WEEK 8 — Oct. 23-24

The West Hills Wolf Pack hoist the Jack Dale Cup, the perpetual award in the school's cross-town series with Santana High. (Photo by Ed Piper)

© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (10-24-09) — Take heed all you wanna-be football heroes who think you’re too small to star for the local varsity. There may be a spot for you at El Capitan.

With a Napoleonic defense featuring only two players barely over 200 pounds, El Capitan continually stuffed and turned away Grossmont, allowed only two long field goals and thrust the Vaqueros into the driver’s seat in the Grossmont North League race with a 16-13 victory Friday (Oct. 23) night at Wendall R. Cutting Field.

“We may be small, but we’ve got a lot of heart,” senior cornerback JAMES GALLIVAN said. “We take a lot of pride in our defense. We want to show we’re the No. 1 defense in the East County.”

El Capitan (4-4, 2-0) assumed its victory margin with a 23-yard field goal by BROOKS NOBLE with 5:58 to play. Of course, that was set up by an interception and 29-yard return by senior safety BUBBA PROUTY, who took a ration of friendly abuse afterward for being clipped down at the 1-yard line.

After Noble’s field goal, Grossmont mounted one final “drive” in which the final eight plays went like this: 1-yard run, incompletion, 0-yard run, pass interference on El Capitan for 15 yards and a first down, 2-yard run, incompletion, incompletion, interception.

The final pick was hauled in by Gallivan, who now has an East County-high seven for the season, one more than Prouty, who had tied him a few minutes earlier.

“We’re very competitive,” Prouty said, “and James and I were talking all game how we knew a turnover would be the difference in the game.”

On the near-TD return, Prouty said, “I was just trying to lower my shoulder and get in the end zone, but someone cut through and took my legs out. So close.”

Thanks to junior fullback DESEAN WATERS, Grossmont (2-4, 0-1) actually held the advantage in total yards with 237 to El Cap’s 179, and first downs with 14 to the Vaqueros’ six. Waters carried 30 times for 118 yards, but his longest run was 12 yards.

“We played a heck-of-a game,” Waters said, “but we just couldn’t finish things.”

Four turnovers certainly played a large role as both Prouty and COLE DAVIDSON recovered fumbles for the Vaqueros.

It took awhile, but Grossmont got on the board first with a 30-yard field goal by CHANCE HOUSE with 6:16 left in the second half. About 5½ minutes later, he nailed a 40-yarder for a 6-0 Foothillers lead.

But 15 seconds later, with just 0:32 to play before intermission, it was 7-6 El Capitan. Entering the game for the first time, Scharfenberg sailed his first pass perfectly into the long stride of tight end ROBERT CRAIGHEAD for a 63-yard touchdown.

“Big play,” Grossmont coach RON MURPHY said. “We had (Craighead) locked down all half – that was our game plan. That changed the momentum of the game.”

Midway through the third quarter, El Capitan went on top 13-6 as Scharfenberg connected with Noble on a 39-yard reception, and MATT BURKETT scored on the next play on a 10-yard run.

A huge mistake by El Capitan tied the game late in the third quarter as the shotgun snap sailed over Scharfenberg’s head, and Grossmont’s TAYLOR RATHBUN pounced on it in the end zone for his first career touchdown.

Of its 12 possessions in the game, El Capitan ran nine plays on one, six on another, four on another – none of which resulted in scores – and the rest saw three or fewer snaps.

“What won the game for us was our defense,” El Capitan coach RON BURNER said. “I told our guys if we can score 14 points we’ll win the game.”

They got 16 and backed it up with a defensive line of JAKE BURTON (6-foot-1, 220 pounds), ALLEN THOMAS (6-0, 195), KYLE CLIPPINGER (5-9, 185) and Davidson (6-1, 205). The linebackers are even smaller, and the defensive backs even smaller than that.

