The preseason skinny on this year’s Eastlake High School football team was that the Titans would be improved and looking to better last season’s disappointing 2-9 record.
Four weeks into the current prep pigskin campaign, Eastlake is sporting a rejuvenated 3-1 record. If there are any lingering doubts the Titans are a much improved team, they were laid to rest following last Friday’s non-league game at Grossmont.
The Foothillers had racked up 101 points in defeating their previous two opponents.
The Titans won 32-19.
“Our defense did its part in the win over Grossmont,” EHS head coach Dean Tropp explained. “Defensive coordinator Jose Mendoza had a great game plan against them. We had six interceptions, which I believe may be a school record. They had eight first downs.
“Our offensive game plan was to control the ball and keep Grossmont’s offense off the field and offensive coordinator Jim Alvarez did just that. We had 79 offensive plays and an 18-play drive.
“Our athletes and coaches, along with the community, are excited to have such a good start to the season. Our approach remains one game at a time.”
The Titans will host the Valhalla Norsemen (2-1) on Friday in a belated home opener. Kick-off is 7 p.m.
Roman Coe had 147 yards on 31 carries to highlight the win over Grossmont (2-2).
Eastlake amassed 277 rushing yards and 80 passing yards. Parker Merrifield (eight carries, 37 yards) and Micah Pietila-Wiggs (five carries, 34 yards) each scored rushing touchdowns.
Daniel Amon (8-of-20, 76 passing yards) threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Bateman.
D.J. Del Fierro kicked two field goals and added four extra-point conversions for 10 kicking points.
The defense took care of the rest with six picks and eight sacks.
Grossmont did light up the scoreboard with 258 passing yards and two touchdowns but a key point was holding the Foothillers to just 52 rushing yards.
Pietila-Wiggs led the Titan secondary with two interceptions while teammates Jalyn Jackson, Dylan Kohler, A.J. Hernandez and Robby Hughes each had picks.
Jackson had a 48-yard return while Hernandez returned an interception 24 yards and Kohler had a 20-yard return.
Richard Corpus and Donyal Thompson each had two sacks while Jalen Graham and Hughes also recorded sacks. Corpus also caused a fumble.
Bernard Coe and Josh McCurty paced the EHS defense with 14 and 12 tackles, respectively.
Quarterback Jamie Odom keyed the Foothiller attack with 249 passing yards and touchdown strikes to Thomas Mangum (five catches, 116 yards) and Desmond Carter (three catches, 113 yards). However, Odom was intercepted five times.
Grossmont went up 6-0 when Andrew Lira returned a blocked field goal attempt. The Titans got on the scoreboard when Pietila-Wiggs scored on a 27-yard reverse. But two TD passes by Odom — 84 yards to Carter and 64 yards to Mangum — put the hosts up 19-10.
Eastlake responded by reeling off 22 consecutive points to record their statement victory and, in the process, spoil the Foothillers’ homecoming.
Del Fierro kicked two field goals to end the first half, Bateman and Merrifield each scored on a second-half runs while Del Fierro added his third field goal of the night to fuel the Titan juggernaut.
“We don’t give up, we never give up, we keep playing until the end of the game,” an obviously elated Pietila-Wiggs told a KUSI-TV news crew on site after the game. “We’re way better than last year. We came back.”
Olympian wins homecoming game 56-6 over Hilltop
The Olympian High School football team remained undefeated on its home turf after defeating the visiting Hilltop Lancers, 56-6, in a non-league contest last Friday.
The Eagles scored six rushing touchdowns in controlling the ball on the ground en route to amassing 418 yards in total offense.
“It’s always good to win your homecoming,” Olympian head coach Paul Van Nostrand said. “It was the best all-around game we have played so far.”
David Tirey (11 carries, 109 yards) and Treyvion Davies (six carries, 53 yards) each scored two rushing touchdowns to lead the hosts. Arnold Escano (four carries, 66 yards) and Christian Funke (three carries, 25 yards) also scored to buttress Olympian’s ground attack.
Quarterback Nico Mendoza completed four of eight passing attempts for 100 yards and one touchdown. Isaiah Williams (three catches, 64 yards) had the TD catch.
