WEEK 8
Shocker of the Year: Braves rally past El Capitan
Down 21-14, huge 4th quarter propels El Cajon Valley

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (10-20-07) -- A pair of Grossmont North League teams that appeared to be going in opposite directions collided Friday night (Oct. 19), creating an unpredicted windfall.

Historians who scrutinize the record books will insist that El Cajon Valley's 29-21 upset of visiting El Capitan was not so stunning. After all, they will cite the latest victory by the Braves as their third in four years over El Capitan.

Those in the El Cajon Valley huddle might beg to differ about the importance of this conquest.

"This is a great night to be a Brave," said senior lineman RAMADAN AHMAD. "Nobody respected us since we were only 1-5 coming into this game. I guess El Cap, since they won the league championship a year ago, figured they would just come in here and run us over. But we have some pride at our school. We haven't given up. We had our best week of practice and we were ready for them."

Ahmad, a 5-foot-11, 230-pound two-way starter, made his greatest impact on defense, recording four sacks, forcing a fumble and recovering another.

"They had me lined up across from the guy they call ‘The Beast' (El Cap's 6-foot-8, 332-pound DERYCK BEVERIDGE, who made a verbal commitment to UTEP earlier this week)," said Ahmad. "That guy is huge, but I think I did okay against him."

Ahmad helped create a pivotal safety with pressure on section-passing leader TANNER RUST that cut an El Capitan lead to 21-16 in the third quarter.

"That was sweet," said Ahmad, who forced Rust to intentionally ground a pass in the endzone for a safety. "But the best feeling for me was recovering one of their fumbles on the final play of the game."

Before Ahmad provided the proverbial save, El Cajon Valley scored back-to-back touchdowns on a 49-yard pass from ISAAC SOLIZ to LUCAS STAFFORD and a 10-yard run by GERALD KENDALL.

Stafford's score gave the Braves a 22-21 edge, but the PAT try was wiped out when the Braves were called for holding and eventually misfired on a two-point conversion pass.

It didn't matter as Kendall drove in the final stake with the lone score of the 4th quarter.

"The big thing is we forced five turnovers and did not turn the ball over once ourselves," said El Cajon Valley coach DANNY GOODRICH.

"Our kids were just flying around on defense, just ripping the ball out, causing fumbles. We practiced like we were 5-1 all week. We just played lights out."

Junior free safety GAVINO PINAL forced a fumble and made one recovery for the Braves.

"We played inspired on defense," said Pinal. "They came in here so cocky and that just made us want to beat them more."

On the offensive side, Soliz clicked on only 8 of 25 passes, but generated 215 aerial yards including TDs to KEVIN KELLY, Stafford and Kendall.

"Even after they tied the game we showed we wouldn't quit," said Kelly, who thought he had a season-ending knee injury but found out that wasn't so. "The difference is we are believing in ourselves. They came over talking all the talk but we didn't buckle."

Kendall led the Braves ground game with 61 yards on 18 carries. PETER ALKASS caught 3 passes for 79 yards, while Kelly collected 2 receptions, including a 36-yard scoring strike from Soliz to open the game.

"Our guys were so excited after the game that we were joking about going over to Wells Park to play some more," laughed Kelly.

By winning, El Cajon Valley (2-5, 1-0 GNL) finds itself in the middle of the battle for the circuit championship. El Capitan fell to 4-4 overall and 0-2 in GNL.

In fairness to El Capitan, the Vaqueros were playing without leading rusher BEN WILKINS, sidelined with an ankle injury.

"This was one of the worst losses that we've had since I've been here at El Capitan," said Vaqueros 3rd year head coach RON BURNER. "El Cajon Valley came out ready to play tonight and El Capitan did not."

"We had 4 fumbles – 2 in the red zone," he added. "The intentional grounding in the endzone resulting in the safety was the key play in the game."

Rust completed 21 of 32 passes for 305 yards, including a pair of 19-yard scoring strikes to PHILLIP COOK. It was Rust's fourth 300-yard plus game.

