Christian vs. Parker Slideshow (Photos by Tori Mills) Christian at Santa Fe Chr. Slideshow (Photos by Chris Edwards) PATRIOTS SCHEDULE Overall: 11-1-0 Coastal League: 3-0-0 Home Games at Valhalla HS Date Sept. 1 Sept. 7 Sept. 15 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 13 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9 Nov. 16 Nov. 23 Nov. 30 Dec. 7 Opponent (Sat.) La Puente-Bassett Santana (Sat.) at Pomona-#Diamond Ranch at Anza-Hamilton El Centro-Central at Palo Verde Valley (Sat.) *at Santa Fe Christian BYE *The Bishop's *Francis Parker *at Horizon (@ Helix) **BYE **Holtville **Francis Parker **The Bishop's (@QS) #FORFEIT WIN Score 55-00 42-21 00-06 28-07 31-07 24-22 30-06 ccd. 20-10 26-00 55-00 26-21 7-17

CHEERLEADERS Double-Click to Enlarge JUNIOR VARSITY (4-5, 1-2) Date Opponent Score Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 10 Wk 11 St. Augustine Santana Calvin Christian Anza-Hamilton El Centro-Central Palo Verde Valley *Santa Fe Christian BYE *Francis Parker *Horizon 42-20 00-21 20-21 40-12 00-41 37-08 06-46 38-07 L

WEEK 15 -- CIF PLAYOFFS / CHAMPIONSHIPS

Patriots' reign falls

© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (12-8-07) -- The script remained the same, the results were identical, but the Christian Patriots changed roles.

After securing the 2006 CIF Division V football title as an underdog, supporting actor, the 2007 Patriots entered Friday morning's (Dec. 7) final as the top-seeded headliner. However, second-seeded Bishop's followed the existing blueprints to take the championship following a 17-7 decision at Qualcomm Stadium.

A year ago, Christian barely held Francis Parker running back Gino Gordon (now a freshman starter at Harvard) to less than 100 yards -- he gained 94 -- to nip the Lancers for the crown. This go-round the Knights also barely met their goal by holding Patriots running back LAWRENCE WALKER right at the century mark and more than 59 yards short of his season average.

It was an accomplishment event Bishop's' defenders were unsure they could achieve.

"We didn't face a top-flight back like Lawrence Walker all year," said Knights' senior Tim Costello, who would eventually score the go-ahead touchdown. "Absolutely we knew he was their biggest threat and we did what ever we could to shut him down."

Walker fought his way for 100 yards on 21 carries, scoring the lone touchdown for the Patriots. The senior finished his prep career with an East County record 5,112 yards -- the 4th-most in San Diego Section history. For the season, Walker collected 1,852 yards and 30 TDs.

Added Costello, "It was a fun experience today to shut down one of the top offenses in the county."

Both sides agreed that the turning point was a key 3rd-quarter conversion by the Knights.

After Christian took the second half kickoff and marched 80 yards on 11 plays for the go-ahead score, capped by a powerful 6-yard TD burst by Walker, the Knights immediately answered with their own 11-play drive which featured a key reception.

"I thought we grabbed the momentum and everything was coming together for us," said Christian coach MATT OLIVER. "Defensively, we had been stopping them in the first half. That was a big play or else we wouldn't have got the ball back."

"If we get that stop here, everything's good and we'd have the momentum. But when Costello got his foot inbounds to make that catch for a first down, things started to slip away for us."

Costello, the do-everything performer, made a fingertip grab of a rainbow lob pass from quarterback Tommy Wornham, quickly tapping a foot in the field of play before falling into the Bishop's' bench area. Four plays later, Costello raced 2 yards on an end-around to the right side for a 10-7 lead.

"Tim made a great play because I was throwing a little bit high all game," noted Wornham. "But Tim did a good job and got his foot in -- that was a changing moment."

Spring Valley's MICAH SEAU -- nephew of New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau -- sealed the verdict by collecting a 2-yard TD pass from Wornham, capping a short drive after the desperate Patriots failed on a 4th-down try in their own territory with six minutes left.

Even with Walker and CHARLES THOMPSON (15 carries, 47 yards) in the backfield, Christian (11-1) had trouble converting on short-yardage situations, converting just 6-of-21 times on 3rd or 4th down. Included among the stops for the Knights was a 1st-half sack by Zach Frantz and a 2nd-half interception by Costello, which he returned 42 yards.