Defensively, Jared Desmond led the Eagles (3-1) with 14 tackles. Desmond, Angel Huerta and Rock Gonzalez each recorded sacks. Gonzalez also had a fumble recovery that went for a touchdown while Damarian Thornton made one interception in the game.
Hilltop racked up 351 yards in total offense in the loss.
Gus Ferreira collected 168 all-purpose yards (65 rushing, 103 on kick returns) while Max Ugrate had 108 all-purpose yards (68 receiving, 22 on kick returns). Jeremiah Rivera tacked on 97 all-purpose yards (72 rushing, 25 receiving).
Ferreira scored the Lancers’ lone touchdown on a direct snap. Quarterback Daniel McPherren led Hilltop with 186 total yards — 127 passing and 59 rushing.
Dylan McCoy had an interception while Ugarte had a fumble recovery to key the Lancer defense.
Hilltop (1-3) will play at west side rival Castle Park (0-4) in its next outing on Friday, Sept. 22, while Olympian will play under the newly-installed lights at Point Loma High School in another non-league matchup.
Mariners return to win column with clutch 34-10 win over Islanders
There are now 16 undefeated high school football teams throughout the San Diego Section through the opening four weeks of play. The Mar Vista Mariners will be facing one of them this Friday.
The Mariners (2-2) carry the momentum of a 34-10 non-league win at Coronado into Friday’s high profile non-league matchup against the undefeated University City Centurions (4-0).
Kick off for Friday’s game is 6:30 p.m. at University City High School.
“The Coronado win was good for us to get back on the right track,” MVHS head coach Tyler Arciaga said. “We played poorly the week before in Las Vegas (a 19-14 non-league loss to Bonanza High School), so playing a solid game against Coronado was key prior to getting into a tough two-week stretch for us.
“Our defense has been the strength of our team, holding opponents to 14 points a game. We face a tough challenge going up against University City which has been averaging 44 points a game, so we have to pick up the slack on offense and special teams.”
Senior quarterback Jacob Beck completed seven of nine passing attempts for 197 yards and three touchdowns to lead Mar Vista past the Islanders (1-2) in last Friday’s grid-iron battle. Beck, who finished the game with a 158.6 quarterback efficiency rating, completed two touchdown passes to senior De’von Peterson (four catches, 125 yards) and one scoring strike to junior Sebastian Burke (two catches, 63 yards).
Hasan Spruill (eight carries, 89 yards) rushed for two touchdowns to key the Mariners’ ground attack.
Mar Vista rolled up 480 yards in total offense, including 283 rushing yards. Beck rushed five times for 60 yards while Marcus Ramirez had five carries for 52 yards. Tasi Sablan (seven carries) and Burke (two carries) each gained 41 rushing yards in the game.
Burke finished the game with 104 all-purpose yards while Beck racked up 257 total yards.
Niko Figueroa keyed the MV defense with a team-high 12 tackles while teammates Jared York and Daniel Ortiz each contributed 10 tackles. York and Ortiz each had 10 unassisted tackles while Figueroa had nine solo stops.
Figueroa had four sacks while Burke and Victor Herrera each had one interception.
The Mariners held Coronado to 193 total yards — 124 passing yards and 69 rushing yards.
Neither Islander quarterback fared well on the field against the MV defense. Junior Bryce Alexander finished 8-of-17 for 85 yards with two interceptions and a 22.5 quarterback rating; senior Lance Lorentz finished 6-of-13 for 39 yards with one interception and a 21.0 quarterback rating.
Trent Chatman rushed 18 times for 50 yards and scored the game’s lone touchdown for Coronado.
Peterson caught a 65-yard scoring pass to push Mar Vista to an early 13-0 lead. Spruill scored on an 18-yard run to push the visitors ahead, 20-10, on the scoreboard. Beck later hooked up with Burke on a 55-yard pass play for a touchdown.
Besides the two touchdown runs, Peterson also had a blocked punt on defense.
Through four games, Beck has passed for 857 yards with six touchdowns and one interception while Peterson has caught 11 passes for 470 yards and four touchdowns.
Burke has caught seven passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns while four players have each scored two rushing touchdowns: Burke, Spruill, Sablan and Peterson.
