WEEK FOUR -- Sept. 21-23

Helix delivers on defense just in time

(c) East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (9-23-06) -- The Grossmont Foothillers pulled off the most dramatic defensive play of the ballgame, but the defense of Helix simply made more important stops down the stretch, allowing the Highlanders to hold on to a 20-16 road decision Friday night (Sept. 22) over their longtime nemesis and retain hold of The Musket in East County's longest rivalry.

"Their tackle was big but slow, so it was easy to rip past him and get the quarterback," noted Hickerson, who registered two of Helix's five sacks. "The coaches harp on us to work hard everyday, so I have to give it up for our defensive coaches."

Hickerson's stop was one of several key plays by Helix after reclaiming the lead early in the fourth period. Following a 1-yard plunge by ERIC FORNEY to snap a 14-14 tie, the Hillers had three chances to gain just their second victory over Helix in 25 years.

Catch of the Year

Trevor Kolocheski makes the one-handed grab. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

However, JAMAR TAYLOR broke up consecutive pass plays to force a punt to end the first set of downs. On the next series, Grossmont took its shot at the endzone for the lead with a deep pass, but Taylor was there to outleap a Hillers receiver for the interception.

The theft came at the Helix-7 with 2:54, but Grossmont forced a 3-and-out to setup a dramatic finish. Instead of punting, Scotties coach DONNIE VAN HOOK elected to play for field position and take an intentional safety out of punt formation. But the strategy almost backfired when AUGIE WILLIAMS returned the ensuing free kick some 28 yards to the Helix-48 with 1:22 remaining.

Williams returned a punt 18 yards into Helix territory, then Piro (4-15-2, 48 yards) needed just one play to score, finding JOSH SIMMS on a 30-yard hookup 2:27 into the second half.

On the first play from scrimmage following a touchback on the kickoff, Staton was sacked by his name-sake, Foothillers outside linebacker JACKIE STATON, and fumbled. The ball squirted into the endzone and was recovered by defensive lineman SHEA PORTER for the score -- two TDs in six seconds.

"I just did my job -- it's that team effort thing," said Grossmont's Staton on causing the fumble. "It was a tough loss, but the entire defense is still very confident."

KHALID WATER paced both running games with 99 yards on six carries for Grossmont. Included was a 72-yard burst around the right end in the second period, but the Hillers came up empty when the drive stalled and the team missed a field goal.

Williams finished with 87 yards on 20 rushes, while also gaining 23 yards on a pair of receptions. For Helix, TREVOR VAN paced the Scotties with 96 yards on 13 carries, while KENSLOW SMITH rushed 11 times for 55 yards. (c) East County Sports.com

El Capitan receiver A.J. Conti (80) goes for extra yards on this pass reception, helping the Vaqueros spank Valhalla, 31-0. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

EL CAPITAN 31, VALHALLA 0 -- No matter what defensive scheme El Capitan opponents devise for neutralizing Vaqueros quarterback RYAN LINDLEY, nothing seems to work. Lindley does not have off nights.

Facing an all-out blitzing attack by the visiting Norsemen, the 6-foot-5, 205-pound Lindley showed amazing mobility. Clearly calm under pressure, Lindley stepped up to complete 16 of 28 passes for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Vaqueros rolled their season record to 4-0.

Valhalla did manage to sack the Vaqueros' Division I prospect, but Lindley clearly held the upper hand the majority of the evening.

El Capitan struck first when BEN NOY scored on a 43-yard reverse midway through the second quarter. Lindley then drove the Vaqueros 95 yards in five plays, hitting ANTHONY LYBARGER with a 7-yard scoring pass for a 14-0 halftime lead.

Lindley added second-half TD passes of 30 yards to Noy and 11 yards to Lybarger to turn the game into a rout. Lindley leads San Diego CIF passers with 1,391 yards and 13 touchdowns.

"Ryan had an OK game, but he underthrew the ball a couple of times and missed some guys who were open," said Burner. "But an average game for Ryan is a great game for most."

For good measure, A.J. CONTI, who caught six passes for 117 yards, completed the scoring with a 26-yard field goal with just under five minutes to play.

"Our offense struggled a little bit tonight," said El Capitan coach RON BURNER in what had to be a tongue-in-cheek response, considering the Vaqueros had 415 yards total offense. "But our defense set the tone in the first part of the game."

El Capitan held Valhalla (2-2) to 137 total yards as the Vaqueros recorded their first shutout since 2003.