CIF-SDS CAREER RUSHING LEADERS

# Name School(s) Years Yards 1. Demetrius Sumler Cathedral Catholic 2002-05 5,560 2. Justin Green USDHS 1997-99 5,397 3. Markeith Ross Rancho Buena Vista 1988-90 5,158 4. Lawrence Walker Christian 2004-07 5,112 5. Patrick Gates Marian Catholic 2000-03 5,039 6. Rashaan Salaam La Jolla Country Day 1989-91 4,982

Costello also punted four times for a 44.5 average, including a 58-yarder. He also played defense, returned kicks and booted a 31-yard field goal for the only points of the first half.

"I knew Costello was good offensively, I didn't realize what a weapon he was on special teams," added Oliver. "He killed us on special teams, which put us in a hole all game."

However, Christian's offense, which was limited to just 90 yards and 4 first downs in the 1st half, adjusted for the quickness of the Knights' defensive line and linebackers.

Sophomore quarterback ERICK ALLEN, who equaled his 2nd-most productive game of the season with 159 passing yards, found running back Walker on a 27-yard screen pass. A few plays later, Allen pumped-faked to freeze a cornerback, then lofted a 31-yarder to MANNY WALKER to gain a first down at the Knights-6.

Two plays later, following lead blocks by Thompson and SAM HERNANDEZ, Lawrence Walker took a toss to the left side and powered through a pair of defenders and carried them the final 3 yards into the endzone.

Wornham finished 5-for-15 for 45 yards, while 7 different Knights carried the ball, topped by a 53-yard effort by Jacob Kelly. Allen completed 11-of-22 passes, as Christian's offense out-gained The Bishop's in yardage, 301-to-189.

"They put 10 in the box and we weren't prepared to block it and we didn't play hard enough," said senior linebacker PAT KELLY, who capped a standout career with 11 tackles (3 for losses) and a leaping interception which he returned 24 yards in the second quarter.

Also among the Patriots' tackling leaders were Hernandez, MICHAEL FIELDS, STEVEN PITTS and BOBBY McNEAL with five stops each.

"I thought Pat Kelly shined on the big stage here with a bunch of tackles, making several big plays including several for losses and the interception," Oliver added. "He played like a warrior."

"But give credit to Bishop's. They flew to the ball and out-played us. Nobody has stopped us running the ball all year long, so that was a surprise."

Walker, Patriots stand alone

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (12-1-07) – All there is left for East County football fans to talk or cheer about are the Christian High Patriots and premier running back LAWRENCE WALKER.

Although they are the defending San Diego CIF Division V champions, the Patriots will be making their first appearance at Qualcomm Stadium since 2001 when they face off against The Bishop’s School on Friday (Dec. 7) in a battle of 11-0 teams.

“How many times are you going to see a pair 11-0 teams battle it out in the finals?” Christian coach MATT OLIVER pondered. “This is a dream-type matchup.”

As excited as Oliver is about the pending championship fracas, he wasn’t overly pleased by the Patriots performance in a 26-21 semifinal victory over Francis Parker Friday night (Nov. 30) at Valhalla High.

“We’ve certainly played better, and we’ll have to do a lot better next week against Bishop’s,” said Oliver, who is taking his Patriots to a third consecutive championship game.

The Patriots led 19-0 and 26-7 before surviving heavy rain and a furious Parker rally in the second half.

“For the first 2 ½ quarters we were like a machine out there,” the coach continued. “We’ve got to get better at finishing. But it is hard to beat a good team like Parker twice in the same season.”

Not to be a sourpuss, Oliver did give credit to his troops for extending their season while ending Parker’s at 5-6.

Workhorse Walker became East County's all-time career rushing leader gaining 169 yards while scoring two touchdowns on 29 carries. His 5,012 yards on 642 carries in 38 games ranks 5th best in SDCIF history. Only Marian’s Patrick Gates (5,039), Rancho Buena Vista’s Markeith Ross (5,158), USDHS’ Justin Green (5,397) and Cathedral’s Demetrius Sumler (5,650) have more.

Walker ’s latest effort propelled him past Helix’s REGGIE BUSH (4,925) into the East County lead.

That’s some fast company – a long list of talent.

In addition to Walker's effort, backfield mate CHARLES THOMPSON added 148 rushing yards and a third-quarter touchdown on 23 carries.

The Patriots pounded their way to 321 yards rushing. Sophomore QB ERICK ALLEN attempted only two passes (both fell incomplete), but did score on a 1-yard run, giving Christian a 13-0 advantage after one quarter.

Both of Walker ’s TD junkets came on 7-yard runs.

Defensively, the Patriots held off the Lancers with some big plays.

Oliver noted some key tackles down the stretch by senior veteran PAT KELLY. The coach also heaped accolades upon freshman defensive end TYRONE SAULS.

“We named Tyrone our defensive player of the game,” Oliver said.

COLIN RYAN created a pair of turnovers for Christian with an interception and a fumble recovery. Kelly also fell on a fumble.

