WEEK 13 -- CIF PLAYOFFS / QUARTERFINALS

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.

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)."

CHRISTIAN 55, HOLTVILLE 0 -- It didn't figure to be much of a challenge for the top-seeded Patriots, who hosted Desert League also-rans Holtville in Friday night's (Nov. 23) SDCIF Division V quarterfinal at Valhalla.

CIF-SDS CAREER RUSHING LEADERS (thru Nov. 24th)

# Name School(s) Years Yards 7. Marlin Carey Mt. Carmel 1991-93 4,965 8. Reggie Bush* Helix 2000-02 4,925 9. Lawrence Walker Christian 2004-present 4,841 10. Ricky Williams Patrick Henry 1992-94 4,685 *East County record-holder

And it wasn't.

Led by senior running back LAWRENCE WALKER's school-record tying 5 touchdowns and season-high 251 yards on 18 rushes, the Patriots matched their season scoring best, which came on an opening day shutout of La Puente Bassett.

Obviously knowing that Christian (10-0) was a heavy favorite going in against the Vikings (5-6), Patriots coach MATT OLIVER talked about the emotional factor of getting his team mentally prepared.

"In a game like this it's about taking care of business," Oliver said. "I told the kids not to try to go out and score 100 points in the first quarter, rather, to let the game come to us. Sometimes in a situation like this a team can get too anxious and eventually frustrated if it doesn't take a big lead early."

There was no frustration in the Christian huddle on this night, as the Patriots pranced to a 27-0 halftime lead and never looked back.

Although the Patriots rushed for a season-high 397 yards, their first score came on a 14-yard pass from ERICK ALLEN to MANNY WALKER. JOSH SCHIMPF, who would later score on a 13-yard run in the 4th quarter, ran across a 2-point conversion following the first touchdown.

The next 2 1/2 quarters belonged to Lawrence Walker. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound senior charged, slashed, spun and high-stepped his way through the outmanned Vikings defense. He scored on runs of 3, 2, 17, 10 and 68 yards.

Walker's effort lifted him into the East County rushing lead with 1,583 yards on 213 carries. He also raised his SDCIF scoring lead to 172 points. For his career Walker now has 4,843 yards, which moves him into 9th place on the all-time CIF San Diego section list ahead of Patrick Henry's Ricky Williams. Walker is only 82 yards behind Helix' REGGIE BUSH, who stands 8th.

"It was vintage Lawrence Walker tonight," Oliver said. "Holtville put eight guys in the box and were blitzing everyone at once. But Lawrence was able to bust his way through and once in awhile would squirt into the open."

In addition to his 68-yard scoring dash, Walker also reeled off a 55-yard run.

"He's a power runner with deceptive speed," Oliver noted. "Once he hits a seam and gets out in the open field, you're not gonna catch him."

CHARLES THOMPSON also rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown on a dozen carries for Christian. Allen finished up by completing 10 of 15 passes for 103 yards. Manny Walker had 3 receptions for 34 yards, while KURT METCALFE had 2 catches for 44 yards. SAM HERNANDEZ also pulled down two balls for 26 yards.

On the defensive side, Oliver heralded the work of tackle BOBBY McNEAL, end COLIN RYAN, and linebacker PATRICK KELLY.

SAM SNIFF and TIM DALEY intercepted passes, and STEVEN PITTS blocked a punt.

ST. AUGUSTINE 35, STEELE CANYON 21 -- It wasn't the finish that the Steele Canyon Cougars had in mind. Forced to play catch-up from the get-go in Friday's (Nov. 23) San Diego CIF quarterfinal against visiting St. Augustine , the Cougars came up short.

"Once you reach this stage of the season there's only one way to go out that is fun," said Steele Canyon coach RON BOEHMKE. "For us, this wasn't it."

The Saints (7-4) marched through the Cougars' defense for 458 yards -- 255 rushing and 203 passing.

Saints quarterback David Popkins accounted for 292 total yards and 2 passing touchdowns, while Daniel Butler rushed for 120 yards and 3 scores on 18 carries.
No longer can skeptics accuse Saints coach Jerry Ralph of running an all-pass, little-rush offense.

