WEEK ELEVEN

We're No. 1

Helix' Cameron Lee makes the fingertip grab for a 24-yard touchdown to open the scoring in the Scotties' 26-7 verdict over Steele Canyon. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

ANOTHER SLIDESHOW HERE (Courtesy of Helix High School)

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (11-13-10) — It was a four-day weekend for most people in East County, but that didn’t keep the football fans away from Helix High’s Jim Arnaiz Field where the East County game of the year was contested on Friday night (Nov. 12).

In fact, a full house turned out to watch the No. 2 ranked Highlanders melt visiting Steele Canyon, 26-7, to capture the Grossmont Hills League championship and finish the regular season 10-0.

The No. 2 Highlanders (10-0, 5-0 GHL) should be worthy of a No. 1 seeding position in the San Diego CIF Div. II playoffs when the pairings are announced on Saturday (Nov. 13), especially after Oceanside was upended by El Camino, 24-14.

In this long awaited showdown Helix took command early on when ROCKY FUGA recovered a fumble to set up a 24-yard touchdown pass from BRANDON LEWIS with 3:27 left in the opening period.

After that it was all uphill for Steele Canyon (8-2, 4-1 GHL), which suffered an early season loss to top-ranked Eastlake 20-17 on the final play of the game. This game did not come down to the final play as the Highlanders dominated throughout.

“We came out with a vengeance,” said Helix senior corner KENNY KEYS, who had two interceptions against the Cougars.

Keys’ first interception came on the first play of the fourth quarter.

“I read the quarterback and I jumped up and made the interception,” he said.

Keys’ second pick came in the final seconds.

“I’ve been working hard on that play in practice, and I cheated over and he threw it right to me,” Keys added.

Among the defensive leaders for Helix High include linebacker Raymont Nailon (10) and lineman Sam Meredith (85). The Scotties allowed a mere 55 points over 10 regular-season contests in 2010, the best mark among East County schools in more than a decade. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com)

Helix’ premier running back DARRION HANCOCK, who was playing with the flu, scored on a 23-yard run to make it 14-0 in the second quarter. The hard-nosed junior finished with 63 yards on 15 carries and caught 3 passes for 25 yards.

Hancock left the game after the opening half.

“Hancock was as sick as you can be,” said Helix coach TROY STARR. “We were glad we could get a half out of him. But when we came out after halftime he was hurting so bad we just couldn’t put him back in.”

RAYMONT NAILON, a linebacker by trade, filled in for Hancock and rushed for 83 yards on 18 carries.

“Nailon provided us with a lot of quality carries,” Starr said.

“When it comes to me and Hancock, we’re both good running backs and to be honest, it really doesn’t matter who runs the ball because we both can get the job done,” said Nailon. “That’s why we have our split package so both of us can be in the backfield.”

Helix junior quarterback Lewis completed 12 of 23 passes for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 17-yard scoring pass to AUSTIN GONZALEZ in the fourth quarter secured the victory for Helix.

“I ran a corner route,” said Gonzalez. “I got leverage and broke to the outside. After that we were on a roll and our defense took care of the rest.”

KACY SMITH anchored the Helix defense with 10 tackles. Linebacker Fuga also had a sack and three tackles.

“Our focus was shutting down their running game, especially No. 32,” said Fuga of the Cougars’ JAKE WRAGG, who finished with 32 yards on 16 carries and 40 yards on 6 pass receptions. “Our defense worked together to shut down their counter plays.”

“They can run and pass but we shut down both of them,” Fuga added.

ROMELLO CARBUCCIA also intercepted a pass that set up a Helix touchdown.

VANN SABIN was perfect on 3 PATs and booted field goals of 27 and 36 yards.

Despite the loss, Steele Canyon believes it is worthy of no less than a No. 2 seed in Division II, considering its two losses came to teams with a combined 20-0 record.

Cougars coach RON BOEHMKE said, “To be honest I think we deserve the No. 2 seed.”

Even in defeat Steele Canyon quarterback BRAD BOEHMKE completed 17 of 35 passes for 203 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown strike to CHANCELLER JAMES in the third quarter.

One of the highlights for Steele Canyon was the defensive play of BRANDON WATSON, who recorded 13 tackles and intercepted a pass. Two-way standout James also had 6 tackles to go with his offensive totals.

Helix celebrates with a Samoan war dance, led by Sam Meredith (85, at center). (Photo by Ken Stone, LaMesaPatch.com)

In the opening minutes of Friday’s (Nov. 12) regular season finale at Monte Vista, the Matadors found themselves trailing 7-0 after the Monarchs recovered a muffed kickoff that led to a 3-yard scoring dash by Monte Vista quarterback MATT PARRIS.

“I didn’t expect us to let down emotionally, and we didn’t,” said Mount Miguel coach TOM KARLO. “Even after that first kickoff that allowed them to jump in front, we didn’t panic. I was pretty confident.”

What the Matadors (8-1-1, 3-0-1 GVL) did was score 35 unanswered points as they won the battle of Spring Valley and earned their share of the Grossmont Valley League championship with El Capitan .

