WEEK 9 — Oct. 29-30

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (10-31-09/Updated 11-1-09) — Steele Canyon High’s homecoming theme “Welcome to Vegas” ended in a push – appropriately enough a 21-21 draw between the Cougars and the visiting Mount Miguel Matadors.

But, like managing to leave Sin City having broken even, it can feel like a win, right?

After all, Mount Miguel had never defeated Steele Canyon in its history, so winning the overtime period 7-0 put the Matadors in a partying mood and left coach TOM KARLO with a soaked shirt after a celebratory Gatorade dump.

On the other hand, the game is officially scored a tie, which left Steele Canyon (5-2-1, 2-0-1) still in contention for the Grossmont South League title. The Cougars play first-place Valhalla (6-2, 3-0) in a showdown next week.

Still with an outside shot at their first league crown since 1987, the Matadors (5-2-1, 1-1-1) scored the only touchdown in overtime on a 1-yard dive by DERALL HUNTER.

Remarkably, it was the 46th carry of the game for Hunter, East County’s leading rusher, who did not score in regulation despite rushing for 213 yards on 43 carries.

(Like the period itself, statistics in OT do not count toward a player’s game total. The extra session was conducted solely for playoff considerations since both teams are in Division III of the CIF-San Diego Section.)

“Coach told me I was going to get 40 carries tonight, so I guess he underestimated a bit,” said Hunter, Mount Miguel’s all-time career leading rusher who now has 1,356 yards in this, his senior season. “Their defense is so strong. They kept after us all night. That’s probably the best defense we’ve played all year.

“They had eight or nine guys in the box almost the whole game, but our offensive line just came up with big blocks.”

Thanks to its special teams, Mount Miguel took an early 14-0 lead, only to watch Steele Canyon tie it up with a pair of touchdown passes from BRAD BOEHMKE in the final 5 minutes of the first half.

Both teams had ultra-long scoring drives in the second half to tie it again, and both had a couple opportunities to win it near the end of regulation.

On the opening kickoff, KHAALID ABDULLAH and a host of Matadors forced a fumble that was recovered by WILLIE MORALES on the 14-yard line. Two plays later, it was 7-0 as senior quarterback A.J. STANFORD ran in a keeper from 9 yards.

On the ensuing kickoff, JORGE MEDINA’s low line drive ricocheted off a Cougar and Abdullah recovered for another turnover. The Matadors drove to the Cougars’ 20-yard line, but Medina missed a 36-yard field goal after a troublesome hold. It was Medina’s first missed kick of any kind this season.

No matter, three plays and one short punt later, NATONE MORGAN grabbed the return at the 36, sped upfield, ran into a wall of defenders 10 yards later and somehow escaped out the side door for a 36-yard punt return TD and a 14-0 Matadors’ lead.

“The good part early was we capitalized on their mistakes,” Karlo said. “They’re obviously a good team, though, and we knew they would come back. The difference in the past was we would let them come back and lose the game. This year, our kids hang in there to the very end.

“I believe in these kids. I believe in what they do.”

Steele Canyon scored the next three touchdowns, but then Mount Miguel answered right back.

With 4:49 to play before halftime, Boehmke ended a nine-play, 78-yard drive by finding TAYLOR MISHLER on a 12-yard crossing route in the end zone.

With 1:32 left, Boehmke unleashed a deep ball down the left sideline that hit CODY SIMPSON in stride for a 54-yard score and a 14-14 tie.

Solid, up-the-field running by junior JAKE WRAGG (12 carries, 89 yards) and ALEX PERLIN (15-59) enabled the Cougars to march 76 yards in 14 plays on their first possession of the second half. Boehmke finished things with a 1-yard QB sneak into the end zone.

“I was real proud of our guys for coming back like they did,” said RON BOEHMKE, the QB’s dad and Steele Canyon’s head coach. “Offense played a good game. Our defense had their backs against the wall several times and came up big for us.”

Mount Miguel answered with a 16-play, 80-yard scoring drive as Stanford connected with Morales on an 8-yard TD reception to tie things at 21-21 with 8:26 to play.

