WEEK 4 — Sept. 25-26

Grossmont quarterback Tyler Mutter scrambles to escape the pressure from Santa Fe Christian pass rushers Trent Von Yokes (43) and Travis Berglund. The Eagles downed the Foothillers, 24-13, in Saturday's contest in Solana Beach. (Phioto by Dave Ruscetta)

got  pix? Send them to East County Sports for the entire world to see. We accept photos from anyone — students, parents or pros. EMAIL them to us in a 'zip' file.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (9-26-09/UPDATED 9-27-09) — Christian High’s pregame warm-up included learning that cornerback/punt returner JOSH SUFFRIDGE was lost for the season with a broken elbow. Four hours before game time 6-foot-2, 250-pound senior center MARTY BARRICK was sidelined with a fractured vertebra.

Guard MATTHEW GODDARD, who had been saddled with injuries, returned to play offensive tackle. RYAN HUGHES, who is normally a starter at guard, moved to center.

One thing that helped bail the Patriots out was their 3rd down specialist, STEVEN PITTS, who is nursing a high ankle sprain. He was better than the coaches ever imagined.

Pitts, a 6-foot, 205-pound senior, finally got the call in the second half.

“We were down 14-0 and we needed a 3rd down stop so I asked Pitts if he could go,” said Oliver. “The next thing I knew he was sprinting onto the field – full speed. It was really something to see because he never stopped, and just as Sweetwater snapped the ball Steven knocked the center and sacked the quarterback. It was hard not to leave him out there for the rest of the game, but I just couldn’t risk it.”

Pitts relished his original stop.

“I’d been standing there the whole game and when coach gave me the go-ahead, I ran out there full speed,” Pitts said. “I ran out on the field full force and all I could see was the quarterback. I bowled over the center and crashed into the quarterback – I wanted to play.”

Yet Oliver brought Pitts back to the bench.

“We really need Pitts because he’s a two-way guy as a running back and a linebacker,” Oliver said. “But I don’t want to rush him back into the lineup too soon and end up losing him for the rest of the year.”

Thus Pitts became the ‘3rd Down Specialist’ in this game. He made an impact at linebacker, defensive end and strong safety.

“It was really different – kinda strange playing all those positions,” said Pitts, who figured he played only 20 plays against the Red Devils (0-4). “I want to get healthy, but I also want to win games. I think I’m getting better movement now and I should be at full strength soon, hopefully by (Coastal) league (Oct. 16).”

Christian’s defense limited the Red Devils to two first downs in the 2nd half.

“We had to change our philosophy, so we made some adjustments at halftime,” Oliver said.

Patriots offensive coordinator MIKE MITCHELL made a physical change after seeing his team fall behind by two touchdowns in the opening half.

“I called our plays in the 1st half from the (Press) box,” said Mitchell. “It just didn’t feel right for the game so I went back down to the field for the 2nd half.”

That proved to be a wise move as the Patriots skunked Sweetwater 29-0 in the final two quarters.

Sophomore quarterback SHANE ‘ Marshall ’ DILLON hurled a 61-yard scoring pass to JORDY DAVIS in the 3rd quarter to slice Sweetwater’s advantage in half.

In the 4th quarter the Patriots (3-1) forged in front on a 1-yard scoring run by TYRONE SAULS. Sauls also ran in the 2-point conversion to give the Pats a one point lead.

Then it was MARTIN RUIZ’ turn. Proving that he’s a double threat, Ruiz scored on a 6-yard run in the 4th quarter and then put the game on ice with a 65-yard interception return for his second touchdown.

It’s not like Helix is blowing out every team they play. That should not be expected for a team that is sophomore laden. The Highlanders, who held leads of 12-0 and 19-7, are pedaling their way toward a 4th consecutive GSL championship.

This is kind of a fantasy affair that coach TROY STARR is building for the future.

Defense has traditionally been a Helix strength, yet the Highlanders have surrendered 95 points.

