WEEK NINE

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (10-30-10) — After being destroyed by Helix a week earlier the Grossmont Foothillers could have easily collapsed. Yet buoyed by a Homecoming crowd and a typical DeSEAN WATERS’ waterfall, the Foothillers returned to the winner’s circle Friday night (Oct. 29) as they defeated visiting Granite Hills 21-14.

Waters, a southpaw quarterback, generated 297 total yards and had a hand in all three Foothillers touchdowns as Grossmont (7-1, 2-1) took over third place in the Grossmont Hills League.

“We needed to come off that loss to Helix last week to show what we can do,” Waters said.

Grossmont scored on three of its first four possessions. Waters provided touchdown runs of 9 and 59 yards, giving Grossmont a 14-0 first quarter lead.

After an interception and subsequent 43 yard return by RYAN DAVIS-TUCKER, Grossmont was in scoring position midway through the second quarter. Once again it was Waters who made the Eagles pay as he delivered a 9-yard scoring pass to MARCUS PHILLIPS, making it 21-0 with 2:43 left in the first half.

After that the Grossmont offense went south.

Remember now, Grossmont only had two turnovers in its first seven games. But the Foothillers fell apart in the second half against Granite Hills, losing four fumbles, including three in the third quarter.

The Eagles (5-3, 1-2 GHL), who were taking a physical beating by the blitz-happy Foothillers, were able to do a decent job of taking advantage of their rare opportunities.

A fumble recovery by the Eagles’ TYLER GEORGE gave Granite Hills possession at the Grossmont 13-yard line. It appeared that the Foothillers would be able to protect their shutout when defensive lineman BRENNAN DARLING sacked Eagles quarterback CORY LOCKMAN for a 6-yard loss, and knocked him out of the game.

Two plays later reserve quarterback JUSTIN DAVIS, who was about to be slammed to the ground, was able to loft an 18-yard pass into the endzone where GILBERT PEREZ was able to out jump the Grossmont defense for the touchdown.

Granite Hills attempted to execute an onside kick, which backfired. The Foothillers drove the ball to the 10-yard line and appeared to have the knockout touchdown, but running back LAWRENCE WALKER lost the ball as he reached the goal line and Granite Hills recovered at its own 2-yard line.

“The second half of this game was our worst half we played all year,” Grossmont coach RON MURPHY said. “When we fumble the ball going in for a touchdown... there’s just no excuse for that.”

Later in the third quarter JORDAN REECE missed a 31-yard field goal, thus the frustration continued for the Foothillers.

Granite Hills put the pressure on when FRANTZ LARAQUE bolted 36 yards for a touchdown with 4:14 remaining. Suddenly Grossmont was clinging to a 7-point lead.

“To say I was seething at that point would be an understatement,” Murphy said.

Murphy recognized that the Foothillers had lost their focus at halftime when they led 21-0.

“At halftime our guys were peeking out the door at the halftime ceremonies instead of listening to what we had to say,” Murphy said. “That, and the four turnovers we committed in the second half... I’d say we were lucky to win the game.”

Waters agreed.

“You could tell we’d lost our focus,” he said. “We thought it was already over. Fortunately for us our defense stepped up and saved it for us.”

Grossmont intercepted three Granite Hills passes, one each by Ryan Davis-Tucker, DIMITRI SCOTT and AUSTIN WAGNER. Perhaps a key theft of the night was registered by Davis-Tucker.

“I was in zone coverage in the middle,” Davis-Tucker said. “I was supposed to cover the hooks. When I looked at the quarterback’s eyes I saw him turn to the right so I broke that way and the ball was there.”

Granite Hills had the last call. It might have been a serious threat had Reece not buried them with a 45-yard punt that planted the Eagles at their 11-yard line with 1:09 remaining.

Lockman, who completed only 9 of 28 passes for 99 yards while suffering three interceptions, kept the Eagles’ faint victory hopes alive when he completed a 16-yard pass to Perez on a 3rd and 10, advancing Granite Hills to its 27-yard line. Three of Lockman’s next four passes went incomplete, however, which all but ended the game.

“I think we have an underrated defense – don’t get much credit for what we do,” Davis-Tucker said. “When people talk about Grossmont all they think about is DeSean Waters, and he’s definitely a good one. We don’t mind being his supporting cast as long as we’re winning.”

Probably the greatest value in winning this game is both Grossmont and Granite Hills are listed as Division I contenders in the SDCIF playoffs.

“That’s what we were thinking,” Davis-Tucker said. “This our biggest game of the year – until next week when we play Steele Canyon.”

SANTANA 23, MONTE VISTA 8 (Updated 10-30-10) – Known more for their offense, the Santana Sultans (5-3-1, 12 GVL) had to bank on their defense to snap a three game losing streak Friday night (Oct. 29) with a Grossmont Valley League Homecoming victory over visiting Monte Vista.

JONATHAN BUTLER, a 5-foot-9, 191-pound linebacker, accounted for 14 of Santana’s points with two fumble recoveries for touchdowns and a safety.

“I’ve never scored a point in my high school career until tonight,” Butler said. “So it’s a really good feeling to have a senior Homecoming game like this.”

In the first quarter Butler recovered a snap over the punter’s head in the endzone to give Santana a 7-0 lead. The ball bounced through several hands before Butler secured it for the score.

After another poor snap went through the legs of the Monte Vista punter, Butler chased the Monarchs kicker down and tackled him for a safety in the endzone in the second quarter.

As if he were given a visa to have clearance to parade through the Monte Vista offense on patrol, Butler scored on a 35-yard fumble return after teammate JAYLEN FLEER had stripped the Monarchs ball carrier for a fumble. That score gave Santana a 23-0 lead in the fourth quarter.

“After Jaylen knocked the ball free I bobbled it at first, but fortunately it came back up to me and I was able to run it in,” Butler said. “I don’t think our defense gets a whole lot of credit, but we practice really hard.

“I thought we had a shutout but they gave Monte Vista a touchdown on a pass (ANDREAS SANCHEZ to SHERVIN IRANIHA for 33 yards with 4:45 remaining) that was clearly out of bounds. I don’t know what the referees were looking at.”

Santana coach DAVE GROSS agreed that the officiating was less than perfect.

“We should have blown them out,” said Gross. “That was one of the ugliest games I’ve been around in my career. There were a ton of flags – and our offense sputtered – so it was hard to get anything going on that end.”

Santana’s only offensive touchdown came on a 2-yard pass from ZACH BREIDT to T.D. GROSS with 1:43 left in the second quarter.

Kicker BRAD CORNISH, who converted his second PAT following that touchdown, was 3-for-3 on extra point kicks in the game, giving him a Santana record 30 PATs this season.

“If we can beat El Cajon Valley in our last game I think we’ll be in a pretty good (SDCIF Division IV) playoff position,” said coach Gross. “I like the spot we’re in at the moment.”

Although the Monarchs (1-7, 0-2 GVL), lost their sixth straight game, coach PAGE CULVER saw some improvement in his team across the board.

“This is the first game since week two that our kids just went out and played football,” he said. “They battled hard the whole night. I can honestly say I have no issues with our effort.”

Three Monte Vista quarterbacks completed passes, with Sanchez connecting on 4 of 16 for 69 yards. But he, like Iraniha (1 of 5) and running back MATT PARRIS (1 for 1) were harassed by Santana’s pressure defense. The trio totaled 70 yards and suffered eight sacks among them.

Butler recorded 15 tackles, including 5½ sacks.

It would be hard to deny that the Butler did it to the Monarchs.

Playing in just three quarters in the Grossmont Valley League game, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Vaqueros senior running back carried the ball 20 times, racking up 177 yards and 3 touchdowns to help El Capitan defeat El Cajon Valley before a Vaqueros’ Homecoming crowd.

Furr broke the 1,000 yards rushing mark during the second quarter, and now has an East County leading 1,119 yards for the season. He has tallied 598 yards and 10 TDs in his last three games.

“The line blocking was great all night,” Furr said. “They gave me huge holes to run through.”

Playing outside linebacker as a junior, Furr was moved to running back this season.

“When the coaches came to me before the season I was really stoked,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to carry the football.”

San Diego State, San Jose State and Nevada are all interested in wooing Furr to their campus next season.

“Furr is everything we thought he would be,” said El Capitan coach RON BURNER. “But I think we’re showing that we have more than one guy in our offense now.”

Guys like TYLER MASON, who averaged nearly 16 yards on only six carries, including a 46-yard scoring dash that ignited a 34-point third quarter for the Vaqueros (4-4, 3-0 GVL).

As lopsided as this score ended up, Burner admitted being irate at intermission when the Vaqueros were clinging to a 14-7 edge.

“I told the guys at halftime that they needed to focus on the football game and not Homecoming halftime,” Burner said. “I said ‘Do you hear that toilet flushing (at intermission in the locker room)? That’s your season if you don’t come out and play the second half like you know you can.’ I told them we cannot lose this game if we want our season to continue into the playoffs.”

Burner then noted that Furr and Mason approached him prior to the start of the third quarter and said “We want to make the playoffs so give us the ball.”

And so he did.

Junior JOSHUA MURPHY was a major contributor in the El Capitan comeback, scoring on runs of 13 and 41 yards while converting 7 of 8 PATs for 19 points.

“Now that we have some support for Dakota that we didn’t have in the first half of our season, things are starting to come together,” Burner said. “At the beginning of the year we had no outside threats like we do now.”

El Capitan made wholesale substitutions in the fourth quarter.

“We had guys playing positions that they’d never played before,” Burner said. “ El Cajon came out and played hard in the first half. Our defense set the tone in the second half.”

From a defensive standpoint, linebackers DANIEL WADE returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown and CHARLES MOORMAN recorded 3 sacks.

For El Cajon Valley wide receiver DONTAE BAILEY caught 4 passes for 140 yards including an 81-yard scoring strike from HAKIM HARRIS. In only his second varsity game, the Braves’ sophomore quarterback completed 6 of 11 passes for 154 yards.

Sophomore running back ANTONIE WHITE scored on a 10-yard run for the Braves to make it 7-7 after one quarter.

“We had a great first half – played them even in the first half and were right in the game,” said Braves coach NORMAN WHITEHEAD. “But we just couldn’t get started in the second half. We had three turnovers in the third quarter. I still believe we have a good chance to finish the season playing strong football.”

