WEEK 3 — Sept. 18-19

Santa Fe Christian running back Jerrod Watson-Lewis (left) pays for this 23-yard, first-quarter gain on a hit by Monte Vista defensive back Denzel Brown. SFCS raced to a 42-6 non-league triumph. (Photo by Dave Ruscetta, SFCS)

Granite Hills' Brian Carroll (1). (Photo by Susan Cooper Photography) MORE PHOTOS HERE

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (9-19-09) – From base to rim, the Madison Cup stands about 2 feet tall and wouldn’t appear to tax a stud football player like Brian Carroll to any measurable degree. But after a few minutes of hoisting the newly minted symbol of the Granite Hills and El Cajon Valley rivalry between the two Madison Avenue schools, even Carroll had to admit, “This thing is pretty heavy.”

While the silver trophy rested on the ECV home sideline throughout Friday’s (Sept. 18) non-league game, it was Carroll and his teammates lugging it back to Granite Hills after the Eagles 42-26 victory.

“This is great,” Carroll said. “Just as I imagined it. No, it’s better than I imagined.”

Coming off a disappointing 41-21 loss to Olympian last week, Granite Hills (2-1) scored the first two touchdowns to pull ahead early and the last two scores to pull away at the end. They also overcame a huge game by El Cajon Valley ’s A.J. WHITE, who rushed for 175 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.

Credit Carroll and a couple of rookies for the fine performance.

Tailback FRANTZ LAROQUE (pronounced La Rock), a junior transfer from El Cajon Valley who sat out last season, rushed 15 times for 145 yards with touchdown runs of 13 and 38 yards.

“The O-line executed and did their job,” said Laroque. “I just had to do my job. Get to the sideline and get up the field.”

Said Eagles coach RANDY DeWITT, “Laroque ran really hard. Having been at that school, he knows a lot of those kids. This game meant everything to him.”

In his first varsity start, Granite Hills junior quarterback CORY LOCKMAN was 8-of-12 for 125 yards and one touchdown, plus he rushed for two TDs. Like Laroque, these were his first varsity touchdowns.

“He played really well,” DeWitt said. “He controlled the ball, made great decisions. We’re really happy with his play tonight.”

Though Carroll didn’t find the end zone, he did catch five passes for 72 yards, had a kick return for 31 yards to set up the Eagles third touchdown and recovered a critical fumble with Granite Hills clinging to a 21-20 lead early in the fourth quarter. Two plays later, Lockman connected with JONATHAN VALENCIA on a 15-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-20 with 9:22 to play.

“(Brian) does it all for us,” DeWitt said. “He hardly ever leaves the field.”

Adding to the Eagles’ joy were kickoff returns of 38 yards by NATE HUFF and 42 yards by FREDDY HALTON, plus TYLER STRICKLAND connected on 6-for-6 extra-point attempts to make him 13-for-13 on the season and put all but one of his kickoffs into the end zone.

“We probably made two or three mistakes at two or three really bad times, and they capitalized every time.”

Along with White’s huge rushing game, senior quarterback ALEX HANN added 129 passing yards, completing 11-of-21 attempts. Johnson made six receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown and tacked on 52 rushing yards with nine carries.

Overall, it was the Braves earning honors for yards. They piled up 382 yards and 22 first downs on 73 plays, while the Eagles netted 352 yards and 15 first downs on 43 plays. Through the first 20 minutes of the second half, the Eagles ran only 12 plays to the Braves’ 34. In that same span, each team scored twice, but Granite Hills held a 14-12 scoring advantage.

Along with needing to find a kicker, the Braves were without the county’s leading receiver, ANTHONY JACKSON, who fractured his right fibula in last week’s loss to Monte Vista. A running back with sure hands, Jackson had 16 receptions for 247 yards and three touchdowns in the first two games.

Jackson said he’s expected to be out for six weeks, and added, “I’ll be back and ready for homecoming.”

Mount Miguel's Joaquin Moreno (Photo by Susan Cooper Photography) MORE PHOTOS HERE

You’d have to say he’s off to a pretty good start with 7 touchdowns in Mount Miguel ’s first two games, including 4 in Friday’s (Sept. 18) blowout of West Hills.

Hunter bolted for scoring runs of 5, 30, 60, and 10 yards as Mount Miguel (2-1) took a 28-0 halftime lead. He totaled 192 yards rushing on 17 carries against the Wolf Pack and now has an East County leading 409 yards on 38 carries.