GROSSMONT 12, SANTANA 7 -- Another Foothillers ballgame went down to the final minutes Friday night (Oct. 19) after the Sultans broke a long scoreless drought with a late touchdown. However, an onsides kick recovery and four field goals were enough to lift host Grossmont to the victory at Lt. Thomas M. Adams Memorial Field.

A ferocious Hillers defense slapped Santana all over the field, rarely allowing the guests past midfield. But when quarterback JAMES NEEDY found TYLER BLACKLEDGE on a quick slant to the left side for a 53-yard touchdown with 2:31 remaining, suddenly Grossmont faced the prospect of another barnburner finish.

Even the Grossmont faithful became uncomfortably quiet in a game which could've been one-sided yet turned into another nail-biter. Would it be a repeat of the Valhalla disaster or the late triumph over El Capitan?

"We came out stronger after the El Cap game and we got the 'W' -- it felt good," said defensive end ANDRES CHAVARIN, who was huge with three sacks, a forced fumble and an interception return of 40 yards. "We wanted to pressure them and force them to make poor passes and some mistakes."

To make things worse, in addition to the Santana TD, a roughing-the-passer penalty allowed Santana to kickoff on the Grossmont side of the 50. However, BOBBY LOPEZ overcame an accidental kick to the helmet to cover the onsides kick.

"I had to come through for our team, so I took one for the team," noted Lopez, a senior outside linebacker. "It's kind of upsetting that we had to keep picking up our offense, but you know what, next week is a another week. At least everyone gave a 100-percent effort."

Quarterback JOSH SIMMS then broke free on a 30-yard burst for a first down which allowed Grossmont to run-out the clock. The long run gave Simms an even 100 yards for the contest, while KHALID WATERS finished with 93 yards on 18 rushes, 62 of it coming in the first half.

But the focus was on the Grossmont defense, which extended Santana's scoreless streak on offense to nearly 8 consecutive quarters before the Sultans made things interesting in the waning minutes.

Along with Chavarin's 3 sacks, Lopez reached Needy twice for sacks, including one when he forced and recovered a fumble. Meanwhile, defensive back NICK FLOYD was a part of 10 tackles while tipping away a pair of passes.

"We stepped it up on defense," said Lloyd. "The whole team -- special teams, defense and offense -- were ready to play."

With the triumph, Grossmont (6-2, 2-0) expects to meet West Hills (3-4, 1-0) -- both undefeaten in league -- for the Grossmont North title (although that was before it was known that El Cajon Valley stunned El Capitan to also remain unbeaten in the GNL).

"I expect West Hills to be a great game," added Lloyd. "It'll be just like the playoffs, so it will be a big game."

Santana (3-5, 0-2) posted its own share of defensive stops, but could only force a single turnover on the game's opening play from scrimmage when junior linebacker KRIS KIMMEL intercepted Simms.

The Sultans also registered four stops in the red zone, forcing Grossmont to settle for field goals. Simms, who also serves as placekicker, was perfect by converting a kick in each quarter with connections from 20, 20, 36 and 19 yards for all of the team's scoring.

The four field goals by Simms is one short of the San Diego CIF record of five, first set by SCOTT WEBB of Helix in 1982, then equaled by Ramona's Tim Valencia in 2001. Four others have also kicked four FGs in a game, including JOE NIKODEM of Helix in 1983.

And Simms' 12 points ties him for 8th place on the SDCIF all-time list for kick-scoring in a contest.

At quarterback, Simms completed 15-of-28 passes for 149 yards, including six receptions to Floyd for 65 yards. TERREL CHAPPLE and MICHAEL GRAHAM added three catches each.

For Santana, Needy was 18-for-38 for 217 yards, including seven strikes to Blackledge for 118 yards. TYLER AUBREY added four catches for 49 yards, while KYLE ROMERO caught three balls for 34 yards.

On the defensive side, Grossmont linebacker ERIC SPRINGE led with 10 tackles. Safety DOMINIQUE BRADLEY added 8 stops. Lopez added 2 sacks, 4 tackles and recovered a fumble.