“I know that we are champions,” said Karlo, “because we’ve beaten all four teams in this league (which includes the overtime conquest of El Capitan ).

Thus, Mount Miguel celebrated its first league title since 1987 – albeit a co-championship.

Despite losing 18 players to graduation last year, Karlo always believed that Mount Miguel was capable of gaining a league championship.

Junior running back DERRICK DUNN was once again the workhorse for the Matadors, bolting for 167 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Dunn’s first carry of the game resulted in a 64-yard scoring blast that erased the early lead for Monte Vista (2-8, 1-3 GVL). He also scored two more times in the first half, propelling Mount Miguel to a 35-14 lead by intermission.

Mount Miguel quarterback DEE’JAY NOLEN served up scoring passes to juniors KEVONTA DUBIGNON and ANTHONY ORTEGA.

“Our two-quarterback system has been working pretty well,” said Nolen, a three-year varsity letterman who shares the signal-calling job with junior ERNEST WILLIAMS. “Coach Karlo has developed plays that best fit each of our strengths.”

Nolen said he and his teammates realized the importance of this game.

“We wanted this league championship and we knew we had to win to get it,” Nolen said. “It feels good to be a part of history. That, and no more 22 push-ups in our weight room. We are the champions.”

Nolen and offensive lineman REGGIE JONES have been the pillars in Mount Miguel’s climb from a 3-7 finish when the duo were sophomores, to 8-2-1 last year, and this year’s championship season.

“I wasn’t even a thought the last time Mount Miguel won a championship,” Nolen laughed. “I was pretty frustrated when we were sophomores, but to come on and be the team we are now makes me feel good.”

RICO MONROY, who rushed for 63 yards on six carries, scored on a 3-yard run in the third quarter for Mount Miguel .

“I’m optimistic about our seeding chances,” said Karlo. “I like to believe that we should be No. 1 (in the SDCIF Division III), but I’ll certainly say we are a Top 2 seed, at the very least. It’s hard to jump over a team like St. Augustine with the tradition that they have (plus a 28-21 upset of Cathedral Catholic on the final night of the season).”

Parris scored both touchdowns for Monte Vista, including a 6-yard dash in the second quarter. The senior rushed for 130 yards on 25 carries. He completed 3 of 9 passes for 37 yards.

“Our kids played hard in our last three games,” said Monarchs coach PAGE CULVER. “If we would have played the first seven games at the same intensity our season might have turned out differently.”

While Mount Miguel looks forward to the playoffs, Monte Vista will put its gear away until next year.

Valhalla defender Joshua Kitzmiller (right) with the quarterback sack of Granite Hills' Cory Lockman. The Norsemen won, 33-20. (Photo by Ruth Mims)

Valhalla ball-carrier Justin Wada. (Photo by Ruth Mims) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE (Slideshow by Don De Mars Photography)

Both teams figure to make the playoffs. Valhalla, which closed the GHL season with back-to-back victories, should earn a home game in next week’s first round of the SDCIF Division II playoffs.

On the flip side, Granite Hills, which lost four of its final five, should still gain entrance into the SDCIF Division I playoffs, but probably will open on the road.

Valhalla’s junior quarterback, FRANKLIN FOSTER, was 23-32-2 for 406 yards and 5 TD passes, his career best.

“Actually, when he talked to me after the game, he thought he’d screwed up,” said Valhalla coach STEVE SUTTON of his quarterback. “He knows he can’t get away with some of the stuff that he did in this game against some of the good teams we’ll face in the playoffs.”

Nonetheless it’s hard to argue with Foster’s performance.

“They were blitzing all the time, but we hurt them with our screen and Frank did a good job of reading,” Sutton added.

Early in the first quarter, Valhalla had to punt after a three-and-out first series. BRANDON STEED’S punt was fumbled by the ball carrier at the Granite 15-yard line, where linebacker CHRIS FARRELL scooped up the ball and made it to the Granite 8-yard line. On the next play, Foster found junior wide receiver JEVON HASTEN open in the end-zone for an 8-yard touchdown pass. After TREVOR McGIRR’s kick split the uprights, Valhalla had the early lead, 7-0, with 0:09 left in the quarter.

Valhalla extended its lead to 14-0 after Farrell picked off an errant pass at the Norsemen 39-yard line, ran about five yards and then lateraled to Brandon Steed who picked up another 7 yards to the Eagles’ 49-yard line. A couple of quick passes to senior wide receiver NICK KURTZ moved the ball to the 15-yard line. Three plays later, Foster used some fancy footwork to avoid several would-be tacklers, giving wide receiver TOM McDONALD time to get open in the endzone for an 11-yard TD pass-catch. Once again McGirr was accurate with the PAT, with 3:43 left to play before halftime.

On the ensuing kickoff, junior TAYLOR FLEURY pulled off a 43-yard kickoff return to the Granite 43-yard line. The Eagles quickly moved down the field, highlighted by wide receiver MICHAEL MILLIEN’s diving catch for a 16-yard gain to the Valhalla 22-yard line.

