The Valhalla Norsemen was the lone lower-seeded ballclub to register a road triumph among 19 contests during Friday's CIF San Diego Section quarterfinals. (Photo by Don DeMars Photography) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

	Grossmont's Luis Perez (44) pancakes a member of the visiting Longhorns, while teammate John Morgan (67) poised to assist in a 55-34 shootout win over RBV. (Photo by Linda Byerline) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE
	DIVISION II Hillers drive past Rancho Buena Vista Offense produces 55 points, 551 total yards By Jim Lindgren © East County Sports.com EL CAJON (11-17-12) — If ever a doubt there might have been about Grossmont High’s ability to move the football against a power from the North County, it was resiliently put to rest at Lt. Thomas M. Adams Field. From their opening 65-yard scoring drive covering a mere 70 seconds, the Foothillers marched up and down the field for a whopping 551 yards, stomping out Rancho Buena Vista, 55-34, in their San Diego Section Division I quarterfinal on Friday night (Nov. 16). Grossmont scored on seven of its eight drives, got a 99-yard fumble return touchdown from MICHAEL PETTIFORD and never punted in advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 2004. And note, the Hillers ran only one play in the third quarter and still won the period 14-0. “When we face someone who hasn’t seen us, teams don’t understand how fast we play,” Grossmont first-year coach TOM KARLO said. “They’ve seen us on film obviously, but it’s different seeing us live on the field.” There were plenty of heroes in this one. ANTHONY LAWRENCE was simply brilliant in completing 21-of-26 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns. He was 18-of-23 for 282 yards in the first half. “Our coaches come up with a great scheme week in and week out,” Lawrence said. “Our receivers made some great catches – makes my job a lot easier. Our offensive line played great. It was a total team effort.” Three Grossmont receivers topped 100 yards – JEFF BOWERS had 128 yards on eight receptions, JT BARNES tallied 112 on four catches, and CHRISTIAN BROOKS posted 111 on four grabs. BRETT STONE added 29 yards on three catches and MARLON LAMPART 19 on three. Lampart also did a fine job running the ball, carrying 13 times for 107 yards and three TDs. In addition, Brooks tossed a 65-yard TD pass to Barnes on Grossmont’s only offensive play of the third quarter to boost the Foothillers’ passing yards to 399. “We’re rolling up like we thought we should have,” said Lampart, who now has 10 touchdowns. “Everything’s going good right now.” With the most-impressive win, No. 3-seeded Grossmont (9-2) advanced to play No. 2 Eastlake (8-3) in the semifinals next Friday (Nov. 23) at Eastlake. Win that and the Foothillers will play in a championship game for the first time since beating Patrick Henry in the Class 2-A title game in 1971. Coming off an 0-10 season last year and an 18-game losing streak, RBV (6-6) saw its storybook season come to an end under first-year coach Paul Gomes. Still, the Longhorns gave it their all. They, like Grossmont, never punted, scored on three of four first-half possessions, and were pressing to get back into the game when Pettiford made the steal of the game. With RBV driving and facing a second-and-one from the 2-yard line, Niko Cortez was stopped cold short of the goal-line for several seconds before Pettiford stripped the ball and raced untouched for a 99-yard return touchdown to make it 48-20 with 4:27 to play in the third quarter. “I think the key to this game was defense,” Karlo said. “Yeah, they scored 34 points, but our defense stepped up and made stops when they needed to make stops.” From the opening, it wasn’t difficult to determine what each team wanted to accomplish. Grossmont loves to run a play every “12 seconds” says Karlo. RBV loves to hand off to its go-to running back. First Grossmont possession: 6 plays, 65 yards, TD, 1:10 elapsed time as Lampart scored on a 12-yard run. First RBV possession: 15 plays, 78 yards, TD, elapsed time 7:18 as Niko Cortez scored on a 5-yard run. Cortez, who also took the kickoff return 21 yards, carried 14 times on the drive for 77 yards. He finished with 45 carries for 224 yards and five touchdowns. Grossmont went back on top as Lawrence connected with Brooks on a 26-yard scoring pass to make it 14-7. The Longhorns countered with an 8-play, 74-yard scoring drive but missed the extra-point(s) on a failed fake run attempt out of kicking formation to make it 14-13. Bowers hauled in a 32-yard TD pass from Lawrence on Grossmont’s next drive to make it 20-13, and five minutes later Lampart ran 9 yards into the end zone for a 27-13 cushion. RBV scored again on a 3-yard TD by Cortez with 0:31 to play in the half, but the Foothillers weren’t ready to concede. Lawrence connected with Bowers for a 23-yard gain, then tossed 43 yards to Brooks for a TD with 0:06 remaining to make it 34-20 at the half. RBV ran 28 plays in the third quarter to Grossmont’s one but came away with a 48-20 deficit, thanks to Karlo’s trick play and Pettiford’s timely fumble return TD at the 1-yard line. “We knew coming in we had to play our A-game defensively,” Gomes said. “Unfortunately we didn’t. We moved the ball pretty well, but that fumble call at the goal-line was a killer. That was a 14-point switch. You can’t have a 14-point switch against a team like Grossmont. They’re just too good.” RBV’s Dylan Harris wound up passing 8-for-13 for 171 yards to give the ‘Horns 444 total yards. Combined, that’s 995 yards of offense in a Division I quarterfinal game. Plus, there were 43 first downs (22 by Grossmont), keeping the chain gang busy throughout the night. Give credit, too, to Grossmont’s under-rated offensive line. The unit allowed only one sack and was largely responsible for Grossmont’s 551 total yards.
	The "biggest fan" of the Grossmont High Foothillers... and the team mascot (left), (Photo by La Mesa Patch)
	HELIX 48, STEELE CANYON 21 – The Highlanders’ crash collision course with No. 1 seed Oceanside is one victory away and that’ll be a tall challenge as No. 3 ranked Poway (9-2) will visit Jim Arnaiz Field in the San Diego CIF Division II semifinals on Friday (Nov. 23). For the second time in two weeks Helix (10-0) manhandled Steele Canyon (5-6-1). In the rematch MICHAEL ADKINS rushed for 254 yards and 3 touchdowns on 23 carries. Highlanders quarterback JOSH HARRIS clicked on 10 of 23 passes for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns, including two to KENDAL KEYS. Keys finished with 127 yards on 6 receptions. AARON HARDIN caught two passes for 46 yards and a touchdown, while Adkins padded his all-purpose totals with two receptions for 38 yards. MARQUISE POWELL scored a touchdown for the Highlanders on a 7-yard run. Helix built a 35-7 third quarter lead and then cruised to the finish line. LONNIE TUFF led Steele Canyon with 60 yards on 8 carries. Steele Canyon quarterback BRANDON ANDRADE threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to LAWRENCE DICKENS in the 2nd quarter. In the fourth quarter Andrade hit Tuff with a 9-yard scoring strike. The final Cougars touchdown was a 27-yard run by Dickens.

