The Eastlake High School football team entered this season with one of the toughest schedules in the San Diego Section, certainly among Metro Conference teams. The Titans posted a 1-4 record while navigating a course through teams ranked in the section’s weekly top 10 poll.
It didn’t necessarily get any easier last Friday night at Chula Vista High School when Eastlake broke away from a tight match-up against the host Spartans to collect a 37-13 non-league victory.
The win raised the Titans record to 2-4 entering Metro-Mesa League play; Chula Vista dropped to 3-3 on the season.
“It’s a fine line between playing a tough schedule and selling it to the team and not losing morale,” EHS head coach Dean Tropp explained.
The visitors held the upper hand throughout most of the game, though the win was not cemented until the Titans racked up three second-half touchdowns after Chula Vista had narrowed the score to 16-13 at halftime.
Quarterback Alfredo Garcia scored on a three-yard run with 8:14 to play in the third quarter. A successful two-point conversion made the score 24-13 in the Titans’ favor.
Eastlake tacked on two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Jayln Jackson hauled in an 84-yard catch-and-carry with 8:18 to play in the game. The extra-point conversion was not successful but the visitors led 30-13 on the scoreboard.
The Spartans never gave up throughout the game and made four fourth-down conversions in the game to keep drives going.
But one potentially promising second-half drive didn’t end so promising after Eastlake’s Declan Fernandez intercepted a pass and carried the ball deep into Chula Vista territory.
Evan Farrage capped the drive by catching a 10-yard touchdown pass with 4:08 remaining in the contest. The PAT conversion made the final score 37-13.
Tropp told his team after the game that the team that can make adjustments at halftime wins football games.
“We struggled the first half and needed to eliminate our defensive mistakes,” Tropp said. “We had a great second half (outscoring the hosts 21-0). Chula Vista’s a tough team. We knew we were going to be in for a battle with them.”
The Spartans, in fact, scored the game’s opening touchdown when Sergio Figueroa caught a four-yard pass from CV quarterback Paul Escobar to go up 7-0.
But the Titans quickly responded as Chris Pleman caught a 38-yard scoring pass from Garcia. The missed extra-point conversion, however, left the Spartans with a 7-6 lead.
An interception by Micah Pietila-Wiggs set up a 23-yard field goal by Camden Beckhelm to put the Titans in front for the first time in the contest at 9-7.
Eastlake took a 16-7 lead when Rayshawn Parks-Price later scored on a seven-yard.
Cameron O’Neal rewarded the Spartans after converting a fourth-down play by catching an eight-yard scoring pass with 27 seconds left in the first half.
But the hosts could not solve the visitors’ defense in the second half. Besides Fernandez’s interception, Robby Hughes also recovered a fumble and advanced the ball deep into CV territory.
Eastlake’s Garcia proved an elusive catch for Spartan defenders in the second half as he reeled off several big impromptu gains.
With a confidence boost, the Titans now embark on league play with an upcoming game Friday, Oct. 7 at Olympian, which has a 3-3 non-league record while also playing a challenging schedule in the first half of the season.
The Eagles dropped a 27-24 overtime match-up to visiting Point Loma on Sept. 23 and came up short by a score of 49-13 to 10th-ranked Grossmont last Friday.
Tropp is hoping his squad’s first-half schedule has toughened his team both physically and mentally for what lies ahead.
“Four of our five games to this point had been against teams ranked in the top 10, and I wouldn’t say it gets any easier,” Tropp explained. “There are some tough teams here in the South Bay.”
Eastlake’s victory was tempered by a knee injury to senior defensive back Micah Mendillo, who left the game in the first quarter. Mendillo had been touted as a potential defensive player of the year award-winner.
The final score was not indicative of the effort put forth by the host team, which remained only a turnover or two away from seizing the victory.
Chula Vista head coach Daryl Butterfield remains proud of his team.
“I love the tenacity of these guys,” the CVHS coach explained. “We still have our solid core kids with us and they’re still fighting to the end. We’re not finished winning games.”
Chula Vista hosts undefeated El Cajon Valley (5-0) in its next game before entering Metro-South Bay League play.
After the effort against the Titans, the Spartans have to be considered a strong candidate to win the championship.
“Every one of those league games is going to be a tough game,” Butterfield said. “But if we play up to our potential, we’ll be right there.”
Prep Football Scoreboard
Friday, Sept. 30
Non-League
Eastlake 37, Chula Vista 13
Otay Ranch 26, Lincoln 6
Mater Dei Catholic 41, Mission Hills 14
Helix 21, Bonita Vista 6
Sweetwater 42, Serra 38
Murrieta Mesa 40, San Ysidro 6
Santana 49, Mar Vista 35
Hilltop 41, Escondido 27
Orange Glen 46, Montgomery 0
San Pasqual 57, Castle Park 0
Calexico 53, Southwest 26
EIGHT MAN
Friday, Sept. 30
San Pasqual Academy defeated Ocean View Christian Academy by forfeit
Saturday, Oct. 1
Chula Vista Calvary Christian Academy 43, Animo Leadership 0
Metro Conference Standings
Metro-Mesa League
Mater Dei Catholic 0-0, 4-1
Olympian Eagles 0-0, 3-3
Eastlake 0-0, 2-4
Otay Ranch 0-0, 2-4
Bonita Vista 0-0, 0-5
Metro-South Bay League
Hilltop Lancers 0-0, 4-2
Mar Vista Mariners 0-0, 3-2
Chula Vista Spartans 0-0, 3-3
Sweetwater Red Devils 0-0, 1-4
Metro-Pacific League
Southwest Raiders 0-0, 2-4
Montgomery Aztecs 0-0, 1-5
San Ysidro Cougars 0-0, 1-5
Castle Park Trojans 0-0, 0-5
Metro Conference/
South County Playoff Tracker
Division I
Eastlake 2-4
Division II
Mater Dei Catholic 4-1
Olympian 3-3
Otay Ranch 2-4
Bonita Vista 0-5
Division III
Hilltop 4-2
Chula Vista 3-3
Sweetwater 1-4
Division IV
Mar Vista 3-2
Castle Park 0-5
Division V
Southwest 2-4
Lutheran 1-3
Montgomery 1-5
San Ysidro 1-5
Eight-Man
Chula Vista Calvary Christian Academy 2-4
Ocean View Christian Academy 0-4
