Vaqueros lose late; Matadors routed; Monarchs fall

By Ramon Scott
Updated: September 13, 2026

Elijah Arzu scores on Friday.

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

LATE MOORE SCORES LIFTS BARONS OVER VAQUEROS

BONITA VISTA 14, EL CAPITAN 7

ECS STAFF REPORT

CHULA VISTA — El Capitan spent most of Friday night preventing Bonita Vista’s offense from reaching the end zone, but one late escape by Ta’Vyon Moore was enough to send the Vaqueros home with another narrow defeat.

Moore broke loose for a 40-yard touchdown with 3:40 remaining, lifting Bonita Vista to a 14-7 victory and giving the Barons their first win of the season.

El Capitan fell to 1-3, with each of its three losses coming by seven points.

The Vaqueros produced the game’s first touchdown after stopping Bonita Vista on the opening possession and taking over near midfield.

Sophomore quarterback Daniel Montijo, receiving his second consecutive start, found Elijah Arzu down the left side on a play that initially appeared designed to attract the secondary elsewhere. Another El Capitan receiver jumped and gestured as though he were uncovered, but Montijo looked downfield toward Arzu.

Bonita Vista did not completely bite on the distraction. Two defenders remained near Arzu, but neither could prevent the completion.

Montijo placed the pass high enough to give his receiver an opportunity, and Arzu supplied the rest. He elevated above the coverage, palmed the football and pulled it securely into his grasp for a spectacular touchdown reception and a 7-0 El Capitan lead.

It was another impressive moment for Montijo after the sophomore completed 10 of 14 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns in his varsity starting debut against Ramona. It also demonstrated why Arzu has quickly emerged as one of the Vaqueros’ most dangerous offensive players.

El Capitan’s defense controlled the early possessions.

Quillan White drove Bonita Vista back toward its own goal line with a third-down sack during the Barons’ second series. A short punt then allowed the Vaqueros to begin their next possession at the Bonita Vista 31.

The defense later produced another stop near midfield. Bonita Vista attempted to convert fourth down near the El Capitan 45, but the Vaqueros chased the quarterback from the pocket and brought him down short of the line to gain.

Despite those opportunities, El Capitan could not extend its advantage.

Montijo went down awkwardly during the opening half when his legs appeared to become twisted beneath him. He returned to his feet, but Kyle Carnes subsequently entered at quarterback. No diagnosis or confirmation of an injury was immediately available.

Bonita Vista tied the game with its defense.

Facing third-and-6 near midfield, Carnes attempted a pass that Charlie Finch intercepted before returning it 50 yards for a touchdown. The pick-six represented the Barons’ only scoring play until the closing minutes.

The game remained tied 7-7 through most of the second half. Complete play-by-play was unavailable after the video feed went down, but Moore finally broke the defensive stalemate with his 40-yard touchdown.

That late run proved particularly painful for an El Capitan defense that had contained Bonita Vista for almost the entire evening. The Vaqueros allowed only one offensive touchdown, yet Finch’s interception return and Moore’s late burst supplied everything the Barons needed.

Bonita Vista improved to 1-3, while El Capitan must recover from a third close loss. The Vaqueros opened with a 28-21 defeat in Hawaii, defeated Chula Vista 14-9 and then lost 27-21 to Ramona before Friday’s setback.

LOOKING AHEAD: EL CAPITAN AT STEELE CANYON

El Capitan remains on the road Friday for a difficult matchup at Steele Canyon.

The Cougars should enter as the favorite based upon their size, physical defense and experience against stronger competition. Steele Canyon’s record has been shaped by games against programs such as Santa Fe Christian and Eastlake, and the Cougars possess more overall depth than Bonita Vista.

Still, El Capitan has played four consecutive one-possession games and has demonstrated enough defense to make the matchup competitive. The largest question involves the quarterback position. If Montijo is limited after going down awkwardly Friday, Carnes may be asked to take a larger role.

The Vaqueros also must finish the opportunities their defense creates. They repeatedly began possessions in favorable field position against Bonita Vista but scored only once. Against Steele Canyon, settling for an early lead without extending it is unlikely to be enough.

MATADORS LEARNING HARD WAY ABOUT TOP TEAMS

No. 12 TORREY PINES 44, No. 36 MOUNT MIGUEL 6

ECS staff report

SAN DIEGO — The difficult schedule Mount Miguel inherited continued to expose the distance between the rebuilding Matadors and the San Diego Section’s upper-level programs Friday night.

Torrey Pines scored early, kept the pressure on throughout the first half and rolled past Mount Miguel, 44-6, dropping the Matadors to 1-2.

The Falcons improved to 3-1 behind an efficient performance from quarterback Blake Miller, who completed 9 of 10 passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns.

Torrey Pines also received 167 all-purpose yards from Logan Bonneau, whose night included a kickoff return for a touchdown, while the Falcons’ defense consistently disrupted a Mount Miguel offense that never developed any kind of rushing attack.

The Matadors finished with just 156 total yards, with 153 coming through the air and only three on the ground according to reported statistics.

The lone bright spot again came from junior receiver Cayden “Prince” Mobley.

Mobley caught six passes for 134 yards and Mount Miguel’s only touchdown, including a 76-yard reception. Through three games, he continues to provide the Matadors with the explosive element that has been increasingly difficult to manufacture elsewhere.

Freshman quarterback Amare White supplied most of Mount Miguel’s passing production, completing 4 of 8 attempts for 122 yards and a touchdown. Junior Enrique Gonzalez was 5 of 8 for 31 yards with an interception.

The two quarterbacks combined to complete 9 of 16 passes for 153 yards.

