Warriors hand Sultans first loss

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

No. 34 FALLBROOK 31, No. 25 SANTANA 21

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

SANTEE — Santana had a year to remember the missed opportunity, a bye week to prepare for the rematch and a homecoming crowd waiting for a different ending.

Fallbrook still stayed a step ahead.

The Warriors broke a halftime tie with a touchdown on their opening possession of the second half and went on to defeat the Sultans, 31-21, Friday night, handing Santana its first loss after four consecutive victories.

A matchup that offered Santana a chance to settle last season’s disappointment instead produced another one. The Sultans remained within a touchdown entering the fourth quarter, but Fallbrook’s balance and timely big plays kept the home team chasing.

Santana fell to 4-1 heading into its Grossmont Valley League opener against visiting El Capitan. Fallbrook improved to 4-2.

Senior quarterback Ethan Miller threw three touchdown passes, including two to Denton Goar, but the Sultans never established enough of a running game to consistently complement their passing attack.

Fallbrook finished with 184 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Santana managed 74 rushing yards, with Julian Mayers accounting for 73 of them.

The difference left considerably more of the offensive burden on Miller, who completed 22 of 36 passes for 223 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception.

Kolten “Koko” Thornton caught six passes for a team-high 82 yards and a touchdown. Goar finished with eight receptions for 74 yards and two scores.

Those familiar connections kept producing. Fallbrook, however, found the larger openings.

A costly opening to the second half

After a scoreless first quarter, the teams traded second-quarter touchdowns.

Fallbrook opened the scoring with a short rushing touchdown. Santana answered with a scoring pass from Miller, and Brenden Varner’s extra point tied the game, 7-7.

The Sultans later missed a 32-yard field goal attempt, leaving the score even at halftime.

That balance disappeared on the Warriors’ first possession after the break.

Sophomore quarterback Easton Lucy found Jayden Brown uncovered on the left side. Brown took the short pass and turned it into a 55-yard touchdown, giving Fallbrook a 14-7 lead after the extra point.

It was the sort of breakdown Santana could ill afford in a game where its offense was having to work for its yardage.

The Sultans scored once in the third quarter, but Fallbrook scored twice, taking a 21-14 advantage into the fourth. The Warriors then added another rushing touchdown and a 41-yard field goal by Alan Gutierrez during a 10-point final period.

Santana also scored a fourth-quarter touchdown, but could not erase the separation.

Gutierrez converted all four extra points in addition to his field goal, supplying seven points in a game decided by 10.

Lucy finished 10-for-21 for 157 yards and a touchdown. Brown caught two passes for 78 yards, and his receiving score was part of a two-touchdown night that also included a rushing touchdown.

Josue Hernandez Dilan led Fallbrook with 95 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown. Caleb Way added 75 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts, giving the Warriors two productive runners to pair with Lucy’s passing.

Fallbrook outgained Santana 341-297.

Rematch disappointment

Last season’s meeting had slipped away after Santana built a 22-7 halftime lead. A blocked punt returned for a touchdown and a high snap recovered for another score helped Fallbrook turn that game around.

Friday’s loss followed a different course.

Santana was tied at halftime and remained in contention after three quarters, but the Warriors were more productive on the ground and struck immediately when the second half began.

The Sultans had entered averaging 39.5 points per game, with their most recent outing a 37-35 victory at Chula Vista. Against Fallbrook, they finished with 21 points and no rushing touchdowns.

The disappointment was particularly sharp because Santana brought back several of the central figures from last year’s matchup. Miller, Goar, Thornton and Mayers all had another opportunity against an opponent they knew.

Their individual production provided stretches of resistance. It did not produce the homecoming result Santana wanted.

Goar, Thornton carry receiving load

Even with Fallbrook limiting Santana’s overall production, Denton Goar and Koko Thornton remained the Sultans’ most dependable receiving options.

Together, they caught 14 passes for 156 yards and all three Santana touchdowns.

Goar’s eight catches included Santana’s longest completion of the night, a 33-yarder. His two touchdown receptions followed a two-touchdown receiving performance in the Sultans’ previous game at Chula Vista.

Thornton averaged 13.7 yards per reception, with a long gain of 25 yards. He also contributed 10 tackles, including eight solo stops, and returned two kickoffs for 40 yards.

