Matadors foil Vaqueros’ homecoming in gory detail

By ECS Staff
Updated: October 31, 2015

Junior Richard Moore scores a touchdown during the second half of the Matadors road win at El Capitan on Friday night. / Ramon Scott photo

By Chris Davis
© East County Sports.com

LAKESIDE (10-31-15) — El Capitan had the traditional end of halftime fireworks on Friday (Oct. 30) at the school’s annual Homecoming party. The fireworks on the field followed the same script, as the Grossmont Hills League game finished with a flourish.

Mount Miguel’s JOEL BEAS kicked a 36-yard field goal in the first quarter. That was all the scoring until the fourth quarter.

That was the score when the Vaqueros’ Homecoming King and Queen, CHANCE COLSON and LUCY LEE, were named. Well, Chance was named but probably didn’t know it until he came out of the team room at the end of halftime.

Everyone had gotten back into their seats at the end of the third quarter when Mount Miguel (4-5, 1-3 GHL) handed off the ball to LAMARCUS BUTLER for a 1-yard run. After a bad snap on the extra point it was 9-0 Matadors with just under 11 minutes to go in the game.

Six and a half minutes later RICHARD MOORE caught BENNY VALADEZ’ lone touchdown pass (8-20, 153 yards, 1 touchdown) on the night with a 36-yard pass on the first play after DURAN MILLER recovered a fumble that TREVON ALLEN forced to make it 15-0.

EastCountySports.com photo

HUNTER FERMIL returned the ensuing kickoff 22-yards to place the Vaqueros (2-7, 0-4 GHL) at their own 27-yard line. PHOENIX CATES (7-8, 66 yards) completed a pass to HOLDEN DONES for 15 yards to the 42-yard line.

BRENNEN MURPHY carried the ball for 9 yards to the Matador 49. The next play was actually for a loss, but a personal foul against Mount Miguel turned it into a first down for El Capitan at the Matador 35. Cates completed another pass to JAVIER VIDALEZ for another 15 yards to get the ball into the red zone for the first time all night for the Vaqueros.

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Murphy then took the ball on back-to-back plays for 10 yards each for the touchdown. This made the score Matadors 15, Vaqueros 7 with 2:05 left in the fourth quarter. That would be the closest El Capitan would get.

It was the first touchdown the Vaqueros had scored in the previous four games. Fact is, El Capitan has scored only 55 points in nine games. The last time the Vaqueros reached the endzone non-stop was against Granite Hills on Friday (Oct. 2).

El Capitan attempted an on-side kick, but the ball went out at the Matador 49. Mount Miguel’s ANTOINE HAMILTON (4 carries for 17 yards) rushed for 13 yards on a 2^nd and 17 play to get the ball to the Matadors 45. Mount Miguel was whistled for a false start penalty to back it up to the Matadors 40.

ANTHONY GILMORE (13 carries for 130 yards, one touchdown) took the ball and bounced off a couple of linemen and took it to the left sideline. Gilmore tip-toed for a few yards on the sidelines and then kicked in the afterburners as he just broke out of a pack of 12 people and then in the next second it was nothing but green between himself and the end zone.

Mount Miguel head coach SHAUN McDADE bragged about his defense after the game. “Defensive wise it was an outstanding performance, they kept us in the game,” he said. “Offensively, I thought we got some things going tonight. It was a game we needed to win because it would go a long way toward helping us get into the playoffs.”

The Matadors will host Steele Canyon (5-4, 2-2 GHL) next week to put the last piece of what could be a possible playoff berth in Division II.