Sterling, Comets shine at Grossmont

By ECS Staff
Updated: September 29, 2018

Palomar College running back Shevell Sterling scores against Grossmont College. / photo by Hugh Cox

Grossmont’s Matthew Littleton makes a move on Saturday. / photo by Hal Summers

2018 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

PALOMAR 35, GROSSMONT 24

By Tom Saxe

Special from Palomar Sports Information

EL CAJON (9-29-2018) – 2017 All-CIF San Diego Section running back Shevell Sterling made his homecoming journey to his old Grossmont High School field a memorable one on Saturday afternoon when he scored two tough-yardage rushing touchdowns, helping lead the way as his visiting Palomar team held off Grossmont College 35-24 in a non-conference football game.

Sterling’s performance was topped off by consecutive runs of 6, 4, 4 and 3 yards for his second TD of the day, which put the game away with 2 minutes, 31 seconds to play.

Sterling, along with quarterback Connor Curry, who came off the bench to complete 14-of-18 pass attempts for 173 yards and two touchdown passes of 15 yards to Johnny Armentrout and 6 yards to Zach Morel, trumped a huge afternoon by the Griffins’ Ethan Albertson, a freshman out of Mt. Carmel High, as the Comets advanced to 3-2 on the season.

Palomar College’s Jihad Hightower makes an interception against Grossmont on Saturday. / photo by Hugh Cox

Albertson kicked field goals of 54 and 50 yards to lift Grossmont to a 6-0 lead after the first quarter, then added a 30-yarder for good measure to give the Griffins their final lead of the day at 24-21 with 11:50 remaining in the game.

On Sterling’s first touchdown, Curry hit tight end William Gonzalez on an 11-yard completion, followed by a 16-yard completion to Devin Nilson. Sterling then fought his way to the 1-yard line and scored from there.

“I feel at home here,” said Sterling, whose 1-yard TD and a PAT kick by Mark Meader gave Palomar its first lead of the game 7-6 with 2:58 remaining in the first half.

“I was comfortable here. This is an amazing feeling,” Sterling added. “And I have to give the line credit for the way they blocked for us.”

Palomar’s other points came on 1-yard run by DeVion Sneed and five PAT’s by Meader. Sneed’s TD was set up by a kickoff return by Lamar Rabobteu to the Grossmont 34-yard line and a 30-yard completion from Curry to Johnny Arzola.

Curry was coming off an injury to his non-throwing hand in last week’s near-upset of state No. 2-ranked Ventura last week on the road. He couldn’t practice early in the week but was ready to go when he was called on Saturday.

Grossmont’s Kobe Euri and Taylor Melemai (36) come off the field on Saturday. / photo by Hal Summers

“We do a good job of staying together as a team, and the line did a good job. You’ve got to give them credit.” Curry said. And the coaches set us up for success. I’ve got to thank God for this opportunity. Last week, Shea (Morales) really stepped up (as National Division Offensive Co-Player of the Week in Southern California). Shea is a real leader. It looked like I wasn’t going to be able to play this week, but you’ve got to always be ready. The best thing is that we help each other out and support each other.”

Grossmont’s touchdowns came on a 3-yard run by Kobi Eure and a 69-yard pass play from Brady Abt what was followed by a two-point conversion pass to Robert Romero.

“You have to give Grossmont credit,” Palomar coach Joe Early said. “They’ve had an awful season (0-5), but have never stopped battling through a lot of adversity. I’ve got to give our team credit too. We found a way to win in the end.”

Each team intercepted a pass in the end zone. For the Comets, Jihad Hightower picked off a pass with one hand at the end of the first half. For the Griffins, Darian Sutherland’s pick in the end zone came off a pass that bounced off Morel, the intended receiver, late in the fourth quarter.

The Griffins’ Darian Williams and the Comets’ Orio Diaz also had interceptions.

Kobi Euri scores a touchdown for Grossmont. / photo by Hal Summers

Palomar’s Giovanni Herrera recorded nine tackles (six solo) including 0.5 sacks and two tackles for loss for eight yards. Chris Calhoun added eight tackles (five Solo and 2.5 tackles for loss.\Isiah Kalepa-Tuisee recorded a sack for 11 yards.

Chris Murray recovered a fumble by a Palomar teammate after he hauled in a pass.

“Unfortunately, they won the turnoverbattle,” Grossmont College offensive lineman JAY WILLIAMS said. “There was some back-and-forth, but we couldn’t quite keep up. We still had a chance to win. We played until the last second.”

Grossmont’s Chris McDonaugh contributed a 13-yard sack.

Both punters also stood out. The Comets’ Jacob Stepanek deposited a 49-yard punt that pinned the Griffins’ at their 1-yard line, the third time he has done that to an opposing team this season. He also deposited a 53-yard punt that was downed at the Grossmont 7 – although for the second week in a row a missed blocking assignment resulted in a blocked punt, this time by the Griffins’ Kyler Perrault.

For Grossmont, Albertson, despite not feeling well, pinned Palomar at its 15-yard line with a 50-yard punt, as part of his stellar afternoon.