Vaqueros linebacker TOMMY TOWNS, undoubtedly the East County's tackling leader, recorded 17 stops and one sack for the Vaqueros. TAELOR WORRELL, BRYCE BURKLEO, and JAKE STEUERMANN all had interceptions.

"Our defense played lights out," said Burner. "They hit hard but haven't gotten much respect yet. They should get some after this game because Valhalla is a good offensive team (averaging 31 points in its first three games)."

Noy collected five passes for 101 yards and netted 147 all-purpose yards. MICHAEL HOLZ caught three passes for 65 yards and contributed 10 tackles on defense. BEN WILKINS led the ground game with 60 yards on 10 carries.

Hard-nosed running back SPENCER MYERS found little running room due to the superior play of El Capitan linemen DEAN BECKWITH, TOMMIE DRAHEIM and CHARLIE DARLING. In the end, though, Myers accounted for half of Valhalla's yardage, rushing for 85 yards on two carries.

CHRIS BROWN had six tackles and an interception for Valhalla , which also received solid play from TANNER HITT and BRANDON McCLINTIC. (c) East County Sports.com

SANTANA 56, SWEETWATER 0 -- The visiting Sultans (2-1) were in a record-breaking mood Friday (Sept. 22) night at Gail Devers Stadium in National City.

Storming to a 40-0 halftime lead over the hapless Sweetwater Red Devils, who are surrendering 50 points a game, Santana could have really put the hurt on the South Bay crew had a running clock not been imposed midway through the third quarter. By then the Sultans were breezing 54-0 when the clock was allowed to wind down.

Nevertheless, the 56 points is three points short of the Santana record set against El Cajon Valley in 1993.

Junior quarterback COLLIN TAYLOR completed 9-of-15 passes for 224 yards, including three touchdown passes. Two of the scoring tosses went to JONATHAN TIPPIN, one of which covered 77 yards, extending Santana's lead to 27-0 early in the second quarter.

Taylor and Tippin hooked up for a 45 scoring pass in the first quarter.

Tippin totaled five receptions for 165 yards and finished the evening with 185 all-purpose yards. Taylor 's total offense count soared to 262, which included a 5-yard run that began the scoring.

BLAKE KAHLER was a double-threat for the Sultans. He scored on a 5-yard run in the second quarter and then scooped up a blocked punt and raced 42 yards for a score in the third quarter. It was after Kahler's second TD that the clock was allowed to run nonstop.

SEAN CAPLAN contributed a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. CHARLIE BOIS completed the scoring by tackling the Sweetwater quarterback in the endzone for a safety in the fourth quarter. (c) East County Sports.com

TAFT 22, CHRISTIAN 19 -- What the Patriots needed Friday (Sept. 22) night was a KYLER DWYER clone. The genuine Dwyer -- a 5-foot-9, 160-pound senior -- was all over the field, scoring all 19 points as Christian (3-1) claimed a 12-point halftime lead.

It's what happened after that that left a sour taste in head coach MATT OLIVER's mouth.

Led by quarterback Dalton Botts, who threw two second-half touchdown passes, the visiting Wildcats (3-1) squeaked past the Patriots in a game played at Granite Hills High.

It was a bitter defeat for Christian, but could not overshadow the sparkling performance by Dwyer.

Dwyer kicked field goals of 34 and 24 yards and scored on runs of 35 and 37 yards while accounting for 222 all-purpose yards. He averaged nearly 10 yards a carry as he turned 13 rushes into 119 yards.

LAWRENCE WALKER added 63 yards on 17 rushes, while SCOT ALLEN picked up another 39 yards on 10 carries.

Quarterback DANNY MITCHELL completed 4-of -8 passes for 78 yards -- his longest hook-up going to Dwyer for 32 yards. (c) East County Sports.com

PATRICK HENRY 34, EL CAJON VALLEY 0 -- The up-and-down El Cajon Valley Braves fell on their face in Friday's (Sept. 22) stunning loss to previously winless Patrick Henry. Sandwiching lop-sided wins over Sweetwater and Kearny with a blow-out loss to Montgomery , the Braves were shutout for the second time in four weeks.

Patrick Henry used a 20-point second quarter to take a 27-0 halftime lead, and the Patriots (1-2) went on to match last year's win total.

"It wasn't very pretty," said Braves coach JASON TEXLER. "We didn't look like a very good football team tonight. But give Patrick Henry credit -- they came to play hard, inspired football. I can't say the same about us."

