There were some exciting endings in last Friday’s slate of non-league football games. The Sweetwater Red Devils and Montgomery Aztecs both picked up their first victories of the season with late game-winning touchdowns while the Hilltop Lancers and Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders both tasted defeat in agonizing fashion.
Sweetwater 9, Coronado 7
Gabriel Gomez scored on a three-yard run but the host Red Devils missed the two-point conversion try to trail 7-6 on the scoreboard with time ticking down. Sweetwater regained possession of the game on a successful onside kick recovery.
Sophomore Zaryan Crews completed his only pass of the game in timely fashion with a 32-yard toss to senior Solomon Ojajuni to advance the ball to Coronado’s five-yard line with four seconds remaining.
The hosts received a penalty for 12 men on the field but junior Julian Ramos was able to successfully kick a 27-yard field goal to carry Sweetwater to the win.
The dramatic non-league victory made amends for a 15-0 shutout loss to Coronado in the quarterfinals of last year’s Division IV playoffs. It also did much to help erase the bitter taste of a season-opening 42-0 loss at Mt. Miguel High School.
“We did a lot of reflecting from our big loss against Mt. Miguel Week 1,” SuHi head coach Ervin Hernandez said. “We had a tough week at practice and went back to the basics. The kids grinded it out throughout the week and their hard work paid off at the end. I am so proud of our boys for fighting until the very end.”
Both the Red Devils and Islanders are 1-1 on the season.
The SuHi defense rose to the occasion with three interceptions of Islander junior quarterback Graham Bower (six-of-19, 61 yards).
Senior Cesar Guerra had a game to remember with 23 tackles, including 10 unassisted stops and two for a loss. He also blocked a punt.
The Devils nabbed five of Bowers’ passes, with two interceptions each to junior Xzavier Crews and senior Gilbert Garcia. Junior Carlos David Delgado also had one pick.
Delgado recorded one sack while Miguel Mireles had one fumble recovery.
Both teams scored in the fourth quarter. Coronado took a 7-0 lead on a touchdown run by Bower (15 carries, 47 yards).
Yardage was not overly great for both teams, with the Islanders generating 173 total yards and Sweetwater generating 138 total yards.
Xzavier Crews led the hosts with 52 all-purpose yards (35 rush, 17 on interception returns).Crews and Garcia led the way with 35 rushing yards each. Ramos had five punts for 144 yards.
Sweetwater will attempt to go over the .500 mark when its hosts Canyon Hills (0-1) in a non-league game on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Red Devils then host Mission Bay in a Thursday game on Sept. 8 at 6:30 p.m.
Montgomery 6, Santana 0
Senior Jordan Benton caught a 23-yard scoring pass from backup quarterback Nate Ong with 1:28 to play to allow the host Aztecs (1-1) to defeat the Sultans (0-2) for the first time in eight matchups. Montgomery racked up four sacks, including three by junior Arath Leyva, and one interception (by Benton). Senior Gideon Baraka keyed the Aztec defense with 12 tackles, including three for a loss (matching Leyva in that category).
Benton had five catches for 67 yards. Junior quarterback Diego Villanueva led the Aztecs with 104 passing yards while Ong completed four of six attempts for 42 yards.
Montgomery was scheduled to host undefeated Mt. Miguel on Thursday and will play at El Cajon Valley in another Thursday game on Sept. 8.
Carlsbad 36, Mater Dei Catholic 35 (2OT)
The host Crusaders continue to taste the highs and lows of matching up with last year’s Open Division finalists in back-to-back pairings to kick off the 2022 season.
Mater Dei Catholic head coach John Joyner hopes his team comes out the better for it down the line.
The Crusaders opened the season with a 28-14 setback to the visiting Dons in front of a live television audience. Last Friday’s contest was obviously for the section’s No. 2 ranking and the visiting Lancers (the 2021 Open Division champions) claimed that on a two-point conversion in an exciting double overtime contest.