“Our defense is starting to come around,” Starr said. “We have a lot of sophomores and I told them they are up here – varsity – for a reason. They have no option – they have to improve right away.”

After taking an early lead with a safety, courtesy of junior linebacker AUSTIN GONZALEZ, the Highlanders started to roll in Friday night’s (Sept. 25) non-league game in South Bay.

Gonzalez, primarily a defensive stalwart for the Highlanders, proved his versatility by hauling in a 17-yard scoring pass from sophomore quarterback JAKE REED to give Helix a 9-0 first quarter lead. Gonzalez caught 7 passes for 163 yards.

Reed, who completed 18 of 32 passes for 269 yards, also kicked a 35-yard field goal to give the Highlanders a 12-0 halftime lead.

“His hip pointer has improved greatly,” Starr said of Reed. “We needed him to run and he did (11 carries for 81 yards).”

Starr’s focus however, was on the Helix defense which was led by sophomore safeties KACY SMITH and DARYL BIBB. The Highlanders kept the Mustangs in check.

When you talk about the Helix defense these days it’s primarily about sophomores. One of the latest contributors was sophomore linebacker ARTHUR SHEPARD. Promoted from the junior varsity this week, Shepard scored on a 52-yard fumble return to give the Highlanders a 19-7 lead in the 3rd quarter.

“That was a really nice scoop-and-score,” Starr said. “I’m really proud that our defense has stepped up a little bit. I hope they can continue to do so.”

Starr also heaped accolades on sophomore defensive back JIMMY PRUITT, who intercepted two passes, turning one into a 35-yard touchdown.

Not that Starr is dismissing senior defensive end AKIDA CUNNINGHAM, who made a couple of big plays of his own.

“He created a fumble that was pretty crucial for us,” Starr said. “We need help from every angle we can get it.”

One could only imagine the introspection and emotions running through the mind of a previously undefeated coach whose team allowed only nine first downs (three via penalties and one on a fake punt), outgained the opponent by nearly 100 yards, and still lost 31-17 on Friday night (Sept. 25).

“We just had too many mistakes, like six dropped passes,” Karlo assessed. “No one guy; just too many mistakes. As coaches, too, we made too many mistakes. We didn’t put ourselves in good position as coaches.”

East County’s leading rusher, DERALL HUNTER, who entered averaging 204.5 yards per game, finished with 169 yards on 19 carries and one touchdown run of 2 yards. But the TD came in the fourth quarter with Serra (2-2) enjoying a 31-10 advantage.

Hunter had 111 yards on 10 carries in the first half, but he got only one rush in the third quarter and reeled off a nice 30-yard gainer late in the fourth quarter to reach his total.

“Hunter’s one of the better backs in the county,” Karlo said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get him the ball enough in the second half.”

Both coaches began their postgame interviews focusing on special teams play – one jubilantly, the other in angst.

“We put a lot of effort on special teams,” Serra coach Brian Basteyns said. “That was the difference tonight.”

Said Karlo, “Special teams hurt us tonight. We’ve played very well on special teams, but tonight we didn’t have it. It was a surreal experience.”

Indeed. Mount Miguel (2-1) turned its opening possession into a 3-0 lead with a 26-yard field goal by JORGE MEDINA. Thirteen seconds and 91 yards later it was 7-3 Serra as the Conquistadors’ Blake Bailey raced through an open lane along the right sideline for a kick return touchdown.

The Matadors retook the lead early in the second quarter as senior quarterback A.J. STANFORD connected with SAOFAGIA MAULUPE on an 11-yard touchdown pass.

But then Serra reassumed advantage, 14-10, just before halftime when quarterback Stefano D’Amato scored on a 2-yard option keeper. The drive went 78 yards but was aided by three Matadors penalties for offsides.

The wheels came off in the third quarter.

First, on a high punt snap, Serra’s Avionne Dewberry blocked a JOAQUIN IBARRA punt attempt around the 15-yard line. The ball caromed into the back of the end zone, and Dewberry alertly got up and pounced on the loose ball for a touchdown and a 21-10 Serra lead.