El Cajon Valley quarterback KIANIE BROOKS completed 23-of-42 passes for 170 yards. He suffered three interceptions. Brooks also scrambled for 32 yards rushing and averaged 36 yards on four punts.

The Braves' LAROY McGEE had seven catches for 43 yards. JUSTIN PANGELIAN had four receptions for 43 yards.

DJ Behzadipoor sparked the Patriots second quarter eruption with two touchdown runs. (c) East County Sports.com

CHULA VISTA 45, GRANITE HILLS 7 -- The visiting Eagles fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with a resounding thud in Friday's (Sept. 22) non-league in Chula Vista , and there wasn't much suspense to it.

Chula Vista's Matthew Stacey returned the opening kickoff 92 yards, and the rout was on.

"Chula Vista led 21-0 before we knew it," said Granite Hills coach RANDY DeWITT. "It was a tale of two different Granite Hills teams tonight."

The first-half Eagles (2-1) trailed 28-0 after one quarter and 38-0 at the half.

Eight turnovers (6 interceptions, 2 fumbles) kept the Eagles off-kilter all game.

For Chula Vista (1-3) Stacey scored four touchdowns. Granite Hills only score came in the third quarter on a 12-yard pass from CODY SWANSON to CHASE KETCHUM. (c) East County Sports.com

(c) East County Sports.com
SANTEE (9-22-06) -- The Grossmont Conference's top defensive unit had a nice first half, yielding just a field goal and 89 total yards.

Yet, 9th-ranked West Hills was still not satisfied.

"We've been in this position before last year and didn't come out with a win," explained linebacker DAVID HERNANDEZ. "Everyone was mentally in it in the second half because it wasn't over."

Despite a solid first half, the Pack did even better following the intermission. They forced a pair of turnovers, recorded two sacks and registered a goal line stand, racing past rebuilding Monte Vista, 31-3, during a SDCIF Thursday (Sept. 21) night special for local cable television.

"Right now, we're gunning for El Capitan ," noted Hernandez, the starting middle linebacker, who had a sack among his 10 tackles. "We're practicing harder because the season only gets harder -- El Cap will be a really big game for both teams."

Hernandez ignited the second-half spree. Following a short kickoff return, Monarchs ball-carriers were hit in the backfield by Hernandez on consecutive handoffs.

The junior 'backer almost made it three straight on the next snap, but Monte Vista quarterback AARON GOSSMEYER displayed the agility to spin away. However, he was immediately popped by defensive lineman NICK ARMSTRONG, causing a fumble which was recovered by TREVOR KOLOCHESKI.

West Hills quarterback Eric Fiege (top) vacates the pocket and heads forward for the first of his two rushing touchdowns. Monarchs QB Aaron Gossmeyer (bottom) sprints for a nice gain and a first down. (Photos by Chris Edwards)

"We've got a pretty big defensive line and everyone is making plays," noted head coach STEVE SUTTON on his undefeated Wolf Pack (4-0). "A lot of people were saying this is the year to get the Wolf Pack because they didn't have a quarterback."

Inside, Sutton must be quietly smiling with his rookie signal caller, ERIC FIEGE. The converted defensive back, who once QB'd the West Hills frosh to an undefeated season two years ago, passed for 143 yards and rushed for a pair of first-half scores after the Monarchs had his receivers covered downfield.

"It works both ways -- I'm trying to pass but I'm used to running the ball," noted Fiege, who scored on scrambles of 13 and 10 yards. "So when I saw a bit of a lane, I took it."

Following Fiege's first bolt to the end zone, JONATHAN WICK booted a 41-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead through a quarter. Monte Vista kicker JAVIER LUNA answered with a 3-pointer from 37 yards early in the second period, but Fiege capped a 10-play march by barely escaping the pass rush, then racing into the secondary for a 17-3 lead.

Sevier followed a similar scenario. The junior, a 3-year varsity performer, also spun out of a tackle in the backfield to score from 1-yard out. Two possessions later, Sevier sprinted around left end on a 41-yard romp, receiving a nice block to seal the line from left tackle MICHAEL ROBLES, then receiver WESLEY CUNNINGHAM added a key downfield block.

Sevier finished with 124 yards on 17 carries, as West Hills collected 341 yards in total offense, opposed to 156 by the Monarchs (1-2).

Included was a fourth-period, goal line stand when Monte Vista received a second first-down inside the Pack-10 on a pass interference call. However, a fumbled snap saw Armstrong make his third recovery of the season to keep another opponent out of the end zone.