A false start penalty and a bruising tackle-for-loss by Valhalla linebacker MICHAEL STEED (12 tackles, 4 tackles for loss) backed the Norsemen to the 29-yard line. Another diving catch, this time by wide receiver GILBERT PEREZ, put the Eagles back in business with a fourth-and-2 from the Valhalla-14.

Michael Steed came through for the Norsemen, however, when he intercepted a pass at the Valhalla 10-yard line as the first half wound down, with Valhalla ahead 14-0 at the intermission.

Midway through the third quarter, Granite Hills tightened up the score a bit when on a fourth-and-9 play at the Valhalla-30, senior quarterback CORY LOCKMAN threw a deep pass to NATE HUFF on the left sideline at the 3-yard line. Lockman barreled his way into the endzone on the next play, but the PAT failed, making it 14-6 at the 6:34 mark of the third quarter.

Valhalla fumbled away the ball in Granite territory on its next series, giving the Eagles great field position at their own 45-yard line. A 26-yard pass from Lockman to senior running back FRANTZ LARAQUE moved the pigskin to the Valhalla 2-yard line. On the next play, Laroque tip-toed into the endzone. Once again the PAT attempt, this time a 2-point pass, failed, allowing Valhalla to hang on 14-12, with 2:13 left in the third stanza.

That was enough to energize the Norsemen offense. Foster hooked up with Hasten (8 catches, 114 yards, 2 TDs) for a 21-yard gain to the Valhalla 35-yard line. A holding penalty on the next play, however, moved Valhalla back to its 21-yard line but that didn’t stop the Norsemen. Foster immediately threw a bomb to slot back ROBERT RUIZ, who blew by the defenders for a 79-yard touchdown. After McGirr’s kick, Valhalla led 21-12, with only 22 seconds left in the 3rd quarter.

After Valhalla scored yet another TD (a 7-yard Foster fade pass to Hasten) and upped its lead to 27-12, the Eagles showed they came to play. Laraque burst through the middle of the Norsemen defense on a delayed draw play for a 46-yard gain to the Valhalla 8-yard line. Two plays later, Laraque scored from two yards out. Lockman muscled his way into the endzone for a 2 point conversion, making it close, 27-20, with 2:30 left in the game.

The ensuing onside kick was snared by sure-handed Hasten at the Valhalla 47-yard line. Two plays later, Valhalla put the game away when Foster threw a center screen pass to slot back JUSTIN WADA, who accelerated to the end-zone for a 47-yard TD, with only 2:27 left to play in the game.

Granite Hills had five turnovers.

“You can’t turn the ball over so many times and expect to win,” said Eagles coach RANDY DeWITT. “Our defense played strong in the first half. I thought we scored (on one play) but the referee said the knee was down.”

LARAQUE finished with 81 yards on 10 carries for Granite Hills, while Lockman completed 19 of 37 passes for 245 yards.

GILBERT PEREZ caught 7 passes for 67 yards for Granite Hills.

Grossmont High wide receiver Dylan Cooper (3) will ake the reception despite being blanketed by West Hills defender Anthopny Copas. (Photos by Chris Stone, LaMesaPatch.com)

GROSSMONT 45, WEST HILLS 0 – Known mostly for his ability to transport the football via the rush, Grossmont quarterback DeSEAN WATERS enjoyed his finest passing outing Friday night (Nov. 12) as the Foothillers (8-2, 3-2 GHL) closed out the Grossmont Hills League season with a lopsided win over the visiting Wolf Pack.

No defenders are in sight, allowing Hillers receiver Dimitri Scott to collect an easy 33-yard TD pass in the second half of Grossmont's 45-0 romp over West Hills. (Photo by Chris Stone, LaMesaPatch.com)

“DeSean Waters is a great athlete,” said West Hills coach JESS BARRAGAN. “He did everything we thought he would.”

Scott led the Grossmont receivers with 5 catches for 80 yards.

Considering Grossmont’s only losses have been to teams with a combined 18-2 record (Helix and Steele Canyon), coach RON MURPHY figures his Foothillers are worthy of a No. 4 seed in the San Diego CIF Division I playoffs.

“When it comes to the seedings, you never know what’s gonna happen,” Murphy said. “We make our case and then it’s out of our hands. Other people make the final decisions.”

There wasn’t much suspense in the Hillers’ finale as they forged in front 24-0 by halftime. Grossmont totaled 389 yards while limiting West Hills to 145.

Grossmont’s LAWRENCE WALKER scored on a 28-yard run, and sophomore JEFF BOWERS – promoted from the junior varsity – contributed 47 yards and a touchdown on 8 carries.

Defensively Grossmont junior JAMES HYATT pulled a scoop-and-score as he toted a West Hills fumble to the endzone.

The Foothillers also intercepted 3 passes – one apiece by JOEY ACOSTA, DYLAN COOPER and AUSTIN WAGNER.

“West Hills actually surprised us because they didn’t come out and pound our small defensive line like I expected,” said Murphy. “They ran more of a conventional offense.”

