Valhalla's Kevin Mills (1), with blockers in front of him in Jihad Elder (8) and Bryan Macias (15), saw the Norsemen complete one of five touchdown passes in a 45-17 pasting of West Hills. Ramsey Romano tossed for four of the scores. (Photo by Don DeMars Photography) VIEW ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

Grossmont's Jeff Bowers (11) moments after scoring the game-tying touchdown – his third TD of the contest – midway through the fourth quarter to rally the unbeaten Foothillers past Steele Canyon, 42-35. (Photo by Linda Byerline) VIEW ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

Huge rally keeps Grossmont warm and toasty... and unbeaten By Bill Dickens © East County Sports.com RANCHO SAN DIEGO (10-13-12) — It was a frosty – okay, bone-chilling – Friday night (Oct. 12) when Grossmont High protected its perfect record with a come-from-behind 42-35 Grossmont Hills League victory at Steele Canyon. “I felt like my toes were about to have frostbite there at the end,” said Grossmont senior BRETT STONE, who reeled in a 13-yard game-winning scoring touchdown pass from junior quarterback ANTHONY LAWRENCE in the final 10 seconds. Lack of feeling or not Stone’s toes were tender enough to hoist the 6-foot-1, 171-pound senior bound for Northern Colorado baseball player Stone over a pair of Steele Canyon defenders for the game-winning scoring pass from Lawrence, giving Grossmont its seventh win without a loss. “It was a fade route that took me one move inside,” explained Stone. “Anthony threw a perfect ball. Honestly, though, that last play was all a blur. All I remember was looking up and the ball was there.” Lawrence finished strong with 23 completions and five touchdowns in 40 attempts. He also rushed for 56 yards on seven carries. Grossmont senior JEFF BOWERS grabbed three touchdown passes. Is there a better quarterback in East County? “For a kid to come in and learn this (Oregon up-tempo) spread offense – the quickest in the nation – is just phenomenal,” Hillers head coach TOM KARLO said. “He’s doing the things that we need him to do.” Stone agreed with Karlo that Steele Canyon (2-4-1, 1-1 GHL) was the Foothillers’ tallest challenge to date. It only gets tougher down the road for Grossmont, which hosts Valhalla and then faces off against Helix. “Against Steele Canyon coach said the flash was open off crossing routes, and it was,” said Bowers who caught 8 passes for 84 yards. “ Beating Steele Canyon is a statement game for us. They were favored to win but they didn’t and it’s a good feeling to beat a good team like that.” Although the two teams scored a combined 77 points Karlo insisted his defense was the difference. “I thought we did a great job of working the clock in that last drive,” he said. “If we didn’t get the touchdown we could always kick the field goal. We just didn’t want to leave them any time for recourse. “I know in a game with this many points it’s hard to say that defense wins the game,” Karlo added. “You have to remember this team ( Steele Canyon ) averaged 28 points a game and we were able to hold them below that.” Karlo was also quick to point out that the Foothillers have outscored every one of their opponents in the 4th quarter. “This was a huge win for our program, a huge win for our community,” he noted. Digging deeper into the victory formula was the fact that the Foothillers were able to deny Steele Canyon a short field goal, which left the Cougars on top 14-7. “I know it sounds kinda weird, but that was the play of the game,” Karlo said. “If they make that field goal, the whole game changes around.” But they didn’t.

By Nick Pellegrino
© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (10-13-12) — For all of the 551 yards in total offense and five touchdown passes posted by Valhalla High, it was a defensive play which allowed the Norsemen enough time to get into gear before whipping West Hills, 45-17, in Friday's (Oct. 12) Grossmont Hills League ballgame at Wolf Pack Stadium.

Taking advantage of a fumble recovery by JOHNNY ESPINOSA, West Hills rested on the edge of the Valhalla end zone midway through the first quarter, poised to open the scoring on a handoff between the tackles.

"I was going inside and was able to grab the running back and hold him up," said Norsemen senior defensive end De'SHAWN TONE. "Then SPENCER (HAVIRD) went in and popped him and the ball came flying out."