Whitehead was named Prep Pigskin Reports’ Coach of the Week by local sports TV station KUSI. As part of the honor, the Braves’ football program will receive a $1,500 check from the San Diego Chargers.

The Norsemen let the Highlanders know they were in for the challenge right away when SAM VELASQUEZ and ANDREW QUARTUCCIO smothered JIMMY PRUITT on the opening kickoff at the Helix 18-yard line. Four plays later, Valhalla defensive back BRANDON STEED broke up a pass and tipped it to linebacker MICHAEL STEED (no relation) for an interception, giving the Norsemen (3-5, 0-3 GHL) the ball at their own 45-yard line. The Norsemen quickly moved into Helix territory as slot back JUSTIN WADA ran for 9 yards on first down.

On the next play, however, Helix linebackers RAMONT NAILON and ROCKY FUGA sacked the quarterback for a 9-yard loss. Undeterred, junior quarterback FRANK FOSTER lofted a deep 3rd down pass to Wada for a 36-yard gain to the Helix 19-yard line. Then it got a little strange.

On a third down screen pass that was almost picked by the Highlanders’ KENDAL KEYS in the Valhalla backfield, a holding penalty marched the Norsemen back to the Helix 42-yard line, giving the visitors a whopping 33 yards to go for a first down to keep the drive alive. Valhalla picked up 31 of those yards on the next play when Foster, scrambling from a furious rush, located ROBERT RUIZ breaking across the middle and streaking to the Scotties’ 11-yard line.

On 4th and 2, Foster threw a dart in the endzone to junior wide receiver JEVON HASTEN. After TREVOR McGIRR split the uprights with the PAT, Valhalla took a 7-0 with 7:55 left to play in the first quarter.

“That’s only the second time an opponent has actually put a drive together and scored a touchdown on our defense.” Helix coach TROY STARR said. It’s only the third TD allowed by the Helix defense – period.

Fired up, Valhalla ’s defense forced Helix to punt after three plays on the next series, giving the Norsemen’s offense a chance to extend its lead. On 3rd and 10, Foster rolled out to his right, enabling Hasten to get open for a 16-yard gain to the 50-yard line.

Valhalla was rolling again – until the next play when Helix senior defensive lineman SAM MEREDITH sniffed out a screen pass, deftly stepped in front of the receiver for the interception and returned it the Valhalla 21-yard line. After junior running back DARRION HANCOCK sprinted 18 yards to the 3-yard line, Lewis made a nifty fake handoff and raced into the end zone for the tying TD, with 3:37 remaining in the first period.

Valhalla’s special teams were determined not give up the lead however, Michael Steed broke through the line and blocked the PAT attempt, preserving Valhalla’s lead, 7-6, which held up to halftime.

Both defenses dominated the second quarter. Late in that stanza, however, Helix got good field position following a Valhalla punt to the Helix 47. On first down, Norsemen defensive tackle ANDREW DAOUD and Michael Steed stuffed the ball-carrier for a short loss. After an incomplete pass, Helix sophomore running back MICHAEL ADKINS swept around left end for a 20-yard pickup to the Valhalla 33, where sophomore defensive back SPENCER HAVIRD made a touchdown-saving tackle.

Lewis hit AUSTIN GONZALEZ, newly returned to the Helix lineup after missing a few weeks with an injury, for a 14-yard gain to the Norsemen 24, with 57 seconds left in the half. Two more Gonzalez receptions moved the ball to the 11-yard line with less than 30 seconds left. On 4th down, senior JAKE REED saw his 28-yard field goal attempt blocked by Valhalla’s DAVID FLEMING, preserving Valhalla ’s tenuous 1 point halftime lead.

The second half belonged to Helix – the Highlanders showed why they are one of only a handful of undefeated teams remaining in the section. After forcing Valhalla to punt after an opening 3 and out series, the Highlanders put together a 6-play, 52 yard march to paydirt, with Hancock barreling into the endzone on a 4-yard burst up the middle giving the Scotties their first lead with 7:21 left in the 3rd quarter. A little trickery with a halfback pass from Pruitt to tight end Meredith for a 2-point conversion made it 14-7.

“We came out a little flat, but a lot of that was we were missing two of our starting offensive linemen (AUGIE LUGO and DARRIEN OLIVER) with ankle injuries,” Starr said. “And that showed because Valhalla ’s defense is respectable.”

Lewis completed 16 of 28 passes for 181 yards, including touchdown passes to CAMERON LEE (36 YARDS), Pruitt (23 yards) and Gonzalez (6 yards). Lewis now has an East County-high 18 TD passes.

Trailing by only eight points, Valhalla threatened on its next offensive series. Foster threw a bomb to Hasten from the Norsemen 20, but Helix’s Lee closed quickly to bat the ball away at the last second. Foster came right back with a strike to THOMAS McDONALD for a 14-yard gain.

But the Highlanders’ relentless pass rush forced a fumble while sacking the quarterback, and defensive lineman NAPOLEAN LIPO quickly recovered the fumble on the Valhalla 36-yard line. On the next play, Lewis connected with Lee for a 36-yard touchdown to make it 21-7.

Helix added two insurance touchdowns in the 4th quarter.

Hancock led the Helix running game with 107 yards on 20 carries. Gonzalez caught 7 passes for 58 yards, while Lee hauled in 5 balls for 75 yards.

“We were lucky to have Gonzalez at all, because he wasn’t cleared to play until 11 o’clock,” Starr said.

Linebacker GARY THOMPSON intercepted a pass and logged 2 sacks to anchor the Helix defense. ROCKY FUGA also was a standout for the Highlanders.

“Our defense played a pretty solid game even though we were missing two of our DBs to minor injuries,” said Starr. “All of our guys that missed this game with injuries will be back for the Steele Canyon game (in two weeks).”

While Reed was only 1 for 4 on PAT kicks and 0-for-1 on field goals, he did post a 49.0 average on three punts.

For Valhalla, Michael Steed led all defenders with 13 tackles, including 4 tackles for losses, an interception and a blocked PAT attempt.

STEELE CANYON 42, WEST HILLS 0 (Updated 11-1-10) – No. 7 ranked Steele Canyon, which is only one play away from being undefeated – a three point loss to Eastlake – scored 35 points in the middle two quarters to maul West Hills in Friday night’s (Oct. 29) Grossmont Hills League action in Santee.

This was perhaps one of the most balanced attacks the Cougars have shown of late, as quarterback BRAD BOEHMKE completed 10 of 17 passes for 133 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Two of his scoring aerials – 5 and 7 yards – went to tight end KYLE SAGER. Boehmke delivered a 52-yard bomb to CHANCELLER JAMES, making it 28-0 by intermission.

James finished with six receptions for 107 yards.

ERNIE FLINT scored on a pair of 3-yard runs for the Cougars (7-1, 3-0 GHL), who still have regular season games left with Grossmont (Nov. 5) and Helix (Nov. 12).

JAKE WRAGG, who rushed for 142 yards on 18 carries, accounted for one of Steele Canyon ’s two second half touchdowns, scoring on a 5-yard run. It was his 19th touchdown, tops in East County . The senior running back has scored in all eight Steele Canyon games, tallying as many as four TDs on two occasions.

Cougars kicker DANIEL URIBE was a perfect 6-for-6 on PATs.

“I knew it was going to be a challenge for us,” said West Hills coach JESS BARRAGAN. “We tried to do some things differently to change things up against them, but we made too many mistakes against a good team. I feel we competed pretty hard for all four quarters.”

RYAN WILLIAMS picked up 112 yards on 13 rushes to pace West Hills (3-5, 0-3 GHL). He logged 175 all-purpose yards.

Quarterback TREVOR CLIPPINGER enjoyed one of his best games as the Wolf Pack’s starter, hitting 7 of 17 passes for 53 yards. Four of his hook-ups went to STEVEN ARMSTRONG for 43 yards.

“Trevor Clippinger played well tonight,” said Barragan. “He did some good things for us.”

The Division I bound running back (or perferably linebacker) tied a school record by registering five touchdowns as part of a 155-yard rushing effort Friday (Oct. 29), but the Patriots still fell to the visiting Eagles at Valley Stadium.

Sauls broke loose on TD bursts of 40, 1, 3, 5 and 3 runs, tying LAWRENCE WALKER’s record of five scores established in a 2007 CIF-SDS playoff win over Holtville.

Offense wasn’t the Patriots’ problem against SFC. Christian could do nothing to halt the wing-T ground game of the Eagles, which rolled up 464 yards on the ground.

Leading Santa Fe was back Austin Knoth, who recorded 169 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including scoring romps of 50 and 68 yards. Meanwhile, teammate Connor Moore ran for 96 yards and a pair of scores, including a hurdle over an upright Patriots cornerback on a 59-yard TD romp in the second quarter.

In addition, Joshua Estill gained 103 rushing yards, while Jarrod Watson-Lewis added 93 more to help Santa Fe Christian (5-3, 1-1 CL) collect its biggest offensive display of the season. The Eagles only attempted one pass (incomplete).

Christian High fell to 4-4 (0-3 in league).

The teams exchanged scoring punches early on.

Sauls broke through the line for his 40-yard score, but Moore countered with a 30-yard TD run. Sauls opened the second period with a 1-yarder to give the Patriots a 14-7 lead, but Moore 's second touchdown ignited the Eagles.

On a run to the left side, Moore was about to run into a Christian cornerback. So he jumped and hurdled over the defender, racing untouched over the final 40 of his stunning 59-yard score which starting a string of 21 straight Eagles points.

Sauls scored his third TD just before the intermission, then Patriots went into ball-control mode to start the second half, needing 11 plays to set-up Sauls' fourth TD to tie the contest at 28-all.

However, Santa Fe Christian received a 37-yard field goal by Matt Kirwan to start a 17-0 scoring run to pull away for a 45-28 lead before Sauls earned his final score in the final minutes.

Christian quarterback SHANE DILLON completed 20-of-35 passes for 233 yards. Included were 9 strikes to JASON GAINES (for 115 yards) and 5 to KYLE HARRIS (82 yards).

Neither team committed a turnover.