Murphy noted, “JON GREEN delivered some big time hits, and COLTON ALEXIO collected a couple of sacks. Our defense was pretty good all night.”

Grossmont kicker JORDAN REECE booted a 35-yard field goal and was 6-for-6 on PATs.

For West Hills, RYAN WILLIAMS rushed for 70 yards on 17 carries, while quarterback TREVOR CLIPPINGER clicked on 7 of 16 passes for 71 yards.

TIM SEABOCH caught 4 passes for 43 yards and returned a kickoff for 17 yards for the Wolf Pack.

JOHN VOLL intercepted his third pass of the season for West Hills (3-7, 0-5 GHL).

“This was a very big game for us,” said Barragan. “Everyone knew what was at stake. We struggled offensively, had a lot of penalties. We started well defensively in the third quarter, but it seemed like every time we got something going, we shot ourselves in the foot.”

Grossmont led 24-0 at halftime.

“They were opportunistic and took advantage of every mistake we made,” added Barragan.

EL CAPITAN 34, FRANCIS PARKER 10 (Revised 11-16-10) – Senior DAKOTA FURR captured the East County regular season rushing championship Friday (Nov. 12) by running over host Francis Parker in the non-league finale for both teams.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Furr rushed for a career-high 274 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries as the Grossmont Valley League co-champion Vaqueros (5-4-1) finished above the.500 mark after losing four of their first five decisions.

Breaking the 200-yard barrier for the third time in 10 starts, Furr now has 1,569 yards on 215 carries. He holds a 100-yard lead over Christian’s TYRONE SAULS, who led the East County rushing derby most of the season. Statistics in the postseason also count, so that race may not be over.

Furr scored on runs of 18 and 77 yards against the Lancers (4-6).

“Overall our offense struggled, was just psyched out for some reason,” El Capitan coach RON BURNER said. “We weren’t as smooth as I expected us to be even though Dakota was just plowing guys over anyway.”

El Capitan snapped a 7-7 deadlock by scoring 27 points in the middle two quarters. A 14-yard scoring junket by TYLER MASON in the second quarter made it 14-7.

The Vaqueros’ TYRONE WIGGINS produced 114 yards on five touches, including scoring dashes of 35 and 28 yards.

JAKE ALVERNAZ completed five of his six passes for 98 yards. ROBERT CRAIGHEAD had two catches for 53 yards, while Wiggins reeled in two for 46 yards.

Burner said the Vaqueros hope to capture a No. 5 seed and no less than a No. 7 in the SDCIF Division III playoffs. Either way they are guaranteed a home game in next week’s first round.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 42, JULIAN 19 – Never mind the slow start... Foothills Christian – champions of the Southern Conference – finished the regular season on a roll with Friday’s (Nov. 12) regular season finale.

HENRY LUSCHEI, who was known more for his role as a reserve guard for the highly successful Foothills Christian basketball team, enjoyed a career outing on the gridiron as the Knights (6-2, 6-0 SC) clobbered host Julian.

A 5-foot-11, 160-pound senior, Luschei rushed for 96 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries, and returned three kickoffs for 125 yards, including one for an 85-yard TD that staked Foothills to a 14-6 advantage midway through the second quarter.

“It felt great to get touchdowns today,” Luschei said.

That’s because Luschei had not touched paydirt before he could smell the apple pie of nearby Julian merchants.

“We needed to get Henry in the endzone,” Foothills Christian coach THOM LUBIC said. “He’s been primarily the blocking back for SPENCER (GEORGE) and JR (ATTERBURY).”

On his 85-yard KOR for a touchdown, Luschei said: “It was a short kick that just bounced to me. I picked it up and cut to the middle – got some great blocking. When I got to the sidelines it was a clear path to the goal line.”

On his 45 yard TD scamper, Luschei said: “The offensive line did an awesome job opening up the hole. I burst through the hole and there was a clear path – nobody laid a hand on me.”

But wait … there’s more. Foothills Christian proved its mettle on the other side of the line of scrimmage as IAN MATHISEN returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown extending the Knights’ advantage to 28-13 by halftime.

“We took advantage of all our opportunities and moved the ball well on the ground,” Lubic said.

Reserves held the ball for the last seven minutes with the Knights ending up inside the 5-yard line as the gun sounded.

Foothills Christian is guaranteed a home game in the first round of the SDCIF Division V playoffs. That will be determined at Saturday’s (Nov. 13) seeding confab.

THE BISHOP’S 56, CHRISTIAN 44 – It’s been a frustrating season for the Christian High Patriots, who failed to win a single Coastal League game as they finished in the circuit cellar at 5-5, 0-4 CL.

In Friday’s (Nov. 12) regular season finale the Patriots pounded out 601 yards but still came up short against the undefeated The Bishop’s Knights (10-0, 4-0 CL) who are coached by Christian alum JOEL ALLEN.

Patriots quarterback SHANE DILLON put together his finest game of the season, completing 28 of 43 passes for 454 yards and 5 touchdowns. Dillon finished the regular season as the East County passing leader with 2,492 yards.