Midway through the period, after an 8-yard Serra punt gave Mount Miguel possession near midfield, Stanford’s first pass was intercepted by Dewberry.

A 19-yard pickup on a fourth-and-2 fake punt run by Serra’s Nick Kelly led to a 38-yard field goal by Parker Munoz and a 24-10 Serra edge. A 15-yard punt gave Serra good field position on its next drive, and the Q’s capitalized a few plays later with a 30-yard TD run by Kelly.

Stanford, who looked sharp early on, completed only 4-of-19 passes for 69 yards with two interceptions. The six drops certainly didn’t help. TYLER MILLER had the highlight catch of the night with a 46-yard pickup. But six plays later, the Matadors fumbled the snap on a fourth-and-goal call from the 5-yard line.

Similarly, Serra also fumbled a snap at the 2-yard line, and Hunter bulled across the goal line for his eighth rushing TD of the season.

Serra’s Brandon Johnson netted 82 yards on 15 carries, but the Q’s only passed for 43 yards. The Mount Miguel defense yielded only one passing first down and five via the rush to limit the Q’s to 155 total yards. The Matadors finished with 250 yards.

“We were motivated,” Basteyns said. “We heard they were looking past us and how they were going to take on Helix this year. We heard they were saying there’s no way a City team could beat an East County team. That really got us going.

“But they have a real good team. They have some really good athletes, especially that running back.”

JORDAN GENTER logged three of Mount Miguel ’s four sacks. KHAALID ABDULLAH, had the other sack and a team-best 13 tackles.

"They were stopping our running pretty well in the first quarter, so we threw the ball more than we should," said Ramona left tackle Spencer Johnston. "So we went back to what we do best. We knew we could pound the ball at Valhalla."

With Morgan and Jackson taking turns running behind Johnston, left guard Eric Box and center James Nicholson, the Norsemen linebackers and secondary were hard-pressed to halt the ground attack.

However, there were plenty of top defensive stops by Valhalla, which gave the offense a chance to pull out a victory, despite the defenders being on the field by a 2-to-1 margin in time of possession (16:44 to 31:16); Ramona ran 65 plays to just 46 by the Norsemen.

The first came early in the second half. After Valhalla fumbled away the ball on the first play of scrimmage after the break, Ramona, trailing 18-17, elected to take the go-ahead points off the scoreboard after a roughing penalty on a made field goal conversion.

The Dawgs took the first down and finally advanced to the Valhalla-1, but on fourth down, Morgan was stuffed at the goal line by linebacker ALEJANDRO SAVIN.

Even with the stop, Ramona dominated the third quarter, eventually taking the lead on Jackson's 18-yard run. Following the left side of his line, he burst through the hole, then cutback to his right to an open corner of the end zone.

And when Jackson scored from the 4 in the fourth quarter for his third TD of the contest, the Dawgs seemed to own a comfortable 37-24 lead with 2:36 remaining.

However, Valhalla quarterback PETE THOMAS answered by completing six consecutive passes, the final to JAMES LEIGHTON from 10 yards to move within six points with 19 seconds remaining. It was the second TD pass for the pair, and Thomas' fourth overall of the contest.

Ramona recovered the ensuing onside kickoff to secure the victory.

Thomas finished completing 20-of-30 passes for 283 yards to seven different receivers, topped by Leighton's six receptions for 90 yards, while MATTHEW SWANGER caught five balls for 67 yards.

The Thomas-Leighton combo opened the scoring on a 19-yard hook-up for a 6-0 lead through the first quarter. Ramona answered with a pair of scores, but TRAIVONNE BROWN answered by converting a 3rd-and-34 situation by turning the right corner and rambling 85 yards for the first of his two touchdowns.

Brown averaged 12.2 yards on 10 rushes.