Burke leads the Mariners with 209 rushing yards on 23 carries.
Peterson leads Mar Vista with 517 all-purpose yards (and six touchdowns) while Beck tops the team with 1,033 total yards.
Figueroa leads the defense with 38 tackles and five sacks.
San Diego Section
Unbeaten Teams
Division I
Mission Hills Grizzlies 4-0
Madison Warhawks 4-0
La Costa Canyon Mavericks 4-0
San Marcos Knights 4-0
Division II
Ramona Bulldogs 4-0
Christian Patriots 4-0
Mira Mesa Marauders 4-0
Bishop’s Knights 3-0
Division III
Southwest El Centro Eagles 4-0
Division IV
University City Centurions 4-0
Central Union Spartans 4-0
Kearny Komets 4-0
San Diego Cavers 3-0
Division V
Crawford Colts 4-0
Vincent Memorial Scots 4-0
Maranatha Christian Eagles 3-0
Mustangs come out strong but Saints finish stronger in 19-14 win
The Otay Ranch Mustangs appeared to have the visiting St. Augustine Saints just right where they wanted them, leading 14-13 through three quarters.
But the Saints, one of the San Diego Section’s longtime marquee powers, rallied with a fourth quarter touchdown to win 19-14.
Senior J.R. Justice proved to be the difference for St. Augustine with six catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning score.
The Mustangs controlled much of the game, finishing with 59 total plays to 38 for the Saints and an edge in time of possession — 26:33 to 21:27.
Otay Ranch out-gained St. Augustine in total offensive yards: 337 to 230. The Mustangs held the Saints to just 39 yards on the ground.
Both teams finished with 12 first downs but the hosts lost the edge in one key department: penalty yards. Otay Ranch was charged with 117 penalty yards in the game while St. Augustine was charged with 60 penalty yards.
Both teams scored a touchdown in the opening quarter and the visitors tacked on the only touchdown in the second quarter to lead, 13-7, at halftime.
Alfredo Garcia connected with Zeek Cruz on a 74-yard pass play on the very first play of the game to open scoring as the Mustangs took an early 7-0 lead.
But Deandre Daniels (eight carries, 14 yards) scored on a five-yard run to tie the score with seven seconds left in the first quarter.
Justice then caught a 60-yard TD pass from teammate Patrick Bazzi on a lateral from quarterback Ryan Thomas to put his team ahead on the scoreboard.
The Mustangs rallied with the only touchdown in the third quarter to go up 14-13 as Puka Stewart hit Sebastian Avila in the end zone on a 33-yard scoring pass.
Otay Ranch, down by five points, had a chance to drive for a potential game-winning score but came up short on a fourth-down pass with less than two minutes to play.
Stewart (3-of-5 passing, 55 yards) and Garcia (2-of-11, 78 yards) each threw one touchdown pass in the game.
Cruz (three catches, 93 yards) and Avila (one catch, 33 yards) each caught scoring passes.
Garcia led the team with 92 rushing yards on 14 carries to lead the team with 170 total yards. However, he fumbled twice, losing both balls.
Cruz led the hosts with 115 all-purpose yards, adding 22 kick return yards to his receiving total.
Otay Ranch dominated the game on the ground with 204 rushing yards. Gus Espiritu added 58 yards on 10 carries while Sammy Paranada had 54 yards on 12 carries.
Justice led the visitors with 146 total yards.
Thomas finished 11-of-22 for 131 yards with one touchdown. Patrick Bazzi completed one pass for 60 yards in his only passing attempt in the game.
Seth Hayes led the Saints defensively with six tackles while Mohamed Khalil and Ike Hall each had one sack. William Simon and Brendan Silvia each had one fumble recovery.
Hayes averaged 47.8 yards on four kick-offs, including one for 52 yards.
Otay Ranch will attempt to get back in the win column when it hosts the Steele Canyon Cougars (1-2) in a non-league clash on Friday. Kick off is 7 p.m.
St. Augustine will host the third-ranked Helix Highlanders (2-1) in another non-league game. Kick off is 7 p.m.