“It seemed like they converted seven 4th down plays,” Oliver said. “I never felt like we’d lost control, but when you’re playing in the rain you never know what can happen. Late in the game it was raining so hard you couldn’t even see out there.”

One eagle-eyed Patriot – corner SAM HERNANDEZ – intercepted a pass to stall the Lancers’ final chance to punch Christian’s ticket to Qualcomm.

Bishop’s advances to the finals following a wild 63-45 slugfest win over Horizon. The Patriots and Knights did not meet in the regular season due to the massive wild fires and subsequent cancellation of games.

CHRISTIAN 55, HOLTVILLE 0 -- It didn't figure to be much of a challenge for the top-seeded Patriots, who hosted Desert League also-rans Holtville in Friday night's (Nov. 23) SDCIF Division V quarterfinal at Valhalla.

And it wasn't.

Led by senior running back LAWRENCE WALKER's school-record tying 5 touchdowns and season-high 251 yards on 18 rushes, the Patriots matched their season scoring best, which came on an opening day shutout of La Puente Bassett.

Obviously knowing that Christian (10-0) was a heavy favorite going in against the Vikings (5-6), Patriots coach MATT OLIVER talked about the emotional factor of getting his team mentally prepared.

"In a game like this it's about taking care of business," Oliver said. "I told the kids not to try to go out and score 100 points in the first quarter, rather, to let the game come to us. Sometimes in a situation like this a team can get too anxious and eventually frustrated if it doesn't take a big lead early."

There was no frustration in the Christian huddle on this night, as the Patriots pranced to a 27-0 halftime lead and never looked back.

Although the Patriots rushed for a season-high 397 yards, their first score came on a 14-yard pass from ERICK ALLEN to MANNY WALKER. JOSH SCHIMPF, who would later score on a 13-yard run in the 4th quarter, ran across a 2-point conversion following the first touchdown.

The next 2 1/2 quarters belonged to Lawrence Walker. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound senior charged, slashed, spun and high-stepped his way through the outmanned Vikings defense. He scored on runs of 3, 2, 17, 10 and 68 yards.

Walker's effort lifted him into the East County rushing lead with 1,583 yards on 213 carries. He also raised his SDCIF scoring lead to 172 points. For his career Walker now has 4,843 yards, which moves him into 9th place on the all-time CIF San Diego section list ahead of Patrick Henry's Ricky Williams. Walker is only 82 yards behind Helix' REGGIE BUSH, who stands 8th.

"It was vintage Lawrence Walker tonight," Oliver said. "Holtville put eight guys in the box and were blitzing everyone at once. But Lawrence was able to bust his way through and once in awhile would squirt into the open."

In addition to his 68-yard scoring dash, Walker also reeled off a 55-yard run.

"He's a power runner with deceptive speed," Oliver noted. "Once he hits a seam and gets out in the open field, you're not gonna catch him."

CHARLES THOMPSON also rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown on a dozen carries for Christian. Allen finished up by completing 10 of 15 passes for 103 yards. Manny Walker had 3 receptions for 34 yards, while KURT METCALFE had 2 catches for 44 yards. SAM HERNANDEZ also pulled down two balls for 26 yards.

On the defensive side, Oliver heralded the work of tackle BOBBY McNEAL, end COLIN RYAN, and linebacker PATRICK KELLY.

SAM SNIFF and TIM DALEY intercepted passes, and STEVEN PITTS blocked a punt.

Mission No. 1 accomplished. Gaining the No.1 seed in the SDCIF Division V playoffs was also on the planning board. Done deal, as the Patriots learned Saturday (Nov. 10) that they are the team to beat in Division V.

The Patriots (9-0, 3-0 CSL) completed a perfect regular season run by overpowering the Panthers Friday night (Nov. 9) at Helix. Christian, however, will have to share the league laurels with Bishop's (9-0, 3-0 CSL), which defeated Francis Parker Friday night.

"We wanted to win the Coastal League outright, but because of the fires we didn't get that opportunity," said Oliver, referring to the Patriots' regular season bout with Bishop's which was cancelled on Oct. 26. Most likely these teams will meet in the Division V championship game Friday (Dec. 7) at Qualcomm Stadium.

"I know we're both undefeated, but I think we deserve to be the No. 1 seed," added Oliver. "We're the defending (Division V) champions and we played the tougher schedule. I think the road to the Division V championship goes through us."

After a scoreless first period, Christian erupted for 19 points in the second quarter, which for all intents and purposes ended the game.

LAWRENCE WALKER, who did not rack up record numbers against Horizon (2-7, 1-2 CSL), darted 32 yards for the first of his 2 touchdowns in the game to break the scoreless deadlock. It was a typical Walker power run, as he broke 4 tackles on his way to the endzone for his 22nd touchdown of the season.