After that, Steele Canyon had to punt after five plays as did Mount Miguel. The Cougars then punted again after three plays, but the Matadors gave it right back with a fumble that was recovered by BENJAMIN GOSSMEYER for Steele Canyon.

Two plays later, Morgan intercepted a pass, and Mount Miguel looked to be in business again with 1:25 left. It was not to be. The Mats’ had to punt after eight plays, and Steele Canyon could manage only two plays in the final 0:14.

In OT, with the ball placed at the 25-yard line, Hunter scored on the fourth play.

On its possession, Steele Canyon gained 8 yards on two runs, then watched its last two passes tipped away for incompletions.

“It was just a tie,” RON BOEHMKE said. “We need to keep our heads high and our chests out. The kids did well.

“I expected that kind of game, that kind of fight from both sides.”

Payne rushed for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns on 23 carries as the Monarchs posted their first league win. He also completed 3 of 9 passes for 89 yards. His efforts, however, appeared to be in danger of going for naught as Granite Hills was sitting on a 23-12 lead in the third quarter.

“We put a new formation in our offense this week,” said Payne. “It’s very similar to what Florida runs. I had plenty of time to look for my holes. The O-line did a great job of blocking, especially downfield. They opened up some huge holes. I like this new offense – it gives us plenty of good opportunities.”

A 45-yard scoring dash by Payne cut the deficit to 23-18 late in the third quarter.

“Payne’s a phenomenal athlete who is impressive every time he has the ball in his hands,” said Granite Hills safety BRIAN CARROLL. “He’s a shifty runner no matter where he is on the field, but once he gets in the open he really turns on the speed.”

Monte Vista (2-6, 1-2 GSL), which led 12-0 in the 1st quarter on a pair of Payne touchdown runs of 1 and 24 yards, regained the lead for keeps when SHAMAR BARNES accounted for the only scoring of the fourth period with a 5-yard run.

“It felt great coming off the field with a win tonight. We really needed it,” Payne said.

The happy ending almost didn’t happen for the Monarchs. Granite Hills missed a 42-yard field goal with 4 minutes remaining.

Monte Vista took over at its own 20-yard line and ran the clock out while driving downfield to the Eagle 5-yard line. The Monarchs elected to take a knee at that point. Game over.

“We played traditional Monte Vista football tonight,” said Monte Vista coach PAGE CULVER. “We ran the ball right at them. The seniors were excited about the win tonight – they realize that we have to win out to continue to play in the post season. We did a real good job on offense tonight. We survived on defense.”

Lockman scored on a 1-yard sneak in the third quarter, giving Granite Hills an 11-point lead and things were looking rosy for the Eagles at that juncture. Lockman completed 8 of 11 passes for 153 yards.

FRANTZ LARAQUE led the Eagles ground forces with 141 yards on 24 carries.

“This was a game we really wanted tonight,” said Granite Hills coach RANDY DeWITT. “We went to an unbalanced line in the third quarter and were able to hold onto the ball for 8 minutes.

“The key to the game was Maurice Payne. He took complete control in the second half. We failed to score on our last three drives. If we score there, we win the game.”

Added Carroll, “We’re in every game. We just haven’t been able to finish.”

Brown rushed for 132 yards in 21 carries, and scored 3 touchdowns in the process. It was the Norsemen's first football victory over the Highlanders since 1997 (28-27). Helix had beaten Valhalla 10 times and there were two ties over the previous 12 years.

“Probably because Helix, like everybody, expects us to pass all the time, the trap was open all night,” said Brown. “Sure, like any running back, I love getting (a season high) 21 carries. But I’m all about winning. If that means catching passes or running – whatever it takes.”

While Brown was the show, Arizona State-bound quarterback PETE THOMAS was no slouch himself. He completed 21 of 31 passes for 246 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown pass to MICHAEL BAZZI. Thomas has never been better than he was in the second half, completing 16 of 19 for 197 yards.

“After watching film on Helix we knew we could run the ball,” said Valhalla coach STEVE SUTTON. “I’m sure when they were preparing to play us they were more worried about our spread offense and covering the pass.

