WEEK 12 — CIF PLAYOFFS, First Round

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (11-21-09) — The plays were beautifully executed, and the descriptions afterwards eloquent and heartfelt. But the likelihood of BRANDON LEWIS being able to dream up such a delightful ending?

“Not in a million years,” said the sophomore third-string quarterback who guided Helix to a thrilling, come-from-behind 18-17 victory over visiting Westview in the first round of the San Diego CIF Division II playoffs.

Lewis had thrown three varsity passes in his life since being called up from the junior varsity five weeks ago. He completed one for 6 yards.

Helix still trailed though, 17-16.

A PAT kick likely would have sent the game into overtime, but Helix coach TROY STARR had a play he’d been itching to call in this situation for two years.

“907 reverse pass,” Starr said. “That’s my Urban Meyer special. (As coach of the Florida Gators) he beat Arkansas with that play a couple of years ago. And when he was at Bowling Green , he won one of the biggest games of his life with that play.”

So, too, now has Starr.

On the 2-point conversion attempt, now with 0:31 on the clock, Lewis took the shotgun snap and darted to his left. Around the left hashmarks, he flipped the ball back to senior receiver SEAN LINTON for a reverse run or pass option. Linton curled to his right and soon realized he wasn’t going to find paydirt with a rushing attempt. Instead, he looked up to find a wide-open SAM MERIDETH darting toward the back corner of the end zone. It was the first scoring catch of any kind for Merideth, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound junior tight end.

“We run that play every single day in practice,” Merideth said. “We were ready for it. If (Linton) has an opening, he runs it in. This time, he didn’t have that option, so I’m just glad he was able to get the ball out to me.”

On the other sideline, Westview coach MIKE WOODWARD couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed.

“Absolute devastation,” he said. “I don’t know what to say. We tip our caps to Helix. No disrespect to them, but I thought we deserved to win.”

That’s where Lewis comes in.

Ten months ago, Lewis was mourning the death of his grandfather, Leon Franklin, who succumbed to cancer at age 85.

“He was my biggest fan,” Lewis said. “The last thing he said to me was ‘Play ball.’

“I’ve had a heavy heart since January, so I want to dedicate this game to him. I did it all for him.”

Again, not that Lewis could have ever dreamed of such a scenario, but he did sense something might happen.

“I woke up this morning with a feeling I might actually play today,” he said. “You don’t ever want your starting quarterback to get injured, but you never know. We always have to be prepared.”

Helix junior JAKE REED, one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the county, went down with a possible broken left foot midway through the second quarter. Reed had scored the Highlanders’ first touchdown on a 1-yard QB sneak early in the second quarter to tie the game 7-7. He rushed 11 times for 57 yards and was 4-of-10 passing for 52 yards.

Reed wasn’t noticeably injured on any one play, but suddenly there was sophomore backup JIMMY PRUITT racing 15 and then 30 yards on a pair of QB keepers on a drive that would end with a 33-yard field goal by VANN SABIN on the last snap of the first half.

Pruitt started the second half and wound up rushing nine times for 81 yards. But after Westview tied the game 10-10 with a 34-yard field by Brenden Watson, Pruitt was intercepted by Tyler Musco, and the Wolverines promptly put together a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive to take a 17-10 lead.

Lewis made his entrance with 9:12 to play in the fourth quarter. He completed a 2-yard pass to Gonzalez, but that was followed by an incompletion and an interception by Zach Ziegler, which he returned 19 yards, across midfield to the 44-yard line.

Eight plays later, Westview was hoping to put the game away with a 50-yard field goal attempt. But Watson never got a chance. Holder Brad Sherwood bobbled the snap, then tried to run, pitched it back to Watson, and he was creamed by RAYMONT NAILON for an 8-yard loss.

Helix took possession with 3:31 remaining, but three Lewis passes resulted in two incompletions and a 3-yard pickup by Gonzalez. It was fourth-and-7 at the 49-yard line, and Westview called timeout to try to ice the young Lewis with 3:03 to play.

Bad move. Lewis threw a bullet to Gonzalez for a 25-yard gain and a first down. Three plays later, he again found Gonzalez for a 16-yard reception that gave Helix a first down at the 11-yard line with about a minute to play.