"I think that was the spark that we needed to get going," Oliver said.

A 37-yard pass from sophomore quarterback ERICK ALLEN to MANNY WALKER set up Christian's second score, which was a 10-yard run by CHARLES THOMPSON.

Then came the back-breaker, provided by sophomore linebacker STEVEN PITTS and senior corner SAM HERNANDEZ. Pitts blocked a 39-yard field goal attempt -- his fourth block of the season -- and Hernandez retrieved the misfire at the Patriots 13-yard line.

By the time those on the field figured out what had happened, Hernandez was on his way to an 87-yard touchdown run.

In addition to his scoring return, Hernandez also rushed for 49 yards on one carry, intercepted a pass and returned it 29 yards and had one pass reception for 6 yards.

"In my book, Hernandez should be a lock as a first-team all-league pick at corner," Oliver said. "The guy has come up with so many big plays for us. That's how teams win championships."

Patriots' quarterback Allen clicked on 8 of 10 passes for 89 yards. Five of those connections went to Manny Walker for 63 yards.

"When Allen goes 8-for-10 passing, we know we're going to win," Oliver said.

And so they did.

"They couldn't move the ball on us. We just dominated them at the line of scrimmage," Oliver noted.

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (11-4-07) -- There were eerie similarities between last season's San Diego CIF Division V championship game and Saturday's (Nov. 3) rematch between Christian and Francis Parker high schools. Fortunately for the Patriots, the cards fell their way once again.

Behind 214 rushing yards and three touchdowns by senior running back LAWRENCE WALKER, Christian again built an early lead, then stymied the Lancers’ comeback effort with three interceptions -- including a pair of picks by SAM HERNANDEZ -- to lift the Patriots to a 20-10 Coastal League victory at Valhalla High Stadium.

"It was a similar game, but Parker always plays us tough," said Patriots coach MATT OLIVER. "There are certain teams you always seem to have wars with no matter who has what talent, but our defense was tough."

A few plays following an early interception by MIKE FERRIERA, Walker busted loose on an 81-yard touchdown scamper -- the longest rush of his standout career -- just 4:25 into the contest.

Meanwhile, CHARLES THOMPSON was effective running the ball to balance the Christian attack. The junior rushed 14 times for 86 yards, giving the Patriots a total of 285 yards on the ground.

Christian's defense sent Francis Parker (4-4, 0-2) to its fourth straight loss by limiting the Lancers to a mere 129 yards in total offense. Their only touchdown was set-up courtesy of a turnover.

Moments after Ben Swingley recovered a fumble for the Lancers, Parker quarterback Deon Randall kept the football on an option-left, scrambling 30 yards for the score to trim the deficit to 13-10 just 3:40 into the second half.

"We knew Deon would be a huge factor -- we had to contain him," said Hernandez. "But our DBs came up big with those interceptions."

Christian then took control with a pair of long drives. Although an ensuing 10-play march ended without points on a sack by Adam Dean, the Patriots’ next possession capped the victory when Walker scored his third TD to finish-off a mammoth 17-play, 87-yard excursion which took 8:15 off the clock.

Hernandez followed with a 21-yard return with his second interception in the final minute, allowing the homecoming gathering to go home happy.

"There's always been a big rivalry between the schools," Hernandez said. "We knew it was going to be a dogfight, but we came out and took charge of this ballgame by pounding it."

Senior linebacker PAT KELLY again posted double-digit figures in tackles, while COLIN RYAN made many key stops whenever Randall ran away from Kelly's side of the field.

© East County Sports.com
POMONA (10-28-07) -- Without playing a game, Christian High School gained a football victory this week.

On Thursday (Oct. 25), Diamond Ranch High was forced to forfeit all seven of its games (five victories) this season, including a 6-0 triumph over the Patriots in Week.3. The Panthers entered the week ranked No. 2 in the football rankings covering the circulation area of the San Gabriel Valley Tribune (article HERE), and No. 5 in the CIF-Southern Section's Southwest Division.

Diamond Ranch officials self-reported a possible violation on an unidentified transfer student on Wednesday, with the swift acting Southern Section office announcing the decision the next day. The losses left the Panthers at 0-7 (0-2 in the Miramonte League).

Meanwhile, Christian now owns a perfect 7-0 overall record (1-0 in the Coastal League). The Pats are tied for first place with The Bishop's School, but since the schools were slated to meet Friday (Oct. 26) before conditions cause by wildfires cancelled all San Diego Section ballgames.

