Campbell rallies Foothills to first-ever championship Kicks FG as time expires, 16-14 © East County Sports.com LA MESA (11-15-08) — Baseball scouts are always searching for a "five tool" player – a standout who can hit for average, hit for power, throw, run, and display glove skills on defense. The best one can usually find in football is a three-prong player, maybe an occasional four guy. Rarely do you find a talented individual in high school football until you meet Foothills Christian junior GARRET CAMPBELL. Campbell utilized a four-skill display over the final four minutes of Friday's (Nov. 14) showdown for the Southern League championship, almost singlehandedly stunning previously undefeated Calvin Christian, 16-14. The ballgame was played before a standing-room only gathering at Parkway Middle School's Junior Seau Field. Calvin Christian's Crusaders were four seconds away from a perfect 10-0 regular season. However, Campbell drilled a 27-yard field goal as time expired to gain the Knights their first league championship. "We were going crazy a few plays before that kick, so we called a timeout," recalled Campbell, who finished with 331 all-purpose yards. "And after they blocked our second PAT, we had all the O-linemen cross their legs so no one could get through them." PLAYOFF UPDATE Foothills Christian will host Holtville (5-5) in a first-round CIF Division V playoff contest on Friday (Nov. 21). Kickoff is at 7 p.m. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals, meeting second-seeded Christian High (9-1) at a site to be determined. Just to get into position for a field goal was all thanks to Campbell. After a potential game-winning, 10-play drive was upended on an interception by Calvin Christian cornerback Joe Ricci with 4:21 remaining, the Crusaders were about to close-out a perfect season when 6-foot-6 quarterback David Stout connected on a short pass to David Baker for a first down. Foothills Christian ball-carrier Gage Provencher (18) eludes a Calvin Christian defender. (Photo by Elijah Lettau) However, while Baker was being tackled, Campbell, one of many Knights playing both ways, was able to jar the ball loose. Senior GAGE PROVENCHER made the recovery with 2:58 left, giving Campbell a second chance to pull out the victory after once trailing 14-0. "I was really mad because I could've lost the game with that pick," noted Campbell. "I was able to get my helmet underneath him to cause the fumble – that was really exciting." "I didn't expect to knock the ball out. I was just trying to prevent him from getting the first down." After forcing the key turnover, Campbell then displayed his leg and arm abilities. First, he scrambled for 19 yards for a first down at the Crusaders 23. Campbell (14-for-24 passing) then connected with Provencher on a short pass to move into field goal range. Provencher caught 11 passes for 158 of Campbell's 200 passing yards. Three handoffs up the middle, then a timeout with four seconds left, set the stage for Campbell to kick – skill No. 4 – the clinching field goal. "The O-line did a good job of blocking, while I started my approach to the ball quicker," he noted. "Everything went just right." The big rally was complete contrast to the first half, when Foothills reached the red zone three times, only to come away empty with a missed field goal – which was ruled just wide – and a pair of failed fourth-down conversions. Meanwhile, the Crusaders (8-1, 6-1) scored twice as Stout threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Clinton Parker and a 71-yard completion to Kevin Veldkamp. The latter set up Baker's 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. "The first half was really weird – it was a shock not being able to move the ball or score," Campbell recalled. "They really made us work." "But we came though with our game plan in the second half by adding some short passes instead of just running the ball." The Knights (9-1, 7-0) opened the second half with a 29-yard kickoff runback by Campbell, then marched 60 yards on 12 plays, capped by a 2-run dive into the endzone by MATTISON RUNDLETT (10 carries, 40 yards). Calvin Christian countered with three quick first downs, but a fourth-down hit by Knights linebacker CALEB GARDNER left the Crusaders short of a first down by a yard. Foothills quickly raced 70 yards for a touchdown, aided by a pair of major penalties on Calvin Christian. Campbell, who rushed for 131 yards on 21 carries, capped the drive with a 22-yard scamper, starting by running toward the left side, then bouncing against the grain to the right on the final play of the third quarter. However, Clinton Parker's conversion block looked to be enough to preserve a 1-point win. For Calvin Christian, Stout completed 15-of-25 passes for 248 yards. He found Baker five times for 98 yards. However, only 60 of those yards came following the intermission, as the Knights defense tossed a second-half shutout. "Our defense stepped up to the occasion," noted head coach STEVE PERDUE, who once captured a SDCIF baseball championship at Valhalla. "Every week, our defense has climbed that peak, and I'm whipped because of the defense tonight." Included were interceptions by Rundlett and ZACH IVY of Stout, who had been picked-off just twice all season entering the showdown for the league crown. Meanwhile, TRAVIS WOLFE sacked Stout once. Foothills out-gained Calvin, 396-347, in yardage, and registered more first downs, 21-12.