Mater Dei Catholic (0-2) enters Friday’s high-profile non-league clash against Red Mountain (Mesa, Ariz.) as part of the lineup of this weekend’s Honor Bowl ranked third in the section. The reigning Metro-Mesa League champions then play at Lincoln (which will also be telecast by KUSI-TV) on Sept. 10. The Hornets (1-1) weighed in this week at No. 7.
The Crusaders found themselves down 21-0 midway through the second quarter before rallying to send the game into overtime tied at 28.
Julian Sayin, likely the top quarterback prospect in the section this season, proved to be the mastermind behind the Lancers’ offensive fortunes.
But his counterpart on Mater Dei Catholic, Dominic Nankil, proved he was just as resourceful and cunning. Nankil narrowed the once commanding Carlsbad lead to 21-20 in the third quarter when he scrambled and eventually found teammate Jerry McClure in the corner of the endzone.
Sayin connected with Justin Johnson on a nine-yard scoring pass early in the fourth quarter to extend the Lancer lead to 28-20.
But the wily Nankil came back with a comeback for the ages when he hit McClure in the end zone with just eight seconds remaining in regulation play. The Crusaders went for the two-point conversion in an attempt to tie the game, and they did just that when Nankil flipped the ball back across his body to McClure.
28-all.
Neither team scored in the first overtime possession. The Crusaders took their only lead of the game when Nankil hit McClure (sound like a re-run?) on a 10-yard scoring pass. The PAT conversion put the hosts ahead 35-28 on the scoreboard.
But Sayin had an answer for that – and a 0-2 start for the reigning state 2-AA champions.
On Carlsbad’s next series, Mason Walsh scored from a yard out. However, the Lancers elected to go for a two-point conversion in a bid to win the game outright and avoid another overtime.
Sayin took a quick snap and tight end Luke Ferrelli caught a short pass to nudge just over the goal line for the game-winning conversion.
Sayin seemed to put himself in the right place at the right time. He completed a 72-yard touchdown pass to give his team the early momentum with a 14-0 lead in its season opener.
The Crusaders also created their own momentum with 387 total yards in offense compared to 300 for the visitors. Both teams finished with 238 passing yards. Mater Dei Catholic had two turnovers in the loss (fumble, interception).
While there was plenty of offense, there also was plenty of defense. Carlsbad (1-0) was two-for-10 on third down conversions while the Crusaders were six-for-15.
El Capitan 9, Hilltop 7
Hilltop head coach Bryan Wagner certainly could attest to last Friday’s game against the visiting El Capitan Vaqueros as being a game of inches.
A long sideline pass to junior Isaac Meza late in the game appeared to be in his safe clutches before hitting the ground and the play ruled incomplete.
The Lancers also didn’t get the bounce of the ball on two other plays that proved decisive in the team’s 9-7 non-league loss. Hilltop came within a whisker of starting the season 2-0.
“Our guys proved they can play with anybody — both sides of the ball,” Wagner said.
Hilltop scored the lone points of the opening three quarters when sophomore Mason Vaquero (four catches, 114 yards) reeled in a five-yard pitch from senior quarterback Jorge Garcia (171 passing yards, 234 total yards) in the opening stanza.
The Lancer defense held until 1:35 into the fourth quarter when El Capitan junior Julian May scored on a 34-yard pass from senior quarterback Bruce Newland III. The two-point conversion attempt was incomplete, however, and the hosts clung to a tenuous 7-6 lead.
That’s when the game started to unravel for the hosts.
Hilltop had a punt attempt go awry – the ball squirted between the legs of the punter and the ensuing pass was incomplete – to set up the Vaqueros for a go-ahead 35-yard field goal with 3:58 to play.
Hilltop received the kickoff and proceeded to move down the field in chunks, eventually reaching the El Capitan 10-yard line. It appeared the Lancers, in the least, were in position for a potential game-winning field goal as precious time began to tick down.