Ramona extended the lead to 17-12 when they needed to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Colin Murphy after failing on a 3rd-down play thanks to a sack by DAVID BELL. The other Norsemen sack was registered by MICHAEL STEED.

Valhalla took the lead late in the half when Thomas connected with Brown on a 16-yard pass with 11 seconds left. Brown finished with 150 all-purpose yards, including 121 on the ground.

Ramona registered four sacks of Thomas, including 1.5 by defensive end Marshal Thrasher.

One thing was obvious – the Sultans were hardly more than lukewarm as they trailed 24-7 at halftime. Central outgained the Sultans 148-43 in the 1st half.

“It was their homecoming and they had a great crowd,” said Gross. “They had a guy riding a horse around the field at halftime. It was pretty electric.”

Santana (2-2) found an early spark to begin the 3rd quarter, scoring two touchdowns in the span of 50 seconds. Both were ignited by recovered fumbles on kickoffs to Central Union (3-1).

Senior NICK FINN scooped up the first Spartans’ miscue and bolted 70 yards to set up a 6-yard scoring run by JOHN BURKE.

Next up was a near-repeat performance. Once again Central mishandled a Sultans kickoff and this one was handled by JUSTIN WILLIAMS, which set up a 19-yard scoring run by quarterback ZACH BREIDT.

After CHRIS CAMARDA converted his third PAT, suddenly it was a 3-point game with 4:42 left in the 3rd period.

Amazingly Central muffed its third consecutive kickoff, and the Sultans recovered. Santana drove to the 8-yard line but fumbled the ball away.

A major problem that the Santana defense could not solve was the Spartans’ running game. The Spartans stampeded over the Sultans for 322 yards on 45 rushes.

Following two TD runs by Central senior Charly Moreno it appeared that Central Union had victory in hand. The Sultans made one last charge in hopes of gaining a tie.

Trailing by eight points, Breidt connected with T.D. GROSS for a pass that gave Santana an apparent 1st- and-goal with 1:16 remaining. But that wasn’t to be.

“I really thought we had a chance to come out of here even,” said coach Gross. “But after we completed that pass at the 5-yard line there was a late hanky on the field, calling us for holding. Instead of 1st-and-goal at the 5 with two timeouts left, now we were back at the 40-yard line. I kind of liked our chances before they hit us with that flag.”

Moreno finished with157 yards rushing and 5 touchdowns on 24 carries for Central.

Breidt paced Santana, completing 16 of 35 passes for 158 yards, including scoring strikes to Burke and CODY CONLEY. Breidt also scored a rushing touchdown, as did Burke.

On the defensive side Williams logged Santana’s lone interception.

Junior quarterback GARY ISAACSON came into Friday night’s (Sept. 25) game against visiting Clairemont having completed more than 81 percent of his passes. Isaacson clicked on 10 of 16 passes for 178 yards, lofting scoring strikes to ADAM COYLE (15 yards), DONTE ADDISON (30) and KYLE VELOVICH (3), helping the Wolf Pack balance its record at 2-2.

Ironically, throwing the football was not what Ash had for his game plan.

“We tried to keep the ball on the ground,” he said. “I feel we ran the ball well.”

West Hills did score on the run as NICK McDANIEL punched in a 6-pointer from 2 yards out to cap a 107-yard effort on 19 rushes. ANDREW TRAN (6-67) MICHAEL SCALES (7-43) and Isaacson (8-34) shared in the ground attack.

Velovich also chipped in with a 28-yard field goal and converted all 5 of his PAT kicks.

Not to be overlooked was the West Hills defense, which got into the scoring act when TAURUS COURTNEY returned an interception 35 yards for a TD.

“Taurus Courtney had a big interception,” noted Ash. “He had a good open field run for his touchdown.”

Ash rated this outing the best of West Hills’ first four starts.

“We played well and put things together on both sides of the ball – dominated the line of scrimmage,” he said.

This was only the second game West Hills has played on its new blue Field Turf field.

“The kids are really getting used to playing on this field,” Ash noted. “They like the playing surface.”