Palomar vs. Grossmont at Grossmont High Schoo 9/29/2018 at 3:00 PM
Palomar 35	Grossmont 24

SCORING	1	2	3	4	FINAL
Palomar (3-2)	0	7	14	14	35
Grossmont (0-5)	6	0	15	3	24
Grossmont High Schoo \|

PRD	TIME	SCORING SUMMARY	PALOMAR – GROSSMONT
1	05:36	Grossmont – Ethan Albertson 54 yd field goal. Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards in 4:46.	0 – 3
1	03:19	Grossmont – Ethan Albertson 50 yd field goal. Drive: 3 plays, 1 yards in 2:17.	0 – 6
2	02:58	Palomar – Shevell Sterling 1 yd run. (Mark Meader kick is good). Drive: 9 plays, 45 yards in 5:00.	7 – 6
3	10:20	Grossmont – Kobi Eure 3 yd run. (Ethan Albertson kick is good). Drive: 13 plays, 60 yards in 4:55.	7 – 13
3	06:58	Palomar – Johnny Armentrout 15 yd pass from Connor Curry. (Mark Meader kick is good). Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards in 3:07.	14 – 13
3	05:38	Grossmont – Jacob Rozar 69 yd pass from Brady Abt. (2pt conversion pass by Robert Romero is good). Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards in 1:30.	14 – 21
3	03:47	Palomar – DeVion Sneed 1 yd run. (Mark Meader kick is good). Drive: 5 plays, 35 yards in 1:41.	21 – 21
4	14:12	Grossmont – Ethan Albertson 30 yd field goal. Drive: 10 plays, 62 yards in 4:35.	21 – 24
4	11:50	Palomar – Zach Morel 6 yd pass from Connor Curry. (Mark Meader kick is good). Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards in 2:29.	28 – 24
4	02:31	Palomar – Shevell Sterling 3 yd run. (Mark Meader kick is good). Drive: 4 plays, 17 yards in 2:14.	35 – 24

PALOMAR	STATISTICS	GROSSMONT
22	FIRST DOWNS	15
13 9 0	Passing Rushing Penalty	3 8 4
54% (7 of 13)	THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY	37% (7 of 19)
50% (1 of 2)	FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY	0% (0 of 2)
306	TOTAL OFFENSE	283
69 4.4	Total Offensive Plays Average gain per play	66 4.3
210	NET YARDS PASSING	171
20-28 7.5 1-13 2	Completions-Attempts Net yards per pass play Sacked: Number-Yards Had intercepted	16-38 4.5 2-22 2
96	NET YARDS RUSHING	112
41 2.3	Rushing Attempts Average gain per rush	28 4.0
4-137	PUNTS: Number-Yards	4-158
34.3	Average	39.5
163	TOTAL RETURN YARDS	65
2-53 2-110 2-0	Punt Returns: Number-Yards Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Interception Returns: Number-Yards	1-4 2-43 2-18
10-75	PENALTIES: Number-Yards	6-50
3-0	FUMBLES: Number-Lost	0-0
2-22	SACKS: Number-Yards	1-13
2-0	INTERCEPTIONS: Number-Yards	2-18
31:40	TIME OF POSSESSION	26:55

Palomar

Grossmont

PASSING	C-A	YDS	LG	TD	INT
Connor Curry	14-18	173	30	2	1
Shea Morales	6-10	37	12	0	1

PASSING	C-A	YDS	LG	TD	INT
Brady Abt	16-37	171	69	1	2
Tanez Davis	0-1	0	0	0	0

RUSHING	ATT	YDS	AVG	LG	TD
Shevell Sterling	15	53	3.5	15	2
DeVion Sneed	14	38	2.7	9	1
Jacob Stepanek	1	23	23.0	23	0
Connor Curry	6	13	2.2	12	0
Devin Nilson	1	-2	-2.0	0	0
Shea Morales	4	-29	-7.3	1	0

RUSHING	ATT	YDS	AVG	LG	TD
Jarius Burnette	16	73	4.6	15	0
Kobi Eure	4	33	8.3	29	1
Christopher Boguille	5	23	4.6	14	0
Brady Abt	3	-17	-5.7	5	0

RECEIVING	NO	YDS	AVG	LG	TD
Johnny Arzola	4	55	13.8	30	0
William Gonzalez	4	53	13.3	21	0
Devin Nilson	4	44	11.0	16	0
Zach Morel	3	30	10.0	12	1
Johnny Armentrout	1	15	15.0	15	1
Shevell Sterling	1	8	8.0	8	0
Logan Gamble	1	5	5.0	5	0
Malachi Russell	1	4	4.0	4	0
DeVion Sneed	1	-4	-4.0	0	0

RECEIVING	NO	YDS	AVG	LG	TD
Jacob Rozar	4	107	26.8	69	1
Mathew Linton	3	30	10.0	20	0
Ernest Davis	2	17	8.5	14	0
Fabias Shipman III	2	8	4.0	8	0
Josh Harris	1	5	5.0	5	0
Wilton Cravens	2	4	2.0	6	0
Jarius Burnette	1	0	0.0	0	0
Dallin Woodley	1	0	0.0	0	0