The key fumble recovery by NEHEMIAH BROWN turned into a momentum switch. So even though West Hills scored on its next possession for a brief 7-0 lead, Valhalla answered with touchdown passes over its next three drives to pull away for the comfortable victory.

"We have a tendency to come out slow," noted linebacker RYAN ERNSBARGER. "We luckily got a break and came back to get the win.

"De'Shawn plays right in front of me – he's the guy I look to for big plays in front of me.”

Romano and Co. then took over.

"The offense always seems to start slow, but once we get going, we can score in a hurry," said Valhalla quarterback RAMSEY ROMANO, who tossed TD passes on all three scores to mount a 21-7 halftime lead, finishing with 242 yards on 14-for-17 passing by the intermission.

For the contest, Romano completed 22-of-31 passes for 379 yards and four TDs, spreading the ball out to three different receivers for scores, including a pair to BRYAN MACIAS.

And when West Hills took what Valhalla thought was a cheap shot in the final minutes, reserve Norsemen quarterback DANIEL RODRIQUEZ vacated running out the clock and fired a 43-yard bomb to a wide open JOHN TODD, punctuating the outcome with the team's fifth TD pass with 1:15 to play.

"We just played our hearts out," added Tone.

West Hills quarterback RASHAAN MILLER, after going to the right side throughout the first quarter, tossed the ball to the left, finding D.J. LEWIS for a 39-yard score on the opening snap of the second quarter.

The rest of the contest was all Norsemen (4-3, 1-1 GHL).

Romano fired consecutive TD strikes to Macias (8 yards), BENJAMIN HOWARD (32) and Brown (49) to close the half.

Valhalla receiver Benjamin Howard (Photo by Don DeMars Photography)

Romano also rushed for 64 yards, giving him 443 all-purpose yards, while Elder rushed for 61 yards.

Macias, Mills and Howard each caught six balls, but only Todd reached the 100-yard plateau on 3 grabs for 105 yards.

Miller completed 9-of-17 passes for 100 yards, while ERIC SEABOCH rushed 22 times for 79 yards. However, the Wolf Pack (5-2, 0-2 GHL) managed just 7 first downs (three on the cosmetic final drive), plus three more by penalty.

Tone registered the lone quarterback sack for Valhalla, giving him 4.5 sacks in his last two outings. For West Hills, the team's lone sack went to senior KEVIN LOPEZ.

Helix' Josh Forbes (25) accepts a handoff from Dashawn Keirsey. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com) VIEW / PURCHASE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

HELIX 48, GRANITE HILLS 0 – Since losing to No. 2 Cathedral Catholic in Week 3, the No. 3 Helix Highlanders (4-1, 1-0) haven't been in a very giving mood. It's been bad news for their opponents. Helix has outscored their foes 52-6 in their last two games. While averaging 26.4 points on offense is nice, the Scotties defense might be the true measure of this year's team. Helix has only allowed 35 points in 5 games.

After Friday's (Oct 12) tilt with Granite Hills, Helix has still only given up 35 points. Granite Hills (1-4, 0-1) had no answers for Helix's offense. Or defense. Or special teams. Helix could have named their score in this one. After taking a knee on the PAT following their final score, it appeared they did just that.

Helix found the end zone on its first three possessions, and then found the end zone on two of Granite Hills' first 4 possessions. It was 28-0 in 1st quarter, 42-0 at the half, and it wasn't that close.

Helix forced Granite Hills to punt on its first possession after a sack by senior defensive lineman JALEEL HUNN.

Starting on their own 19-yard line, Helix began their first trek down the field. Reserve quarterback MARQUISE POWELL and running back MICHAEL ADKINS seemed to be competing to see who would score first.

Adkins battered the Eagles for 9 yards. Powell countered with 12. Powell then added 9 more yards to the 49-yard line. Adkins answered with 20. The only thing to slow Helix down was a holding call. At 2nd and 20, Powell picked up 22 yards on a rush to the left side. Adkins answered with 16 yards of his own. Powell finished with a 3 yard keeper for Helix's first score.

