Did He Score? A Very Close Call

Norsemen quarterback Pete Thomas dives toward the endzone for the touchdown, but was his knee actually down before the ball crossed the goalline? (Photo by Mark Gonzales) CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE

Should Pete Thomas have been awarded a touchdown on the play shown above? YES -- Of course, he scored! NO -- The ref robbed El Cap!    Free polls from Pollhost.com

WEEK SIX
Perfect Pats fail to impress
coach in 48-14 triumph

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (10-12-08) – It wasn’t what MATT OLIVER would call an ideal tune-up for the start of next week’s Coastal League season. But the skipper of the Christian High Patriots really didn’t have a whole lot to complain about Saturday night (Oct. 11), considering his unbeaten crew clobbered visiting Palo Verde Valley, 48-14, at Valhalla.

It was the 20th win in 21 starts for Christian, which carries a 6-0 ledger into the league opener against Horizon Friday (Oct. 17), also at Valhalla.

“I think we’re ready,” Oliver said. “But we’re going to have to play better than we did in this game. I thought it was our most lackluster effort of the season. We fumbled six times – lost three, and had a touchdown called back by a holding penalty. We just weren’t crisp.”

Christian executed only 36 offensive plays, and still managed to muster up 461 yards. The Patriots netted 434 yards on the ground in just 29 carries with San Diego CIF rushing leader CHARLES THOMPSON (10-206, TD) setting the pace.

MIKE FERREIRA added 94 yards and a TD on just eight carries, while MATT FIELDS piled on 47 yards and one TD on four carries. CALEB FARREL averaged 17 yards per carry on three rushes, while STEVEN PITTS averaged 13 yards on three rushes.

“We stayed in the Wing-T all night,” Oliver said. “It’s kind of weird that we had that many points in so few plays.”

Even on defense, Palo Verde was stung by Thompson’s presence. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound senior chalked up his first interception and returned it 55 yards for the touchdown, making it a 34-14 spread for the Patriots by intermission.

“He’s quite a player,” Oliver said. “We needed Thompson in a two-safety set because Palo Verde throws the ball so much.”

Defensive end TYRONE SAULS picked off a Palo Verde swing pass and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown.

Farrel also logged an interception and caught a 15-yard scoring pass from quarterback ERICK ALLEN for the Patriots.

El Capitan ball-carrier Phillip Cook (17) escapes the rush of Valhalla's Shane Pennix (86). (Photo by Mark Gonzales)

El Capitan defender Anthony Lima (31) makes the hit on Valhalla's Manuel Paramo at the 29-yard line, holding him short of gaining first-down yardage. (Photo by Mark Gonzales)

El Capitan Vaqueros at Valhalla Norsemen (Slideshow by Mark Gonzales)

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (10-11-08) – While all the hoopla was centered on Friday’s (Oct. 10) passing fest between visiting El Capitan and Valhalla, it was the Norsemen’s defense that eventually secured a 32-27 victory over the upset-minded Vaqueros.

Oh sure, the football was flying about the stadium with a good share of accuracy, but it was the key defensive plays that decided the issue.

Six-foot-4, 256-pound junior defensive tackle SHANE PENNIX recorded a couple of key sacks for Valhalla, and WESLEY PARKER, who also is the Norsemen’s punter, came up with a pass deflected by KEENAN HIRSCH for an interception midway through the 4th quarter.

When the outcome was teetering, Valhalla corner IVAN MAY batted down what appeared to be a first down pass with 6 seconds left to secure Valhalla’s 5th win without a loss.

Valhalla’s May was thinking the same thing.

Rust, who completed 20-of-37 passes for 266 yards and 3 touchdowns, directed the pass in May’s area. And Valhalla ’s senior corner was there to bat the ball away.

“He knew that we didn’t have much time to put anything together,” Rust said. “I’m sure he guessed we were running the same play – which we were – and he just jumped it. That’s a credit to him.”

Rust, who compiled 337 yards total offense, admitted that he was harassed by Valhalla ’s constant pressure. He also said that this was probably his best outing of the season. Statistically speaking, that would be true.

“He’s a good athlete,” Pennix said of Rust. “Our goal was to put as much pressure on him as we could. That’s my job – to put on the pressure and keep him contained. Yeah, he’s elusive, he has great speed to get away and everything. That’s our job to chase him down.”