WEEK ELEVEN

2008 Grossmont North League champion El Capitan Vaqueros (Photo by Susan Cooper Photography)

Vaqueros complete 'run' to GNL crown;
No. 3 Helix earns third straight South title

© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (11-15-08/Updated 11-16-08) — Running the football has been an arduous task for the El Capitan Vaqueros most of the season. But they seemed to find their footing at the expense of visiting Santana in Friday night’s (Nov. 14) Grossmont North League finale.

Not only did the Vaqueros (7-3, 4-0 GNL) wrap up their second league championship in three years, they did it on foot – and with defense – rather than their usual aerial act.

The Vaqueros rushed for a season-high 215 yards on 32 carries as they subdued the Sultans 21-7. The most impressive thing about the ground game was the Vaqueros showed some balance.

Junior MATT BURKETT set the pace with 71 yards on 6 carries, while versatile quarterback TANNER RUST added 60 yards and 1 touchdown on 15 sorties. PHILLIP COOK – a receiver by trade – averaged 13 rushing yards on 3 carries, and BRANDON SANCHEZ contributed 45 on 8 rushes.

“I thought we ran the ball pretty well,” El Capitan coach RON BURNER understated.

You have to realize that Burner is one of those offensive-minded, thrill-seeking coaches who love to put the ball in the air. But he also recognizes the value of having balance.

Rust, who came in averaging 226 passing yards per game, settled for just 94 yards while hitting 8 of 18 aerial attempts. But Rust included quality in his limited passes, as two of them resulted in touchdowns of 21 and 35 yards to Cook.

Defense, a phase of the game that most opponents don’t regard as an El Capitan strength, flexed its muscles against the Sultans (4-6, 1-3 GNL). Santana, in fact, was limited to 232 yards on 64 plays.

Junior ALLEN THOMAS was the standout of the El Capitan defense on the night when the Vaqueros honored their graduating seniors. Thomas’ effort cannot be measured just by numbers, as he recorded 5 tackles, a key sack, and made an interception that he returned 46 yards.

“We knew what was on the line, so we stepped up and made the big plays,” Thomas said. “I think our defense is a little bit underrated. On paper we might not look as good as we are, but sometimes we’re put in difficult situations (short fields).”

One thing El Capitan did was put the pressure on Santana quarterback ZACH BREIDT. The scrambling sophomore still managed to complete 17-of-35 passes for 148 yards, including a 4-yard TD strike to senior KRIS KIMMEL.

Breidt also led the Sultans in rushing with 58 yards on 19 carries.

The versatile Kimmel caught a game-high 6 passes for 64 yards and intercepted his 6th pass of the season.

El Capitan might have had an easier ride had it not missed a scoring opportunity in the final seconds of the first half. Confusion between the officials and the El Capitan bench foiled what appeared to be a sure touchdown, as the Vaqueros let a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line go for naught. The officials later took the blame.

“That still cost us a touchdown,” said Burner, whose Vaqueros led only 14-7 at halftime.

A 47-yard run by Burkett following the second half kickoff gave the Vaqueros a first down at the Santana-22, but the Vaqueros failed to capitalize as Santana’s CODI LESLIE intercepted a deflected pass at the 1-yard line.

“Those two series right there made this a tough game for us,” Burner noted. “Not to take anything away from Santana, but we made things tough on ourselves.”

Kickers Rust and Santana’s JOSH van de VRUGT did not allow a single kickoff return. Between them they produced 6 touchbacks.

The Vaqueros, as the No. 5 seed in the Division III playoffs, earned a first round home game against Brawley next Friday (Nov. 21).

Santana did not receive a postseason invitation.

But then, by the same token, no one on the Helix side had reason to complain as the No. 3 ranked Scotties (8-1-1, 5-0 GSL) secured their third straight Grossmont South League championship at the expense of the visiting Monarchs (5-5, 2-3 GSL).