Granite quickly sensed they were in trouble. On 4th down and 3 to go from their own 35, the Eagles decided on a fake punt. It failed

Starting quarterback JOSH HARRIS didn't want Adkins and Powell to have all the fun. Harris threw 12 yards to TYERE HUNTER, and found junior wide receiver JALEN DAVIS for 16 more. On 1st down and goal from the 7-yard line, Harris rolled right to throw again. Nobody was open. No problem. Harris tucked the ball and covered the 7 yards himself. With 2:45 left in the first quarter Helix was up 14-0.

Just nine seconds later Helix receiver KENDAL KEYS intercepted Eagles’ quarterback CHRIS MEREDITH’s pass at the Eagle 30-yard line and returned it for a touchdown. With 2:36 left in the first Helix was up 21-0.

Granite Hills managed but 2 yards on its next drive. At 4th and 8 from their own 25, Highlanders sophomore safety MICHAEL BENJAMIN pulled off a difficult double. Storming up the middle of the formation, Benjamin not only blocked the Granite Hills' punt, he also recovered the block in the end zone for the Highlanders' fourth score. In a span of 1:46, the Scotties had just put up 21
points.

It took Granite Hills five drives to get a first down. On 3rd and 11 on their own 18,
Meredith found JACOB MAZZENGA for 24 yards. However, the drive stalled at midfield and the Eagles elected to punt.

With Harris at the helm on 2nd and 10 from their own 21-yard line, Helix decided to play some long ball. Harris found junior wideout AARON HARDIN breaking free down the left sideline. He didn't miss him. Some 79 yards later, Hardin was looking around for someone to hand the ball to. Helix 35, Granite Hills 0.

Helix head coach TROY STARR commented on his dual QB situation, “It's something we've been doing more and more. It gives us another dimension. It's a work in progress, but it's definitely something we will continue to explore.”

Just to show that his talents weren't limited to offense, Powell ended the next Eagles drive with an interception on a tipped pass. Helix looked poised to score again after Harris found Adkins on a check down for 22 yards. Harris looked up Keys for another 25 yards.

On 1st and goal at the 7-yard line, Harris had trouble with the center snap. After the bodies were peeled off the pile, Eagles 285 pound defender FRANCISCO SAAVEDRA emerged with the ball. Granite Hills had dodged a bullet. For now.

After another Granite Hills drive netted only 5 yards, Powell was again taking the snaps for Helix. He wasted no time, hooking up with Keys on the first play from scrimmage. Keys didn't disappoint: 1 play, 47 yards, touchdown. Helix was up 42-0.

Granite Hills found a little room to work on the final drive of the half. Junior back EDDIE PASKLE had runs of 9 yards and 3 yards for an Eagle first down. Quarterback TYLER HOPPER found MICHAEL PRIETO for 17 yards and another first down. But a Hopper incompletion on 4th down ended the first half.

Most of the Helix starting players were spectators in the 2nd half. Powell had 4 carries for 48 yards and a rushing TD. Adkins finished with 4 carries for 47 yards. Harris had a nice night throwing the ball, finishing with 5 of 7 passes for 154 yards and a TD, while rushing for another. Hardin had 79 yards and a TD receiving, while Keys had 72 yards through the air and a score.

The 2nd half ended almost as quickly as it began. With the clock running almost nonstop, each school had only two drives apiece. Helix split its two drives with sophomore quarterback DESHAWN KEIRSCY and senior MATT ANDERSON each taking a drive. Both drives also featured the running of JOSH FORBES. On the second drive Forbes got loose down the left sideline and rambled 59 yards from his own 15-yard line to the Granite 26.

Anderson found STEVEN LONG for 19 yards, and on 2nd and goal to go at the 4 yard line, Anderson scored the final points on a keeper. Forbes finished with 5 rushes for 64 yards.

For Granite Hills, MICHAEL PRIETO had 3 catches for 35 yards and JOSH LONGBREAK had 2 catches for 28 yards.

Fittingly, this game ended on a turnover. Helix junior defensive back JELANI PRITCHARD picked off Hopper to close this one out.

Helix head coach TROY STARR summed it up succinctly.

“They (Granite Hills) were just outmanned. We got up early. Offense, defense, special teams. Everything clicked, but they were just outmanned.”

