Pack sacks Foothillers Parks scores three TDs, as West Hills builds 24-0 lead © East County Sports.com SANTEE (11-8-08) — West Hills High celebrated homecoming on Friday (Nov. 7), but it was more like a debutante ball for Wolf Pack running back ALAN PARKS. West Hills' Alan Parks Susan Cooper Photography Listed nowhere among the East County statistical leaders, Parks delighted his ballclub with a breakthrough performance after rushing for three touchdowns in a 38-30 upset of visiting Grossmont. "We just had to come out and dominate the first half," said Parks, who helped the Pack out of the blocks with two early scores for a 24-0 lead. "We had to show that we weren't going to go out easy – which we didn't. We're really happy about it." Parks scored on runs of 21 and 2 yards in the second quarter. When the Foothillers started to rebound to move within 24-14 – the later touchdown coming on a 69-yard interception return by CODY SOS – Parks responded with 23-yard TD gallop. For Sos, it was his second scoring return in three picks. Part of the West Hills game plan was to establish its fly sweep, then counter out of the formation. "It just threw them off, so they started to play softer, which helped us put more points on the board," added Parks, who rushed six times for 68 yards. "Our blocking was great – I have to give it up to the O-line for staying on their blocks all night." Meanwhile, always reliable CHRISTIAN FONSECA ran the counter up the middle, even taking the ball on a direct snap from the center several times. "We put in that formation when league started," noted Fonseca, who rushed 23 times for 140 yards. "We were trying to confuse them and spread them out to let me run the ball." Establishing the run early has been a goal of the Wolf Pack all season. "The fly sweep was the key for us," noted West Hills head coach CASEY ASH. "If we get that going, then we have a lot of things we run off that, and it opened everything for us." Grossmont trimmed a 24-point deficit down to move within 31-24 when TYLER MUTTER tossed his second TD pass of the contest. His 10-yard strike to VALENTINO HODGSON came early in the fourth quarter. However, LEVI JACOB finally took a handoff from among three options in the backfield, with Grossmont linebackers covering other runners to allow Jacob a lane up the middle for a 20-yard score. "That counter on the last touchdown was off the fly sweep," Ash said. "I didn't expect a 24-0 lead either -- Grossmont is a tough team to figure out and we thought they would be tough for us to handle," added Ash. "They have some good players, but it seemed like they had a hard time getting the ball to their guys." A pair of long runbacks on first-half interceptions were key for West Hills. The Pack’s BILLY McGARVEY returned a Mutter interception 27 yards to set-up the Pack in Grossmont territory. Fonseca busted loose for 26 yards for a third-down conversion, then West Hills quarterback JOE ROBERTS connected with Jacob for 7 yards and the opening score on the very next play, although DOMINIQUE BRADLEY blocked the PAT attempt. Later, Pack cornerback CHASE SENTER returned an interception 49 yards to the Grossmont-20, setting up a 30-yard field goal by Jacob for a 17-0 advantage. "I knew they were going to run a comeback, so I jumped the route and was able to make a nice catch," noted Senter. "We had prepared really hard and played as hard as we could – we had a good strategy to stop their fly sweep and stop their best receiver." Jacob finished with 107 yards on five receptions for West Hills (3-6, 2-1 GNL), which took over second place in the Grossmont North League. The Pack faces a must-win situation in the regular season finale at El Cajon Valley on Nov. 14 to stand any chance at making the SDS-CIF Division II playoffs. The Foothillers (4-6, 2-2), who have a bye on the final week of the regular season, are a long shot to garner a postseason berth. BRETT ETHERTON paced Grossmont with 8 catches for 83 yards, beating the secondary deep on a 29-yard scoring pass play with 1:15 left in the first half. Meanwhile, FELIPE VALDEZ and DESEAN WATERS each rushed for 63 yards. In addition to Bradley's PAT block, Hodgson blocked a West Hills field goal attempt on the final play of the first half. The loose ball went to JOHN SHARPE, who returned the ball 56 yards before the last Wolf Pack tackler pushed him out of bounds to prevent a 96-yard runback. Roberts completed 12 of 18 passes for 133 yards, while Mutter hit on 12 of 29 serves for 151 yards and two TDs.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (11-8-08/REVISED 11-9-08) — Two weeks ago when Santana was ground to bits by Grossmont 37-0 and appeared to have lost kingpin KRIS KIMMEL to a broken ankle, the Sultans’ season looked to be over.