“I don’t think a lot of people are aware of how good a running back Traivonne is. He doesn’t get as many carries as a lot of backs in East County , but they need to remember, he’s averaging 7 yards a carry. There are bigger backs around (than the 5-foot-8, 175-pound Brown), but Traivonne is strong. He’s not just a fast guy – he benches close to 300 pounds.”

Playing in front of a large homecoming crowd, Valhalla got off to a fast start – on defense. Valhalla kicker NICK GIANDONI kicked off to the Helix 4-yard line where JIMMY PRUITT returned it to the 27-yard line. A holding penalty on first down pushed the Highlanders back to their 19-yard line, where, on the next play, Norsemen defensive end SHANE PENNIX recovered a fumble, giving Valhalla possession at the Scotties' 17 yard line.

It was all Traivonne Brown from there – an 8-yard run advanced the ball to the 9-yard line. A 7-yard scamper by Brown got it to the 2. Then, slotback NINO MALLORY cleared a path for Brown to dance into the endzone for a 2-yard TD. After Giandoni successfully split the uprights with his first of four straight PATs, Valhalla led 7-0, less than 2 minutes into the game.

On its next possession, Helix started off with a bang as junior quarterback JAKE REED completed a 17-yard pass to sophomore running back CHRIS HUNTER to the Highlanders' 28-yard line. After advancing to their 41-yard line, however, Helix gave it up when Valhalla defensive back DILLON TALIA intercepted a deep pass at the Valhalla 38-yard line, giving the Norsemen a chance to increase their lead.

Valhalla (6-2, 3-0 GSL) quickly lost that opportunity, fumbling away the ball on first down. Helix (5-3, 1-2 GSL) took advantage of this miscue, when Reed threw a perfect spiral to AUSTIN GONZALEZ for a 21 yard touchdown to knot the score at 7-7 with 5:27 left in the first quarter.

Then once again it was Brown’s turn. He took a pitch from Thomas and ran 44 yards down the right sideline to the Helix 6-yard line. On the next play, Brown was sprung free by a DANNY DAVIS block and waltzed into the endzone for a 6-yard score, once again giving the Norsemen a lead at 14-7 that held up to intermission.

Helix had one last gasp late in the second quarter when sophomore linebacker KACY SMITH intercepted a Thomas pass, giving the Highlanders possession at the Valhalla 34 with one minute left in the period. A 29-yard run by Helix quarterback JAKE REED gave the Highlanders a 1st-and-goal at the 5. CHRIS HUNTER pounded the middle for a 4-yard gain to the 1-yard line.

With 25 seconds left, Hunter tried the middle of the Valhalla defense once again, only to be pushed back by Valhalla linebacker GREG GOULDING for no gain. Helix used its last time out with 15 seconds left and a 3rd-and-goal from the 1-yard line. This time Hunter sprinted right, but Goulding once again pounced on him for no gain as time ran out.

After the homecoming half-time show and fireworks, Valhalla looked like it was going to retain command of the game on its first possession, but when Thomas led his offense on a 13-play drive deep into Helix territory, disaster struck. With a 4th-and-1 from the Highlanders' 17-yard line, a muffed exchange resulted in a 9-yard loss, where Helix took over on downs.

Trailing by a touchdown, the Scotties were at the Valhalla 15-yard line in 3 plays, courtesy of a 47-yard pass from Reed to Gonzalez. The drive fizzled at the Valhalla 10-yard line, so Highlanders coach TROY STARR called for a 26-yard field goal attempt.

Goulding spoiled this strategy, however, as he blocked the kick.

“We got into the red zone three times and came away with no points,” Starr lamented. “We made a bad decision on a 4th-and-two play from the 20 that also hurt us. We’re an eyelash from being 7-1 or 1-7. But we’re a youthful team and we’ve just got to ride it out.”

After the block, Valhalla started at its 8-yard line. It took the Norsemen six plays to find the end zone. A middle screen from Thomas to Bazzi covering 47 yards extended Valhalla ’s lead to 21-7.