Although he landed on his back, Grossmont's Donovan Stauder (51) completes the tackle of Santana quarterback James Needy in a 12-7 triumph. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

MOUNT MIGUEL 35, MONTE VISTA 19 -- For one half Friday night (Oct. 19), the host Mount Miguel Matadors played like a football team ready to challenge for the Grossmont South League championship.

The Matadors (5-2, 2-0 GSL) passed, ran and played defense worthy of a gold medal, taking a 21-0 lead over the visiting Monarchs (3-4, 0-2 GSL). And that's a good thing, since Mount Miguel, which is locked in a 3-way tie with Helix and Steele Canyon for the league lead, will need such an effort when they meet the Highlanders next Friday (Oct. 26) in La Mesa.

After building a 28-7 lead with 10:56 remaining in the game, the Matadors suddenly lost their championship poise. What had been a spotless effort began to wilt, starting with muffing the 2nd half kickoff.

Two additional Mount Miguel turnovers further fueled Monte Vista's comeback fires.

The Monarchs crawled as close as 9 points with less than 6 minutes remaining before the Matadors sealed the victory with a 9-play, 53-yard time consuming scoring drive.

"Mount Miguel is a big play team and I thought we did a good job of keeping them from doing that," said Monarchs coach PAGE CULVER. "They weren't very polished."

The Matadors' longest play of the game was a 33-yard pass from QB AARON BRYANT to AHMAD NUNLEY during a 2nd quarter drive that led to a Matadors' touchdown.

Bryant passed for 187 yards on 11 of 17 accuracy, but all of his scoring came on short runs -- three of them on quarterback sneaks from a yard out.

"Those were quarterback keeps and I'm the lead blocker," said 5-foot-9, 181-pound senior running back RICO SMITH. "I just run into the linebackers and let Aaron score. It doesn't matter who scores as long as we win."

Smith also scored on a 3-yard run, giving Mount Miguel a 14-0 lead in the 2nd quarter. He totaled 80 yards rushing on 15 carries. He also intercepted a pass on a play following a 4th-quarter Matadors turnover.

Sophomore DERALL HUNTER paced Mount Miguel's running game with 108 yards on 16 carries. He also caught one pass for 27 yards. Nunley finished with 3 receptions for 69 yards, and JUDGE EVANS caught 3 passes for 62 yards.

Mount Miguel coach TOM KARLO wouldn't come out and say that his team was looking ahead to next week's showdown against Helix, considering the Matadors were celebrating their 50th anniversary, homecoming and the beginning of their Athletics Hall of Fame.

"I think we did exactly what we wanted to do in the first half," Karlo said. "And then in the second half we had some mistakes that allowed them to get back into the game. But overall I think this was a good win for us."

It was Mount Miguel's third straight win.

"I thought Bryant had a great game and Rico had another solid game," Karlo added.

For Monte Vista, junior JERAD SCOTT displayed his versatility. The 5-10, 160- pound Scott accounted for 250 all-purpose yards and 2 touchdowns. He did his best work returning kickoffs, with 169 yards on 3 attempts.

Scott's best effort came just when it appeared Mount Miguel was going to create a blowout in the 4th quarter when he returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.

Senior JOSH GOSSMEYER didn't roll up the same kind of numbers as did Scott, but played a solid role for the Monarchs. Probably his best play of the night came in the 1st quarter when he executed a 59-yard "quick kick" on 3rd down which pinned Mount Miguel on its own 1-yard line.

Gossmeyer also caught 3 passes for 48 yards while rushing for 37 yards on 8 carries.

"Our kids played inspired in the 2nd half, which is something I can't say about our effort in the 1st half," Culver said. "We need to control the ball and you can't do that when you can't hang onto the ball."

The Monarchs turned the ball over four times, three in the 1st half.

Monte Vista junior linebacker TRACY SHIELDS registered a game-high 13 tackles. AAREON MILLER and LEVI MILLER made 8 stops apiece.

JOSE AMADOR led all Matadors tacklers with 7 stops.

STEELE CANYON 28, VALHALLA 7 -- Turnovers will kill you - that's what Valhalla discovered in Friday night's (Oct. 19) game in Rancho San Diego. Three Norsemen turnovers resulted in three touchdowns for the Cougars, who find themselves in a 3-way deadlock with Helix and Mount Miguel for the Grossmont South League lead.

