Stewart powers Knights into Sunset showdown

 

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 41, VICTORY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 14

EastCountySports.com

SANTEE – The Foothills Christian Knights have turned a one-win season into a winning season. Now the Knights have an opportunity to turn their turnaround into a championship.

Senior David Stewart rushed for 237 yards and three touchdowns, leading Foothills to a 41-14 victory over Victory Christian Academy in a Sunset League game Friday, Oct. 23.

The Knights overcame a six-point first-quarter deficit by scoring 41 unanswered points, improving to 5-3 overall and 3-0 in league and securing their first winning 11-man regular season since 2010.

Their next assignment will determine the league championship.

Foothills meets O’Farrell Charter, also 3-0 in Sunset play, in the regular-season finale Friday, Oct. 30. The winner claims the outright title.

For coach Dustin Turley’s team, that is a substantial step forward from last season’s 1-9 finish, which included a 28-6 loss to Victory Christian.

Stewart carried 23 times, averaging 10.3 yards per attempt, behind an offensive front credited with 14 pancake blocks.

Junior Drew Mikulsky added 45 yards and a touchdown on six carries, helping the Knights finish with 282 rushing yards.

Junior quarterback Hayden Oleson completed two passes in six attempts, but both completions produced touchdowns: a 36-yard connection with Liam Dailey and a 14-yard strike to Isaac Maisonet.

Foothills finished with 332 total offensive yards.

Second-quarter response changes game

Victory Christian struck first through the air, taking a 6-0 lead on a touchdown pass from freshman JD Lair to T. Cordova. The two-point attempt failed, and the visitors’ six-point advantage held through the opening quarter.

Foothills answered with three touchdowns in the second period.

Stewart scored the Knights’ first two touchdowns on the ground. Senior Trevor Embleton converted both extra points, giving Foothills leads of 7-6 and 14-6.

Oleson then found Dailey for the 36-yard touchdown. The extra point missed, leaving the Knights ahead 20-6 at halftime.

Foothills continued its surge in the third quarter.

Stewart reached the end zone for his third rushing touchdown and added the two-point conversion, extending the advantage to 28-6.

Oleson followed with his 14-yard touchdown pass to Maisonet. Embleton’s extra point made it 35-6, completing a stretch in which the Knights scored 35 points across the second and third quarters while holding Victory Christian scoreless.

Mikulsky added a fourth-quarter rushing touchdown to finish Foothills’ scoring and stretch the lead to 41-6.

Victory Christian’s Kyle Capili scored a late rushing touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion, for the final margin.

Mikulsky, Bailey lead defensive contributions

Mikulsky paired his offensive production with eight tackles, one tackle for loss and an interception, earning the Knights’ overall player of the game recognition.

Senior Marshal Bailey received the defensive player of the game honor after recording three tackles for losses, including a sack, along with two quarterback hurries.

Sophomore Quentin Wardlaw contributed six tackles. Maisonet and juniors Tuchon Phoenix and Wyatt Matlock each recorded five.

Junior Asher Cross added four tackles and a pass breakup. Sophomore Duke Houston supplied a quarterback hurry.

The defense’s scoreless second and third quarters gave Foothills time to build its decisive advantage.

Capili led Victory Christian with 133 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, adding 40 receiving yards on three catches. His 173 yards from scrimmage accounted for most of the team’s 246 offensive yards.

Lair completed 9 of 11 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown. Mikulsky’s interception came on a separate attempt by Michael Aguirre.

Victory Christian fell to 0-9 overall and 0-4 in league.

Knights clear way for Stewart

Stewart’s three touchdowns and 237 rushing yards were supported by a productive night from Foothills Christian’s offensive line.

Junior Asher Cross led the Knights with seven pancake blocks. Senior center Marshal Bailey added four, sophomore Jake Kern recorded two, and junior J.J. Hernandez supplied one.

The Knights averaged 9.7 yards per rushing attempt, with Stewart and Drew Mikulsky accounting for all 282 yards on the ground.

Stewart handled 23 of the team’s 29 carries, while Mikulsky averaged 7.5 yards on six attempts.

That production allowed Foothills to use its passing game selectively. Hayden Oleson’s two completions both reached the end zone, with sophomores Liam Dailey and Isaac Maisonet supplying the touchdown receptions.

Stewart earned the team’s offensive player of the game honor.