Pruitt hauled in the ensuing kickoff at the 4-yard line and raced 61 yards to the Valhalla 30 where Giandoni made a touchdown-saving tackle – which turned out to be a momentary reprieve, for, on first down, Reed hit SEAN LINTON in the endzone for a 30-yard touchdown. Sabin’s kick was good once again, narrowing Valhalla 's lead to 21-14, with 39 seconds left in the third stanza.

Late in the fourth quarter, Helix had a chance to tie the game, as it drove to the Valhalla 36 with 4:00 remaining. On fourth down, Reed threw a perfect pass to CAMERON LEE, and Valhalla's HANSSELL WILSON timed his hit just as perfectly, knocking the ball away at the last second, allowing the Norsemen to take over on downs.

After Thomas led the Norsemen down the field with accurate passes to Traivonne Brown, Bazzi and MATT SWANGER, Brown burst through the middle of the Highlanders' defense and sprinted 28 yards for his third TD of the game, cementing Valhalla 's victory 28-14, with 1:28 left to play.

On defense, Pennix added to his quarterback sack total, earning two more and increasing his season total to 11 in 8 games.

For Helix, Reed was 11-22-2 for 163 yards and 2 TDs.

EL CAPITAN 42, EL CAJON VALLEY 26 – The showdown in the Grossmont North League was closer than the final score indicates as El Cajon Valley celebrated homecoming and dedicated its new Field Turf football field, track and adjacent swimming pool facility Friday (Oct. 30).

While the visiting Vaqueros (5-4, 3-0 GNL) were scoring a season-high 42 points with a somewhat balanced offense, the bottom line remained the stout play of the El Capitan defense.

No, the Vaqueros did not intercept a pass as El Cajon Valley quarterback ALEX HANN clicked on 17 of 32 for 250 yards through the air. Hann, in fact, served up the only aerial scoring strike – a 13-yard toss to DONTAE BAILEY, which pulled the Braves (1-5-1, 0-1-1) to within a 21-20 deficit with 3:09 left in the third quarter.

Senior running back MATT BURKETT led the Vaqueros’ offensive charge, scoring four touchdowns on runs of 4 yards or shorter. One thing he did do during his stint of 21 carries for 68 yards is contribute a 6-pointer in each of the four quarters.

“This was kind of exhilarating for me because I’d never scored 4 touchdowns in a game before,” Burkett said. “It was an awesome night for me – the best experience of my life. Like all of the guys on our offense, we’re totally hungry to score and the blocks were there.

“But the really good thing about it is we know our defense has been carrying us, and now we’ve shown we can score some points too.”

El Capitan’s MARQUISE HAWKINS made the most of his 6 carries, rolling up 55 yards including a 19-yard TD run in the 4th quarter.

Quarterback MARK SCHARFENBERG completed only 8 of 23 passes, but generated 122 yards. He also carried the ball four times for 14 yards and a touchdown.

The Vaqueros’ 290 yards total offense won’t set any records but it’s something coach RON BURNER found pleasing.

“We did a decent job on offense,” Burner said. “But we can thank our defense for giving us great field position all night.”

El Capitan’s defense, led by tackle COLE DAVIDSON (10 tackles, 2 sacks and a fumble recovery), limited the Braves to a net minus-11 yards on 17 carries. Much of the losses encountered by the Braves were due to Hann being sacked 4 times.

“We take a lot of pride in our defense,” said Davidson. “We don’t care about what anybody else says, we believe we’re one of the best defenses in the county.”

Burner was quick to note that two of the Braves’ touchdowns could not be blamed on the defense. That would be a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown by PATRICK JOHNSON and a 99-yard kickoff return by JOHNNY BULLOCK.

Bullock’s blast ties the El Cajon Valley record set by JOE BROWN in 1996, also against El Capitan.

El Cajon Valley welcomed back ANTHONY “Action” JACKSON from a lengthy injury. He caught 6 passes for 154 yards and totaled 182 all-purpose yards.

