EAST COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL — 2010

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"If we were going to win," noted Patriots running back TYRONE SAULS," we were going to win it like men."

On Sauls' third try from just outside the goal line, the Pac-10 bound senior followed the lead blocks of MICHAEL DAY and RAYVON OWENS into the end zone to register the go-ahead touchdown with 4.6 seconds remaining, giving Christian a dramatic 24-20 decision over visiting St. Monica's of Santa Monica at Valley Stadium.

The fourth-down playcall was never in doubt.

"Even after they called a timeout, we never changed the play," added Sauls, who carried 36 times for 121 yards and a pair of scores. "Somehow, I was going to follow my blockers and score."

Added Day, "I got my block and made a hole for Tyrone. Even though it was the last play of the game, we knew we could get it done."

Following a first half filled with both offenses scampering up-and-down the field -- St. Monica's out-gained Christian in yards, 272-198 -- both sides had little to show in the second half thanks to five turnovers, three by the Patriots.

However, when Mariners receiver Sam Holguin floated over the middle for a pass reception, then turned it upfield along the left sideline on a 75-yard TD pass for a 20-17 advantage with 4:33 left, the Patriots had no other alternative but to march 81 yards on their final drive.

They barely made it.

"St. Monica's changed its defense and was running a bunch of zones," said Christian quarterback SHANE DILLON. "So we overloaded one side and were successful again before we went jumbo at the goal line."

Finally, Sauls converted on his third try in the frenzy of a finish.

"Our adrenaline was up and our hearts were beating," noted Feldscher, who recorded a game-high 7 catches for 82 yards. "There were a lot of mistakes, yet we made some big plays at the end."

"The leadership of the team stepped up -- it wasn't just one person."

Mariners quarterback Matt Partyka threw for 349 yards (202 in the first half) on 16-for-30 accuracy. The 5-foot-7 senior tossed a 34-yard TD strike to open the scoring, then rushed for a 16-yard score near the end of the half, but a bad snap on the PAT allowed Christian to maintain the lead at 14-13.

After trailing early, Sauls tied the contest with a 15-yard run, taking the ball on the toss to the right side and barreling over the cornerback.

In the second quarter, Sauls carried the ball four straight times to advance to the St. Monica's-1, but the visitors were surprised when Owens carried for the final yard and the score to take a 14-7 lead.

Christian kicker TODD BLAKE booted a 29-yard field goal in the first minute of the fourth quarter, then converted a squib on the kickoff, which Christian recovered.

On defense, Feldscher had a big second half. He first jarred the ball loose for a fumble, which was recovered by defensive back TODD GRANT, then Feldscher recorded the final of two interceptions against Partyka. Grant also covered Blake's squib kickoff.

Day and DYLAN SHACKLEY also gained sacks for Christian (1-1).

The loneliest number
Another 1-point win for undefeated Matadors,
top former South League rival Valhalla, 13-12

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SPRING VALLEY (9-11-10) — When the Valhalla Norsemen are limited to 151 yards, their chances of coming out on top are not so good.

Running the football has never been a Valhalla strength, and it wasn’t against host Mount Miguel in Friday’s (Sept. 10) non-league game.

The Norsemen mustered but 25 yards and passed for a subtle 126 markers. And that left the door open for the Matadors, who took advantage to claim a 13-12 upset victory.

“This was a great win for us,” said Mount Miguel coach TOM KARLO. “To think we lost 18 starters to graduation... I wouldn’t have picked us to win.”

Bottom line is JORGE MEDINA, an all-SDCIF kicker for the Matadors, supplied what proved to be a game winning PAT, giving Mount Miguel a 7-0 lead with 44 seconds left in the first quarter.

Probably the key play of the game was a 33-yard run in the 4th quarter by sophomore fullback TONY DOZIER that gave Mount Miguel a 1st-and-goal at the 3-yard line. It took Dunn two carries to reach the end zone.

The Matadors tried to make it a 3-point lead but their 2-point conversion pass attempt failed, stuffed by Valhalla’s ANTHONY BUZZELL and ANDREW DAOUD.

“Dozier is only a sophomore but that was a huge 33-yard run,” said Karlo. “I think it might have confused them because we came out in a two-back set.”

“Our defense played lights out,” he said. “We got them completely out of their game. They had to keep their slotbacks in to block, which is totally unusual.”

Mount Miguel’s HENRY INGRAM picked off an errant pass with just under 3 minutes left in the game, returning it 25 yards to the Valhalla 45-yard line where he fumbled it. However, teammate RONNIE HICKS recovered the ball to keep the Matadors’ possession.

“That’s the kind of heads-up defense we played,” said Karlo. “When the ball was on the ground we got it.”

The Norsemen were knocked off kilter by Mount Miguel’s relentless defense in a contest marred by penalties by both teams.

On its first offensive possession, Mount Miguel started with a bang when senior quarterback DEE'JAY NOLEN threw a dart to junior wideout KEVANTA DUBIGNON for an 18 yard pickup to the Monarchs' 40-yard line. On the next play, however, senior SAM VELASQUEZ sacked Nolen for a 6 yard loss. Three plays later, Mount Miguel had to punt.

Valhalla was forced to punt after a 3-and-out series, but the punt was blocked by Mount Miguel’s NAJEE NICHOLS and recovered by the Matadors at the Norsemen 19-yard line.

The Matadors put together a drive with Nolen hooking up with senior wide receiver MARVIN HOOD and junior wideout ANTHONY ORTEGA, moving the ball to the visitors' 31-yard line. A 7-yard run by Dunn and a 17-yard scamper by Nolen gave the Matadors a first-and-goal on the 7-yard line. On the next play, Dunn plowed his way up the middle into the end zone for the game's first score.

On the ensuing kickoff, HANSSELL WILSON gathered in the ball on the 3-yard line and exploded up the field untouched for a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, tying the Valhalla record set by TRAIVONNE BROWN in 2008 against Granite Hills. The PAT attempt was blocked by an aggressive Matador defender, leaving Mount Miguel with a 7-6 lead, with 31 seconds remaining in the initial stanza.

In the second quarter, Valhalla's JEVON HASTEN hauled in a 44 yard pass from sophomore quarterback FRANK FOSTER to the Matadors' 36-yard line. Three plays later Hasten made a leaping circus catch for a 12 yard gain to the 17.

After a bad snap resulted in a 6-yard loss, Foster found sophomore slot back NEHEMIAH BROWN open in the flat for a 10-yard completion to the 13-yard line, but the Norsemen couldn't get the first down. A 30-yard field goal attempt was wide-left, leaving the Matadors clinging to a one-point lead at halftime.

Valhalla coach STEVE SUTTON must have had a nice chat with his charges at halftime because the Norsemen were fired up when the second half started.

Hasten returned the kickoff 32 yards to the Valhalla 33. Senior running back MIKE PARISI galloped 7 yards for a first down to the Valhalla 43-yard line. Then, Foster threw a beautiful spiral to Hasten for a 36-yard pickup to the Mount Miguel 21. Junior slot back ROBERT RUIZ got in on the act and sprinted 9 yards on a nifty counter play to the 12-yard line.

On second-and-one, senior linebacker SMITH TAUSAGA sacked Foster for a 13-yard loss to the Matadors' 25-yard line.

Valhalla got 8 of those yards back on third down when senior wide receiver NICKOLAS KURTZ hauled in a Foster pass at the 17 yard-line. On fourth-and-six, Foster caught the defense off-guard with a quarterback draw, running 17 yards to paydirt – untouched. The PAT pass attempt was unsuccessful, but Valhalla grabbed the lead for the first time, 12-7, with 7:50 remaining in the third quarter.

Valhalla's defense also stiffened, forcing the Matadors to punt after three plays when, on third-and-inches, senior linebackers RYAN RIPLEY and JUSTIN RAMBEAU stuffed the ball carrier for a 5 yard loss, giving the Norsemen offense good field position at their own 46-yard line.

Then disaster struck. A holding penalty negated a big gain, followed immediately by two dropped passes, forcing Valhalla to punt – giving the momentum back to the Matadors.

Mount Miguel quickly took advantage of the situation. Dunn put together runs of 16, 8 and 12 yards, moving quickly to the Valhalla 27-yard line. Dozier, all 245 pounds of him, burst through the middle of the line and rumbled 25 yards to the 2-yard line, where Norseman junior defensive back KEVIN BROWN brought him down, saving the touchdown, at least momentarily.