NATONE MORGAN contributed a 54-yard punt return to setup Hunter’s second TD run in the 1st quarter. Morgan finished with 3 returns for 106 yards.

“We controlled the play throughout,” said Hunter. “We really tired them out. Our team chemistry is great. We all get along well. We had a great running game – my O-line is solid.”

Quarterback AJ STANFORD noted, “It was a good win for us tonight. It’s nice playing offense with these guys – they make my job easy. I got down on myself a little bit with two early picks but the rest of the team picked me up. It’s nice to have a runner like Derall in the backfield. I know I don’t have to drop back and throw the ball 30 times a game.”

Mount Miguel’s quarterback coach FRANK LUERA agreed with Stanford’s assessment.

“Stanford was outstanding,” Luera said. “He ran the club well and was able to connect with his receivers and he ran well when he had to. We knew what plays would work against this team. Our defense shut down the entire West Hills attack.”

Stanford completed 9 of 14 passes for 167 yards, including an 11-yard scoring strike to WILLIE MORALES.

“We started off slow and were a little sloppy in the beginning,” said Matadors head coach TOM KARLO. “We had two early turnovers. Once we scored we seemed to relax and play football the way we know how. Our first team defense was outstanding all night.”

Middle linebacker KHAALID ABDULLAH noted, “It’s pretty intense on defense. We all know our assignments and know what we need to do. I like playing from sideline to sideline. I want to make it really tough on our opponent’s offense. We were really fired up to play tonight.”

“I try to play hard on every play,” said 6-foot-2, 335-pound defensive lineman MONTEL WILLIAMS. “My goals each game are to get a couple of sacks and a few tackles for loss. We are a much better defense this year. Last year I was a nose guard on a 3-4 defense; this year I’m a defensive tackle on a 4-3 defense. I like the 4-3 a lot better. I want to break the school record for tackles.”

CASEY ASH, coach of an injury-riddled West Hills squad, said, “We got our butts kicked. We couldn’t do much right in the 1st half. We were able to settle down in the 2nd half and slow them down a bit.”

The Wolf Pack avoided the shutout when TAURUS COURTNEY took a 30-yard pass from quarterback GARY ISAACSON for a touchdown. Isaacson has now completed 13 of 16 passes for 254 yards and 4 touchdowns.

ADRIAN MARAZITI, West Hills’ starting quarterback, clicked on 9 of 17 passes for 102 yards.

KYLE VELOVICH led the Pack with 4 receptions for 20 yards, while Courtney had 3 for 66 yards.

Valhalla quarterback PETE THOMAS has seen better days, but settled for 186 yards and 3 touchdowns by hitting 14 of 26 passes. Thomas rushed for another 43 yards and a touchdown, which included being sacked four times.

Valhalla's defense had 10 tackles for losses, and held the Aztecs to 68 total offensive yards in the first half.

The Aztecs from South Bay didn’t go meekly into the night, however. In fact, the Aztecs started out with a bang, sacking Thomas twice in the first series, forcing a 3-and-out and obtaining excellent field position at the Valhalla 48. After quickly advancing to the Valhalla 31, a delay penalty and a pass knock-down by BRANDON STEED forced the visitors to punt from the Valhalla 36. A bad snap and a shanked 8-yard punt enabled the home team to start from its 28-yard line.

Having made a few adjustments, the Norsemen "O" marched quickly down to the Aztecs 7-yard line, aided by Thomas runs of 25 and 15 yards, and a couple of nice passes to MATT SWANGER and MIKE BAZZI.... and then the roof caved in. Thomas got sacked (4 times in the first half) for a 9-yard loss to the 16.

On the next play, the receiver dropped an apparent touchdown pass. Undeterred, on the next play, Thomas found JAMES LEIGHTON wide open in the end zone for the first score of the game...except that a Norsemen lineman was caught holding. The 18-yard penalty pushed Valhalla back to the Montgomery 34, where, on 4th and goal, after a 17-play drive, Thomas was forced to attempt a 50-yard field goal which ran out of steam before reaching the goal posts. The initial quarter ended scoreless.

Valhalla got on the scoreboard early in the second stanza when Thomas hooked up with Swanger for a 28-yard TD pass-catch and then kicked the PAT to make it 7-0 with 10:47 left in the first half.