Valhalla senior linebacker TANNER HITT was the hub of the Norsemen’s last-second defensive stand. He finished with 9 tackles and batted down two passes, including one in the final series.

“It feels good to be 5-0,” Pennix declared. “I don’t think people respect Valhalla. They didn’t expect Valhalla to do this.”

Junior quarterback PETER THOMAS also turned in a brilliant game at the Norsemen’s helm, accounting for 253 yards and 4 touchdowns. He completed 18-of-24 passes, including scoring passes of 32 and 38 yards to MATTHEW SWANGER. He also hit MANUEL PARAMO for a 41-yard score.

Despite being sacked 5 times, Thomas managed to scramble for 38 net yards.

“I ran a little more than I usually do because they forced me to,” Thomas said. “But our O-line did a real good job of blocking – an awesome job of blocking.”

Thomas admitted going head-to-head against Rust was something special.

“It was cool because we’ve gone to football camps together and we play against each other in baseball,” said Thomas, who plays first base for the Norsemen while noting that Rust is El Capitan ’s catcher. “We’re pretty good friends. But when you face the best quarterback in the county it’s always more electric.”

Not to be overlooked in this aerial circus was Valhalla ’s TRAIVONNE BROWN, who rushed for 149 yards on 13 carries, including a 76-yard scoring dash in the first quarter.

Swanger led the Norsemen with 7 receptions for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns.

On El Capitan ’s side of the ledger, PHILLIP COOK, who was making his first start since recovering from a shoulder injury, collected 7 passes for 112 yards, including a 58-yard halfback pass from TYRONE WIGGINS – who also missed the first five games due to a hamstring injury – giving the Vaqueros a 27-26 edge with 10:10 remaining.

JON MOLZEN also caught 7 passes for 75 yards, including scoring passes of 13 and 7 yards from Rust.

BRANDON SANCHEZ was another of the Vaqueros’ long-range receivers, as he reeled in a 76-yard scoring strike from Rust that gave the Vaqueros a 7-6 advantage in the first quarter. Sanchez finished with 3 receptions for 109 yards.

“Valhalla was a better team than we were tonight,” El Capitan coach RON BURNER said graciously. “This is a game we could have won. But even though we didn’t, there were some positive things that came from it.”

“I know our kids are bummed out because we lost, but having Cook and Wiggins back is going to make a major difference for us, just like they did tonight,” Burner added.

El Capitan opens the Grossmont North League season at Grossmont on Friday (Oct. 17) where the Foothillers will be celebrating Homecoming.

Monte Vista running back Nick Williams powers his way up the middle against West Hills. The senior scored two touchdowns — one rushing and one receiving — in the Monarchs' 20-14 homecoming triumph. (Photo by Larry Montalbano)

Desean Waters (4) of Grossmont

Dominique Bradley (3) of Grossmont

Aaron Harris (5) of Granite Hills (Photos by Susan Cooper Photography)

Grossmont’s first-year head coach RON MURPHY builds his teams around defense, and based on the Foothillers’ latest outing, he may have come up with the right concoction.

The Foothillers (2-4) intercepted five passes, returning two for touchdowns, as visiting Grossmont crushed Granite Hills and destroyed Homecoming night on East Madison Avenue. Grossmont, which had not scored in its last two games, needed less than a minute to find the endzone against the Eagles.

Senior JOHN SHARPE, who is in his first year of playing football, turned Grossmont’s first interception into a 32-yard touchdown return, staking the Hillers to a 7-0 lead 56 seconds into the game.

That seemed to release the cork out of the Grossmont offense, which has been stagnate for 10 quarters leading up to Friday’s encounter at Granite Hills.

Junior quarterback TYLER MUTTER added scoring passes of 21 yards and 41 yards to BRETT ETHERTON as the rout was taking place.

In between the Mutter-Etherton scoring formula, VALENTINO HODGSON picked off the first of his two interceptions of the game, taking it to the house from 27 yards out.

Suddenly Grossmont was leading 28-0 early in the second quarter. The big plays continued for the Foothillers.

FELIPE VALDEZ turned in a 62-yard scoring burst to inflate the Foothillers’ advantage.

CHANCE HOUSE, who was making his debut as the Hillers kicker, booted a 42-yard field goal, giving Grossmont a 38-0 halftime lead. House later kicked a 23-yard field goal and converted 6-of-7 PATs.

