© East County Sports.com
POMONA (9-16-07) — Cliché, no doubt. But there’s no other way to look at it – David vs. Goliath on Saturday night (Sept. 15) at Ganesha High.

In one corner was visiting Christian High – 34 players strong. In the other corner were the Diamond Ranch Panthers, 73 players suited up. Never mind the overall enrollment disparity – Diamond Ranch, with 1888 students to Christian’s 426.

Joe Carrillo scored on an 18-yard quarterback scramble in the first quarter for host Diamond Ranch, and that was it. The Panthers (2-1) held off upset-minded Christian 6-0.

“I think we had their attention there in the second half – we were right there,” said Christian coach MATT OLIVER.

Christian’s best scoring threat came in the final seconds of the third quarter. The Patriots (2-1) had driven to the Panthers 5-yard line and were facing a 4th-and-1.

“We had a good surge upfront and I thought we got it,” said Christian offensive coordinator DAVID BEEZER.

The officials didn’t see it that way, and the ball went over to the Panthers.

Christian’s defense, spearheaded by nose guard/linebacker PAT KELLY, gave up some yardage but never were pushed back to the shadows of their own goal posts after the first quarter.

“They got off a couple of long 3rd down plays to maintain possession in the fourth quarter, and that killed us,” Oliver said. “We blocked a field goal and did a lot of good things. We were confident coming up here, but to hold a team like that to six points and not win... well, that’s kind of frustrating.”

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Kelly had both sides talking. Unofficially he had 15 tackles, 1 sack and 3 other stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Oliver said “Kelly was a monster out there, just unbelievable. They couldn’t block him. Some of the Diamond Ranch kids came up and told us that Kelly was the best defensive player they’d faced. The Diamond Ranch coach was going to call some of the college coaches that he knows and put in a good word for Pat – he was that good.”

Christian was able to keep it close through superb clock management. Beezer was using a stopwatch on the sidelines in an effort to make sure the Patriots were exhausting the allotted 25 seconds between each offensive play.

“I thought we did an excellent job of controlling the ball and keeping the clock rolling,” Beezer explained. “In that first quarter everything was clicking – we were able to move right down the field.”

“We wanted to keep it close early and then try to win it late,” said Oliver.

The Panthers denied Christian’s bid for an early score by blocking a 32-yard field goal attempt.

LAWRENCE WALKER was the Patriots primary offensive threat, as usual, rushing for 80 yards on 17 carries. Quarterback ERICK ALLEN completed 4 of 13 passes for 59 yards. KURT METCALFE had 2 receptions for 44 yards.

It was not by chance that the Patriots scheduled this trek to face a top-drawer program like Diamond Ranch.

“Our goal in playing this game was to find out if we can play Division I football,” said Beezer. “Across the board that’s about as physical a football team as Christian has ever played. But we showed that we can play physical football, too. I believe that we can hang with anybody – Division I or otherwise.”

Perhaps the Patriots might have had second thoughts as they watched Diamond Ranch go through its pre-game ritual.

“First they came out with 41 guys to warm up and they didn’t look that big,” said Christian defensive coordinator MIKE MITCHELL. “But I found out a few minutes later those were only their specialists. When they sent out their 32 linemen I started looking for a roster. Those guys were big.”

Mismatch? Probably – on paper.

Evidently the Patriots didn’t get the memo.

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (9-15-07) — Running with the elite is routine for the Helix Highlanders. Same can be said for the Carlsbad Lancers. So when these two butted heads Friday night (Sept. 14) at Benton Hart Stadium at Jim Arnaiz Field, a nail-biter was assured.

In a game of missed opportunities, top-ranked Carlsbad (2-0) escaped with a 14-10 victory over the Highlanders (2-1). The win extended Carlsbad’s undefeated streak to 22 games.

This one was a physical meat-grinder, with players from both sides limping to the sidelines with regularity. Those who log such statistics say that Helix won the physical battle. But that isn’t worth much in the long run.

Garrett Jarvis (7, top) with the leaping catch for El Capitan, while the Vaqueros receive tackles from Ryan Pernicano (34, middle) and Austin Hill (10). (Photos by Tori Mills)

“Bob told me ‘I sure don’t want to play you guys again,’” Van Hook said.