Gonzalez’s touchdown, his sixth of the season, was his seventh reception of the game, worth 88 yards.

“I’m supposed to run up the middle (on the TD play call),” Gonzalez said, “but I saw (Lewis) scrambling so I had to cut across the end zone. I wasn’t sure if he was going to see me, but at the last second he did.

“I dropped a couple of balls earlier, so I had to make up for it. I also had a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty earlier, so I had to make up for that, too.”

Gonzalez called it the biggest catch of his career.

Starr called it the beginning of some upcoming tough decisions as the Highlanders (7-4) prepare to play rival Valhalla next Friday in the quarterfinals. The Norsemen defeated Helix 28-14 on Oct. 30 en route to their first-ever Grossmont South League title.

“We have an official quarterback controversy,” Starr said.

Reed is a junior. Lewis, who finished 7-of-14 passing for 54 yards, and Pruitt are both sophomores.

“We’re good with Brandon next week,” Starr said. “He’s been lighting it up in practice, and he’s going to be a good one. But we have an official quarterback controversy going into next year.”

Bonita Vista, following a 2008 SDCIF loss to Grossmont, was in tune to turnaround one of the poorest postseason ledgers in San Diego Section history. Although surviving six fumbles – only one lost – still the Barons found a way to lose to an opponent which paraded players who strung together a series of big defensive stops.

"We knew they wanted to avenge us and they were playing at home," noted Hillers defensive end JOEY MUSGROVE. "But we were ready and are prepared to go all the way."

Musgrove, a junior, recovered a fumble on a potential game-tying field goal attempt in the fourth quarter, while at least seven others registered key tackles down the stretch, propelling Grossmont in Friday's (Nov. 20) SDCIF Division II first-round contest at Southwestern College's Devore Stadium.

The Hillers (6-5), ranked dead last in the field of 12 Division II ballclubs, will hit the road again when they meet 3rd-seeded Mission Hills next Friday (Nov. 27) in eastern San Marcos. They will take along a four-game winning streak.

While many noted Fallbrook's Division I upset over Rancho Bernardo in another 5-vs.-12 pairing as the day's biggest stunner, Grossmont failed to see any marginal differences going in against a Barons side relegated to start a sophomore, third-string quarterback.

"We were pretty much the same teams as last year," added Musgrove. "But the key may have been the penalty before the field goal."

A ping-pong game saw both offenses swapping points. But after CODY SOS collected the ball – and absorbed a hard hit at the goal line – for a go-ahead, 12-yard touchdown pass from TYLER MUTTER just 2:18 into the second half, both defenses took over.

The Barons had six second-half possessions, moving the ball decently, yet each drive was halted in a second-half shutout by Grossmont.

The stretch began on a 16-yard interception return by JONAH GREEN, which set up the Mutter-Sos TD to overcome a 14-10 halftime deficit.

"Our line controlled them all the way," said Green, a sophomore strong safety. "So everyone in the back could cover their man."

The next two Bonita Vista drives saw sacks by outside linebacker COLTON ALEXIO and MICHAEL DAVIS-TUCKER both forced 3rd-and-long situations which eventually led to a punts.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Barons’ (7-4) best chance saw the host gain a 1st-and-goal at the Grossmont-7. However, Alexio plugged a hole to stop running back Bryan Montreuil (23 carries, 187 yards) on third down, forcing a field goal.

However, a false start infraction pushed the ball back five yards, then the following snap on a chip-shot field goal was dropped, with Musgrove making the recovery.

The final pair of Barons opportunities saw drives reach just beyond the 50. The first was doomed on a Grossmont run blitz, as Alexio and MICHAEL DELOZIER stuffed Montreuil for a 4-yard loss on third down.

The final stand saw ANTHONY BOWDEN deflect a deep pass on a stop-and-go route.

"I didn't go for the fake and batted the ball away," noted Bowden, a senior who plans to attend Texas Southern next fall.

Alexio and Musgrove following by combining for a sack, then finally a flanker-reverse option-pass bomb on 4th down was knocked away when three Hillers converged on the football with 14 seconds remaining.