“Obviously El Cap has a great defense,” Braves coach DANNY GOODRICH said. “We did a good job of holding them down, but then they hurt us with some big plays. The thing I like about our team is we fight to the finish.”

Probably the biggest problem El Cajon Valley has to deal with is seven starters go both ways.

Foothills Christian defender Dylan Westrick (32) with the sack and the strip of San Diego Jewish quarterback Yosef Mizrachi, one of four QB takedowns in the Knights' 21-0 shutout victory. Kevin Schwartz (far right) would make the fumble recovery. (Photo by Tori Mills)

Knights defense delivers
the Sound of Silence, 21-0

© East County Sports.com
CARMEL VALLEY (10-30-09) — Following every touchdown scored by the hosts at a San Diego Jewish Academy home game, the sound of a shofar – Hebrew for a ram's horn – can be heard blaring from across the freeway into Del Mar.

On Thursday, the only thing heard by fans of the Lions was the sound of silence.

Buoyed by key plays on defense all Thursday (Oct. 29) afternoon, Foothills Christian allowed just 197 total yards while collecting four sacks and three turnovers, blanking SDJA, 21-0, to set-up next week's showdown for the Southern League title.

As in 2008, the Knights (5-3, 5-3 SL) will again face Calvin Christian for the championship, which Foothills claimed a year ago, 16-14, on a field goal at the gun on the final day of the regular season.

This year, the contest will be played on the Crusaders' field in Escondido , starting at 7 p.m. next Friday (Nov. 6).

San Diego Jewish (5-2, 4-2 SL) opened the season by posting 119 consecutive points before finally yielding a touchdown to Julian in Week 3. But the Lions' high-octane offense offered little against the Knights, which posted the school's fourth shutout over its last 12 regular season contests.

"Our linebackers stepped up, while our line put pressure on their quarterbacks," noted senior defensive end KEVIN SCHWARTZ, who recovered a pair of fumbles. "We just read their plays, then held our own by making plays."

"The defense played lights out," said beaming Knights coach STEVE PERDUE.

Other key stops of the defense included a jarring hit by cornerback ANDY HOFFMAN on a 4th-down pass early in the second quarter, while GARRET CAMPBELL capped the defensive effort with his second interception of the season in the final minutes.

"I definitely have to agree that the defense is getting better and better," noted Hoffman, a sophomore. "Basically, it was easy to converge on the ball and make the play."

The Lions only reached the red zone twice, but failed each time on 4th-down passes.

RYAN EDMISTON and HENRY LUSCHEI also collected sacks for the Knights. The top tacklers were CODY LEWIS (7 tackles, 4 assists) and CALEB GARDNER (4 tackles, 3 assists).

The offense posted touchdowns over each of the first three quarters. Campbell scored on runs of 5 and 38 yards, part of his 98 yards on the ground, in addition to 89 through the air by completing 7-of-13 passes.

"Garret's first TD was a wedge play which was beautifully executed," noted Perdue. The other score came on a scramble, as Campbell beat everyone to his left, then turned the corner upfield to race untouched into the end zone.

Later, SPENCER GEORGE scored from the Lions-6 in the third, giving him a career-high 90 rushing yards on 18 carries.

Campbell also equaled his season-best with a 51-yard punt
to keep SDJA pinned back.

Note: The last time Foothills Christian visited San Diego Jewish, they established a school scoring record in a 62-12 romp in 2007 – the Lions' first season playing 11-man football.

Gang tackling by the Foothills Christian High defense led to the Knights' second shutout victory in three outings, blanking host San Diego Jewish, 21-0, Thursday. (Photo by Tori Mills)

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (10-28-09) — Three weeks remain in the regular season and none of the four league races involving East County teams has a convincing leader.

It would appear that El Capitan (4-4, 2-0 GNL) has a grip on first place in the Grossmont North. If the Vaqueros can sweep past El Cajon Valley on the road and West Hills at home, they will repeat as GNL champions. Things could get dicey if they split those games.

Best Christian (5-3, 1-1 CL) can hope for in the Coastal League race is a third-place finish behind Francis Parker (6-1, 2-0) and Santa Fe Christian (7-0, 1-0).

