The 2023 high school football season kicked off last weekend. All 13 Metro Conference teams were in action with five teams coming off the gridiron with victories.
In a game played on Aug. 17, Bonita Vista and Castle Park got the jump on everyone with a Thursday night encounter that ended 34-12 in favor of the host Barons, who made history with their first-ever home game in their new on-campus stadium.
The Barons built a relatively quick 14-0 lead but were challenged by an undermanned Trojan squad from there as the hosts eventually posted the non-league victory in the first varsity football game ever played on the BVHS campus.
“First off, Castle Park had a ton of heart,” Bonita Vista head coach Tyler Arciaga said. “They suited up less than 25 guys and battled all the way till the very end.
“We had a lot of costly penalties that netted almost 200 yards and a touchdown off the board. It’s the first game and so we struggled in some different areas, but I was proud of the way the guys finished. Our offensive line did a great job blocking, led by seniors, Kelly Brown, Aiden Provencio, Nico Pina, and Sebastuan Flores along with sophomore Nick Edwards. They paved the way for Caden Ada to have over 200 yards rushing and four touchdowns.”
As the new on-campus complex was formally dedicated last spring, there was no official ribbon-cutting for the Aug. 17 game. But an overflow crowd gave testament to the excitement of seeing the Barons up close on their home turf.
“It was a great atmosphere to have the first home game at Bonita Vista in school history,” Arciaga added. “Our band, cheerleaders, dance team and student section were great and provided a fantastic home atmosphere.
“We have a big week this week as we travel to Hawaii and play Kalani High School on the island of Oahu. While we plan to do some sightseeing and cultural immersion, I hope our team can focus and have a business mentality in preparation for the game despite traveling over 2,500 miles.”
Senior Caden Ada-Tannehill rushed 15 times for 212 yards and scored four rushing touchdowns to spearhead the Bonita Vista offensive attack while junior Kenneth Jordan rushed twice for 13 yards and scored one touchdown.
Senior Sebastian Lozano carried the ball 16 times for 106 yards for Castle Park while senior Diego Sandoval (four carries, 20 yards) and junior Dillan Villareal (80 yards passing, 28 yards rushing) each scored one rushing touchdown. Additionally, senor Nicholas Lopez had eight catches for 80 yards.
The Trojans, who were missing eight players to start the season, still showed their potential by rolling up 330 yards in total offense.
BV junior quarterback Isayah Luna completed five of seven passing attempts for 61 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions while also rushing three times for 12 yards.
Luna targeted five receivers, all with one catch. Junior Hayden McMackin caught one pass for 18 yards while senior Julian Ramirez had one catch for 17 yards. Senior Austin Snook had one catch for 16 yards that set up the game’s first touchdown.
Senior Jayden Peterson caught one aerial for seven yards while senior Julian Cota had a three-yard reception.
Cota also rushed three times for 45 yards while Peterson had one carry for 13 yards. Junior Richie Rojas collected four kicking points.
In games played last Friday, Aug. 18:
Hilltop 27, Valhalla 21
The visiting Lancers pulled out a cliff-hanger to start the season 1-0.
“We squeaked out the win by stopping Valhalla’s offense late in the game,” Hilltop head coach Bryan Wagner said. “They came out with an offense that we hadn’t seen and we had trouble throughout the game with it. Our boys stood up to the challenge and came through. Offensively, we were very efficient. We only had 23 plays on offense, and we made them count!”
Senior Isaac Nones completed seven of 11 passes for 196 yards with three touchdowns (55, 12 and 82 yards) and rushed five times for 83 yards, including a 67-yard run for a touchdown, to key the Lancers. Senior Isaac Meza had three receptions for 149 yards — all touchdowns.
Freddy Fleck and Santi Mendez were Hilltop’s defensive players of the game.
Hilltop led 13-0 after the first quarter and 13-7 at halftime. Both teams scored in the third quarter to make the score 20-14 and both teams scored touchdowns in the fourth quarter to keep them at arm’s length until the final buzzer.
Junior Isaac Meza had two catches for 40 yards while sophomore Manny Pablos had three extra-point kicks.
Senior Braxton Estes completed four of eight passing attempts for 66 yards with one touchdown and one interception for the host Norsemen. Junior Evan Hanulak caught a 30-yard scoring pass while seniors Dominic Silva (25 carries, 173 yards) and Jaylen Cruz (four carries, 29 yards) each scored one rushing touchdown.
Cruz also had one interception on defense while sophomore Anderson Turner had three kicking points.
Southwest 9, Tri-City Christian 7
The Raiders started off 1-0 with a hard-fought road win. Newcomer Justice Pigee rushed for 70 yards, threw for 70 yards and scored once on the ground. Freshman kicker Jose Luis Rosales hit a 23-yard field goal to win it with 11 seconds remaining in the game.