Helix also was awarded the No. 3 seed in the San Diego CIF Division II playoffs behind Oceanside (9-0-1) and Eastlake (8-2), and will receive a first round bye.

TRAVON VAN was the surge engine that fueled the Highlanders’ 385-yard offensive assault against the Monarchs. Not only did he rush for a season-high 192 yards on 20 carries, he also caught 2 passes for 27 yards. Strangely enough, he did not find the endzone.

“Right now we are keeping things real basic,” said Van. “Because of our offensive line’s improvement week after week, we’re becoming a stronger running team. One of our goals was to win league, and we’ve achieved that.”

Van claimed he did not mind being held scoreless (for the first time this year).

“Heck, I like to block,” he said. “My favorite block is on a screen pass. You can get a pretty good angle on a guy.”

Monte Vista coach PAGE CULVER was impressed by Van’s total game.

“We played very hard and they are very talented,” Culver said. “They have Van and… Van. He’s head-and-shoulders above any other back we have played this year.”

This was by no means a cakewalk for the Highlanders, who were tagged with eight penalties – the majority of which came on the offensive side.

Helix quarterback TY CULVER had a hand in 3 touchdowns and rolled up 169 total yards. His 5-yard scoring junket put the Highlanders on top 7-0 after one quarter. Culver then hit 6-foot-8 tight end LEVINE TOILOLO with an 11-yard TD pass, making it 14-0 by halftime.

Monte Vista wasn’t prepared to roll over, however. Quarterback MAURICE PAYNE delivered a 36-yard touchdown pass to MIKE HODGES to cut the Helix lead in half early in the 3rd quarter.

The Highlanders, who play musical chairs with their stable of running backs every week, received a key 21-yard scoring run by PAUL BLAKENEY to end the quarter on top 21-7.

Helix put the game out of reach in the 4th period when Culver lofted a 29-yard scoring pass to ANTHONY DIAZ.

Payne, who was limited to 144 yards total offense, scored a late TD on a 1-yard plunge for the Monarchs.

The swing vote in this game centered on the Helix defense, which held the Monarchs’ running game to 79 yards on 32 carries.

Monte Vista ’s No. 1 ground hog NICK WILLIAMS was limited to 26 yards on a dozen carries. That’s less than a third of his season average.

Culver was hoping his Monarchs could earn a No. 12 seed just to stick their foot in the door of the Division III playoffs. The playoff committee did them one better, handing Monte Vista a No. 11 seed and an opening round game at Serra on Friday (Nov. 22).

“I didn’t see us getting booted out,” Culver said. “I told our guys to keep their heads up – there are three games to make it to the stadium.”

The Norsemen (9-1, 4-1 GSL) officially received a No. 3 seed, which means they will play the semifinal game at Ramona providing both teams make it that far.

Visiting Granite Hills (1-9, 0-5 GSL) was completely overmatched by Valhalla .

The Eagles got lit up early and Norsemen junior quarterback PETE THOMAS' pistol wasn't firing blanks. In the first quarter he was 10-for-10 for 124 yards and 3 touchdown passes, enabling Valhalla to cruise to an easy win.

Valhalla’s defense was just as potent, limiting Granite Hills to 3 yards rushing in 26 attempts, and only 82 yards passing.

Three plays later Thomas found MANUEL PARAMO open in the endzone for a 22-yard TD hookup. After Thomas kicked the first of his 7 PATs, Valhalla led 7-0, less than 2 minutes into the game.

Once again, Granite couldn't get anything going on offense, and after Norsemen defensive tackle RICARDO RODRIGUEZ batted down a pass on third down, the Eagles had to punt. Valhalla got good field position at its 49-yard line; five plays later Leighton hauled in a 4-yard TD pass from Thomas, with 4:52 left in the initial period.

Granite's next series ended in disaster when Norsemen defensive back IVAN MAY picked off an errant pass and returned it to the Granite-39. This time, it took the home team only four plays to find paydirt when Thomas delivered another TD pass to DEREK WHITE, this time for 7 yards, with 1:44 remaining on the first quarter clock, upping the lead to 21-0.