By Mark Meadows
© East County Sports.com
CARLSBAD (11-17-12) — Match-ups make games. Offense vs. defense. East County vs. North County. But kicker vs. kicker?

With a berth in the CIF San Diego Section semifinals going to winner, Valhalla High (8-3) marched into La Costa Canyon with a super-charged offense ready to prove they belong among the elite, pulling off the only shocker among 20 games during the quarterfinals of the CIF San Diego Section championships by nipping the Mavericks, 34-33.

Norsemen kicker EAN HENDRICKSON might have been the deciding factor in a game that had everything. Want an 80-yard TD run? You got it. How about a 99-yard kickoff return for a score? You saw it. A pair of 40+ yard field goals? It had that, too.

For good measure Valhalla senior quarterback RAMSEY ROMANO converted on three key fourth downs, leading his Norsemen to the game-winning touchdowns with 46 seconds remaining.

In easily the wildest, closest and most dramatic contest held Friday (Nov. 16), Valhalla found a way to stiffen its defense down the stretch, giving the offense just enough time to pst the final 10 points of the night for the victory.

La Costa Canyon held a narrow 26-24 lead at the intermission, then marched right down the field to open the second half. A 7-play, 74-yard drive culminated with a Deon Dickey 31-yard burst for a 33-24 cushion, leaving Valhalla's defense looking for answers to stop the Mavs.

Somehow, they found them, not allowing another point, giving Romano a chance to keep the team's season alive.

Romano started by posting runs of 15 and 12 yards. But after a negative run, a sack, and an incompletion, Romano faced the second of his miracle 4th downs. He found KEVIN MILLS for 23 yards and a first down. Mills finished the night with 5 catches for 65 yards.

Although the drive stalled, Hendrickson nailed a 42-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 33-27 with 5:44 remaining.