The DBs, however, form perhaps the best unit in the county. There’s Gallivan (5-9, 175) and Prouty (5-9, 195), along with ANTHONY LIMA (5-10, 175), RYAN McBURNEY (5-11, 175) and JAKE ARCAMO (5-11, 175).

“They’re not very big, but they hustle,” said Waters, the third-leading rusher in East County. “Their back four are pretty good. They’re really good.”

With three weeks left in the regular season, Steele Canyon (5-2, 2-0) and Valhalla (5-2, 2-0) share the top spot in the GSL. Those two teams face off on Nov. 6 in the battle for the Jamacha Helmet in Rancho San Diego. That helmet may not be the only item that glitters in the limelight that night. Both teams have worthy foes to get by if this is to become a “showdown.”

But first allow Steele Canyon to celebrate just its second win in eight meetings with the No. 8-ranked Highlanders (5-2, 1-1).

“This is a great feeling for everybody here in our program,” said Steele Canyon coach RON BOEHMKE. “Our captains took turns speaking to our kids about what it would mean to beat Helix.”

Less than two minutes into the game it did not appear there was going to be much for the Cougars and their fans to celebrate. The return of quarterback JAKE REED from an ankle injury seemed to be the spark the Highlanders would need.

Reed clicked on two passes for 34 yards, including a 30-yard TD strike to CAMERON LEE, staking Helix to a 7-0 lead. Credit Lee for executing a 45-yard slotback pass to SEAN LINTON to set up Reed’s early TD toss.

After that, though, momentum seemed to shift to Steele Canyon, which put a firm lock on the proceedings. It seemed late in the first quarter that the Cougars were poised to pounce on the Highlanders for the upset win.

It boiled down to game of balanced offenses. Steele Canyon had it – 259 yards on 50 rushes and 142 yards passing, compared to Helix’ 36 yards on 7 rushes and 270 yards passing.

“It was an inspiration from last year,” said Boehmke, “because Coach (TROY) STARR talked about us on EastCountySports.com, how we were a one-dimensional offense.”

Boehmke said he was “excited with the development of our offense this year because it is far from one dimensional. That little quote was inspirational to me the whole off-season. I should give him credit for telling us we should change our offense.”

The Cougars’ backfield tandem of JAKE WRAGG (15 carries, 91 yards) and ALEX PERLIN (21 carries, 90 yards, 1 TD) led Steele Canyon’s ground forces.

Quarterback BRAD BOEHMKE connected on 9 of 14 passes for 142 yards.

Perhaps the Cougar that took the biggest bite out of the Highlanders was senior TAYLOR MISHLER. Primarily a defensive back, Mishler came on to stretch the Cougars 17-14 advantage with 2 touchdowns in the final quarter.

Mishler’s scoring strikes both came on offense – the first on a 24-yard run and the second on a 76-yard TD pass from Brad Boehmke. That’s a pretty good scoring average – 12 points on 4 touches. Mishler averaged 10 yards on 3 carries in addition to his one long-distance pass reception.

“I thought it was going to be tough for us to come back after that first 3-play drive they scored on,” admitted quarterback Boehmke. “When we came back on that first 10-play drive to tie the score (7-7 on Perlin’s 7-yard run), I knew we’d be alright.”

Boehmke was quick to credit Mishler’s two 4th quarter TDs as the knockout blows, including the second longest pass play in Steele Canyon history.

“It was even kinda like a pick play,” Boehmke said. “He just ended up wide open.

We had total control on offense. We believed we could score every time we got the ball.”

The Cougars scored on 5 of 10 possessions and did not commit a turnover. It was the fourth straight win for Steele Canyon after a 1-2 start.

“It was pretty exciting – none of the guys on this team has ever beaten Helix,” said Mishler, who also led the Cougars with 8 tackles. “It was an amazing night for us.”

Reed completed 16 of 32 passes for 225 yards, including a 4-yard scoring strike to JIMMY PRUITT. The Helix ground game never got off the ground, which made life tougher on Reed.

MOUNT MIGUEL 38, GRANITE HILLS 21 – Perhaps the Granite Hills defense is planning a graduation party for Mount Miguel’s senior running back DERALL HUNTER.