Valhalla's defense was stout, and Mount Miguel had to punt with 2:21 left in the game. But a roughing-the-kicker penalty against the Norsemen dashed their hopes of a comeback. Mount Miguel was able to run out the clock to seal the victory.

Nolen was 9-14-0 for 87 yards.

For Valhalla, Foster was 8-16-1 for 126 yards; Hasten pulled in 4 catches for 101 yards. Mount Miguel held Valhalla to only 33 offensive plays and 151 yards total offense, while putting together 55 plays for 256 yards of offense.

HELIX 49, SANTA FE CHRISTIAN 10 – If the season ended today it would be hard to dispute that the Helix Highlanders are the finest football team in the San Diego Section. Just check the numbers. The Highlanders are averaging 50.5 points per game and have allowed only 3 points on the defensive side.

Of course Helix has hardly played a challenging schedule in mowing down Rancho Buena Vista and Santa Fe Christian.

The No. 2 ranked Highlanders will travel to perennial power Cathedral Catholic next week and maybe that will show if Helix is for real.

No question Highlanders coach TROY STARR isn’t ordering any trophies just yet with eight games remaining in the regular season.

Despite falling behind 7-0 on an early interception return for a touchdown, the Highlanders went on to hammer visiting Santa Fe Christian with 49 consecutive points before the Eagles kicked a late field goal, which accounted for the first points allowed by the Helix defense in eight quarters.

Using a balanced offense led by the passing and rushing of nimble junior quarterback BRANDON LEWIS (309 total yards and 4 TDs), Helix rolled up 457 yards while limiting Santa Fe Christian to 149 yards.

Nearly half of the Highlanders offensive output came from the rushing end. Lewis scrambled for 62 yards on 3 carries, while MICHAEL ATKINS logged a team-best 74 yards on 4 carries, including a 62 yard scoring dash.

“We were doing mostly inside runs where we just drive off the nose guard and just run it up the gut,” said senior offensive lineman CHRIS ANDERSON.

Helix threw the ball more in the 2nd half than they did in the 1st half, which some coaches might interpret as an attempt to roll up the score.

Anderson said it wasn’t so.

“Yeah, we threw the ball more because we wanted to relieve our running backs and perfect our passing game,” he said.

Lewis completed 10 of 17 passes for 247 yards and 4 touchdowns – two of them going to JIMMY PRUITT and one apiece to DARRION HANCOCK and ROMELLO CARBUCCIA.

Pruitt was a multiple threat, serving as a hawk on defense in the secondary, catching 4 passes for 117 yards, rushing for 22 yards on 4 carries and backing up Lewis at quarterback.

“We wanted to come out throwing the ball, but when I made a mistake and (Barrett Floyd) picked off that first pass (and returned it 49 yards for a TD) it caused us to kinda slow it down,” said Lewis.

Only briefly.

The first Lewis-to-Pruitt connection tied the game 7-7 after one quarter. Helix erupted for 21 points in the 2nd quarter to all but put the game away.

“In the 2nd half we started to roll,” Lewis said.

Hancock, who rushed for 99 yards and 2 scores in the season-opening blowout of Rancho Buena Vista, was a bit subdued against SFC, finishing with 43 yards on 9 carries. He hardly came up empty though, as he turned a 62-yard screen pass into a touchdown that gave Helix a 28-7 halftime lead.

Lewis was pleased with the Highlanders’ balance.

“We have a great running back – one of the best in the county,” Lewis said of Hancock. “That’s the thing about us. If we can’t pass the ball we can always go to the run. Hancock is a phenomenal runner. He can break tackles and he can make stuff happen.”

In the 1st half Lewis completed 4 of 7 passes for 162 yards and 3 touchdowns, staking the Highlanders to a 28-7 halftime lead.

“After that everything was smooth for us,” he said.

While Helix was churning out 457 total yards, the Highlanders’ defense kept Santa Fe Christian’s Wing-T offense under wraps. The Eagles finished with 106 yards rushing and completed only two of four passes for 43 yards.

“We played good assignment defense,” said Helix coach TROY STARR. “ Santa Fe is a better offensive team than what we saw last week. We just outmanned them.”

Junior linebacker GARY THOMPSON logged 11 tackles to lead the Highlanders, while KACY SMITH added 10 more stops.

“We just did everything right as a defense,” said Smith. “Even though we shut those guys out last week I think we had a bigger challenge this week, stopping the Wing-T. It’s a tough offense to shut down but I think we did it.”

Other Helix standouts on defense included SAM MEREDITH, who had 7 tackles and a sack, and ROCKY FUGA, who posted 6 tackles.

CAMERON LEE, who caught 3 passes on the offensive side, also recovered a fumble on defense. AUSTIN GONZALEZ pitched in with 2 tackles and a sack.

GROSSMONT 37, UNIVERSITY CITY 7 – Senior southpaw DESEAN WATERS continues to adapt as the quarterback in Grossmont’s spread offense. He generated 272 yards and 5 touchdowns in Friday’s (Sept. 10) romp over visiting University City.

“I love our new offense but I’m still getting used to it,” said Waters, who is East County’s leading rusher with 270 yards on 36 carries.

He also proved he could throw the ball against the Centurions, clicking on 7 of 10 aerials for 141 yards.

Waters, a running back-defensive back through his first three seasons, has passed for 179 yards, completing 12 of 16 aerials.

“Desean hasn’t had that many chances to pass but I’d like to give him more,” Grossmont coach RON MURPHY said. “Trouble is, when you get a big lead and then start throwing the ball, people think you’re trying to run the score up on them.

“But we’ve asked this kid to play quarterback for us, so I think it’s only fair that we throw the ball when we get a chance to.”

One of Waters’ passes was a screen to DIMITRI SCOTT that resulted in 70 yards and a touchdown.

“Scott is the fastest kid on our team,” Murphy noted.

Scott also caught a 10-yard scoring toss from Waters.

The Foothillers quarterback scored on runs of 30, 10 and 5 yards.

On the defense and special teams, Grossmont (2-0) left its mark on University City (0-2). DYLAN COOPER had an interception for the Foothillers, and RYAN GREEN blocked a punt.

JOEY ACOSTA, a starting senior corner, had two returns for 74 yards. He also plays slotback, running back and holds on kicks. That’s right – he rarely leaves the field.

“I’m a senior – one of the few we have on our team and I love being a leader,” said Acosta. “I don’t look at it as pressure.”

SANTANA 27, KEARNY 22 – Veteran coach DAVE GROSS has the luxury of starting three quarterbacks – ZACH BREIDT, LANDON LOZOYA and KYLE GASNER.

His choices were depleted a bit in Friday’s (Sept. 10) non-league game versus Kearny at Scripps Ranch, as Gasner was sidelined with an ankle sprain.

That didn’t seem to bother Lozoya, who took over the signal-calling chores and guided the Sultans to their second victory in as many starts. A 6-foot-2 junior, who is known probably more for his 3-point shot on the basketball court, Lozoya generated 180 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Komets (0-2).

Trailing 22-21 with 6:26 remaining, Lozoya took the Sultans on a 10-play, 58-yard drive that consumed nearly four minutes and lead to the winning touchdown. Lozoya scored the winning touchdown on a 17-yard run on a 3rd-and-9 scramble.

“I like quarterback more than any other position,” said Lozoya, who is also a slotback-receiver. There is just more action when you play quarterback. You can’t beat the adrenalin rush.”

Gross would prefer that Lozoya were a fulltime receiver, but admires his work at quarterback when pressed into that situation.

“He’s such a good scrambler – able to run the clock when we need it,” Gross said of Lozoya. “But in a perfect set we would rather have him at receiver and Gasner at quarterback. With that scenario we would have three quality receivers (Lozoya, Breidt and tight end TD GROSS).”

Breidt, who spent his first three season quarterbacking the Sultans, scored on a 21-yard pass from Lozoya and on an 8-yard run.

“I tried to create as much space as possible,” Lozoya said. “I know when I sprint out or do a bootleg I have the option of running or throwing. That’s a neat feeling.”

Coach Gross was disappointed with the inconsistent blocking by the Sultans’ front line.