Following the kickoff, Valhalla recovered a Montgomery fumble on the Aztecs' 30-yard line. On a 3rd-and-6, Thomas found Mallory in the left flat at the 20-yard line; Mallory turned it upfield. With one defender to elude at the goal line, Mallory dived for the endzone, but was upended – did a perfect flip – and came down helmet first on the 1-yard line. On the next play, Mallory snagged a pass from Thomas for the touchdown to make it 14-0. It remained that way until halftime.

Early in the second half, Montgomery tried a little razzle-dazzle to get back into the game. On 4th-and-2 from the Valhalla 47. The Aztecs )1-2) lined up to punt, but hiked the ball to the up-back; unfortunately for him, senior linebacker GREG GOULDING, who had 15 tackles last week against Grossmont, stuffed the runner for a 3-yard loss.

A blocked punt by junior linebacker MICHAEL STEED gave the Norsemen possession at the Montgomery 14-yard line. Valhalla couldn't move the ball, however, and the usually sure-footed Thomas missed a 26-yard field goal, allowing the Aztecs to once again dodge the proverbial bullet.

But the Montgomery offense couldn't dodge SHANE PENNIX, ANDREW QUARTUCCIO, and LEONARD PANNEK, as those defenders squashed the Aztec ball carriers three times in a row, with Pennix sacking the quarterback on third down for a 12-yard loss.

Leighton returned the ensuing punt 31 yards to the Montgomery 5-yard line, where Thomas quickly waltzed into the endzone on a 2-yard run; this time NICK GIANDONI added the PAT, and the Norsemen lead 21-0, with 1:29 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

Down 21-3, the Aztecs tried to get back into the game with a 13-play drive, but Valhalla’s DILLON TALIA picked off an errant pass and scrambled 45 yards into Montgomery territory.

On the next play, JEVON HASTEN made an acrobatic catch of a Thomas pass in the endzone for a 31-yard TD and a 28-3 lead with 2:05 left.

Facing the Norsemen reserves, Montgomery drove to the Valhalla 30-yard, and it looked like the Aztecs' workhorse running back, Mario Garcia, was going to break free for a TD run from there. But defenders JUSTIN RAMBEAU and RYAN POWELL converged on the runner simultaneously, flattening him as well as the visitors' hopes of a miracle comeback. On the next play, KYLE HOYT intercepted and returned the ball 38 yards.

The way this game was played, tradition had nothing to do with it. This was all about Cathedral, which stormed to a 28-0 lead and continued on for its 24th consecutive victory, dating back to 2007.

“If you’re gonna get Helix, you’d better hurry up and do it,” said Highlanders’ coach TROY STARR. “Down the road we’ll be right up there at the top.”

Starr noted that Helix’ defensive front consists of a freshman and two sophomores. His linebacking corps includes two sophomores, and the crux of his skill positions are in the sophomore class.

Helix (2-1) suffered a major ding in the opening series when sophomore quarterback JAKE REED suffered a hip pointer.

“That really changed our whole game plan,” Starr said. “It took away a lot of stuff that we wanted to do. But once Jake got hurt we didn’t want him to run the ball. That forced us to alter a lot of things.”

So Reed, who only had 2 carries for 2 yards on the night, took to the air. He completed 29 of 47 passes for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns – all to CAMERON LEE. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound sophomore scored on aerials from Reed of 4, 55 and 3 yards while finishing the game with 11 catches on 130 yards.

Although it appeared that the Helix offensive line was getting whipped by Cathedral’s defensive front, Reed did not suffer a single sack, albeit he did throw two interceptions.

Cathedral, clearly the more veteran of the two teams, compiled more than 400 totals yards against the Highlanders.

Jonny Martin was the workhorse, as usual, rushing for 253 yards and 3 touchdowns on 26 carries. Quarterback Max Brewer clicked on 10 of 17 passes for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns.

“Cathedral’s offensive line is the best I’ve seen since I’ve been down here,” Starr said.

The highlights for Helix included Lee’s 11 receptions for 130 yards. Lee’s record number of catches ties the Helix record set by ALLAN DURDEN against Granite Hills in 1981 and matched by ADAM BRIGHT against Point Loma in 1991.

On the defensive side for Helix AARON SIMS and RYAN SALAVEA led the Highlanders with 7 tackles apiece. KACY SMITH added 6 stops for the Scotties.