Mutter finished with 10 completions in 16 attempts for 180 yards. Etherton had 4 receptions for 98 yards, which allows him to maintain a share of the Grossmont Conference lead with Santana’s KRIS KIMMEL.

“I take the blame for the losses we’ve had,” said Murphy. “It’s taken me this long to figure out how to make changes to fit our personnel. I think this is a good start.”

While coaches routinely talk about how young their teams are, Murphy actually has credence to that statement.

“We only have one senior starting on offense, but more than that we have seven kids who have never even played football before this year,” he said. “It takes time for them to acclimate to what we’re doing.”

DESEAN WATERS and REGGIE SANCHEZ also had interceptions against the Eagles.

Grossmont’s defense was not all about interceptions. The Foothillers slammed the brakes on the Grossmont Conference’s leading rusher, AARON HARRIS, who was limited to 3 yards on 13 carries in the first half.

“That was our focus – to keep that guy from running all over us,” Murphy said.

After Grossmont built a 45-0 lead in the 3rd quarter, Granite Hills (1-4) finally came to life. Facing predominantly a lineup of Grossmont substitutes, Harris ran wild, finishing with 185 yards on 25 carries. That included scoring junkets of 67 and 53 yards.

It was a rocky outing for Granite Hills quarterback TYLER JOWORSKI, who completed just 2-of-10 passes for 2 yards. He suffered four of the interceptions.

Eagles’ back-up quarterback CODY HOLLOWELL completed 3-of-5 passes for 60 yards and one touchdown, yet was still stung with one interception. The high point for Hollowell was a 31-yard scoring pass to VICENTE STAFFORD late in the 3rd quarter.

“When it starts rolling like that, when they’ve got the momentum going like they did in the first half, it’s tough to slow that down,” said Eagles coach RANDY DeWITT. “Coming off a bye like we did seemed to hurt us because it took us too long to get back into game mode.”

Monte Vista linebacker Tracy Sheilds fills the hole to stop this West Hills ball-carrier in a 20-14 win.

West Hills receiver Levi Jacob looks to the line judge to see if he scored following a late, 32-yard catch. Jacob was ruled down at the Monte Vista-1, but the Pack's Christian Fonseca scored two plays later. (Photos by Larry Montalbano)

SEE PREDICTIONS STORY BELOW Our "Fearless Forecaster" not only selected the correct winner of the Monte Vista-West Hills game, he nailed the 20-14 final score on the nose!

But this pride likes to score some points, too. And in the fourth quarter, the defense again found the endzone for the decisive points in Friday's (Oct. 10) hard-fought 20-14 homecoming triumph over visiting West Hills.

Leading 14-7 in the fourth quarter, Monte Vista's special teams unit thought it scored a safety which would've given the Monarchs a 9-point lead. Didn’t happen, as the referees (correctly) ruled a touchback on a muffed punt. Thus, no safety.

Still, with the Wolf Pack needing to go 80 yards to tie the contest, the Monarchs defense was lying in wait to avenge the frustrating setback of the punt coverage team.

With its back to the wall West Hills needed 20 yards to gain a first down and keep alive its drive. Monte Vista defensive back JERRAD SCOTT short-circuited the Wolf Pack’s plans. Scott leaped high at midfield not only to intercept a deep pass, but the senior corner returned the ball 51 yards for what proved to be the victory-clinching touchdown.

"Defense wins football games," noted Scott, who collected 145 all-purpose yards. "So I just took it back real hard and made the dive into the endzone."

On the runback Scott stalled with nowhere to go at the Wolf Pack-10. But some daylight opened along the sideline, and he broke through a pair of tacklers to score.

West Hills made things interesting in the final two minutes.

LEVI JACOB, who made a dazzling, one-handed catch in the first half, split a pair of defenders deep and hauled in a 32-yard pass from JOE ROBERTS, before being stopped at the Monarchs-1. Two plays later, Pack running back CHRISTIAN FONSECA barely reached the endzone with 1:44 remaining.

"We all just want to make plays -- it doesn't matter who, as long as we win," noted Monarchs linebacker TRACY SHIELDS, the team's leading tackler. "Then T.J. ( Jackson ), who doesn't play that much, made a play. We're an unselfish team and sacrifice our body for each other."

NICK WILLIAMS rushed for 168 yards on 21 carries and scored a pair of Monte Vista touchdowns in the second period. He scored on a short run and hauled in a 10-yard TD pass from sophomore quarterback SHERVIN IRANIHA (3-for-7, 13 yards).