“You know me – I prefer to pass,” he said. “But we ran the ball more than we planned to. We had guys open but if you don’t give your quarterback time to find them it kinda limits what you can do. I thought Lozoya did a great job of reading the situation.”

STEELE CANYON 28, BONITA VISTA 14 – Coming off last week’s season-opening dismantling of Cathedral Catholic, Steele Canyon coach RON BOEHMKE was a little wary whether his Cougars could maintain the same intensity in Friday’s (Sept. 10) non-league bout with Bonita Vista.

They didn’t.

“I wouldn’t classify this game as a letdown after last week’s big win,” Boehmke said. “It was more of a recovery week.”

Regardless, Steele Canyon was able to run its record to 2-0 by registering its second wire-to-wire victory.

Hard-nosed senior JAKE WRAGG added to his East County scoring lead with a 13-yard scoring pass from BRAD BOEHMKE and a 10-yard dash to the end zone, giving him 36 points to date.

BRANDON WATSON, regarded as Steele Canyon’s lead blocker, scored on runs of 6 and 31 yards for the Cougars.

DANIEL URIBE was 4-for-4 on PAT kicks, making him perfect on 9 placements for the season.

Wragg finished with 105 yards on 19 rushes, while Watson rolled up 47 yards on 5 carries. Overall Wragg had 189 yards total offense.

Boehmke clicked on 6 of 14 passes for 96 yards.

MONTE VISTA 21, DEL NORTE 7 – One thing Monte Vista can count on is senior SHERVIN IRANIHA will find the football.

Iraniha was all over the field, including grabbing a pair of 22-yard touchdown passes from quarterback JOSE GONZALEZ in Friday (Sept. 10) night’s non-league game against the visiting Nighthawks of Del Norte.

Speaking of do-it-all Iraniha, Monarchs coach PAGE CULVER said, “I’m not sure how he does what he does. He’s a state wrestler – every year he goes to the state meet. That’s how he jumps so high. He’s a really good athlete.”

It was a pretty big night for Gonzalez as well. In addition to his two scoring strikes to Iraniha, he also found the end zone on a 2-yard run and finished with 147 yards total offense.

But it was a defensive stop by Gonzalez which saved Monte Vista in its victory over the first-year Nighthawks of 4-S Ranch (west side of Interstate-15 from Rancho Bernardo).

Moments after Del Norte scored to move within 14-7, Iraniha grabbed one of his nine pass receptions from Gonzalez, but was then hit by Wayne Ganan and the ball came loose. Nighthawks linebacker George Liang scooped the football and had empty real estate in front of him for a potential game-tying score.

However, a hustling Gonzalez tripped Liang for the tackle late in the third quarter, as Monte Vista held on for a 14-point triumph.

The Gonzalez-Iraniha connection was good for 127 yards, including a pair of 22-yard TD strikes to bookend the scoring. Gonzalez also faked a handoff to MATT PARRIS, who rushed for 144 yards in 24 carries, racing around left end on the bootleg for a 2-yard score and a 14-0 halftime Monarchs advantage.

“Parris played well on defense,” said Culver. “He was our leading yardage gainer.”

Iraniha also returned an interception 27 yards to set-up Gonzalez' TD run, while ANDREAS SANCHEZ also recorded a theft. In addition, Parris and DANIEL ROMAN registered sacks as Monte Vista limited the Nighthawks to just 78 yards in total offense.

The contest was also a penalty-fest, with Monte Vista flagged 14 times for 155 yards, while Del Norte was penalized 12 times for 116 yards.

For the Nighthawks, Belcher, the strong safety on defense, grabbed a pair of interceptions, while left defensive end Najee Boston recorded a pair of sacks,

“We played really aggressively – we really got after their quarterback,” said Culver. “Defensively, we played very well tonight.”

WEST HILLS 13, LA JOLLA 7 – After losing their senior starting quarterback GARY ISAACSON to an injury in last week’s season opener at Santana, West Hills coach JESS BARRAGAN could have panicked. PHOTOS

Didn’t happen.

TREVOR CLIPPINGER (8-for-14, 60 yards passing), a 6-foot, 200-pound senior, picked up the reins and kept the Wolf Pack offense on track in Friday’s (Sept. 10) non-league outing at La Jolla. It’s not as if Clippinger racked up a bunch of yardage and points; it’s more a case of smooth transition.

“Trevor did a great job of stepping in at quarterback,” Barragan said. “He showed great leadership. Our players did a great job of rallying around him the whole game.”

After ANDREW TRAN (16 carries, 47 yards) gave West Hills a 7-0 lead with a 12-yard scoring burst, coupled with a PAT kick by PATRICK VILLARREAL, TIM SEABOCH delivered the play of the game in the 2nd period.

A 5-foot-11, 160-pound senior, Seaboch scored on an 85-yard punt return, staking West Hills to a 13-0 lead. Seaboch’s run broke the West Hills record for longest punt return of 72 yards set by RYAN SEVIER against El Capitan in 2003.

“Our philosophy on punt returns is to first catch the ball,” Barragan said. “Everything after that is icing on the cake.”

OLYMPIAN 36, GRANITE HILLS 28 – Although the Eagles are averaging 33 points per game after their first two starts, they find themselves with a balanced ledger of 1-1.

That leaves head coach RANDY DeWITT with mixed emotions.

“Olympian was a big and strong as we thought they’d be, and they gave our defense all kinds of problems,” he said.

The Eagles from the South Bay, who have won 11 straight regular season games dating back to last year, maintained a narrow lead throughout Friday’s (Sept. 10) non-league game at Granite Hills.

Southpaw CORY LOCKMAN fired a 30-yard touchdown pass to MICHAEL MILLIEN, pulling Granite Hills to within 30-28 in the 4th quarter. The East County Eagles missed a chance to tie the game when a 2-point conversion pass failed.

“We were right there with them,” DeWitt said. “But we just couldn’t catch them.

“Last week we were able to run the ball with relative ease, but this week our passing game was clicking. We just couldn’t stop them on defense.”

Lockman completed 17 of 35 passes for 265 yards and 3 touchdowns.

GILBERT PEREZ caught 4 passes for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 78-yard bomb in the 3rd quarter. Earlier in the same period Lockman hit Perez with an 18-yard scoring strike.

FRANTZ LARAQUE, Granite Hills leading rusher on the season, averaged 5 yards a carry on 10 sorties, including a 17-yard scoring burst that left the host Eagles down 10-7 at intermission.

Other high points for Granite Hills included Perez’ punting, as he averaged 41.4 yards on five kicks. One of his boots traveled 71 yards, which is second only to WALTER WIER’s school record of 75 yards set in 1965.

RAMONA 42, EL CAPITAN 21 – Long known for its traditional running game, host El Capitan executed the longest scoring pass in the Vaqueros history during Friday’s (Sept. 10) 6th annual battle for the Wildcat Canyon trophy.

Sophomore quarterback JAKE ALVERNAZ connected with speedster TYRONE WIGGINS on a slant pass for a 97-yard touchdown strike that cut Ramona’s advantage to 14-7 by the close of the 1st quarter.

The record-breaking toss from Alvernaz to Wiggins broke the El Capitan mark set by receiver SID MELERO and quarterback JUSTIN HEISE against Santana in 1989.

As much as that revved up the El Capitan crowd, it was not enough to offset the Ramona record-breaking scoring spree of 5 touchdowns by running back Tyler Jackson. Jackson’s final score came with 40 seconds to play as he re-entered the game to set the record.

That didn’t sit well with El Capitan head coach RON BURNER. Since the outcome was already decided, Burner thought it was a bit tacky that the Ramona coach elected to send his star runner back into the contest just to have a shot at a record. Jackson’s milestone came on a 10-yard run.

“The bottom line for us was, we just couldn’t make tackles,” Burner said. “It’s pretty tough to win a ballgame when you do that. Of course we only returned three starters on defense.”

Not to be overlooked was Alvernaz completed 6 of 13 passes for 181 yards and the record-breaking strike. Wiggins finished with 166 yards on 4 receptions, while DAKOTA FURR rushed for 134 yards and a TD on 12 carries.

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (9-8-10) — Helix High coach TROY STARR downplayed the Highlanders’ 52-0 victory over Rancho Buena Vista last week.

The Highlanders’ veteran second-year skipper is more aware of Santa Fe Christian’s (1-0) romp over Mater Dei 38-7.