KYLE HARRIS caught 9 passes for 228 yards, including an 87-yard bomb that tied the game 14-14 in the second quarter. The junior receiver later reeled in a 17-yard strike from Dillon early in the fourth quarter. Harris now has 54 catches for 1,025 yards and 6 touchdowns to top East County.

Another of the Christian juniors, JASON GAINES hauled in 6 passes for 107 yards, including a 24-yard TD strike from Dillon on the final play of the game.

Junior JOSH FELDSCHER also pulled down 6 passes for 59 yards and a score for the Patriots.

Steady TYRONE SAULS rushed for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns on 23 carries. Sauls leads East County with 148 points.

Christian’s problem was executing PAT plays. With their top two kickers on the sidelines with injuries, the Patriots were forced to go for 2-point conversions five times. They were successful one time when Sauls covered the three yards for two points in the second quarter.

“In a game like that it’s hard to keep up when you can’t convert a PAT,” said Christian assistant coach MIKE MITCHELL.

Once The Bishop’s opened up a 35-20 lead, the Patriots found themselves trading touchdowns the rest of the way.

“That’s when we got caught in ‘chase’ mode,” Mitchell noted. “We just couldn’t catch up.”

Santana receiver T.D. Gross (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

Santana's Butler does it Eclipses Bender record for QB sacks © East County Sports.com EL CAJON (11-10-10) — JONATHAN BUTLER broke the Santana record for sacks in a season Wednesday night (Nov.10) as the visiting Sultans closed the regular season with a 42-13 Grossmont Valley League triumph over El Cajon Valley. Jonathan Butler set the Santana QB sack record vs. ECVHS (Frank Price photo) Butler ran his sack total to 13 with quarterback muggings in the first and second quarters. The 5-foot-9, 191-pound senior broke the sack mark of 12 set by the late LEON BENDER in 1992. Bender was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 1998, but died prematurely before he could play in an NFL game. “Beating Bender’s record – I know he was a lot better player than me – is an honor,” Butler said. “Subconsciously, it was a goal for me to get the record today. But I wasn’t just worrying about the sack record, I just wanted to play how I usually do.” And so he did – recording six tackles. He made contributions on both sides of the ball on this night. A linebacker by trade, Butler had logged only five rushes for 21 yards prior to Wednesday’s outburst where, as a fullback, he rushed for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns on 6 carries. “I went out for running back my freshman year,” Butler recalled. “But they told me I could only play on one side, so I went with defense.” Against the Braves (1-9, 0-4 GVL), Butler scored both of his touchdowns in the fourth quarter, barging right through the middle from 47 and 16 yards out. “A couple of our starters are dinged up so they just decided to throw me in,” he said. That proved to be a wise move as Butler became only the second Santana back to rush for 100 yards in a game this season. LANDON LOZOYA rushed for 114 yards on 22 carries against Kearny. It was a game of deuces for Santana (6-3-1, 2-2 GVL). Quarterback KYLE GASNER scored the Sultans’ first two touchdowns on sneaks from a yard out as the first quarter ended with Santana leading 12-0. KENNETH HEIER scored on touchdown junkets of 2 and 26 yards while stacking up 59 yards on 6 rushes. Gasner chipped in with a 2-point conversion pass to TD GROSS and BRAD CORNISH contributed a 38-yard field goal, helping stake Santana to a 29-0 advantage with 10:46 remaining in the third quarter. El Cajon Valley fought back on the strength of a pair of touchdown passes from HAKIM HARRIS. These scoring plays were probably the most electrifying of the game. SIMON DALY, who was stopped cold on 9 rushing attempts, plucked a Harris pass that looked like it might be intercepted, away from a Santana defender and turned it into a 46-yard scoring play. Early in the fourth quarter DONTAE BAILEY – another of the Braves’ aces who had been silenced by the Santana defense – took a Harris pass over the middle and used a spin move to shake off Sultans defenders. From there Bailey cruised into the endzone to complete an 18-yard scoring play. Although El Cajon Valley had turned it into a two possession game with 11:44 remaining, the Braves were unable to bottle up Butler. Santana finished with five sacks while limiting the Braves to 137 yards on 51 plays. Joining Butler on the Sultans sack patrol were ANDREW MILLS, DALTON PETTUS and WESLEY GREEN. “Our kids came out and played hard,” Santana coach DAVE GROSS said. “My only concern is we’ve got a lot of guys dinged up. We lost our top two fullbacks and that’s why Butler got in there. He’s just an emergency guy. He’s strong, but we can’t go with him as linebacker and fullback the whole game.” Gross figures that Santana will earn either a No. 6 or No. 7 seed and host a home game Friday (Nov. 19). Despite being under siege most of the night, Harris completed 9 of 18 passes for 100 yards for El Cajon Valley. Sophomore running back ANTONIE WHITE led the Braves’ ground game with 75 yards on 14 carries. The Braves’ DEMETRIUS WITHERSPOON picked off his fourth pass to tie Helix’ JIMMY PRUITT for the East County lead in interceptions. "We played hard all the way to the end, which is an improvement here,” said El Cajon Valley first year coach NORMAN WHITEHEAD. "And we expect more gains next year. We expect to expand our program even more. "For example, our goal is have at least 40 players on the freshmen team so we always have a base to grow." Whitehead expects to start recruiting the area middle schools come January.