In the last two years, the Eagles have watched Hunter score 62 points against them, including 24 in Friday night’s (Oct. 23) Mount Miguel homecoming victory.

It was worse a year ago when Hunter tallied 38 points.

The 2-year breakdown is 10 touchdowns and a 2-point conversion.

“He’s torn us apart in the last two years,” said Eagles coach RANDY DeWITT. “I’ve never seen him run backwards. He just keeps coming.”

After Granite Hills captured a 14-0 first quarter lead Hunter took over. He scored on runs of 1, 2, 4, and 11 yards. DERRICK DUNN accounted for Mount Miguel’s fifth touchdown against the Eagles, on a 2-yard burst. JORGE MEDINA chipped in with 5-for-5 PATs and a 36-yard field goal.

“We came out over-confident,” said Hunter. “The coaches got us together at halftime and really laid one on us.”

Hunter, who rushed for 234 yards on 34 carries against the Eagles, said his career scoring binge against Granite Hills is probably more coincidence than anything else. He’d like to believe he can do it against any team.

“I know I have a lot of the Mount Miguel records, but I’d like to capture some Grossmont Conference records too, and maybe a couple of CIF records as well,” he said.

With three games left in the regular season Hunter ranks 12th all time in Grossmont Conference rushing with 3,156 yards on 484 carries. His goal is to become the sixth 4,000 yard rusher in conference history. Hunter has 262 total points accumulated to date (43 TDs plus two 2-point conversions).

“I’d love to catch REGGIE BUSH’s records but they’re out of this world,” said Hunter. “But I’m just gonna keep driving as hard as I can to get us to the playoffs.”

Mount Miguel quarterback AJ STANFORD also had a solid game against Granite Hills. Not only did he rush for 100 yards on 15 carries, he also completed 9 of 17 passes for 112 yards.

“It’s fun playing behind our offensive line,” said Hunter.” We’re all just like a family out there. We all pull for each other and that makes things easier. Playing in the same backfield with AJ is something special. He’s a real good quarterback and makes a lot happen. He’s a real team leader.”

Hunter and Stanford agree that the offensive line is the key to the team’s success.

“I prefer to run more than pass,” said Stanford. “We have the best O-line in the East County. When I drop back to pass, I know I’ll have time to find my receivers. Tonight it took us awhile to get our running game going and when we did it gave us control of the game. I enjoy being on the sideline watching our defense play. They are the best defense in East County.”

Six-foot, 308-pound senior lineman TYRONE IAULUALO recognizes Hunter’s prowess as a running back.

“To go out there and block for Derall is a real pleasure and a privilege,” Iaulualo said. “Most of the team has grown up pretty much together. We all know each other and get along real well. Our senior leadership has really stepped up this year. They have taken control of things and made this a fun year so far. My favorite is to get to a defensive lineman, push him back and then onto the ground.

“It’s a real treat to see the back of Derall’s No. 24 (jersey) streaking downfield.”

Hunter finished with 234 yards and the four scores on 34 carries.

“Granite Hills averages 32 points a game for a reason,” said Mount Miguel coach TOM KARLO. “We made some adjustments in the 2nd half and did a good job of stopping their running game.”

Granite Hills, which led 21-14 at halftime, had a chance to take a commanding lead when BRENDAN NAGER intercepted a pass at the Mount Miguel 30-yard line and returned it to the 27 on the first series of the second half.

The Eagles drove deep into the red zone before Mount Miguel’s DIANTE LEE intercepted a pass at the 2-yard line to kill Granite Hills’ momentum.

“They drove 95 yards for a touchdown after that pick, using Stanford and Hunter behind their big, powerful offensive line,” DeWitt said. “All momentum switched to them after that.”

Junior receiver GILBERT PEREZ collected 4 passes for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Eagles (3-4, 0-2 GSL). BRIAN CARROLL had 5 catches for 48 yards, but the Eagles’ ground game never got off the liftoff pad.