On the fateful play that won the game for the Vaqueros, the visitors showed blitz and Hilltop fumbled the exchange from center. The ball wound up in the grasp of senior Austin Cordeiro, who promptly held the ball high in the air as his recovery prize.
Just 1:13 remained on the clock.
“It was a tough football game,” El Capitan head coach Ron Burner admitted. “They used up a lot of time on the clock with their veer formation. The fumble recovery was a huge play, it got us the ball.”
And the win.
It will be a short turnaround for Hilltop, which meets the host Chula Vista Spartans (0-2) in Thursday’s annual Chula Vista Kiwanis Bowl contest. Kick off is 6:30 p.m.
“We’re playing the school down the street, it’s a neighborhood rivalry, we’ll be prepared,” Wagner said.
San Ysidro 31, Tri-City Christian 0
The Cougars picked up their first win of the season with the solid intra-divisional win.
Freshman A.J. Logan had 179 all-purpose yards, including a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown, a 31-yard catch and run for a touchdown, plus an interception on defense.
“We were ready defensively taking advantage of their short week (TCC played the previous Saturday) being able to watch their game and tendencies,” SYHS head coach Keith Aguon said. “Junior Gutierrez (senior) anchored the defense with 14 total tackles and 13 tackles for a loss.
“Offensively it took a few series to get going. Our offensive line regrouped and started opening up plays for our playmakers”
In other games:
Southwest 13, Mountain Empire 7
The visiting Raiders raised their record to 2-0 for the first time since 2011 while dropping the host Red Hawks to 1-1.
Southwest overcame a 7-0 deficit with two touchdowns, including what proved to be the game-winner in the third quarter.
Mountain Empire took a 7-0 lead on a touchdown run by freshman Isaac Gonzalez in the first quarter. The Raiders scored in the second quarter to trim the Mountain Empire lead to 7-6 at halftime. Southwest won despite coughing up two sacks and two lost fumbles.
Poway 14, Eastlake 6
The Titans fell to 0-2 to start the season with the non-league setback in the teams’ Clash of the Titans rivalry matchup. Poway’s Conner Rath rushed 26 times for 166 yards and scored both touchdowns, including a 13-yard score in the third quarter that proved to be the game-winner as his team improved to 2-0 on the season.
Rath opened scoring in the game on a five-yard run for a 7-0 lead. Eastlake came back with field goals of 39 and 33 yards by Marco Gonzalez to narrow the score to 7-6.
The visitors racked up a rather lopsided edge in offensive yardage — 242 to 82.
Sophomore William Schmitz led Eastlake on the ground with 13 carries for 36 yards while junior Fabian Gerbella finished six-of-20 for 23 yards at quarterback. Junior Christian Gerbella had four catches for 29 yards.
In two games, Rath has rushed for 314 yards and scored four touchdowns.
Eastlake will make a bid to collect its first win of the season when it hosts La Habra (0-2) Friday at 7 p.m.
Helix 52, Otay Ranch 0
The Mustangs remained winless on the season after a shutout loss to the No. 5 Scotties.
Junior quarterback Ryland Jessee completed seven of 11 passes for 100 yards and four touchdowns in his latest trip to the gridiron for Helix. Two scoring passes went to senior Quincey Herron (two catches, 26 yards) and two also to senior Adren Parker (two catches, 31 yards).
Junior Walker Laub also saw action at signal-caller, completing four of five attempts for 52 yards.
The Highlanders scored a total of six touchdowns — four passing, one rushing by junior Kevin Allen III and one on an interception return by junior Jackson Daniels, who finished the game with three picks.
Herron added one two-point passing conversion while junior Jason Sisneros had one two-point rushing conversion. Sisneros led the Scotties on the ground with three carries for 31 yards.
Josh Hossman-Lees supplied four extra-point conversions and a 23-yard field goal in the win to finish the game with seven kicking points.