"It seemed like I was the one always going on a run-blitz since we were in a nickel all day," noted Alexio, a junior outside linebacker. "Our defense just held them, but we got help from a lot of people."

Alexio, for one, noted the punting of LANDON RIVERS, who averaged more than 40 yards on five boots, including a booming 54-yard effort with 2:24 remaining to force Bonita Vista to go coast-to-coast on its final chance with the ball.

DESEAN WATERS (22 carries, 115 yards) opened the scoring, capping a 12-play, game-opening drive with a 1-yard plunge. However, Montreuil got Bonita Vista even just 1:10 later with carries of 34, 2 and 44 yards on an 80-yard march.

Three straight completions by Mutter (9-15-2, 86 yards) set-up a 24-yard CHANCE HOUSE field goal for a 10-7 lead through the first period. However, the Barons took a lead into the intermission when Johnathan King returned an interception 23 yards for the score.

The first pair of Grossmont scores were set up on long kickoff returns (46 and 25 yards) by JOEY ACOSTA.

EL CAPITAN 35, BRAWLEY 10 – El Capitan senior quarterback MARK SCHARFENBERG will admit that he’s been under the microscope all season. And it has nothing to do with his 4.3 grade-point-average.

Of course, when you play at the same school as RYAN LINDLEY and TANNER RUST before you, you know you’re going to be challenged – by the coaches and the fans.

“It was kind of a rough season at the start,” Scharfenberg admitted, as El Capitan (7-4) lost three of its first four games. “Actually it’s been awesome to follow guys like Ryan and Tanner. They gave me great inspiration and I’ve tried my best. They’ve actually tutored me and helped me become a better quarterback.”

Never has Scharfenberg been sharper than he was in Friday’s (Nov. 20) SDCIF Division III first round playoff victory over visiting Brawley (8-3). He completed 14 of 16 passes for 176 yards, including scoring strikes to MATT BURKETT (24 yards), ROBERT CRAIGHEAD (6 yards) and BROOKS NOBLE (3yards).

El Capitan coach RON BURNER, who has probably been Scharfenberg’s biggest supporter, was pleased by his quarterback’s performance.

“This was his best game and it couldn’t have come at a better time,” Burner said.

The Vaqueros, who have won 5 in a row, are peaking at the right time. Good thing, because they are ticketed to face top-seeded Cathedral Catholic in next Friday’s (Nov. 27) quarterfinals.

“Sharp had a good night,” Burner praised. “He looked pretty good in the pregame (warm-ups), but during the week he was pretty wild and I thought Omigosh… But in this game he made only one bad throw. I don’t know what his thing was but he was right on the mark, and that’s exactly what we need him to be.”

El Capitan, which has ridden the coattails of its defense to the Grossmont North League championship and into the SDCIF Division III quarterfinals, produced 340 total yards against the Wildcats from the desert. And for one of the few times this year, the Vaqueros had legitimate balance, including 164 yards rushing.

Burkett led the Vaqueros’ ground game with 93 yards on 14 carries, including a 23-yard scoring run on El Capitan ’s second play of the game.

“The fact that we were able to run the ball opened up our passing game,” said Burner. “When we can run the ball like we did tonight it alleviates pressure because they can’t blitz as much. We ran the ball well today.”

TYLER MASON was a double threat, rushing for 50 yards and a touchdown on 6 carries in addition to reeling in 5 passes for 49 yards.

Senior BROOKS NOBLE, who has contributed all season as the Vaqueros’ kicker and punter, pulled in 5 passes for 67 yards and his first varsity touchdown pass – a 3-yard toss from Scharfenberg in the 4th quarter.

“They were in a cover-three and it left a lot of zones open for me today,” said Noble, who was also 5-for-5 on his PAT kicks. “We had two weeks to prepare for this game and we ran extra routes after practice so we made sure our timing was down for this game.”

Noble has been pretty much a secondary receiver for the Vaqueros, although he has 21 catches for 237 yards.

“I trust in Coach Burner and whatever he calls, I run,” Noble added. “I was able to get open a lot tonight and Mark was able to read the defense and find me.”

Noble had his own personal fan club – including Padres outfielder BRIAN GILES and former Granite Hills superstars AARON and LEWIE GRAHAM – in the El Capitan stands. His teammates even made a cheer following the game that ended with “Yea Brooks!”