Mt. Carmel 28, Otay Ranch 27
Senior Oluwatolani (Tolani) Osinfolarin (25 carries, 198 yards) and senior Kenyon Burnett (nine carries, 85 yards) each scored two touchdowns for the visiting Mustangs while junior Joseph Brinkman recorded two sacks and two tackles for a loss.
The difference in the game was a blocked extra-point conversion with four minutes remaining in the contest. Otay Ranch got a reprieve in the dying seconds for a potential game-winning field goal attempt but the play was botched on a bad snap.
Otay Ranch generated 372 rushing yards compared to 34 passing yards in the non-league match-up. Junior Tyler Geasland completed five of 14 passing attempts while rushing three times for 29 yards. Senior Isaac Lopez caught three of those passes for 18 yards and also had 25 rushing yards on seven carries Julian Millan had two carries for 18 yards while junior Johnnie Wellborne had two carries for 15 yards.
Seniors Ricardo Aquilar and Jaiden Ingram each had 10 tackles to lead the defense while sophomore David Smith had nine tackles. Junior Alejandro Farias had three kicking points.
Chula Vista 48, La Jolla Country Day 26
The host Spartans pushed aside grieving tears with the emotional non-league win over the Torreys. Senior running back Paul Alvarez honored the memory of his late mother by placing his team on his back with 100 rushing yards on 24 carries and three touchdowns (seven, one and 25 yards).
Junior La’Darrione Perkins had a big night on defense with a team-leading nine tackles, one sack and two interceptions while junior Joshua Gogue-Rios (seven tackles) returned one pick 35 yards for a touchdown.
Chula Vista unleashed several weapons from its arsenal as junior quarterback Izaac Baca (259 total yards) completed 12 of 27 passing attempts for 209 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while rushing six times for 50 yards. Junior Elijah Gillespie had six catches for 160 yards with two touchdowns.
Senior Ahman Mitchell scored on an 82-yard kickoff return while sophomore Carlos Echevarria recorded six kicking points on three extra-point conversions and a 14-yard field goal. Senior Franky Olmedo had three sacks.
Mar Vista 34, O’Farrell Charter 6
The visiting Mariners got off to a strong start against the still fledgling Falcons as junior quarterback Peter Thomas, playing in his first varsity start, completed 17 of 21 passes for 337 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore Ciontai Fewell had seven catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns while junior Ben Moya (five catches, 93 yards) scored on a 55-yard run.
The Falcons, who generated 205 rushing yards and 14 passing yards, lost three fumbles in the game. Junior Saina Tafielle keyed the hosts with 14 carries for 135 yards and one touchdown.
Coronado 22, Montgomery 21
It came down to the final drive for the host Islanders to snatch victory from the apparent jaws of defeat as senior Graham Bower scored on a one-yard run with 28 seconds remaining in regulation and junior Landon Sutherland tacked on the game-winning extra-point conversion.
The loss overshadowed 105 rushing yards and 95 passing yards from sophomore Andie Deanda, who passed for one touchdown and ran for another. Senior Diego Villanueva passed for 112 yards and one touchdown while senior Jose Guadalupe rushed for 83 yards. Junior Royal Iapala netted 95 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, senior Mike Mohr had seven tackles, including one for a loss, and sophomore Isaac Espinosa and senior Franky Molina each recorded one sack. Iapala, along with senior Dalaias Garcia and junior Raul Moreno, each had one interception. Mohr and senior Franky Molina each had one fumble recovery.
Bower finished the game with 122 rushing yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions on defense.
Cathedral Catholic 55, Mater Dei Catholic 14
The host Dons scored eight touchdowns in routing the two-time defending state champion Crusaders, who saw their 11-game winning streak crash down with the non-league loss. Cathedral Catholic led, 13-7, after the first quarter and pulled away by out-scoring Mater Dei Catholic, 22-0, in the second quarter for a 35-7 halftime lead.
For the Dons, senior Jack Stevens passed for 200 yards and three touchdowns while junior Jake Funderburg (four carries, four yards), senior Matthew Hammond (three carries, 75 yards) and senior Ethan Ford (15 carries, 122 yards) each scored one rushing touchdown. Junior Anthony Taylor (one catch, 40 yards), senior Ty Jude Cortes (two catches, 48 yards) and senior Charlie Abts (three catches. 57 yards) each had one touchdown reception.
Defensively, the hosts recorded two sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Junior Jonathan Solomon and freshman Landon Hart both scored touchdowns on fumble recoveries. Solomon recovered a blocked punt just 40 seconds into the game to put the hosts on the scoreboard.
