The Castle Park High School football team kicked off the 2018 season on an upbeat note with a 55-6 non-league win over first-year O’Farrell Charter Academy.
The Trojans lost their ensuing game, a non-league encounter at Mar Vista the following week, by a score of 42-6, then the next two weeks went dark.
Due to injuries sustained through the opening two games of the season and other issues, Castle Park was unable to field enough players to safely compete in a game and had to forfeit home games to Coronado on Aug. 31 and Fallbrook on Sept. 7.
The Trojans returned to the field for last Friday’s non-league game at Hoover and celebrated their return to the gridiron with a 37-7 win over the Cardinals.
Of course, none more proud was head coach Bernard Ansolabehere, who called the win the team’s biggest of the season. Certainly, it had to be the most emotionally rewarding.
“I’m very proud of how our boys performed on Friday and more so how they handled the adversity of the weeks preceding Hoover,” explained Ansolabehere, who also serves as the school’s athletic director. “Our players stayed bought-in and worked hard to make sure we were ready when the time came.
“It was a great job by our players and coaches and I think the best is yet to come from this group.”
Castle Park (2-3) opened scoring on a field goal in the first quarter to lead 3-0 before scoring three touchdowns in the second quarter to build a 24-0 halftime lead.
The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter before the Trojans tacked on six more points in the fourth quarter to close out scoring in the game.
Senior Diego Martinez completed eight of 18 passing attempts for 91 yards and three touchdowns — two to senior Christian Bustos (four catches, 53 yards) and one to Joel Torres (two catches, 13 yards).
Sophomore Erik Hernandez led the visitors on the ground with 119 rushing yards on seven carries, including one breakaway run of 72 yards. He finished the game with one touchdown.
Senior Isaiah Morineau (two carries, 24 yards) scored the Trojans’ other rushing touchdown.
Castle Park rushed 24 times for 197 yards. Senior Tyrone Lake had seven carries for 56 yards.
Torres led the team with 186 all-purpose yards (98 yards on two interception returns, 75 yards on three punt returns and 13 receiving yards).
Hernandez racked up 142 all-purpose yards (119 rushing yards and 23 receiving yards).
Defensively, junior Jshon McAtee and sophomore Robert Abarca led the Trojans with seven tackles each.
Torres and junior Chris Romero both had one fumble recovery.
Junior Alfredo Lorea finished the game with seven kicking points (one field goal and four extra-point conversions).
Martinez has thrown for 250 yards and six touchdowns without an interception in three games played on the field while Bustos has caught three touchdown passes.
Castle Park will be searching to even its record at 3-3 when it travels to play Crawford (2-2) in a non-league game on Friday.
The Colts lost, 31-3, last Friday at Francis Parker and topped host San Ysidro, 12-8, in a non-league game on Sept. 7.
This Friday’s game will give the Trojans a better idea of where they fit into the Division V rankings. Castle Park is currently ranked ninth among the 16 teams in the division, with Southwest ranked 10th and San Ysidro ranked 14th.
Francis Parker (5-0) has moved into the No. 1 position in the division rankings, followed by Holtville (4-1) and Vincent Memorial (3-1), last year’s division champion.
Hoover, which dropped to 0-5 on the season, sits at the bottom of the Division V rankings.
Clash of the Titans
The Eastlake Titans, currently on a four-game winning streak, will get a chance for redemption on Friday when they travel to take on El Camino in a rematch of last year’s Division I championship game won the by the Wildcats 20-10.
This year’s matchup is no less important: the Titans (4-1) are currently fifth in the Division I rankings while El Camino (1-3) is 12th.
Eastlake has been on a rampage since dropping its season opener to visiting Torrey Pines (currently ranked third in the section) by outscoring its last four opponents 165-17.
Eastlake spoiled Valhalla’s homecoming with a 52-0 non-league victory last Friday.
The Titans seized momentum from the get-go by building a commanding 28-0 lead in the first quarter and expanded that to a 42-0 margin at halftime.
Sophomore quarterback Richard Colmenero III continues to gain confidence in his first varsity season. He threw for 207 yards and four touchdowns against the Norsemen (0-4).
Junior Darius De Los Reyes (three catches, 121 yards) caught two scoring passes while senior Kevin Bateman (three catches, 32 yards) and senior Adrian Hinojosa (one catch, five yards) had one touchdown grab apiece.
The visitors scored three rushing touchdowns among their seven total touchdowns in the game. Senior A.J. Hernandez rushed three times for 55 yards and one touchdown while junior Mateo La (five carries, 24 yards) and senior Sebastian Scholl (one carry, three yards) also scored on touchdown runs.
As a team, the Titans racked up 450 total yards — 230 rushing yards and 220 passing yards.
Eleven players got a chance to carry the ball in last Friday’s game while Colmenero targeted six different receivers as the visitors spread around the offense.
Defensive leaders included seniors Josh McCurty and Luis Santos with 10 tackles each.
Eastlake recorded three sacks and six tackles for a loss. McCurty, senior Herman Ramirez and junior Sebastian Sanchez had one sack each.