While pleased by the support, Noble seemed almost embarrassed by the attention.

“I just try to help the team,” he said modestly.

Not to be overlooked was the El Capitan defense, which surrendered 10 points on Brawley’s first two possessions. The Wildcats cranked out 364 yards but were stopped in the red zone three times.

JAMES GALLIVAN intercepted his East County leading 8th pass, which set up Mason’s 11-yard scoring dash in the 3rd quarter. Gallivan had 7 tackles, as did BUBBA PROUTY and DANIEL WADE.

Probably the bottom line for El Capitan is the Vaqueros did not commit a single turnover on offense.

STEELE CANYON 28, SAN MARCOS 20 – Steele Canyon almost got caught peeking ahead to next week’s quarterfinal battle against No. 2 seed Ramona (8-2). In fact the Cougars trailed visiting San Marcos 13-7 late in the 1st quarter of Friday’s (Nov. 20) SDCIF Division III opener in Rancho San Diego.

Twice the Cougars (7-3-1) had to wrestle the lead away from the upset-minded Knights (4-7). A 14-yard scoring junket by BRANDON WATSON, coupled with the second of four MATT BRUDER PAT kicks, gave Steele Canyon a 14-13 edge after one period.

But the Cougars fell behind 20-14 midway through the 2nd quarter. They regained the lead before halftime on a 50-yard pass from quarterback BRAD BOEHMKE to TAYLOR MISHLER.

The Cougars’ defense took over from there, holding the Knights scoreless for the final 28 minutes.

“I thought we fought hard tonight,” said Boehmke, who completed 9 of 13 passes for 228 yards and 2 TDs. “We played well although we started out a bit shaky. They did a good job in the 1st half against us. We knew we had to match them point for point.

“I knew we could score on them because we have a lot of weapons on offense.”

A 2-yard scoring burst by ALEX PERLIN gave Steele Canyon a little more breathing room in the 3rd quarter.

“They made us work harder than we thought we were going to have to tonight,” said Perlin, who rushed for 134 yards on 17 carries. “I think they frustrated us a little bit in the 1st half. Our offensive line did a great job of opening up holes for the running game.”

Steele Canyon finished with 470 total yards. COLIN MARTIN rushed for 83 yards on 5 carries, while Watson added 22 yards on just 3 sorties.

“Our defense did a good job shutting down their offense in the 2nd half,” said Boehmke. “It gave us some momentum.”

Boehmke’s effort included a 71-yard TD pass to CODY SIMPSON in the 1st quarter that gave the Cougars a 7-6 lead. The quarterback spread his passes between four receivers, with Mishler catching 3 for 69 yards and KYLE SAGER 3 for 62 yards. REECE DALE grabbed two balls for 26 yards.

Mishler also picked off a pass. In addition Simpson returned 3 kickoffs for 83 yards. Bruder averaged 42 yards on 3 punts.

“San Marcos played a great game tonight,” said Cougars coach RON BOEHMKE. “They had a good scheme. We did a good job adjusting to their scheme in the second half. Offensively, it was a battle. We had to work hard – it took us awhile to get settled down.”

MOUNT MIGUEL 45, HOOVER 14 – This one was over almost before it started, as host Mount Miguel pounced on the visiting Hoover Cardinals (6-5) for a 21-0 first-quarter lead in Friday’s (Nov. 20) opening round of the SDCIF Division III playoffs.

Not surprisingly, it was DERALL HUNTER leading the onslaught. He opened the scoring with a 6-yard run for his 30th touchdown of the season. Hunter later scored on a run of 22 yards and a 71-yard pass from quarterback AJ STANFORD.

“We came out flying tonight,” said Stanford. “We wanted to show people that we are the team that deserved the first round bye (Top 4 seed).”

Mount Miguel coach TOM KARLO, whose team has lost only once game since September, agreed.

“We knew our offense would come out strong,” Karlo said. “Our offensive line did a great job blocking for both the pass and the run. I think they are the best O-line in the county. We have set school records this year for season scoring, yards rushing and total offense.”