Foothills Christian's Spencer George bulls through a pair of Jewish Academy defenders. (Photo by Michelle DeAngelo Photography) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

© East County Sports.com
CARMEL VALLEY (10-29-10) — A funny thing happened on the way to Foothills Christian's showdown against Calvin Christian for the Southern League crown. Yet, no one was laughing when the Knights found themselves trailing to an unimpressive ballclub from San Diego Jewish Academy.

And the halftime numbers were, to politely call it, disappointing.

Besides trailing on the scoreboard, 16-7, capped by a blocked punt for a safety, the Knights mustered a mere 29 yards in total offense (the Lions posted 244 yards), with the lone Foothills score coming on a kickoff return.

"In the first half, the team came out flat all over the field," said SPENCER GEORGE, who coincidently was limited to 29 rushing yards in the first half. "We knew what we had to do, then we did it – we proved ourselves."

Sans the miscues and penalties which plagued them in the first half, Foothills Christian reverted into championship form to finally escape with a 27-23 decision Thursday (Oct. 28) afternoon from the bluffs above the Pacific Ocean, just east of Del Mar.

George registered the go-ahead touchdown on an 11-yard run midway through the third period, when the Knights scored twice in a span of 16 seconds.

Down 23-14, a keeper by quarterback ZACH CUMMINGS from 6 yards out trimmed the deficit to three points. Then on the ensuing kickoff, senior HENRY LUSCHEI knocked the ball loose on the runback, with freshman TAYLOR FALDUTI making the fumble recovery. George then rumbled off right tackle for part of his 97 second-half yards. For the contest, George rushed 15 times for 126 yards.

"I just drove behind my center, STEPHEN TARDIFF, and went all the way in," said Cummings.

The momentum shift occurred less than three minutes earlier when SDJA allowed a punt to roll to the Knights-19, yet without downing it. So Cummings corralled the motionless ball and rumbled 81 yards down the Foothills sideline.

The runback is believed to be the school record. Former Knights standout GARRET CAMPBELL, who once recorded 7 kick returns (kickoff or punt) for scores in 2008 (third-most in CIF state history), once went 70 yards with a punt against Vista-Calvary Christian.

“The coaches always tell us to play the whistle," noted Cummings. "So when they let the ball die there, without touching it, I just grabbed it and took off."

Lions running back Bruno Garcia dominated the first half. The senior collected 164 yards in total offense, including a 42-yard run to open the scoring, then hauled in a 53-TD pass for a 14-7 lead. Garcia also blocked a punt which led to a safety with 2:49 left before intermission.

Following Garcia's first TD, Knights junior BEN HOUSLEY returned the kickoff 73 yards for a touchdown.

The Knights (4-2, 4-0 SL) did register one nice first-half play on offense, as Cummings raced 57 yards to the end zone. However, a penalty nullified the play, otherwise, Foothills would have scored 34 points for a fourth consecutive contest.

On defense, the Knights yielded just 120 yards in the second half. Included were sacks by ANDY HOFFMAN, Housley and KENDRICK LUCKENBACH, while a hit by TALON DeANGELO forced a fumble.

For the Lions, Garcia finished with 8 receptions for 166 yards, giving him 246 all-purpose yards He also had 7 carries for 56 yards – matching teammate Jeremy Danzig for team rush yardage honors – and returned a kickoff 24 yards.

For San Diego Jewish (2-3-1, 1-2-1 SL), quarterback Micah Weinstein, a sophomore, completed 15-of-22 passes for 286 yards without an interception.

Although the ballgame was held at SDJA's Jaffe campus, Foothills was officially the home team.

Prior to the season, since SDJA does not play on Fridays, it was determined that the Knights could not secure Seau Field at Parkway Middle School for a Thursday afternoon affair, thus the game's relocation to the State Route 56 corridor – one of six high schools along a 6-mile stretch (Torrey Pines, Cathedral Catholic, Canyon Crest, Westview and Mt. Carmel are the others).

Next Friday (Nov. 5), for the third straight season, Foothills and Calvin will meet for the Southern Conference title. The home team has won each time, with the Knights winning on the final play of the 2008 season, then the Crusaders bounding back to take the flag last season. It will also be Senior Night for the Knights at Seau Field.

The offensive line for Foothills Christian providing pass protection. (Photo by Michelle DeAngelo Photography) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

Thursday matinee opens Week 9 action

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (10-28-10) (Updated) — East County teams are making an impact in the CalHiSports’ Southern California rankings for the State Football Championship Bowls.

In Division II, Helix (7-0) is ranked No. 3, Oceanside (5-2) is No. 5 and Steele Canyon (6-1) is No. 9. Valley Center (8-0) is top-ranked in Division III, while Olympian (6-1) is No. 4. and The Bishop’s (7-0) is No. 7 in Division III. Francis Parker (4-3) is No. 4 in Division IV.

Meanwhile, the Grossmont Conference slate will begins Friday at 7 p.m. with Grossmont, El Capitan and Santana celebrating homecoming.

“I think we can, although this is the first time we’re coming off a loss so nobody knows for sure,” said Foothillers coach RON MURPHY. “That was a humbling experience versus Helix. They exposed our young kids up front.”

For the majority of the season the Foothillers (6-1, 1-1 GHL) have counted on quarterback DeSEAN WATERS to carry the offense and – outside of the Helix game when he was limited to 12 yards total – Waters has produced more than 200 yards per game and has helped the Hillers hang up 15 touchdowns.

“We’ve put a lot of pressure on DeSean to carry us offensively,” Murphy said. “So now we’re going to try to get more kids involved in our offense – guys like JOEY ACOSTA and LAWRENCE WALKER. We need to take some of the pressure off of Waters.”

It’s kind of a reverse role for No. 9 ranked Grossmont, which relies on its blitz-happy defense to disrupt opposing offenses.

“(Coach BRAD) BURTON ’s defense is legitimate,” said Granite Hills coach RANDY DeWITT. “They bring the house, and you know they’re going to put pressure on us, because that’s what they do.”

The Eagles (5-2, 1-1 GHL) are loaded with offensive weapons with senior quarterback CORY LOCKMAN at the helm. Outside of the fact that Lockman is averaging 194.4 yards total offense, he has thrown only four interceptions while serving up 11 touchdowns and 1285 yards in 133 passes.

“We have a lot of weapons,” DeWitt said. “And we like to think that gives us an edge.”

Senior wide receiver-kicker GILBERT PEREZ is averaging 25 yards per catch and 6 touchdowns on 23 receptions while contributing 43 kicking points.

“He’s also a great soccer player who is going to have a lot of options out of high school,” DeWitt said.

Although Granite Hills leads the all-time series 24-18-1, the Foothillers have won the last four encounters by a composite score of 145-44, including 54-20 in the last meeting in 2008.

This game is a toss-up, but look for the Foothillers to pull a narrow escape... Grossmont 21-17.

El Cajon Valley at El Capitan — The Vaqueros (3-4, 2-0 GVL), who have scored 77 points in back-to-back league victories, have eyes for the Grossmont Valley League championship. El Capitan won three titles in the final four years of the now defunct Grossmont North League, including the last two.

This is a team that is gaining momentum at the right time of the season.

“I told our kids they can leave a legacy at our school by going back-to-back-to-back if they win league this year,” Vaqueros coach RON BURNER said. A victory over the Braves (1-6, 0-1 GVL) sets up a championship showdown at Mount Miguel (7-1, 2-0 GVL) on Nov. 5.

El Capitan finishes the regular season with a non-league bout at Francis Parker on Nov. 12.

“To be sure of making the (Division III) playoffs we need to win out,” Burner said. “One more win should get us in, but we want better than that.”

The ever-improving ROBERT CRAIGHEAD (6-foot-4, 258-pound senior), who will be inducted into “Shack’s Pig Pen” during this week’s edition of the Prep Pigskin Report, is one of the stalwarts in the Vaqueros drive to the finish line.

“Craighead can play any position on the field,” Burner said. “I’m serious... safety, corner, quarterback... whatever is needed.”

Boise State, San Diego State, Arizona, Nevada and Utah have expressed varying degrees of interest in Craighead. At the moment, SDSU is the front-runner.

Senior running back DAKOTA FURR (6-2, 225), who has rushed for 421 yards and 7 TDs on 47 carries in his last two starts, is also luring college attention. At this juncture it shapes as a battle between SDSU and San Jose State with Nevada having an outside shot.

El Cajon Valley looks to do-it-all DONTAE BAILEY (974 yards, 52 points) to lead the Braves’ upset bid.

El Capitan 39-9-3 leads the all-time series, including 17 wins in the last 20 meetings, however, the Braves have won two of the last five. Is El Cajon Valley muscled for yet another an upset? Don’t count on it... El Capitan 34-13

Valhalla at Helix — Not many longshots come any bigger than this. Oh sure, the visiting Norsemen can hope that host Helix is relishing its blowout of undefeated Grossmont a week ago, but don’t look for that as being a platform for the Norsemen to spring an upset.

Historically speaking, No. 3 ranked Helix (7-0, 2-0 GHL) tops this series 31-4-2. However, Valhalla (3-4, 0-2 GHL) did register a 28-14 victory during the regular season last year. But when the chips were down – in the Division II SDCIF quarterfinals – Helix’s sophomore laden team pulled out a 24-20 victory to eliminate the No. 2 seeded Norsemen.

As competitive as these two teams were a year ago, that won’t be the case this time around.

For Valhalla coach STEVE SUTTON it’s a matter of scoring against the Highlanders, who have allowed only two touchdowns on the defensive side.

“I’m sure they’re not going to look at us too seriously, coming off a big game like they had against Grossmont,” Sutton said. “I’m just hoping we can score a couple of times on them.”

Helix coach TROY STARR won’t come out and say it, but his team is obviously looking ahead to the Grossmont Hills League finale against Steele Canyon, and beyond.

“Honestly, I don’t know how good we really are because we haven’t been tested,” Starr said. “That in itself scares me.”

And that wasn’t because he was talking about Halloween.

“Their defense makes you work for everything you get,” Starr said of Valhalla. “They force turnovers. At times they’ve played well enough defensively to win the ( Steele Canyon ) game.”