Quarterback TYLER JOWORSKI was on the mark on 10 of his 14 passes for 154 yards, including scoring strikes of 38 and 44 yards to Perez.

“They really got good pressure on us in the 2nd half – bringing guys from all different angles,” DeWitt noted. “It tended to cause havoc backfield.”

West Hills (4-3-1, 1-0-1 GNL) scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to break a 14-14 tie to escape with a 7th straight victory in the Jack Dale Cup – known at one time as the Santee Mayor’s Cup – series.

The Wolf Pack ran rampant over the Sultans as NICK McDANIEL scored on a 9-yard run, as did ALAN PARKS to take West Hills to a 28-14 lead with 7:02 to play.

Backup quarterback ADRIAN MARAZITI tacked on a final touchdown on a 1-yard run with 42 seconds remaining. Injuries have hampered West Hills all year but coach CASEY ASH has always managed to come up with a solution that filled the void.

“We had some players who had to come off the bench tonight and they all played well,” Ash said. “We switched some players around on the offensive line due to injuries. We lost our big left tackle, JAKE PETERSON with an ankle injury.”

Starting quarterback GARY ISAACSON also came out in the 4th quarter with an elbow injury. Ash believed it not to be serious but he didn’t want to take any chances.

Isaacson completed 7 of 11 for 78 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game.

“Our backup quarterback Adrian Maraziti really picked up things for us,” Ash said. “He took charge of our offense in the 2nd half.”

Maraziti was 4-for-4 for 58 yards over the final seven minutes.

For Santana ZACH BREIDT completed 11 of 25 passes for 130 yards including an 18-yard touchdown strike to JUNIOR NUNEZ.

In the first half, Valhalla's defense shut down the Monarchs, grudgingly giving up only 49 yards of offense. Despite that, Monte Vista was the first to get on the scoreboard.

After a scoreless first quarter, Valhalla was marching down the field to start the second stanza when quarterback PETE THOMAS threw an interception right to 6-foot-5 defender TONY JACKSON who sped 47 yards to the endzone. ANDREAS SANCHEZ' kick was good and Monte Vista led 7-0 only 50 seconds into the quarter.

“On the interception I threw for a touchdown their defensive lineman (TONY JACKSON) just reached up and grabbed the ball out of the air,” Thomas recalled. “I had a chance to tackle him and I should have tackled him, but I just failed to wrap him up and he got away.”

It didn't take the Norsemen long to bounce back. On the ensuing kickoff, HANSELL WILSON found a seam on the right sideline and sprinted 90 yards for the tying touchdown, as Valhalla kicker NICK GIANDONI connected with his first of 5 straight PATs.

When the Norsemen kicked off, it looked like Monte Vista's SHAMAR BARNES was going to duplicate Wilson's runback, but a TD-saving tackle by JEFF WINTER at the Monte Vista 41-yard line limited Barnes to a 37-yard return.

After a 7-yard run by quarterback MAURICE PAYNE, Monte Vista was poised to enter Valhalla territory, but on third and short, defensive lineman DAVID BELL stuffed the runner for a loss, forcing the Monarchs to punt, which was shanked, giving Valhalla good field position at its 40-yard line.

Thomas hooked up with sophomore JEVON HASTEN for a 22-yard completion to the Monarchs' 35-yard line. A quick pass to MANUEL PARAMO advanced the ball to the 24-yard line. Three plays later, Thomas scooped up a low snap from center and had the poise to find NINO MALLORY open at the goal line for a 22-yard TD, giving the Norsemen their first lead of the game, 14-7 with 4:45 left in the first half.

Valhalla started the third quarter with a bang when, on the first play, Thomas hit JAMES LEIGHTON on a slant pattern for a 27-yard catch and run to the Monte Vista 47-yard line. On the next play, Thomas fought his way through traffic for a 16-yard run to the Monarch 36-yard line, then quickly connected with MIKE BAZZI for a 12-yard gain to the 24. Three plays later, Thomas banged in from the 4-yard line, increasing the Norsemen’s lead to 21-7, with 9:01 remaining in the third quarter.