Stanford’s contributions included a 12-yard scoring scamper in the 1st quarter and two touchdown passes, including a 66-yard scoring strike to HOSEA TATE,

“The TD pass to Derall was a 3rd down screen pass. He did all the work,” Stanford said. “Tate’s TD pass was on a straight nine-pattern. I knew he was faster than their DBs. We wanted to show our next opponent that we could throw the ball.”

Don’t forget, Stanford proved that he can also run.

“On my TD run we knew they were keying on Derall, so I faked to him, rolled out around end and ran in untouched – it felt great,” recalled Stanford.

Hunter led the Matadors ground attack with 146 yards on 21 carries. He leads East County in rushing with 1,914 yards on 275 carries and in scoring with 194 points (32 TDs, one 2-point PAT).

Stanford clicked on 7 of 17 passes for 191 yards. DERRICK DUNN (7-83) joined the scoring parade with a 40-yard TD dash as Matadors produced 451 yards on 58 plays.

This was only the third playoff win for Mount Miguel in 22 years.

“Coming off last week’s big win versus Helix I thought we reacted and prepared well for Hoover ’s speed,” Karlo said. “Defensively we dominated the line of scrimmage all night.”

Nobody knows that better than offensive lineman TYRONE IAULUALO.

“Our coaches told us all week never to take anybody too lightly, and we didn’t,” Iaulualo said. “We came out on fire. We had a lot of confidence in every play. It doesn’t matter what the play call is, pass or run, I’m confident we can block for it. It’s a great feeling to see the long plays develop. I love seeing our guys sprinting downfield.”

Mount Miguel intercepted four passes, including two by NATONE MORGAN. RONNIE HICKS and CHRISTIAN HENRY also had picks for the Matadors.

JORGE MEDINA was 6-for-6 on PAT kicks and also booted his 6th field goal of the season from 36 yards out.

The Matadors (8-2-1), who have lost only one game since September, will meet Point Loma (7-3) in Friday’s (Nov. 27) quarterfinals at San Diego Mesa College.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 28, ARMY-NAVY 8 — Two weeks following a heart-breaking setback to Calvin Christian in a mano-a-mano showdown for the league title, Foothills Christian rebounded with perhaps an even greater triumph.

For the second time in as many years, the Knights captured a San Diego CIF postseason contest after shocking host Army-Navy Academy in Friday's (Nov. 20) first-round of the SDCIF Division V playoffs at El Camino High School.

Once again, it was GARRET CAMPBELL front and center for Foothills Christian (7-4). The senior sensation ran for two touchdowns and passed for a third while racking up 270 yards total offense.

“Campbell is the best athlete I’ve ever coached,” said Foothills Christian coach STEVE PERDUE. “We’re going to miss him (when he graduates), but we have the nucleus for another strong team next year. We’ll be OK.”

Campbell, who clicked on four of seven passes for 87 yards, opened the scoring with a 9-yard scoring strike to JUSTIN ESSELSTROM in the first period.

After a 24-yard scoring dash by SPENCER GEORGE made it 14-0 in the second quarter, Campbell broke loose for an 83-yard scoring gallop giving the Knights a 21-0 advantage by the half.

Campbell later added a 3-yard TD rush early in the third period, then the Knights (7-4) left the rest of the contest to their defense, which allowed a mere 241 total yards, with 71 of them coming on a late, cosmetic Army-Navy scoring pass by Varden Bernstein to receiver Lance Taylor.

In addition, George chipped in for 88 yards on 19 carries, while ZACH CUMMINGS caught 3 passes for 78 yards.

“(Army-Navy) was bigger and stronger than us and was a very disciplined team,” said Perdue. “And we dominated the game from the get-go. It really surprised me that we took them out of their game so much.

“We only had 20 yards of penalties and they must have had 100 yards called against them. I know they had some injuries on their team.”

“It really was a total team effort tonight,” Perdue continued. “Our offensive scheme worked almost to perfection, our special teams hustled and our defensive line was lights out. They didn’t score until 2 minutes were left in the game. It was the most gratifying football game I’ve ever been in as a coach. It’s especially gratifying to win against a good football team like that.”