Division I products senior SAM MEREDITH (DL-TE), sophomore WILLIAM MILO (DL-OL) and junior JIMMY PRUITT (corner-WR-QB) are the hub of the Helix formation.

Running backs DARRION HANCOCK (111-782, 4 TDs) and sophomore MICHAEL ADKINS (35-406, 3 TDs) are the energizers of an electric Helix running game.

Not to be overlooked is the Highlanders junior quarterback BRANDON LEWIS, who has turned 15 of his 80 completions into touchdowns.

Valhalla ’s offensive strategy centers around junior quarterback FRANK FOSTER, who has completed 95 of 156 passes for 1421 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Receiver JEVON HASTEN (23-575, 6 TDs) is probably the East County ’s best deep threat.

Bottom line is the Highlanders have too many weapons... Helix 38-14.

Steele Canyon at West Hills – No question, what’s on the mind of the No. 7 ranked Steele Canyon Cougars is the regular season finale against the Helix Highlanders.

Given that the Cougars (6-1, 2-0 GHL) need a road victory over West Hills and a home victory over Grossmont to set up that showdown has SC coach RON BOEHMKE preaching the present to his Cougars.

“I think all of our kids are aware of the rest of our schedule,” Boehmke said. “And I think the really neat thing about this group is they always stay calm and cool.”

The obvious focal point of the Steele Canyon offense is senior JAKE WRAGG, who has scored an East County leading 18 touchdowns (108 points) and is averaging 127.9 yards on 112 rushes.

“Wragg is legit – no question about that,” West Hills coach JESS BARRAGAN said.

So is the Cougars’ senior quarterback BRAD BOEHMKE, who has completed 67 of 118 for 421 yards and 9 touchdowns.

“We’re just trying to lick our wounds after a tough loss (28-27 to Granite Hills) last week,” Barragan said. “But like I point out to our kids, we did take Steele Canyon into overtime during a passing league game last summer. I know it doesn’t mean a lot, but it’s something positive to build on.”

Cougars coach Boehmke is aware that West Hills had success running the ball out of a Wing-T offense against Granite Hills, grinding out 385 yards on 47 carries.

RYAN WILLIAMS chalked up a career high 186 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, while MICHAEL SCALES chipped in a career best 159 yards and one score on 22 carries for West Hills (3-4, 0-2 GHL).

“They know how to grind it out,” said Coach Boehmke.

As far as Boehmke is concerned, it’s not all about West Hills’ running game.

“They play great defense – it’s hard to break a long one on them,” he said. “They don’t mass blitz like Grossmont does, but they blitz from a lot of different spots. They play their secondary deep and are very good in their pursuit for the ball.”

West Hills, which churned out 394 yards in the loss to Granite Hills, looks to defensive lineman STEVE ARMSTRONG, linebacker RYAN NUCKOLS and safety JOHN VOLL to secure the Wolf Pack’s defense.

The Cougars have won three straight from the Wolf Pack, including 48-28 last year. That trend should continue... Steele Canyon 31-12.

Santa Fe Christian vs. Christian at Granite Hills — Coach MATT OLIVER admits being a bit frustrated over the recent performance of his Christian High Patriots (4-3, 0-2 Coastal League).

“It’s real simple,” Oliver said. “In the four games we’ve won we did not turn the ball over. In the three losses we’ve had 10 turnovers, including three picks run back for touchdowns.”

Horizon capitalized on Christian miscues last week to take a 28-0 lead. The Patriots fought back, but still came up eight points short.

“That’s not the first time we’ve spotted teams a big lead early,” Oliver said. “We did it against Parker, too. We are digging ourselves into too deep a hole.”

Oliver is bringing three freshmen – corner ZAKE WELCH, safety ZANE KAUFMAN and linebacker SEBASTIAN SWIFT – up from the Patriots 6-1 junior varsity squad.

“This is the best group of 9th graders I’ve had since I’ve been here (11 years as a head coach and three as an assistant),” Oliver said.

Christian’s primary weapons continue to be running back-linebacker TYRONE SAULS (149-801, 10 TDs), East County pass receiving leader KYLE HARRIS (38-685, 4 TDs) and passing leader SHANE DILLON (115-233, 1636 yards, 8 TDs).

Oliver is impressed by the work of Harris.

“He’s a skinny kid (6-foot-2, 170) who makes a lot of big plays,” Oliver said. “He’s really been a plus for us.”

Santa Fe Christian (4-3, 0-1 CL) has won five of the last seven meetings, including a 33-13 win last year.

“I think we can still win seven games and get a decent (Division IV) seeding position,” Oliver said. “But it is essential that we knock off the turnovers.”

Both teams are in need of a victory for seeding purposes since they are the bottom two teams in the Coastal League. Give the nod to... Santa Fe Christian 22-21.

Monte Vista at Santana — The visiting Monarchs would love nothing more than to spring a Grossmont Valley League upset and spoil Santana’s Homecoming Friday night (Oct. 29) in Santee.

That would probably be doubly disturbing for Sultans coach DAVE GROSS, who will serve as an escort for his senior daughter KIM, who is part of the Homecoming Court. The Sultans also have three defensive starters – linebacker JONATHAN BUTLER, linebacker TIMOTHY SCHULTZ and defensive back JUAN RIOS vying for Homecoming King.

“It will be kind of a different halftime for me because I’ll be doing the Homecoming stuff instead of talking to my team at halftime,” Coach Gross said.

The Sultans (4-3-1, 0-2 GVL) need to close the season with victories over Monte Vista and El Cajon Valley to gain a prominent playoff seeding in Division IV.

“They’re both big games but we’re just happy to be in a position where the games actually count,” the coach added. “If we end up 6-3-1 that would be a good scenario for us. If we’re able to win out, we should get something like a 5, 6 or 7 seed and a home game.”

If the Sultans can sweep their final two regular season contests, they will be only the third Santana team in the 46-year history of the football program to lose as few as three games during the regular season.

Monte Vista (1-6, 0-1 GVL) leads all-time series 21-10-3. The last time Santana beat Monte Vista was 20-16 in 1990. Since then these teams have faced off only eight times with the Monarchs winning by a composite score of 214-47.

In spite of their sluggish performance, an upset by Monte Vista is not out of the realm of possibility, but the edge goes to... Santana 28-14.

Foothills Christian at SD Jewish Academy — The streaking Knights can take another step toward capturing the Southern Conference championship with a win over the Lions.

Running backs SPENCER GEORGE (83-494, 8 TDs) and HENRY LUSCHEI (32-252) along with quarterback ZACH CUMMINGS (650 yards, 8 TDs) lead the charge for the Knights (3-2, 3-0 SL).

Foothills blanked SDJA 21-0 last season. A repeat performance should be in the offing this time around... Foothills Christian 34-20.

CIF-SAN DIEGO SECTION MEDIA RANKINGS
North County Times/ SD Sportswriters-Sportscasters Poll Rank/Team Record Points LW   1. Vista (16)   2. Eastlake (3)   3. Helix (2)   5. Torrey Pines   6. Valley Center   4. Oceanside   7. Steele Canyon   8. La Costa Canyon   9. Mount Miguel tie St. Augustine 7-0-0 8-0-0 7-0-0 7-0-0 8-0-0 5-2-0 6-1-0 5-2-0 7-1-0 6-1-0 205 177 162 139 132 109 82 64 23 23 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 — — Others receiving votes: Mission Hills (10), Rancho Bernardo (6), Poway (4), Olympian (4), Mira Mesa (2), Cathedral Catholic (1), Grossmont (1).	SignOnSanDiego/ San Diego Union-Tribune Rank/Team Record LW   1. Vista   2. Eastlake   3. Oceanside   4. Torrey Pines   6. Helix   5. Valley Center   7. La Costa Canyon   8. Steele Canyon   9. Mount Miguel 10. Mira Mesa 7-0-0 8-0-0 5-2-0 7-0-0 7-0-0 8-0-0 5-2-0 6-1-0 7-1-0 4-3-0 1 2 3 4 6 5 7 8 9 — Others: Grossmont 6-1, Rancho Bernardo 5-2, Mission Hills 5-2, Madison 6-1, Brawley 6-1, Point Loma 5-2, Cathedral 3-4, St. Augustine 6-1, The Bishop’s 7-0, Olympian 6-1.
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

TIP-TOE & A TIP

Christian defender Jason Gaines (82) just gets a fingertip on the ball, preventing Horizon receiver Darren Carrington from making the sideline grab. (Photo by Rick Parker) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

Panthers pick on the Patriots

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (10-24-10) — By the time the Christian Patriots recorded their initial first down, there was nine minutes remaining in the first half and the hosts were staring at the short side of a 21-0 deficit on the scoreboard.

Then things got much worse.

Horizon safety Markel Byrd, who already tossed a pair of touchdown passes on offense, stepped in front of a Patriots' pass for a 52-yard interception and a 28-0 lead. It was the second Panthers score on an interception runback.

To many in the stands for Christian's homecoming, it was game over, yet give the Patriots credit. Tossing a second-half shutout, the hosts registered 20 unanswered points and had a chance to force overtime in the closing minutes before falling 28-20 to Horizon in Saturday's (Oct. 23) Coastal League affair at Valley Stadium.

"It's definitely tough (to come back) when you give up two picks for scores," said defensive end MICHAEL DAY, who matched teammate TYRONE SAULS with a pair of sacks each of Byrd. "But the defense calmed down and figured out what they were doing, which allowed us to fly to the ball and make tackles."

The rally started on a 1-yard Sauls run with 5.1 seconds left in the half, although Christian nearly gave it back on the kickoff when Byrd raced 71 yards on the runback, only to get caught at the Patriots-13 as the clock expired. The drive featured a pair of passes worth 33 and 9 yards from quarterback SHANE DILLON to KYLE HARRIS.

An unlikely third-quarter TD saw Dillon complete a 33-yard pass to JOSHUA FELDSCHER for a third-down conversion, then a deep, 39-yarder to a wide open Harris on a fourth-down conversion to set-up a 1-yard sneak by Dillon to trim the deficit to 28-12.

However, with Horizon continuing to look for picks by jumping on pass routes – including a 37-yard 'Pick 6' by J.J. Hall in the first period – Christian coaches surprised Horizon by going over the top, as Dillon threw the bomb along the left sideline to Harris for a 71-yard score.