The Norsemen were effective with their ground game as well. In the second quarter, Brown broke free on a draw play up the middle for a 21-yard touchdown, making it 28-0 early in the second quarter. The first half ended mercifully when what appeared to be a 13-yard Thomas-to-White touchdown pass in the corner of the endzone was called incomplete by the closest official, leaving the score 28-0 at intermission.

The second half started out with a bang when Brown returned the opening kickoff for a Valhalla record 97 yards and a touchdown, increasing the lead to 35-0. Brown’s sprint broke the record of 95 yards set by DUPREE FLENOID versus Grossmont in 2003 and BOBBY OWSLEY against Granite Hills in 1996.

Granite Hills got on the board with the first play of the 4th quarter, when junior quarterback TYLER JOWORSKI spotted junior wide receiver DYLAN RUBIO open deep downfield and threw a perfect spiral for a 49-yard touchdown. TYLER STRICKLAND's PAT made it 42-7, with 11:45 left in the game.

Joworski completed 5 of 11 passes for 82 yards. PAUL ADAMS saw his first action as a running back for Granite Hills, rushing for 25 yards on two carries. He also averaged 37.7 yards on seven punts.

Both teams had several good defensive plays. Granite Hills' KENNY KRAJNAK batted down two passes, and the Eagles' defensive lineman ROB BICKEL made several tackles, flying all over the field.

For Valhalla , the defense had 10 tackles for losses. Junior linebacker AARON NUNO had two sacks for the Norsemen.

Brown ended the evening with 132 yards rushing on just 11 carries, and 255 all-purpose yards. In the passing department, Thomas was 19-27-1 for 215 yards and 4 TDs, and added 41 yards rushing and another touchdown.

Junior wide receiver MATT SWANGER caught the final touchdown pass of the game, which ties the Valhalla record for 7 touchdown receptions in a season. He shares that mark with four other Norsemen – MANNY GONZALES (2003), RICHARD BRAVIN (1997), JOHNNY ACE (1986), and ROB SHARP (1985).

FRANCIS PARKER 45, CHRISTIAN 21 – The Patriots’ dreams of a bowl game and a Coastal League championship evaporated Friday night (Nov. 14) when the Deon Randall railroad took the express route through the Christian defense.

Randall rushed for 147 yards and 5 touchdowns on 16 carries as the Lancers (9-1, 4-0 CL) handed Christian its first loss in 10 games this season. For that matter it was only the second loss in 26 starts for the Patriots.

“I think it would take 13 players on the field to stop that Randall kid,” said Christian coach MATT OLIVER, who didn’t have much else to say.

Odds are the Patriots and Lancers will probably meet again for the SDCIF Division V championship on Saturday (Dec. 13). Parker is seeded No. 1, Christian No. 2.

It was a rough night across the board for Christian, which had beaten Parker in three previous meetings the past two years.

CHARLES THOMPSON, East County ’s leading rusher, came in averaging more than 169 yards a game. On this night, though, he was limited to 77 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries.

“We got waxed pretty good,” said Christian assistant coach DAVID BEEZER. “Plain and simple… we didn’t have an answer for Deon Randall.”

Yet the Patriots pulled into a 14-14 tie on a 15-yard TD pass from ERICK ALLEN to TYRONE SAULS with 1:05 remaining in the first half.

The Lancers wasted little time regaining the lead, as Randall completed a 71-yard scoring drive with a 31-yard TD scramble.

Parker put the game away quickly in the second half, scoring on the opening possession and finishing with a 17-0 advantage in that period.

“Randall is the hardest guy we’ve ever had to defend in my 25 years of coaching,” observed Christian defensive coordinator MIKE MITCHELL. “We’re not a slow team, but Randall is incredibly fast. He’s very Barry Sanders-like. He can change direction on a dime.”

All of the Christian coaches praised the play of junior linebacker STEVEN PITTS.

“If he hadn’t played, it might have been 102-21,” Mitchell quipped.

Allen completed 6-of-12 passes for 104 yards. MIKE FERREIRA was the only Christian receiver to catch more than one pass, hauling in two balls for 47 yards. He also scored on a 5-yard run.

A 2-yard scoring run by CHRISTIAN FONSECA and a 2-yard scoring pass from JOE ROBERTS to LEVI JACOB provided the spark for the Wolf Pack (4-6, 3-1 GNL), which finished one game behind league champion El Capitan.