Foothills Christian advances to next week's quarterfinals, facing 3rd-seeded The Bishop's School in a game to be played at La Jolla's Scripps Field at Gene Edwards Stadium. The Bishop's, also the Knights, went 6-4 in the regular season, placing fourth behind Christian in the Coastal League.

OLYMPIAN 45, SANTANA 7 – A trip to the San Diego CIF Division IV playoffs wasn’t what the doctor ordered Friday (Nov. 20) for the Santana Sultans (2-9). In fact, a doctor might well have been ordered after the first half as unbeaten Olympian was breezing 45-0.

The Eagles (11-0) scored 30 points in the second quarter to turn the game into a rout.

Olympian coach Gil Warren substituted freely as the Eagles outgained Santana 476-57. The Sultans, who rushed for only 20 yards on 18 carries, mustered up only five first downs.

Santana avoided the shutout on a 6-yard touchdown pass from KYLE GASNER to T.D. GROSS in the fourth quarter.

The Sultans finished the season with an eight-game losing streak.

© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (11-18-09) — Some pundits claim this is the best of the first-round San Diego CIF Division III playoff matchups. The visiting Brawley Wildcats (8-2) are sure to bring a couple thousand of their partisans over the Laguna Mountains for Friday’s (Nov. 20) showdown against Grossmont North League champion El Capitan (6-4) at Cutting Stadium at 7 p.m.

Defense is the strong suit of both of these teams. The Wildcats are allowing only 10.4 points per game, while El Capitan is permitting just 10.6 ppg. Both teams have notched three shutouts.

The Vaqueros have proven to be especially tough against the pass. Safety DOMINIC PROUTY and safety JAMES GALLIVAN share the East County lead with 7 interceptions apiece.

Statistically speaking, Brawley has the superior offense, producing more than 34 ppg. El Capitan, on the other hand, is averaging only 21.6 ppg including 77 points during victories over El Cajon Valley and West Hills over the last two weeks of the regular season.

Brawley’s only losses have occurred to once-beaten Valley Center (31-7) and IVL champion El Centro-Central Union (23-18) in last week’s Bell Game.

These teams were paired against each other in last year’s playoff opener and the Vaqueros breezed 41-22. But it wasn’t as if El Capitan was running a steamroller as it produced only seven first downs while registering 5 touchdowns en route to a 35-14 third quarter lead. The Vaqueros fortunes were the result of turnovers, field position and long plays.

A quick-strike offense is no longer a part of El Capitan’s attack. They’ve become more of a ball control, grind-it-out unit led by running back MATT BURKETT (135 carries, 639 yards, 12 TDs) and physical tight end/fullback ROBERT CRAIGHEAD (35 catches, 470 yards, 4 TDs).

This one could be labeled a toss-up, but the pick goes to... El Capitan 17-14.

GROSSMONT (5-5) vs. BONITA VISTA (7-3) at Southwestern College, 7 – This is a repeat of last year’s San Diego CIF Division II playoff opener won by the Foothillers 23-21. No doubt the Barons are aching to get even.

Trailing 15-10 after three periods in last year’s meeting, the Foothillers bounced back on a TYLER MUTTER touchdown pass and a 50-yard run by DOMINIQUE CHILDRESS that set up a 1-scoring plunge by the now graduated DOMINIQUE BRADLEY to make it an 8-point Hiller lead with five minutes remaining.

The issue wasn’t decided until Grossmont intercepted a Bonita Vista 2-point conversion pass that would have tied the game and forced overtime.

The DESEAN WATERS-led Foothillers have momentum going as they’ve won their last three games. Waters has churned out 1,703 all-purpose yards and scored 102 points.

Mutter has been on the mark of late, completing 37 of 52 passes (71.2 percent) for 506 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s suffered only one interception in his last six games. He’s also added two rushing scores in his last two starts.

Given how close last year’s battle between the two teams turned out, it could go that way again... Grossmont 24-21.

But then again this has been a year of firsts and records for the Matadors. No doubt they have spent the early part of the week finding a prominent spot to display the Claymore Sword that they captured from Helix for the first time in 22 years in the regular season finale.

Mount Miguel , which is arguably the best team in East County , has lost only one game since September. The Matadors, led by East County rushing kingpin DERALL HUNTER (254 carries, 1768 yards, 28 TDs), are averaging 32.3 ppg.