Although it’s hardly a done deal, since the league season hasn’t even started, the Foothillers (2-1) haven’t done anything to tarnish their image as potential champions.

Grossmont crushed Castle Park, taking a 28-0 halftime lead. On the first play of the 2nd half DESEAN WATERS bolted 80 yards for his 5th touchdown of the evening and the game was all but over at that point.

“We wanted to establish the run and pound them with that a little bit,” said Grossmont coach RON MURPHY. “But the biggest thing is we had no turnovers (compared to last week, when they turned the ball over four times). It’s funny, when you don’t give the ball away, how much smoother the game can go for you.”

Despite sitting out the majority of the 2nd half Waters led the Foothillers with 160 yards on 18 carries to go with his 30 points, which ties the Grossmont record set by KEITH PRICE in 1989 against West Hills.

“After Waters scored on that long run I took our starters out of the game,” Murphy said. “There’s no sense running up the score on somebody and it’s a good feeling to know you can get all your kids in the game, like we did.”

Murphy praised his defense for shutting down Castle Park ’s Wing-T offense.

“We’re going to see Santa Fe Christian next weekend and they’re one of the models on how to run the Wing-T,” Murphy added. “This is a nice preview for us.”

Probably the most ironic statistic in Grossmont’s latest win was that quarterback TYLER MUTTER was asked to throw the ball only three times. He completed two for 53 yards.

JORDAN REECE accounted for Grossmont’s final touchdown on a 3-yard run against Castle Park (1-2).

Santana led 12-0 at halftime, and 18-0 after three quarters. The Sultans then surrendered 15 points to the Tigers with 3:19 remaining the fourth quarter to make it anybody’s ballgame.

On the ensuing kickoff the Sultans went 3-and-out, giving Imperial (0-3) a chance for a last-second victory.

With 1:37 left on the clock the Tigers drove to the Santana 3-yard line. Imperial’s Justin Espinoza tried to run it in from there but was tackled at the 2. Imperial was out of timeouts and eventually came up short as time ran out.

Santana quarterback ZACH BREIDT compiled 239 total yards and scored two of the three Sultans’ touchdowns. The junior completed 17 of 30 passes for 193 yards, including a 3-yard TD hookup with JOHN BURKE in the 2nd quarter.

Breidt also rushed for 46 yards on a dozen carries, finding the endzone on a pair of 2-yard runs in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

Santana’s special teams unit failed to convert a single extra point, which kept the door open for Imperial.

Tight end T.D. GROSS led the Sultans with 9 receptions for 62 yards. JOSH BRENNER accounted for 116 all-purpose yards, while Burke finished with 98 all-purpose yards, including 38 rushing.

BRADLEY KLINE intercepted 2 passes and JUAN QUICHOCHO-RIOS picked off a third for Santana.

El Capitan's Tyler Mason on a touchdown romp. (Photo by Susan Cooper Photography) MORE PHOTOS HERE

At the top of the fizzle check list for El Capitan was a golden opportunity to take command early in the 2nd quarter after JAKE ARCAMO recovered a fumble at the Pointers’ 10-yard line.

El Capitan, trailing 3-0 at the time, looked as if it were going to find the endzone as TYLER MASON slashed 6 yards to the Point Loma 4. Then the Pointers jumped offsides to move the ball to the 2-yard line.

Three running plays later the Vaqueros had moved the ball to the 1-yard line but fumbled the ball away on fourth down.

Talk about take the wind out of a team’s sails... El Capitan ’s defense, which has allowed only nine points in three games, was bullied for the only time this season.

The Pointers advanced the ball from their 1-yard line 99 yards on 11 plays to take a 9-0 lead. El Capitan made key contributions to the Point Loma Express, committing back-to-back pass interference penalties and jumping offsides on a 3rd-and-3 at their own 9-yard line.

No question those mistakes aided the Pointers in their lone touchdown drive. In spite of that field-long march, Point Loma mustered only 207 yards on 55 plays for the game.

Point Loma is the only team this season to score a touchdown against the El Capitan defense. The Pointers also booted an early field goal to snap the Vaqueros’ defense string of eight scoreless quarters.

Although stung by botching its first-and-goal opportunity, the Vaqueros also saw field goal attempts by BROOKS NOBLE from 32 yards and 24 yards blocked, adding to their woes.