Crusader senior Anthony McMillian Jr., a SDSU commit, was limited to 57 rushing yards on 13 carries. However, senior teammate Isaiah Buxton returned a blocked field goal attempt 70 yards for a touchdown.
Mater Dei Catholic next plays at Carlsbad (1-0) on Saturday, Aug. 26. The Lancers enter the high-profile encounter ranked 11th in the state.
Westview 35, Olympian 14
Tied 7-7 at halftime, the visiting Wolverines clawed their way to 28 second-half points to record the non-league victory. Senior Ceejay Clavier and junior Josue Vargas each scored one touchdown for the host Eagles while senior Matthew Latimer led the Olympian defense with 11 tackles, including seven solo hits.
The Eagles tandem of sophomore Jayden Fuentes (eight completions, 73 yards) and junior Isaac Powell (eight completions, 98 yards) combined for 171 passing yards in the setback. Senior A.J. Cadriel had five catches for 57 yards while sophomore Sean Zebayle rushed 15 times for 46 yards.
The Eagles next play at Grossmont (1-0) on Thursday, Aug. 24. The Foothillers are coming off a 34-14 non-league win over visiting San Diego to hand new head coach Anthony Lawrence a win in his first game directing his alma mater.
Apple Valley 25, Eastlake 0
The visiting Titans were held to 109 total yards in the shutout loss – 78 rushing yards and 31 passing yards. Junior Kingston Schaaf led the visitors with 55 rushing yards on five carries, including one burst measuring 40 yards.
Senior Blake Schweer had 12 tackles, including three for losses, while Schaaf had 11 tackles, including four for losses. Sophomore Tyler Balko completed three of five passes for 18 yards behind center. Senior Michael Martin had two catches for 16 yards.
Eastlake will attempt to get into the win column by hosting Capistrano Valley in a non-league game on Friday.
Kearny 27, San Ysidro 12
The visiting Cougars led, 6-0, at halftime but were outscored 28-6 in the second half in absorbing their first loss of the season.
Sophomore Nathan Lintag rushed 12 times for 137 yards and one touchdown for San Ysidro while sophomore Dario Garcia passed for 42 yards and rushed for 40 yards and one touchdown.
However, the Cougar defense had to contend with Kearny junior quarterback Brodie Stump, who passed for 223 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for an additional 21 yards for 244 total yards in the non-league game.
Matadors pounce on early SuHi miscues, ring up 48-14 season opening win
The Mount Miguel Matadors, braced by a new coaching staff anxious to make its mark, enter the 2023 high school football season with much promise.
Certainly, the Matadors did little wrong in last Friday’s 48-14 non-league victory at Sweetwater High School in National City in the season opener for both teams.
The game was a near repeat for last year’s 42-0 runaway win over a mistake-prone Sweetwater team.
The result obviously has to please new Mt. Miguel head coach Verlain Betofe, who enters his first season with the Matadors after winning four state titles as an assistant coach (two with Madison and the past two with Mater Dei Catholic).
Last Friday’s win was the first for Betofe in his first game as varsity head coach.
“The standard is always going to be set high for me,” Betofe acknowledged. “Our goal is to win a CIF championship. I want everyone on the team to believe and know that every game they are in that they have what it takes to win it.”
Key players on this year’s team include senior quarterback Matthew Barton, senior receiver/cornerback Jeremiah Castillo, senior running back/receiver/free safety Davian McGowan, senior running back Caprece Pressley, senior outside linebacker Eric White and freshman receiver/free safety Delontay Williams, the team’s impact newcomer.
Barton passed for 2,298 yards with 31 touchdowns last season while Castillo finished as the top receiver in the San Diego Section with 1,432 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Both players appeared to pick up right from where they left off.
Barton completed 14 of 25 passes for 272 yards with three touchdowns while rushing twice for 90 yards and one touchdown.
Castillo had four receptions for 78 yards and one touchdown and one two-point conversion while making an interception on defense.
White scored Mt. Miguel’s first touchdown in the game on a three-yard catch and would go on to lead the defense with 10 tackles, including one for a loss.
Pressley scored on a five-yard run early in the game to make the score 12-0 in favor of the visitors and later scored on a blocked punt, falling on the ball in the end zone to hike the score to 26-0 with 40.8 seconds left in the opening quarter. He also had two two-point conversions to his credit.
Williams also scored two touchdowns in the game while making four catches for 92 yards. He made six tackles on defense.
McGowan, who had two receptions for 29 yards, scored on a 15-yard touchdown run with 3:17 remaining in the first quarter to make the score 20-0. He also had eight tackles on defense, including one for a loss.