West Hills draws an opening round postseason assignment at Patrick Henry (6-4) on Friday (Nov. 22).

El Cajon Valley (4-6, 0-4 GNL) did not play like a team that finished the campaign with a 6-game losing streak. The Braves kept the pressure on throughout the evening.

ARSIM MUSTAFA booted a 35-yard field goal for the Braves that made it a one-possession game.

“We had the ball at the end of the game and just ran out of time,” said El Cajon Valley coach DANNY GOODRICH.

West Hills, which led 21-7 at the half, was unable to pull away.

“Our kids were really gassed – the halftime break came at the right time for us,” said Wolf Pack coach CASEY ASH. “The same thing happened at the end of the game.”

But Ash was pleased with the Wolf Pack’s running game.

“Fonseca had a real good night,” said Ash. “And (ALAN) PARKS had two long runs in the 1st half – one for 59 yards and one for 84.”

Fonseca finished with 163 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries for West Hills. He also caught one pass for 35 yards.

“I think Christian is the best running back in our league,” Ash said.

Parks wasn’t too bad, either. He rushed for a career best 156 yards on just 4 carries. Roberts clicked on 6 of 10 passes for 90 yards. CHASE SENTER grabbed 3 passes for 58.

The 31 points are the third-highest scoring total for the Pack this season.

“Our offensive play has been outstanding,” Ash noted. “The O-line really was moving people around out there.”

On the El Cajon Valley side, ISAAC SOLIZ delivered scoring passes of 29 yards to GAVINO PINAL and 31 yards to PETER ALKASS. ANTHONY JACKSON also scored for the Braves on a 1-yard run.

Pinal snagged 3 passes for 47 yards. GERALD KENDALL led the Braves’ ground forces with 108 yards on 13 rushes.

Pinal picked off his 7th and 8th passes to lead East County in interceptions.

While El Cajon Valley was excluded from the Division II playoffs, Grossmont (4-6), idle on Friday (Nov. 14), battered the Braves 49-7 and thus earned the playoff position. The Foothillers will face Bonita Vista (6-4) in Friday’s first round at Southwestern College.

In Friday’s (Nov. 14) Grossmont South League finale at Mount Miguel Boehmke wasted little time spicing up the Cougars act with a fake punt. CHRIS McCOLL, one of the Cougars’ three quarterbacks, took the snap and ran 42 yards to the Mount Miguel 3-yard line.

Quarterback BRAD BOEHMKE eventually scored on a 1-yard sneak.

Then it was the Steele Canyon defense’s turn to shine. Two-way lineman BEN KAUFFMAN, a 6-foot-6, 317-pound senior, reached up and grabbed the first of two Cougars’ interceptions near midfield.

Steele Canyon Stallion ALEX PERLIN took over from there, scoring on runs of 2, 1 and 50, staking the Cougars to a 28-0 lead after three quarters.

Perlin finished with 125 yards on 23 rushes. He has scored 13 touchdowns for the Cougars (5-5, 3-2 GSL).

COLIN MARTIN completed the Cougars’ scoring with a 30-yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter.

“JEBARI ROBINSON had an interception return (for 52 yards) in the 3rd quarter that we capitalized on and scored,” said Coach Boehmke. “Our defense did a great job. There were some turnovers that helped us gain an advantage.”

Punter MIKE DIAZ averaged 40.3 yards on four boots for Steele Canyon.

“Special teams did a great job,” Boehmke added. “It’s nice getting boosted into the playoffs with a win.”

Steele Canyon will continue on to the SDCIF Division III playoffs next Friday (Nov. 21) when the Cougars meet Imperial Valley League champion Central Union (9-1) in El Centro . The Cougars have done well in previous playoff ventures to the desert.

Mount Miguel (3-7, 1-4 GSL) saw its playoff hopes vanish. The Matadors avoided the shutout on DERALL HUNTER’s 1-yard run in the 4th period. It was Hunter’s 19th TD of the season.

Hunter rushed for 131 yards on 26 carries, finishing the season with 1,507 yards on 237 rushes.

FELIX DELEON had four pass receptions for 49 yards for Mount Miguel.