Even though Point Loma sacked Vaqueros quarterbacks MARK SCHARFENBERG and GARY O’GORMAN a combined nine times, El Capitan still had a chance to win the game.

The Vaqueros finished with a net of 7 yards rushing on 27 carries (including the sacks). Scharfenberg managed to complete 7 of 19 passes for 174 yards, including a 30-yard screen pass to Mason for their only touchdown.

Mason had three receptions for 134 yards, while tight end ROBERT CRAIGHEAD had 4 catches for 40 yards.

“We get the ball inside the 10-yard line three times... and can’t score,” fumed El Capitan coach RON BURNER. “Our defense keeps giving us chances, but we just can’t get it done. Any time you hold Point Loma to nine points you’ve done a great job. We should’ve won the game.”

On the defensive side, El Capitan ’s JAMES GALLIVAN logged 7 tackles and intercepted 2 passes. DOMINIC PROUTY and ANTHONY LIMA notched 9 tackles apiece.

Christian High running back Tyrone Sauls bursts through the Olympian line. (Photo by Tori Mills)

Christian held leads of 7-0 and 14-7 in the 1st half but could not keep the Eagles (2-0) grounded.

“We still had a chance to win it in the end,” Oliver noted. “We were driving and appeared to have a first down on a 3rd-and-2 buck sweep, but were called for holding.”

Christian would get one more possession but nothing came of it.

“It was a well-played ballgame,” Oliver said. “But they’re faster and a little more athletic.”

Senior MALCOLM MURPHY, a 6-foot, 220-pound running back, crashed his way for 67 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 carries for the Patriots.

Junior TYRONE SAULS, another of Christian’s two-way starters, hurtled his 6-2, 225-pound body through the Olympian line 16 times, finishing with a team-best 81 yards.

“Sauls was just thumping them,” Oliver said.

One of the missing ingredients in the Christian attack was STEVEN PITTS, who was playing with a high ankle sprain and could contribute only on the defensive side. Pitts also accounted for one of Christian’s two interceptions; junior JON McNEAL got the other.

“I think we’re really going to be a much better offense when can get Pitts in our offensive backfield as well,” Oliver noted. “You could tell that he was about 60 percent, the way he was gimping around out there. That’s why we kept him out of the box and moved him to safety.”

MICHAEL GRUBER kicked a 47-yard field goal in the 4th quarter, one yard shy of the Patriots’ school record of 48-yards booted by DEAN MELLOS in 1993 against Santa Fe Christian.

“We may lose the battle but we still could win the war,” declared Foothills Christian coach STEVE PERDUE. “With 13 healthy players on the sideline and another 14 in the stands, this Knights team played their guts out.”

Perdue went on to say pound for pound the Hoover offensive and defensive line was bigger, faster and stronger.

“We could only muster 21 yards in rushing and twice that in passing,” Perdue said. “Foothills Christian football needs a weight room big time.”

“I would not let the injured players on the sideline,” Perdue continued. “A few of them are legit but some were intimidated by the name Hoover.”

“I told the team tonight, the effort we gave was something to build on,” Perdue went on. “We showed heart. We showed character. We showed the willingness to give it our best effort.”

ZACH CUMMINGS, a 5-foot-10, 150-pound junior, completed 6 of 15 for 47 passing yards. In addition, Cummings had 8 kickoff returns for 152 yards.

“Our quarterback now, Zach Cummings, is a competitor and a great leader,” Perdue said. “He will be successful in life because he plays hard – he is hard on himself when he makes a mistake. He gives it all he has.”

KEVIN SCHWARTZ accounted for half of Foothills Christian’s receiving yardage, hauling in three balls for 36 yards.

“Kevin has played the past two weeks with an aching and swollen knee. He did not tell anyone until last night. Tonight, he made a couple of the best catches you have ever seen,” Perdue said.

STEPHEN TARDIFF, who doubled as the Knights center and as a defensive tackle, played hurt on an injured ankle, a banged up wrist and sore shoulder, Perdue pointed out.

“Our little guys, JUSTIN ESSELSTROM, AJ HOFFMAN, ANDY HOFFMAN and frosh SPENCER GEORGE played with tremendous pride and guts,” Perdue noted. “RYAN EDMISTON, our fullback and linebacker, played all banged up but you never heard a word about it.”

