Valhalla senior Giovanni Alejo carries on Friday/ Don De Mars
2022 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON — The El Cajon Valley Braves recorded their second-largest shutout victory in the football program’s 67-year history with a 56-0 win over the visiting Hoover Cardinals on Friday night.
Senior Kal-el Gordon scored five touchdowns and rushed for 128 yards to lead the Braves, who improved to 1-1.
“We were very confident all week because we had amazing practices this week,” Gordon said. “My line opens the holes and I just stay up and try to get as far as I can. They are always with me.”
Gordon gave credit to his line up front including Yasir Blair, Enrique Hernandez, Fabian Carmona, Raul Villegas, and Eddie Dement.”
Braves junior running back Massih Ehsan rushed for all 49 yards on a scoring drive in the second quarter.
Senior lineman Jalen Anderson got his chance to tote the ball, carrying four consecutive times for 27 yards in total and a score in the fourth quarter, which concluded with a running clock for the final 12-plus minutes.
Junior Paris Dixon had an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half for El Cajon Valley. He also had an interception, which he returned 44 yards, a 33-yard punt return following the Cardinals’ first possession of the game.
“Paris has been a very consistent contributor that hasn’t even hit his ceiling,” Osborn said. “He has more to offer and it’s only going to get better for him.”
The win was the Braves’ largest by shutout since a 63-0 win over San Diego Southwest in 2008.
“I’m sure they wanted to score another touchdown to break the school record but I told them that’s not what we are all about,” El Cajon Valley head coach Nick Osborn said. “We’ve been on the other side with the other team airing it out up, 70-7, in the fourth quarter.
That was the only time the Braves have scored more than the 56 points they scored on Friday night, which they have done a handful of times in their history.
Gordon scored on a 14-yard touchdown run on the Braves’ first possession of the game on just their second play from scrimmage.
After a tackle for loss by El Cajon Valley’s Alejandro Rivas-Vazquez to stop Hoover’s second series, Gordon took a handoff on the first play following a Cardinal punt and rushed off left tackle for a 47-yard score for his second touchdown.
Gordon reached the end zone for the third time in the first quarter with a 2-yard run with 2:32 to go in the opening period.
Junior Christopher Gonzalez had an interception for the Braves to thwart the best scoring threat of Hoover (0-2) near the end of the first half. He was also a perfect 8-for-8 in point-after tries.
Blair, a senior, junior Christian Preciado, and Hernandez, also a junior each had a sack for the Braves.
El Cajon Valley also received standout defensive play from Omar Jaimes and Elijah Scott.
Braves quarterback Darick Dubose was 6-of-8 passing for 71 yards. He also defended a pass on defense.
Hoover amassed just 132 yards against ECV.
No. 6 Helix 52, Otay Ranch 0
LA MESA – Tight end Quincy Herron had two TD receptions in the first half, giving him six TDs this season, while Adren Parker also had a pair of TD receptions, all from junior quarterback Ryland Jessee.
Kevin Allen III rushed for two touchdowns.
Junior Jackson Daniels had three interceptions for Helix (2-0), returning one for a touchdown.
Jessee finished with 100 yards passing, as six Highlanders caught two passes apiece.
Another junior quarterback, Walker Laub, went 4-for-5 passing in relief.
The Highlanders only rushed for 63 yards, a rarity, but the times, they are a-changin’ and the Highlanders ended up with several short fields in the first half.
Seniors Anthony Gasanov and Premiere Whitley, along with junior Kairo Kahananui all recorded sacks.
Junior Josh Hossman-Lees added a 23-yard field goal.
Montgomery 6, Santana 0
OTAY MESA — In the second-lowest scoring game in school history, the defense of the Santana Sultans kept the ballclub in the contest all Friday (Aug. 26) night, but the defense of the host Homtgomery Aztecs did a touch better in a 6-0 shutout decision.
The combined total of 6 points in the third such occurrence in Santana history, topped only by the most recent “pitchers’ duel” when the Sultans and Monte Vista played to a scoreless draw in 1983.
Montgomery is now 1-1 on the season, while Santana dropped its first two contests for the first time since 2016 (The Bishop’s and West Hills).
Jordan Benton caught a 23-yard TD pass above a pair of defenders in the end zone from backup QB Nate Ong with 1:28 to go in the game as Montgomery (1-1) beat Santana (0-2) for the first time in the last eight meetings.