“I was kinda surprised when they (SFC) called us for a game,” Starr said. “I think that means they think they can beat us.”

Starr acknowledges that the Eagles run the Wing-T offense better than any team in town.

“They’re extremely deceptive in what they do, and they’re light years a better team than Rancho Buena Vista,” Starr said. “You could score a lot of points but that doesn’t mean you played a perfect game. No question, the final score can be deceptive.”

Rancho Buena Vista self-destructed with six turnovers, while Helix generated 444 total yards and 8 touchdowns.

“Probably the biggest difference between these teams is Santa Fe ’s guys are so much more deceptive,” said Starr, noting that the Eagles’ Jarrod Watson-Lewis rushed for 152 yards and 2 touchdowns on 11 carries.

Helix can count on the passing of BRANDON LEWIS and the rushing of DARRION HANCOCK to drive the Highlanders’ balanced offense.

In their only previous meeting these two teams battled to a 7-7 tie. That won’t happen this time... Helix 21-7.

Valhalla (1-0) at Mount Miguel (1-0), 7: Even though the Norsemen have won 5 of the last 7 meetings, there is no guarantee who will come out on top in Friday’s (Sept. 11) rematch in Spring Valley.

Both teams have undergone major skill position transitions, yet both believe they have fortified the positions to keep their winning traditions alive.

Valhalla coach STEVE SUTTON notes that the Matadors won the passing league championship of the Montgomery Summer League tournament.

“The fact that they beat us in that one should make them the favorite,” said Sutton.

Mount Miguel coach TOM KARLO doesn’t buy Sutton’s bait.

“This is a great second game for us,” Karlo said. “We’re a ‘wait and see’ team. That is, we know we have the makings of being a highly successful team.”

Mount Miguel scored 2 touchdowns inside 20 yards in last week’s 21-20 win over Morse, but then had to survive two Morse scores in the final 23.4 seconds to finish on top.

“We basically promoted our junior varsity starters from a team that allowed only 77 points in 10 games,” Karlo said. “We have seven starters from that group, yet it’s still a big challenge for us because of our youth.”

Mount Miguel counts on a stout defense and running back DERRICK DUNN.

Valhalla’s sophomore quarterback FRANK FOSTER completed 12 of 24 passes for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Norsemen mauled Mission Bay 38-0 in the opener. The star of the show was wide receiver JEVON HASTEN, who caught 5 passes for 132 yards and 3 touchdowns and also returned two punts for 34 yards.

“There’s no question that Hasten is a blue-chipper,” Sutton said.

Valhalla has too many weapons to trip over the Matadors...Valhalla 21-14.

Olympian (0-0) at Granite Hills (1-0), 7: No question, coach RANDY DeWITT was delighted with Granite Hills’ 38-13 breeze over San Ysidro in last week’s opener. The Eagles easily could have made this more lopsided, but DeWitt took the opportunity to insert a lot of players into the contest.

Things get tougher this week as Olympian (11-1) opens its season with veteran coach Gil Warren at the helm.

“Our goal is like it was in the past – to have a winning record going into league,” said DeWitt said. “We have our first game under our belt but we know it’s only going to get tougher from here.”

Middle linebacker JOHNNIE SHOEMAKER, defensive linemen MALIK CHAMBERS and DAVID WALTERS are the keys to the Granite Hills defense.

“Our defense is a lot better than it’s been in the last couple of years – keeps us in games,” DeWitt noted.

The South Bay Eagles rushed for 48 TDs a year ago and have its top three rushers returning led by Division I recruit Alex Cornist

Granite Hills’ has a double-trouble attack led by quarterback CORY LOCKMAN and running back FRANTZ LARAQUE.

This should be an offensive free for all... Olympian 35-28.

Ramona (1-0) at El Capitan (0-1), 7: A last-second loss, like the one El Capitan absorbed in its season opener against The Bishop’s School can work two ways. It can either provide a spark of revenge in game two, or it can create lack of confidence.

Coach RON BURNER would like to believe that his Vaqueros got burned and will be anxious to put out the fire against a solid Ramona squad in the 6th annual Battle for the Wildcat Canyon trophy.

Tyler Jackson led the charge for Ramona with 241 yards and 4 TDs on 25 carries in a 34-17 romp over Serra.

“They run the fly sweep with good speed and a quarterback (Nathan Hunt) with a strong arm,” Burner said.

Offense was not a problem in the Vaqueros’ loss to Bishop’s in the final 8.5 seconds. Quarterback JAKE ALVERNAZ mustered 211 total yards and 2 touchdowns in his varsity debut for the Vaqueros. DAKOTA FURR, a linebacker by trade, smashed his way for 88 yards on 9 carries, while TYRONE WIGGINS exhibited his breakaway speed with 7 receptions for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Thus this game shapes up as another shootout... Ramona 38-28.

Bonita Vista (0-1) at No. 5 Steele Canyon (1-0), 7: The Cougars are poised to make sure that the experts realize their ability to run roughshod over Cathedral Catholic last week was no fluke.

The Cougars played a near-perfect game against the Dons, who remain in both major polls’ Top 10. But that’s history.

Bonita Vista, which suffered a 28-7 loss to Whittier La Serna, would love nothing more than to come in and upset Steele Canyon ’s applecart.

“We don’t know these people very well but we know they have a scrambling quarterback and we must contain him,” said Cougars coach RON BOEHMKE. “Most of their offense comes out of an offset-I set.”

These teams have never played before, but look for the Cougars to avoid a bushwhack... Steele Canyon 28-13.

Del Norte (0-1) at Monte Vista (0-1), 7: This will be only the second varsity game for veteran coach Jerry Ralph, who owns Santana as one of his career stops, so those that know anything about him should expect that the Nighthawks are going to take to the air.

Rancho Bernardo riddled Del Norte 38-6 a week ago, while Monte Vista dropped a road contest at Compton 34-14.

“We’re certainly not petrified of them,” said Monarchs coach PAGE CULVER. “We know they throw the ball and we expect them to throw a lot of screens.”

By the same token, Culver said, “We should be better than we were last week.”

The only common thread between these two teams is they both like to throw the ball. The Monarchs have the more veterans and the home field advantage... Monte Vista 21-14.

University City (0-1) at Grossmont (1-0), 7: The Foothillers are all about DESEAN WATERS, the multi-threat quarterback. A long-time running back and defensive back, Waters guided Grossmont’s new spread offense to a 33-0 romp over Coronado in the opener and should have similar success against visiting University City in Friday’s (Sept. 10) contest.

“We have four sophomores starting on our offensive line so we didn’t know what to expect,” said Foothillers coach RON MURPHY. “They came through pretty solid but that was only one game. We know we want to get the ball to Waters and give him space to run around. He’s a savvy kid who’s done a great job of directing our spread offense.”

Not to be overlooked is the Grossmont defense, which is capable of duplicating an opening night shutout against University City which succumbed to Hilltop 33-10 last week.... Grossmont 28-7.

Santana (1-0) vs. Kearny (0-1) at Scripps Ranch, 6:30: The Sultans launched one of their better passing attacks in recent years in last week’s season-opening victory over crosstown rival West Hills.

“We know we can score on people,” Santana veteran coach DAVE GROSS said. “When we came out last week against West Hills we were basically a junior team that didn’t know what to expect. But our kids came through and that was pretty exciting.”

Looking ahead to Kearny, Gross said the Komets display a spread offense with more speed than West Hills.

He added, “They’re so fast they can almost score by accident.”

This series is tied at 2-2 with the Sultans having outscored the Komets 94-25 in the last two games. It won’t be that lopsided this time, but still look for... Santana 28-16.

West Hills (0-1) at La Jolla (0-1), 7: The Wolf Pack learned they’ve lost quarterback GARY ISAACSON to a knee injury suffered in last week’s season-opening loss to Santana. While having Isaacson on the sidelines is a painful setback, the Pack discovered that their senior leader may return to the lineup by mid-season.

“Early projections on his knee are positive,” said first-year head coach JESS BARRAGAN. “It’s not an ACL tear. We’re not sure how long he will be out – hopefully only three to four weeks.”

Six foot, 200 pound senior TREVOR CLIPPINGER will take over at quarterback.