Season leaders include Colmenero with 909 passing yards and nine touchdowns, senior Parker Merrifield with 274 rushing yards and three touchdowns, De Los Reyes with 309 receiving yards and four touchdowns and McCurty with 71 tackles and four sacks.
El Camino kicked off the season with a 17-16 non-league victory against visiting Point Loma (currently ranked No. 1 among Division II section teams) but has since dropped its last three games to top-ranked opponents: 56-7 at Cathedral Catholic (No. 2 among Division I section teams), 41-21 at La Costa Canyon (currently No. 1 among Division I section teams) and 36-14 at Torrey Pines last Friday.
Friday’s game thus will be a key measuring stick for the Titans.
“We are getting better every week,” McFadden noted. “El Camino has played a very tough schedule; they are very physical and athletic. We need to execute at a high level to continue the winning. The players are excited to try and avenge the championship game loss from last year.”
In other non-league games last Friday:
Mater Dei Catholic 26, Chula Vista 0
The Crusaders picked up their second win of the season while the Spartans dropped their third consecutive game. Host Mater Dei Catholic scored 16 points in the second quarter to take control of the game on the scoreboard, ending the contest with 10 more points in the fourth quarter.
Mater Dei Catholic (2-3) recorded four turnovers that resulted in 17 points and the team’s first shutout of the season. Michael Harrington was involved in two takeaways — a fumble recovery and an interception return for a touchdown
Aidan Calvert scored the opening touchdown of the game to push the Crusaders to a 10-0 lead.
Chula Vista (2-3) did generate some decent offensive numbers despite being shut out. The Spartans rushed 37 times for 176 yards and finished the game with 194 yards in total offense. Junior running back Jerry Hernandez led the visitors on the ground with 83 yards on 12 carries while Alfonso Hernandez rushed 16 ties for 62 yards.
Mater Dei Catholic travels to Oceanside for a non-league contest while Chula Vista has a shorter distance to travel when the Spartans take on the Morse Tigers as non-league play continues Friday for both local squads.
Granite Hills 40, Hilltop 6
The Lancers (1-4) fell behind, 40-0, as the undefeated Eagles (4-0) celebrated their homecoming with a runaway victory. Granite Hills quarterback Cristopher Ostreng passed for 156 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions while also rushing 13 times for 87 yards and one touchdown.
The Eagles piled up 218 rushing yards and scored three rushing touchdowns in the game. Ethan Raymond rushed seven times for 56 yards and one score while Dylan Rutter had one carry for one yard and a touchdown.
James Johnson caught a 69-yard scoring pass while Christopher Gonzalez had two catches for 45 yards and a score.
Granite Hills led 13-0 at the end of the first quarter and 26-0 at halftime in setting the tone in front of a festive gathering of fans. Raymond tallied 100 all-purpose yards (56 rushing and 46 on kick returns).
The Eagles out-gained Hilltop 374 to 251 in total offensive yards.
Joey Castillo completed 30 of 42 passing attempts for 174 yards in the loss. He was intercepted twice. Javin Deanda completed three of four attempts for 41 yards, including a 11-yard touchdown pass to Lai Zumstein in the fourth quarter.
The Lancers generated just 36 rushing yards on 15 carries. Meanwhile, Marko Aki had eight catches for 86 yards.
Defensively, Hilltop recorded two sacks, eight tackles for a loss, one fumble recovery and two interceptions for an otherwise productive evening. Anthony Paz and Joel Olivares each recorded sacks while Dylan McCoy and Benjamin Reichard each had picks. Oscar Piceno recovered a fumble.
Steele Canyon 25, Otay Ranch 7
The visiting Mustangs (2-3) lost their second consecutive game to dip under the .500 mark. The host Cougars (3-2) found a number of ways to capture the non-league victory, including a 53-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Barnett to Chance Johnson on a broken play and later on a long punt return for a touchdown.
Steele Canyon out-gained Otay Ranch 262 to 153 in total yards. Jonte Stewart completed 12 of 21 passing attempts for 95 yards. The visitors tacked on 58 rushing yards on 20 attempts.
Defensively for the Mustangs, Dylan Zolezzi had one sack, Nathan Castro had one interception and Cameron Galloway had one fumble recovery.
The Mustangs look to re-establish some momentum for league play when they take on host Valhalla on Friday. The Mustangs are winless on the season at 0-4 and have been out-scored 142-34.
Point Loma 45, Olympian 13
For a while, this non-league game was actually somewhat close before the visiting Pointers put a capper on things to improve to 3-2 on the season. Jason Peres threw a 77-yard scoring pass to help get Point Loma’s offense rolling to an early 21-0 lead.
The Pointer defense recovered a fumble inside the 10-yard line to stuff out one potential scoring drive by the host team, which would later storm back to make the score 21-13 at halftime. But the visitors reeled off 24 unanswered points in the second half to nail down the win and, in the process, climb to the top spot in the section’s Division II rankings.
The loss, which dimmed Olympian’s homecoming celebration, dropped Eagles’ record to 1-4 to start the season. Olympian has a tough assignment this Friday at Cathedral Catholic (3-1), ranked second among Division I teams.
