Titans get back in groove with 32-20 victory; face No. 6 Saints next

The Open Division playoff seeding will not be known until the end of the regular season. But, for now at least, it appears the Eastlake Titans have improved their chances of appearing in the San Diego Section’s version of the Elite Eight.

The Titans put together one of their best efforts of the young season to defeat the visiting Warhawks, 32-20, last Friday in a showcase non-league match-up.

“It was a great win for the players and the program,” EHS head coach Lee Price noted. “Madison is a first-class team with great athletes and we had to play well to beat them. We made less mistakes than in weeks past and, with that focus and discipline that we emphasized all week, we were able to come through.

“I hope that with a great week of practice we can keep it rolling against St. Augustine, another top-notch program.”
Eastlake (2-2) takes on the sixth-ranked Saints this Friday in a 7 p.m. non-league encounter at San Diego Mesa College. St. Augustine moved to 2-2 on the season after defeating the previously undefeated Otay Ranch Mustangs, 41-7, in a non-league game last Friday.

The Saints, last year’s Division II section champions, opened the season with a 34-28 non-league loss to currently No. 1-ranked Oceanside.

St. Augustine defeated Madison, 36-29, on Sept. 12 to record its first win of the 2014 season before dropping an inter-sectional 42-35 match-up at Loyola of Los Angeles on Sept. 12.

The Mustangs had kicked off the new season with a 3-0 start.

Titan-ic win
Eastlake wasted no time in seizing the game’s momentum by racking up a lethal 19-0 lead with five minutes remaining in the first quarter. Isaiah Strayhorn scored on runs of 69 and 71 yards for a lightning quick 12-0 lead, and Traylon Reed tacked on a 13-yard scoring run, with the ensuing extra-point conversion by Aiden Johnson putting the hosts up by 19 points.

The Titans weathered a strong comeback bid by Madison in the second half.

The Warhawks (0-3) made the score 19-6 on a 17-yard touchdown run by Kareem Coles in the third quarter.

The teams then combined for 27 points in the final quarter. However, Eastlake never trailed at any point.

Strayhorn scored his third touchdown of the game on a one-yard run to increase the Titans’ lead to 25-6. Teammate Dean Klaser then scored on a 51-yard touchdown run.

At this point, the Eastlake lead had ballooned to 32-6.

Madison closed out the game with two touchdowns: Isaiah Osborne scored on an 80-yard burst from scrimmage to trim the score to 32-13 and Coles scored on an 11-yard run to account for the game’s final TD.

Strayhorn finished the night with 234 rushing yards on 18 carries. He leads the Titans with 654 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the season.

Klaser rushed for 80 yards on eight carries against the Warhawks while Reed gained 59 yards on 11 carries.

The Titans rolled up a season-best 400 rushing yards in the win.

On the season, Nate Sweat (45 tackles), Michael Kohler (43 tackles), Ronnie Sallee (36 tackles) and Santiago Andujo (34 tackles) lead Eastlake in total tackles. Sweat tops the Titans with seven sacks while the team has 18 overall on the season.

Next up
St. Augustine should provide a load to handle for Eastlake. Quarterback Tommy Goodridge has passed for 572 yards in four games with seven touchdowns against five picks.

The Saints are averaging 280 rushing yards per game. St. Augustine is led by junior Elijah Preston, who has already amassed 775 rushing yards and eight rushing TDs this season.

Francoise Sims II has rushed for 237 additional yards and scored four rushing touchdowns.

Preston has caught two additional scoring passes to give him 10 total, though Frank Buncom IV, one of the team’s South County players, leads the team with four TD receptions and 190 receiving yards on 14 catches.

Buncom, a two-way player, also leads the Saints with 22 defensive tackles while Sims has 21. Sims paces St. Augustine with three sacks.

Buncom caught two touchdown passes from Goodridge in last Friday’s win over Otay Ranch while Preston rushed for two scores.

Goodridge finished the game with three TD passes after tossing a 56-yarder to Jacob Baker. Buncom reeled in scoring passes of 15 and 35 yards as the Saints built a 34-0 lead.

Sims collected 92 rushing yards on 10 attempts and one TD while Preston rushed for 123 yards on 17 carries. Buncom had five catches for 92 yards.

Goodridge completed 14 of 22 passing attempts for 232 yards with three TDs and one interception.

Oscar Limon scored on a 37-yard run for the Mustangs in the third quarter to avert a shutout.

Otay Ranch will attempt to get back in the win column this Friday against a Steele Canyon team that is streaking along with a 4-0 start. The Cougars mauled Rancho Buena Vista, 41-0, last Friday.

The Mustangs will play at Steele Canyon High School. Kick-off is 7 p.m.

In other games this Friday (Sept. 26):

•St. Joseph Academy (1-1) at Ocean View Christian Academy (2-1), 4 p.m.
•Bonita Vista (1-2) vs. Madison (0-3) at Southwestern College, 7 p.m.
•Mira Mesa (1-2) at Chula Vista (1-3), 7 p.m.
•Coronado (3-1) at Hilltop (1-3), 7 p.m.
•Imperial (1-3) at Olympian (2-1), 7 p.m.
•San Ysidro (1-3) at Mater Dei Catholic (1-2), 7 p.m.
•La Jolla Country Day (1-2) at Montgomery (1-3), 7 p.m.
•El Cajon Valley (1-2) at Southwest (1-3), 7 p.m.