“He doesn’t have the speed Isaacson does, but we can run most of our offensive stuff with him,” Barragan said.

This is a tough one to call considering La Jolla got steamrollered in its opener 38-3 by Mt. Carmel. The Vikings are guided by former Helix brain trust – head coach REY HERNANEZ and offensive coordinator DAVE VAN MATRE.

These teams have split eight previous meetings... La Jolla 22-20.

St. Monica’s (1-0) vs. Christian (0-1), Saturday (Sept. 11), 7: The St. Monica Mariners of Santa Monica logged seven sacks in a season-opening 41-0 rout of Animo Leadership of Inglewood, while the Patriots fell to Mar Vista 32-20. This one is hard to figure. SHANE DILLON threw 50 passes for 315 yards – tops in East County at Mar Vista – but it wasn’t enough to save a sinking Christian ship.

Hard-charging running back TYRONE SAULS is a big-time player for Christian, but the Patriots must plug the leaks in their defense.

Bad omen…. The Patriots lost their opener to the Mariners and will face another ship of Mariners in their home opener at Granite Hills... Christian 27-20

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (9-4-10/MODIFIED 9-5-10) — It seems like everyone associated with high school football in Santee over the past two decades has a favorite story to tell about the annual Mayor’s Cup game between Mast Boulevard rivals Santana and West Hills. PHOTOS

– Like how the cup name was changed 10 years ago and now officially reads “Jack E. Dale Cup” in honor of Santee ’s lovable mayor from 1992 to 2000.

– Like how the 2½-foot tall cup has resided at West Hills for the past seven years.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen the thing, I’ve forgotten what it looks like,” joked Santana coach DAVE GROSS before Friday night’s (Sept. 3) season opener at Santana.

A few moments after Santana’s 31-20 victory, Gross hoisted the trophy high with his right arm as each and every Sultan tried desperately to touch it simultaneously. A few minutes later, the Jack E. Dale Cup rested comfortably on the front right corner of Gross’ office desk as the coach leaned back in his chair with a wide grin peering proudly through his equally wide mustache.

He also was eager to meet up with Valhalla head football coach STEVE SUTTON for pizza at Marechiaro’s Pizza on 2nd Street in El Cajon owned by former college teammate PAT VILLANI.

Sutton is the former West Hills coach who engineered 12 of the Wolf Pack’s 15 “Cup” victories over the Sultans, who now have seven wins in the series.

“We’re very pleased,” Gross said. “We’re basically a junior team. I wasn’t sure how we would respond in this first game. They did.”

Santana used three quarterbacks in the game, and each of them responded with huge plays at something other than throwing the ball.

The Sultans got a 3-yard touchdown run from starting QB KYLE GASNER. They got a 95-yard kickoff return touchdown and a 1-yard TD run from middle reliever ZACH BREIDT. And they got a 61-yard TD reception from closing QB LANDON LOZOYA – thrown by Gasner before he was forced to leave the game with 10 minutes left with a sprained ankle.

Before getting into details of how it happened, there is now also the story of JARRETT DALE, Jack’s son, a senior starting inside linebacker for West Hills who was playing in his first “Cup” game after sitting out last year with an injury.

“One of the worst feelings ever in my football career,” Jarrett said after the game. “We didn’t think it would happen at all. I think we all looked past this game. We thought we had it in the bag.”

At least two mistakes proved decisive.

First, after West Hills quarterback GARY ISAACSON drove his team on its first possession and scored on a 1-yard run, the Wolf Pack allowed Breidt to return the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a tying touchdown.

In the fourth quarter with the score in Santana’s favor 24-21 and West Hills punting deep in its own territory, a low punt snap and tackle on the punter gave the Sultans possession on the 5-yard line. On third-and-goal from the 6 with Lozoya rolling right and looking for 6-foot-6 junior tight end T.D. GROSS in the end zone, West Hills was whistled for pass interference, giving Santana a first-and-goal at the 3.

After a false start pushed Santana back 5 yards, Lozoya nearly scored on a nifty scramble. The next play he handed off to motion man Breidt, who turned up off right tackle and bulled into the end zone with 4:07 to play.

West Hills threatened briefly to come back under backup quarterback TREVOR CLIPPINGER, who completed a 24-yard pass to BEN SCHUSTER (2 for 71 yards), but Santana put the game on ice with its sixth and seventh sacks of the night, the first by junior TIMOTHY SCHULTZ and the fourth-down capper by JASON PATTERSON. It was Patterson’s second sack to go with two from JONATHAN BUTLER and one apiece from JUAN RIOS and WESLEY GREEN.

“On defense, we got better with time,” Gross said. “The defense stepping up at the end was huge for us. We made some mistakes, but as long as they keep giving a great effort, I was really pleased.”

West Hills’ first-year head coach JESS BARRAGAN also cited mistakes.

“We made a lot of first game mistakes,” he said. “Taking nothing away from Santana, they played well. In the first game, the team that makes the fewest mistakes usually wins. That wasn’t us.

“When we look at the film, we’re going to see three or four plays made the difference in the game.”

The loss of Isaacson to a knee injury could prove most costly. Prior to his premature departure in the second half, the senior signal-caller completed 6-of-8 passes for 55 yards and rushed for 46 yards and a score on 11 carries.

MICHAEL SCALES also galloped for 52 yards on six carries for the Wolf Pack.

Santana took a 17-7 lead into halftime, but West Hills’ ANDREW TRAN (13 carries, 51 yards) scored on a pair of short runs to keep the Pack close. Shortly after Tran’s second TD made it 24-20, Isaacson was forced from the game with a twisted knee.

“They had to deal with adversity at quarterback just like we did,” Barragan said.

Gasner completed 11 of 20 passes for 205 yards with the TD to Lozoya and without an interception. Lozoya was 1 of 2 for 10 yards passing and added 92 yards with four receptions. Breidt did not officially attempt a pass, getting sacked on his only dropback, but he gained 37 yards on eight carries, plus had the splendid kickoff return TD.

As for his quarterback situation, Gross said, “We’ve been working Gasner and Landon (Lozoya) 50/50 all fall camp. We weren’t sure who we were going to go with because when Gasner is going well, Landon gives us a great option at wide receiver. He’s such a great athlete that that gives us another threat. They’re both very capable at quarterback, and they’re both juniors.”

Meaning they’ll be the ones trying to hold onto the Jack E. Dale Cup next year.

Facing off against visiting Cathedral Catholic – ranked No. 1 by The North County Times' sportswriters poll (the one which East County Sports participates in) – the Cougars played masterfully in Friday (Sept. 3) night’s opener between the two powerhouses.

Despite having dropped 4 of 5 previous meetings against the state-renowned Dons, the Cougars played a near perfect game as they certainly established themselves as worthy of a Top 10 ranking in the SDCIF.

“This was a blast,” said Steele Canyon quarterback BRAD BOEHMKE, who completed 15 of 29 passes for 215 yards and 3 touchdowns in a game that was decided by the 3rd quarter. “You can’t ask for a better start to the season than this.”

Steele Canyon led wire-to-wire after Boehmke connected with JAKE WRAGG for a 26-yard passing strike with 5:55 left in the 1st quarter.

“Jake was awesome – all night,” said Boehmke of Wragg, who also scored on a pair of 1-yard plunges and a 12-yard aerial. “He had nice form. He’s been suffering from a sore neck ligament so he didn’t practice at all last week and only two days this week.”

It would have been hard to convince the Cathedral Catholic defenders that Wragg was ailing in any way. A versatile 6-foot-1, 182-pound senior, Wragg finished with 213 total yards which included 17 rushes for 96 yards.

The Dons came in boasting of having “the best lineman in the county” in senior Mustafa Jalil (6-5, 290). But the Cougars found a way to neutralize Jalil.

Boehmke gave credit to a front line trio of MARIO YAKOO (6-4, 296), SEAN BOOZEL (6-1, 227) and BLAKE BUSBY (6-0, 222).

“They basically just took their big guy out of the game,” Boehmke said. “I remember hearing our offensive linemen talking on the sidelines, asking if Jalil had made any tackles.”

Actually he made two in the 1st half and five in the game.

Nobody appreciated the front line bullying Jalil more than Wragg.

“I have to give it up to my lead blocker (BRANDON WATSON) and my O-line,” Wragg said. “All week we managed to keep our focus on what we were doing and not who we were playing. We thought of Cathedral Catholic as just another opponent. We didn’t let their hype get to us.”