Foothills Christian (4-3, 4-0) is closing in on a second straight Southern Conference crown and must gear up for a Thursday (Oct. 29) afternoon contest at San Diego Jewish Academy.

For the record, Grossmont, Granite Hills, Steele Canyon, Valhalla and El Cajon Valley all celebrate homecoming Friday (Oct. 30) night.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN (4-3, 4-0) at SAN DIEGO JEWISH ACADEMY (5-1, 4-1), Thurs., 3:15 p.m. — GARRET CAMPBELL & Co. hope to take another step toward capturing a second straight Southern Conference championship with a rare Thursday (Oct. 29) afternoon game against the Lions.

Quarterback Campbell is a multiple threat, averaging 12.2 yards per rush, 143 yards passing and 17 points per game. He’s also a superb kick return specialist.

SDJA’s magic man is Joseph Mizrachi, who averages 276.3 yards total offense and has had a hand in 16 TDs. He’s also making close to 11 tackles per game.

While the Lions display a nifty record they are not on par with the Knights. Case in point is a common opponent — Borrego Springs. The Lions edged the Rams 10-0, while the Knights rolled 48-0.

So do the math... Foothills Christian 21-7.

Mount Miguel has never beaten Steele Canyon in seven meetings, including a 35-6 loss last year.

Granted, that should be incentive enough to fire up the Matadors. Having an outside shot at capturing the league laurels sweetens the pot. But wait there’s more. This game also has San Diego CIF Division III playoff connotations.

“Winning this game would mean a top four seed playoff possibility,” Mount Miguel coach TOM KARLO said. “A 4-1 record will probably win the league.”

This game will feature three of the top seven rushers in the Grossmont Conference, including runaway leader DERALL HUNTER (161 carries, 1143 yards, 20 TDs) of Mount Miguel.

Only once has Hunter been held under the 100-yard mark – that being an 87-yard effort against Valhalla – a game the Matadors lost 36-29. Twice the 5-foot-10, 181-pound senior workhorse has broken the 200-yard barrier. His high water mark was the 234 yards he garnered against Granite Hills a week ago.

One of the things that make Hunter such a successful running back is the ability to following his huge offensive linemen.

“When you are a marked guy like Derall is you know who your friends are,” Karlo said. “For him it’s our big ‘ole offensive linemen.”

Mount Miguel quarterback AJ STANFORD is a definite double-threat that helps relieve some of the pressure on Hunter. The southpaw Stanford averages 175 yards total offense.

“You can key on one running back, but it’s hard to focus on stopping two,” Karlo said.

Steele Canyon will put that theory to test when the Cougars attack the Matadors with ALEX PERLIN (120-825, 11 TDs) and JAKE WRAGG (80-507, 4 TDs).

Cougars coach RON BOEHMKE agrees.

“I don’t think people can key exclusively on Perlin anymore,” he said. “Jake has become a factor and we have several others, who don’t show up in the overall stats leaders that are making an impact as well. We believe we have an offense that can cover all parts of the field.”

Even though both teams have big-play capabilities, Karlo believes ball-control will be the name of the game.

“Everybody in our league is capable of scoring a bunch of points,” he said. “So you can’t get away with making mistakes. Keeping your defense off the field is a big thing this year.”

No doubt this game rates as a toss-up. Even the kickers rate among the best – Mount Miguel ’s JORGE MEDINA has 42 points and hasn’t missed a kick, while SC’s MATTHEW BRUDER (37 points) ranks second. It’s going to be that close... Steele Canyon 21-17.

EL CAPITAN (4-4, 2-0) at EL CAJON VALLEY (1-4-1, 0-0-1), 6:30 – Forget about the Braves’ overall record. They still have a shot at the SDCIF Division II playoffs if they can run the table.

With the addition of JOHNNY BULLOCK and KENDALL CONLEY, the Braves now have a high-powered spread offense.

That should make an interesting match-up, considering that El Capitan has the best defensive unit in the Grossmont North.