The Valhalla defense then picked the right time to have its best series of the night, forcing a quick Mavericks punt to re-gain the ball at their own 41. Romano found JIHAD ELDER for 5 yards, then spotted Mills for 9 more. But the offense sputtered and Romano found himself in another 4th down situation from the LCC-37.

This time, Romano was rescued when WARREN PRESTON made an acrobatic catch in the right corner to keep the drive alive on an 11-yard connection.

Romano found Mills for 14, Elder rushed for 7 yards to the 5-yard line, then the call went to for Brown, who sprinted into the end zone for his third score of the game, this time from the LCC-5 to tie the game with 4 seconds left.

Hendrickson then completed one final order of business, banging home the tie-breaking PAT for the lead.

Valhalla head coach CHARLES BUSSEY talked about the difference in his team in the second half.

"I told them at halftime, especially the seniors, that they might only have one half of football left in their careers. It was up to them what they wanted to do with it".

Bussey also had a smile for his placekicker, recalling, "Coach BEN EZUGHA told me earlier in the season that Ean was going to win a game for us. Those weren't cheap field goals either.”

An interception by Valhalla's Brandon Havird. (Photo by Don DeMars Photography) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

Early on, the Mavericks (7-4) tried to stuff the ball right down Valhalla's throat. On their opening drive. running back Jake Mann battered Valhalla with runs of 15, 5, and the final 12 yards to paydirt. Mann finished with 207 total yards on the ground.

La Costa Canyon's second drive seemed to be going in much the same direction. LCC gashed the Norsemen with runs of 9, 9, and 7 yards. Curiously, they decided to throw on 2nd down with only 3 yards to go. Norsemen senior defensive back SPENCER HAVIRD stepped in front of the floating pass and hauled in the first of his two interceptions.

Valhalla welcomed back an old friend on the 3rd drive: the passing game. Romano opened the drive with a 9-yard run. He then found WARREN PRESTON for 11 yards followed by BRYAN MACIAS for 13 yards. Romano again looked up Macias for 24 yards down to the 2 yard line.

Romano next called his own number on the keeper for the final 2 yards. In what seemed like an early Mavericks domination, the Norsemen had knotted the score 7-7 with 1:28 left in the first quarter. Romano would finish with 224 yards passing and added 51 yards rushing. Macias was the leading receiver on the evening with 68 yards on 5 catches.

The score would remain that way for all of 16 seconds. Mann got loose from his own 20-yard line. Weaving from one side of the field to the other and leaving Norsemen in his wake, Mann covered the 80 yards and put La Costa Canyon up 14-7.

Two Valhalla drives later, the Norsemen would convert on the first of three huge 4th down plays in this game. On 4th and 2 on the Mavericks' 9, Romano called for the sneak. He got a good push all the way to the 5-yard line. Valhalla running back NEHEMIAH BROWN finished the last 5 yards for a 14-14 tie.

La Costa Canyon's Mann wasn't impressed. On 3rd and 6 from their own 42 yard line, Mann caught a Jake Sesti pass on a quick out pattern. Mann broke the tackle at the left sideline and scampered 58 yards for his 3rd TD in the first half. A developing situation was about to occur next. Big-legged kicker Gabe Renna pushed the PAT to the right and La Costa Canyon led 20-14.

On the ensuing kickoff, Renna made his second mistake. After kicking everything into the end zone all night, Renna's kick was fielded at the 1-yard line by Nehemiah Brown. Brown burst through a hole on the left side and headed to the left sideline. He wasn't going to be caught. Brown cruised into the end zone almost untouched... 99 yards on the TD return. Valhalla was now back in front 21-20.

Brown had been waiting for his chance to return a kick.

“I was frustrated because their kicks were just barely getting in the end zone and I couldn't get a return,” he said. "I knew if I could get my hands on the ball, good things could happen.”

La Costa Canyon answered on the following series. After recovering a muffed punt on the Valhalla 35 yard line, it took the Mavericks only 4 plays to climb back on top. In an effort to make up for the missed extra point, La Costa Canyon now went for a 2-point conversion. This also failed. La Costa Canyon was back in front, 26-21.

Just 49 seconds remained in an eye-popping first half. They weren't through yet. A short kick-off was fair caught by the Norsemen at their own 30. But a personal foul by LCC allowed the Norsemen to start at their own 45-yard line. Romano had passes of 4, 7, and 13 yards to the Maverick 29-yard line.