YOU MAKE THE CALL!

The time has arrived!
Helix-Steele Canyon battle for
more than just first GHL crown

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (11-11-10) — On paper, Friday night’s (Nov. 12) Grossmont Hills League championship joust between visiting Steele Canyon (8-1, 4-0 GHL) and No. 2 ranked Helix (9-0, 4-0 GHL) is the definition of a classic.

“Steele Canyon is for real,” Starr said. “They are better than anybody we’ve seen. They have a lot of strength – starting with their offensive line, which gets off the ball extremely well. I don’t mean sometimes, I mean always.”

That offensive line that Starr was lauding consists of center SEAN BOOZEL (6-1, 227), tackles MARIO YAKOO (6-4, 296) and RYAN SCURLOCK (6-3, 242) along with guards BLAKE BUSBY (6-0, 222) and AUSTIN BROWN (6-0, 196). Not to be overlooked in the forward wall is tight end KYLE SAGER (6-2, 184).

Obviously there are bigger offensive lines in town, but few are more cohesive than this mix of Cougars.

“Our strength on offense is our line,” Steele Canyon coach RON BOEHMKE affirmed. “They just play really well together.”

And that benefits players such as senior running backs JAKE WRAGG (146-1162, 17 TDs) and BRANDON WATSON (51-417, 5 TDs), not to mention quarterback BRAD BOEHMKE (82-142, 1125, 13 TDs).

Of course, moving the ball against a Helix defense that has allowed only four touchdowns in nine games is no small feat.

“That Yakoo is a Division I guy,” said Starr, who used to coach at the University of Florida.

Starr was also concerned with the wiggle-waggle of Wragg.

“He runs behind his pads with his shoulders squared,” the Highlanders’ coach said. “He has a really good jump cut and is fast enough to run away from people.”

Wragg is the East County all-purpose running leader with 1,787 yards. He also leads the Grossmont Conference in scoring with 21 touchdowns (126 points).

Steele Canyon ’s 3-5-3 defense – led by middle linebacker DANTE PATTON, outside linebacker Watson, and strong safety CHANCELLER JAMES – is coming off back-to-back shutouts over West Hills (42-0) and Grossmont (51-0).

“I can’t honestly say going into the season that we expected to be in the position that we are now,” said coach Boehmke. “But I do think this is the best overall crew we’ve had at Steele Canyon. Right now it’s gonna be fun to see how far we can go.”

Helix, which has posted three shutouts and not allowed more than 10 points in any game while averaging 36.4 points on offense per contest, is guided by a bevy of offensive standouts.

Highlanders junior quarterback BRANDON LEWIS has thrown an East County high 23 touchdown passes while completing 118 of 192 aerial attempts for 1,712 yards.

“This is the most balanced offense we’ve faced so far this year,” coach Boehmke said.

For sure it would be inaccurate to say Helix is a pass-first, run-second team.

Hard-nosed junior running back DARRION HANCOCK has crashed his way for 1,052 yards and 7 touchdowns on 147 carries for Helix. Sophomore running back MICHAEL ADKINS has averaged 11.8 yards on 36 carries while scoring 4 touchdowns. Versatile junior JIMMY PRUITT, a Division I prospect as a corner, has reeled in 27 passes for 480 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Despite missing two games due to injuries, Highlanders senior AUSTIN GONZALEZ has caught 25 passes for 280 yards and 4 touchdowns. Right on his heels is junior CAMERON LEE with 24 receptions for 347 yards and 3 scores.

“It’s Senior Night at Helix,” Starr said. “We only have 10 seniors.”

Now that’s scary if you’re in the GHL.

Looking ahead to the playoffs, all Starr would say is “Are we ready now – that’s the question.”

Starr admitted he’s not a fan of the seeding process.

“I gave up on those a long time ago,” he said. “I don’t even waste energy thinking about it. Just put us some place and we’ll show up and play.”

Helix leads the all-time series 6-2, but the Cougars claimed last year’s bout 31-14... Helix 24-14.

Mount Miguel (7-1-1, 2-0-1 GVL) at Monte Vista (2-7, 1-2), 7: When Mount Miguel edged El Capitan 21-20 in two overtimes in last week’s Grossmont Valley League tussle, Matadors players streamed onto the field with reckless abandon. It was a championship celebration, for sure.

Officially, however, the game ended in a 14-14 tie, which assured El Capitan of a share of the GVL title. Excited as they were, the Matadors woke up on Saturday morning in second place.

Bottom line is, Mount Miguel must beat the Monarchs in Friday’s (Nov. 12) regular season finale at Monte Vista if they are to be crowned co-champions of the GVL. That would deem to be important for Mount Miguel since the Matadors have not won any part of a league championship since 1987.