In between the two Monarchs TDs, Fonseca (12 carries, 37 yards, 2 TDs) scored on a 2-yard run for West Hills, leaving Monte Vista with a 14-7 halftime lead.

“I thought we played really well,” West Hills coach CASEY ASH said. “This was a tough battle for both sides. Neither team dominated – the game was played pretty much in the middle of the field. Both defenses were impressive.”

Roberts completed 11 of 17 passes for 148 yards. Jacob hauled in five passes for 96 yards and returned three kickoffs for 96 yards.

While Monte Vista (3-2) enters its GSL opener at Steele Canyon Friday (Oct. 17), the Wolf Pack is hoping for a fresh start following a 1-5 showing against a formidable nonleague schedule.

West Hills opens the Grossmont North League season at Santana Friday (Oct. 17) in the annual battle for the Mayor’s Trophy.

"I feel like we still have to look at what we did in the past," Jacob said. "We're coming out flat in practice and making so many mistakes in our games. But we're playing tough teams and trying to get ready for league."

Gerald Kendall (23) of El Cajon Valley (Photo by Susan Cooper Photography)

Probably the most impressive footnote on Pinal’s hat trick is the fact that he tied a 45-year old El Cajon Valley record for interceptions in a game set by DAVE NUTTALL against Helix in 1963.

Only four players in the 47-year history of the Grossmont Conference have intercepted more passes than Pinal in a game, and they each had four.

Pinal, a 5-foot-10, 178-pound senior also grabbed a 39-yard scoring pass from senior quarterback ISAAC SOLIZ in the 4th quarter.

Soliz, who came in averaging 174 passing yards per game, was on target for 18-of-30 passes for 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Otay Ranch (3-1-1).

JUDE BERMUDES caught a team high five passes for 66 yards and KENDALL CONLEY had three grabs for 48 yards and a TD for the Braves (4-2). But El Cajon Valley was unable to get anything going against the husky Mustangs of Otay Ranch on the ground.

This game had similarities to the Braves 31-17 loss at Monte Vista a week ago.

“Otay Ranch really pounded the ball against us,” said Braves coach DANNY GOODRICH. “We had too many turnovers tonight and we were not consistent on offense.”

Credit the smaller Braves (4-2) for making the muscular Mustangs work for the victory.

Although he averaged only slightly more than one yard per carry, El Cajon Valley’s GERALD KENDALL scored on a 2-yard that tied the game 6-6 early in the 2nd quarter.

Otay Ranch maintained a 12-6 halftime lead and then scored three of the next four touchdowns to break the game open.

“I thought we played well on defense until the middle of the 3rd quarter,” Goodrich said. “We were on the field too much on defense. They just wore us out.”

Jordan Shivers (29) of El Cajon Valley attempts tp knock the ball away from the Otay Ranch running back on this play near the goal line. (Photo by Susan Cooper Photography)

And the Knights ruined the party.

Buoyed by a 50-yard touchdown run by MATTISON RUNDLETT, Foothills Christian (4-1, 2-0) slipped past one of the favorites in the Southern Conference. Rundlett finished with 117 yards on the ground on 15 carries to lead both teams.

“We played very hard in some pretty ugly elements – 45 degree temperatures and winds gusting to 35-40 miles per hour,” said Foothills Christian coach STEVE PERDUE.

Should the Knights get past the next four opponents -- all bottom-feeders in the league -- the victory sets up a one-on-one showdown with preseason favorite Calvin Christian on the final night of the regular season for all the marbles, to be held at Junior Seau Field on the campus of Parkway Middle School.

“I like the position we’re in as far as the conference goes,” Perdue said.

GARRET CAMPBELL overcame an early Julian field goal with a 3-yard TD run, followed by Rundlett's long dash for a 13-3 lead through one quarter.

Julian cut the margin to 13-9 by the half, but CALEB GARDNER scored on a 15-yard run early in the third period, with Campbell adding a 2-point PAT rush for a 21-9 advantage.

The Eagles would answer on a 2-yard run by Dakota Savage. However, Julian (3-2, 1-1) missed the 2-point PAT try while Savage was held to less than 100 rushing yards for just the second time all season as the Knights’ defense then took over down the stretch.