Time for Hendrickson. With a previous career high of 43 yards, Hendrickson was trying a 46-yarder to bring Valhalla within 2 points at 26-24. Hendrickson was true with time running out in the half.

The junior placekicker had a feeling special teams might play a big role in the game.

"You have two good and pretty evenly matched teams,” Hendrickson said. “I'm not surprised special teams played a part in the outcome. I was just glad I was able to come through for my team."

Next up for Valhalla will be a trip north No. 1 ranked Oceanside on Friday (Nov. 23) in the section semifinals. The Pirates (10-1) whipped out Hilltop, 50-0, to advance.

Norsemen receiver John Todd (4) follows the block by teammate Daniel Rodriguez for a nice gain vs. La Costa Canyon.

Norsemen defender Martin Mokou (23) will rundown the Mavs' Jake Mann. (Photos by Don DeMars Photography)

By Nick Pellegrino
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (11-17-12) — Christian High advanced to the CIF semifinals for an eighth consecutive season following a 56-3 pasting of Calipatria in Friday's (Nov. 16) San Diego Section Division V contest at Valley Stadium.

"We came out and excused our plays just like we do in practice," said Miller, a junior running back. "I knew we would just wear them down."

Point proven with 15 of the team's 21 first downs coming on the ground.

The Patriots defense also received sacks by TYLER LESLIE, CHAD HUMPHRIES and a shared takedown by ZANE COFFMAN and Swift to eventually knock Calipatria's quarterback out of the contest and send the mismatch into a running clock for the final 18 minutes of play.

"We came out ready to hit," added Leslie, a senior and 2-year captain of the Patriots. "Calipatria was a decent team, but we had the heart to do well."

At the time of the injury, Hornets head coach David Shaw could be heard asking Patriots coaches when they were going to empty the bench and put some of the junior varsity call-ups into action. Unfortunately for Shaw, Christian had already started to empty the bench.

Among the Pats two-way performers, Miller also registered an interception, while George posted a fumble recovery.

On the opening drive, Miller raced 33 yards up the middle, then TRENTON SAULS followed with rushes of 11 and 4 yards for a 7-0 lead. The next series saw Carrillo find TREVOR HOWELL beat the cornerback deep down the left sideline for a 38-yard connection and a 14-0 lead.

Calipatria took advantage of a David Manglalian interception, eventually kicking a 30-yard field goal by Luis Navarro early in the second quarter. However, Christian answered with six unanswered touchdowns to post another first-round rout. Included was George's scores in the second quarter, coming on a flanker screen, then a fade to the corner of the end zone.

Including this ballgame against Calipatria (9-3), Christian has out-scored its opponents, 434-95, in the CIF quarterfinals during its 8-year run.

Christian (8-3), the third seed, will travel to Linda Vista to meet second-seeded Francis Parker in next Friday's (Nov. 23) semifinals. The Lancers broke open a close game in the first half to defeat The Bishop's, 38-10.

Through a gaping hole goes Wolf Pack RB Eric Seaboch. (Photo by LionsBrow Photography) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

West Hills running back Eric Seaboch (front left) is away for a touchdown run against Ramona. (Photo by LionsBrow Photography) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

It was a strange game considering Ramona never put together a long drive against West Hills. But the Wolf Pack gave up the long plays, including an 80-yard run by Nathan Cherek that broke a 14-14 tie just before halftime.

It got worse in the third quarter when Javier Dominguez returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown that extended the Bulldogs (7-4) lead to 28-14.

As far as West Hills’ offensive output went, senior running back ERIC SEABOCH scored on a 1-yard plunge in the second quarter. The Wolf Pack tied the game later in the quarter on a 3-yard fade from RASHAAN MILLER to D.J. LEWIS.

But West Hills (7-5) had very little time to celebrate as Cherek broke loose with his long run.

Ramona kept the pressure on Miller all night, sacking the senior slinger five times. Despite the muggings, Miller completed 13 of 18 passes for 161 yards.

West Hills' D.J. Lewis gains position in front of Ramona defender Garrett Binkley to haul in this game-tying touchdown pass from quarterback Rashaan Miller. (Photo by LionsBrow Photography)

DIVISION IV
MADISON 46, MOUNT MIGUEL 38 – After falling behind 46-8 in Friday’s (Nov. 16) third quarter of the San Diego Section Division IV semifinal against No. 2 seed Madison (10-1), the visiting Mount Miguel Matadors (7-5) scored 30 unanswered points.

