So far, so good for the South Bay’s complement of high school football teams. After two weeks of regular season play, eight area squads remain undefeated, including four with 2-0 marks.
While fast starts for the defending San Diego Section Division I champion Eastlake Titans and Division IV quarterfinalist Olympian Eagles may not necessarily be a surprise, two victories in as many outings for both the Southwest Raiders and Calvary Christian Academy Royal Knights are pleasant surprises.
Southwest improved to 2-0 after last Friday’s 25-10 win at Mountain Empire, marking the second time in as many weeks the Raiders have won on the road. Lamar Weston completed nine of 16 passes for 109 yards and one touchdown , Pierre Davis rushed for 128 yards and scored once while David Leon caught seven passes for 74 yards, made a team-high 11 tackles and also returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown to pace Southwest’s latest victory.
Marcus Gladden caught a 31-yard scoring pass and Carlos Llamas (three carries, 12 yards) scored on a short rushing play to complete the Raiders scoring against the Red Hawks.
Gladden also had two interceptions on defense. Overall, Southwest registered three sacks — one each by Weston, Derek Miranda and Jaun Gallagos. Miranda and Gallagos each had fumble recoveries. Gallagos and Luis Garcia each registered nine tackles to cap an all-around solid defensive showing by the unsung Raiders, a 1-9 team in 2009.
Southwest hosts the likewise unbeaten Rock Academy this Friday. The Warriors have defeated Vincent Memorial (14-12) and Julian (26-15) to kick off the 2010 prep campaign.
The Raiders’ final place-finish in the restructured four-team South Bay League could be very interesting, indeed.
As for the Royal Knights? New head coach Gene Rheam said the team’s goal was to post a .500 season in 2010. Those were bold words considering tiny Calvary Christian won its season opener last year before dropping all of its remaining contests.
But the Royal Knights broke their nine-game losing streak with a 48-0 victory against Irvine’s Crean Lutheran in the season opener for both teams and were equally impressive in posting a 30-22 non-conference victory against St. Joseph Academy on Saturday.
Calvary Christian built a 14-0 halftime lead. The Royal Knights allowed 157 passing yards and 155 rushing yards but managed to hold the Crusaders to three touchdowns.
The Royal Knights suffered one interception and one lost fumble to keep their mistakes at a minimum.
Vince Delgado led St. Joseph with 13 tackles.
No further statistics on Calvary Christian were available. The Royal Knights, who have now outscored their opponents 78-22 in two games, next play National City’s Kuyper Prep this Friday at Junior Seau Field in La Mesa.
The non-conference contest marks the season debut for Kuyper Prep, which finished 1-2 in three games last season as an independent.
The down side
Both the Bonita Vista Barons and San Ysidro Cougars remain winless after two games. The Barons fell to yet another opponent, this time fifth-ranked Steele Canyon, by a 28-14 score, while the Cougars continue to search for answers following a 31-7 loss at Hoover.
Brad Boehmke threw a pair of scoring passes to Jake Wragg and Brandon Watson scored two rushing touchdowns to key host Steele Canyon, which was coming off a huge 35-12 upset of visiting Cathedral Catholic the previous week.
Bonita Vista trailed 7-6 on a one-yard run by Felix Garcia and later closed the gap to 21-14 on a two-yard run by John Matranga and a successful two-point conversion play.
Week 3 Schedule
Non-League
Friday, Sept. 17
(All games at 7 p.m. unless noted)
Chula Vista at Hilltop
El Camino at Eastlake
Torrey Pines at Olympian
Mission Bay vs. Otay Ranch at Chula Vista High School
Madison vs. Bonita Vista at Southwestern College
St. Augustine at Mater Dei Catholic
Grossmont at Castle Park
Kearny at Montgomery
Rock Academy at Southwest
El Cajon Valley at San Ysidro
Morse at Mar Vista
Sweetwater at Granite Hills
Kuyper Prep vs. Chula Vista Calvary Christian at Junior Seau Field
Saturday, Sept. 18
Classical Academy at Ocean View Christian Academy, 2 p.m.
