Highlanders can’t pull off needed upset

By Ramon Scott
Updated: September 8, 2018

2018 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

No. 4 CATHEDRAL 30, No. 6 HELIX 21

EastCountySports.com staff report

SAN DIEGO – The Helix Highlanders fell to another elite team on Friday night and it doesn’t get much easier next week.

Sixth-ranked Helix battled tooth-and-nail with the fourth-ranked Cathedral Catholic Dons at Manchester Stadium for three and-a-half quarters before succumbing, 30-21.

Cathedral Catholic (3-1) blocked a pair of punts and kicked a go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter.

The Highlanders erased a one-score lead in the second quarter behind a pair of touchdowns from ELELYON NOA.

Noa had a 14-yard TD and a 56-yard jaunt. “Fato” had 226 yards rushing, while Cathedral senior Shawn Poma had over 200 yards rushing in a most-anticipated matchup of rushing stars.

Particularly impressive up front for Helix were seniors NATHAN ADAMS, CHRIS ALVARADO, ISAAC GONZALEZ and ISAIAH JATTA.

Poma’s 36-yard touchdown after the first blocked punt tied the game at 14-all.

The second blocked punt resulted in a scoop-n-score for the Dons.

However, Helix running back XAVIER HAMLETT continued to shine, busting off a 62-yard touchdown run for a 21-20 lead with 8:24 left in the game after surely being tackled by nearly the entire Dons’ linebacking corps at once.

JACOB RAY, GABE MARTINEZ and ANTHONY LOMBARDO registered sacks for Helix.

Poma scored on a 40-yard touchdown run for the final margin with 46 seconds left.

Helix (1-3) will host one of the county’s hottest and fastest-rising teams in the seventh-ranked St. Augustine Saints.

While the Highlanders may or may not have lost their chance at an Open Division championship, Helix is an automatic contender for the Division I title.