For the season, West Hills has yielded a mere 22 points (5.5 per contest), including just a single touchdown in the second half all season (three second-half shutouts).

Meanwhile, the versatile Kolocheski had another solid performance. Along with his fumble recovery, he caught a game-high four Fiege passes, returned a punt 10 yards, then registered a 48-yard punt on the team's lone kick of the ballgame.

Matadors quarterback Tony Swinton (top) found time to throw the football, while the Warhawks found no such luck by the swarming defense of Mount Miguel (bottom). (Photos by Adolfo Villanueva)

Perhaps that is why Madison attempted only 12 rushing plays all game. Nine of those snaps resulted in losses totaling 63 yards. The largest loss came on a poor punt snap that covered 16 yards and rolled out of the endzone for a safety. It was Mount Miguel's third safety in the last two weeks.

Officially, Mount Miguel (2-1) held Madison (1-3) to minus-43 yards rushing for the night. That effort, which was led by tackle SEAN MCDONALD, end ROBERT BECERRA, corner RICO SMITH, linebackers LEVI FOSTER, SETH COLLINS and ERNEST JOHNSON, broke the Mount Miguel defensive rushing record of minus-40 yards set against San Diego Southwest seven years ago.

The Warhawks' longest gain on the ground was a 14-yard run in the first quarter.

Madison did have some success passing thanks to the quick release of quarterback Daniel Moreno, who completed 15 of 28 passes for 205 yards. One of those passes was a 63-yard bomb that set up Madison's lone touchdown in the first quarter.

"Take that long pass away and we had a really great night on defense," said Mount Miguel coach TOM KARLO. "We had good pressure up front and our linebackers played really well."

Defense continues to be Mount Miguel's trademark. In three games, the Matadors have given up only 15 defensive points. He noted his team is giving up less than 200 total yards per game after three starts.

To top off their latest defensive effort, the Matadors picked off two passes -- one each by KENNY VAUGHN and Rico Smith. The latter set up Mount Miguel's final touchdown.

Taylor put the Matadors on top 14-7 on the third play of the second half when he raced off tackle and continued untouched to the endzone on a 71-yard run. He later scored on a 4-yard run in the fourth quarter.

"Not a lot of people know about him, but Elliot is very explosive," Karlo said. "He's strong, he's compact, he runs hard and he can breakaway."

The Matadors scored on their first possession, traveling 75 yards on eight plays. The key play was a 33-yard pass from QB AARON BRYANT to LARON RUSH. Scoring honors went to JUDGE EVANS, who ran the last 6 yards to make it 7-0.

Rush finished with seven receptions for 78 yards.

Senior kicker ANTHONY AMODEO converted three PATs and a 30-yard field goal for Mount Miguel. (c) East County Sports.com

WEEK FOUR -- SEPT. 21-22

Shootout expected in Lakeside
Running backs could overshadow passing games

(c) East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (9-21-06) -- A record-breaking night for Valhalla. A nightmare outing for El Capitan.

That was a year ago when the Norsemen registered three touchdowns over each of the first three quarters, trampling the Vaqueros, 70-7. Behind 278 rushing yards by GAREN DEMERY, who is now at the University of Arizona as a walk-on, Valhalla accumulated a school-record 590 yards in offense.

"You should have seen Ben when he went on that 59-yard run against Poway," noted El Cap coach RON BURNER. "He showed the strength and the speed to become a great back."

In 2005, ADAM DENICK carried the ball for El Capitan, finishing third among Grossmont North League backs (ABRAHAM MUHEIZE, El Cajon Valley, 1,153; AUGIE WILLIAMS, Grossmont, 989) with 692 yards on the ground.

"But during spring ball, you could see Adam was more and more going to be our linebacker," noted Burner. "But then, there was Ben growing into the (RB) position."

While the Vaqueros steamrolled their way to 656 yards on No. 4 Poway last week, everyone noticed Lindley's school-record 417 passing yards, but overlooked may have been Wilkins' 102 yards and three rushing touchdowns.

Which leaves Valhalla coaches to determine a plan to slow both the passing and rushing game.

"There is no doubt about it -- this is a big game among common Division III opponents, as well as conference opponents," said Norsemen coach DAVE HOSTETLER. "Everyone knows they run the spread, and we'll try to teach our defense how to stop it. And everyone knows we run the Wing-T, which has a lot of elements to it, and they'll have to find a way to stop us, too."