Meanwhile, the Foothills Christian offense kept possession with a ground game that saw six different runners collect 254 total yards, as Campbell attempted just one pass (incomplete) all contest as Perdue developed a game plan just in case the weather in the Cuyamaca Mountains turned too cold to make for an effective passing game.

“I don’t know if it was the cold so much as it was the wind,” Perdue said of his lack of passing. “Besides, we were running the ball pretty well so there was no reason to change.”

Perdue noted that the game could have easily been more one-sided, but the Knights had two touchdowns nullified by penalties and blew a third scoring chance on a fumble at the Julian goal line.

“We dominated the game every which way,” Perdue said. “And that’s the main thing.”

Madison’s mighty mouse Robbie Rouse (5-foot-6, 170-pounds) cleaned house for the second year in a row. The Warhawks’ senior speedster scored an 80-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game, and the rout was on.

Although Rouse rushed for 355 yards and three touchdowns in a 7-point victory over the Sultans a year ago, he wasn’t complaining by his showing in the rematch. Rouse finished with 210 yards on 10 carries and three touchdowns.

Madison did all of its scoring in the first half.

Despite a running clock in the second half, the Sultans (3-3) managed to avoid a shutout when sophomore quarterback ZACH BREIDT fired a 16-yard scoring pass to KRIS KIMMEL in the 4th quarter.

Kimmel caught four passes for 37 yards to remain tied with Grossmont’s BRETT ETHERTON for the East County pass-receiving lead.

Santana freshman tight end T.D. GROSS also caught four passes for 53 yards. Breidt collected 232 yards total offense.

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (10-9-08) -- It came as no surprise when pass-happy coach STEVE SUTTON brought his playbook to Valhalla after a long career as head man at West Hills.

Over the past decade, Sutton's Wolf Pack produced more passers who reached 1,800 or more passing yards than any other program. Top names include TONY BURNER (2,248 in 2000), JORDAN ADAMS (2,064 in 2001), BLAKE SUTTON (1,868 in 2002), KAMY AHMADIAN (2,000 exactly in 2004) and PHILIP STABACK (2,800 in 2005).

Rarely are there shortages in any band of Sutton receivers. This guy knows how to bring out the best in even the most average of ball catchers.

However, on the opposite sideline is new El Capitan defensive coordinator JUDD HULBERT, who served a pair of stints heading Grossmont High -- one of the Wolf Pack's chief rivals over the past decade.

Hulbert's defenders pace the Grossmont Conference with 12 interceptions, including four (a pair went for touchdowns) by senior ANTHONY SOLIS, plus three more each by CAI LaCHAPPA and JOE SABOL.

In fact, Hulbert might possess more insight to stopping Sutton's offense than any other coach in East County.

Of course, to pick a winner, you always seem to need to look at the opposite matchup n Friday's (Oct. 10) contest: El Cap's offense vs. the Valhalla defense.

The under-rated Norsemen 'D' has allowed just 20 points all season, coming off consecutive shutouts of Brawley and Grossmont, and not allowing a touchdown for more than 10 consecutive quarters.

Playing catch-up against the Norsemen means throwing the ball, an area where the Vaqueros (2-2) are struggling due to a soft running game. If El Cap falls behind early, this one could get ugly... Valhalla, 35-14.

Elsewhere (All at 7 p,m., unless noted)
Santana (3-2) at Madison (4-0), 6:30 p.m. -- The speed of the Warhawks has always stymied the Sultans, and this year should be no exception.

Madison senior running back Robbie Rouse already owns 8 touchdowns this season, including 3-TD efforts in upsets of Mt. Carmel and Coronado; Rouse rushed for 301 yards against the Islanders -- playing with a broken right thumb!

And with the re-vamped Central League now listing programs which have been on the skids in recent years, Madison’s victory over the Coronado Islanders was considered the first test in making the Warhawks true believers that a 10-0 regular season is possible.

One of those Central League opponents is Kearny, a ballclub Santana downed on opening night, 42-12.

Keep in mind that Santana sophomore quarterback ZACH BREIDT is the No. 3 passer in the SDCIF with 1,066 yards and 11 TDs. He has also run for three scores, and versatile KRIS KIMMELL is tied for the East County lead with 27 receptions for 386 yards and 6 TDs. So the Sultans do have the offense to compete. It’s a matter of whether they have the defense. Santana's defense has yielded 73 points over the past two weeks, so they must shorten the game by looking to the run. If it comes down to the run, the nod goes to... Madison, 35-31.

