San Diego State University’s football program has made a concerted outreach to homegrown talent in recent years and while the rise up the ranks has been admittedly slow, the Aztecs’ 2010 season looks to be a breakout campaign for many local prep products. Saturday’s 47-0 non-conference victory over Louisiana’s Nicholls State at Qualcomm Stadium was a long-time-in-the-making showcase for the Aztecs’ South County players.
Castle Park’s Demarco Sampson, a rare sixth-year senior, set a school record with 179 receiving yards in an opening game while scoring two touchdowns. Fellow CPHS grad Abel Perez, most recently of Southwestern College, booted field goals of 44 and 27 yards while tacking on four point-after touchdown conversions to finish the game with 10 kicking points.
Eastlake’s Marcus Yarbrough, a senior middle linebacker, helped set the tone on defense with a team-leading five tackles and one sack.
Bonita Vista alum Bryan Shields kicked the PAT conversion on SDSU’s final touchdown.
El Capitan grad Ryan Lindley, who finished the game with 303 passing yards, threw a 71-yard scoring bomb to Sampson in the second quarter. Sampson also caught an 18-yard TD pass as SDSU raced to a 27-0 halftime lead.
“It was great to see guys feed off of each other,” Sampson said.
The Aztecs gained momentum throughout the game. “We had to make sure that we didn’t ease up,” said Yarbrough of the team’s shutout victory. “Last year, when we eased up, you saw what happened against Wyoming and UNLV. So going hard is always on our mind.”
SDSU next plays at New Mexico State on Saturday, Sept. 11.