"Obviously, the winner is the team that plays well and executes."

Hostetler noted he was vastly impressed with El Cap's victory over Poway , a team which blanked Mission Hills a week earlier. Mission Hills rebounded and stopped Valhalla , so now it's the Norsemen who must rebound.

By the numbers, El Capitan is the side to choose, yet the Vaqueros may get stretched to the limit with a half-dozen or so two-way players. Two tough ballgames in a row may be too much for them. Meanwhile, Valhalla 's lone two-way performer is quarterback-safety TOMAS KARAGIANES, the Grossmont South League's third-leading passer (second in total offense).

Plus, Valhalla has played in big games in recent years, while El Cap is still learning the ropes. Thus, the (surprising?) lean is toward the Norsemen in a shootout, 41-38.

Thurs., Sept. 21
Monte Vista at West Hills -- For the third time in four weeks, Thursday Night football will be hosted by an East County school, as a young and growing Monarchs program will face the surging Wolf Pack.

Similar to Valhalla-El Capitan, it will be the South League school's ground game against the air attack by a North League affiliate. The difference may be the number of weapons.

Monte Vista features East County rushing leader VIRDAL MOON (133.5 yards/game), yet the passing game is practically non-existent. The Wolf Pack does well on offense while featuring its best defensive line in years.

Moon will have to rise to the occasion if the Monarchs are to crack the Wolf Pack defense . . . West Hills 28-7.

Mount Miguel at Madison -- Many county observers reported that the Matadors'offense was actually impressive against Bonita Vista, except for one small factor -- they never scored. All of Mount Miguel 's points came via a pair of safeties by the defense in a 14-4 loss to the Barons.

Meanwhile, Madison (1-2) trailed 16-0 after one period before rallying to down an unimpressive Southwest squad, 30-22. Neither ballclub is currently built to come-from-behind too often, thus, the team to score first may be able to maintain the momentum throughout the contest.

And since the Matadors have demonstrated consistency on defense all season, we'll take the pass rush of the Red & Black to whip the Warhawks. . .Mount Miguel, 20-10.

Fri., Sept. 22
Helix at Grossmont -- The battle for The Musket in one of East County 's oldest rivalries will be a ground war, just like when the schools first met more than 50 years ago.

The Highlanders demonstrated their excellence on the ground to post 21 straight points to down a Top 10 team in Eastlake , 27-21, last week. The Foothillers were almost equally impressive, rallying from a 10-0 halftime deficit to stun Steele Canyon , 14-10.

The difference: Helix seems to be getting healthy, while injuries to the line and a key running back ( ALTON BERRY ) may slow the Hillers' attack. Plus, the "score wheel" might prove to be accurate, too -- Helix defeated Eastlake in Week 3; Eastlake downed Grossmont in Week 2. We're taking visiting Helix, 28-17.

Patrick Henry at El Cajon Valley -- Santana already downed Patrick Henry by two touchdowns, and the El Cajon Valley Braves own a power-rating similar to the Sultans. Both sides can score, yet both have given up more points than they'd like.

The advantage for El Cajon Valley is at quarterback, where KIANIE BROOKS is completing passes at a clip second only to El Cap's Lindley. . . . El Cajon Valley, 34-21.

Granite Hills at Chula Vista -- Don't let the Spartans' 0-3 record fool you. They've played among the toughest schedules in the county, falling in close contests to 2005 playoff participants Castle Park and Valhalla before getting trounced by CIF Div. I titlist Carlsbad.

Now, Chula Vista meets someone its own size, and it's the home opener. Meanwhile, undefeated Granite Hills goes on the road for the first time after pounding a pair of sub-.500 opponents. We'll learn plenty about both teams after this one, so we'll go with recent history and take . . . Chula Vista , 21-14.

Christian vs. Taft, at Granite Hills -- The Wildcats (2-1) from Kern County like to run the ball, run the ball, then throw in some additional running plays. Included are six TDs by team rushing leader Tony Savali (257 yards in three games).

If the Patriots can force a couple of turnovers, they could win what might be the toughest game on their non-league schedule (along with Mount Miguel).

However, Holtville fumbled seven times last week, and the Pats never came up with the ball. Unless that changes, we'll see Taft enjoying the long bus ride home . . . Taft 14-7.

Santana at Sweetwater -- If the Sultans don't win, it could be a long season for them. The Red Devils from Sweetwater are among the poorest programs in the county, so the visitors can declare any score they want. We're declaring Santana, 38-0.