WEEK FIFTEEN – CIFSDS CHAMPIONSHIPS / FINALS

CIF-SAN DIEGO SECTION MEDIA RANKINGS FINAL 2010 POLLS
North County Times/ SD Sportswriters-Sportscasters Poll Rank/Team Record Points LW   1. Vista (20)   2. Oceanside (1)   3. Helix   4. Cathedral Catholic   5. Eastlake   6. Madison   7. Mission Hills   8. Mira Mesa   9. Valley Center 10. Torrey Pines 12-1-0 10-3-0 11-1-0 8-5-0 11-1-0 12-1-0 10-3-0 7-6-0 12-1-0 10-2-0 209 188 113 100 97 95 86 83 75 71 4 8 2 — 1 — 6 — 3 5 Others receiving votes: Steele Canyon (16), The Bishop's (8), Lincoln (5), Rancho Bernardo (4), La Costa Canyon (1).	SignOnSanDiego/ San Diego Union-Tribune Rank/Team Record LW   1. Vista   2. Oceanside   3. Helix   4. Cathedral Catholic   5. Madison   6. Mira Mesa   7. Eastlake   8. Mission Hills   9. Valley Center 10. Torrey Pines 12-1-0 10-3-0 11-1-0 8-5-0 12-1-0 7-6-0 11-1-0 10-3-0 12-1-0 10-2-0 2 5 3 — — — 1 6 4 8 Others: The Bishop’s 13-0, Grossmont 9-3, La Costa Canyon 7-5, Lincoln 7-7, Mount Miguel 8-2-1, Rancho Bernardo 9-3, St. Augustine 9-3, Steele Canyon 9-3, Olympian 10-2.
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).
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THE BISHOP'S 47, CHRISTIAN 21

Christian High quarterback Shane Dillon scans the field, ignoring the rush of The Bishop's' linebacker Micah Seau. The top-seeded Knights remained undefeated after a 47-21 triumph. (Photo and slideshow by Frank Price and Nathan Price, youatplay.com) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

It's the blue gloves

The stretch by Christian receiver Joshua Feldscher. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com)

Knights again eliminate Pats in CIF semis

© East County Sports.com
LA JOLLA (12-4-10) — A small piece of solace to a long season is that the coaching staff at Christian High School believed their team went as far as they could realistically go.

But unlike heartbreak playoff losses to The Bishop's School over the past four seasons, the 2010 edition of the Knights entered Friday's (Dec. 3) tilt undefeated and seeded first in the San Diego CIF Division V field. And they looked every bit the part following a 47-21 victory at La Jolla High's Gene Edwards Stadium.

"It's hard to beat all of their team speed," said Christian coach MATT OLIVER. "But we hung in there for a long time,"

Despite a slow start, Christian moved to within 20-15 by halftime. However, The Bishop's answered when Austin Fisher scored two of his three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, busting loose on rushes of 37 and 55 yards to bury the Patriots.

Meanwhile, Christian running back TYRONE SAULS was limited to 53 yards on the ground on 19 carries. The effort left the senior 51 yards shy of DAKOTA FURR of El Capitan (1,788 yards) for the East County rushing title.

The Bishop's game plan was quite apparent: Let anyone else beat them except Sauls.

"Obviously, Sauls is a Division I running back," said Knights coach JOEL ALLEN. "We weren't properly prepared to stop him when we played in league, so we made some changes."

"So if (Christian quarterback) Shane Dillon threw for 450 yards and six touchdowns to beat us, fine. We were determined not to allow Sauls to beat us."

Dillon posted nice numbers, completing 17 of 39 passes for 230 yards and a pair of scores, yet it was far short to counter the loss of production on the ground.

Still, Dillon eclipsed Christian's single-season pass yardage mark with 2,982 yards, erasing Allen (2,684 in 2001) from the school record book.

Following Fisher's first TD to open the scoring, Dillon connected with JOSHUA FELDSCHER on a 24-yard crossing pattern, slipping just inside the pylon late in the first period.

Unlike the teams' regular season meeting, when the Patriots kicker was missing in a 54-46 setback, BLAKE TODD returned to the lineup yet missed his first PAT of the season, ending his bid for the East County record. It was a sign of how Christian came up just short several times.

"We were in the game until late in the third quarter," noted Oliver. "But Bishop's barely converted on a fourth down, then a third down on a drive which led to a touchdown. That was tough to overcome."