“El Cajon Valley is so stacked in the skill positions and they’re just getting into the groove,” said El Capitan coach RON BURNER. “But I don’t think they’ve seen as good a defense as ours. Our defense is real. I don’t think we’ve given up more than two touchdowns in a game this year and we’re allowing about 11 points a game.”

That’s what makes this game so intriguing.

Braves senior quarterback ALEX HANN is averaging 204 ypg total offense, but his numbers should inflate even more with the addition of Bullock and Conley.

“I’m still waiting for us to play up to our potential,” said El Cajon Valley coach DANNY GOODRICH. “We’re still looking for our first win on our new field and I think if we get it, it’ll give us a positive mindset for the rest of the season.

El Capitan has lived on their defense all year, so if the Braves are able to break through against the Lakeside posse led by safety DOMINIC PROUTY, lineman DANIEL WADE and linebacker JT WILDES they would definitely have a chance for an upset.

As an aside to the key football game, El Cajon Valley will be conducting the official dedication of their new football field and track facilities.

That could be the boost they need to spring the East County upset of the week... El Cajon Valley 26-16.

No. 10 HELIX (5-2, 1-1) at VALHALLA (5-2, 2-0), 7 – The Norsemen are probably licking their chops as they gear up to host perennial power Helix Friday (Oct. 30).

The visiting Highlanders have abused the Norsemen the last 12 years, claiming 10 victories without a loss. Two games resulted in ties, including the 2005 bout that ended an 8-0-2 regular season, Valhalla’s finest year.

Valhalla was eliminated in 2005 from the San Diego CIF playoff quarterfinals by St. Augustine after struggling for more than 3 hours before the Saints scored eight points on the last play (counting a two-point conversion pass) as time expired in a 49-48 victory.

The Norsemen are poised to gain revenge against a youthful Helix outfit. Only this time, it’s Valhalla with the top gun and definite edge in experience.

“I expect them to blitz more than they did against Steele Canyon,” Valhalla coach STEVE SUTTON said. “That and we have to respect they are an explosive offensive. This is Helix. Nothing comes easy with them.”

The Highlanders’ hopes hinge around quarterback JAKE REED, who is gradually coming back from an ankle injury. Reed was all pass and no run in Helix’ loss to Steele Canyon last week. He figures to expand his game more against Valhalla, and he’ll have to if the Highlanders are to avoid being knocked off again.

Ditrected by East County passing leader PETE THOMAS (225.3 yards per game), the Norsemen rate a clear favorite... Valhalla 31-21.

MONTE VISTA (1-6, 0-2) at GRANITE HILLS (3-4, 0-2), 7 – Neither of these teams appears to have much hope of qualifying for postseason activity unless Granite Hills can figure out how to pull off a season-closing three-game sweep.

Of course beating the Monarchs is something the Eagles have done only once in the last 11 years. Given that the Eagles are averaging 30.4 points per game and the Monarchs are producing just 13.4 points per outing the pendulum may swing against the trend.

On the defensive side, Monte Vista is surrendering 27 points and Granite Hills 25.6.

“We’ve played pretty good defense all year,” said Monarchs coach PAGE CULVER. “Our problem has been putting up points.”

Senior MAURICE PAYNE is a blue-chipper, but lacks a supporting cast to make the Monarchs shine.

Granite Hills has a plethora of offensive weapons. Keeping foes out of the end zone could deny the Eagles from making the playoffs... Granite Hills 20-14

SANTANA (2-6, 0-2) at GROSSMONT (2-5, 0-1), 7 – Some pundits believed Grossmont was the team to beat in the Grossmont North. While the Foothillers still have a chance of capturing the circuit crown their lack of depth has led to their demise.

Santana coach DAVE GROSS has devised some plans to involve quarterback ZACH BREIDT more on both sides of the ball.

“We have some new wrinkles,” he said.

Grossmont’s success hinges on versatile DESEAN WATERS, a double threat that seems to wear out in the late stages of the game.

This is a must-win for Grossmont, which has beaten the Sultans seven of the last eight years... Grossmont 28-13.