Addison had three receptions for 72 yards, while Coyle grabbed three passes for 66 yards. McDaniel also joined in the receiving party with three catches for 31 yards. Velovich had 11 yards and two receptions.

JEFF BENSON and Addison also had interceptions for West Hills. Courtney gobbled up 84 all-purpose yards.

A 35-yard completion from Vaqueros quarterback MARK SCHARFENBERG to TYLER MASON had given El Capitan a first down at the Tigers’ 20-yard line with 55 seconds to play.

“We were that close,” said Vaqueros coach RON BURNER. “We moved into the red zone but were unable to complete a pass on 4th-and-4.”

It was a come-from-behind effort all night for El Capitan (1-3). After falling behind 14-0 in the 1st quarter – as Morse took command on scoring passes of 27 and 62 yards from Travis Johnson to A.J. Benson – the Vaqueros dug in.

El Capitan’s DAKOTA FURR scored on a 3-yard run in the 2nd quarter to cut the Tigers’ lead to 14-7 by halftime.

The Vaqueros tied it on a 2-yard quarterback sneak by Scharfenberg and BROOKS NOBLE’s second PAT kick with 5:30 left in the 3rd period.

Once again Morse looked to Johnson, who came up big with his third touchdown pass – this one to Deonte Flowers with 6:30 left in the game.

The Vaqueros fought back as Scharfenberg launched a 19-yard scoring strike to Mason, cutting it to 21-20 with five minutes to play. Noble nailed his third PAT to tie it.

The game had inklings that it could end in a tie, but the Hornets’ Johnson had different ideas. The Morse scrambler executed two crucial 1st down plays in what would prove to be the winning scoring drive. He escaped El Capitan pressure to dart 19 yards early in the drive to keep the Tigers offense on the field.

Three plays later Johnson threw a key 4th pass to Benson to keep the drive alive.

Almost fittingly it was Johnson who dived the final yard into the endzone with 1:19 remaining for the decisive score.

“We got burned on four key plays and that killed us,” said Burner.

The Vaqueros’ problems were deeper than just four plays. Their defense, which has been the team’s strength, lost lineman ALLEN THOMAS (ankle), linebacker DILLIAN SCHLOTTER and strong safety BUBBA PROUTY (shoulder).

“No question that hurt our defense,” Burner said. “And before that we had already moved two defensive linemen to our offensive line, which helped our offense but didn’t do much for our defense. Hopefully none of these injuries are serious because we can’t afford to lose anybody.”

Scharfenberg completed 16 of 30 passes for 177 yards. Mason made 3 receptions for 58 yards, BRANDON SANCHEZ had 4 catches for 23 yards, and ROBERT CRAIGHEAD had 3 for 34 and Noble reeled in 3 for 30.

Prior to leaving the game with an injury, Prouty logged an interception and returned 3 kickoffs for 73 yards.

Steele Canyon's Brad Boehmke (Photo by Susan Cooper Photography) MORE PHOTOS HERE

The 3rd quarter was a disaster for Steele Canyon (1-2). The Titans (2-0-2) scored off all three of their possessions in that stanza to turn the game into a blowout. Eastlake generated 201 of its 497 yards in that period.

The Cougars, meanwhile, had the ball for 11 plays and churned out only 20 yards as they fell behind 35-6 after three periods.

Even though BRANDON WATSON (11), MICHAEL WINTER (10) and TAYLOR MISHLER (7) had a fistful of stops, the Cougars overall had plenty of missed tackles in the second half.

Steele Canyon managed to keep it close in the 1st half thanks to interceptions by JOEY ALEGRIA and TEDDY COTHRON. JAMES CHANCELLER recovered a fumble for the Cougars.

Eastlake did not turn the ball over in the 2nd half, while Steele Canyon totaled four giveaways in the game.

The Cougars put together a 14-play, 80-yard drive for their final score in the 4th quarter. Boehmke completed 5 of 9 passes for 55 yards to set up Watson’s 1-yard scoring run.