“Then we tried an onsides kick with 30 seconds to play,” said first-year coach SHAUN McDADE. “But they came up with the ball. It was a great comeback by our kids but we just ran out of time.”

“I think we were much better than our expectations,” he added. “When you lose your top two running backs halfway through the season it’s tough to adapt, but our kids did a fantastic job of doing so. Even with those losses, our kids kept playing hard all the way.”

The star of the show for the Matadors was DEVAUGHN MURRAY.

“He had a hand in a little bit of everything,” McDade noted.

Murray returned his 6th interception for 45 yards and his 3rd touchdown this season. He had a fourth pick-six but a penalty nullified that one earlier in the season.

But the junior standout still found ways to contribute as he rushed for 39 yards on two carries, fired a 25-yard completion and caught two passes for 98 yards, including a 61-yard scoring strike from JACOB CASTILLO.

Oh, and did we mention Murray also had a 25-yard pass completion to JOVON RICHARDSON.

“Murray had quite a game,” McDade recalled.

BEN LOMIBAO rushed for 83 yards on 20 carries for Mount Miguel, while Castillo completed 6 of 21 passes for 144 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

“We only lose five seniors from this team so things are looking pretty good for next year,” McDade said.

FEARLESS FORECASTER – Predictions
Norsemen set to disavow North County bias

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (11-15-12) — Seven East County teams remain in the quarterfinals of the San Diego CIF playoffs, which will be held on Friday (Nov. 16) at 7 p.m.. And the thing about these teams is there’s a lot of parity ­– if you feel like going to Las Vegas, you probably shouldn’t. The games will be that close.

La Costa Canyon counters with three different quarterbacks, but the Mavericks – after going 7-1, including a narrow 10-9 victory at Poway – were hammered in their final two games by Oceanside 56-0 and Torrey Pines 24-17.

Valhalla is loaded with receivers, such as KEVIN MILLS (46-612, 3 TDs), BRYAN MACIAS (46-579, 8 TDs) and BEN HOWARD (39-825, 9 TDs). However, Howard will probably miss the game with a separated shoulder. That puts the pressure on Romano and the running game led by JIHAD ELDER (112-701, 6 TDs) and NEHEMIAH BROWN (75-410, 8 TDs).

On the defensive side Valhalla counts on kingpin SPENCER HAVIRD, who leads East County with 137 tackles, 11 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries. He won’t be by himself though because senior linebacker RYAN ERNSBARGER has 16 tackles for losses, and PHILLIP DIAZ DE LEON has a dozen sacks for the Norsemen.

Many disagreed with the originally seeding, thinking Valhalla should have received the first-round bye as the No. 4 seed, which instead went to the Mavs. There’s no question this is a toss-up ballgame and the nod goes to... La Costa Canyon 30-28.

DIVISION I
RANCHO BUENA VISTA (6-5) at (3) GROSSMONT (8-2) – These two teams have never met before but Friday’s (Nov. 16) lineup should be a classic in the Division II quarterfinal.

The Foothillers have a more diversified act led by junior quarterback ANTHONY LAWRENCE, who has completed an East County-best 221 of 330 passes for 2819 yards and 29 touchdowns. Speedy CHRISTIAN BROOKS is East County ’s leading receiver with 52-622, 12.0 average for 6 touchdowns. Teammate JEFF BOWERS is a master of the tough catch with 47 grabs, 742 yards and 10 touchdowns.

J.T. BARNES leads East County with 445 yards for 6 touchdowns, and BRETT STONE weighs in with 38-563, 4 TDs. Barnes and Stone are Fred Biletnikoff-type possession receivers. They aren’t going to beat you deep but they’ll catch the ball in key situations.

These teams are opposites in that RBV banks on the run and Grossmont looks to the air... Grossmont 28-20.

DIVISION III
WEST HILLS (7-4) at (3) RAMONA (6-4) – Due to a forfeit by Cathedral Catholic, West Hills finds itself two games away from playing in the Division III championships.

First things first... the Wolf Pack, who is one of the biggest surprise teams in the county in terms of improvement, need a San Diego CIF quarterfinal victory over Ramona Friday night (Nov. 16) in North County to focus on a division championship.