The Cardinals are clearly overmatched in this game but Mount Miguel has been known to play down to its level of competition, which provides some level of suspense.

Bottom line though is the better team will prevail... Mount Miguel 38-14.

Given that two-thirds of the 90 teams in the SDCIF section qualify for the playoffs, gaining a post-season berth isn’t all that spectacular. The fact that Steele Canyon is 5-6 in those playoffs is noteworthy. The Cougars, in fact, were 2-1 and reached the semifinals a year ago before falling to Valhalla.

Although nobody is making comparisons, this could be Steele Canyon ’s best team ever. As usual the Cougars have a powerful running game, led by ALEX PERLIN (152-1088, 14 TDs) and JAKE WRAGG (109-672, 4 TDs). The added attraction to the SC offense is a passing game directed by junior quarterback BRAD BOEHMKE (74-147, 7 TDs).

This is a team predicated on speed. Perlin and wide receiver CODY SIMPSON (28-402, 3 TDs) were state qualifiers in track a year ago.

San Marcos is predominantly a running team, led by Josh White (130-686, 7 TDs).

The difference here is the Knights are surrendering more than 36 points on defense... Steele Canyon 31-13.

WESTVIEW (3-7) at HELIX (6-4), 7 – Just making the playoffs has to be exciting for Westview, considering the Wolverines ended the season with six consecutive losses.

Tradition almost dictates that Helix makes the playoffs. However, after a 5-1 start, the Highlanders were cuffed around in the Grossmont South League and lost 3 of their final 4.

So, how do you figure this one?

Helix has JAKE REED at quarterback, and this guy can do it all. A mid-season injury caused him to either play briefly or miss parts of three games. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder can run and throw with the best in the county when he’s healthy. In his last four games Reed has completed 53 of 102 passes for 818 yards and 10 touchdowns. Now that he’s back running at full strength he has rushed for 204 yards on 32 carries over the last three games.

The Wolverines don’t figure to be able to stop Reed, who also counts on receivers AUSTIN GONZALEZ (32-612, 5 TDs), CAMERON LEE (31-433, 7 TDs) and SEAN LINTON (29-465, 4 TDs).

If Reed & Company are clicking, they should be able to hurdle Westview to set up a rematch against GSL champion Valhalla in the Saturday (Nov. 27) quarterfinals... Helix 35-21.

SANTANA (2-8) at OLYMPIAN (10-0), 7 – Weighing in as one of only five unbeaten teams in the San Diego CIF Division IV, the second-year Eagles did not receive a first round bye which is customary for teams with their record.

Yet the same old arguments, but mostly the lack of strong schedule forced the Eagles to settle for a No. 5 seed in the 12-team Division IV bracket.

Santana, meanwhile was handed the 12th seed despite owning the fewest wins of any of the 60 playoff teams.

The Sultans won two of their first three, clubbing Kearny 52-13 and edging Imperial 18-15, before hitting a seven-game skid after a tough 37-29 loss to IVL champion Central Union misplaced the Sultans’ offense. They suffered three straight shutout losses and really never regained their offensive footing until drumming up 35 points in a season ending loss to El Cajon Valley.

For the sake of comparison, Christian beat Santana 41-14, but lost to Olympian 21-17.

Never has one team beaten another with an 8-win discrepancy. No pun attended but a Santana win would be an Olympian upset in more ways than one. But the pick here is... Olympian 34-20.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN (6-4) vs. ARMY-NAVY (5-4-1) at El Camino High, 7 — When the SDCIF Division V Knights have played outside of their Southern League, they have taken their lumps. In fact, they lost three non-league games to Escondido Charter, Las Vegas-Mountain View Christian and Hoover by a combined 160-41 score to open the season.

One glaring comparison of common scores involves Mountain View Christian, a team Army-Navy edged 32-28. Foothills was flattened 46-0 by the Nevada team.

Granted, the Knights were nowhere near at full strength early on and it showed. They’ve since got their key players back in the lineup and hope to challenge the Warriors.

Do-it-all Greg Elliott leads the Warriors against GARRET CAMPBELL of the Knights... Army-Navy 31-21.