While many coaches complain about having a bye week, it was the cure that the doctor ordered for Santana (4-5, 1-2 Grossmont North League). The Sultans rebounded from their previous shellacking to spoil El Cajon Valley ’s homecoming with a 33-27 GNL victory on Friday (Nov. 7).

As excited as the Sultans were by bopping the Braves, they probably secured a berth in the CIF-San Diego Section Division IV playoffs. On top of that they get a shot at forcing El Capitan to possibly share the GNL championship.

Life is good for the Sultans at the moment.

The result of this showdown could actually be a positive, as both teams may qualify for the post-season playoffs.

With the game tied 27-all, the Sultans eventually pulled out the victory when TRAVIS REYNOLDS reeled in a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback ZACH BREIDT with 50 seconds remaining.

“I rolled out and tried to throw the ball where either Travis would catch it or nobody would,” Breidt said. “You know, I have to give Travis credit because he made a great catch. He made the adjustment on the ball by turning his body (180 degrees) to make the catch over the DB, who seemed to get lost on the play.”

Said Reynolds, “It was a flag route, and I beat the guy. The ball was kind of behind me and I came back for it. It’s probably the biggest catch I’ve ever had.”

Santana’s game-winning score was set-up on an interception by junior JUSTIN WILLIAMS.

Kimmel ignited Santana’s comeback by reeling in a 12-yard touchdown pass from Breidt.

The fact that Kimmel was even in the game was startling. Word was he had broken his ankle in the Grossmont game two weeks earlier.

“When it happened I thought for sure that I’d broken it,” said Kimmel, who finished with 2 catches for 60 yards and his 5th interception. “I could feel it tonight, but I was just so happy to be involved in the game. This is the most exciting game I’ve ever played in.”

Breidt has seen better days, as he completed only 9 of 24 passes for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was intercepted twice – including once by GAVINO PINAL, in the endzone for his East County leading 6th theft.

Pinal was a standout for the Braves (4-5, 0-3 GNL), pulling down 5 passes for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns.

ANTHONY JACKSON caught 11 passes for 136 yards for the Braves. Jackson ’s pass receptions tie him with CLIFTON THOMAS (2005), who is 2nd in the El Cajon Valley record book.

Braves quarterback ISAAC SOLIZ etched his name in El Cajon Valley passing history by connecting on 27 of 48 passes for 415 yards. Soliz delivered 2 scoring passes and suffered 4 interceptions.

El Cajon Valley led 27-17 with nine minutes left to play.

“We had 7 turnovers in the game – 3 of them in the last 6 minutes,” said Braves coach DANNY GOODRICH.

One of those turnovers was an interception in the 3rd quarter that was returned 35 yards by Santana’s RONALD STEEN for a touchdown.

JOSH VAN de VRUGT contributed nine kicking points for the Sultans, including field goals of 45 and 27 yards.

“Because this is my senior year I didn’t want to watch this game from the sidelines,” Kimmel said. “I know I wasn’t 100 percent when I went out there and played, and I could feel the pain. But the fact that we won it made it all worthwhile.”

Coastal League
CHRISTIAN 27, THE BISHOP’S 20 – The undefeated Patriots, who are in line for a shot at a state championship, had to be stunned Friday night (Nov. 7) when they trailed Coastal League rival The Bishop’s 13-6 after the first quarter.

“We were coming off a bye and were totally flat,” said Christian head coach MATT OLIVER. “If you look at our scores, we’ve been blowing people out week after week.

“I don’t know what it was for sure, but I think the bye had something to do with it, and peeking ahead to next week’s showdown with Francis Parker had something to do with it too.”

Winners of 23 of their last 24 games, the Patriots (9-0, 3-0 CL) took the lead at The Bishop’s homecoming game on scoring passes of 11 yards and 15 yards from ERICK ALLEN to CALEB FARREL to take a 20-13 lead after three periods.

But even that wasn’t enough, as Micah Seau, who ground out 102 yards in 20 carries for the Knights (4-5, 0-3 CL), tied the game with a 1-yard dive early in the 4th quarter.

Christian, which is playing without MIKE FERREIRA (due to injury), embarked on a 7-minute, 14 play drive to pull out the victory. Predominantly a running team the Patriots turned to the passing game to register the winning marker when Allen hit TYRONE SAULS with 29-yard scoring pass with 1:52 to play.

“It was one of those games where we were looking for the gas pedal but kept hitting the brakes,” said Christian assistant coach DAVID BEEZER. “We just weren’t able to pull away.”