Boehmke finished with 10 for 23 for 120 yards. Simpson was the top receiver with 3 catches for 44 yards, while JOSEPH CISNEROS also amassed 44 yards on two catches.

ALEX PERLIN was limited to 48 yards on 14 carries by a hard-nosed Eastlake defense.

Chris Fletcher paced Eastlake, scoring three touchdowns and intercepted a pass that led to a TD.

This simply is not Monte Vista football. This is a program built on defense and a gritty running game that has been absent most of this season.

“We made a million mistakes tonight, and they made all the big plays,” said Culver.

Monte Vista started with some fire in its eyes in Friday’s (Sept. 25) non-league game when MATT PARRIS recorded an early sack.

But the Hornets (3-0-1), who somehow are not included in either of the major media’s Top 10 rankings, took control on a 91-yard punt return by Davon Dunn for a 7-0 lead.

After Jake Marrion scored on a 31-yard run for the Hornets, he tossed a 35-yard TD pass to Victor Dean and the game was all but over.

“They were able to complete too many deep passes against us,” Culver said. “We did not defend the pass very well at all.”

Monte Vista (1-3) avoided a shutout when MAURICE PAYNE scored on a 1-yard plunge in the 4th quarter.

Eight turnovers plagued the Monarchs, including four interceptions.

“That and they had too much speed for us,” Culver concluded.

Payne generated 142 yards total offense for Monte Vista. SHERVIN IRANIHA made six receptions for 94 yards.

© East County Sports.com
SOLANA BEACH (9-27-09) — Grossmont High coach RON MURPHY never claimed his visiting Foothillers stopped Santa Fe Christian’s high-powered offense in Saturday’s (Sept. 26) non-league contest.

That would be a hard sell considering the Eagles (4-0) rushed 47 times for 412 yards.

What Murphy and his defenders can take pride in is holding SFC to half of its season scoring average in a 24-13 loss.

The Eagles averaged 48.3 points per game in their first three games in victories over Mater Dei (53-6), Palo Verde Valley (50-22) and Monte Vista (42-6).

“Our defense played pretty well today,” Murphy said. “(SFC) is a tough team to defense. They run their Delaware Wing-T offense very well.”

SFC’s Sam Hoekstra set the pace with 162 yards on 12 carries. He broke a scoreless deadlock with an 80-yard touchdown gallop with 7 minutes remaining in the first half. He later intercepted a pass.

“We struggled on offense – never really got into a rhythm,” Murphy said.

Yet, the Foothillers (2-2) trailed only 14-7 by the close of the third quarter thanks to a 48-yard touchdown hookup from halfback DESEAN WATERS to tight end BRETT ETHERTON.

Waters was on the receiving end of Grossmont’s final score when he hauled in a 38-yard pass from quarterback TYLER MUTTER with 1:39 remaining.

Mutter completed 8 of 16 passes for 125 yards. Waters reeled in four aerials for 86 yards, while Etherton latched onto four balls for 66 yards. DIMITRI SCOTT accounted for one catch and 20 yards.

Waters totaled 144 all-purpose yards.

“We had our chances but we had trouble converting when we needed to,” Murphy said.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (9-23-09) — The heat wave forecast for East County this week hasn’t caused much rankle among the Inland football teams. The coaches and players have combated the 100-degree-plus temperatures by open water breaks.

“There’s no question that the heat affects our practices,” said Helix football coach TROY STARR. “We don’t have water breaks, but we have open access to the water. Whenever a kid needs a drink he can have it – there’s no schedule involved.”

“I don’t know what the temperature is going to be. I don’t want our kids to focus on that,” Gross said. “All I know is I’ll be wearing my shorts and we’ll keep our kids properly hydrated.”

These two teams have one thing in common – they both played Kearny this season. Santana clubbed the Komets 52-13 and the Spartans registered a 48-0 shutout over Kearny last week – for whatever that means.