“Even if they beat us, the best they can do is tie for it,” said Monte Vista coach PAGE CULVER. “I’d like to think our kids got pretty excited when Mount Miguel acted as if they’d already won the league championship with all their talk last Saturday morning. We got together and talked about it a lot, how this was a chance to spoil their party.”

More than that though, the annual Mount Miguel-Monte Vista faceoff is for the Spring Valley City Championship and a year’s worth of bragging rights.

“This is one of those traditional games for us,” said Mount Miguel coach TOM KARLO. “There have been a lot of distractions. People at our school are talking about the league championship and the playoffs. But I keep telling our team to focus on Monte Vista before looking beyond.”

Mount Miguel has won 4 of the last 5 meetings between these two teams, including 28-21 last year.

“We’re coming off an emotional high and sometimes that’s hard to regain your focus,” Karlo said. “I keep telling the kids ‘Remember this is a neighborhood rivalry with bragging rights’ and all that stuff. We should have been up 21-7 at halftime against El Cap but we turned the ball over twice inside the 10-yard line, and allowed El Cap to stay in the game. That turned the game into a barn burner.

“Sure, that took all the emotional energy we had to pull that one out,” Karlo continued. “It was all about turnovers. We had six in our first eight games, and three against El Cap. But we’re still a plus 16.”

Will that help the Matadors to side-step the Monarchs?... Mount Miguel 28-7.

West Hills (3-6, 0-4 GHL) at Grossmont (7-2, 2-2), 7: After cranking off six straight wins to begin the season, the host Grossmont Foothillers have staggered somewhat over the past three Grossmont Hills League encounters.

In spite of their impressive overall record, the Foothillers took it on the chin against frontrunners Helix (41-0) and Steele Canyon (51-0). In between those blowouts, the Foothillers regained stability, taking a first-half 21-0 lead over Granite Hills only to wilt in the second half before escaping with a 21-14 win.

“The Grossmont kids think of West Hills as their rivals,” said Grossmont coach RON MURPHY, who’s Foothillers will host West Hills in the regular season finale Friday night (Nov. 12). “And that’s fine because it should fire up our kids even more. It’s important to end the season on a high note to get a decent seed in the (SDCIF Division I) playoffs.”

Murphy figures if Grossmont concludes the regular season campaign at 8-2, his squad has a shot at a No. 4 seed and a first round bye in the playoffs that begin on Nov. 19.

“I know that the majority of our wins have come against teams with five wins or more,” Murphy added. “We certainly can’t let up now. We need to take it to West Hills. Obviously they want to knock us off to help their playoff chances. I think they feel they have to beat us to make the (SDCIF Division III) playoffs, and will play accordingly.”

Helix and Steele Canyon throttled Grossmont by neutralizing senior quarterback DeSEAN WATERS (1737 total yards, 18 TDs). None of the other Grossmont opponents have come close to slowing him down.

West Hills relies on RYAN WILLIAMS (118-679, 2 TDs) to drive its ground-oriented offense. Linebacker STEVE ARMSTRONG anchors the Wolf Pack defense.

West Hills leads the all-time series 14-8, but the Foothillers have won 4 of the last 6 meetings, including 26-14 last year... Grossmont 34-14.

Granite Hills (5-4, 1-3 GHL) at Valhalla (4-5, 1-3), 7: Both teams – members of the rugged Grossmont Hills League – will probably make the SDCIF playoffs. Each, however, could use a victory to enhance their attractiveness to the seeding committee which meets on Saturday (Nov. 13) to put the playoff puzzle together.

“If we can go 5-5 we might get a No. 7 seed,” Valhalla coach STEVE SUTTON said. “But we need a win because the top six teams in Division II are pretty solid.”

This Friday night (Nov. 12) finale is another one of those neighborhood rivalries where bragging rights are on the line. That should be enough to fire up both teams.

Granite Hills figures to make the Division I playoffs – win or lose. Should the Eagles knock off the Norsemen they’d have an outside shot at a first round home game.

“We’re playing for a playoff home game,” Sutton said.

Throwing the ball is what these teams do best. Valhalla junior quarterback FRANK FOSTER (128-202, 1854, 15 TDs) is the No. 1 passer in the Grossmont Conference.

CORY LOCKMAN delivers the airmail (100-185, 1518, 12 TDs) for the Eagles.

The Norsemen have won 8 of the last 9 meetings, and that trend should continue... Valhalla 24-14.

Christian (5-4, 0-3) vs. The Bishop’s (9-0, 3-0), at La Jolla, 7: The Bishop’s Knights, who are coached by Christian alum JOEL ALLEN, are looking to complete a perfect season in Friday night’s (Nov. 12) Coastal League finale at La Jolla High.

The visiting Patriots – led by East County leaders TYRONE SAULS (200-1320, 21 TDs), quarterback SHANE DILLON (147-289, 2038, 9 TDs) and wide receiver KYLE HARRIS (45-297, 4 TDs) – would love nothing more than to spoil the party.