The 15-play, 84-yard drive by the Knights took 7:48 off the clock, capped by a 1-yard dive by Alec Fisher for a 26-15 advantage, as the hosts maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

Christian's solid second quarter featured a safety when the Knights' punter dropped the snap, eventually getting forced out of the end zone by RAYVON OWENS. Following the ensuing free kick, Dillon found WILL MARTIN for his lone reception on a 2-yard TD pass to move within 20-15.

Sauls eventually scored his 31st TD of the season on a 10-yard romp in the final moments of the third period. But the fourth period belonged to the Knights, featuring the 55-yard run to give Austin Fisher 116 yards on the night.

"Our first game was closer than we thought it should've been, so it was up to me and (fellow outside linebacker) Kohl Simonds to stop Sauls," noted Micah Seau, who also missed the initial meeting. "We knew what Christian likes to run, it was just up to us to stop it."

For the Patriots (6-6), TANNER PERRY, one of three freshmen who played significant time on defense, registered an interception, as did JASON GAINES. On offense, Gaines collected 6 balls for 85 yards.

The Bishop's (12-0) will face No. 3 Francis Parker – a 52-28 winner at No. 2 Horizon, Friday at 7 p.m. at San Diego Mesa College in a rematch of the last two seasons' title games. Parker won both – 55-20 last season and 51-22 in 2008.

OCEANSIDE 24, HELIX 17

Darrion Hancock rushes through a huge hole created by Helix' offensive line for the first down. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

The hair goes flying by Oceanside's T.J. Sunia in an attempt to corral Helix' Darrion Hancock. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com)

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (12-3-10) — Opportunistic Oceanside frustrated the Helix Highlanders again in Thursday’s (Dec. 2) San Diego CIF Division II semifinal at Jim Arnaiz Field.

Oceanside (9-3) never got much going offensively, totaling 163 yards compared to Helix’s 282. Where the Pirates bested Helix (11-1) was in turnovers, cashing in three miscues and a shanked punt to claim a 24-17 upset victory over previously undefeated Helix in front of a full house.

Talk about a nemesis... Oceanside has beaten Helix three straight – two times in the Division II championships (2008-09) – and in seven of the last eight meetings overall.

“What is frustrating is Oceanside was the better team the previous two years we played them, but this year we were the better team,” said Helix coach TROY STARR.

No question this was a tear-jerker for the Highlanders, who had a first-and-goal from the 5-yard line with 1:04 remaining and a chance to either tie and force overtime or go for a two-point conversion and collect a win in regulation.

“Had we scored the touchdown, we would have gone for the (game-tying) kick – sent the game into overtime,” said Starr. “We had no intention of going for a two-point conversion at that juncture.”

Helix had four shots at a potential game-tying touchdown in the final seconds.

Calling plays with no timeouts, Starr elected to send running back DARRION HANCOCK (32 carries, 140 yards, 1 TD) into the teeth of the Oceanside defense on first and second down.

The Pirates were ready as Hancock could not advance the football on either carry, forcing Helix quarterback BRANDON LEWIS to spike the ball on third down with 18 seconds remaining.

Before Helix could regroup for any fourth-down heroics, they were tied with a delaying the game penalty, moving the ball back to the 10-yard line.

On the Highlanders final snap of the season Lewis, who completed 11 of 19 passes for 157 yards, looked to the left corner of the endzone where he spotted SAM MEREDITH who had position on the Oceanside defender. However, Lewis’ pass sailed over Meredith’s head and the game was all but over.

“I know some people would say why didn’t we spike the ball on first down,” Starr said. “It didn’t matter because we still got all four downs and had time remaining on the clock when we had to turn the ball over.”

“We’d been able to run the ball on them all through the second half, so that’s why we went for the run first,” he added. “We didn’t throw the ball all that well. We had a guy drop a pass that would have gone for a 60-yard touchdown. We also overthrew several open receivers.”

Senior AUSTIN GONZALEZ caught five passes for 92 yards, including a 35-yard scoring strike from Lewis in the second quarter that left the Highlanders trailing 10-7 at intermission.

“I think we surprised them by showing them we could run the ball right through the teeth of their defense,” Gonzalez said.

Helix began the second half with the philosophy of pounding the ball into the heart of the Oceanside defense. On their first possession they were successful as Hancock covered 80 yards on 11 carries during a six minute drive that culminated with a 1-yard plunge, giving Helix a 14-10 lead.

“That’s another thing that hurts,” Starr said. “We get almost twice as many yards (282–163) and had several legitimate shots at the end zone.”

“We didn’t capitalize as much as on their three turnovers as they did on ours because they scored 17 points,” Gonzalez said.

Oceanside regained the lead with its only “drive” of the game late in the third quarter when Noah Tarrant sprinted through the middle of the Helix defense untouched for a 39-yard touchdown that gave the Pirates a 17-14 lead with 2:12 left in the third quarter.