Although Helix had chances to pull out an upset win, Van Hook tipped his hat to the visiting Lancers. “No doubt about it, they are the No. 1 team in the county, but personally I still believe that we have to be No. 2. We were that close.”

Helix took the early lead on a 27-yard field goal by ANTHONY MERRILL in the opening quarter. Carlsbad countered with a 61-yard scoring pass, and that’s how the first half ended.

Perhaps the most pivotal play of the game came in the 3rd quarter when the Highlanders mishandled an option pitch between quarterback TY CULVER and running back LARRY GIST. The ball was scooped up by the Lancers’ MARTY PORTER, who rambled 37 yards for a touchdown that gave Carlsbad a 14-3 lead with a little more than a minute left in the period.

“I still thought we had a chance to win,” Van Hook said. “We had Carlsbad pinned down inside their own 1-yard line (with 7:27 remaining) and three timeouts left.”

A thigh bruise injury to Carlsbad starting quarterback Nick Pascarella forced the Lancers to make a change. Five-foot-6 DAVID CISNEROS replaced Pascarella with the game on the line.

Cisneros carried 9 times for 55 yards on the Lancers’ final drive. His efforts did not run out the clock but did multitudes to erase the final 7:27.

The key play in Carlsbad ’s keepaway was a 5-yard run by Cisneros on a fourth-and-2 from the Helix 40 with a minute to play.

Despite losing, Helix totaled 331 yards total offense. The Highlanders only touchdown came on a 5-yard run by Culver, set up by an 88-kickoff return by Gist in the 3rd quarter.

Junior middle linebacker ANTHONY LARCEVAL led the Helix defense with 12 tackles – 8 of them unassisted. Defensive end HOMER MAUGA also came up with some key stops for the Highlanders.

STEELE CANYON 19, GROSSMONT 14 – During its six years of varsity football competition, Steele Canyon has rarely played a game decided in the final minute. This is not to say that the Cougars don’t play close games – because they do.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EL CAPITAN 56, CORONADO 36 – Anybody who believes that the El Capitan Vaqueros’ season of a year ago was a fluke better ask coach RON BURNER to borrow some game films.

While the latest edition of the Vaqueros continue to work to put things together, they have achieved some feats of note. Remember, last year’s El Capitan team never scored 50 or more points. These Vaqueros have broken the 50-point barrier twice, including Friday night (Sept. 14) when they downed visiting Coronado .

Junior quarterback TANNER RUST established four personal records with 403 yards total offense, 386 passing yards, 6 touchdown passes, and 21 pass completions (in 35 attempts). His passing totals rank 3rd to last year’s superstar quarterback RYAN LINDLEY, who pitched two games of 417 yards.

Keep in mind now, in the almost five decades of its football program, El Capitan has been built on a mind set of run first and pass later. Since Burner grabbed the reins three years ago, the Vaqueros (2-1) have turned their focus to the West Coast offense.

“We are hardly at full strength,” Burner said. “I think Tanner suffered some kind of hip flexor early in the game, and I was thinking about taking him out. But no way was he coming out.”

Obviously, the decision to leave Rust on the field was the difference in the game.

Senior slotback TILA CASE, who missed the majority of his junior season with a broken collarbone, picked up his hobbling quarterback by catching 7 passes for 138 yards, including scoring strikes of 22 and 38 yards.

“The middle was open all the time,” Case said. “We just took advantage. We ran the same play on both of my touchdowns when ( Coronado ) tried to cover me with a linebacker. It seemed like we could do whatever we wanted to do offensively.”

That’s exactly what Case has been able to do in the first three games of the season. The 5-foot-9, 179-pound scooter has caught 22 passes for 448 yards and 6 touchdowns – and that’s only as a receiver. Case is also the East County all-purpose yardage leader with 885 yards.

“Since I didn’t contribute much last year, I feel like I have to compact my junior and senior years this season,” Case noted. “I want to do whatever it takes to get us to the Stadium.”

Not to be overlooked was the performance of the Vaqueros’ 6-4, 170-pound two-way senior GARRETT JARVIS.

“He was amazing,” said Case of his teammate.

Case wasn’t just talking about Jarvis’s 6 pass receptions for 72 yards and 2 touchdowns, he was pointing to Jarvis’s 47-yard TD interception return, which crushed a Coronado comeback bid and gave the Vaqueros a 20-point lead with 3:32 remaining.