The 2-point conversion run by Sauls trimmed the deficit to 8 points.

And when Day sacked Byrd to force a punt on the next Horizon series, Christian moved into position to extend the contest if they could maneuver 61 yards in the final five minutes.

A pair of first downs advanced the ball to the Panthers-36, but a sack by Marcus McGlaughlin and three incompletions ended the threat.

Dillon overcame a 3-for-12 start by completing 16 of 36 passes for 280 yards, including nine strikes to Harris for 168 yards. Meanwhile Byrd was 16-for-27 for 185 yards, including five completions to each Darren Carrington and Zach Moran.

Christian out-gained Horizon, 381-305, in total offense.

The setback snapped Christian's 5-game undefeated streak (4-0-1) against the Panthers, as Horizon came out on top for the first time since 2004.

GANG GREEN

Paced by defensive lineman Napoleon Lipo (43, at bottom), Helix places seven "hats" (helmets) on a defense-less Grossmont running back. (Photo by Ken Stone, LaMesaPatch.com) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (10-23-10) — GILBERT PEREZ is one of the leading receivers in the East County this season. And he proved it unequivocally Friday (Oct. 22) night to first preserve, then provide Granite Hills’ thrilling 28-27 victory over West Hills at Granite Hills’ Valley Stadium.

In a game that could have gone either way, one play, one mistake or one break could have reversed fortunes for both sides. Perez turned in two dandies late in the first half that many observers might have overlooked after West Hills failed to line up a long, potential game-winning field-goal attempt as time expired at the end of the contest.

Punting for the first time with 2:54 left in the first half – from the 13-yard line in a game tied 21-21 – Perez leaped and one-handedly snagged a high snap that would have sailed out of the back of the end zone. He then calmly ripped off a 51-yard punt.

Three plays later, West Hills was forced to punt for the first time.

On the next play, Perez hauled in a 55-yard touchdown pass from CORY LOCKMAN to put the Eagles up 28-21 with 0:58 remaining before intermission.

“You put good athletes in position to help you win,” Granite Hills coach RANDY DeWITT said. “Gilbert’s a great athlete. We’ve come to expect plays like that from him.”

There were other big plays to be certain in a game that produced 763 total yards.

Lockman completed 19-of-26 passes for 264 yards with two unfortunate interceptions. The first pick came when Lockman attempted to flip the ball – like an option pitch – over West Hills’ KAVIKA WILLIAMS to a running back near the line of scrimmage. The flip wasn’t far enough as Williams snared it and raced 58 yards for a touchdown to knot the game at 21-21.

“That was a mistake by Cory that I bet he never makes again,” said DeWitt, who added this about his senior quarterback’s fine overall play: “He’s our leader. He’s our captain. We expect him to move the offense like he did tonight.”

Lockman’s other interception caromed off the hands of his intended receiver into the lap of West Hills safety JOHN VOLL at the West Hills’ 30-yard line. With 4:04 left, West Hills needed to drive 70 yards for a game-winning TD or 30-40 yards to set up a deciding field goal.

West Hills had thrown only one pass all night, and then ran seven straight times to set up a third-and-3 from the Granite-47 with 0:40 left. TREVOR CLIPPINGER hit TIM SEABOCH for a 6-yard gain and a first down but without a timeout, Clippinger had to spike the ball, and there remained only 9.7 seconds. Clippinger again went to Seaboch for a 1-yard gain on the sideline, but Seaboch was tackled inbounds, and time expired.

“We got a ton of yards,” West Hills coach JESS BARRAGAN said. “We just came up short. We did a lot of things right to give ourselves a chance – to give our kicker a chance, a kicker who’s already made two field goals. That hurts.”

With the 1-point win, Granite Hills exacted revenge on West Hills from last year’s 27-26 loss when the Wolf Pack scored on a 67-yard touchdown pass with 33 seconds remaining.

Both teams opened Grossmont Hills League play last week with a loss, but Granite Hills (5-2, 1-1) rebounded to put itself into good position for a Division I playoff berth with contests remaining against Grossmont, Helix and Valhalla. West Hills (3-4, 0-2) finishes with Steele Canyon, Valhalla and Grossmont and probably needs at least one more win to make the Division III playoffs.

“Being 5-2 feels real good,” DeWitt said. “Our goals are to have a winning record in league and make the playoffs. We’ve got a good shot.”

Said Barragan, whose team lost to Helix 41-7 last week: “We have to regroup. This one hurts more than last week. This was a slow death.”

Looking to bury the Wolf Pack early, Granite Hills dominated the first quarter with 180 yards on 25 plays.

FRANTZ LARAQUE scored the first two touchdowns on runs of 5 and 1 yards to make it 14-0.

Immediately after Laraque’s 12th TD of the season, West Hills’ MICHAEL SCALES took the next handoff 80 yards down the right sideline to make it 14-7.

Granite then reeled off an 11-play, 80-yard drive to make it 21-7 after Lockman took a QB sneak from the 1-yard line across the goal line.

The Wolf Pack answered that with 13 consecutive running plays for an 82-yard drive, capped by RYAN WILLIAMS’ 5-yard TD run.

Williams finished with 186 yards on 18 carries. Scales had 159 yards on 21 carries. JARRETT DALE added 23 with six attempts and JARRED KLYMCHECK raced 20 yards with his only carry as West Hills piled up 390 rushing yards.

“We had a goal of 300 rushing yards,” Barragan said. “It’s no secret we’re not going to throw the ball. We’ve got a backup quarterback in there. Everybody knows that. The kids played great, especially in the second half.”

West Hills twice had golden opportunities in the third quarter to tie or take the lead.

A 46-yard run by Ryan Williams gave the Wolf Pack a first-and-goal at the 5, but three plays later West Hills had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by JOSH McINTIRE.

On its next series, a 76-yard run by Williams gave West Hills a first-and-goal at the 3. A procedure penalty, two stuffed runs and an incomplete pass on third down led to a 25-yard field goal by McIntire. That made it 28-27 with 2:48 left in the third quarter, and that’s the way it stayed.

“There were so many things that went in to making this win,” DeWitt said. “It could have gone either way.

“Our defense really stepped up on those stops in the third quarter. They get a touchdown on either one of those drives, they probably win. We’ve got to give props to our defense.”

Perez finished with five receptions for 109 yards, including the deciding touchdown. NATE HUFF nabbed eight balls for 66 yards. MICHAEL MILLIEN caught four passes for 64 yards, and JUSTIN DAVIS added two receptions for 25 yards. In the balanced attack, Laraque had 92 rushing yards on 21 carries.

“We came out clicking in the first half,” DeWitt said. “We thought we would come out and do that. We hoped we would do that all night. (West Hills) made some good defensive adjustments and slowed us down a bit.”

In addition to the interceptions, West Hills got 2.5 sacks from All-CIF candidate STEVE ARMSTRONG, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound defensive lineman and tight end.

“We made too many mistakes,” Barragan said. “That’s the coaches’ fault. A lot of little things, mostly mental, that’s the difference of the game.”

Even in defeat, Barragan promised his offensive line and running backs an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast if they rushed for more than 300 yards. The Wolf Pack finished for 390.

HELIX 41, GROSSMONT 0 – In a game that was listed as a classic showdown Friday night (Oct. 22) in La Mesa, the Helix Highlanders once again destroyed a Top 10 team, one with an undefeated record.

This one wasn’t pretty. The No. 3 Highlanders (7-0, 2-0 Grossmont Hills League) scored 35 points in the middle two quarters to turn the annual battle for The Musket with visiting Grossmont into a blowout.

“We couldn’t do anything against them offensively,” Grossmont coach RON MURPHY said. “Their more experienced linemen exposed our sophomore kids up front.”

Said Helix coach TROY STARR, “Our defensive front just overwhelmed them.”

Given that Grossmont senior running back DeSEAN WATERS – East County ’s rushing leader (133.2 ypg) was rationed to 2 yards on 13 carries and completed only 2 of 13 passes for 10 yards – that would seem to be fact.

Helix junior linebacker GARY THOMPSON racked up 8 tackles, two sacks and returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown.

“He’s a D-I college guy,” Starr said.

Junior quarterback BRANDON LEWIS authored three first half touchdowns to ROMELLO CARBUCCIA (63 yards), JIMMY PRUITT (10) and SAM MEREDITH (9). Lewis completed 9 of 18 passes for 118 yards. Meredith led the receivers with 4 catches for 27 yards.

“That touchdown was probably the biggest play of my career,” said Carbuccia. “It was a wide receiver screen – something we planned on running all week because of Grossmont’s blitzing tendencies.”

Then came Pruitt, a Division I defensive back, who reeled in Lewis’ second scoring pass – a 10-yard strike to make it 13-0 in the second quarter.

“This is a better team this year because we have higher expectations and bigger goals,” Pruitt said.

“Grossmont did a lot of trash talking all week and then when they sacked me on the first play for 9 yards they were really out of control,” Lewis said. “I think that really gave us the momentum lift that we needed. We didn’t care that they were 6-0 because we played a 5-0 Mount Miguel team and still took them apart.”

Lewis was never sacked again.

“I think our offensive line took that personally,” Lewis said. “Because after that, nobody sneaked through.”

Lewis said the Helix game plan was to come out running heavy.

“I guess it didn’t look pretty to Coach Starr,” Lewis said.

Give the Highlanders’ head coach credit because the Highlanders took a 20-0 lead through the air with 5:47 left in the first half.

Meredith proved his might on the defensive side in terms of halting Waters.

“Our inside game pushed Waters outside where our ends contained him – gave him no running room at all,” Meredith said. “I thought it was going to be a better game, but I guess it meant more to us than them because we played our best game.”

DARRION HANCOCK rushed for 102 yards on 15 carries while MICHAEL ADKINS galloped for 115 yards on 6 carries, including a 58-yard touchdown run that gave the Highlanders a 41-0 lead with 2:52 left in the third quarter.

Of course, the so-called big prize comes from beating the Foothillers to claim the perennial trophy Musket.

“I never even heard of The Musket,” said Meredith. “But I know about all the hub-bub and how important it is to our school. So I guess I should say I’m glad we won it again.”