— MARK MEADOWS

Helix' James Houston (67) gets held, yet still will make the tackle on Granite Hills ball-carrier Christian Ortiz in a 48-0 shutout win. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com)

EL CAPITAN 35, SANTANA 21 (Updated 10-14-12) – There is word that neither coach could find the Golden Whip, which is the symbolic trophy that goes to the winner of this game.

Not that either coach claims to care.

El Capitan, which is the long-shot champion for the Grossmont Valley League title, will look to sophomore quarterback BRAD CAGLE to lead the way. In the Vaqueros GVL opening game Cagle completed 12 of 22 passes for 227 yards and 2 touchdowns despite being sacked 7 times.

Former quarterback JAKE ALVERNAZ led the Vaqueros receivers with 6 catches for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sophomore DJ SMITH has provided a spark for the running game as he gained 139 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries for El Capitan .

The Vaqueros CHRIS PEARSON scored on a 5-yard run.

Santana’s CORY CONNER blocked a punt to set up a 1-yard scoring burst by KAHLIL STEWART in the fourth quarter.

El Capitan kicker KEVIN BROWNING was 5-for-5 on PATs.

“We played a great first half,” El Capitan coach RON BURNER said. “But we let Santana back into the game in the second half.”

Santana counter-punched with a pair of touchdown passes by quarterback GABE KRUSE, who completed 14 of 28 aerials. TYLER BROWNING caught 7 passes for 65 yards while Conner and RYAN BROWNING hauled in touchdown passes and DYLAN ENGLISH was 3-for-3 on PATs.

MOUNT MIGUEL 46, EL CAJON VALLEY 13 – The Mount Miguel Matadors have grown accustomed to seeing the El Cajon Valley Braves wave the white flag when the two teams match up. Mount Miguel entered Friday night’s (Oct. 12) contest with an 8-game winning streak over El Cajon Valley .

Make that 9 straight as the Matadors throttled the Braves 46-13 in El Cajon . Both teams now have identical 3-4 overall records but the Braves do not have TONY DOZIER.

East County’s leading rusher eclipsed the century mark for the season en route to a 20 carry - 176 yard - 2 touchdown performance that left the Braves beaten and battered.

“I feel like I was dominating out there, can’t nobody stop me. They (the Matador offensive line) put some good blocks and I just came through with the ground and pound game,” said Dozier.

“We played all right, we got a little sloppy in the 2nd half,” said Matador head coach SHAUN McDADE, referring to 111 penalty yards surrendered by his team. Untimely Matadors penalties led to 4 of El Cajon Valley ’s 10 first downs for the game. The Matadors defense was so stout that the Braves only managed two non-penalty assisted first downs for the first three quarters of the game.

Defensively, the Matadors were led by SONNY SAMOATA who pestered the Braves offense with 11 tackles, 3 for loss and one sack. GABE BEAS also had four tackles and a sack.

While Dozier was the unquestioned bull of the Matador offense, he wasn’t the only one goring the Braves defenders. Quarterbacks BRAD MORENO and JACOB CASTILLO combined to go 10-19 for 223 and 2 touchdowns apiece.

After the defense forced a 3 and out on the opening possession, the Matadors were gift wrapped a short field thanks to a low snap by the Braves punt team. Moreno then found JOVON RICHARDSON in the end zone for a 21-yard scoring strike to take a 7-0 lead only 4:52 into the game.

On their next offensive possession the Matadors went 95 yards in 3 plays; 41 yards coming on a punishing Dozier run up the middle, the last 50 yards coming on a scoring pass from Moreno to D’ARYONN HARTFIELD to put the Matadors up 14-0. Castillo then got in on the action completing a wide receiver screen pass to RASHAD HARPER, who raced past Braves defenders for a 56-yard touchdown with 8:14 left in the 2nd quarter.

Less than a minute later El Cajon Valley ’s offense briefly came to life when VIRNEL MOON unleashed an electric juke move on a Matador defender that cleared the way for a dazzling 73-yard touchdown run, and the Braves closed the gap to 21-7. But the Matadors defense shut down the Braves, forcing consecutive 3 and outs.