There was plenty of fight left in the home team. Starting from their 33-yard line after the kickoff, the Monarchs’ KENNETH TRIBBLE broke free for a 32-yard gain to the Valhalla 26-yard line. Norsemen defensive end SHANE PENNIX slowed down the rally a tad when he blasted the runner for a 2-yard loss, but Payne threw a screen pass to Barnes that advanced the ball to the Valhalla 16-yard line and a first down.

On the next play, however, Kweishi Brown gathered in his second interception at the Norsemen 11-yard line to squelch the comeback.

Later in the third quarter, Monte Vista faked a punt, snapping the ball to the up-man SHAMAR BARNES, who threw a strike to MATT PARRIS for a 45-yard touchdown, narrowing the gap to 21-14, with 3:50 left in the third period.

Undeterred, Thomas led the Norsemen on yet another touchdown drive – actually a two-touchdown drive. Thomas found TRAIVONNE BROWN open in the flats and Brown raced 42 yards for an apparent score, but a holding penalty coupled with a dead-ball foul pushed Valhalla back into its own territory. Three plays later, MATT SWANGER hauled in a 38-yard Thomas pass, upping Valhalla's lead to 28-14 as the third quarter expired.

Sophomore quarterback JOE KENNEDY took over for Thomas in the fourth quarter and engineered a four-play TD drive that culminated in a 9-yard scamper by Traivonne Brown, finalizing the score at 35-14, with 8:52 left in the game.

Thomas was 19-27-1 for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Altogether, Valhalla had 452 yards of total offense, limiting the Monarchs to 195 yards.

“My receivers were open pretty much all night,” said Thomas. “My line blocked great and gave me plenty of time to throw. It’s great having to practice against our defense. They present a great challenge and really help us prepare for each game.”

Comparing last year to this year, Thomas said, “Last year’s team really didn’t have too much expectations. This year we think we can win everything.”

“They were just too much for us,” said Monte Vista coach PAGE CULVER. “Pete Thomas puts the ball where he needs to. He’s the best quarterback in East County.”

Monarchs MAURICE PAYNE completed 10 of 20 passes for 83 yards and also rushed for 43 yards on 10 carries.

SHERVIN IRANIHA caught 4 passes for 34 yards for Monte Vista.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 20, SAN PASQUAL ACADEMY 13 – Once the blitz package of the visiting Dragons was translated, the Knights scored on their first three possessions of the second half to secure Friday's (Oct. 23) Southern League slugfest at Junior Seau Field in La Mesa.

The triumph keeps Foothills Christian (4-0 overall, 4-3 SL) in a first-place deadlock with Calvin Christian (also 4-0, 4-3), as the teams remain on a collision course to again determine the league titlist on Nov. 6 in Escondido.

In what was easily the most physical ballgame so far in league play, Foothills held both speed and size disadvantages, yet dominated most of the second half.

"Our conditioning was definitely a major factor," noted Knights coach STEVE PERDUE. "But all of our hard work in the preseason up to today was the difference."

The Dragons (3-4, 2-2 SL) scored on its initial possession before Foothills responded with 20 consecutive points.

Included were touchdown runs by SPENCER GEORGE – a 6-yarder to tie the score in the second quarter – and GARRET CAMPBELL, who opened the second half with a 30-yard burst to give the lead for keeps to the Knights.

"The second half definitely was easier," said Campbell, who added field goals of 22 and 21 yards to mount a 20-7 advantage. "We busted open a couple of plays, then picked apart their blitz with some short passes."

Campbell aided to the list of "busted open" plays with a 66-yard scramble, giving the senior a total of 165 yards on the ground. Campbell also connected with JUSTIN ESSELSTROM on a 65-yard pass, which set up Campbell's first field goal.