Benton finished with five receptions for 84 yards. Gideon Baraka led the Aztecs with 12 tackles, including five for loss.
Santana’s Logan Ellis recorded four sacks and recovered a fumble, while teammates Hayden Sheehan and Keith Mizell had interceptions.
Granite Hills 59, Valhalla 6
EL CAJON – Granite Hills’ Joaquin Thomas Jr. returned the opening kickoff 81 yards for a TD just 14 seconds into the contest, then the Eagles’ No’Koi Maddox blocked a punt and teammate Daniel Netto fell onto the ball for a touchdown just 1:45 into the game.
Nico Tomasello completed a 30-yard TD pass to Colin Riley and a 6-yard TD pass to Thomas Jr.
De’sean Floyd had a 1-yard TD run for Granite Hills (1-1).
Jordan Glaze had a 34-yard fumble return for the Eagles.
Alten Finner had a 55-yard TD for for Valhalla (0-2).
Mount Miguel 29, Chula Vista 0
CHULA VISTA — The Mount Miguel Matadors have historically possessed one of East County’s finest defenses.
In fact, the 1987 edition of the Matadors once posted five blankings during the season, including three straight.
Following a season-opening 42-0 conquest against Sweetwater at historic Gail Devers Stadium, the unbeaten Matadors (2-0) extended their scoreless streak to eight quarters following a 22-0 verdict at Chula Vista on Friday (Aug. 26).
Davian McGowan scored on a 7-yard TD run and Antrell Burbidge added a 5-yard TD, both in the first quarter.
Burbidge added a second touchdown later in the contest. He rushed for 104 yards on 14 carries.
Jeremiah Castillo added a 6-yard TD reception from Matthew Barton. Castillo had a team-high six receptions for 86 yards.
“I am excited for the direction the team is going,” Castillo said. ” We have a lot of mistakes to clean up but still, there is a lot of room for improvement.
“Davian and Antrell had huge games for us. Both run downhill and are very aggressive runners.”
Mount Miguel recorded a second-straight shutout for the first time since 2015.
Barton finished with 174 yards with no interceptions.
Senior Chris Akridge had two receptions for 55 yards for the Matadors.
“Chula Vista was another great opponent for us,” said Akridge, who is also a starting outside linebacker on the defense. “They tested us in many areas that we haven’t been tested yet and I am grateful for that.
“For a fan watching the game, it might look like we played great but as a team and staff, we know we are far from being great. Every day we step on that field we are trying just to get one percent better.
“The shutouts are a blessing in disguise because our defense is just trying to give our maximum effort every play and believe that game will reward us by doing so.”
Imperial 21, West Hills 3
IMPERIAL – Seth Shaw returned a fumble 77 yards for a TD in the second quarter and rushed for TDs of 9 and 2 yards in the second half for host Imperial (1-0).
Tyler Haley booted a 39-yard field goal for West Hills (1-1) for a quick 3-0 lead,yet they traied 7-3 at halftime.
West Hills quarterback Collin Dill rushed for 92 yards and passed for 83 yards.
Frederick Rowbotham had three receptions for 32 yards for the Pack.
El Capitan 9, Hilltop 7
CHULA VISTA – Aden Ramirez kicked the go-ahead field goal from 25 yards out with 3:58 to go in the game.
El Capitan (2-0) scored on a 34-yard screen pass to Julian May from Bruce Newland III earlier in the fourth quarter to draw the Vaqueros to within 7-6 after a failed two-point conversion attempt.
Fittingly, Mason Vaquero scored on a 5-yard pitch in the first quarter for Hilltop (0-2).
Newland, a senior, completed 9-of-15 passes for 118 yards, He shared QB duties with sophomore Brant Barkley, who went 5-for-8 and 33 yards.
On the ground, Vaqueros senior Angel Diaz carried the ball 16 yimes for 89 yards, including a long of 21 yard. The top receiver was sophomore Chance LaChappa with four receptions, good for 36 yards. May’s three grabs were good for 50 ards.
Meanwhile, the Vaq Attack on defense, which has yielded a mere 13 points in a pair of victories, saw senior Austin lead the ballclub with 12 tackles, including five solo stops and three for losses. Cordeiro also caused and recovered a fumble.
Junior Ryder Lynn added eight tackles, Chad Allread has seven, plus six each from Dominic Denha and LaChappa.