West Hills (1-4) at Monte Vista (2-2) -- A pair of teams that have struggled more often than not continue to seek consistency on the offensive end.

Monte Vista rebounded from a 0-2 start with wins over Grossmont 7-0 and a 31-17 romp over previously unbeaten El Cajon Valley. The scoring spree against the Braves — keyed by hard-charging running backs NICK WILLIAMS and JERRAD SCOTT — is the most points scored by Monte Vista since the 2004 quarterfinals when they crushed San Marcos 49-12.

That covers a span of 35 games for the Monarchs who celebrate homecoming on Friday night (Oct. 10).

Defense hasn’t been a problem for either team despite Helix’s 49-0 blow out of the Wolf Pack a week ago. So a low-scoring contest could be in the offing.

Monte Vista has won seven of the last nine meetings, but the Wolf Pack has come out on top in two of the last three encounters.

While both of these teams, unlike the stock market, are on the rise, the one with more on both sides of the line is... Monte Vista, 20-14.

Grossmont (1-4) at Granite Hills (1-3) -- The Eagles' offense continues to make strides, coming off the 303-yard rushing performance by AARON HARRIS two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Grossmont's offense hit the wall in recent weeks, going nine straight quarters without a point, including back-to-back shutout setbacks to Monte Vista and Valhalla.

Granite Hills will have the support of a homecoming crowd, while the Foothillers look to quarterback TYLER MUTTER to help break the dry spell.

Grossmont has won the last three meetings by combined 91-24 margin. Last time the Eagles won was in 2000. That should change this year...Granite Hills, 20-7.

Otay Ranch (2-1-1) at El Cajon Valley (4-1) -- The Mustangs are facing the toughest schedule of any South Bay school -- and they're holding their own – claiming victories over Grossmont and Rancho Buena Vista, a tie with No. 5 Helix (see below), then a loss to No. 2 Cathedral Catholic. It's as good as any team located near the border since the glory days of Chula Vista and Sweetwater.

The glory days for the Braves could be right now -- until they got side-tracked by Monte Vista last week. ECVHS failed to stop the run, but now will face a more balanced attack.

However, if Otay Ranch is in a class with Helix, while the Braves couldn't get past the Monarchs, the difference may be too much to overcome... Otay Ranch, 32-21.

Rumor Mill: Unofficially, word on the street (and the Internet) is that Otay Ranch will forfeit its 19-19 draw with Helix for use of an ineligible player. No word has come from Otay Ranch school officials.

Foothills Christian (3-1, 1-0) at Julian (3-1, 1-0) -- Check your watches -- the Julian Eagles are going prime time with a rare night game under temporary lighting, similar to the system Christian High utilized for a home playoff game earlier in the decade.

The Eagles and Calvin Christian are considered the cream of the Southern Conference, with Foothills Christian right behind. So this is a must-win affair for the Knights in order to gain a one-on-one showdown with Calvin on the final night of the regular season to earn a championship.

Julian holds slight advantages in a bigger roster for additional depth (30-18) and they will be better acclimated to the altitude (4,235 feet, according to the Julian Chamber of Commerce website). Plus, game-time temperatures are expected to dip into the mid-40s -- wasn't it just a record 98-degrees in El Cajon on Wednesday?

The advantage for Foothills Christian includes knowing the main (lone?) Eagles threat is diminutive tailback Dakota Savage (5-9, 145), who has rushed for 736 yards -- about half of the team's total yardage figure. Plus, Julian has yet to see an opponent pass the ball like the Knights can.

In the East County Sports Upset Special... Foothills Christian, 41-37.

Sat., Oct. 11
Christian (5-0) vs. Palo Verde Valley (2-2), at Valhalla -- With the graduation of quarterback David Ortega two years ago, the Yellowjackets have been on the skids, winless against CIF-San Diego Section competition (0-2 this season, outscored 71-39).

Even without Ortega, the Jackets like to sling the ball around, yet still haven’t determined a No. 1 quarterback. The edge for the Patriots is knowing PVV owns just one reliable receiver in Aaron Quintanilla, who has gained more than 100 yards in receptions three times this season.

Thus, look for Patriots linebacker STEVEN PITTS and corner CALEB FARREL (2 career picks, each against Santana over two seasons) to have a field day in the defensive secondary... Christian, 42-6.