The Matadors offense capitalized both times, hitting pay dirt on a 3-yard touchdown run by Dozier and a 20-yard touchdown pass from Castillo to DEVAUGHN MURRAY to give Mount Miguel 36 first half points.

Both teams came out sluggish in the 2nd half with Matador kicker JOSUE BEAS supplying the only points of the quarter on a 35-yard field goal.

Braves defender RYAN PEET, playing despite a shoulder separation, stepped up in the 3rd quarter with 2 tackles for loss to halt drives. Teammate ANTHONY TY also stopped a Matadors drive with an athletic interception of a deep Moreno pass down the sideline.

But with 6:24 left in the 4th quarter it was time for the bull Dozier to cap his night. After 8, 3, and 1 yard runs, Dozier scored on an impressive 50-yard scamper shedding two would-be tacklers and out running the Braves’ defense to the end zone to put the Matadors up 46-7.

El Cajon Valley never quit, scoring on a ANGEL RUIZ perfectly placed fade pass into the arms of a well defended SADIQ ALMOSAWI on the last play of the game for a 36-yard touchdown, for the final score of the game.

Mount Miguel outgained El Cajon Valley 408 to 181 with 81 of the Braves yards coming on the final drive of the game.

— DAVID HURST

Monte Vista's Jemeil Jackson (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com) VIEW/PURCHASE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

The visitors were quickly disappointed and extinguished from the start. On their initial offensive drive, the Warriors would drive 70 yards only to stall at the 25.

From there on out it was all Monarchs defense, and an unstoppable offensive ground assault. The Monarchs marched down the field, putting up an impressive 28-7 lead to close out the first half.

The Warriors defense gave up a total of 315 yards on the ground and would have no answer to this stronger, faster offensive line and tailback corp. THOMAS WALKER, the Monarchs’ junior quarterback, added an impressive 70-yard touchdown run, while only putting up 34 yards in passing on 6 attempts including a touchdown pass.

As discussed between both visiting and home coaches and officials, it was mutually agreed that the second half would be played with a running clock due to the Monarchs dominance.

The Monarchs would score one last time in the second half with 4:45 left in the 3rd quarter.

Leading rusher SHAWN MORALES ran for 95 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 13 carries for the Monarchs.

“All week our defense worked on defending the pass and came up big,” said Morales. “I also give all the credit to my offensive line for creating my running lanes.”

— DAVE DICKENS

Junior Varsity Results

West Hills 42, Valhalla 7 El Capitan 24, Santana 13 Steele Canyon 28, Grossmont 21 Helix 34, Granite Hills 0 Madison 15, Christian 10 (snaps Pats' 20-game win streak Mount Miguel 58, ECVHS 0

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Freshmen Results

Valhalla 38, West Hills 8 Steele Canyon 49, Grossmont 27 Santana 21, El Capitan 19 Helix 48, Granite Hills 0 ECVHS-Mount Miguel

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The Warhawks (6-1) took a 28-7 halftime lead and never looked back as they dealt Christian their second loss. It was a stinging loss for the Patriots, who fell to 5-2 overall.

Despite the loss it would appear that the Patriots will probably sweep their final three games and secure the Central League championship.

In the loss to Madison Christian’s running game ran wild with 373 yards. RAYVON OWENS stacked up 144 yards and 3 scores on 29 carries, while PARIS MILLER contributed 172 yards on 23 carries.

TRENT SAULS carried only 3 times but did score a touchdown for the Patriots.

“We ran the ball really well and our two guys (Owens and Miller) had big games,” said Christian head coach MATT OLIVER.

The problem for the Patriots was they did not match up.

“We couldn’t keep up with their speed,” said Oliver. “We ran the ball pretty well but we could not keep them from executing big plays.”

In their first two league games, the Knights (3-3, 0-2 ML) have been blistered 92-0.

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (10-11-12) — It must be hard for Grossmont High head coach TOM KARLO to figure out why his Foothillers are barely ranked among the Top 10, even though they have won six straight games this season without a loss.

The Foothillers (6-0, 1-0 GHL) will get a chance to prove that they are worthy of county attention if they can knock off host Steele Canyon (2-3-1, 1-0 GHL) in Friday’s (Oct. 12) Grossmont Hills League showdown at 7 p.m. Match-ups like this don’t get any better, which is easily East County’s best faceoff.