Should both schools finish unbeaten in league play, and with the CIF-SDS not allowing any makeup of cancelled contests, a vote from league officials may be needed to determine which school receives the top-seed into the playoffs.

A similar scenario could occur in the Grossmont South League, where the game between Helix and Mount Miguel were wiped out, leaving the possibility of co-champions among schools which did not play each other.

Eagles back Jeff Lind avoided the shutout with a 1-yard TD run with 9:27 left, but Walker answered with a 20-yard scoring gallop to reach the 200-yard plateau with 1:07 to go to start an early celebration on the Patriots sideline.

"We've won some great games here at Christian -- we've won championships," Oliver noted. "But I told the guys the one thing we've never done recently is beat Santa Fe. This just may be the biggest regular season victory we've ever had."

A last-minute change in game strategy may have triggered the victory.

Christian's Bobby McNeal (56) with the smackdown. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

"We must've looked at 40 hours of video of all of their games," said offensive coordinator DAVID BEEZER. "And we noticed that when Helix and St. Augustine has success was when they ran the ball right at Santa Fe . That's when we decided to do the very same thing."

Running out of the 'I' formation or with double tight ends, the Patriots run game totaled 239 yards on the ground. And among the few passes by quarterback ERICK ALLEN, all but one were completed to balance the attack. Allen went 4-for-5 for 47 yards, but three went for first downs, including a pair to SAM HERNANDEZ.

On the flip side, the Pats slowed Santa Fe's Wing-T attack with a bushel of tackles by Kelly. Oliver also noted the play of linebacker STEVEN PITTS and cornerback MIKE FERREIRA in blanking the Eagles for three quarters.

Note -- With his 200-yard effort, Walker now has 1,035 yards this season, becoming the first East County running back since Helix' REGGIE BUSH (2000-02) to rush for 1,000 yards over three consecutive seasons.

Articles in the local Palo Verde Times newspaper issued an outcry for all residents of Blythe to come out and support the undefeated home team Yellow Jackets.

The locals took heed to the message, as they came out in droves to support Palo Verde, which powered its way to a 16-8 halftime lead.

“I wasn’t very happy with how we played in the 1st half,” said Christian coach MATT OLIVER, who refused to use the 8-hour round trip (plus a 1-hour delay due to a dust storm) as an excuse for the Patriots (5-1) slow start.

“As if the ride weren’t long enough,” said Christian assistant coach MIKE MITCHELL, “the DVD in the bus didn’t work. I think our kids were getting a little bit restless.”

That was obvious in the 1st half.

“We turned the ball over twice in the red zone early,” said Oliver, “and that cost us 16 points.”

“It’s a good thing we brought along LAWRENCE WALKER, because he was just dragging people for extra yardage,” Oliver added.

Walker rushed for a season-high 184 yards on 28 carries, including a 5-yard scoring junket that gave the Patriots a 17-16 lead midway through the 3rd quarter.

It was the fourth game that Walker had broken through the 100-yard rushing barrier.

Christian, the defending SDCIF Division V champions, was never in a position to relax. A 76-yard interception for a touchdown by NOAH MAYPOLE, followed by a JOSH MAY PAT kick gave Christian a 24-16 lead late in the 3rd quarter.

“We have a lot of defensive guys get publicity, but Noah is our other inside linebacker,” Oliver said. “He’s been our forgotten guy, but tonight he made one of the biggest plays of the game when he picked off a pass over the middle and turned it into a TD.”

Palo Verde (4-1) turned its focus into attempting to neutralize Christian’s defensive dynamo senior linebacker PATRICK KELLY.

“That guy is everywhere,” Palo Verde coach George Dagnino told the Palo Verde Times. He is literally a one-man goal-line stand.”

Oliver said the Patriots overcame their sluggish start by turning up the defense in the 2nd half.

“Palo Verde’s got a lot of speed,” Oliver noted. “And I’m sure they’re going to give some people in the Imperial Valley League some problems. I think we turned the game in our favor by putting more pressure on their quarterback in the 2nd half. It forced them to do some things that they probably didn’t want to do.”

CHARLES “Sweet Pea” THOMPSON posted his second 100-plus effort in three starts with 105 yards on 15 carries.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (9-30-07) — Even though Christian High is sequestered in Division V of the San Diego CIF, the Patriots continue to prove that they are capable of taking down a so-called superior opponent.

When Central Union of Division III came calling Saturday night (Sept. 29) at Valhalla , the hosting Patriots hardly shuddered in their boots. Instead, Christian took down the visiting Spartans 31-7 with relative ease.

“We absolutely dominated them,” stated Christian coach MATT OLIVER. “Central is a very physical team, but we matched them hit for hit. They popped a long one when they caught us in a blitz, but other than that we just shut them down.”