Besides three interceptions, the Helix defense also registered three sacks — one each by junior Kairio Kehananui and seniors Anthony Gasanov and Premiere Whitley.
The Highlanders also recorded one defensive safety.
Jessee has thrown for eight touchdowns in two games while Herron has caught six touchdown passes.
San Pasqual 44, Olympian 12
Sophomore Kristian Noriega passed for 181 yards and completed two touchdown passes, including an 87-yards score to senior Javon Jordan, but it wasn’t enough to overcome 389 total offensive yards by the host Golden Eagles.
San Pasqual out-gained Olympian 247-27 in rushing yards with five rushing touchdowns scored by the host team.
Jordan had three catches for 97 yards and one touchdown while senior Brandon Loe caught a 12-yard scoring pass.
Olympian’s defense recorded three sacks — one each by seniors Luke Mena and Davian Brewer and junior Ethan Mallon. Jordan also had an interception while Brewer had a fumble recovery. Loe averaged 60.7 yards on three kick-offs.
“Early mistakes led to a tough hole to climb out of,” Olympian coach Jimmy Clark III said.
Calexico 48, Castle Park 33
Sophomore quarterback Dillon Villareal passed for three touchdowns to lead the Trojans to their largest offensive explosion so far this season while senior Jalen Hopkins rushed for 75 yards and one touchdown.
Senior Sergio Cobos (three catches, 102 yards) caught all three Castle Park touchdown passes. Senior Jeremiah Simler had 168 yards in kick returns and also led the team with 11 tackles (10 solo).
Senior Amador Aguilar had one sack while sophomore Theanni Saulo had one fumble recovery.
The non-league game was played Thursday, Aug. 25, at Otay Ranch High School.
The Trojans will travel to Orange Glen on Friday to meet the host Patriots (0-2) as both teams look to secure their first win of the season.
Mt. Miguel 29, Chula Vista 0
Two weeks into the 2022 high school football season, three East County teams are still undefeated: the Helix Charter Highlanders, El Capitan Vaqueros and, drum roll, Mt. Miguel Matadors.
Fifth-ranked Helix is no surprise and El Capitan, in the middle of pack in Division III, similarly so. But Division IV Mt. Miguel?
The Matadors have definitely made a statement for recognition with commanding shutout wins over Sweetwater (42-0) and Chula Vista (29-0), both vying for Division IV playoff berths along with the Spring Valley team, to start the season.
Mt. Miguel wasted little time in taking command of the game for the second week in a row by rolling up 22 points in the first half, including a 15-0 lead through the first quarter.
Junior Matthew Barton completed 11 of 25 passing attempts for 174 yards and one touchdown while senior Antrell Burbidge rushed 14 times for 104 yards and scored two touchdowns.
The visitors rushed 32 times for 200 yards, scoring three times. Junior Davian McGowan had nine carries for 49 yards and one touchdown while junior Jeremiah Castillo had five carries for 52 yards.
Castillo had six catches for 86 yards and one touchdown while senior Chris Akridge had two catches for 55 yards, including one grab good for 35 yards. Junior Hector Armenta caught one pass for 22 yards.
Castillo tallied 138 total offensive yards in the game.
Junior Aaron Carter led the Matadors with nine tackles, including seven unassisted stops and four tackles for a loss. Armenta had seven tackles, five unassisted, while classmate Christian Lopez also logged seven tackles (four unassisted). Akridge had six unassisted tackles.
Mt. Miguel’s defense recorded eight sacks, including three by Carter, two by junior Eric White and one each by Akridge, junior Marvin Jacobs and senior Jesse Murguia.
Barton punted three times in the game for 87 yards. Senior Saul Salgado recorded three kicking points while McGowan tacked on a two-point conversion.
In two games, Barton has passed for 335 yards and six touchdowns while Castillo has 178 receiving yards and four TDs.