The Highlanders won the Civil War rifle for the 27th time since 1979.

SULTANS ARE DUNN

Mount Miguel ball-carrier Derrick Dunn (with ball) collects additional yardage behind the blocking of Taurus James (68) and Mohamed Mohamed (19). (Photo by Ken Stone, LaMesaPatch.com) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

MOUNT MIGUEL 41, SANTANA 10 – It took visiting Santana High less than two minutes to make it known that Mount Miguel would not waltz to the inaugural Grossmont Valley League football championship after the Sultans’ JASON PATTERSON raced 36 yards with an interception for a touchdown just 1:47 into Friday's (Oct. 22) game at Matador Stadium.

Mount Miguel's defense thought otherwise.

The Matadors yielded just a field goal and a mere 201 yards (only 106 through three periods) while forcing four turnovers, swatting the Sultans, 41-10. Senior cornerback JEFF DEWALL completed a string of 27 unanswered points in the second half with his own 'Pick 6" by racing 53 yards with an interception – the Matadors' first INT TD of the season.

"Santana wouldn't go deep, so I trusted my instincts and jumped on one of their routes and went for the interception," said Dewall. "Then I took it to the gate."

"It gave the crowd something to cheer about for homecoming."

Meanwhile, Matadors running back DERRICK DUNN, the East County leader in rushing touchdowns, added to his collection. The senior scored on the ground twice, including a go-ahead, 4-yard gallop in the second quarter, part of his 162 yards on the ground to fuel the offense.

"We started to get things done on both sides of the ball in the second quarter," said Dunn, who added a 9-yard score in the second half. "The defense made plays while the O-line blocked for me."

In the first half, it was anything but routine for the Matadors, which failed on their first five pass attempts, including the TD theft. However, Dunn set up the offense with a 38-yard burst around left end, then MOHAMED MOHAMED grabbed a 14-yard scoring pass from ERNEST WILLIAMS.

Dunn, who gained 88 yards in the first quarter while waiting for the passing game to get untracked, then burst up the middle for his first score and a 14-7 lead just 1:06 into the second quarter.

Santana stayed in the contest with a 13-play drive to close the first half, a march aided by a pair of personal foul penalties on the host Matadors.

The Sultans eventually reached the Mount Miguel-6, but three straight pass plays were foiled as the Matadors' defense flexed their muscles. Included was a sack by defensive end MALCOLM JACKSON, a deflected pass at the goal line by ERNEST INGRAM, then ERNIE CASTRO knocked away a pass near the back corner of the end zone, leaving Santana to settle for a 26-yard BRAD CORNISH field goal with 24 seconds remaining.

"We knew Santana has some good receivers, but our receivers worked real hard this week in practice, showing us looks by Santana," noted Castro, who broke up several passes in the contest. "That allowed us to work on our press coverage and throw off their timing."

The scoring drive gave Santana some momentum heading into the locker room, but the Matadors took it right back by surprising everyone with an onside kick to start the second half. The ball was recovered by ANTHONY ORTEGA without a Santana player anywhere in the vicinity of the squibbed football.

The trickery seemed to be continuing when Mount Miguel was in position for a hook-and-lateral attempt on third down, but the pass was dropped. So on fourth down out of punt formation, the Matadors snapped the ball to upback RICO MONROY, who raced untouched 45 yards for a touchdown and a 21-10 advantage.

Dunn added a 9-yard TD run to cap the third period with a 28-10 lead, then Williams tossed his second scoring pass by connecting with Ortega on a deep, 42-yard bomb along the right sideline.

Mount Miguel also received an interception by RONNIE HICKS, and DOMINIC CELESTIN forced a fumble, while Castro and TONY DOZIER registered fumble recoveries off botched snaps.

Among the Matadors' defensive linemen, sacks were recorded by Jackson, SMITH TAUSAGA and CORY LITTLETON in registered their second-half shutout.

Meanwhile, Sultans receiver LANDON LOZOYA finished with 12 catches for 95 yards (6 for 32 in the final period). The dozen receptions equals a school record first set in 1998 by JOHN FIELDS (vs. USDHS), then matched a year later by CHRIS MAZZI (vs. Patrick Henry).

In addition, the PAT kick by BRAD CORNISH was his 27th of the season, tying the Santana mark set by HEATH GATHERCOLE in 1992.

On defense, the Sultans' Patterson and DANIEL HAYES – both are juniors – had sacks.

Santana (4-3-1, 0-2 GVL), which has now lost three straight following a 4-3-1 start to its season, returns home to entertain another team struggling on offense in Monte Vista (1-6, 0-1), next Friday (Oct. 29) at Santee Community Stadium. Mount Miguel (7-1, 2-0 GVL), ranked 9th in the county by The San Diego Union-Tribune, has a bye next week.

Mount Miguel's Derrick Dunn (1) turns the corner on this 38-yard gallop, finishing with 162 yards and a pair of touchdowns to blumf Santana, 41-10. (Photo by Mick McMurray, MMHS Yearbook staff)

EL CAPITAN 37, MONTE VISTA 0 – El Capitan senior DAKOTA FURR may be the No. 1 running back in East County by the time the curtain falls on this season. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound workhorse plowed for 203 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries as the Vaqueros mauled Monte Vista in a Grossmont Valley League contest Friday (Oct. 22) in Lakeside.

This game was almost over before it started as the Vaqueros (3-4, 2-0 GVL) took a 21-0 first quarter lead. Furr did all the scoring honors in the opening 12 minutes, carrying the ball across the goal line from 12 yards out, 1 yard out and 3 yards out.

That scoring flurry lifted Furr’s totals to 10 touchdowns and 60 points.

By the time the marching band reached the field at halftime, El Capitan led 30-0. JAKE ALVERNAZ, who generated 154 yards total offense despite playing only four plays in the second half, scored on a 1-yard run and JOSHUA MURPHY booted a 30-yard field goal.

The only scoring in the second half was a 1-yard plunge by the Vaquero’s ROBERT CRAIGHEAD in the third quarter.

“They got up on us early and our kids exhaled and that was the end,” said Monte Vista coach PAGE CULVER.

TYLER MASON, who rushed for 188 yards against Santana a week earlier, was limited to only 29 yards on six ground deliveries against the Monarchs (1-6, 0-1 GVL). Mason catch three passes for 66 yards, while Craighead reeled in three aerials for 52 yards.

TYRONE WIGGINS, who reportedly has arm problems, did not look like it against the Monarchs as he completed 5 of 7 passes for 61 yards in a relief role of Alvernaz. Wiggins also rushed for 23 yards on 6 carries and caught a pass for 8 yards.

ANDREAS SANCHEZ rushed for 54 yards on nine carries and MATT PARRIS chipped in with 46 yards on five sorties for Monte Vista.

LOWS & HIGHS

Left: Valhalla's Hanssell Wilson (20) strips the ball away from Steele Canyon's Britten Wright (left); the Cougars bounce back on Jake Wragg's reception (right). (Photo by Don De Mars Photography) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

STEELE CANYON 35, VALHALLA 14 – The yellow flags were flyin’ Friday night (Oct. 22) at Valhalla as the Norsemen hosted Steele Canyon in a fierce battle for the Jamacha Helmet trophy. The visiting Cougars took home the helmet, but racked up 17 penalties for a whopping 176 yards in the process.

The Cougars set the tone early when they put together a 9 play, 74-yard scoring drive on their first possession. After a holding penalty on Steele Canyon ’s first offensive play, senior running back JAKE WRAGG broke free for a 34-yard pickup to the Valhalla 39-yard line. Two plays later, senior quarterback BRAD BOEHMKE threw a dart to Wragg for a 10-yard gain to the Norsemen 26, followed by a Wragg burst up the middle to the 15.

After a holding penalty moved the Cougars back to the 24-yard line, Boehmke found junior wide receiver CHANCELLER JAMES open in the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown. DANIEL URIBE’s PAT was good (5-5 on the evening) and the visitors led 7-0 with 6:13 left in the initial stanza.

The Steele Canyon defense held Valhalla to its second straight 3-and-out on the Norsemen’s second possession of the game when junior linebacker RUDY DIRECTO sacked the quarterback for a 10-yard loss. But, late in the first quarter, Valhalla’s defense sparked the home team when junior defensive back KEVIN BROWN tackled the ball carrier, caused a fumble, and, in the melee that followed, managed to recover the fumble as well, giving the Norsemen good field position at the Valhalla 48-yard line.

Norsemen quarterback Franklin Foster runs for a first down. (Photo by Don De Mars Photography)

A pass interference call against the Cougars on first down advanced the Norsemen to the Steele Canyon 37-yard line. Junior quarterback FRANKLIN FOSTER connected with senior slot-back ANDY LOPEZ for a 13-yard gain to the Cougars 24-yard line. Foster then picked up 8 yards on a quarterback draw as time expired in the first quarter. Three plays later, Foster faked a handoff to the running back and then passed to junior wide receiver JEVON HASTEN over the middle for a 13-yard TD catch. TREVOR McGIRR’S kick was true, tying the game at 7-7, less than 2 minutes into the second quarter.

Steele Canyon answered quickly: Wragg sprinted 76 yards to paydirt less than 2 minutes later, once again giving the Cougars the lead, 14-7, with 8:50 remaining in the second period.

Disaster struck the Norsemen seconds later when Steele Canyon junior defensive lineman GILBERT CISNEROS recovered a Valhalla fumble at the Norsemen 44-yard line. Boehmke quickly hooked up with James for a 19-yard pass to the Valhalla 25-yard line, and after senior linebacker MICHAEL STEED dropped the runner for a 3-yard loss, Boehmke threw a strike to junior wide receiver MICHAEL JORDAN for a 28-yard TD, upping the Cougars lead to 21-7 with 5:56 left to play before halftime.

Taking the second half kickoff, Steele Canyon ate up half of the third quarter with a 13 play touchdown drive, with senior running back BRANDON WATSON plowing up the middle for an 8-yard TD run, increasing the score to 21-7, with 6:18 remaining in the third quarter.

Valhalla created some excitement for the fans when Foster threw a 58-yard bomb to Hasten, who had broken free deep down the middle; after McGirr’s PAT, Valhalla closed the gap to 28-14, with 7:50 left to play in the game.