Running back LAWRENCE WALKER rushed for 88 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 carries for the Patriots (4-1). However, he opened the scoring by turning an ERICK ALLEN pass into a 56-yard catch-and-run for the night’s first touchdown in the opening period.

On the night, Walker posted 175 all-purpose yards.

“Everybody knows Walker is our scoring machine,” Oliver said of the 5-foot-11, 190-pound senior, who has punched in 80 points for the Patriots.

The coach also heaped accolades on his sophomore quarterback, the 6-2, 195-pound Allen, who completed 14 of 17 passes for 221 yards.

“I’m not going kid you but going into the season we thought the quarterback position was going to be a question mark for us,” Oliver said. “By the same token I don’t want to say I’m surprised at how well Allen has done. Let’s just say he’s pretty mature for a sophomore and he’s only going to get better.”

Allen also turned sidestepped a Central blitz and turned it into a 22-yard touchdown run, extending the Patriots lead to 25-7 in the 3rd quarter.

“By the time he’s a senor, this Allen kid is really going to be something,” Oliver added. “He’s big in the pocket. He just stands in there and zips the ball to the receivers.”

The Patriots put this one on ice early. After scoring on his TD pass, Walker added scoring runs of 8 and 4 runs to make it 19-0 at halftime.

Central (3-2) finally gained some life when speedy Ricky Smith bolted 59 yards for a score that chopped Christian’s lead to 19-7 in the 3rd period. That, however, was about all the 500 Spartan fans that had ventured up from the Valley had to cheer about.

“We got them out of what they wanted to do, which was run the ball,” Oliver observed. “And then (the Spartans) started passing and you could see that that wasn’t what they do best. It was almost like they started to panic when they started throwing halfback passes and things that they don’t normally do.”

Senior middle linebacker PATRICK KELLY was the mainstay of Christian’s defensive effort.

Oliver also heralded the work of sophomore outside linebacker STEVEN PITTS.

LAWRENCE WALKER rushed for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns on 17 carries, while CHARLES “Sweet Pea” THOMPSON powered for 112 yards and a pair of scores on a dozen carries for the Patriots (3-1).

“We really didn’t play that well,” Christian coach MATT OLIVER said. He had reason to say that, considering Christian had two touchdowns nullified by penalties and missed an additional two scoring chances by losing a pair of fumbles inside the Hamilton 20-yard line.

“I know it sounds strange for me to complain about a game that we won by 21 points,” Oliver said. “But we have a really good team here and I expect us to play well every week.”

It was not that the Patriots were falling all over themselves. They did create balance, scoring 7 points in all four quarters.

“We would have shut them out except they got a late pick in the second half and took it to the house,” Oliver added. “No questions, we dominated the game. Maybe it’s just that I’m spoiled and that I always want closer to perfection.”

Linebacker PATRICK KELLY was the main cog of another stout Christian defensive effort, recording a dozen tackles – 3 of them for losses.

Junior DE/DL MATT FIELDS was also a force on defense, notching 10 tackles for the Patriots.

“When we run the 4-6 Bear defense I think we’re pretty good,” Oliver said. “Kelly is unblockable. And Fields is right there, too.”

© East County Sports.com
POMONA (9-16-07) — Cliché, no doubt. But there’s no other way to look at it – David vs. Goliath on Saturday night (Sept. 15) at Ganesha High.

In one corner was visiting Christian High – 34 players strong. In the other corner were the Diamond Ranch Panthers, 73 players suited up. Never mind the overall enrollment disparity – Diamond Ranch, with 1888 students to Christian’s 426.

Joe Carrillo scored on an 18-yard quarterback scramble in the first quarter for host Diamond Ranch, and that was it. The Panthers (2-1) held off upset-minded Christian 6-0.

“I think we had their attention there in the second half – we were right there,” said Christian coach MATT OLIVER.

Christian’s best scoring threat came in the final seconds of the third quarter. The Patriots (2-1) had driven to the Panthers 5-yard line and were facing a 4th-and-1.

“We had a good surge upfront and I thought we got it,” said Christian offensive coordinator DAVID BEEZER.

The officials didn’t see it that way, and the ball went over to the Panthers.

Christian’s defense, spearheaded by nose guard/linebacker PAT KELLY, gave up some yardage but never were pushed back to the shadows of their own goal posts after the first quarter.

“They got off a couple of long 3rd down plays to maintain possession in the fourth quarter, and that killed us,” Oliver said. “We blocked a field goal and did a lot of good things. We were confident coming up here, but to hold a team like that to six points and not win... well, that’s kind of frustrating.”