Meanwhile, the Knights defense, after allowing an 80-yard TD drive on the game's first series, limited the Dragons to just 84 total yards the rest of the way. Featured among the stops was a 32-yard runback of an interception by RYAN EDMISTON for the lone turnover by either side.

Linebackers were making most of the stops for the Knights, including nine tackles by CODY LEWIS, while CALEB GARDNER registered seven tackles and five assists. However, Gardner credited the line to give the linebacking corps room to operate.

"Our D-line played more physical than last week," said Gardner. "That created havoc in their backfield, while making it an easy night for our cornerbacks."

San Pasqual Academy made life interesting in the ballgame's final minute when Shaeed Marshall scored his second touchdown of the contest.

With 48 seconds remaining, Marshall returned a punt 57 yards for a score, then the Dragons attempted an onsides kickoff. Although SPA's Raymond Wyatt recovered, which would have given the visitors a chance to force overtime, a Dragons teammate was flagged for touching the ball before it had traveled 10 yards, giving Foothills the ball to run out the clock.

Marshall's initial score came on a strange hop. With the quarterback under center, the ball slipped through his hands, but was scooped by Marshall, who proceeded like nothing was wrong and raced around left tackle to cap a 13-play drive.

OTHER VIEWS

North County Times

Sat., Oct. 24
SANTA FE CHRISTIAN 33, CHRISTIAN 13 — By the time the visiting Christian Patriots could finally inflict a dent on the scoreboard in Saturday's (Oct. 24) Coastal League affair, the front-running Eagles were already looking forward to next week's showdown with Francis Parker for a potential CIF state bowl berth.

Undefeated Santa Fe Christian (7-0, 1-0 CL) built a comfortable 26-0 lead before the Patriots’ TYRONE SAULS returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. But the junior's exciting runback was too little in overcoming a 294-yard rushing performance by the Eagles.

The triple-option attack – some call it the Delaware Wing-T – was good enough for a third straight triumph over East County schools this season. Earlier, SFC bounced Monte Vista, 42-6, and Grossmont, 24-13 – all three contests were held at Beauchamp Field in Solana Beach.

"Santa Fe Christian is a decent team," admitted Sauls. "But we made a bunch of mistakes and they took advantage. We only have to look at ourselves."

The three-header monster that composes the Sante Fe backfield saw all three backs – Keaton Giannotti (58 yards), Sam Hoekstra (7) and Kurt Luedtke (1) – score touchdowns (one in each quarter, respectively) to mount a 20-0 advantage.

But the back-breaker was one of only two pass completions registered all afternoon by Giannotti, a 35-yard hookup to Hoekstra to make it 26-0.

However, Sauls followed several of his blockers, then made a nice cut to race coast-to-coast on the ensuing kickoff.

"There was really nothing individual about it," noted Sauls. "Everybody blocked then I was wide open to the end zone."

Hoekstra answered with his third touchdown on a 46-yard burst, but Christian (5-3, 1-1) answered when MALCOLM MURPHY capped a 7-play drive by diving in from the Eagles-2 on fourth down.

The drive was punctuated when JOEL ALESI raced 21 yards after grabbing a short kickoff, then STEVEN PITTS raced around right end for a 30-yard gainer to create a 1st-and-goal situation.

The rush gave Pitts a team-high 96 yards on the ground on 11 attempts. Hoekstra edged him for game honors with 97 yards on as many carries, while Giannotti gained 82 yards on 10 tries.

Meanwhile, the Eagles sacked both quarterbacks used by the Patriots a combined five times, as ERICK ALLEN and SHANE DILLON took turns alternating between QB and wide receiver. Santa Fe Christian coach Nick Ruscetta credited cornerback Jared Watson-Lewis for shutting down the Christian pass attack.

Note: Despite SFC's perfect record, Francis Parker (6-1, 2-0) is ranked No. 1 among small schools in Southern California according to CalHiSports.com.

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (10-21-09) — A few weeks ago Helix coach TROY STARR admitted that he had a youthful team that was at least a year or two away from peaking.