Quarterback ANTHONY LAWRENCE is the triggerman for the Foothillers, averaging nearly 300 yards and 18 touchdowns. Right on his heels is Steele Canyon quarterback BRANDON ANDRADE with 1603 yards and 16 TDs. So it appears that this game will be a shootout.

Nonetheless Cougars running back LONNIE TUFF (53-199, 3 TDs) could be the wildcard that decides the issue.

The argument here is Steele Canyon has played the tougher preseason schedule. But that doesn’t mean much if you don’t win the games.

Steele Canyon has won five straight over the Foothillers and doesn’t figure to stumble this time... Steele Canyon 27-24.

VALHALLA at WEST HILLS – So far it’s kind of been a disappointing season for the Norsemen (3-3, 0-1 GHL), who have a high-powered offense led by the San Diego County’s best quarterback RAMSEY ROMANO (102-169, 1817 yards total offense and 20 TDs). Thus, Friday’s (Oct. 12) Grossmont Hills League encounter with Romano and his horde of receivers should be enough to overhaul the Wolf Pack 5-1, 0-1 GHL).

This is a pivotal game in terms of which team will win the Grossmont Hills League championship. Some might say this is a battle for second place. Regardless who wins this game, a third-place finish and a berth to the playoffs is definitely within reach.

While the statistics show that Romano is the triggerman in the Norsemen offense, he couldn’t do it without receivers BRYAN MACIAS (29-372, 4 TDs), BEN HOWARD (23-535, 7 TDs) and KEVIN MILLS (22-342, 1 TD) who have provided big-league targets.

RASHAAN MILLER, who is a double-threat for West Hills at quarterback (9 TDs) and running back, looks for JUSTIN VERKEST (13-165, 3 TDs).

Valhalla has won three straight games over the Wolf Pack and that streak does not figure to end... Valhalla 35-24.

EL CAPITAN at SANTANA– More than the traditional Golden Whip will be at stake in Friday’s (Oct. 12) Grossmont Valley League encounter as surprising Santana (1-5, 1-0 GVL) attempts to maintain its share of the league lead. A win over the Vaqueros (2-4, 0-0 GVL) could clinch a playoff spot and maybe more for Santana.

On the flip side this is the Vaqueros’ season opener. El Capitan, which has been riddled by injuries, hopes for a new beginning after losing back-to-back games to West Hills and Olympian by a combined 62-6 score.

Santana’s hopes hinge on the BROWNING brothers – TYLER and RYAN. Tyler has generated 821 totals yards including 397 receiving, while Ryan has produced 615 yards and 3 interceptions. Ryan has two kickoff returns for touchdowns, while his brother has one.

The Vaqueros count on sophomore quarterback BRAD CAGLE to carry the offensive load. Cagle has 1194 yards and 8 touchdowns total offense. Will he and the Vaqueros offense be enough to stave off the upset-minded Sultans? After the Vaqueros had won 10 of the previous 11 games between the two, the Sultans steam-rollered to a 56-6 win last year... El Capitan 27-20.

HELIX at GRANITE HILLS – This one will not be pretty. The visiting Highlanders (4-1, 1-0 GHL), who have won 21 of the last 23 meetings over the Eagles, including claiming the last six straight, figure to make Friday’s (Oct. 12) Grossmont Hills League encounter a blowout at Valley Stadium. Consider this: The Highlanders beat the Eagles 63-7 last year, 55-10 the year before and a line of routs prior to that.

Comparing last year’s state championship team with this year’s unit isn’t fair as two dozen of the key Highlanders graduated, but don’t get the idea that the Highlanders Express has jumped the track. This football team is at least as good as its No. 4 ranking. Helix is riding an 11-game league winning streak and has posted a 28-3 mark in circuit competition since 2005. That includes five undefeated seasons.

MICHAEL ADKINS (138.3 yards per game, 8 TDs) spearheads the Helix offense, while lineman AMU MILO, linebacker ROCKY FUGA, defensive backs MARQUISE POWELL and KENDAL KEYS anchor East County ’s toughest defense.