SAM MARTIN and DYLAN WESTRICK each had a sack for Foothills Christian.

Sat., Sept. 19
SANTA FE CHRISTIAN 42, MONTE VISTA 6 — The longest two minutes of the Monarchs season occurred Saturday (Sept. 19), when the host Eagles demonstrated just how effective their triple option attack can be.

Senior running back Sam Hoekstra rumbled a school-record 96 yards for a touchdown at the 2-minute mark for a 21-0 lead. Then after Monte Vista finally found the end zone, Eagles back Kurt Luedtke took the handoff on a simple dive play to run-off the final seconds of the half, but found no tacklers within striking distance in racing a surprising 55 yards to carry a 28-6 lead to the locker room.

The rest of the contest was no better for the Monarchs (1-2) on offense, too, accumulating just 217 yards in offense, opposed to 473 yards by the hosts of Solana Beach, featuring 330 in the first half.

"And we were just running basic plays," said Santa Fe Christian quarterback Keaon Giannotti. "We were effective running the ball while not showing too much of our offense."

Following Luedtke's record run to post a 3-TD lead, the Monarchs woke up after Santa Fe Christian attempted an onsides kickoff. Monte Vista proceeded to march 53 yards to score.

The drive featured a pair of pass completions from quarterback MAURICE PAYNE to receiver DAVID RODGERS. The first went for 33 yards for a 4th-down conversion, then Rodgers was able to turn around his defender on a stop-and-go route for a 29-yard TD to the left corner of the end zone.

For Monte Vista, DENZEL BROWN registered a first-half interception, while Payne rushed 21 times for 43 yards.

Coaching staffs from nearly a dozen schools scouted the rare Saturday contest involving a Grossmont Conference program.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (9-16-09) — An interesting twist to the first two weeks of the East County football season is all but one of the 13 teams has won at least one game. Yet, only Helix (2-0), Christian (2-0) and Mount Miguel (1-0) are unbeaten.

GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 5 CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC (2-0) at No. 6 HELIX (2-0), 7: The Highlanders’ success rides on the shoulders of junior quarterback JAKE REED.

This guy knows how to put the ball in the end zone, which is evident by his East County leading 40 points. Reed can pass, run and kick, but he will be challenged by a vicious Cathedral defense.

CHRIS HUNTER, who missed last week’s game, is eager to add to his 146 yards per game average. RAYMONT NAILON, who is averaging 84 yards per game in five quarters of play, is also proving himself to be a threat for the Highlanders.

If Cathedral Catholic expects to bully Helix as it did Torrey Pines, the Dons need a new chalkboard. There is a certain mystique about the Highlanders – you never know who is going to be the star... Cathedral 21-17.

EL CAPITAN (1-1) at POINT LOMA (2-0), 3: Defense has risen to the forefront at El Capitan this season and the Vaqueros hope they can continue to shut down their opponent.

The El Capitan defense has not allowed a single point and will have to maintain that momentum if they are to hold the Pointers at bay in the 3 p.m. game.

Strong safety DOMINIC “Bubba” PROUTY is coming off a Grossmont Conference record 28 tackles in the Vaqueros game at Ramona. But this is no one man unit, as corner ANTHONY LIMA and middle linebacker JT WILDES are also stalwarts.

What the Vaqueros are looking for is an offensive spark. That will have to come from quarterback MARK SCHARFENBERG or running back MATT BURKETT.

Actually these teams are very similar as both rely on defense first and offense second.

Talk about an even series – each of these teams have one win, one loss and one tie. It should be that close again... Point Loma 13-7.

GRANITE HILLS (1-1) at EL CAJON VALLEY (1-1), 7: This series used to be known as the battle for the Golden Feather, but has since been changed to the Madison Cup this season. For El Cajon Valley it sounds like a pretty good idea, considering the Braves have lost eight of the last nine previous meetings between the Madison Avenue rivals.

El Cajon Valley looks to quarterback ALEX HANN, who leads the East County in passing with 44 completions in 82 attempts for 522 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Braves’ ANTHONY JACKSON is also East County ’s leading receiver with 16 catches for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Granite Hills is a puzzle hard to figure. The Eagles blew out San Ysidro 31-0 in their first game but then fell to Olympian 41-21 in their next outing.

This should be a fun, high scoring game to watch, but the pick here favors the home team...El Cajon Valley 35-28.