“He’s a real competitive kid,” said Starr of the 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior. “He’s probably about 90 percent, maybe better.”

“If we can win our last four I think we should get a Top 4 seed (in the Division II playoffs),” Starr said.

If not for the success of backup quarterback JIMMY PRUITT, who rushed for 215 yards and 4 touchdowns on 25 carries in relief of Reed and victories over El Cajon Valley and Monte Vista, the Highlanders would not be in the position they are today.

“He did a great job for us,” Starr said. “But he’ll go back to playing corner for us and we need him there too.”

Steele Canyon is coming off one of its finest offensive games in school history – a 41-34 victory over Granite Hills. Led by ALEX PERLIN’s 249 yards and 2 touchdowns on 23 rushes the Cougars obliterated their school record with 582 yards total offense against the Eagles.

Quarterback BRAD BOEHMKE completed 11 of 18 passes for 201 yards to provide balance in the win over Granite Hills.

This is balance that Steele Canyon hasn’t seen in the past. The Cougars will need to maintain that pace to stand a chance of knocking off favored Helix.

These teams have one common opponent – Cathedral Catholic. The Cougars lost 27-7 while the Highlanders fell 41-19.

Steele Canyon secured a tie-breaker 36-33 OT win over Valhalla to take the 2005 GSL crown. It will probably be that close again this time... Helix 27-21.

“Coming off the Helix game (a 17-14 loss) our kids are more positive,” said Monte Vista coach PAGE CULVER. “They see Valhalla as mortal.”

No doubt Valhalla, which has never won a league title, is looking ahead to bigger challenges.

“We’ve talked about that,” Valhalla coach STEVE SUTTON said. “We’ve come out flat after a big win like we had over Mount Miguel (36-29) last week and struggled in the past. Our goal is to win out and get a top four (Division II) seed. That starts this week.”

Monte Vista has its back against the wall. Any chance the Monarchs have of making the playoffs must start with a knockout of the Norsemen... Valhalla 24-14.

CHRISTIAN (5-2, 1-0) at SANTA FE CHRISTIAN (6-0, 0-0), Sat., 2 p.m. — If the Patriots are going to challenge for the Coastal League crown they must ground the unbeaten Eagles on Saturday (Oct. 24) in Solana Beach.

SFC, ranked No.1 in the state small schools division by CalPreps.com, has registered key victories against all to cross its path, including knockouts of Grossmont (24-13), Monte Vista (42-6), La Jolla (42-21), Coronado (39-17), Mater Dei (53-6) and Palo Verde (50-22). Get it ­– no close games.

There is nothing mystifying about SFC. The Eagles are locked in on basics. They run the Wing-T as well as any team in the San Diego CIF Section. Sam Hoekstra (53-865, 7 TDs), Keaton Giannotti (42-302, 6 TDs) and Kurt Luevke (30-258, 4 TDs) are the mainstays in the attack.

Christian will have senior ERICK ALLEN back for the stretch run. Boasting a 21-3 record as a starter, Allen’s presence will provide the Patriots with a more balanced attack. At the moment, Christian has relied on rush by committee and a superb kicking game.

Things change in a hurry.

Fast starts in each half – a 17-0 burst in the opening 1 ½ quarters and a 21-0 spread in the 3rd quarter – helped the Patriots pound out a 45-21 triumph over the Eagles a year ago. It was the most points a Christian team has scored against Santa Fe Christian since 1994 when the Patriots punched in 48 markers.

No way will Christian tally that kind of total in this go-‘round against the Eagles, who aim to sidestep the Patriots to set up a winner-takes-all Coastal League engagement against Francis Parker.

The Patriots would love to spoil the party, but... Santa Fe Christian 21-17.

GRANITE HILLS (3-3, 0-1) at MOUNT MIGUEL (4-2, 0-1), 7 – When these teams faced off a year ago Mount Miguel running back DERALL HUNTER scored 38 points as the Matadors claimed a 49-35 victory. Hunter will be back in the lineup again this Friday (Oct. 23) night and you can bet the Eagles defensive coaches are well aware of it.