KICKING	FG	LG	XP	PTS
Mark Meader			5/5	5

KICKING	FG	LG	XP	PTS
Ethan Albertson	3/3	54	1/1	10
Brady Abt			0/0	0
Robert Romero			0/0	0

PUNTING	NO	YDS	AVG	LG	TB	IN 20
Jacob Stepanek	4	137	34.3	53	0	2

PUNTING	NO	YDS	AVG	LG	TB	IN 20
Ethan Albertson	4	158	39.5	50	0	1

KICKOFFS	NO	YDS	AVG	TB	OB
Mark Meader	5	305	61.0	3	0
Jacob Stepanek	2	140	70.0	2	0

KICKOFFS	NO	YDS	AVG	TB	OB
Brock Ellis	1	75	75.0	1	0
Ethan Albertson	6	369	61.5	3	1

KICKOFF RETURNS	NO	YDS	AVG	LG	TD
Lamar Raboteau	2	110	55.0	64	0

KICKOFF RETURNS	NO	YDS	AVG	LG	TD
Jarius Burnette	1	27	27.0	27	0
Jacob Rozar	1	16	16.0	16	0

PUNT RETURNS	NO	YDS	AVG	LG	TD
Devin Nilson	1	38	38.0	38	0
Johnny Arzola	1	15	15.0	15	0

PUNT RETURNS	NO	YDS	AVG	LG	TD
Frankel Alexis Jr.	1	4	4.0	4	0

INTERCEPTION RETURNS	NO	YDS	AVG	LG	TD
Jihad Hightower	1	0	0.0	0	0
Orion Diaz	1	0	0.0	0	0

INTERCEPTION RETURNS	NO	YDS	AVG	LG	TD
Darian Williams	1	0	0.0	0	0
Derek Sutherland	1	18	18.0	18	0

FUMBLES	NO	LOST
Shea Morales	1	0
Connor Curry	1	0
Johnny Arzola	1	0

FUMBLES	NO	LOST

DEFENSIVE STATISTICS
#	PALOMAR	SOLO	AST	TOTAL	SACKS-YDS	TFL-YDS	FF	FR-YDS	INT-YDS	BRUP	BLKS	QBH
33	Giovanni Herrera	6	3	9	0.5 – 6	2 – 8		–	–
43	Chris Calhoun	5	3	8	–	2.5 – 4		–	–
45	Spencer Kaoanga	4	1	5	–	–		–	–
1	Jay Craft	4	0	4	–	–		–	–	1
29	Josh Bernard	4	0	4	–	–		–	–	1
21	Louie Flores	2	0	2	–	–		–	–	1
9	Jihad Hightower	1	0	1	–	–		–	1-0
34	Quinton Gaudet	1	0	1	–	–		–	–
38	Quest Smith	1	0	1	–	–		–	–
40	Tyrone Hickson	1	0	1	–	–		–	–
42	Kaaina Lewis	1	0	1	–	–		–	–
49	Orion Diaz	1	0	1	–	–		–	1-0
90	Isaiah Kaleopa-Tuisee	1	0	1	1 – 11	1 – 11		–	–
93	Martin Bonacci	0	1	1	0.5 – 5	0.5 – 5		–	–
94	Nick So’oto	1	0	1	–	–		–	–
98	Mason Simeta	1	0	1	–	–		–	–
TOTALS		34	8	42	2 – 22	6 – 28		0-0	2-0	3
#	GROSSMONT	SOLO	AST	TOTAL	SACKS-YDS	TFL-YDS	FF	FR-YDS	INT-YDS	BRUP	BLKS	QBH
9	Darian Williams	4	1	5	–	–		–	1-0
43	Blake Jarrell	5	0	5	–	2 – 3		–	–
45	Anthony Sola	4	1	5	–	1.5 – 4		–	–	1
19	Kyle Caliver	2	2	4	–	1 – 1		–	–
29	Brennan Goring	4	0	4	–	–		–	–
34	Dylan Helmholtz	3	1	4	–	0.5 – 0		–	–
41	Chris McDonough	3	1	4	1 – 13	1 – 13		–	–
52	Kyree Woods	3	1	4	–	–		–	–
5	Max Schwenke	1	2	3	–	–		–	–
32	Brandon Philo	3	0	3	–	–		–	–
44	Bryson Collins	3	0	3	–	–		–	–
91	Maze Masoe	3	0	3	–	1 – 4		–	–
2	Preston Piltoff	1	1	2	–	1 – 2		–	–
23	Andrew Lira	2	0	2	–	–		–	–	1
54	Anthony Jordan	2	0	2	–	–		–	–
14	Treaquan Jenkins	1	0	1	–	–		–	–
31	Hakeem Martin	1	0	1	–	–		–	–
26	Derek Sutherland				–	–		–	1-18
21	Kyler Perrault				–	–		–	–		1
TOTALS		45	10	55	1 – 13	8 – 27		0-0	2-18	2	1