Mount Miguel’s inability to establish the run was particularly damaging against a Torrey Pines defense able to attack without having to respect much balance. The Matadors recorded only one official rushing attempt for three yards in the available statistics.

Defensively, senior Dominic Lopez led Mount Miguel with eight total tackles, including five solo stops. Junior Isaiah Hicks and sophomore Kalani Tausaga added five tackles apiece.

Torrey Pines received two sacks each from Jayden Tang and Dom Principi, while Kingston Bankston intercepted a pass.

The result reinforced the unusual situation surrounding Mount Miguel’s season.

This schedule was assembled while the program was still operating with the expectations created by its rise over the previous several seasons. After major offseason personnel changes, new head coach James Simon inherited both a dramatically reshaped roster and a schedule constructed for a program expected to challenge many of the county’s stronger teams.

Torrey Pines represented one of those measuring-stick games.

The Falcons turned it into a mismatch.

Mount Miguel had entered averaging 286 yards per game, but Torrey Pines held the Matadors nearly 130 yards below that figure while producing enough explosive plays on offense and special teams to remove most suspense early.

The Matadors have now surrendered 125 points in three games.

Yet there is little relief coming.

POWAY COMES TO SPRING VALLEY

Mount Miguel returns home Friday, Sept. 18, but the schedule remains demanding with Poway (2-2) visiting for another nonleague matchup.

The Titans arrive with a deceptive .500 record because their last two games came against two of the stronger programs in the section.

Poway opened the season with victories over Scripps Ranch, 16-0, and Ramona, 24-23, before losing at San Marcos, 28-14, and then falling Friday to unbeaten Carlsbad, 35-7.

So while both Mount Miguel and Poway will enter trying to stop two-game losing streaks, the trajectories behind those records are considerably different.

Poway is averaging approximately 282 yards per game, including 181.7 on the ground, and its physical running game presents another significant challenge for a Mount Miguel defense that has spent much of the early season dealing with stronger, deeper opponents.

Running back Carson Williams leads the Titans at 83.3 rushing yards per game, while quarterback Trenton Schrecker has averaged better than 100 passing yards.

Poway has scored only 61 points through four games, so this is not the same offensive challenge Mount Miguel encountered against Torrey Pines. The Titans, however, have shown they can control games defensively and on the ground, particularly in their season-opening shutout of Scripps Ranch.

For Mount Miguel, the immediate objective will be finding enough offensive balance to keep Poway from concentrating almost entirely on Mobley.

Mobley is now averaging nearly 110 receiving yards per game and remains the Matadors’ most dangerous offensive player. Lopez has averaged 55.3 rushing yards through the season, but Friday’s virtual disappearance of the ground game cannot become a recurring issue if Mount Miguel is going to remain competitive against the stronger portion of its schedule.

The Matadors’ challenge remains essentially the same one Simon inherited in August: keep developing the players who stayed, find stability at quarterback and survive a schedule originally designed for a very different version of Mount Miguel football.

Friday against Torrey Pines showed just how difficult that assignment can be.

And Poway ensures it will not become much easier next week.

LONGHORNS TAKE HOME VICTORY FROM MONARCHS

Rancho Buena Vista 34, Monte Vista 8

ECS.com staff report

SPRING VALLEY — Monte Vista found an early opening Friday night, but Rancho Buena Vista made sure the Monarchs never found another one until the closing seconds.

The Longhorns scored the game’s first 34 points and handed Monte Vista a 34-8 nonleague loss, dropping the Monarchs to 2-2 heading into their bye week.

Monte Vista produced its biggest play of the night during the first quarter when Saesean Jenkins broke loose for a 61-yard run. The Monarchs were unable to turn the long gain into points, however, and Rancho Buena Vista gradually took control.

Longhorns quarterback Van Piercy completed 11 of 20 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns. Rancho Buena Vista finished with 232 passing yards and 319 yards of total offense despite being held to 87 yards on the ground.

Sean Richard was Piercy’s leading target, catching five passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. Isaiah Simmons added three receptions for 63 yards and a score, while Madsen Smith caught two passes for 45 yards and another touchdown.

Kaipo Gutierrez supplied Rancho Buena Vista’s rushing touchdown as the Longhorns improved to 2-2.

With RBV holding a 34-0 advantage, the Monarchs’ defense continued competing through the fourth quarter. Rancho Buena Vista elected to keep its offense on the field rather than punt, and Monte Vista answered with a pair of fourth-down stops.

Those stands eventually helped the Monarchs avoid the shutout.

Branden Silie scored Monte Vista’s touchdown with 2.1 seconds remaining, and the Monarchs added the two-point conversion for the final margin.

Complete individual statistics for Monte Vista were not available.

The loss ended the Monarchs’ two-game winning streak and evened their record after four games. Monte Vista now receives a timely open date before returning for its final nonleague game.

LOOKING AHEAD: CHRISTIAN AT MONTE VISTA

Friday, Sept. 25

Monte Vista will have two weeks to regroup before hosting Christian on Sept. 25 in Spring Valley.

The matchup will bring together two East County programs that have met only four times. Christian holds a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series and has won the past three meetings.

Monte Vista won the first meeting, 35-14, in 1980. The series did not resume until Christian earned a 20-10 victory at Monte Vista in 2016. The Patriots followed with a narrow 22-21 win in 2018 and a 43-7 road victory in the most recent meeting in 2019.

Christian is 3-0 following its 27-6 victory at Olympian and will host Calexico on Sept. 18 before visiting Monte Vista. The Patriots have opened the season with victories over Valley Center, The Bishop’s and Olympian.

For the Monarchs, the bye provides an opportunity to reset after consecutive difficult games and prepare for a Christian team that has allowed only 29 points through its first three contests.