Jarvis was not available for comment, but Case noted that his teammate told him that he was cramping about 20 yards away from the goal line en route to completing his interception return.

El Capitan’s PHILLIP COOK had a big night, reeling in 5 passes for 124 yards and one touchdown. Cook also intercepted a pass that set up an El Capitan score.

Running back BEN WILKINS rushed for 94 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries. He also caught 2 passes for 26 yards and a score.

El Capitan totaled 535 yards – the seventh highest in school history.

“And to think that we were missing both of our starting slotbacks and had several other key guys hurting,” Burner said.

On the defensive side, senior linebacker JAKE STEUERMANN posted 10 tackles and a pair of sacks for the Vaqueros. Overall, El Capitan had 5 sacks and a gang-tackling defensive effort.

MOUNT MIGUEL 55, SD-SOUTHWEST 10 – While Mount Miguel welcomed the return of senior running back ELLIOTT TAYLOR, who was the Grossmont Conference’s leading rusher during the regular season last year, Friday night’s (Sept. 14) show belonged to senior RICO SMITH.

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.

SANTANA 35, IMPERIAL 13 – Veteran coach DAVE GROSS has coached at many locales during his lengthy career. One of those stopovers was in the Imperial Valley where the bearded guru of Santee guided the Imperial Tigers to three straight San Diego CIF 1A championships (1980-82).

Since then Gross has hip-hopped around Southern California, spending some time at the community college level (Antelope Valley), but now seems to have secured a home base at Santana.

This is the seventh school where Gross has hung his hat. When he and the Sultans caged the visiting Tigers on Friday night (Sept. 14), it marked the 101st victory of Gross’s coaching career. That ties him with former Monte Vista coach ED CARBERRY for fourth in the all-time Grossmont Conference record book.

Naturally the grizzled veteran doesn’t get caught up in such trivia. More pleasing to him was that the Sultans posted their first win in three starts this season.

The final score indicates this was an easy conquest for Santana, but the outcome wasn’t decided until the Sultans punched in two touchdowns in the final quarter.

Junior quarterback JAMES NEEDY led the Santana charge, completing 13 of 27 passes for 186 yards and 3 touchdowns. Needy directed an 8-yard scoring pass to TYLER BLACKLEDGE, and an 11-yard aerial to TYLER AUBREY and a 45-yard bomb to KYLE ROMERO. Romero’s TD was the one that locked up the win for the Sultans.

For good measure, KRIS KIMMEL barged off-tackle for a 17-yard scoring run. It was Kimmel’s only carry of the game.

Aubrey led Santana’s best rushing game of the season with 51 yards on 6 carries. JAMES ANAGNOSASTOPOLIS chipped in with 50 yards on 6 carries, while Needy added 31 yards on 11 carries.

Uncharacteristically, Santana displayed a balanced offense – 201 yards passing and 200 yards rushing. Romero paved the way with 4 pass receptions for 103 yards.

Santana’s often-overshadowed defense had a big night, forcing 7 Imperial turnovers.

ANTHONY MORENO, who was 5-for-5 on PAT kicks, caught 3 passes and accounted for 63 all-purpose yards. He also had an interception.

CODY CAMPBELL and HOA NGUYEN also picked off passes for the Sultans.

EL CAJON VALLEY 36, EC-SOUTHWEST 14 – First-year head coach DANNY GOODRICH didn’t talk about it, but did think about it – and couldn’t hide it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CHULA VISTA 39, GRANITE HILLS 12 – Coach RANDY DeWITT of Granite Hills is wondering why Chula Vista isn’t in somebody’s Top 10.

DeWitt and his Eagles (1-2) found themselves trailing the visiting Spartans Friday night (Sept. 14) 32-0 before they could find the endzone.

“ Chula Vista is probably the best team we’ve played all season ­– I was impressed by them,” remarked DeWitt. “They were pretty big, had good speed and got to the outside on us real well. We came out really flat and not ready to play tonight.”

Granite Hills totaled 234 yards, but only one of its 16 first downs came in the opening half.

“We told them at halftime that they needed to come out and play with some more pride,” DeWitt said. “We had some good play in the second half – I feel we were able to play right with them in the last two quarters.”