CHARLES THOMPSON paced the Patriots with 140 yards – half of it coming on a 70-yard scoring dash in the opening period – that tied the game 6-6. The remainder of the Christian rushing attack was limited to 34 yards on 16 carries.

Allen finished by completing half of his 20 passes for 116 yards to go along with his 3 scoring strikes.

“We just never really got settled,” Oliver said. “I can’t say I’m very happy about the way we played, but I’ll take the win and be happy for that.”

Oliver noted that Francis Parker struggled against Bishop’s as well, before squeezing out a 31-23 victory a month ago.

Christian’s goal is to reach the state bowl game, but that’s a long way away.

“Right now what we want to do is look forward, not look back,” Oliver added.

The conquest of the Cougars secured the Highlanders of nothing less than a share of their 3rd straight GSL title. All Helix needs to wrap up the crown outright is a regular season-ending victory over Monte Vista in La Mesa on Nov. 14.

Grossmont Foothillers at West Hills Wolf Pack (Slideshow by Susan Cooper Photography)

One thing about the No. 3 ranked Highlanders is they can find multiple ways of scoring.

TRAVON VAN, who rushed for 90 yards on 11 carries, staked Helix to a 7-0 lead on a 10-yard run.

It was in the 2nd quarter that the Highlanders utilized a quartet of different styles of scoring plays. Half of them involved quarterback TY CULVER, who tossed scoring strikes of 19 yards to PAUL BLAKENEY and 12 yards to LEVINE TOILOLO.

Helix’ defense was not to be outdone. ANTHONY LARCEVAL, who earlier in the day was offered a scholarship to Sacramento State , scored on a 46-yard fumble return.

Junior cornerback BRANDON WATSON picked off a Steele Canyon pass and returned it 36 yards for a TD in the 2nd quarter.

Completing 10-of-15 passes, Culver added a 29-yard scoring bullet to SEAN LINTON for the Highlanders’ lone score in the 2nd half. Coupled with his running, Culver finished with 250 yards total offense – including149 yards passing.

Despite making wholesale substitutions Helix held Steele Canyon to 190 yards total offense.

“They are a pretty one-dimensional team and our strength is defending the run,” said Helix head coach TROY STARR, noting that the Highlanders held the Cougars to less than 3.2 yards per carry.

Steele Canyon junior running back ALEX PERLIN was held to 48 yards – 101.5 yards below his season average.

“They’re very tough,” Perlin said of the Highlanders. “They’re very fast. It’s hard to do anything against a great defense like that. But I tried my hardest.”

Steele Canyon avoided the shutout sophomore quarterback BRAD BOEHMKE hit tight end CAMERON MOSS with a 6-yard touchdown pass in the 2nd quarter.

The Cougars added a second touchdown in the 4th quarter when sophomore JAKE WRAGG scored on a 6-yard run.

“They’ve got some great athletes and they were distributing the ball well,” said Cougars coach RON BOEHMKE.

Seven different Highlanders contributed to the scoring. Van led the Helix rushers with 96 yards on 11 carries. None of the Highlanders caught more than two passes. Linton led the way with 2 receptions for 35 yards.

But Valhalla blanked the Matadors in the second half and eventually snapped a 14-14 tie early in the 4th quarter. ALEX JOHNSON blocked a Mount Miguel punt, giving the Norsemen possession at the Matadors' 32-yard line. The Norsemen quickly got the lead when TRAIVONNE BROWN rumbled 6 yards for the go-ahead score with 8:07 to play. Quarterback PETE THOMAS tacked on the third of his three conversion kicks.

By winning, Valhalla (8-1, 3-1) further improved its chances for a No. 2 seed in the CIF-SDS Division II playoffs. The Norsemen close out the regular season by hosting rival Granite Hills next week.

Thomas finished the night at Mount Miguel by hitting 19-of-31 passes for 230 yards. He suffered one interception. His season to date totals include 2,278 yards and 21 TDs on 177-of-258 throwing accuracy.

The Matadors (3-6, 1-3) started the game with a bang. From their 36-yard line, sophomore quarterback DE'JAY NOLEN threw a strike to SAMSON TAUSAGA for a quick 13-yard pick up to the Mount Miguel 49-yard line. The drive quickly fizzled, however, when Valhalla defensive back IVAN MAY picked off an errant pass and gave the Norsemen their first possession at their 40-yard line.