The Matadors have a short week by traveling to play at Montgomery (1-1) on Thursday. They return home to host Crawford in another non-league game on Sept. 9 at 7 p.m.
Chula Vista senior quarterback Jacob Pedroza completed seven of 26 passing attempts for 59 yards while rushing five times for 36 yards. Junior Nathan Houck had seven carries for 38 yards. Senior Arbahl Saucedo had three catches for 27 yards.
San Diego Section Football Rankings
TOP 50
(MaxPreps/Through Aug. 28)
- Cathedral Catholic (1-1)
- Carlsbad (1-0)
- Mater Dei Catholic (0-2)
- Madison (2-0)
- Helix (2-0)
- Mission Hills (2-0)
- Lincoln (1-1)
- Ramona (2-0)
- Poway (2-0)
- Torrey Pines (0-2)
- Central Union (2-0)
- Patrick Henry (0-1)
- El Camino (2-0)
- La Costa Canyon (1-1)
- Mira Mesa (1-1)
- Del Norte (2-0)
- Granite Hills (1-1)
- Brawley (1-1)
- Steele Canyon (1-1)
- Christian (1-1)
- Scripps Ranch (0-2)
- Otay Ranch (0-2)
- University City (1-1)
- Bishop’s (1-1)
- Eastlake (0-2)
- San Marcos (1-1)
- Mt. Carmel (1-1)
- La Jolla (1-1)
- Point Loma (1-1)
- St. Augustine (1-1)
- Valley Center (1-1)
- Fallbrook (1-1)
- San Pasqual (2-0)
- Rancho Buena Vista (2-0)
- Santa Fe Christian (1-1)
- El Capitan (2-0)
- Oceanside (0-2)
- Vista (0-2)
- Rancho Bernardo (0-2)
- Imperial (1-0)
- Morse (1-1)
- Mt. Miguel (2-0)
- West Hills (1-1)
- La Jolla Country Day (2-0)
- Mission Bay (2-0)
- Vincent Memorial (2-0)
- San Diego (1-1)
- Calexico (2-0)
- Palo Verde Valley (1-1)
- Grossmont (0-2)
DIVISION I
- Cathedral Catholic (1-1), 2. Carlsbad (1-0), 3. Mater Dei Catholic (0-2), 4. Madison (2-0), 5. Helix (2-0), 6. Mission Hills (2-0), 7. Lincoln (1-1), 8. Poway (2-0), 9. Torrey Pines (0-2), 10. El Camino (2-0)
DIVISION II
1 Ramona (2-0), 2. Central Union (2-0), 3. Mira Mesa (1-1), 4. Granite Hills (1-1), 5. Brawley (1-1), 6. Christian (1-1), 7. La Jolla (1-1), 8. Otay Ranch (0-2), 9. San Marcos (1-1), 10. Mt. Carmel (1-1)
DIVISION III
- Patrick Henry (0-1), 2. Del Norte (2-0), 3. University City (1-1), 4. Bishop’s (1-1), 5. Point Loma (1-1), 6. San Pasqual (2-0), 7. Rancho Buena Vista (2-0), 8. El Capitan (2-0), 9. Imperial (1-0), 10. Morse (1-1)
DIVISION IV
- Fallbrook (1-1), 2. Mt. Miguel (2-0), 3. La Jolla Country Day (2-0), 4. Mission Bay (2-0), 5. Calexico (2-0), 6. Palo Verde Valley (1-1), 7. Coronado (1-1), 8. Montgomery (1-1), 9. Sweetwater (1-1), 10. Francis Parker (1-1)
DIVISION V
- Crawford (1-1), 2. Escondido Charter (2-0), 3. Classical Academy (2-0), 4. Southwest (2-0), 5. El Cajon Valley (1-1), 6, Mar Vista (0-2), 7. Army-Navy Academy (2-0), 8. San Ysidro (1-1), 9. Mountain Empire (1-1), 10. Tri-City Christian (0-2)