“I’m not gonna lie, Oceanside is a solid team,” said Gonzalez. “But we had too many breakdowns. Our defense did an excellent job – good enough for us to win. Offensively we didn’t help them much. Our receivers did a pretty poor job of scrambling to get open, and that put even more pressure on Brandon.”

The Highlanders, who had scored 37 or more points eight times, drove to the Oceanside 3-yard line on their first possession but wound up missing a 29-yard field goal. VANN SABIN later kicked a 46-yard field goal with 5:50 remaining which left Helix down by seven.

An interception by Matthew Rojas and subsequent 45-yard return set the Pirates up at the Helix 20 late in the first quarter. Helix’s defense did not budge forcing the Pirates to settle for Jose Basurto’s 37-yard field goal.

A second Oceanside theft of an overthrown Lewis pass resulted in a Pick-Six by Adam Francis and a 10-0 lead with 9:58 left in the second quarter. Francis’ effort covered 48 yards.

Taking a page from Oceanside ’s scoring strategy, Helix set its offense in motion following an interception by linebacker KACY SMITH. The Highlanders needed four plays to cover 55 yards. Gonzalez got behind an Oceanside defender to make a nifty over-the-shoulder catch of a Lewis pass.

Meredith, who was a beast as a defensive tackle, also caught four passes for 49 yards.

Another standout play by the Highlanders was an interception by KENNY KEYS on the final play of the first half when he returned a pick 47 yards to the Oceanside 23 as time ran expired.

Making its 17th straight appearance in the playoff semifinals, Oceanside has posted a 78-10 overall record since 2004. The Highlanders have won 14 of their last 16 – their only losses over that stretch coming to Oceanside.

This is the eighth time in the last 11 years these teams have met in the playoffs.

“It’s like Oceanside has become our traditional rival,” Starr said. “It’s all our kids talk about.”

Bragging rights will remain in the Oceanside huddle for at least one more year.

MISSION HILLS 24, STEELE CANYON 14

Mission Hills running back Adam Renteria (25) runs for the first of his two touchdowns. (Photo by Nathan Price, youatplay.com) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

Steele Canyon's Jake Wragg on the sweep right. (Photo by Nathan Price, youatplay.com)

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (12-3-10) — For the fourth time in five seasons, the door to the Emerald City was slammed shut in the face of the Steele Canyon Cougars.

Mission Hills registered a pair of rush-dominated touchdown drives on its opening two possessions, giving the Grizzlies enough of an advantage to eliminate the second-seeded Cougars, 24-14, in Thursday's (Dec. 2) semifinals of the San Diego CIF Division II football championships.

The setback again prevented Steele Canyon from landing a title game berth at Qualcomm Stadium. Meanwhile, Mission Hills, the No. 3 seed, will take on North County rival Oceanside in Monday's (Dec. 6) finale in Mission Valley (Cox Cable Chl. 4).

"We had our shot," said Cougars head coach RON BOEHMKE, who labeled this year’s squad the finest in Steele Canyon’s nine-year history. "But Mission Hills was tough. They were big and aggressive, which made it physically and mentally fatiguing for us."

Grizzlies running back Adam Renteria rushed 30 times for 149 yards and two TDs, including the opening score to cap a game-opening, 69-yard drive. The lead stretched to 14-0 before Steele Canyon trimmed the deficit to 17-14, but Renteria thought his second dash to the end zone was a back-breaker.

"My second touchdown put them out of the game," said Renteria. "But Rolundo (Cotto's) interception killed them."

Amazing as it might sound, Mission Hills failed to register an interception all season until the final minutes on a late, desperation Cougars pass with 3:06 left, which would be their final play on offense of the season.

"It was the perfect time for that first interception," said Cotto, the strong safety. "Down the stretch, we somehow found a way to stop their drives."

Renteria's 2-yard TD opened the scoring just 2:34 into the contest, then Cotto jarred the ball loose on the first Cougars possession, setting up a 52-yard drive capped by a 13-yard Hunter Moore pass to Josh Cabrera.

"We played hard on defense and on offense all night," said Moore, who completed 9 of 13 passes for 109 yards. "And now we get to live the dream and play at Qualcomm."

Steele Canyon bounced back from its slow start to make it a contest.

Look mom, no helmet

Steele Canyon's Brandon Watson get his helmet knocked off, yet keeps on running until referees blow the play dead. Watson was not injured. (Photo by Kimberly Deutsch, MHHS parent and official team photographer) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

JAKE WRAGG moved the Cougars into scoring position thanks to his 95 rushing yards on 17 carries. But with Mission Hills focused on Wragg near the goal line, the ball instead went to Watson, who finished with 49 yards rushing, on two short scoring bursts.