Goar finished with 150 all-purpose yards, adding 76 yards on five kickoff returns. Thornton totaled 130 all-purpose yards.

Elsewhere in the passing game, Ethan Smith caught two passes for 29 yards, Varner had three receptions for 18, C. Galarneau added two for 14, and Mayers caught one for six.

Santana completed passes to six players, but its scoring remained concentrated in the hands of Goar and Thornton.

Defensive stops could not erase big plays

Dillon Timanus led Santana with 11 tackles, including nine solo stops and two tackles for loss.

Thornton added 10 tackles, while Tatum Morehouse finished with seven tackles and two for loss. Brayton Knight contributed six tackles, Santana’s lone sack and two quarterback hurries.

The Sultans were credited with eight tackles for loss, evidence that they did disrupt individual plays. They also held Lucy below 50 percent passing.

But Fallbrook still averaged 5.8 yards per rushing attempt, and Brown’s 55-yard touchdown reception turned one coverage breakdown into an immediate second-half lead.

That combination explains why the defensive totals offered only partial comfort. Santana made stops behind the line, yet the Warriors generated enough productive runs and a decisive long pass to score four touchdowns.

Morehouse also handled the punting effectively, averaging 49 yards on two punts, with a long of 50.

Lookahead: El Capitan brings old rivalry, fresh league start

EL CAPITAN (1-4) at SANTANA (4-1)
Friday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m. — Santana High
Grossmont Valley League opener

Santana’s unbeaten start is gone. Its opportunity to contend for a league championship remains intact.

The Sultans open Grossmont Valley play at home against El Capitan, renewing a neighborhood rivalry historically associated with “The Whip.” Whatever the status of the old perpetual trophy, the league implications give this meeting plenty of weight.

Both teams begin conference play 0-0, and both have something to repair.

Santana needs to recover from its first defeat. El Capitan arrives following a bye, trying to end a three-game losing streak that included a 35-0 loss at Steele Canyon in its most recent outing.

The Vaqueros’ 1-4 record does not tell the entire story of their nonleague schedule.

Before the Steele Canyon loss, El Capitan’s three defeats had come by a combined 20 points: 28-21 at Pearl City, 27-21 against Ramona and 14-7 at Bonita Vista.

Its lone victory was a 14-9 win at Chula Vista, the same opponent Santana edged 37-35.

Those common-opponent results suggest a more competitive matchup than a glance at the records might imply.

Establishing balance comes first

For Santana, the offensive task begins with giving Miller more support on the ground.

Mayers averaged 4.6 yards on 16 carries against Fallbrook, but the Sultans’ remaining nine rushing attempts produced one net yard. Santana’s longest run was 11 yards.

More consistent rushing production would help the Sultans sustain possessions and create better opportunities for Goar, Thornton and the rest of the receiving group.

Defensively, Santana needs to turn its disruptive plays into completed stops. The Sultans recorded eight tackles for loss against Fallbrook but still allowed 184 rushing yards.

They also need to eliminate the kind of uncovered receiving opportunity that allowed Brown to change Friday’s game on the opening series of the second half.

El Capitan has scored 63 points in five games, including seven across its last two outings. The Vaqueros will be looking for offensive traction after an extra week to prepare.

Santana has already shown it can win a close game. Now it must show how it responds to losing one.

The homecoming disappointment will remain part of the season. Friday offers the Sultans their first chance to keep it from defining the start of league play.

El Capitan leads the series 34-18-2, by my count of Partleton’s 54 recorded meetings, from 1965 through 2024. No meeting is listed for 2025, making Friday’s game the 55th meeting. SAN DIEGO PREP SPORTS HISTORY

The last three meetings were all decided by seven points. El Capitan has won three of the last four.

Notable series history:

• First meeting: Santana won 23-13 in 1965, then 33-18 in 1966.
• Longest El Capitan winning streak: Six straight, 2005–2010.
• Longest Santana winning streak: Three straight, 1988–1990.
• Biggest Santana victory: 56-6 in 2011, ending that six-game skid.
• Biggest El Capitan victory: 62-0 in 1996.
• Highest-scoring meeting: El Capitan’s 66-13 win in 1968, totaling 79 points.
• Only ties: 12-12 in 1972 and 20-20 in 1982.
• Long interruption: No meetings listed from 2014–2019.

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