Senior Trevor Embleton, who made three extra points, was selected as the special teams player of the game. Maisonet added a 32-yard kickoff return, while sophomore Keano Konkus handled seven kickoffs for 315 yards.

Winning season marks another milestone

Foothills Christian’s fifth victory assures the Knights of a winning regular season in 11-man football for the first time since 2010, when they finished 6-3.

The program’s subsequent 11-man seasons produced records of 4-6 in 2011, 3-6 in 2012, 2-7 in 2013, 0-10 in 2014, 3-6 in 2021 and 1-9 last season.

Foothills enjoyed considerable success in eight-man football during that span, including an 11-0 season in 2019 and a 9-2 championship season in 2023.

This fall, the Knights have established a winning foundation in their return to 11-man competition.

They have won their first three Sunset League games by a combined 115-34, entering the finale with consecutive victories over Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac and Victory Christian.

A championship would give that progress an additional distinction.

Unbeatens meet for Sunset crown

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN (5-3, 3-0) vs. O’FARRELL CHARTER (4-5, 3-0)
Friday, Oct. 30 — Sunset League

Foothills Christian has earned its winning season. Claiming a league championship will require solving a defense that has allowed 12 points in three Sunset League games.

O’Farrell Charter enters the finale on a four-game winning streak, having outscored its league opponents 131-12.

The Falcons’ overall record is below .500, but their league performance establishes the challenge facing the Knights. O’Farrell has averaged 43.7 points per league game while surrendering just four.

Foothills has averaged 38.3 points in Sunset play, allowing 11.3.

Both teams have completed their first three league assignments unbeaten. With the other schools finished with league play, Friday’s winner takes the outright Sunset championship.

Stewart gives Knights starting point

David Stewart’s 237-yard performance against Victory Christian demonstrated what Foothills can accomplish when its running game establishes control.

The Knights will need another productive effort from their offensive front against an O’Farrell defense that has consistently limited league opponents.

Asher Cross, Marshal Bailey, Jake Kern and J.J. Hernandez all received pancake-block credit in the Victory Christian victory. Their work helped Stewart and Drew Mikulsky combine for 282 rushing yards.

Sustaining drives against O’Farrell would help Foothills manage the game and keep the Falcons’ productive offense off the field.

The passing game offers another avenue.

Hayden Oleson needed only two completions to produce two touchdowns last week. Liam Dailey and Isaac Maisonet give the Knights receiving options capable of finishing possessions when defenses concentrate on the run.

Against O’Farrell, making those opportunities count could be particularly valuable.

Defensive disruption could swing possessions

Mikulsky and Bailey enter the championship game following strong defensive performances.

Mikulsky led Foothills in tackles and intercepted a pass against Victory Christian. Bailey recorded three tackles for losses, including a sack.

Similar disruptions could help the Knights force an O’Farrell offense accustomed to scoring freely in league play into more difficult situations.

Quentin Wardlaw, Tuchon Phoenix, Wyatt Matlock and Maisonet also contributed at least five tackles apiece last week.

Foothills will need sound tackling and disciplined execution against a team that has won four straight.

The Knights also would benefit from a stronger start. They recovered from a 6-0 first-quarter deficit against Victory Christian, but an early lead for O’Farrell could make it harder for Foothills to dictate the pace through its running game.

A year ago, the Knights finished with one victory.

Now they enter their final regular-season game with five wins and a straightforward opportunity: win Friday, become league champions.

Sunset League standings

Scoring by quarters

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN LEADERS

Rushing: David Stewart, 23 carries, 237 yards, three TDs; Drew Mikulsky, six carries, 45 yards, TD.
Passing: Hayden Oleson, 2-of-6, 50 yards, two TDs.
Receiving: Liam Dailey, one catch, 36 yards, TD; Isaac Maisonet, one catch, 14 yards, TD.
Defense: Mikulsky, eight tackles, one for loss, interception; Quentin Wardlaw, six tackles; Maisonet, Tuchon Phoenix and Wyatt Matlock, five tackles each; Marshal Bailey, three tackles for losses, including a sack, two quarterback hurries.

Related Posts

• 
  Sultans Dominate Pats; Christian’s Barrios Tosses Gem
• 
  GHL Hoops: El Cap turns (to) the Paige
• 
  PCAC cancellations piling up quickly