Watson punched in his second touchdown on a fly sweep to the left with 3:26 remaining in the third period. However, Mission Hills answered with a 15-play march to push the lead back to 10 points.

"We thought we would be good until they answered with that long scoring drive," noted Cougars quarterback BRAD BOEHMKE (8-14, 93 yards). "They just put on the grind and ran the ball on us."

REECE DALE collected four Boehmke passes for 55 yards, while BRITTEN WRIGHT recorded a pair of receptions for 28 yards.

Wragg had only one reception for 4 yards, which left him one catch shy of the Steele Canyon season record for pass receptions of 33.

The Steele Canyon defense, which was torched early, came on strong over the final three periods, especially after the loss of key senior lineman JOEY ALEGRIA, who left the contest with an apparent concussion.

Included were sacks by Cougars defenders BENJAMIN GOSSMEYER and EASTON SIMMONS.

CIF-SAN DIEGO SECTION CHAMPIONSHIPS SEMIFINALS (All games at 7 p.m.)

Thurs., Dec. 2 DIVISION I Mira Mesa at Eastlake Vista at Torrey Pines DIVISION II Oceanside at Helix Mission Hills at Steele Canyon DIVISION III Lincoln vs. St. Augustine Point Loma at Cathedral Catholic DIVISION IV Santa Fe Christian at Valley Center Madison at Olympian Fri., Dec. 3 DIVISION V Christian vs. The Bishop's, at La Jolla Francis Parker vs. Horizon

CHAMPIONSHIPS DIVISION I Finals — Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m. at Qualcomm Stadium DIVISION II Finals — Dec. 6, 4 p.m. at Qualcomm Stadium DIVISION III Finals — Dec. 6, 1 p.m. at Qualcomm Stadium DIVISION IV Finals — Dec. 6, 10 a.m. at Qualcomm Stadium DIVISION V Finals — Dec. 10, 7 p.m. at Mesa College

Scotties vs. Pirates: A CIF expectation
County's best over past decade collide for Qualcomm berth

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (12-1-10) — Although it’s rarely included on the regular season schedule, it’s almost a sure bet that Helix and Oceanside will collide sometime during the season. This year is no exception.

“It’s almost like we know we’re going to face those guys in the playoffs,” Helix coach TROY STARR said. “It’s like Oceanside has become our traditional rival. It’s all our kids talk about.”

Same with the Helix student body.

Fearless Forecaster

Week 13: 4-1 (.800) Season: 73-23 (.760)

The Scottie Dog (Photo by Chris Stone, LaMesaPatch photo)

“Around our school it’s become a general feeling that we will play Oceanside in a big game,” said Highlanders defensive coordinator SAM FRIEND. “It’s almost become a playoff tradition.”

Maybe so. Helix is 21-7 in the playoffs this decade, but has lost five of six playoff games to the Pirates, who have captured a state record six SDCIF Division II championships in a row.

“We have pushed the rock to the top of the mountain,” said Starr. “So we’re right on the brink and we need to figure out a way to push it over the hump.”

This is a pretty slick Helix team.

“I can’t think of a better way to say it, but it’s a huge challenge for us,” Starr said.

If the Highlanders are to eclipse the mountain they will look to quarterback BRANDON LEWIS (2,082 yards, 28 TDs) and running back DARRION HANCOCK (178 carries, 1,272 yards, 10 TDs) to pave the way.

But those who know the Highlanders recognize that defense is probably Helix’s greatest strength. Linemen SAM MEREDITH and WILLIAM MILO are the teeth of the Helix defense. JIMMY PRUITT, who is also a blue-chip receiver, is a Division I cornerback. Strong safety KACY SMITH is often overlooked but always comes up big.

“ Oceanside has explosive skill position guys,” said Friend. “They can hurt you with the long drive but at any given point their quarterback (Tofi Pao Pao) can beat you deep. They have the speed, size and talent to keep you on your toes.”

No. 1 seed Helix (11-0) has won 14 of its last 15 games – its only loss coming in last year’s Division II final against No. 4 seed Oceanside 26-10. The Pirates’ record (7-3) is misleading considering two of their losses came to state-ranked teams including Servite.

“I’ve been involved in games with Oceanside since 2001, and I don’t know how to tell you but I have the same feeling every year we play them – euphoric,” Friend said.

Just like every time these teams meet, it’s a toss-up. But this time the nod goes to... Helix 21-17.

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