After Valhalla slotback MANUEL PARAMO scooted 9 yards around left end, Thomas froze the defense with a nifty play action pass to DEREK WHITE for a 39-yard gain to the Matadors-12. Four plays later, Thomas sneaked into the endzone for a 1-yard touchdown to stake Valhalla to a 7-0 edge with 8:27 left in the first quarter.

The Matadors didn't take long to knot the score with a steady 11-play drive that ended in paydirt when junior running back DERALL HUNTER steamrolled the would-be Valhalla tackler into the endzone with a 5-yard burst up the middle. JORGE MEDINA's successful PAT evened the score at 7, with 4:06 remaining in the initial period.

Hunter finished the night with 78 yards and both Mount Miguel touchdowns on 20 carries. Nolen paced the Matadors’ aerial game, hitting 10-of-18 passes for 89 yards.

Following the kickoff, Valhalla looked like it was going to regain the lead. Starting at their 21-yard line, junior running back TRAIVONNE BROWN accelerated through the line and into the secondary for a 24-yard gain to the Valhalla 45-yard line.

Two plays later, Thomas connected with White for an apparent 40-yard pass completion to the Matador 10, but it was nullified by a penalty. Undeterred, the visitors marched to the Mount Miguel 26-yard line, where the drive stalled when the receiver dropped a TD pass in the endzone as the quarter expired.

Mount Miguel's offense took advantage of the situation and put together a 10-play drive highlighted by a 27-yard pass play from Nolen to wide receiver FELIX DELEON that will likely make this week's highlight reels. The pass was a bit short and Valhalla 's May picked it clean for what appeared to be his second interception of the game when Deleon wrestled the ball away in mid-air for a completion. Four plays later, Hunter scored from the 2-yard line. Medina 's kick gave the host team the lead once again, 14-7, with 7:24 left until intermission.

The second half was all Valhalla . Coach STEVE SUTTON, usually soft-spoken, has been known to rattle the decibel meter on occasion during the halftime break, in order to get his point across to his players. It must’ve worked this week: the Norsemen defense did not give up a first down in the second half. In fact, they limited the Matadors' offense to minus-7 yards after intermission.

Led by defensive back ALEX JOHNSON (15 tackles, blocked punt), linebacker KELLEN WILEY (12 tackles), and defensive end SHANE PENNIX (2 sacks, 4 tackles for loss), Valhalla's defense limited Mount Miguel to 16 plays in the last two quarters, compared to 33 plays in the first half.

Valhalla's offense also came to life after the halftime break. Brown took the opening kickoff at the Valhalla-10 and scooted 42 yards to the Mount Miguel 48-yard line to start the second half. Three plays later, Brown (12 carries for 106 yards) broke free on a draw play for a 22-yard pickup to the Matadors' 15-yard line, and gained another 14 yards around right end to the 2-yard line. Thomas scored on another 1-yard run, and, after his successful PAT, Valhalla tied the score, 14-14, less than 3 minutes into the second half.

MONTE VISTA 33, GRANITE HILLS 0 – A 21-point second quarter Friday night (Nov. 7) in Spring Valley not only helped the Monarchs take a 30-0 halftime lead over visiting Granite Hills, it also kept Monte Vista’s Division III playoff hopes alive.

“We played another solid defensive game,” said Monarchs coach PAGE CULVER. (Senior linebacker) TRACY SHIELDS was outstanding on defense.”

It was Monte Vista’s second shutout of the season. The Monarchs (5-5, 2-2 GSL) have also come to life on offense the past two weeks due to the return of junior quarterback MAURICE PAYNE.

“Payne has improved each week since returning from his shoulder injury,” Culver said. Payne clicked on 10 of 13 passes for 154 yards and one TD against the Eagles (1-8, 0-4).

In the case of Payne, it’s not all about his personal contributions in terms of statistics, but more a case of his leadership on the field.

Versatile JERRAD SCOTT reeled in a 35-yard touchdown pass from Payne after scoring on a 3-yard run, helping Monte Vista gain its lopsided first-half lead.

“We ran the ball real well,” Culver said. “The running game has really improved.”

Shields scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown in the 2nd quarter, while NICK WILLIAMS, who rushed for 139 yards on 11 carries, hit paydirt from 2 yards out in the second stanza.

The only scoring in the 2nd half was a 27-yard field goal in the 4th quarter by JESUS VELARDE.

