3,006: A Monarchs CIF Football Odyssey

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: November 30, 2024

2024 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL
CIF-San Diego Section Championships – Division 5

Sat., Nov. 30
At Devore Stadium, Southwestern College
(12) Monte Vista 38, (2) Bonita Vista 20

ECS staff report

CHULA VISTA – Select your pick from among five headline regarding Saturday’s CIF Division 5 football championship:

– A) Monte Vista senior runningback Alexander Villanueva sets CIFSDS record, “carrie” Monarchs ti fifirt CIF football crown since 2017

– B) Although not an official Bonita Vista home game, after 40-plus seasons playing at Southwestern College, the Barons opened a new, on-camous football facility.

– C) Originally not among the 64 teams selected for postseason play, No. 65 Monte Vista proves everyone wrong

– D) Coaches committee, CIFSDS,embarassed as new playoff formula is a complete disaster, proven wrong by Monte Vista, El Capitan and St. Augustine

Section A

If Professional Football Hall of Fame member O.J. Simpson was the lead to the NFL Films, “3001, a Bills Footall Odyssey,” Monte Vista’s Alexander Villaneuva fulfilled his own entry at an even hifgher level.

Villanueva rushed a whopping 46 times for 297 yards and five touchdowns, giving his Monarchs the CIFSDS Division 5 championship by whipping Bonita Vista, 38-20, at Southwestern College’s Devore Stadium on Saturday (Nov. 30).

The yardage pushed his season total to 3,006, becoming the play in San Diego and Imperial counties history to go “3K.” The previous mark is listed as 2,974, established by Mission Bay’s Dillon Baxter in 2009.

Villanuea scored his first three TDs on 1-yard plunges, then added scoring rushes of 10 and 12 yards to help Monte Vista mount a 38-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Monte Vista is now 9-5 overall with its didth staright victory, giving the school its highest win total since 2018.

While the offensive line at Granite Hils has been praised for several years, the Monarchs asked for mention of their O-line: Jean Paul Ibochwa.Paul Ibochwa, center Eilion Suarex, Adrian Perez and Robert Vasquez.

The Monte Vsta defense limited Bonita Vista to about 120 total yards, but most came in garbage in the final fiv minutes, along afyer the outcome was well decided.

Among the top Monarchs tacklers was junior linebacker Randy Terrell with three quarterback sacks.

For veteran Monte Vista head coach Ron Hamamoto, he raised his craeer record to 244-193-4 at three schools (2985-to-present).

Monta Vista conclydes its campaign with a record of 7-6. Like Monte Vista, the Barons went 5-5 during the regular sseason.

Section B

Bonita Vista did once play its home games on-campus, but then moved to a stadium with larger seating and more parking at Southwestern College, loated caddy-corner from the BVHS facility.

However, when Southwestern expanded and remodels Devore Stadium just a few years ago, Bonita Vista started plans to return to its own campus.

Reasons were ovbious, like th expanded, rising cost to play at the refurblished Devore; fewer available dates with local pro and semipro socce sharing the facility’ sharing receites from the snack bare; and proposed parking fees on Friday ights, just lik on weekday school days at the community college.

Still, almost every senior and junior on the Barons has previously played at Devore, but it looke dlike they were in Fallbrook, a located Monte Vista needed to travel to in an earlier playoff round.

Sections C & D

In NCAA Division I college football, the talk is about allowing an SEC teams to advance to the new, 1 2-team playoff field over a school with two losses from anoither conference.

Some argue that teams need to pay a penalty for losses shild others believe in a schedule power index.

Then there are teams which play a extra game for a conference championship. And since half of those teams will fall (almost always to an equal or beyyer opponent), shoudl that extra contest be held against them.

Locally, the CIF coaches commitee elected to go strictly by computer power figures, but without giving middle-level a chance to revam their schedules and facing better competition.

Thus, traiditional power schools including St. Augustine posted a winless season of 0-10, yet advanced to the playoffs.

Monte Vista was dropped below the “trip-lets,” and onyl gained a postseason berth when Rancho Buena Vista elected to drop out of the tournament field.

Meanwhile, people working in local prep football circles all know about the problems at St. Augustine, with players transferring, coaches getting reassiuged… it was a total mess of a season for the Saints.

But the coaches committee only wnt by the team’s tough schedule and let them play. After going winless in the regular season, the Sainst won three playoff games and plaed for the Division 3 title on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, CIF officials simply rubber-stamped the new playoff formulawithout question or discussion. No mention of other formulas in other sections (or other states) were ever formally placed on the table.

Something similar occurred in community coollege football some 20 years ago.

The top 21 teams in Southern California were placed in three “power” conferences, and the coaches were all for it.

Problem: when all of the best teams play each other, someone had to loss. So when traditional top clubs like Fullerton and El Camino finished in the middle of the [ack with 4-6 and 3-7 records, their loud voiceds forced a return to the old system just two years later, with the state (California Community College Athletic Association) making ure the new process would be fair to all schools.

Hopefully, the CIFSDS can do the same and make a final determination instead of “being nice” and letting coaches do whatever they want.

Compiled by Nick Pellegrino

Summary

Sat., Nov. 30, noon
At Devore Stadium, Southwestern College

MONARCHS 38, BARONS 20
Monte Vista (9-5)      7 14 14  3 – 38
Bonita Vista (7-6)     7  0  0 13 – 20

First Quarter
MV — Alexander Villanue 1 run (Danny Baca kick)
BV — Hayden McMackin 11 pass from Isayah Luna (Richie Rojas kick)

Second Quarter
MV — Alexander Villanueva 1 run (Danny Baca kick)
MV — Alexander Villanueva 1 run (Danny Baca kick)

Third Quarter
MV — Alexander Villanueva 10 run (Danny Baca kick)
MV — Alexander Villanueva 12 run (Danny Baca kick)

Fourth Quarter
MV — FG Danny Baca 30
BV — Diego Luna 15 pass from Greyson Smith (kick failed)
BV — Estevan Flores 2 pass from Marshall Romo (Richie Rojas kick)