"We didn't play with any fire at the beginning of the game," Boehmke said. "And that put us in a hole. We picked it up in the 2nd quarter, but it took a lot out of us just to get even."

Down 14-0 two minutes into the 2nd quarter, the Cougars scored 21 points during the 10 minutes leading up to halftime. Steele Canyon's problem was, the Saints also scored 21 points during the 2nd period to maintain a 28-21 lead by intermission.

Breaking out of the doldrums, the Cougars (6-4) received a spark when JAMIE DALE returned a kickoff 99 yards to pull Steele Canyon to within 14-7. Not only was Dale's run a school record, it also made him only the 9th player in the Grossmont Conference 45-year history to return a kick that far.

After St. Augustine flubbed the kickoff following Dale's long run, the Cougars' JOE MORGAN recovered at the Saints' 8-yard line. Then it was back to Dale again.

The 5-foot-9, 163-pound senior carried to the 3-yard line on his first carry and then crossed the goal line after taking the next handoff. Suddenly it was 14-14 with 9:15 left in the first half.

It took the Saints 11 plays to cover 72 yards for a 21-14 lead 4 1/2 minutes later.
But the Cougars kept clawing back.

Seemingly buried on a 3rd-and-26 play from their own 30-yard line, the Cougars came up with another big play. This time it was a screen pass from quarterback NICK STATHAS to fullback SCOTT PERLIN.

"What made that play really go was that Stathas held onto the ball as long as he possibly could, giving our linemen a chance to setup their blocks," explained Perlin of his 70-yard scoring play that tied the score at 21-all.

Stathas, who completed 7 of 15 passes for 123 yards, certainly paid the price on the delivery to Perlin, as he went down under an avalanche of onrushing Saints defenders. Once Perlin had the ball in his hands he zigzagged down the field, making more like a tailback than a lead blocker for Dale.

No doubt Dale was proud of his backfield mate as Perlin made two sharp cuts to allow his blockers -- one of which was Dale -- to gain proper angles to bowl over St. Augustine defenders.

"We really practiced that play a lot, and it paid off," said Perlin, who caught two passes for 86 yards.

Although Dale scored two touchdowns, he was limited to his second lowest rushing total of the season -- 77 yards on 22 carries.

"We did a great job defending their great running back the whole game," said Ralph.

Perlin agreed that the Saints' focus was on stopping Dale.

"They really brought it to Jamie tonight," he said. "We had a tough time finding the hole to get our running game going."

Despite the off night, Dale finished his two-year career as Steele Canyon's all-time leading rusher with 3,146 yards on 468 carries. Dale also became the Cougars' most prolific scorer with 240 points on 40 touchdowns.

"I'm going to miss watching Jamie run," said Boehmke, who believes that Dale can play at the next level. "He's a special kid who deserves a chance to keep on playing. Fortunately for him he has good grades that can only help his situation."

No question Steele Canyon's defense struggled against the Saints. But the Cougars defenders did have some highlights of their own.

Leading 28-21, the Saints maneuvered their way to a 1st-and-goal at the Steele Canyon 1-yard line on the opening series of the 2nd half. Three quarterback sneaks by Popkins were repelled. The Saints then gave it to Butler on 4th down, and once again were denied as ANDREW FORESTER and MILES MINICH made the stuff.

Junior JEBARI ROBINSON did a little bit of everything as a two-way performer for the Cougars, intercepting a pass and amassing 93 all-purpose yards.

Following Baxter's score, Mission Bay scored 27 points in the second quarter, capped by a 30-yard Baxter TD catch. He switched to quarterback in the second half, scoring his third TD on a 1-yard run.

Defenses are basis for success
for Highlanders, Steele Canyon

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (11-22-07) -- A search through the media guides for football teams at several Ivy League schools and other old-school programs -- ones which were powers in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century -- shows defenses which often lasted an entire season without allowing more than 40 or 50 points, with most victories coming by one-sided margins or shutouts.