Kearny 35, Monte Vista 21
LINDA VISTA – The Komets scored 21 points in the first quarter and led by that margin at halftime.
“My rule is that if you miss practice, you sit out the first quarter,” Monte Vista head coach Ron Hamamoto said. “We sat five starters. We are competitive when we play our starters. Hopefully, our team gets the message that they need to be at practice.”
Uziel Avalos had a big night on the ground for the Monarchs. The senior rushed for 220 yards, including a 98-yard touchdown run.
The long jaunt is the second-longest scoring play in Monte Vista varsity history, second only to Jahmon McClendon’s 99-yard TD run against West Hills in 2018. McClendon is currently a redshirt sophomore at Southeastern Louisiana.
After Kearny pinned the Monarchs on their own 1-yard line, a short dive gained a yard, so they tried it gain. Only this time, Avalos popped to his left around the linebacker, reached the sideline, and was left untouched on his historic gallop.
The 99-yard scoring drive was one of two in the East County on the night. Granite Hills also went the distance against Valhalla following a great punt by the Norsemen.
Junior Daniel Renteria added 113 yards and scored two touchdowns for the Monarchs (1-1).
The Komets’ Brodie Stump, a sophomore, passed for 308 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 76 yards and a score.
Senior Max Vaughn had eight receptions for 83 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Kearny, which improved to 2-0.
The lead reached 35-0 before Monte Vista scored late n the third quarter, then twice more in the fourth.
Although Kearny was playing at home, the Komets elected to wear their white uniforms, so Monte Vista wore crimson jerseys.
Christian 27, Bishop’s 0
LA JOLLA – Christian High QB Shane Bailey, making his first start, had rushing touchdowns of 10 and 1 yards in the first half for Christian (1-1).
Hunter Provience caught a 20-yard TD from Bailey in the fourth quarter.
Aiden Hypes added a rushing TD in the third quarter.
The shutout snapped a string of 145 consecutive regular-season games since The Bishop’s was last blanked, which came in 2006 against St. Margaret’s of San Juan Capistrano, 3-0. The last CIF-San Diego Section squad to blank The Bishop’s was Francis Parker in 2005.
Ironically, the Patriots’ opponent this week is St. Margaret’s. The Patriots defeated the Tartans, 20-16, in Week 2 of last season.
The Knights were also blanked in the 2016 CIF state small-school championship final. TBS suffered a 47-0 shutout at the hands of Oakdale in a state division title game in that season.
El Camino 41, Grossmont 7
OCEANSIDE – The Foothillers (0-2) were no match for the Wildcats (2-0), who led 28-0 at halftime.
Hudson Herber threw a 50-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter as Grossmont scored in the final minute for the second consecutive week to avoid a shutout.
No. 3 Madison 35, Steele Canyon 7
CLAIREMONT MESA – Madison (2-0) racked up nearly 300 yards rushing on the Cougar defense. The Warhawks led 28-7 at halftime.
Steele Canyon senior back Major Givens rushed for 225 yards on 30 carries.
Sophomore quarterback Joshua Herber passed for a touchdown to junior Michael Dodds for the Steele Canyon touchdown.
Southwest (SD) 13, Mountain Empire 7
PINE VALLEY – The RedHawks led 7-0 after one quarter but fell to 1-1 on the season at the hands of the Raiders.
EL CAJON — 
Gordon reached the end zone for the third time in the first quarter with a 2-yard run with 2:32 to go in the opening period.
No. 6 Helix 52, Otay Ranch 0
Montgomery 6, Santana 0
Montgomery is now 1-1 on the season, while Santana dropped its first two contests for the first time since 2016 (The Bishop’s and West Hills).
EL CAJON – Granite Hills’ Joaquin Thomas Jr. returned the opening kickoff 81 yards for a TD just 14 seconds into the contest, then the Eagles’ No’Koi Maddox blocked a punt and teammate Daniel Netto fell onto the ball for a touchdown just 1:45 into the game.
Mount Miguel 29, Chula Vista 0
Davian McGowan scored on a 7-yard TD run and Antrell Burbidge added a 5-yard TD, both in the first quarter.
Imperial 21, West Hills 3
El Capitan 9, Hilltop 7
Kearny 35, Monte Vista 21
El Camino 41, Grossmont 7 
No. 3 Madison 35, Steele Canyon 7
Southwest (SD) 13, Mountain Empire 7