In addition to his hard-nosed blocking Watson finished with 37 yards on 10 carries.

CHANCELLER JAMES was the top receiver for the Cougars with 4 catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.

“James really showed up,” said Boehmke. “Not too long ago it looked like he’d lost his confidence, but it looks like he’s got it back now.”

This Steele Canyon attack looked like something out of the Valhalla playbook. Eleven Cougars carried the ball in a rushing attack that netted 146 yards. The Cougars also had eight receivers and two quarterbacks.

Cougars head coach RON BOEHMKE wouldn’t admit that he was surprised by the outcome – not even the score.

Asked what he thought about knocking off the No. 1 ranked team, coach Boehmke said “We’re a pretty good team too. I think maybe they were ranked as high as they were because of their past tradition.”

Cathedral Catholic finished with 237 total yards, but 105 of those yards came on two rushing dashes by Jonny Martin, who accounted for both of the Dons’ touchdowns.

Coach Boehmke didn’t want the Cougars’ defense to be overlooked in the Steele Canyon onslaught.

The coach said “Our defense played hard and really shut them down except for a couple of big plays.”

Sounds like Top 10 material to me.

VALHALLA 38, MISSION BAY 0 – Valhalla's record setting quarterback, PETE THOMAS, has graduated and moved on to be the only NCAA Division I true freshman-starting quarterback in the nation at Colorado State, but the Norsemen still know how to score points.

Friday afternoon (Sept. 3), the Norsemen cruised over to Mission Bay, where they walloped the Buccaneers in the 2010 season opener. Junior wide receiver JEVON HASTEN had a stellar afternoon, gathering in 5 passes from junior quarterback FRANK FOSTER, for 130 yards and 2 TDs.

Foster was 12-for-24 for 175 yards. The Norsemen offense had a total of 190 yards passing and 110 yards rushing. Valhalla's defense limited Mission Bay to 99 yards of total offense, assisted by 12 tackles for loss and 4 sacks.

On the game's second play, senior linebacker RYAN RIPLEY caused the Mission Bay ball carrier to fumble, where it was scooped up by senior defensive lineman ERVIN HILL, giving the Norsemen possession at the Buccaneers' 23-yard line.

After a defensive holding penalty gave the visitors a first down at the 6, Valhalla running back JUSTIN WADA plowed into the end zone. TREVOR McGIRR'S kick was true and the Norsemen led 7-0 with 10:28 remaining in the first quarter.

Mission Bay's next possession didn't fare much better when Valhalla defensive back BRANDON STEED picked off an errant pass and returned it 22 yards to the Buc's 23-yard line. A dropped pass in the endzone prevented the El Cajon team from scoring another quick touchdown, but McGirr's 27-yard field goal boosted the lead to 10-0, mid-way through the initial stanza.

In the second quarter, Foster found Hasten wide open in the endzone for a 26-yard TD pass. McGirr's PAT (5 for 5 in that department) was accurate, and the Norsemen led 17-0 at the 6:02 mark before halftime. Late in the first half, the visitors had a 4th and 1 at the Buc's 29-yard line. Foster bulled his way forward on a quarterback sneak, broke through the line, and sprinted to paydirt, increasing the Valhalla lead to 24-0 at the half.

Late in the 3rd quarter, Foster and Hasten once again hooked up for a 27-yard pass-catch touchdown, upping the lead to 31-0.

Valhalla ended the scoring fest at 4:09 in the 4th quarter when linebacker MICHAEL STEED blocked a punt, picked it up at full speed at Mission Bay's 25-yard line, and lumbered into the endzone.

GRANITE HILLS 38, SAN YSIDRO 13 – Eagles coach RANDY DeWITT expected Friday’s (Sept. 3) matinee to be a lop-sided encounter at San Ysidro.

Thus after quarterback CORY LOCKMAN drove touchdown passes to MICHAEL MILLIEN (9 yards) and GILBERT PEREZ (28 yards) to get the Eagles airborne, the issue was all but decided before the end of the 1st quarter.

FRANTZ LARAQUE capped the opening period with a 2-yard blast up the middle making it 21-0 less than 12 minutes into the contest.

Laraque, who touched the ball only 10 times, accounted for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns. He dominated the 2nd quarter with scoring bursts of 15 and 8 yards, hoisting the Eagles into a 35-0 halftime lead.

Granite Hills turned down the pilot light a bit in the 2nd half, scoring only once – that coming on a 27-yard field goal by Perez in the 3rd quarter.

Lockman, who will no doubt throw the ball more in future games, clicked on 7 of 9 aerial attempts for 129 yards.

The Granite Hills defense, which could well have registered a shutout had DeWitt not elected to substitute freely in the final quarter, got interceptions from NATE HUFF, CALEB KESTEL and JOHNNIE SHOEMAKER.

“Playing in the afternoon was not a problem,” said DeWitt of the 3:30 starting time. “That’s our normal practice time. We’re used to being out on the field then. I guess the best thing about this game was our linemen took control of the game early. The first game is like getting to knock all the cobwebs out and try to eliminate mistakes.”

MOUNT MIGUEL 21, MORSE 20 – No one on the Mount Miguel sidelines was too upset after a 30-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright with less than four minutes to play; the Matadors were still holding to a 21-6 lead over visiting Morse.

But the missed kick ignited the Morse offense for the first time all Friday (Sept. 3) night.

The Tigers erupted for a pair of touchdowns over the final 23.4 seconds, including a score following an onside kickoff with 3.0 seconds to go. However, vanquishing any thoughts of kicking the PAT to force overtime, a 2-point play failed to lift the Tigers to a triumph over their neighborhood rivals.

The deciding play saw cornerback ABDILATIF UGAS chase Morse quarterback Travis Johnson toward the sidelines, with outside linebacker DIANTE LEE making the stick for the sack with Ugas assisting from behind. Both Matadors are seniors.

"We weren't going to let that happen to us on my watch," said Lee. "We knew Morse couldn't run up the middle on us, so we weren't looking to the outside the whole time."

After marching 80 yards on 10 plays, capped by a 12-yard run by the quarterback, Morse elected to go for a 2-point conversion instead of kicking to trim the deficit to 8 points. But when Morse No. 1 caught a swing pass to the right side, the Tigers moved to within 21-14.

Morse recovered the squib kick to set-up a dramatic finish, as their No. 1 out-leaped a pair of defenders at the goal line on a 49-yard TD pass with three seconds remaining. However, Mount Miguel was ready when the Tigers switched and went to the left side in an attempt to steal the ballgame.

"My receiver didn't go anywhere," noted Ugas, who also had an interception in the game. "So I just watched the quarterback and forced him to keep running to the outside while I kept filling the space to prevent him from turning it up the field. Then Diante came up and we made the play."

Mount Miguel built an early lead thanks to junior running back DERRICK DUNN, who scored on runs of 8 and 5 yards. The 5-foot-8, 178-pound Dunn finished with 111 yards on 24 rushes.

"We could've done more on the goal line with the offense, but our defense held them down – they won it for us," said Dunn. "It was a crazy finish."

Dunn was also named player of the game by the National Football Foundation's San Diego chapter.

Mount Miguel quarterback DJ NOLEN completed 9 of 12 passes for 83 yards and one score. ANTHONY ORTEGA caught five passes for 61 yards, including a 28-yard scoring strike from Nolen.

Junior safety HENRY INGRAM logged a team high 10 tackles for the Matadors. ERNIE CASTRO, MALCOLM JACKSON and JORDAN McDUFFIE registered one sack apiece.

MONTGOMERY 45, EL CAJON VALLEY 20 – The El Cajon Valley football program started a new era in Friday night’s (Sept. 3) season opener as NORM WHITEHEAD coached his first game as the Braves coach. Unfortunately for Whitehead, the speed, size and depth of the visiting Montgomery Aztecs, was too much for ECV as the Aztecs prevailed.

The first half was a battle of turnovers and sloppy play. The Braves turned the ball over 4 times in the first half. Montgomery was not much better, turning the ball over twice. However, the Aztecs managed to go into the locker room with a 12-0 half time lead.

There wasn’t a dull moment in the second half. Montgomery scored twice in the 3rd quarter to take a 26-0 lead. Game over? Think again. One thing about Whitehead’s Braves, they have no quit in them.