In the modern era, few schools at the high school level can boast the defensive prowess achieved this season by the Helix Highlanders, which is closely resembling many of the accomplishments of teams such as Army, Michigan and Notre Dame from a long-ago (may we say leather helmet) era.

Since defeating then 2nd-ranked Oceanside on opening day, 28-20, the Scotties' defense has either shutout an opponent (3 times) or allowed just a single touchdown (5 times) in compiling a stellar 7-1-1 record entering Friday's (Nov. 23) SDCIF Division II quarterfinal contest with Grossmont North League champion West Hills (6-4).

"We have strong athletes and defense is the focus on our team, rather than offense like a lot of other teams," said senior middle linebacker ANTHONY LARCEVAL, a candidate for the Grossmont South League defensive player of the year award. "And since we've gone to the spread formation, it helps our defense because it helps with our pass coverages."

This Helix defense, which features stalwarts such as corner JAMAR TAYLOR, end HOMER MAUGA, and safety TRELAN TAYLOR, is complement to a balanced offense.

"The Wing-T is out-dated and the colleges are throwing the ball," added Larceval. "It's an advantage for us -- it's the same thing over and over."

Getting used to the change has been a secret to Helix' success.

"We got beat early on some trick plays, but coach DILLON ROBLES has us ready now," noted senior Jamar Taylor. "No one's beat our secondary with a trick play in a long time because everyone does their job -- that's why we have a sound defense."

A change in personnel because of injury proved valuable.

"One of our corners -- TYRELL BELL -- got hurt, but we filled in our missing piece," added Taylor . “TRAVON VAN came right in. He was playing running back, but has done a great job."

Since Van joined Taylor, Helix has allowed a mere 21 points over its last six contests. Santa Fe Christian hit on a halfback option pass back in Week 5, then Steele Canyon and Monte Vista scored second-half touchdowns after the outcomes were already decided.

"And we expect more trick plays because they're not going to beat us up front," said Taylor . "It'll be important for our outside guys to keep containment, but we have great outside guys."

An oddity to the Highlanders spread offensive attack is there are no superstars to key upon. They can run -- as many as six backs can be considered starters -- and they can throw the ball behind QBs ANTHONY DIAZ and TY CULVER.

Run or pass, Helix makes defensive coordinators cringe. When the Highlanders race-horsed past West Hills 35-0 during the regular season they did so primarily on the run. Helix rushed for 239 yards on 33 carries, but Diaz and Culver spread their 12 completions among seven receivers for an additional 163 yards and two TDs. A halfback pass by JO-JO PHILLIPS also added to the Highlanders touchdown total.

Meanwhile, changes made by West Hills has transformed the offense, which is now scoring points since the Helix blow out in Week 5. Senior ERIC FIEGE continues to contribute in all phases, while quarterback CHRIS MISENSOL's passing has become timelier and the defense is gaining a greater toe-hold.

So what is more different about this meeting than the first? Helix has won all nine of the previous meeings in this series and doesn't figure to stop now . . . Helix 35-7.

DIVISION III
St. Augustine at Steele Canyon -- One of the first San Diego Section teams to implement the 'spread' offense successfully are the Saints, so there will be problems to overcome yet nothing new to expect for the Cougars' defense.

"They are a strong running and passing team," noted Cougars senior linebacker DILLON MILLS. "So it might be easier because we have played those tough Top 10 teams. We know what to expect and how to play them."

Steele Canyon (6-3) has lost to three powerhouses -- Cathedral Catholic, Eastlake and Helix -- which are or have been ranked in the top teams in the county this season. There are no cupcakes on their schedule.

But St. Augustine knows all about winning playoff games on the road, including last season's upset over then undefeated El Capitan .

"Daniel Butler is a talented runner, and their quarterback, David Popkins, moves around a lot and waits patiently for his targets," noted Cougars coach RON BOEMHKE. "As always, they're a team which spreads it out and they usually find creases here or there."

Butler needs just 38 yards to reach 1,000 for the season, while Popkins has thrown just two interceptions all season. Thus, Steele Canyon 's defense will be challenged.