Steele Canyon shut the door on its next possession, taking 9 plays to reach the endzone on a 1-yard run by Wragg, his second of the evening.

In addition to the more than 200 yards of penalties in the game, at times it seemed more like “Hot Potato” than football, with 6 lost fumbles and 3 interceptions between the two adversaries, with each team coughing up 4 turnovers apiece.

Steele Canyon amassed 434 yards of total offense (294 yards rushing in 35 carries), and limited Valhalla to 236 yards. Boehmke was 9-14-0 for 140 yards and 2 TDs, while for Valhalla, Foster was 16-23-3 for 212 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Wragg caught 6 passes for 68 yards and rushed for 204 yards on 22 carries and 2 touchdowns.

James made an interception in the endzone and returned it 15 yards. The junior free safety also had a fumble recovery in the endzone and caught a TD pass for 20 yards.

“The kids were excited about winning the trophy (the Jamacha Helmet),” said Steele Canyon coach RON BOEHMKE. “We last won the game three years ago – it was a real pride game. It’s a great rivalry.

“Our defensive line battled all night. They did a good job keeping Valhalla off the scoreboard. The linebackers and defensive backs did a good job on pass defense tonight. Overall, I’m pleased with the way we played tonight.”

EL CAJON VALLEY 31, THE ROCK ACADEMY 6 – El Cajon Valley celebrated homecoming the way it’s supposed to be Friday night (Oct. 22) when the Braves presented first-year head coach NORMAN WHITEHEAD with a convincing non-league victory over The Rock Academy of Liberty Station.

The big thing about snapping a six-game losing streak for the Braves was Whitehead had reinforcements from his junior varsity ranks.

“Since Rock Academy doesn’t have a JV or freshman team, we were able to bring kids up to the varsity,” Whitehead said.

To an unforseen limit...

“One of the tough things about our school is we have only 35 varsity uniforms so I could only dress 35 kids for the varsity game,” Whitehead said.

It was enough.

Sophomore quarterback HAKIM HARRIS, who had guided the Braves’ JV to a 3-3 mark, stepped under the varsity center and delivered in his debut. He completed five of six passes for 156 yards, including touchdown strikes to ANTHONY MORALES (35 yards) and DONTAE BAILEY (84 yards – the 4th-longest aerial strike on the El Cajon Valley passing books.) Only PERRY GARDNER (98 yards from LUIS PEREZ against Mountain Empire in 2003), CLIFTON THOMAS (86 yards from Perez against Steele Canyon in 2004) and GAVINO PINAL (85 yards from ISAAC SOLIZ vs. El Capitan in 2008) have caught longer passes.

ANTONIE WHITE, another sophomore who rushed for 90 yards on 13 carries, charged for a 23-yard scoring dash to make it 21-6 in favor of the Braves.

Sophomore SIMON DALY tacked on a 28-yard scoring junket and finished with 72 yards on six carries. He rushed for 72 yards on six carries.

Kicker ESTEBAN LOPEZ continued the Braves’ sophomore parade as he converted all four PATs and a 24-yard field goal.

SHABO GIBO and TARIQ WASIMI each had an interception for El Cajon Valley. AUBREY SMITH recovered a fumble and FRANK WILLIAMS recorded a pair of sacks.

“Our future is looking pretty good,” said Whitehead, who has added a freshman team in the El Cajon Valley lineup. “I like what I saw tonight. I think our JV has a shot at winning the (Grossmont Valley League) championship. That would be nice to see.”

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 34, SAN PASQUAL ACADEMY 14 – For an uncanny third week in a row, Foothills Christian has vanquished their opponents by a winning score of 34 – previously vs. Calvary Christian Academy (12) and vs. Borrego Springs (22) as the Knights retained their share of the lead in the Southern League.

SPENCER GEORGE, who broke loose for 363 yards and 4 touchdowns a week ago, returned to normal – which wasn’t all that bad. He rushed 21 times for 117 yards, including scoring runs of 1 and 5 yards, helping the visiting Knights take a 21-0 halftime lead over San Pasqual Academy Friday night (Oct. 22).

Other standouts for Foothills Christian included HENRY LUSCHEI who rushed for 61 yards on 8 carries and caught one pass for 23 yards.

However, credit for this week’s jump start belongs to J.R. ATTERBURY, who – after a scoreless first quarter – put the Knights (3-2, 3-0 SL) up 14-0 on runs of 21 yards and 8 yards as well as a pair of PAT kicks.

George opened the scoring in the second half with a short TD run to make it a 28-6 lead for Foothills Christian. The Knights’ final score came on a 57-yard pass from ZACH CUMMINGS to IAN MATHISEN to make it a 20 point lead for the Knights.

Mathisen caught 3 passes for 103 yards, returned two kickoffs for 46 yards and returned 2 punts for 28 yards.

The fourth quarter was scoreless.

Six-foot-1, 196-pound RAMSEY WALLOCH logged 5 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery for the Knights.

“Ramsey was outstanding,” said Knights coach THOM LUBIC. “He was strong in the middle. They could not handle him.”

“We played outstanding defensively,” said Lubic. “Except for one long run we shut down their attack. We didn’t want them to get outside. They are a good team, one that is very fast. They tried to stop our running game and force us to pass. They were successful at first. I think we wore them down.”

San Pasqual Academy started with 14 players and finished with 11 due to injuries.

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (10-21-10) — Decades ago the battle for the symbolic Musket trophy, which went to the winner of the annual Grossmont-Helix football game, attracted as many as 10,000 fans to the former Aztec Bowl on the campus of San Diego State University.

For more than a decade these teams were in different leagues, which caused the rivalry to wane. Even more so was the fact that Helix began to dominate when the Highlanders and Foothillers did not lock horns on a yearly basis. In fact, since 1979, the Highlanders have rolled up 23 wins against one loss versus Grossmont. The teams tied twice during that stretch.

Although no one will come out and say it, Grossmont did not want to continue playing the Highlanders due to the recent lopsided outcomes. In the last nine years, these schools have tangled only four times – the last meeting resulting in a 54-10 Helix rout in 2008.

There is new spirit on the Grossmont campus these days as coach RON MURPHY’s youthful Foothillers have blazed out to a 6-0 start and gained a No. 10 ranking in one poll. They’ll get a chance to test their mettle when they visit No. 3-ranked Helix (6-0) in a battle of Grossmont Hills League co-leaders Friday (Oct. 22) at Jim Arnaiz Field at 7 p.m.

“We want to see how much we’ve improved since the last time we played them two years ago,” Murphy said. “If we beat them it would be a signature win for our program. But the main thing is I just hope we play well. It’s going to take our best game to stay with them.”

Helix coach TROY STARR said the Highlanders take pride maintaining control of The Musket.

“It means a lot to us,” he admitted. “I know the (series) statistics are heavily in our favor, but that isn’t going to help us beat Grossmont on Friday night. The past doesn’t matter. Every year has different teams, with different players. Most of the guys who played in this game two years ago have gone off to college. Each team has to make its own name for itself.”

Senior DESEAN WATERS, the first-year quarterback in Grossmont’s spread offense, is East County’s leading rusher with 801 yards and 13 touchdowns. Although the Hillers do not take to the air too often, Waters makes it count when he does, having completed 63 percent of 59 passes for 565 yards and two TDs.

“Waters is a very savvy player who makes good decisions,” Murphy said. “He’s made us look good in the spread offense.”

Starr is impressed with Waters.

“Grossmont knows how to get the ball to the guy they need to have it,” Starr said. “He’s obvious a strong runner. He’s a running back playing quarterback. Still he can throw the ball well enough to hurt you.”

Balance is the word for the Highlanders, who look to running back DARRION HANCOCK (680 yards, 4 TDs) and quarterback BRANDON LEWIS (71-113, 1064 yards, 12 TDs) to lead the way.

On the defensive side, Helix – led by linemen SAM MEREDITH and WILLIAM MILO, linebackers KACY SMITH and ROCKY FUGA as well as corner JIMMY PRUITT – has the edge. The Highlanders defense has allowed only two touchdowns.

By comparison Grossmont, which registered 10 sacks against Valhalla a week ago, has allowed 42 points.

The Foothillers don’t have a lot of size on defense, but they do have quickness. Senior linebacker MICHAEL DAVIS-TUCKER (6-0, 210) is the biggest of the Hiller defenders.

“We’re not all that big, but we do a good job of swarming and getting to the ball,” Murphy said.

One more edge for Grossmont is place-kicker JORDAN REECE, who drills the majority of his kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. He’s also converted eight of 11 field goal attempts and 20 of 22 PATs to lead East County.

Morse and Cathedral Catholic have given the Highlanders a scare – losing by a combined 17 points – earlier this year. But the last time Helix faced an undefeated team was Mount Miguel two weeks ago and the Scotties skipped away with a 37-7 win. Grossmont should keep it closer, but The Musket will remain in place... Helix 21-7.

No. 7 Steele Canyon (5-1, 1-0) at Valhalla (3-3, 0-1), 7: This is the annual battle for the Jamacha Helmet, which was originated in 2006 after being created by the two schools’ student government bodies.

“It’s a pride thing, something else to play for,” said Steele Canyon coach RON BOEHMKE. “I know our kids see Valhalla as a rival, but I think their kids see us a little brother who comes into their room when their friends come over to visit.”

While Steele Canyon running back JAKE WRAGG is the franchise back with an East County leading 16 touchdowns and 96 points, Boehmke is quick to note that the Cougars are no one-man gang.

Running the football is the Cougars first option, but quarterback BRAD BOEHMKE has completed 58 of 104 passes for 781 yards and 7 TDs.

“I think we’ve distributed the ball well,” coach Boehmke added. “ERNIE FLINT and JONATHAN DRIVICK have broken a few long runs for us.”

Valhalla counts on the passing of FRANK FOSTER (79-133, 1209, 11 TDs). The problem for the Norsemen is their offensive line is much smaller than in past years, which is one of the reasons why Foster was sacked 10 times at Grossmont last week.

“We ran 60 plays against Grossmont but we dropped at least two passes in the endzone,” said Norsemen coach STEVE SUTTON. “They play a lot of man coverage and we hope to take advantage of that.”