© East County Sports.com
LINDA VISTA (11-13-08) — While league races in the Grossmont Conference are expected to be wrapped up Friday (Nov. 14) with crowns to El Capitan (Grossmont North League) and Helix (Grossmont South League), the spotlight will focus on both local football-playing private schools.

In a pair of match-ups involving ballclubs which are both undefeated in league play, Christian High will go for a Coastal League title when it travels to meet archrival Francis Parker. Meanwhile, the Southern Conference will crown a first-time champion when Foothills Christian hosts Escondido's Calvin Christian at Parkway Middle School's Junior Seau Field.

Christian (9-0, 3-0) at Francis Parker (8-1, 3-0) — There's more on the line than just a league title, according to Patriots head coach MATT OLIVER, who seeks a 24th victory in 25 ballgames.

"The stakes are pretty high for this game -- it could be for the state bowl berth," noted Oliver.

Three schools are currently considered the frontrunners, with Christian and Francis Parker being joined by St. Margaret's (9-0) of San Juan Capistrano to gain the Southern California berth to the CIF state Division V championship bowl game.

"We've tried to play St. Margaret's the past few years, but they always find a reason not to," said Oliver. "But first things first -- we have to take care of what is in front of us for the league championship."

The schools met in the first San Diego Section Division V title game, with Parker taking a 16-7 victory over the favored Patriots in 2005. However, Christian turned the tables by upsetting the Lancers in the title game rematch the following season, 14-10, owning a 3-game winning streak in the series.

"Yes, we've done pretty well against Parker lately, but that won’t help us when we play them this time," added Oliver.

"Randall will be difficult to contain," said Oliver. "Some great players have come out of Parker in recent years, and he's right up there among the best."

Conversely, the Lancers will need to slow down Christian’s CHARLES THOMPSON, the East County rushing leader with 1,522 yards, who is on pace to eclipse the school record for single-season yardage should the Patriots advance deep into the postseason. In fact, Thompson could become East County's fourth 2,000-yard ground gainer this decade.

Since the Patriots are playing on the road, Francis Parker will definitely be in this contest. However, look for the Lancers' 8-game winning streak to end ... Christian, 28-26.

Calvin Christian (8-0, 6-0) vs. Foothills Christian (8-1, 6-0) — In 2006, their first season of 11-man football, the Knights posted a lowly 1-9 record, finally posting Victory No. 1 on the final night of the season after suffering 4-of-9 losses by shutout.

Talk about growing pains.

Two years later, Foothills Christian can completely reverse its football fortunes and finish 9-1 with a triumph over the Crusaders, who started their current football program just last season with a 2-4 mark, yet are now riding a 10-game winning streak after dropping their first four ballgames.

The programs own a combined 16-1 mark this season, so something must give as one of these schools will clutch its first-ever league championship trophy.

Ignoring the bottom-feeders in the Southern Conference, Foothills nearly matches Calvin against the two other first-division finishers. The Knights defeated third-place Julian, 21-15, and fourth-place San Pasqual Academy, 49-0. Meanwhile, Calvin Christian did a touch better, toppling the Eagles last week, 31-7, and the Dragons, 49-12.

Calvin is undefeated, but seems to have more trouble with passing teams. The problem for Foothills is the Knights prefer to keep the ball on the ground, despite 16 touchdown passes by GARRET CAMPBELL. Should the quarterback connect for more than a few times with team reception leader GAGE PROVENCHER and long-distance threat ZAC IVY, this game could prove even more interesting.

The difference may be the Knights' ability to pressure the passer. Five different defenders own more than one sack this season, including four each by IAN MURPHY, DYLAN WESTRICK and Campbell. It's hard to go against an undefeated team, but you know us... an East County Sports' Upset Special... Foothills Christian, 47-41.

Grossmont South League
Steele Canyon (4-5, 2-2) at Mount Miguel (3-6, 1-3) — What will the mindset of the Cougars be after receiving the opportunity they desired?

Following a bye date to restructure the offense, Steele Canyon posted consecutive victories going into a difficult back-to-back situation against Valhalla and Helix, but were never close in either contest. And now the Cougars play for their proverbial playoff lives by completing a 3-game road trip at Mount Miguel.

While Mount Miguel gave 8-1 Valhalla all it could handle last week before falling 21-14, the Matadors remain a long-shot to make the playoffs.