Steele Canyon senior defensive end DILLON MILLS recovered two Valhalla fumbles and TED WOMACK, a junior safety, intercepted an errant Norsemen pass in his team's endzone to seal the victory for the Cougars (5-2, 2-0 GSL).

Not unexpectedly, it was a JAMIE DALE rushing night (34 carries, 212 yards, 3 TDs) rushing right, rushing left and rushing up the middle the first four plays of the game for 23 yards to the Cougars' 43-yard line.

And that was just the beginning for Dale, who produced his second 200-yard game this season and the 5th of his career.

That's not surprising considering Dale -- with 2,764 yards -- is Steele Canyon's all-time rushing leader. Did we mention scoring? Dale has 35 TDs, also a Steele Canyon career record.

Late in the 1st quarter, the Cougars -- riding the tail of Dale -- reached the Valhalla-23. It looked like Valhalla's defense was going hold the line when linebacker DYLAN MITCHELL and sophomore defensive end SHANE PENNIX teamed up to sack quarterback NICK STATHAS.

Stathas was undeterred, however, and quickly hit junior wide receiver JASON COFIELD for a 20-yard gain to the 15. Four plays later, Dale scored the first of his three rushing touchdowns from the 2-yard line. SCOTT PERLIN's converted the first of his 4 PATs, and Steele Canyon led 7-0, after using up almost 8 1/2 minutes of the first quarter on its 15-play drive.

Starting from its 20 following Perlin's kickoff also found the endzone, Valhalla's offense quickly moved into Steele Canyon territory after sophomore NINO MALLORY gained 17 yards on two runs, RUFFY BACONG picking up 9 yards on a sweep, and sophomore quarterback PETE THOMAS tossed a strike to DEREK WHITE for another 10-yard gain.

Then disaster struck. Thomas was blindsided for a sack which resulted in a fumble. Mills scooped up his first fumble recovery at the Cougars-47. Six plays later, Dale scored his second touchdown from 1 yard out after Stathas completed a 40-yard pass to Brown to make it 14-0 with 9:28 left in the first half.

Perlin's second half opening kickoff didn't reach the endzone, but it worked out okay for the the Cougars when the returner got smacked and coughed up the football. Steele Canyon's Mills had his second fumble recovery at the Norsemen-30.

Like a broken record, it was Dale left, Dale right, and Dale up the middle for 29 compositeyards, setting up Stathas' 1-yard TD run, increasing the lead to 21-0.

The Norsemen (2-5, 0-2 GSL) didn't quit. Starting from their own 34, senior running back ZACK ROMERO blasted through the middle of the Steele Canyon defense for an 18-yard gain. Nino Mallory added a couple of nifty runs of 13 and 9 yards to get the Norsemen down to the Cougars-19, but Steele Canyon's defense stiffened and the drive appeared to stall.

Faced with a 4th-and-10 from the 19, Valhalla coach STEVE SUTTON eschewed a field goal attempt, and elected to call another pass play. This time, SPENCER SUTHERLINE hauled in a Thomas pass at the 1-yard line, then Romero danced into the endzone on the next play with less than a minute to go in the third quarter.

Valhalla's defense, led by linebacker TANNER HITT and safety SHANE MALLORY, was able to force a punt with 10 minutes left in the game. Starting at thr 28, Thomas moved the Norsemen quickly down the field, with Nino Mallory picking up 39 yards on 3 carries, and Sutherline snagging a 17-yard pass for a first down at the SC-13.

Thomas then found White open in the endzone, but Womack dives in front of the receiver, intercepting the pass for a touchback with 5:59 left.

Steele Canyon iced the victory 8 plays later, as Dale scored his third touchdown on an 11-yard sprint around the right end with 2:54 remaining.

Both teams ran 54 plays and team yardage totals were comperable, but turnovers spelled the difference. Steele Canyon finished with 336 yards to Valhalla's 314.

Thomas went 18-30-1 for 164 yards, while Stathas totaled 89 yards on 8-12-0 passing. On defense, Hitt led all tacklers with 17.