Conversely, the best showing by the Saints' defense has allowed just 6 points the past two weeks to offensively-challenge ballclubs from Morse and Monte Vista. Otherwise, they're allowing more than 20 points an outing. And don't forget about Steele Canyon's JAMIE DALE (211 carries, 1,456 yards, 18 TDs) -- East County's leading rusher. Thus, expect a higher-than-expected scoring game... Steele Canyon , 35-31.

Mount Miguel at Ramona -- Hope the Matadors enjoy temperatures which could extend into the low 40s when they travel up the mountain Friday night (Nov. 23) to meet the Bulldogs in the SDCIF quarterfinals. And the route to Ramona -- and a way to determine a winner -- goes right through Lakeside

El Capitan has battled both of these Final Eight teams, with Ramona holding a slight edge with a 49-21 triumph, while the Matadors rallied back to stop the Vaq Pack, 34-17, in last week's Division III playoff opener.

Differences: Ramona utilized a halfback option pass to jump to an early lead, but Mount Miguel possesses the speed to neutralize such trickery. Plus, El Cap was coming off the inevitable letdown following the team's trip to Hawai'i.

The Bulldogs also sacked El Capitan seven times, but the speed of Matadors quarterback AARON BRYANT should prevent the front seven from reaching him as easily.

And like Mission Bay in Division IV (see below), the Valley League is considered a notch below the North County 's other two conferences. Thus, Ramona's 6-3 record is misleading, but it is up to the visiting Matadors to prove it.

So bring an extra blanket and some hot cocoa and enjoy the cold and... Mount Miguel, 33-24.

DIVISION IV
Santana at Mission Bay (1 p.m.) -- Since the conclusion of September, the Sultans own just a single victory -- but don't be alarmed. Something the coaching staff keeps reminding their players is that they play in a league with Division II and III schools. As the smallest school from the Grossmont North League, their true test as champions comes here in the playoffs.

However, the SDCIF seeding committee threw a curveball with a surprise quiz: a meeting with the top-seeded Buccaneers (7-2-1) in the opening round.

Rather than becoming discouraged, Santana can go in knowing: a) the City Conference is generally considered soft; b) Granite Hills, which missed the postseason, nearly beat the Bucs in a road game at the beach, and c) Mission Bay lost to every serious challenger it has met in Bonita Vista, Point Loma and a tie with Serra.

But then again, that is nothing more than paperwork. It is emotion and passion that helps win games.

And if the Bucs talk as much smack as they did to the Eagles, then the best Sultans effort may come with a chip on their shoulder.

On the field, Mission Bay goes with a rushing offense in backs Victor Johnson and Dillon Baxter, but each only owns a single 100-yard game. They are, however, capable of so much more but yet to show it. Bucs QB Evan Jones is a spirited performer, who doubles as a free safety.

Speaking of talented quarterbacks dogged by inconsistency, Santana's JAMES NEEDY (1,817 total yards, 26 TDs) has been hit and miss this season. He's passed for more than 200 yards five times and less than 100 three times. When he's on the mark, Needy can ring up the points with targets such as TYLER AUBREY (42-629, 5 TDs), KYLE ROMERO (40-531, 5 TDs) and TYLER BLACKLEDGE (27-276, 4 TDs).

Mission Bay is a quality team which has yet to realize its potential.

Santana's poorer efforts defensive efforts were against pass-happy ballclubs, thus if they curtail the Bucs' speed on the outside, it's a prime situation for an East County Sports' Upset Special... Santana, 28-27.

DIVISION V
Holtville vs. Christian, at Valhalla -- In a similar situation in 2006, the Patriots slapped Vincent Memorial with their own defensive surge, blanking the Scots, 49-0.

About the only thing interesting in this contest is the continuing pursuit by running back LAWRENCE WALKER, as he approaches a pair of Heisman Trophy winners on the CIFSDS career rushing list. Walker needs 96 yards to supplant Patrick Henry's RICK WILLIAMS for No. 9 on the list, then the senior can go for the East County mark held by REGGIE BUSH of Helix, a mark which could fall in the Division V final at Qualcomm Stadium.

First things first. Take care of business against the Vikings in a mirror-like performance... Christian, 49-0.