Christian has won 9 of 13 meetings between the two teams, but probably will miss its bet this time... The Bishop’s 28-21.

El Capitan (4-4-1) at Francis Parker (4-5), 7: With their third straight league championship in tow, the Vaqueros will tackle the defending Division V champion Lancers Friday (Nov. 12) under the portable lights at Francis Parker.

The Vaqueros, who are unbeaten in their last four games, will slip down the Division III sliding ladder should they stumble at the feet of the playoff hungry Lancers.

Senior Warren Brody (959 yards, 13 TDs) is Parker’s offensive leader, while El Capitan has harvested a hard-nosed running game anchored by DAKOTA FURR (188-1295, 13 TDs) and TYLER MASON (38-436, 3 TDs).

These teams have never met before, so the guess here is... El Capitan 21-17.

Foothills Christian (5-2, 5-0 SL) at Julian (2-6-1, 2-2-1), 2:30: Although the visiting Knights cannot afford to stumble in Friday’s (Nov. 12) Southern Conference finale in the Laguna Mountains, they could get blind-sided by their own cockiness.

But the thinking here is coach THOM LUBIC won’t let his troops look past the Julian game... Foothills Christian 27-12.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (11-9-10) — The El Cajon Valley Braves will host Grossmont Valley League rival Santana in a rare Wednesday night (Nov. 10) game in the regular season finale for both teams. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

“If we win this last one I think we’ll get a decent draw,” Sultans coach DAVE GROSS said. “The way I see it is, we’ll be a No. 6 or No. 7 seed. If we win, we’re at home. If we lose, we’re getting on the bus for our first playoff game.

“But we can’t start thinking about the playoffs until after the El Cajon game. That’s our primary focus now.”

Santana is coming off a bye, which means the Sultans have not played a game since Oct. 29 when they defeated Monte Vista 23-8.

“El Cajon wanted to move the game up and I certainly have no problem with that,” Gross said. “Obviously, it’s a little different playing on a Wednesday, but coming off a bye I think our kids will be anxious and ready to go.”

Santana is a pass-happy bunch where any one of three players could start at quarterback. Should the Sultans jump out to an early lead they may concentrate on fine-tuning their running game for the playoffs.

For El Cajon Valley (1-8, 0-3 GVL) this is a chance to play spoiler. The Braves are led by senior DONTAE BAILEY – one of the most versatile players in East County.

The Sultans have slipped past the Braves four years in succession. That streak should continue... Santana 35-16.

NOTE: The remainder of the Fearless Forecaster Predictions will be posted on Thursday (Nov. 11).

CIF-SAN DIEGO SECTION MEDIA RANKINGS
North County Times/ SD Sportswriters-Sportscasters Poll Rank/Team Record Points LW   1. Eastlake (9)   2. Helix (8)   3. Torrey Pines (4)   4. Valley Center tie. Oceanside   6. Vista   7. Steele Canyon   8. Mission Hills   9. Rancho Bernardo 10. Mount Miguel 9-0-0 9-0-0 9-0-0 9-0-0 7-2-0 8-1-0 8-1-0 7-2-0 7-2-0 7-1-1 196 187 174 125 125 124 91 57 22 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 t-9 Others receiving votes: La Costa Canyon (14), Madison (8), Olympian (7), Cathedral Catholic (6).	SignOnSanDiego/ San Diego Union-Tribune Rank/Team Record LW   1. Eastlake   2. Vista   3. Oceanside   4. Torrey Pines   5. Helix   6. Valley Center   7. Steele Canyon   8. La Costa Canyon   9. Mission Hills 10. Cathedral Catholic 9-0-0 8-1-0 7-2-0 9-0-0 9-0-0 9-0-0 8-1-0 6-3-0 7-2-0 5-4-0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 — 10 Others: The Bishop’s, Grossmont 7-2, Mount Miguel 7-1-1, Rancho Bernardo 7-2, Madison 8-1, St. Augustine 7-2, Olympian 8-1.
The Sportswriters Association. poll is conducted by The North County Times. For 2010, 21 sportswriters, sportscasters and CIF representatives from throughout the county vote in the weekly poll. This year's panel includes: John Maffei, Terry Monahan, Tom Sheridan, Rick Hoff and Tom Saxe (North County Times), Nick Pellegrino (East County Sports.com), Steve Dolan and Rick Hill (East County), Rick Willis (KUSI-TV), John Kentera. Mark Chlebowski, Ted Mendenall, Bob Petinak (XX Sports Radio 1090), Bruce Ward, (San Diego City Schools), Jeff Kurtz and Andrew Jensen (kbo), Craig Elsten (619sports.com), Anthony Gentile (SD Reader) and Dave Axelson (Coronado Eagle & Journal).
THE MOVIE GUYS Now Sundays at 1 p.m. AM 600 KOGO

The Bishop's
Ramona
Point Loma
at Valhalla
BYE
at West Hills
*at Santana
*Monte Vista
*El Cajon Valley
*at Mount Miguel
at Francis Parker
**at EC-Southwest