“I like our kids to have a trip like this. It’s a real football experience,” Gross noted. “If you stay in your own backyard, what do you know about football?”

A year ago the Spartans spanked the Sultans 39-30 in Santee, and heat was definitely not a factor then. The rubber match goes to...Central 21-20.

VALHALLA (2-1) at No. 10 RAMONA 3-0), 7:30 – If the Valhalla Norsemen believe they are one of the best teams in the San Diego Section, they are going to have to prove it Friday night (Sept. 25) at Ramona.

Of course, ‘PISTOL' PETE THOMAS, one of the county’s top passers (622 total yards, 9 TDs), will have to have his passes on the mark to keep the Bulldogs in reverse mode.

Running back TRAIVONNE BROWN (28-175, TD) will have to give a better performance than he did a week ago when he finished with four yards rushing.

But the hot hand for Valhalla is receiver NINO MALLORY, who leads East County with 17 receptions, 164 yards and 2 touchdowns.

“Since Ramona really likes to run the ball and control the clock, it means we’re going to need a great effort from our defense,” said Valhalla coach STEVE SUTTON.

Senior Ryan Morgan, Ramona’s track standout, posted his second monster game of the season, rushing for 240 yards and scoring three times in an impressive 50-14 victory over Poway.

The only other time these teams met was in the first round of the 2006 SDCIF playoffs, with the Norsemen prevailing 25-24.

It could be that close again, but the nod goes to... Valhalla 28-21.

No. 9 HELIX (2-1) at OTAY RANCH, 7 – You won’t find a better winless team three games into the season than the Mustangs of Otay Ranch. The South Bay club lost in a last second field goal to Grossmont and then succumbed to the Las Vegas Monarch before tying Rancho Buena Vista 21-21 a week ago.

Therein lies the most common threads between Helix and Otay Ranch – the RBV game. The Broncos had the Highlanders pinned to the mat 19-10 in the 34d quarter before Helix came back for a 23-19 victory. Helix has since beaten Mira Mesa 43-35, but was totally outclassed by No. 3 ranked Cathedral Catholic 41-19 a week ago.

The key to the Highlanders’ success is quarterback JAKE REED, who was hampered by a hip pointer in the loss to Cathedral. Nevertheless, Reed completed 29 of 47 passes for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Dons. Reed is expected to play against the Mustangs but just how well he’ll be able to run the ball is questionable.

That’s what makes this a tight game, but the nod goes to...Helix 24-21.

MORSE (1-2) at EL CAPITAN (1-2), 7 – The Vaqueros blanked Morse 24-0 a year ago but will be hard pressed to match that finish in Friday’s (Sept. 25) non-league game in Lakeside. However, El Capitan has the defense to repeat the shutout – it’s simply a matter of getting its offense to click.

The Vaqueros duo of wide receiver TYLER MASON and tight end ROBERT CRAIGHEAD give El Capitan an excellent 1-2 combination of receivers. To make those targets most effective the Vaqueros must provide better pass protection for quarterback MARK SCHARFENBERG (29-56, 350 yards, 3 TDs).

“We could have won the Point Loma game (which they lost 9-7) if our kicker BROOKS NOBLE had had more reps going into the game,” said El Capitan coach RON BURNER. Noble had field goals of 32 yards and 24 yards blocked.

“We’ve worked hard on our kicking game this week and I think that won’t happen again,” Burner said. That might be the difference in the game...El Capitan 17-14.

EASTLAKE (1-0-2) at STEELE CANYON (1-1), 7 – This game should turn into a track meet Friday night (Sept. 25) in Rancho San Diego. Eastlake counts on UCLA-bound Tony Jefferson (46-496, 7 TD), while the Cougars will counter with ALEX PERLIN (25-191, 4 TDs) and JAKE WRAGG (24-137, TD).

The wild card in this one could be Steele Canyon ’s junior quarterback BRAD BOEHMKE, who is just beginning to refine his passing touch which so far is averaging 68.5 yards per game.