HELIX 49, GRANITE HILLS 0 -- No matter what the final score, the game of football at Helix this season is spelled d-e-f-e-n-s-e.

On Friday night (Oct. 19), when the No. 5 ranked Highlanders (5-1-1, 2-0 GSL) produced only 274 total yards, they scored 7 touchdowns in three quarters in support of a Helix defense that was recording its 3rd straight shutout.

The Highlanders defense held the Eagles to 126 total yards -- 125 rushing and a mere single yard passing.

"Our defense played another great game," stated Helix coach DONNIE VAN HOOK, who was equally pleased by his special teams unit.

"Our special teams play was great," he said. "We blocked a punt, recovered a fumble on a punt return and returned a kickoff (93 yards long by LARRY GIST) for a touchdown."

A dozen players contributed to Helix' 199 yards rushing led by PAUL BLAKENEY's 46 yards on 5 carries. JO-JO PHILLIPS finished with 36 yards on 6 carries including an 8-yard run that opened the scoring.

A 1-yard touchdown run by HOMER MAUGA and a 45-yard scoring sprint by TREVON VAN gave Helix a 21-0 lead after one quarter.

"We had an outstanding running game tonight," Van Hook said. "Our line blocking was outstanding. It was a great game for us teamwise. We got solid contributions from each phase of the game."

It was a solid but economic night for the Helix passers. ANTHONY DIAZ delivered 2nd quarter touchdown strikes of 21 yards to MARQUISE DEADWILER and 25 yards to GREG CORDER, staking the Highlanders to a 35-0 halftime lead.

TY CULVER completed his only pass of the night from 17 yards out to Van for a touchdown to finish the scoring. The teams played a scoreless 4th period.

"Helix is an excellent team, They are fast, aggressive and they played well," said Granite Hills coach RANDY DeWITT. "Anytime you try to get anywhere on them, there's a guy there. We got outplayed by them."

Helix had a special ceremony to honor the late JIM OXE, who died suddenly earlier this year. Oxe quarterbacked the Highlanders to their first SDCIF championship in 1978. Several members of the 1978 and 1979 teams were in attendance.

For Granite Hills, bright spots were BRADLEY CARTER, who rushed for 63 yards on 6 carries and returned 3 kickoffs for 69 yards. His twin brother BRENDAN CARTER returned 3 kickoffs for 61 yards.

Foothillers enter own Twilight Zone

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (10-18-07) -- An interesting timeline intersects Grossmont High football this week, when the Foothillers play host to Santana at Lt. Thomas Adams Memorial Field.

The Foothillers have been on both ends of a pair of exciting contests decided in the final minutes of late. First, there was a hard-luck loss to Valhalla, then the Foothillers bounced back and salvaged a late victory over El Capitan to join West Hills for the inside track to the Grossmont North League title.

However, this Friday's (Oct. 19) matchup against the Sultans offers a big reminder of a game Grossmont felt it gave away last season to prevent the school from repeating as GNL titlists.

"I wasn't on the varsity last season, but I know all about it," said Foothiller WILL KEYS, who will switch to a surprising, new position this week. "We had the lead on Santana, but we couldn't stop them from passing on us and we blew the game."

In that contest last November, Santana quarterback COLLIN TAYLOR threw for 473 yards -- the second-highest total in Grossmont Conference history. Taylor's 547 total yards also ranks second on the conference all-time books. He accounted for six TDs, five of them passing.

And when Grossmont couldn't stop Valhalla's pass attack earlier this season, an unimpressive hat trick seemed destined last week against El Capitan's vaunted passing game.

"There was two minutes left on the clock, so we knew we had to make a big play on defense after JOSH (SIMMS, the quarterback) threw an interception," Keys recalled. "But you can't hang your head -- you have to go out there and smash."

"So when the back (BEN WILKINS) came up the middle through the line, I hit him right there and caused the ball to pop out."

Waiting to pounce on the loose football was free safety DOMINIQUE BRADLEY for the desperately needed turnover. It may be the play of the season as far as the Hillers are concerned.