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Kelly had both sides talking. Unofficially he had 15 tackles, 1 sack and 3 other stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Oliver said “Kelly was a monster out there, just unbelievable. They couldn’t block him. Some of the Diamond Ranch kids came up and told us that Kelly was the best defensive player they’d faced. The Diamond Ranch coach was going to call some of the college coaches that he knows and put in a good word for Pat – he was that good.”

Christian was able to keep it close through superb clock management. Beezer was using a stopwatch on the sidelines in an effort to make sure the Patriots were exhausting the allotted 25 seconds between each offensive play.

“I thought we did an excellent job of controlling the ball and keeping the clock rolling,” Beezer explained. “In that first quarter everything was clicking – we were able to move right down the field.”

“We wanted to keep it close early and then try to win it late,” said Oliver.

The Panthers denied Christian’s bid for an early score by blocking a 32-yard field goal attempt.

LAWRENCE WALKER was the Patriots primary offensive threat, as usual, rushing for 80 yards on 17 carries. Quarterback ERICK ALLEN completed 4 of 13 passes for 59 yards. KURT METCALFE had 2 receptions for 44 yards.

It was not by chance that the Patriots scheduled this trek to face a top-drawer program like Diamond Ranch.

“Our goal in playing this game was to find out if we can play Division I football,” said Beezer. “Across the board that’s about as physical a football team as Christian has ever played. But we showed that we can play physical football, too. I believe that we can hang with anybody – Division I or otherwise.”

Perhaps the Patriots might have had second thoughts as they watched Diamond Ranch go through its pre-game ritual.

“First they came out with 41 guys to warm up and they didn’t look that big,” said Christian defensive coordinator MIKE MITCHELL. “But I found out a few minutes later those were only their specialists. When they sent out their 32 linemen I started looking for a roster. Those guys were big.”

Mismatch? Probably – on paper.

Evidently the Patriots didn’t get the memo.

The Patriots (2-0) took control in rapid fashion, posting a 21-0 lead late in the 2nd quarter.

“I don’t know why people think that we perceive ourselves as better than anybody else,” Christian coach MATT OLIVER said. “We certainly don’t have a superiority complex. We like our team and we respect our opponents. It’s that simple.”

Christian quarterback ERICK ALLEN completed 70 percent of his 10 passes for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns. One of those scores went to EMMANUEL WALKER, and the other ­- a 41-yard strike ­– to SAM HERNANDEZ.

“We played well, made some big plays,” Oliver said. “But that Santana quarterback is a very good player.”

Santana junior JAMES NEEDY is that quarterback in charge of the Sultans offense. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Needy completed 19 of 48 passes for 207 yards. Ironically though, Needy scored all three of Santana’s touchdowns on short rushing plays while accumulating 41 yards in 9 carries.

“We had two choices as a defense,” Oliver said. “Rather than bring a lot of pressure we decided to drop seven guys into (pass) coverage.”

Christian can do that, knowing that 6-foot-2, 240-pound senior linebacker PAT KELLY is holding down the middle.

“He was unbelievable out there,” Oliver said of Kelly, who had 2 sacks and 10 tackles. “He’s the best guy I’ve ever coached since I’ve been here (now in his 8th year as head coach).”

Kelly had to share the defensive limelight with junior corner CALEB FARREL, who intercepted two passes, returning one for a 21-yard touchdown. Farrel returned his second pick 88 yards but was tackled a yard short of the endzone, according to the officials.

“I thought we were more physical, thought we out-hit them,” Oliver said. “That’s what we ask of our kids and that’s what we’ve gotten so far.”

Needy was not Santana’s only standout.

Senior TYLER AUBREY caught 10 passes for 118 yards and totaled 174 all-purpose yards. KYLE ROMERO caught 5 passes for 75 yards for the Sultans (0-2).

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (9-2-07) -- Christian High running back LAWRENCE WALKER was given just eight chances to go for a test-spin over the new artificial carpet at Valhalla Stadium. Nevertheless, the senior didn't mind the results.

Walker busted loose by running for 179 yards and four touchdowns, allowing the Patriots to hound visiting Bassett High of La Puente, 55-0, to complete the opening weekend of the 2007 football season on Saturday (Sept. 1).

"It's all (about) my linemen," said Walker, who scored on gallops of 17, 47, 50 and 26 yards. "PAT KELLY is our leading lineman, and I just follow him and my other blockers."

"And playing on the turf was good -- I like it -- but it's still all the same. Turf or dirt, nothing really changes, although I can cut better on the turf."

The tailback has now rushed for 3,439 yards in his career as he moves closer to cracking the CIF San Diego Top 20 all-time list. If Christian can advance to the CIF title game to defend its Division V title, Walker would have 12 contests remaining, needing to average 184.3 yards per contest to eclipse the section record (5,650 by Demetrius Sumler, Cathedral Catholic, 2002-05).