Valhalla leads the all-time series 5-2-1, but that won’t help the Norsemen on Friday night... Steele Canyon 31-14.

Santana (4-2-1, 0-1) at Mount Miguel (6-1, 1-0), 7: The Matadors – ranked No. 9 in one poll – figure to take another step toward clinching their first league championship since 1987 when they celebrate Homecoming by hosting Grossmont Valley League contender Santana Friday (Oct. 22) in Spring Valley.

“We have three games to basically solidify a top four seed in the (Division III) playoffs,” said Mount Miguel coach TOM KARLO. “Of course winning a league championship for the first time in a while is also important to us.”

Santana’s game is based almost exclusively on the forward pass. KYLE GASNER (1,085 yards, 12 TDs) is the trigger man and ZACH BREIDT (27-373, 5 TDs) and LANDON LOZOYA (23-385, 8 TDs) are the primary receivers for the Sultans, who lack a consistent running game.

Mount Miguel ’s defense figures to gobble up the Sultans with defensive pressure on the quarterback.

“We have confidence in our blitz team,” Karlo said. “Santana’s receivers don’t run exotic routes and I think if we keep the pressure on their quarterback we’ll be okay.”

DERRICK DUNN is the main man in the Mount Miguel offense with 598 yards and 15 touchdowns on 119 carries.

The Matadors have a pair of talented quarterbacks in ERNEST WILLIAMS (630 yards, 6 TDs) and DEE’JAY NOLEN (577, 4 TDs).

Earlier this season against San Ysidro Santana coach DAVE GROSS posted his 118th victory (against 145 losses and 4 ties) to become the third winningest coach in Grossmont Conference history. He trails only Helix’s JIM ARNAIZ (212-77-11, 1973-99) and Valhalla ’s STEVE SUTTON, who has a record of 135-92-2 in 21 seasons, the majority at West Hills.

“Looking at films of Mount Miguel is kinda scary,” Gross said. “They are by far the most talented team we have faced.”

Gross admitted he did not know how his team would react following last week’s loss to El Capitan.

“We might have lost a little confidence last week, but I don’t know for sure,” he said. “This is a different team because I don’t have a read on us emotionally. I never know what to expect.”

Ironically, Santana has won eight of the last 10 meetings from the Matadors. However, these teams have not faced off since 2002 when the Sultans prevailed 10-0. A Santana upset this time is highly unlikely... Mount Miguel 42-14.

West Hills (3-3, 0-1) at Granite Hills (4-2, 0-1), 7: This game is a battle of survival in the Grossmont Hills League and it could have playoff connotations. Neither team figures to win the league title.

Granite Hills was right where coach RANDY DeWITT wanted them to be, winning four of their first five games. And then they got smashed by Steele Canyon 49-16 in their Grossmont Hills League opener.

“We can’t dwell on that loss,” DeWitt said. “I know it was a sobering feeling for our kids and our coaches, but we want to build momentum toward the playoffs. It’s tough coming off a loss to a Top 10 team like Steele Canyon. They deserve their ranking.

They set us straight – told us that we need to work harder for the remainder of the season.”

Running back FRANTZ LARAQUE (70-610, 10 TDs), quarterback CORY LOCKMAN (58-107, 1021, 10 TDs) and receiver GILBERT PEREZ (18-466, 5 TDs) lead a potent Granite Hills offense.

“They have great skill guys and Lockman is probably the best pure passer we’ve faced, so we have to put the pressure on him,” said West Hills coach JESS BARRAGAN.

Unlike some of the coaches, Barragan said he made practicing in the rain a unique experience.

“We changed things up, telling the kids that playing in the rain is just part of football,” he said. “I know our kids had fun because weather like this fits our style.”

A year ago West Hills defeated Granite Hills 27-26 on a 67-yard touchdown pass with 33 seconds remaining.

The Wolf Pack is a defensive-oriented team led by lineman STEVE ARMSTRONG this season.

West Hills has dominated this series of late, winning eight of the last nine meetings since 1999... Granite Hills 24-13.

Monte Vista (1-5, 0-0) at El Capitan (2-4, 1-0), 7: Although the Monarchs have been outscored 226 to 49 during a rugged non-league schedule, coach PAGE CULVER believes Monte Vista can still make a run for the Grossmont Valley League championship.

Having a bye last week revitalized the Monarchs.

“It helped us mentally for sure,” Culver said.

El Capitan, meanwhile, rolled up 492 total yards, defeating Santana by a misleading 40-28 score. The Vaqueros, who rushed for 399 yards on 58 carries, built a 33-0 lead over the Sultans and then coasted into the victory circle.

“That No. 23 (El Capitan’s DAKOTA FURR, who rushed for 218 yards against Santana), is a physical back,” Culver said. “He slides and slithers – doesn’t try to juke you.”

The return of TYLER MASON to the El Capitan backfield has further strengthened the Vaqueros’ attack. He rushed for 188 yards on 18 carries against Santana.

The 6-foot-4, 258-pound ROBERT CRAIGHEAD figures to become more involved in the El Capitan offense.

“Craighead’s coming off his best game of the year and he’s the healthiest he’s been all season right now,” said Vaqueros coach RON BURNER of the two-way starter.

This is a pivotal game for both teams in terms of the playoffs, let alone a shot at the Grossmont Valley League championship.

“If we can win at least two of our next three games, we can play for the league title in the last game of the season (against Mount Miguel ),” Culver said. “I think El Capitan feels the same way. If they can win a couple more they’ll have a shot at the title.”

Monte Vista counts on running back MATT PARRIS (79-384) and East County-leading receiver SHERVIN IRANIHA (30-400, 5 TDs).

However it’s Monte Vista’s defense that worries Burner the most.

“Their line is quick off the ball and they slant a lot,” the Vaqueros coach said. “They’re better than their record because they’ve played an extremely tough schedule. This figures to be a tough game for both teams.”

These teams met for the first time in eight years last season with El Cap prevailing 27-13. It might be closer than that this time around... El Capitan 24-16.

Horizon (3-2, 0-0) vs. Christian (4-2, 0-1): After being slammed 35-7 by Francis Parker in last week’s Coastal League opener, Christian’s Patriots hope a homecoming crowd with give them the emphasis needed to balance their league ledger Saturday (Oct. 23) at Granite Hills’ Valley Stadium at 7 p.m.

Quarterback SHANE DILLON, who has scholarship offers from Ohio State and Cincinnati plus heavy interest from Stanford and Oregon, is East County ’s leading triggerman for the Patriots with 1,356 yards and 7 TDs in six starts.

Patriots running back TYRONE SAULS, who has offers from No. 1-ranked Oregon, Air Force, Navy and Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo), is averaging 122.2 yards rushing per game with 9 TDs.

Christian’s problem is a lack of depth. This is a varsity squad that suits up only 18 players, which spells out the majority go both ways. In the long run that spells disaster.

The Patriots have won four straight from Horizon to lead the all-time series 8-4-1, including a pair of wins over the Panthers last season. Christian won the regular season joust 28-7 and then caged the Panthers 51-35 in the San Diego CIF playoffs. It won’t be easy for the Patriots to keep that string alive, but... Christian 27-21.

Foothills Christian (2-2, 2-0) vs. San Pasqual Academy (1-4, 1-2) at Ramona Community Stadium, 7: This is a key game for the Knights, which is probably the case for all of their remaining Southern League contests in their bid for the circuit crown.

Most striking of their common opponents is Chula Vista Calvary Christian Academy. The Knights posted a 34-12 victory, while San Pasqual Academy lost 34-8 to the Royal Knights.

The emergence of SPENCER GEORGE as a blue chip running back when he rushed for 363 yards and 4 TDs in last week’s win over Borrego Springs gives Foothills Christian the chance to run the table.

But nobody in the Foothills Christian camp is calling the trophy shop just yet. There are four games remaining... Foothills Christian 33-19.

The Rock Academy (4-2) at El Cajon Valley (0-6), 7: Coach NORMAN WHITEHEAD’s Braves are hoping that a homecoming crowd for Friday’s (Oct. 22) non-league encounter will give them enough lift to earn their first victory of the season.

The Warriors of Rock Academy (Liberty Station) started strong, winning their first four contests but since have lost to Castle Park (47-0) and Del Norte (58-7). They prefer to run the ball considering their quarterback has thrown interceptions in 10 of his 102 attempts. Thus, Eric Morrison-Smith is their top weapon rushing for 648 yards and six touchdowns on 90 carries.

El Cajon Valley’s top gun is versatile DONTAE BAILEY (847 yards, 46 points). He has explosive sidekicks in AJ WHITE (81-449) and SIMON DALY (31-162, TD), which makes the Braves, despite having more than a fistful of players going both ways, the favorites...El Cajon Valley 28-22.

CIF-SAN DIEGO SECTION MEDIA RANKINGS
North County Times/ SD Sportswriters-Sportscasters Poll Rank/Team Record Points LW   1. Vista (16)   2. Eastlake (3)   3. Helix (2)   5. Torrey Pines   6. Valley Center   4. Oceanside   7. Steele Canyon   8. La Costa Canyon   9. Grossmont 10. Rancho Bernardo 6-0-0 7-0-0 6-0-0 6-0-0 7-0-0 5-2-0 5-1-0 4-2-0 6-0-0 5-1-0 205 167 165 142 131 108 79 54 32 28 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 — 10 Others receiving votes: St. Augustine (11), Mission Hills (6), Mount Miguel (5), Olympian (4), Madison (1), Ramona (1).	SignOnSanDiego/ San Diego Union-Tribune Rank/Team Record LW   1. Vista   2. Eastlake   3. Oceanside   4. Torrey Pines   5. Valley Center   6. Helix   7. La Costa Canyon   8. Steele Canyon   9. Mount Miguel 10. Grossmont 6-0-0 7-0-0 5-2-0 6-0-0 7-0-0 6-0-0 4-2-0 5-1-0 6-1-0 6-0-0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Others: Ramona 4-2, Rancho Bernardo 5-1, Mission Hills 4-2, Madison 5-1, Brawley 5-1, Point Loma 4-2, Mira Mesa 3-3, Cathedral Catholic 2-4, St. Augustine 5-1, Francis Parker 4-2, The Bishop’s 6-0, Olympian 5-1.
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).
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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