Point Loma has a bye week coming up. The Pointers will host University City (4-1) on Sept. 28.
University City is coming off a tight 18-7 non-league win at Mar Vista last Friday.
The game, which served as the Mariners’ homecoming, was scoreless until the waning minutes of the third quarter when UC’s Jimmy Galindo scored on a rushing touchdown. Gunner Grey then hit teammate Jurne Smith on a touchdown pass to expand the lead. The visitors later put the game away on a touchdown run by E’Lonie Ricoh.
Mar Vista quarterback Alex Gutierrez completed seven of nine passing attempts for 104 yards and one touchdown. The Mariners generated 160 yards in rushing offense, including 84 yards on 12 carries by Hasan Spruill, but were held out of the end zone.
Marcus Ramirez led the Imperial Beach team with two catches for 42 yards and one touchdown. He also finished the game with 22 rushing yards. He also had one interceptoin on defense.
The hosts did a great job of holding Centurion superstar Casey Granfors in check but that opened up other weapons for the visitors. Diego Garza led the hosts with 13 tackles. The Mariners racked up four sacks, including three by Damon Thomas.
Mar Vista (3-2) travels to Santana (4-12) for a key Division IV matchup on Friday. The Sultans entered the week third in the division rankings while the Mariners are fourth.
PREP FOOTBALL KICKOFF
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Non-League
Friday, Sept. 14
Bonita Vista 21, Patrick Henry 6
Eastlake 52, Valhalla 0
Sweetwater 35, El Cajon Valley 0
Castle Park 37, Hoover 7
Montgomery 23, Army-Navy Academy 3
Mater Dei Catholic 26, Chula Vista 0
Southwest 49, O’Farrell Charter 0
University City 18, Mar Vista 7
Granite Hills 40, Hilltop 6
Steele Canyon 25, Otay Ranch 7
Point Loma 45, Olympian 13
Kearny 58, San Ysidro 0
Friday, Sept. 21
Hilltop vs. Bonita Vista at Southwestern College, 7 p.m.
Chula Vista at Morse, 7 p.m.
San Ysidro at Francis Parker, 7 p.m.
Castle Park at Crawford, 7 p.m.
Valhalla at Otay Ranch, 7 p.m.
Mar Vista at Santana, 7 p.m.
Southwest at Clairemont, 7 p.m.
Olympian at Cathedral Catholic, 7 p.m.
Eastlake at El Camino, 7 p.m.
Mater Dei Catholic at Oceanside, 7 p.m.
Eight-Man
Friday, Sept. 14
Victory Christian Academy 52, Warner Springs 30
Horizon Prep 13, Ocean View Christian Academy 7
Calvary Christian Academy 60, Borrego Springs 48
Friday, Sept. 21
Ocean View Christian Academy vs. Victory Christian Academy at Mt. Miguel High School, 7 p.m.
MaxPreps/Top 10 RANKINGS
Division I: 1. La Costa Canyon (5-0), 2. Cathedral Catholic (3-1), 3. Torrey Pines (5-0), 4. Helix (2-3), 5. Eastlake (4-1), 6. St. Augustine (4-1), 7. Mission Hills (2-3), 8. Carlsbad (3-2), 9. Madison (4-1), 10. San Marcos (3-1). Others: 13. Otay Ranch (2-3)
Division II: 1. Point Loma (3-2), 2. Vista (4-1), 3. Granite Hills (4-0), 4. Lincoln (5-0), 5. Ramona (3-2), 6. Mira Mesa (4-0), 7. Valley Center (3-2), 8. Poway (3-2), 9. Bishop’s (2-2). 10. San Pasqual (3-2). Others: 11. Olympian (1-4), 12. Bonita Vista (1-4), 13. Mater Dei Catholic (2-3)
Division III: 1. Christian (4-0), 2. Monte Vista (3-1), 3. Central Union (5-0), 4. Brawley (4-1), 5. Santa Fe Christian (3-1), 6. West Hills (4-0), 7. Morse (2-2), 8. University City (4-1), 9. Imperial (3-2), 10. Escondido (3-2). Others. 15. Hilltop (1-4)
Division IV: 1. Kearny (4-0), 2. San Diego (3-1), 3. Santana (4-1), 4. Mar Vista (3-2), 5. Del Norte (3-2), 6. Chula Vista (2-3), 7. La Jolla Country Day (2-3), 8. Coronado (4-1), 9. Classical Academy (3-1), 10. Serra (1-3). Others: 12. Sweetwater (1-4), 14. Montgomery (2-3)
Division V: 1. Francis Parker (5-0), 2. Holtville (4-1), 3. Vincent Memorial (3-1), 4. Tri-City Christian (3-1), 5. Palo Verde Valley (3-2), 6. Maranatha Christian (3-2), 7. Orange Glen (3-1), 8. Mountain Empire (3-2), 9. Castle Park (2-3), 10. Southwest (2-2). Others: 14. San Ysidro (0-5)
Eight-man standings: Calvary Christian Academy 4-0, Victory Christian Academy 1-2, Ocean View Christian Academy 0-3