Matadors running back DERALL HUNTER (1,376 yards) needs 169 yards to become the team's top rusher this decade, plus they want Hunter to remain a stride ahead of Steele Canyon Stallion ALEX PERLIN (1,244 yards) as the top rusher in the Grossmont Conference.

The Matadors have never beaten the Cougars in six previous meetings, and Steele Canyon doesn’t plan to let them start now. However, we’re going with yet another East County Sports' Upset Special... Mount Miguel, 20-16.

Granite Hills (1-8, 0-4) at No. 9 Valhalla (8-1, 3-1) — For Norsemen quarterback PETE THOMAS, his march to several school passing records reached several plateaus rather quickly.

Two weeks ago, Thomas surpassed his yardage total from his junior year. Last week, his season mark became the best by a Norsemen this decade. And now the school record is within sight as 9th-ranked Valhalla, ranked in the Top 10 for the first time all season, preps for the playoffs against the spiraling Eagles.

Among the receivers, with Grossmont getting the Week 11 bye date, the Norsemen's DEREK WHITE (41 receptions) knows he needs 11 grabs to surpass the Hillers' BRETT ETHERTON for the regular season title.

The only good news for Granite Hills is a junior varsity program which enters the final week with a 7-2 mark (tied for first with Helix at 3-1 in the GSL). Nonetheless, Norsemen coach STEVE SUTTON can call the score, but based on past experience at West Hills, he probably will not run it up... Valhalla, 35-3.

Monte Vista (5-4, 2-2) at Helix (7-1-1, 4-0) — The Highlanders' trademark may be their defense, yet suddenly quarterback TY CULVER may be setting a new standard of offense.

Culver owns 1,368 passing yards in 2008, moving him within striking distance of surpassing the NFL’s ALEX SMITH for the most yards by a Helix quarterback this decade.

Helix seeks to spank the Monarchs early, then enjoy a first-round bye in the SDCIF Division II playoffs in the anticipated championship battle with Oceanside -- that still is a long, look-ahead situation.

Meanwhile, a Monte Vista upset could equate into a possible first-round home playoff game and a winning record -- its first since capturing the GSL crown in 2004. It may be a bit too much to ask, considering the Highlanders have mauled the Monarchs by a composite 103-14 the past two seasons... Helix, 34-14.

Grossmont North League
West Hills (3-6, 2-1) at El Cajon Valley (4-5, 0-3), 6:30 p.m. — The Wolf Pack, the GNL titlists over three of the past five seasons, must win and hope for a Santana upset of El Capitan to claim a piece of this year’s crown.

West Hills should take care of its half of the equation, utilizing an offensive line which has made major strides over the past month. And with several rushers gaining the spotlight in recent weeks -- CHRISTIAN FONSECA won player of Week 9 honors; ALAN PARKS was a Week 10 finalist – plus three receivers with 30-plus catches, the Braves may be pressed to keep up.

Meanwhile, what happened to El Cajon Valley since opening the season with four consecutive victories? According to the coaching staff, key turnovers at inopportune times have doomed them. Plus, the Braves have won only once in their last 12 GNL contests.

The loser is most likely out of the playoffs. The winner at least will breathe for another 24 hours until the pairings are announced on Saturday. History also favors the Wolf Pack, which owns a 17-2 edge in this series... West Hills, 28-20.

Santana (4-5, 1-2) at El Capitan (6-3, 3-0) — The Sultans' playoff aspirations were extended one additional week following their last-minute victory over El Cajon Valley for their first triumph in more than a month – which, incidentally, was also a last-minute victory when Hilltop missed a PAT in a 35-34 decision.

The cardiac Sultans will need another barnburner to prevent the Vaqueros from a perfect slate through the Grossmont North League and a second league title in three seasons.

El Capitan will make its playoff case with nice victory over Steele Canyon, followed by a narrow road loss to a ranked Valhalla program before going on its GNL winning streak.

Santana likes to throw, but it's nothing like the Vaqueros' defense sees every day in practice facing TANNER RUST, who should easily surpass the 2,000-yard plateau this weekend. This one is for the Golden Whip – the perpetual trophy to this annual neighborhood encounter. Both teams have plenty of offense, but the Vaqueros have the edge on defense... El Capitan, 42-20.