CHRISTIAN (2-0) at OLYMPIAN (1-0), 7: The Patriots venture south with several new faces in the skill positions. In their opener against Mar Vista it took three quarters before they could click in a 21-0 run over the Mariners.

But in their second game, with a handful of changes in their lineup, the Patriots smacked Santana.

About the only sure thing for Christian is TYRONE SAULS will make an impact on both sides of the ball. Sophomore quarterback SHANE DILLON has improved over both games and should have another big night at Olympian... Christian 31-28.

WEST HILLS (1-1) at MOUNT MIGUEL (1-0), 7: This game could get out of hand in a hurry as the fleet-footed Matadors have had an extra week to catch their breath. East County rushing leader DERALL HUNTER, who raced for 217 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 carries, leads the Matadors’ charge against a banged up Wolf Pack.

Mount Miguel senior AJ STANFORD could be the biggest surprise in East County. The senior southpaw accounted for 114 yards in the season opener and is only going to get better.

West Hills will look to running back NICK McDANIEL, who has rushed for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Wolf Pack’s first two games. Another member of the Pack that is showing excellent versatility is GARY ISAACSON, who has completed 10 of 11 passes for 223 yards and 3 touchdowns. When Isaacson is not playing quarterback he’s a blue chip wide receiver.

West Hills has won 5 of the last 6 meetings of this series but doesn’t figure to escape with a victory this time... Mount Miguel 28-14

MONTGOMERY (1-1) at VALHALLA (1-1), 7: Led by ‘PISTOL PETE’ THOMAS, the Norsemen are just starting to gain momentum. The visiting Aztecs are clearly overmatched in this one as Thomas (34-59, 379 yards, 3 TDs) should have a field day.

Thomas has a handful of quality targets, led by NINO MALLORY, JEVON HASTEN and JAMES LEIGHTON.

Linebacker GREG GOULDING, who recorded 15 tackles in Valhalla’s conquest of Grossmont, is the cornerstone of the Valhalla defense... Valhalla 45-13.

CASTLE PARK (1-1) at GROSSMONT (1-1), 7: The Foothillers have never beaten Castle Park in three previous meetings, but have a pretty good shot this time around.

The keys for the Foothillers are versatile DESEAN WATERS, tight end BRETT ETHERTON and quarterback TYLER MUTTER. If those three are clicking, the Trojans are in trouble.

For Grossmont it’s a matter of turnovers. If they don’t turn over the ball they’ll roll over the Trojans... Grossmont 28-17.

IMPERIAL (0-2) at SANTANA (1-1), 7: Santana is a team that is hard to peg, considering the Sultans scored a lopsided victory over Kearny then got slapped around by Christian. The visiting Tigers, who were formerly coached by current Santana skipper DAVE GROSS, figure to be overmatched in this one.

Santana hopes to regain its footing on the strength of quarterback ZACH BREIDT, who has passed for 397 yards and 5 touchdowns. Tight end T.D. GROSS has made only 7 receptions so far but is ready for a breakout game. Wide receiver JOHN BURKE has made the most of his 6 receptions, averaging 19.2 yards and scoring 3 touchdowns.

Santana has won all of the three previous meetings with Imperial and doesn’t figure to stumble now... Santana 35-21.

HOOVER (1-1) vs. FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN (0-2) at Seau Field, 6:30: While Foothills Christian continues to nurse a series of key injuries, the visiting Hoover Cardinals don’t figure to make things any easier on the Knights. Senior running back Dominique Brooks is the Cards primary threat. He scored five TDs in last week’s 33-14 romp over San Ysidro and fired a 50-yard scoring pass to Bobby Williams in a lopsided loss to Francis Parker... Hoover 43-12.

Sat., Sept. 19
MONTE VISTA (1-1) SANTA FE CHRISTIAN (2-0), 2: This should be an interesting test for both teams. Host SFC has scored 103 points in victories over Mater Dei and Palo Verde. No way the Eagles will score that many against the Monarchs, who are coming off a 34-13 triumph over El Cajon Valley after suffering a 14-6 loss to Point Loma in week one. Both teams prefer the run over the pass. SHAMAR BARNES, a dominant two-way starter, is averaging 13.2 yards carry for Monte Vista. The Eagles won the only previous meeting 17-13 last year, but look for the Monarchs to avenge that defeat... Monte Vista 24-20.