Monte Vista ’s defense was secured by key interceptions by Williams – his 4th of the season – and MIKE HODGES’ 2nd theft of the year. Hodges also reeled in six passes for 54 yards.

“We are peaking at the right time,” Culver said. “This was a big win for us as far as our playoff chances are concerned. Next week’s game at Helix is a big one for us.”

Culver believes an upset win over the Highlanders could land the Monarchs a No. 6 or 7 seed. No question, that’s a tall order, considering Helix has been untouchable of late.

It was another long night for Granite Hills, which was limited to 108 total yards by the aggressive Monte Vista defense.

AARON HARRIS paced Granite Hills (1-8, 0-4 GSL) with 77 yards on 16 rushes. The remainder of the squad was rationed to a total of 31 yards. Harris now has 1,233 yards on 191 rushes.

“There’s really not much to say,” said Granite Hills coach RANDY DeWITT. “We just couldn’t get anything going – on offense or on defense.”

Southern Conference
FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 49, SAN PASQUAL ACADEMY 0 – The Knights established a school record by scoring 28 points in the second quarter Friday (Nov. 7), en route to pasting the host Dragons at San Pasqual High. The victory sets-up a head-to-head match-up with Calvin Christian next week at Junior Seau Field in La Mesa to decide the Southern Conference championship.

Leading 7-0 through one quarter, GARRET CAMPBELL powered Foothills to its record explosion on offense. In the second period, he had a hand in all four scores, rushing for TDs of 19 and 43 yards. Campbell also connected with GAGE PROVENCHER on a 30-yard TD pass, then he returned a punt 64 yards for another score.

The four touchdowns tied the school mark set last season against San Diego Jewish Academy. After Campbell added four PAT conversions, Foothills Christian broke the mark of 27 points set in the same contest.

In addition, the 49-point margin was the school's largest in a shutout victory, and one point short of the largest margin in any contest (62-12 vs. San Diego Jewish Academy).

Campbell opened the scoring with a 10-yard TD run. Leading 35-0 at halftime, the Knights received third-quarter scores by MATTISON RUNDLETT (21-yard run) and RYAN EDMISTON (8-yard run).

Campbell finished with 107 rushing yards on seven carries, while completing 5-of-9 passes for another 89 yards. His four touchdowns and 7-for-7 PAT kicking gave him 31 of the 49 points against the Dragons.

Rundlett was the leading Foothills rusher with 120 yards on 10 carries.

The defense forced four turnovers, including interceptions by DILLION WALSH, Edmiston and Rundlett. In addition, ROBERT KAKOS, who recovered a fumble, was the team's leading tackler with seven stops, while DYLAN WESTRICK recorded the team's lone sack.

“THOM LUBIC continues to improve his defense every week, proving the value of excellent assistant coaches,” said Knights head coach STEVE PERDUE. “Our defense had an excellent game, registering its second shutout in probably its most physical game of the year.”

Prior to blowing out the Dragons, Perdue and his staff were on hand to watch Calvin Christian (8-0, 6-0 SC) riddle Julian 31-7 earlier in the afternoon. The Knights slipped past Julian 21-15 in the land of apple pie on Oct. 10.

“We are excited about next week,” said Perdue. “Two 6-0 teams battling for their first-ever league title. Should be fun.”

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (11-6-08) — More football championship banners hang in Helix High's Caledonia Gymnasium than any other school in the East County. Meanwhile, Steele Canyon owns just one – a 2005 crown when the Highlanders posted a forgettable 2-7-1 record.

These schools will renew their battle with the Grossmont South League crown on the line on Friday (Nov. 7) at Jim Arnaiz Field.

Ranked third in the county, Helix is riding a 4-game winning streak backed by a defense which chews up opposing running backs. This is unfortunate for Steele Canyon, which relies primarily on the ground game to transport the football.

Although Valhalla is hoping for a Cougars triumph, the Norsemen demonstrated how to stop the Steele Canyon ground attack in last week's 28-3 pasting. Helix doesn't need the video, but we're sure they did take some notes... Helix, 31-9.

Coach STEVE SUTTON wants his Norsemen focused on the doings at Mount Miguel. Valhalla is thinking league title and a possible No. 2 seeding in the San Diego CIF Division III playoffs — that should be a lock unless Ramona upsets defending state-championship Oceanside.

Any chance Mount Miguel might have at a postseason berth starts Friday. The Matadors face a “must-win” situation against the Norsemen.