"It was a big momentum change," noted Bradley, who has reached double-digit totals in tackles for three straight ballgames and ranks second among the SDCIF tacklers. "After our interception, the fans were all sad -- you could see people getting up and leaving. But the defense stepped up and did something."

Moments later, Simms raced 24 yards for the game-winnng score, yet it was the defensive stop which could spell the difference in Grossmont regaining its GNL title or again finishing in the middle of the pack.

"A lot can change this week because we're better prepared," added Bradley. "After that El Cap game, we know not to hang our heads because we know we're a good defense."

Meanwhile, the offense has started to make strides despite a constant merry-go-round at several positions. The latest is a move of Keys to fullback against Santana.

"No more O-line for me -- I'm playing fullback and wearing No. 42," exclaimed Keys. "So I hope the offense will keep coming together."

Now, the Hillers (5-2) own more victories than any other Grossmont Conference program, and the second-best winning percentage behind 5th-ranked Helix (4-1-1). How far can Grossmont go?

"It depends on how far our offense can take us," Bradley said. "Our defense is usually consistent, so if the offense can bring it together, this team could be really amazing."

Santana junior quarterback JAMES NEEDY (1,128 yards, 11 TDs) and his talented receivers hope to turn the game into a shootout.

Prediction: Considering how West Hills was able to subdue Santana last week, there is no reason the Foothillers can't do the same... Grossmont, 27-10.

Granite Hills at No. 5 Helix -- The three winners from last Friday's (Oct. 12) Grossmont South League openers won't start playing each other until next week. And all three should have little trouble against second-division ballclubs, including the streaking Highlanders.

Since downing 2nd-ranked Oceanside to open the season, 28-20, the Scotties defense has proven stingy, yielding just 28 points in five contests, including two consecutive shutouts entering this pairing with the Eagles. In fact, the shutout streak is now more than 10 consecutive quarters (120:45) since the Eagles of Santa Fe Christian scored on a trick play in Week 4 -- that was a month ago!

For Granite Hills to compete, they need to follow the formula of Mount Miguel -- get your key players healthy. Included is quarterback JUSTIN MONTGOMERY, who's absence cost the Eagles any chance against the Matadors. If he doesn't suit-up... Helix, 35-3.

Monte Vista at Mount Miguel -- It's not only homecoming for the Matadors in celebration of the school's 50th anniversary, a scheduling quirk also makes it the final home game of the season for Mount Miguel .

Translation: The Monarchs may be in for a long, long night.

Despite an upward trend in recent weeks by Monte Vista, they will be hard-pressed to stop a re-energized Matadors roster which looks three steps faster with the return of running back ELLIOT TAYLOR.

Even though Taylor may not go every down, the real benefactor to his running threat is quarterback AARON BRYANT, who completed 6 of his first 9 passes for two early touchdowns to AHMAD NUNLEY to top Granite Hills last week.

Monte Vista quarterback MAURICE PAYNE is coming on strong with an emerging offense, but in this, the first of three games for the Spring Valley city championship, the ballclub which will compete with Steele Canyon for the trophy is... Mount Miguel, 27-14.

Valhalla at Steele Canyon -- The Cougars captured this meeting easily, 31-7, in a Thursday cable television special in 2006. And there seems little reason for anything to change.

The Cougars' dig-in defense and throw-when-we want-to short passing game is allowing Grossmont Conference rushing leader JAMIE DALE more room to dominate. Don't forget about fullback SCOTT PERLIN, who can cause problems should the Norsemen dedicate their full attention on Dale.

Valhalla averaged nearly 27 points per game before Helix dropped the hammer on them last week. The Norsemen didn't get a sniff against the Highlanders.

It is unlikely the Cougars will abandon the running game to throw the football. Steele Canyon QB NICK STATHAS has put the ball up only 10 times in the last eight quarters.

Even so, receiver JEBARI ROBINSON is capable of stretching the Valhalla defense, which make the time of possession factor enough to bury the Norsemen even deeper ... Steele Canyon, 31-7.

El Capitan at El Cajon Valley -- It was called the "Miracle at the Meadowlands."