Coming off a bye can only help fortify the Cougars, who hope to avenge back-to-back losses to the Titans...Steele Canyon 19-17.

MOUNT MIGUEL (2-0) at SERRA (1-2), 6:30 – East County ’s leading rusher, DERALL HUNTER (38 carries, 409 yards, 7 TDs), should lead a Matadors stampede over the Conquistadors on Friday (Sept. 25).

This, of course, is if Mount Miguel is a contender more than a pretender for the Grossmont South League championship.

Quarterback AJ STANFORD, averaging 141 yards total offense, is as good a runner as he is a passer for the Matadors. MONTEL WILLIAMS, KHAALID ABDULLAH and JORDAN GENTNER lead a solid defense that has allowed only seven points... Mount Miguel 35-13.

SWEETWATER (0-3) vs. CHRISTIAN (2-1), 7 – Still smarting from a 21-17 loss to Olympian last week, the Patriots hope to vent their frustration on visiting Sweetwater in Friday’s (Sept. 25) non-league game at Granite Hills’ Valley Stadium.

Even though injuries have hampered the Patriots’ efforts they feel this is a game they could win big. They must keep in mind, however, that two of the Red Devils’ losses have come by a combined eight points.

If ever there was a team that followed the term “rush by committee,” this Christian team has to be one of them. TYRONE SAULS is the Patriots leading rusher with 39 carries on 224 yards. MALCOLM MURPHY is averaging more than 67 yards per game and has scored 3 touchdowns, while MARTIN RUIZ is averaging 7.7 yards per carry with 3 scores.

The Patriots smacked Sweetwater 42-17 a year ago and should win again... Christian 31-10.

CLAIREMONT (1-2) at WEST HILLS (1-2), 7 – The battered and bruised Wolf Pack may have found somebody its size in hosting the Chieftains on Friday (Sept. 25). However, the Pack must stop the forward pass as Chiefs junior Chris Bonner is averaging 290 yards per game.

NICK McDANIEL is West Hills’ main running threat, but the Pack will most likely have to rely on its defense. Quarterbacks ADRIAN MARAZITI and GARY ISAACSON give the Pack a respectable aerial assault. The most prominent stat on this team is Isaacson’s passing as he completed 13 of 16 for 254 yards and 4 TDs.

No doubt the West Hills shuffling of quarterbacks creates more defensive headaches for the opposition. Will that be enough to distract Clairemont?...West Hills 28-12.

MONTE VISTA (1-2) at LINCOLN (2-0-1), 7 – The Monarchs were mauled by Santa Fe Christian 42-6 last week, but they do have good team speed which should help them against the buzzing Hornets. Davon Dunn is averaging more than 9 yards per carry, quarterback Jake Marrion is a passing threat and receiver Victor Dean will be a challenge as well.

SHAMAR BARNES would probably be a nugget running back if he didn’t have to play both ways. The same is true with KENNETH TRIBBLE. But the cornerstone of the Monarchs remains MAURICE PAYNE, who can run, throw and defend. SHERVIN IRANIHA has made some key plays as well for Monte Vista, but this one adds up to... Lincoln 35-14.

Sat., Sept. 26
GROSSMONT (2-1) at SANTA FE CHRISTIAN (3-0), 2 – Even though coach BRIAN SIPE has left the Eagles lair to coach at San Diego State, Santa Fe Christian and its rich vanilla Wing-T offense continues to click off big numbers. The Eagles, with long-time assistant and now head coach Nick Ruscetta at the helm, are churning out 313 yards rushing and 48.3 points per game. Senior Sam Hoekstra has scored five touchdowns and is averaging 19 yards per carry. He is the leader of the SFC pack. Do-it-all DESEAN WATERS (159.3 ypg, 7 TDs) is the Foothillers’ top gun.

Not much passing is expected in this tiff, although Grossmont’s TYLER MUTTER is averaging 120.7 yards per game through the air... Santa Fe Christian 26-21.