In addition to the 38 points – second only to Grossmont Conference record holder REY BRATHWAITE – Hunter rushed for 338 yards on 38 carries to set the Mount Miguel single game record. Hunter should have another big game this time as Granite Hills has struggled on defense. Of course the Eagles will obviously focus their attention on the Matadors workhorse, but will also have to contend with versatile quarterback AJ STANFORD (168.3 ypg, 7 TDs).

Although the Eagles are a bit banged up, putting points on the board hasn’t been a problem all season long as they average 32 points a game. The problem is Granite Hills is surrendering almost 24 points a game.

Eagles quarterback TYLER JOWORSKI came off the bench last week against Steele Canyon to produce one of the finest games of his career. He’ll be the starter again as Granite Hills attempts to spoil Mount Miguel ’s homecoming. Hard-nosed running back FRANTZ LARAQUE has also been pronounced fit.

“We’re making big strides – we’re excited about it,” said Granite Hills coach RANDY DeWITT. “We have some great young talent and our seniors are starting to step up. We’re not kidding ourselves, we need to win out.”

That would be six wins, which won’t come easily in this league... Mount Miguel 35-28.

GROSSMONT (2-4, 0-0) at EL CAPITAN (3-4, 1-0), 7 – Both of these teams believe this game on Friday (Oct. 23) will determine the Grossmont North League championship.

Could be.

The Vaqueros play rock-solid defense. They are allowing less than two touchdowns per game. Keys to El Capitan ’s 3-4 defense are linemen JAKE BURTON, COLE DAVIDSON and ALLEN THOMAS. As a unit they’ve intercepted 14 passes, including six by corner JAMES GALLIVAN and five by DOMINIC PROUTY.

“I don’t know how many sacks we have, but those three guys put a lot of pressure on the quarterback,” El Capitan coach RON BURNER said. “They are a major part of the reason why we have as many interceptions that we do.”

Grossmont’s success centers around versatile junior DESEAN WATERS, who makes an impact on both sides of the ball. Quarterback TYLER MUTTER needs a big night as well if the Foothillers are to clear their first major hurdle in the quest for their first league title since 2005.

The Foothillers hope to snap a three-game losing streak, but the call here is... El Capitan 21-14.

SANTANA (2-5, 0-1) at WEST HILLS (3-3-1, 0-0-1), 7 – These Santee rivals will collide for the annual Jack Dale Cup (formerly the Santee Mayor’s Cup) Friday (Oct. 23) at the blue carpeted Wolf Pack Den in a Grossmont North League skirmish.

West Hills has owned the cup the past six years and should maintain possession this season, considering the struggling Sultans have not scored in the past 13 quarters. They’ve also dropped 22 passes and been in the red zone 14 times over the last three games and come up empty.

Junior quarterback GARY ISAACSON (154.7 ypg, 12 TDs) of West Hills is making a strong bid to earn East County Rookie of the Year honors. His steady play plus the return of speedy ALAN PARKS to the lineup may be enough to carry the ‘Pack to its second circuit crown in three years and the fifth in the past nine seasons.

Santana, which looks to quarterback ZACH BREIDT, tight end T.D. GROSS, slotback JOHN BURKE and linebacker JUSTIN WILLIAMS to provide the spark, has been sapped by illness and injuries.

In last week’s 21-0 loss to El Capitan the Sultans were missing 15 players. Unless the Sultans get the majority of those players back in uniform it will be another long night... West Hills 35-14.

SAN PASQUAL ACADEMY (3-3, 2-1) vs. FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN (3-3, 3-0) at Seau Field, 6:30 – In the Southern Conference, when you have do-it-all GARRET CAMPBELL on your side, that makes you the favorite.

However, San Pasqual Academy has posted similar scores against common opponents. That shouldn’t matter because the Knights are on a three-game roll soon to be four... Foothills Christian 34-19.