On Nov. 19, 1978, the New York Giants simply needed to kneel on the football and the clock would run out for a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. However, quarterback Joe Pisarcik elected to hand the ball to fullback Larry Csonka (of the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins fame), but the handoff was botched. Eagles cornerback Herm Edwards, the ex-San Diego State star who now coaches the Kansas City Chiefs, scooped the loose ball and raced 26 yards for the touchdown and a shocking 17-12 victory.

El Capitan knows full well how bad Pisarcik felt.

The Vaqueros only needed to gain a single first down in closing minutes of last week's GNL opener with Grossmont to begin defense of their title. However, a late fumble opened the door for the Foothillers to score the game-winning touchdown.

How high will the reeling Vaqueros run-up the score on the hapless Braves? Not too far, we hope . . . El Capitan, 49-6.

Foothills Christian vs. Sun Valley Charter, at Ramona (Thurs., 8 p.m.) -- It may be the Knights' Southern League opener, but hopes for a league crown were dashed two weeks ago when quarterback GARRET CAMPBELL broke his foot in a club soccer incident.

And when you throw in that the Falcons (5-2) -- one of the new league's preseason favorites -- dropped their opener to Midway Baptist back in Week 5, Foothills Christian may be hard-pressed to keep up.

Since Sun Valley's league setback to the Patriots, they have been on fire. Included was establishing a Grossmont College stadium scoring record last week, rolling up 86 points -- in just three quarters! -- in an 86-40 romp over Lutheran.

The only advantage for Foothills is knowing that Midway Baptist beat Sun Valley by running right at them. And without their starting quarterback, the Knights will need to duplicate Midway's effort to forge a victory. The effort will be there, but we still lean toward... Sun Valley, 42-21.

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (10-17-07) -- When Mount Miguel High School first opened for business, the 1957 Chevrolet was an extremely popular automobile. That model of car is considered a classic in today's transportation market.

It is not known whether the Matadors' homecoming king and queen candidates will be seated in '57 Chevys as Mount Miguel celebrates its 50th anniversary on Friday (Oct. 19).

Homecoming activities actually will begin a little earlier than usual at 4:30 in the high school's gymnasium where the inaugural athletes and coaches will be inducted into the Mount Miguel Athletics Hall of Fame. A catered dinner will be served for $20 (which includes a game ticket to the evening Grossmont South League contest against Spring Valley rival Monte Vista).

The list of inductees is highlighted by Mount Miguel's undefeated 1968 San Diego CIF boys basketball championship team. Many members of that squad -- MIKE ELA, BLAKE MATHEWS, DAVE LOWER, CHARLES GREGG, MICHAEL PADGETT, CRAIG SANDLING and JOHN WOODWARD -- will be in attendance. ROBERT RIDGWAY will represent his deceased father, DICK RIDGWAY, who coached the Matadors to a 33-0 finish.

Other inductees include 13-year NFL veteran ROBERT GRIFFITH (Class of '88), pro baseball player PETE JERNIGAN, baseball coach DUANE FREEMAN (led the Matadors to their only league crown in 1980); National Wrestling Hall of Fame Coach NED BLASS; JEROME WEATHERSPOON (football-basketball); football Division I college blue-chippers WALLY JOHNSON (along with wrestling), KHALIF BARNES (Washington) and BILLY JOE WINCHESTER (Oregon State), BRIAN SMITH (football and track), long-time softball coach JANE TRUDE, softball aces CARRIE BELANGER (SDCIF player of the year), STEPHANIE OLOW and CHARMELLE GREEN; wrestlers TOMMY MOUNT, J ROBINSON, DON JACKSON and BOB JACOBSON (as well as football); and RICK WURTZ (aquatics)

Probably the best known of the inductees is Griffith, who was a standout in football, basketball and track for the Matadors. After a successful career as a defensive back at SDSU, Griffith spent 13 seasons with the NFL's Vikings, Browns and Cardinals, playing in the 1999 Pro Bowl. Griffith now does local television commentary.

Tickets are $20, which includes the dinner and the Grossmont South League football game. For further information or to purchase tickets, contact Sylvia Sposato at (619) 667-6472.