“We hustled and battled. We have to instill a no-quit attitude,” Whitehead said.

Quit they did not.

And despite the mismatch on the scoreboard, the Braves showed the tenacity of warriors. More than a few players went both ways and were ringing wet, evidence of their tenacious fight.

DONTAE BAILEY created some excitement as he broke loose for 206 yards in kickoff returns, including a 97-yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter. Ironically Bailey’s return was just 2 yards short of the San Diego CIF record of 99 yards held by his coach, Norm Whitehead, when he played at Patrick Henry High school in 1984. Several players share the mark.

Other highlights for ECV were the play of quarterback SHABO GIBO. The junior signal caller was 8-18 for 159 yards and 2 TDs passing. Gibo also ran the ball 10 times for 43 yards.

SIMON DALY reeled in 3 passes for 97 yards, including 2 for touchdowns. Daly also added two points to the Braves’ totals on a conversion pass.

Senior running back AJ WHITE led the Braves in rushing with 93 yards on 15 carries.

You can bet on improvement each week with the Whitehead led Braves. One thing for sure, they showed last night they had no quit. Whitehead will not allow it.

GROSSMONT 33, CORONADO 0 – The term “he can do it all” is a football adage well over-used. In the case of Grossmont senior DESEAN WATERS, however, this label is more fact than fiction.

A 4-year varsity letterman, Waters took the reins of the Foothillers offense in Friday night’s (Sept. 3) season-opening blowout at Coronado.

Not that Grossmont uncorked a passing spree, but Waters completed 5 out of 6 aerials for 38 yards while rushing for 138 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

“We ran a new offensive scheme for us – a spread offense – and Desean did a nice job of directing it at quarterback,” said Foothillers coach RON MURPHY.

Murphy noted that the Foothillers had a young offensive line and he wasn’t sure what to expect in the opener.

“Our emphasis is to run the ball with power,” he said.

The Foothillers finished with 297 yards on 42 rushes.

JOEY ACOSTA averaged nearly 10 yards a carry, picking up 73 yards on just 7 carries. He also scored on touchdown runs of 8, 14 and 3 yards.

TONY ABUKA chipped in with 68 yards in 13 carries.

Junior JON GREEN provided the spark for the Grossmont defense as he notched 4 sacks, which ties him with several others for fourth most quarterback muggings in a single game on the all-time Grossmont Conference annals.

THE BISHOP’S 26, EL CAPITAN 21 – This one got away from the Vaqueros. Just when it appeared that El Capitan was going to escape with a 1-point victory in Friday night’s (Sept. 3) season opener in Lakeside, the Knights went to 6-foot-6, 210-pound Adam Malkiewitz to spoil the party.

“They beat us with a couple of fades,” said Vaqueros coach RON BURNER. “With 15 seconds to go, I thought we’d broken up one but they called us for a face guarding penalty.”

That gave The Bishop’s a first down at the El Capitan 25-yard line with 12 seconds remaining.

On the next snap, Bishop’s quarterback Joey Moreno ran basically the same play, lofting a fade with 8.5 seconds left to Malkiewitz that the Knights’ giant receiver made a one-handed catch in the corner of the end zone.

“That Malkiewitz is one of the best receivers that I’ve seen around here in a long time,” Burner said. “Even though he hurt us, I still thought we played well enough to win. We blocked a field goal and two PATs.”

Senior TYRONE WIGGINS scored all three El Capitan touchdowns. He reeled in TD passes of 21 and 77 yards from sophomore quarterback JAKE ALVERNAZ. A 23-yard scoring dash by Wiggins gave the Vaqueros a 21-14 lead with 9:35 to go in the 3rd quarter.

Alvernaz, who was also a varsity baseball player as a freshman, completed 11 of 17 passes for 160 yards. Wiggins made 7 of those receptions for 135 yards.

Tight end ROBERT CRAIGHEAD grabbed 3 passes for 24 yards. DAKOTA FURR led El Capitan rushers with 88 yards on 19 carries. Alvernaz chipped in with 51 rushing yards on 12 sorties.

“It’s just a sickening feeling to lose a game like that,” said Burner.

HELIX 52, RANCHO BUENA VISTA 0 – As far as openers go, Helix coach TROY STARR had to be pleased with the Highlanders' North County blowout of visiting Rancho Buena Vista in Friday’s (Sept. 3) opening night in La Mesa.

All Starr wanted to talk about was the Highlanders’ next opponent, which will be Santa Fe Christian on Friday (Sept. 10).

It’s almost scary to think how much more lop-sided this game could have been. As it was, the Highlanders churned out 444 yards and 8 touchdowns. They never had to punt and celebrated interceptions by JIMMY PRUITT, KACY SMITH and KENDAL KEYS.

Junior BRANDON LEWIS proved that he is worthy of serving as the Highlanders’ latest quarterback as he completed 15 of 23 passes for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns. He delivered scoring strikes to SAM MEREDITH (10 yards), CAMERON LEE (30 yards) and RAYMONT NAILON (5 yards).

DARRION HANCOCK led the Highlanders’ ground game with 99 yards and 2 touchdowns on a dozen carries. Lee picked up 29 yards and a score on only two rushes.

AUSTIN GONZALEZ paced the Helix receivers with 4 catches for 70 yards. Lee hauled in 3 aerials for 49 yards.

Not to be overlooked was a play that they really don’t keep records for but was nonetheless eye-catching. Defensive back DASHEY WILSON blocked a Longhorns chip-shot field goal attempt, and then scooped up the ball and ran 80 yards for a touchdown.

This game was over by halftime as Helix led 26-0.

COMPTON 34, MONTE VISTA 14 – For one half of Friday’s (Sept. 3) season opener in Compton, coach PAGE CULVER’s Monarchs were enjoying the evening.

A 40-yard touchdown pass from quarterback JOSE GONZALEZ to SHERVIN IRANIHA coupled with LOUIS BORGES’ PAT kick staked Monte Vista to a 7-6 halftime edge.

“Then things really fell apart,” said Culver of the Tarbabes’ second half reversal. “There were a lot of factors for that. First, Compton is a very athletic team. Second, our kids aren’t used to being on a bus for that long. And most importantly is our kids weren’t doing what they’ve been coached to do.”

Monte Vista scored the final touchdown of the game on a 38-yard pass from Gonzalez to Iraniha. Borges booted his second PAT.

Gonzalez clicked on 9 of 11 passes for 139 yards. Eight of Gonzalez’ connections went to Iraniha for 124 yards. BRONSON CUMMINGS made the other reception for 15 yards.

Iraniha produced 169 all-purpose yards.

Prior to this latest disaster, the last time the Patriots opened a campaign with a loss was in 2001 when they were blanked by Santa Fe Christian 14-0.

Facing off against the Metro South Bay preseason favorites at Mar Vista, the Patriots fell behind 8-0 after one quarter and were playing catch-up thereafter.

Four turnovers (2 fumbles, 2 interceptions) dismantled the Patriots’ offensive assault. Christian wasted a strong-armed passing performance by 6-foot-6 junior SHANE DILLON, who completed 23-of-50 passes for 315 yards.

JOSHUA FELDSCHER was Dillon’s favorite receiver as he reeled in nine balls for 88 yards. WILL MARTIN caught 5 passes for 90 yards, and KYLE HARRIS grabbed 5 passes for 85 yards.

Christian’s top offensive threat however was senior TYRONE SAULS, who rushed for 96 yards on 22 carries. He scored on runs of 3 and 2 yards and also caught 2 passes for 27 yards. Sauls finished with 166 total yards, which included 3 kickoff returns.

Dirty Laundry
Sultans seek to Un-Pack rival West Hills

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (9-2-10) — For the first time in 25 years, the Grossmont Conference will have a new look this season. Helix, Grossmont, Valhalla, Steele Canyon, West Hills and Granite Hills will make up the Grossmont Hills League. Vying for the Grossmont Valley League laurels are Mount Miguel, Monte Vista, El Capitan, Santana and El Cajon Valley.

Here is a peek at how the Fearless Forecaster views the opening night action. All games kick off at 7 p.m. except Granite Hills at San Ysidro (3:30), Valhalla at Mission Bay (4 p.m.) and Grossmont at Coronado (7:30).