Taimi Tutogi scored 3 touchdowns to lead the Spartans, who have outscored their first three opponents 119-30.

Granite Hills avoided a shutout with a pair of 2nd-half touchdowns. BRADLEY CARTER corralled a 17-yard pass from JUSTIN MONTGOMERY in the 3rd quarter, and HAROLD HARRIS scored on a 2-yard run.

Harris led a meager Eagles ground game with 51 yards on 15 carries. Montgomery had a little better luck through the air, completing 11 of 25 passes for 143 yards. BRENDAN CARTER was the Eagles’ top receiver with 4 catches for 49 yards.

Granite Hills’ JAKE CASTILLO notched his second interception in as many weeks.

EL CAMINO 31, MONTE VISTA 14 -- The Monarchs' game plan for both sides of the ball seemed solid: mix short passes with an inside running game at visiting El Camino, then prevent the Wildcats from making any big plays.

However, miscues on special teams saw Monte Vista allow two touchdowns out of punt formation over a 1:51 span of the first period, a deficit they were unable to overcome in a non-league contest against the reigning Avocado League co-champions at Monarchs Stadium.

The first bobble came on a punt snap which was dropped, as junior linebacker Joe Rash scooped and returned the ball 32 yards for a quick 7-0 lead just 3:37 into the contest. Moments later, Monte Vista (1-1) managed to get the punt off, only to see Travis Venzant scamper 79 yards along the left sideline for another touchdown.

And when El Camino's offense finally got the ball, quarterback Tim Willis tossed the first of his two TD passes, connecting with tight end Hanz Jaime on a 14-yard score over the middle for a 21-0 lead just 8 1/2 minutes into the contest.

Willis (7-for-16, 77 yards) later tossed a 12-yard scoring pass to Nelson Rosario, who caught the ball at the Monarchs-5 then strode backwards into the end zone for a 28-0 halftime lead.

Fortunately for Monte Vista, the team managed to regroup at the intermission, sticking to its strategy in order to prepare for future contests. The rebound was so good, it seemingly set off a mild panic from El Camino coaches after the lead was trimmed to 28-14.

Controlling the line of scrimmage, the Monarchs marched on a long, 13-play scoring drive of 74 yards, followed by a mammoth 18-play drive covering 75 yards.

The first Monte Vista score came on a 7-yard run by NICK WILLIAMS (17 carries, 58 yards). The drive was aided by three El Camino penalties, each time giving the Monarchs a new set of downs.

The next TD drive was completely earned by the hosts, capped on a 12-yard TD pass by MAURICE PAYNE to receiver JOSH GOSSMEYER to cap a drive lasting 8:18. Payne completed 6-of-8 passes on the drive, while also scrambling for 9 yards for an important 3rd-down conversion.

In the first half, El Camino's defense allowed just 5 total yards and no first downs. Richard Crawford registered two of the team's three interceptions. The unlucky Monarchs, meanwhile, forced five fumbles, but could only recover the ball once when KYLE RICHARDSON jarred the ball loose on Venzant's second attempt to return a punt coast-to-coast.

Venzant rushed 12 times for 97 yards, while the special teams units of El Camino (2-1) recorded 127 of its 159 return yards in the opening period.

For Monte Vista, Payne was 16-for-29 for 91 yards, including 8 receptions for 70 yards by Gossmeyer.

Top: West Hills quarterback Chris Misensol. Bottom: Wolf Pack receiver Eric Fiege. (Photos by Travis Downs)

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.

ESCONDIDO CHARTER 48, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 27 -- White Tigers running back Josh Robinson scored on touchdown runs of 9, 28 and 75 yards, handing the Knights their first setback of the season in Friday's (Sept. 14) non-league game at Junior Seau Field.

Escondido Charter broke open a close contest with a 21-0 advantage in the third period, mounting a 42-13 lead.

Foothills quarterback GARRET CAMPBELL completed just 8-of-27 passes for 144 yards, hampered by a foot injury which prevented him from playing on defense. However, he took the game's opening kickoff 77 yards for a score, while rushing 9 times for 99 yards, including a 25-yard TD romp.

Meanwhile, the Knights stayed close thanks to three Escondido Charter turnovers, as JORDAN CRUMLISH, JOHN MAGANA and COTTON POORE made fumble recoveries. But the bigger White Tigers line finally wore down Foothills (2-1).