Injury-riddled Granite Hills (1-5, 0-1 GHL) is completely out-manned and the Eagles will be doing their best to keep it from being a running clock... Helix 49-7.

MOUNT MIGUEL at EL CAJON VALLEY – Despite losing four of their first five nonleague games, the Matadors believe they’re capable of winning their third straight league championship. They proved that in Step 1 when they knocked off Grossmont Valley League rival Monte Vista 24-7.

Next up is El Cajon Valley. The Braves are 3-3 but somehow found a way to lose to Santana in the league opener last week. Any team that thinks that they should overlook this team better look out because the Braves have a lot of offensive weapons.

East County ’s leading rusher, TONY DOZIER (143-927, 4 TDs) carries the offensive load for Mount Miguel. The Matadors have a sporadic passing attack, which leaves them vulnerable to the Braves and other foes they will face down the line.

Versatile VIRNEL MOON is El Cajon Valley’s standout – a threat as a receiver and a running back. Kicker IRVING VORBON is one of the best in the county and the game could come down to one of his boots.

The Matadors have won eight straight over the Braves and 18 out of 20. The Braves definitely have a chance for an upset this time but the odds are against them... Mount Miguel 28-20.

BRETHREN CHRISTIAN at MONTE VISTA – This season has been all about defense for Monte Vista but the Monarchs will need a little bit more offensive push to knock off their visitors from Huntington Beach in Friday’s (Oct. 12) nonleague encounter in Spring Valley.

It comes down to this... the Monte Vista (2-4) defense against the Brethren Christian Warriors’ (4-2) offense that averages 41.5 point per game. Considering Monte Vista is scoring only slightly more than 15 ppg, the Monarchs certainly don’t want a shootout.

Warriors quarterback Jack McInally has thrown for 762 yards and18 TDs on 42-67 passing while suffering only one interception. That has to be one of the top quarterback percentages in the state. He has a stable of underclassmen receivers led by Guy Demazelier (16-264, 8 TDs).

Monte Vista ’s workhorse is SHAWN MORALES, a two-way player. MESSAI SMALL (6-2, 245) is a senior defensive lineman for the Monarchs.

These two teams have never met before but the nod goes to... Brethren Christian 35-13.

CHRISTIAN at MADISON – This should be one of the best late-season nonleague battles when the Patriots (5-1) visit Madison (5-1) in a 6:30 p.m. game where pride is higher than the stakes. These teams have one common opponent and that would be Mission Bay.

The Warhawks buffaloed the Buccaneers 42-20, and Christian rallied from a 19-0 first quarter deficit to knock off the beach boys 29-19.

“This is a nonleague game but it’s really important to us,” said Christian coach MATT OLIVER. “We believe we will win our league but we don’t have a tougher opponent than Madison left on our schedule.”

No question Madison has played a tougher schedule than Christian with victories coming over Mount Miguel 35-31, Clairemont 49-6, Mira Mesa 34-10, and Lincoln 20-7. The Warhawks’ only loss was to Valhalla 42-28. Christian’s lone setback was to Francis Parker 24-20 in a game that the Patriots led until the final period.

Christian counts on its two-back offense of RAYVON OWENS (112-792, 9 TDs) and PARIS MILLER (46-491, 3 TDs). Madison has great team speed but doesn’t look to one player to carry the load. The Patriots have won 7 of the previous 10 meetings but well be hard-pressed to keep that trend going... Madison 23-21.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN at HOLTVILLE – The Vikings of Holtville (5-1) are slated to open the season as favorites in the Manzanita League Friday (Oct. 12) when they host Foothills Christian (3-2, 0-1 MZL). Based on the records of these two teams, this game indicates Holtville as the heavy favorite.

On paper, however, two of Holtville’s wins have come via forfeit. So how good are they? They did crush El Centro Southwest 40-13 and are only a 14-10 loss to Calexico away from being undefeated.

Injuries have decimated the ranks of the Foothills Christian Knights, leaving SPENCER GEORGE (74-502, 3 TDs) to carry the load.

Foothills Christian simply does not have the depth to sidetrack Holtville... Holtville 28-13.