West Hills at Santana: In years gone by, the Jack Dale Mayor’s Cup trophy was usually decided on the last game of the season when rivals Santana and West Hills collided.

Due to the teams’ shifting leagues, this showdown has become the season opener. It is difficult to guess how this will affect the neighborhood rivalry.

“It’s kinda weird when you play your crosstown rival on opening day,” said first-year West Hills head coach JESS BARRAGAN. “But it’s part of the schedule so you have to be ready.”

The Wolf Pack will count on senior quarterback GARY ISAACSON, who is a double threat as a passer and a runner. Running backs ANDREW TRAN and RYAN WILLIAMS will also figure in the Pack’s ground-oriented attack.

Barragan went as far as to point out that he expects big things from senior running back MICHAEL SCALES, who is also the Pack’s top defensive back.

The king of the trenches for West Hills is NINO LaRUSSA (6-0, 250).

Tight end-defensive end STEVE ARMSTRONG will also figure in the Wolf Pack attack.

“Armstrong has the best arms on our team, so obviously we’re going to get the ball to him,” Barragan said.

Santana figures to be much improved over last year’s 2-8 finish. Senior ZACH BREIDT, who has played quarterback most of his varsity career, has become a threat as a wide receiver.

“Breidt caught a pair of 60-yard touchdown passes in our scrimmage with Alberta, Canada,” said Sultans coach DAVE GROSS. “I’m not sure whether we’ll use him more as a receiver or back at quarterback.”

Gross is counting on LANDON LAZOYA or KYLE GASNER to assume some of the quarterbacking duties to allow Breidt to excel as a receiver.

Junior tight end TD GROSS also figures into the Sultans’ aerial plans as he led the team with 44 catches for 295 yards and 2 touchdowns.

“Potentially, if Kasner can come through for us at quarterback, we’ll have the best receiving corps I’ve had since I came here,” said coach Gross, who is beginning his 11th season at the Sultans helm.

West Hills leads the series 15-6 and has won the last seven. Look for the Sultans to break the streak... Santana 28-27.

Cathedral Catholic at Steele Canyon: Some might ask why Steele Canyon coach RON BOEHMKE feels bold enough to challenge perennial power Cathedral Catholic on opening night every season. The facts speak for themselves, as the Dons have beaten the Cougars in four of the five meetings.

“We know that Cathedral is always going to be one of the best teams in town, and we’ve always believed in building a strong schedule. Why not start with them?” said Boehmke.

Not that Cathedral is a guaranteed victor in Friday’s (Sept. 3) season opener. But make no mistake about it, the Dons are loaded as usual with 6-foot-4, 300-pound lineman Mustafa Jalil and 1,000-yard running back Jonny Martin.

“Jalil is legit and they are very good at promoting their reputation,” said Cougars coach RON BOEHMKE. “But I like our chances. Our number ones are pretty good but we need to stay healthy.

Senior quarterback BRAD BOEHMKE is the triggerman for Steele Canyon, while running back JAKE WRAGG is a breakaway threat... Steele Canyon 21-14.

Valhalla at Mission Bay, 4: The Dillon Baxter era is over at Mission Bay, and that spells a rebuilding year for the Buccaneers. Baxter has moved on to USC while Norsemen quarterback PETE THOMAS has earned the starting spot at Colorado State. So that leaves this game somewhat of a question mark on paper.

Valhalla coach STEVE SUTTON doesn’t believe this game will be up for grabs.

“They have some big linemen but we have a lot of speed, including JEVON HASTEN, who is a big-time receiver,” said Sutton.

The Norsemen, who scrimmaged against Trabuco Hills, Westview and Madison, were able to put up touchdowns against all three. That didn’t surprise Sutton all that much.

“We gave up one touchdown the whole scrimmage,” he said.

Now that’s impressive, since the Norsemen lost the majority of their defensive standouts to graduation... Valhalla 27-6.

Monte Vista at Compton: Scheduling fubars left the Monarchs scrambling for games to fill out their schedule. One of those was for the season opener, which has caused the Monarchs to travel to Compton to take on the Tarbabes.

“As it turns out it’s a good thing for us because we’re not even in school yet and a road trip like this can only help our team bonding,” said Monarchs coach PAGE CULVER. “Some of these kids have never been on a bus for a trip that far.”

Culver was impressed by the work of MATT PARRIS (RB-LB), DAVID ROGERS and DAVID TORRES (OL), who were standouts in the three-way scrimmage with West Hills, Mt. Carmel and Foothills Christian.

“We may not have been the most efficient team out there, but we were certainly the most physical,” Culver said.

This is the first meeting between these two teams. The Monarchs are coming off a 2-8 season, while the Tarbabes were 4-5 a year ago. Tough call here... Compton 14-12.

The Bishop’s at El Capitan: The Vaqueros, who of late have been known for their passing game, figure to unleash a relentless running game led by senior DAKOTA FURR (6-2, 218). Sophomore JAKE ALVERNEZ, a baseball standout who scored 22 touchdowns on the junior varsity a year ago, will take over at quarterback.

“I know people probably don’t believe it, but we’re going to be able to run the ball pretty well,” said Vaqueros coach RON BURNER.

Of course the veteran coach also options with tight end-slotback ROBERT CRAIGHEAD (6-4, 245), speedy senior wide receiver-safety TYRONE WIGGINS and shifty senior slotback TYLER MASON. This should be a high scoring unit…El Capitan 35-13.

Morse at Mount Miguel: Even though the Morse Tigers will play all their games on the road this year while their stadium is being refurbished, they have been tabbed to win the Central League championship. That should send out a warning signal to the Mount Miguel Matadors, who have eyes for capturing the Grossmont Valley League title.

Although graduation cut in deeply to the Matadors’ ranks they have plenty of new faces, including running back DERRICK DUNN to make this another winning season. Few teams have a better offensive lineman than the Matadors’ senior REGGIE JONES.

These neighborhood schools have split two previous meetings, with the Matadors rolling to a 35-14 victory last year. It should be closer this time around but... Mount Miguel 26-16.

Rancho Buena Vista at Helix: The Highlanders overcame a 19-10 deficit in the 3rd quarter to pull out a 23-19 victory when these teams met last year. It could be that close again this year. Helix will count on a powerful running game led by DARRION HANCOCK and RAYMONT NAILON as they look to beat the Longhorns for the fourth time in as many meetings... Helix 28-17.

Granite Hills at San Ysidro, 3:30: The biggest question mark for the Eagles was whether this game was going to be played under the lights or under the sun. Safety issues concerning the San Ysidro light standards have caused this to become a matinee affair. Actually it won’t matter as the Eagles, who blanked the Cougars 31-0 a year ago, should have no trouble doing a similar number. Led by quarterback CORY LOCKMAN, Granite Hills figures to be a high-scoring team…Granite Hills 28-0.

Montgomery at El Cajon Valley: New Braves head coach NORMAN WHITEHEAD looks to quarterback SHABO GIBO and wide receiver DONTAE BAILEY to give El Cajon Valley the aerial edge against the Aztecs who have split six previous meetings against the East County team. “Bailey is capable of giving us the big play, so we need to get the ball into his hands at least 10 times a game,” Whitehead said... El Cajon Valley 37-28.

Grossmont at Coronado, 7:30: Two of the oldest high school football programs in the San Diego CIF Section will collide in Friday’s (Sept. 3) season opener on the Peninsula. These teams met for the first time in 1920 with the Islanders pulling out an 18-0 victory. Imagine what those who played in that game would think now with synthetic turf and all. DESEAN WATERS, the top returning running back in East County, gives the edge to... Grossmont 28-13.

Christian at Mar Vista: Hard-nosed senior running back TYRONE SAULS (6-2, 225) leads the visiting Patriots against Metro South Bay League favorite Mar Vista in Friday’s (Sept. 3) opening clash. Christian leads the all-time series 6-4, including a 21-0 victory last year. Look for a repeat performance... Christian 21-7.

The Highlanders, 9-5 and CIF Division II runners-up in 2009, are the third-highest ranked ballclub among CIF-San Diego Section schools, behind only Oceanside (15th) and Cathedral Catholic (30th).

The other county team in the publication's 33rd annual preseason poll is Vista (40th).

A list of preseason state rankings for each CIF state bowl game division will be coming later this week.