In the final two minutes, Campbell tossed a 33-yard TD pass MATTISON RUNDLETT with 1:30 left. Foothills covered the onsides kick, as Magana later scored on a 7-yard run with 1:10 remaining.

Another onsides kick also went to the Knights, but a Foothills pass play fell a yard short of the end zone as time expired.

Classic 1-vs.-2 battle on tap
Helix hosts top-rated Carlsbad

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (9-13-07) -- There's nothing imaginary about Friday's (Sept. 14) Clash of the Titans when two ballclubs which took the high road to the top of the county rankings will square-off as top-ranked Carlsbad makes a rare trek to East County to battle No. 2 Helix at Jim Arnaiz Field.

Yes, it may only be Week 3 of the high school football season, but this match-up could be considered one of the biggest non-league, regular season games to be played in many years.

"I'm thinking this game is probably bigger in the sense that people expect us to play pretty tough," said Helix coach DONNIE VAN HOOK. "But they're a very talented team with a lot more experience than Oceanside had. So it'll be a great experience -- and a big test -- for us."

Included was Carlsbad's 21-3 season-opening triumph over then 10th-ranked St. Augustine, the two-time defending SDCIF Division III titlist. Meanwhile, the Scotties went to North County to drop then No. 2 Oceanside, and nipped a perennial playoff participant from Utah last week while the Lancers had a bye.

The focus will be from all fronts. Channel 4 San Diego will televise the 7:05 p.m. contest (on tape-delay following Padres baseball), with all types of media -- print and electronic -- expected to add to the anticipated sellout crowd.

Carlsbad captured its opener without injured quarterback Justin Morales, so senior running back Nick Pascarella stepped in and tossed the go-ahead touchdown pass to shock the Saints. Lancers coach Bob McAllister has yet to publicly announce whether Morales will be back, but Van Hook voices other concerns.

"To be honest, their defense is more their forte than their offense," Van Hook admitted. "I thought we are a fast team -- and we are -- but they are even faster. They can fly."

For Helix to slow down Morales, Pascarella or running back David Cisneros (117 yards vs. Saints), some of the unsung members of the defense will need to step forward. Included are strong-side linebacker CHRIS PETERSON and junior free safety TRELAN TAYLOR who will need to assist the defensive line in making stops.

"Those two are definitely overlooked," added the coach. "And we'll need some big plays from wide receiver MARQUISE DEADWILER, too."

The difference may be the Carlsbad defensive line, which limited St. Augustine to just three points. The Saints returned to form the following week to post 27 on the scoreboard.

Meanwhile, in what has to be a first, Helix fails to have anyone listed among the top rushers in East County -- none! The Highlanders show only 152 yards (total) in their first two games.

Another first (or now a second) is Carlsbad scored a 28-7 victory over the Highlanders in 1955 – the only time these teams met.

True, the Scotties can throw the ball, but a one-dimensional offense will not be enough. So the pick is... Carlsbad, 14-7.

Fri., Sept. 14
Steele Canyon at Grossmont -- While Carlsbad-Helix may be the top inter-conference contest this week, the Cougars' visit to Lt. Adams Memorial Field to battle the Foothillers is easily the spotlight intra-conference pairing.

Both sides are extremely similar with top-flights defenses with just enough offense to get over the top. Indeed, both teams seem to win by small margins, but it's as much by design to shorten the game by running the football.

Steele Canyon hopes to expand its options on offense.

"We're going to try to go with more than two weapons than we did last week," said Cougars coach RON BOEHMKE. "Perhaps to our fullback SCOTT PERLIN, and we'll try to spread the ball around by passing a little more."

"We took strides that way from week one to week two, and we need to keep making strides and keep improving."

Grossmont running back KHALID WATERS is as consistent a ground-gainer as there is in East County, so Steele Canyon will try to plug the area between the tackles.

Conversely, JAMIE DALE sits on top of the region's rushing table with 338 yards in two outings. Boehmke noted the recent strong play of senior center RORY ZAVRID and junior "quick tackle" BEN KAUFFMAN.

"The unsung heroes are the linemen in the trenches -- you can name them every week, because you have to win there first," added the coach.