One thing about the Wolf Pack is coach TAY SNEDDON’s squad was left to finish in the basement of the Grossmont Hills League. But the fact that the Pack went 5-0 in the preseason, 1-4 in league and 1-0 in the playoffs has raised some eyebrows.

There’s nothing spectacular about West Hills ­– this is definitely a single-melded team. Senior quarterback RASHAAN MILLER, who has completed 93 of 166 passes for 1093 yards and 10 touchdowns, and rushed for 293 yards and 3 touchdowns has earned the Wolf Pack some unexpected respect.

Ramona will look to quarterback Hunter McHargue (80-158, 1125, 11 TDs) and running backs Nathan Cherek (95-783, 10 TDs) and sophomore Brandon Gansch (183-753, 7 TDs) to lead the charge.

These teams have only met once in the past, with Ramona winning 38-20 in 2002... West Hills 14-13.

DIVISION II
STEELE CANYON (5-5-1) at (2) HELIX (9-0) – Steele Canyon was one of the highest scoring teams against Helix during the Grossmont Hills League season. But the Cougars 10 points could hardly match up to Helix’ 46 in the final game of the regular season.

No question Steele Canyon has played one of the toughest schedules of any team in the section. That’s okay if the Cougars had swept most of those games, but losing doesn’t help at all in terms of power ratings.

If the Cougars expect to advance they will have to pull off a major upset Friday night (Nov. 16) in the section quarterfinals behind the passing of BRANDON ANDRADE (2573, 23 TDs) and running back LONNIE TUFF (144-668, 9 TDs). Not to be overlooked are wide receivers BRANDON HOWARD and LAWRENCE DICKENS.

Helix is lead by East County rushing leader MICHAEL ADKINS (152-1107, 17 TDs) and quarterback JOSH HARRIS (113-177, 1718, 15 TDs) along with wide receiver KENDAL KEYS (37-709, 7 TDs).

Both Steele Canyon and Helix were awarded forfeit wins over Cathedral Catholic, which forfeited all 10 games and which was eliminated from the San Diego Section playoff for use of an ineligible player. That left the defending state champion Highlanders with a perfect 9-0 record.

Just how much that will mean when it comes time to seed state championship bowl games remains to be seen... Helix 35-12.

DIVISION IV
MOUNT MIGUEL (7-4) at (2) MADISON (9-1) – This might be the best playoff quarterfinal game on Friday night (Nov. 16). It’s a rematch ­of note. The Warhawks won earlier in the season 35-31.

The Matadors were playing without their top two running backs, which shouldn’t be an issue in the rematch, considering both were sidelined with injuries. But Matadors coach SHAUN McDADE is looking to running backs BEN LOMIBOA and EARL TRE BRYERS to pick up the running slack. Sophomore JACOB CASTILLO will take on the fulltime quarterbacking duties as the Matadors have lost senior starter BRAD MORENO with a separated shoulder.

Thus it will be up to linebackers SONNY SOMOATA, JALEN WALKER (6 sacks) and JOVAN DAVIS to anchor the defense. Defensive back DEVAUGH MURRAY has made 5 interceptions and 3 touchdowns.

These teams have met nine times, with Madison holding a 5-4 edge... Madison 27-24.

DIVISION V
CALIPATRIA (9-2) 41, vs. (3) CHRISTIAN (7-3) at Granite Hills – Calipatria High School will probably empty the Salton Sea in its battle against No. 3 seed Christian Friday night (Nov. 16) at Granite Hills. In other words, everybody in town will be on hand to boost the Hornets against the Patriots.

The defending San Diego CIF Division V champion Patriots will receive a bigtime challenge in the quarterfinals. Evan Franklin guides Calipatria, having completed 92 of 155 passes for 1246 yards and 15 touchdowns. The senior is also a threat running with the ball as he’s picked up 351 yards and 2 TDs on 53 carries. This is no one-man show as running back Michael Medina (132-1136, 11 TDs) is also a threat.

Christian has a lot of different looks, including two backs, one back, and empty set. The main men are running backs RAYVON OWENS (167, 1093, 13 TDs) along with PARIS MILLER (108 carries for 1018 yards, 7 TDs). Quarterback MICHAEL CARRILLO has clicked on more than 51 of 185 passes for 1440 yards and 16 touchdowns. Versatile PHILLIP GEORGE is the Patriots’ leading receiver (35-495, 6 TDs).

Defensively Christian has been inconsistent but will have to be on top of its game to send Calipatria packing...Christian 32-28.