Valhalla quarterback PETE THOMAS expanded his lead over TANNER RUST of El Capitan to 186 yards for the East County passing lead, in position to become the most prolific passer in Valhalla history. At 2,046 yards, he just surpassed his 2007 season total of 1,961 as a sophomore and is now within reach of the single-season school record.

Conversely, with Grossmont Conference rushing leader DERALL HUNTER carrying the football, the Matadors could stay close in a low-scoring affair by taking chunks of time off the clock.

If Mount Miguel can cash-in some long drives and get into the endzone, this one could be interesting. However, the obvious choice is... Valhalla, 34-14.

Granite Hills (1-7, 0-3) at Monte Vista (4-4, 1-2) — Many thought this might be the Eagles' final chance to find the winner's circle this season, but with the strong return of Monarchs quarterback MAURICE PAYNE, those thoughts may be dashed.

Payne powered Monte Vista to a huge halftime lead en route to a surprisingly easy win over Mount Miguel. And with Helix on the Monarchs' horizon, this is a must-win situation to gain a playoff berth. Considering Monte Vista has won nine of the last 10 in this series... Monte Vista, 28-14.

Grossmont North League
Santana (3-5, 0-2) at El Cajon Valley (4-4, 0-2), 6:30 p.m. — Expectations for both of these programs were high in September, but shattered into pieces the following month, leaving this game as probably the last hope to salvage one final victory this season. That’s the way it looks on paper.

If the Sultans can close with a two-game sweep a Division IV playoff berth is certainly within reach. That would mean spoiling El Capitan ’s bid for the GNL championship on the final game of the regular season.

Same is true for El Cajon Valley, albeit the Braves possibly could sneak in with a .500 mark. The Braves finish up against West Hills next week.

For Santana, an optimistic 3-2 start turned into a tailspin when Madison repeatedly exploited the Sultans defense, which has allowed no fewer than 33 points per outing since shutting out Imperial in Week 3.

The difference may be El Cajon Valley 's ability to put the ball into the endzone, no matter how much the defense yields. And with injuries mounting on the Santana offense, the pick goes to... El Cajon Valley, 42-38.

Grossmont (4-5, 2-1) at West Hills (2-6, 1-1) — The Foothillers' final ballgame in the regular season might be the team's last, period, unless they get past the Wolf Pack.

A victory will give Grossmont a second-place finish in the GNL and an overall .500 record. Both will be needed to receive SDCIF playoff consideration.

Meanwhile, except for the anticipated glitch in a loss to Helix, the Wolf Pack has yet to fold its tent, continuing to grow as a team. Just last week, the Pack was only a 2-point conversion away from tying El Capitan in the fourth quarter before the Vaqueros pulled away in the final minutes.

The difference may be the physical play of the Foothillers defense of late, which will attempt to ruin West Hills' homecoming... Grossmont, 21-17.

Coastal League
Christian (8-0, 2-0) vs. The Bishop’s (4-4, 0-2), at La Jolla HS — Undefeated and technically in second place, the Patriots close the season with the first of two road games, visiting Gene Edwards Field to meet the Knights.

Due to last week's bye date, Francis Parker took over the Coastal League lead at 3-0, leaving Christian a half-game back. Christian has won 22 of its last 23 games.

The Patriots and Lancers close the regular season with a head-to-head battle in Linda Vista next week, which means the Pats better avoid any look-ahead tendencies. If all the pieces fall into place over the next month or so, Christian could be playing for the state Division V championship.

But first things first. Bishop's has stayed in many ballgames this season due to its team speed, but the lack of depth kills them in the second half. On the flip side, Christian has started fast in most games this season, which gives this one the makings of a long second half.

Look for the Patriots' ground game – spearheaded by galloping senior CHARLES THOMPSON – to put the Knights in catch-up mode early on... Christian, 35-14.

Southern Conference
Foothills Christian (7-1, 5-0) at San Pasqual Academy (4-4, 3-2), at San Pasqual HS — Technically, the Knights do not need to win this contest as long as they win their Week 11 showdown with Calvin Christian. But it would be so much better to have two undefeated teams meet for the league title on the final night of the regular season.

To get there, Foothills might need to throw the ball more than usual to keep the speed of San Pasqual Academy at bay. The strategy worked to defeat Borrego Springs, 41-12, while SPA lost to the Rams, 49-12.

The teams have met just once, with the Dragons taking a 30-20 decision during Week 3 of the 2006 season. Can the Knights return from the North County with better results?... Foothills Christian, 31-12.