Meanwhile, CHARLES "Sweet Pea" THOMPSON reached the end zone via three different methods in his Patriots debut. Thompson rushed for one score of 48 yards, caught an ERICK ALLEN pass for 50 yards and another TD, then capped the 4th-quarter running clock by returning an interception 42 yards to complete the romp.

"We didn't have any kick returns, or else I would've tried to get in that way, too," joked Thompson. "This is our school's greatest team, but we have to win CIF to prove it."

Allen, a sophomore, was solid in his debut behind center. He completed 10-of-13 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

"We came out strong -- the first three drives we scored instantly, never needing more than three plays," noted Allen, as Christian raced to a 28-0 advantage through one quarter, needing just a dozen total snaps. "And playing on this brand new field was nice. I like the two-tone -- it makes it a lot easier on the eyes and it's a cool visual effect."

"The rest of our schedule is really tough, but we're not worried -- we're a lot better team than last year and we won CIF last year."

Meanwhile, Kelly, an NCAA Division I prospect at linebacker, paced a defensive attack which yielded just three first downs all contest. The third time that the Olympians moved the chains, Thompson registered his TD theft on the very next play, stepping in front of the receiver and racing untouched along the sideline in front of the Christian bench.

Bassett, which initiated contact with Christian to schedule the ballgame, has now lost 21 of its last 22 outings since falling in the CIF Southern Section playoffs to cap the 2004 campaign, although the Olympians received one game back via a forfeit last season.

"We didn't know anything about them, and they had a new coaching staff," said Patriots coach MATT OLIVER. "But we needed to schedule a game after the Mount Miguel game fell through, then they called us."

Even with a young quarterback, the Patriots mounted 409 yards in total offense.

"We have a lot of weapons and we showed that tonight," added the coach. "And everyone got to play, that's the one good thing about a game like this -- everyone gets to play and everyone improves."

Thompson ran for 99 yards on five carries, giving Christian a total of 309 yards on the ground running behind the line of BOBBY McNEAL (LT), MATTHEW FIELDS (LG), ADAM NASH (C), JOSH PORRAS (RG) and Kelly (RT). Field also received an opportunity to carry the ball, gaining 41 yards on three tries.

As for the new home venue following decades of play at Granite Hills' Valley Stadium, it was thumbs-up from all concerned on the Patriots.

"Loved it. The turf is well-suited for our team with Walker and Thompson and all of our speed guys," added the coach. "And it's here close to our school, which still makes it easy for our fans to get to."

Oliver also noted the play of outside linebacker STEVEN PITTS and tackle ERIC SCHINDLER (1 of 3 Christian sacks) for their contributions on defense: "They are unsung guys who don't get much credit."

The Olympians were held to negative yards in total offense. They completed just 2-of-15 passes for 7 yards, then rushed 21 times for minus-22 yards for a game total of minus-15.

Christian is now 7-1-1 (12-2-1 with playoffs) in its most recent non-league contests.

© East County Sports.com
SAN YSIDRO (8-25-07) -- Christian High School demonstrated great determination in 2006, serving well in the role of an underdog en route to the San Diego CIF Division V football championship.

Now with a target firmly planted between the numbers, the Patriots don't seem too concerned about serving the part of favorite after rolling past host San Ysidro High, 34-0, in Friday's (Aug. 24) second game of the SDCIF Kickoff Classic.

The two-day series of scrimmages -- played under normal game conditions -- continues Saturday at Patrick Henry, when Crawford battles La Jolla Country Day at 5:30 p.m., followed by the host Patriots meeting Mission Bay in the 8 p.m. nightcap.

The senior rushed for 1,222 yards and 13 TDs last season after posting 1,941 yards and 17 scores as a sophomore. Against San Ysidro, he plowed up the middle for a 12-yard touchdown to open the second half and mount a 27-0 lead.

Meanwhile, middle linebacker PAT KELLY dominated the first half to keep the Cougars pinned on their half of the field throughout the opening two quarters.

"Pat was in on virtually every tackle -- he was all over the field," noted Patriots assistant coach MIKE MITCHELL.

Kelly understands the Patriots' role-reversal, but believes his troops are prepared.

"The only thing we have to worry about is our mental makeup," said the senior, who is being courted by several Division I programs. "Our coaches had us prepared with three specific defenses and we were ready with all of them since we didn't know what to expect from San Ysidro."

MATTHEW FIELDS opened the scoring on an 11-yard pass from Allen in the opening period. CHARLES THOMPSON completed the rout with a 13-yard burst up the middle late during the fourth quarter, played with a running clock.