so we need to get the word out and get all of the other athletes at the school to come out."

"Sure it's difficult to take over at such a late date, but the kids here are smart and will do everything possible to keep this a winning program."