Olympians, Comets blaze in openers

By Ramon Scott
Updated: September 7, 2021

Blaze Zito celebrates his first career touchdown at any level on Saturday. / Nicole Noel

2021 COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL

SAN DIEGO MESA 31, EAST L.A. 0

EastCountySports.com staff report

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Mesa Olympians looked like the same type of team that was out there a long 21 months ago.

The Olympians took out West L.A., 31-0, in the season opener at Douglas Stadium on Saturday night.

San Diego Mesa scored on its first possession when Daniel Letanca, out of Del Norte, took a draw play 62 yards for a score.

Mesa gave a glimpse of the maybe things to come with Gunnar Gray at quarterback.

Former West Hills star Jordin Young returns a punt on Saturday for Mesa College. / Nicole Noel

On their second possession, the Olympians went 95 yards (99 after a 4-yard loss on first down), engineered by the passing of Gray.

Gray hit Antwoine Sullivan, out of Hemet, with a 9-yard score to take a 14-0 load.

Sophomore Daniel Hawk, of Madison, Wisc., had a second-quarter sack for Mesa, which ended up setting up a 42-yard field goal by Dominic Camacho, a freshman from Albuquerque, N.M.

Ryen Sanford, out of Serra High (now Canyon Hills), had a tackle for loss in the second quarter, then, on the very next play, freshman Bennett Walker, from Torrey Pines, had a 16-yard sack.

A roughing penalty on a punt from the end zone resulted in the Wildcats retaining possession, but West L.A. botched a pitch on the first-down play, and former Helix Highlander Blaze Zito picked up the loose ball and returned it 16 yards for a touchdown.

Gray was very good, but wasn’t perfect, as the Wildcats nearly had a pick-six to end the half, as a 50-yard return gave West L.A. a shot at the end zone to end the half, but freshman Andrew Travillion, out of Pflugerville, Texas, had an interception in the end zone as time expired.

Freshman Quincy Welsh, of Austin, Texas, also quarterbacked the Olympians on some series.

Welsh connected with Sullivan on a 72-yard touchdown bomb, for Sullivan’s second score of the game.

Former West Hills quarterback Jordin Young, a freshman, had a 45-yard punt return in the third quarter, getting a chance to flash some real open-field speed.

Another punt return in the third quarter by Young saw the shifty, elusive runner cover about 35 yards for a 17-yard runback, as he escaped a tackle and was able to circle back to the outside for yards.

Young also played wide receiver in the contest for the Olympians.

West L.A. drove down inside the 10-yard line in the fourth quarter, but the Olympian defense forced a strip and Zito made a second fumble recovery of the game.

PALOMAR 31, VICTOR VALLEY 3 – The Comets were outgained 284-248 but the Palomar defense registered four interceptions – including a pair of pick-6s in the season-opening victory at Escondido High.

Ricky Davis Jr., a freshman from Las Vegas, had two of the interceptions, including a 41-yard touchdown return.

Meanwhile, freshman Jean Louis, of Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., had a 32-yard return for a score on his pick.

Veteran Sid Weddington, of Valley Center, led the Comets’ ‘D’ with seven solo stops.

Palomar quarterback Zeke Payne, a freshman from Rancho Bernardo, passed for two touchdowns, as freshman Tajae Brooks, the former Escondido Cougar, and sophomore Dennis Garrison, of Amityville, N.Y., both reeled in scoring strikes.