San Ysidro Cougats fall fromt eh ranks of the undefeated
The San Ysidro Cougars fell from the ranks of the undefeated following a 49-14 loss against the Vincent Memorial Scots in a game played last Friday at Southwest El Centro High School in El Centro.
Both teams had entered the high profile clash with 3-0 records.
Eduardo Valenzuela led the Scots (4-0) with 201 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air while also rushing for 93 yards and scoring twice on the ground to highlight the game with 294 total yards.
Valenzuela threw touchdown passes to three receivers: Juan Pablo Ruiz (seven catches, 110 yards), Andres Bryan (two catches, 18 yards) and Noe Gallego (one catch, 28 yards).
Javier Briseno rushed nine times for 47 yards and scored two touchdowns.
The Vincent Memorial defense recorded three sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
The Scots led 14-0 after the first quarter and 28-7 at halftime.
Jeremiah Martinez had a 96-yard kickof return in the second quarter and 16-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to account for San Ysidro’s two scores in the game.
Cougar head coach Robert Hatchett said his team was done in by four turnovers that set up scores for the Scots.
In other games:
Kearny 59, Southwest 28
The matchup between the undefeated Komets and the Raiders proved to be a 7-7 draw after the first quarter before host Kearny (4-0) exploded for 26 points in the second quarter to take a decisive 33-7 halftime lead.
The Raiders (0-4) rallied with 15 points in the third quarter but it wasn’t enough.
David Espinoza led Southwest with 257 passing yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Joshua Sanchez led the Raiders with three catches for 124 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown reception. Joe Young (two catches, 69 yards) and Keyshawn Smith (two catches, 37 yards) also caught touchdown passes.
Daniel Belton (six carries, 26 yards) scored one rushing touchdown.
Espinoza finished the game with 264 total yards while Sanchez racked up 224 total yards.
Sanchez made three tackles and one interception on defense while Jamarea Lowery recorded one sack to go with four tackles.
The Komets out-gained the Raiders 559 to 418 yards as the teams combined for an offensive feast with 977 combined yards.
Brenton Bell paced the winners with 282 rushing yards on 28 carries and four touchdowns. Bell ripped off one 92-yard scoring run in the game.
The Raiders will attempt to secure their first win of the season when they travel to Perris Orange Vista for a non-league encounter on Friday, Sept. 22.
San Diego 41, Montgomery 0
The host Cavers out-gained the Aztecs 427 to 57 in total offensive yards to record the lopsided non-league victory. Timothy Crawford led Montgomery with 29 rushing yards while quarterback Guillermo Rojas completed one of three passing attempts for 36 yards.
Quinn O’Connor led undefeated San Diego (3-0) with 167 passing yards and three touchdowns.
The Aztecs, who saw their record fall to 2-2, will host Clairemont (2-2) in a non-league game on Friday, Sept. 22, in a bid to return to the win column.
Lincoln 66, Sweetwater 0
It was total domination for the visiting Hornets (3-1) as they piled up 396 yards in a balanced attack with 242 passing yards and 154 rushing yards.
Asante Hartzog passed for 186 yards and three touchdowns while five different players scored rushing touchdowns as the visitors spread around the football.
The Lincoln defense recorded two sacks and two interceptions.
Jailen Bailey led the Hornets with two touchdowns — one rushing, one receiving.
In an independent eight-man football game on Friday:
The Victory Christian Academy (former Lutheran High School) Knights recorded the first win under the school’s new name by defeating the Warner Wildcats, 48-0, in a non-league game at Valhalla High School. The Knights rolled up 350 rushing yards in recording the victory.
Sophomores Jaden Eldridge and Steve Stinson each scored two touchdowns while juniors Adam White and Larry Oldham III each scored one touchdown to lead the winners.
Stinson had nine carries for 120 yards while White had 10 carries for 104 yards. Eldridge had seven carries for 65 yards while Oldham had nine carries for 51 yards.
Oldham also tacked on four conversion points to lead the Knights in scoring with 16 points.
White led the Knights defensively with five sacks while Edwin Munoz recorded three sacks. Jalen Wilson and Stinson also had sacks.
Stinson also made an interception in the game, returning the ball 33 yards. Leo Arechiga had one fumble recovery.
Stinson led Victory Christian (1-1) with 153 all-purpose yards.