A year ago, three key plays on special teams determined the winner, as Grossmont overcame allowing a kickoff return touchdown by setting up two scores on busted punt plays for a 14-10 triumph. The Cougars seemed to have shored up their special teams difficulties, so in another barnburner take... Steele Canyon 10-7.

Coronado at El Capitan -- Look at the City Conference's Central League, what used to be the doormat of high school football in the county. The six schools each have at least one victory, posting a composite 7-3 ledger.

And the best of the half-dozen may by the Islanders, which like El Capitan opened the season with a victory in Hawai'i. Quarterback Mason Mills, a transfer from Christian High, is passing at a 55-percent clip, but the balanced attack features a 100-yard runner in senior Kyle Brown.

Meanwhile, including their playoff setback to St. Augustine last season, the Vaqueros have yielded 136 points in their last three outings -- not typical for a team which went 10-0 in the regular season in 2006.

Changes are in order on defense, but the size advantage should be enough to carry forward for at least one additional week. These teams have not squared off since 1963, so time to catch up for lost time... El Capitan, 42-37.

Chula Vista at Granite Hills -- The Eagles defense saved the day to down Westview, but Chula Vista is a class-level above the Wolverines. The Spartans whipped Valhalla, 41-18, by wearing down the Norsemen, scoring 23 unanswered points to overcome an 18-17 deficit.

The Eagles have split eight previous meetings with the Spartans and hold the perception of being only a touch better than Valhalla. But after proving themselves by playing a full four quarters against Westview, can the hosts do it in consecutive weeks?... Chula Vista, 29-21.

Imperial at Santana – Sultans coach DAVE GROSS, a former head coach at Imperial, welcomes the Tigers to Santee Community Stadium.

Imperial buried the El Centro-Southwest Eagles, 41-0, last week. Santana (0-2) has scored 48 points in two games, but has yet to locate the victory column.

The good news for the Sultans is that Imperial's one-dimensional offense can only run the ball, so the secondary can cheat forward to assist the linebacking corps... Santana, 35-21.

El Cajon Valley at EC-Southwest – The only other time the Braves tested the Eagles was in 2000, and that one was ugly. Southwest mauled El Cajon Valley 41-6 on that night. Both teams are struggling this season. Senior KEVIN KELLEY has scored all 19 points for the Braves, while Southwest has been blown out in each of its first two starts... El Cajon Valley 18-14.

El Camino at Monte Vista -- Both programs have slipped in recent years, as the Wildcats have failed to put together a signiicant playoff push recently while Monte Vista os seeking a return to postseason play. The Monarchs are definitely on the rebound, but this one still may be a bit more than they can chew... El Camino, 20-7.

SD-Southwest at Mount Miguel -- Matadors coach TOM KARLO has yet to build a 3-game winning streak in his three-year tenure in Spring Valley... until Friday's victory against a Raiders ballclub which may be worse -- at their level, respectfully -- than their NFL namesakes... Mount Miguel, 42-0.

West Hills at Mission Hills -- Despite a decent defensive effort against Steele Canyon, the rebuilding Wolf Pack offense doesn't (yet) possess enough weapons to challenge the 6th-ranked Grizzlies -- especially on the road. Even with two of the top five rated runners -- CHRISTIAN FONSECA and CHRIS BLUMKA -- in the East County, the defensive line which will reign is... Mission Hills, 35-14.

Escondido Charter vs. Foothills Christian, Junior Seau Field – The Knights could roll their record to 3-0, which is quite an improvement for a team that won only one game a year ago... Foothills Christian, 26-12.

Sat., Sept. 15
Christian vs. Diamond Ranch, at Pomona-Ganesha -- The Patriots knew this would be a difficult opponent to overcome, especially on the road. However, eyebrows were raised throughout the Inland Empire when the Panthers not only battled powerful Huntington Beach-Edison tough in their opener, then they went out and whipped annual Southern Section playoff contender Chino Hills, 42-28, last week.

Diamond Ranch, a Division 5A large-school program, was rewarded by gaining a No. 3 rating by the San Gabriel Valley Tribune this week. Thus, this test would be similar to asking Christian -- a Division V small-school program -- to tackle Carlsbad or Helix.

The Patriots may be able to score some points, but halting a Panthers offense which features a quarterback in Joe Carrillo, who can both run and pass the ball effectively, it may be a long drive home from Pomona for Christian... Diamond Ranch, 42-20.