Senior outside linebacker/receiver Hector Armenta logged eight tackles, two sacks, one tackle for a loss and one blocked punt to go with seven receiving yards.
Senior receiver/free safety Jordan Shane had one interception on defense.
Senior Tyler Lopez had five tackles, including one for a loss.
The Matadors went up 6-0 just 2:54 into the game on the short pass from Barton to White. A big run by Castillo set up the play.
Mt. Miguel quickly flipped the score to 12-0 on Pressley’s TD scamper with 6:43 left in the opening quarter.
A bad snap by Sweetwater put the Matadors in scoring position at the 27-yard line. McGowan’s run flipped the scoreboard clock again. Another bad snap by the hosts forced a punt from deep in SuHi territory. Armenta rushed the punter and blocked the kick that Pressley recovered in the end zone.
The visitors tacked on eight more points to start the second quarter as Williams caught a 21-yard scoring pass to go with a two-point conversion. Mt. Miguel led 34-0 with 11:39 still left in the first half.
Joining the Mt. Miguel coaching staff are defensive assistants Isiah Olave and Aaron Jones. Olave prepped at Eastlake High School before attending UC Davis where he was an All-Big Sky third team selection in 2018.
Jones, who comes over from Mater Dei Catholic, and Betofe won two state titles together at Madison and two at Mater Dei Catholic for a total of four between them.
“It was great,” Betofe said. “I’ve been fortunate to win four state titles in 10 years.”
Sweetwater did not necessarily go down quietly. The Red Devils rushed for 240 yards, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. But the early ravishing by the Matadors tipped the score in their disfavor.
Senior Carlos Delgado keyed SuHi with 78 yards on six carries, an average of 13 yards per carry, while senior Izell Wright had 12 carries for 76 yards. Senior Xzavier Crews had five carries for 32 yards while junior Zaryan Crews had five carries for 25 yards.
Sweetwater quarterback Kenny Fulhgam, who was left scrambling for most of the game, completed one of five passing attempts for 24 yards (to Xzavier Crews) but was intercepted twice Zaryan Crews topped the defense with four tackles, including three unassisted tackles while senior Ryan Guerra (two solo stops) and Wright both had three tackles.
Next up for the Matadors is Friday’s non-league home game against the Chula Vista Spartans, who kicked off the new season on a winning note with a 48-26 victory against visiting La Jolla Country Day (0-1).
Sweetwater will attempt to regroup with a road game at road game at Santana (1-0) on Friday. The Sultans roared out of the gate with a 40-21 non-league win against visiting Canyon Hills last Friday.
Prep Football Scoreboard
Thursday, Aug. 17
- Bonita Vista 34, Castle Park 12
- Mt. Carmel 28, Otay Ranch 27
- Westview 35, Olympian 14
Friday; Aug. 18
•Mt. Miguel 48, Sweetwater 12
- Chula Vista 48, La Jolla Country Day 26
- Hilltop 27, Valhalla 21
- Coronado 22, Montgomery 21
- Mar Vista 34, O’Farrell Charter 6
- Kearny 27, San Ysidro 12
- Southwest 9, Tri-City Christian 7
- Apple Valley 25, Eastlake 0
- Cathedral Catholic 55, Mater Dei Catholic 14
East County teams kick off prep football season with a bang
High school football fans can finally rejoice! The 2023 season has finally kicked off … and kicked off with a proverbial bang.
In a show of force, all six Grossmont Hills League teams won their season openers. Overall, eight Easy County teams tasted victory coming out of the chute.
In a game played on Thursday, Aug. 17, Santana defeated Canyon Hills by a score of 40-21.
In games played last Friday, Aug. 18, Grossmont defeated San Diego, 34-14, while Steele Canyon defeated Heritage, 42-15, West Hills doubled up Imperial, 14-7, and Helix out-scored Edison 38-34.
In a game played on Saturday, Aug. 19, Granite Hills made its 2023 season debut a victorious one 27-17 over visiting Mission Hills.
The opening weekend was exceptionally successful for East County teams as Mt. Miguel won 48-14 at Sweetwater and El Capitan defeated Valley Center, 47-18, in another pair of non-league match-ups.
Star power
Defending Grossmont Valley League champion El Capitan kicked off its season with record-setting performances by junior quarterback Brandt Barker (seven touchdown passes) and senior receiver Chance LaChappa (four touchdown catches).
“The team played hard all game and we got some big plays early on to help propel us,” Vaqueros head coach Ron Burner said. “Great team win.”
Barker completed 22 of 30 passes for 320 yards; his seven touchdowns in one game ties a team record previously set by Tanner Rust in a 2007 game against Santana.
LaChappa (seven catches, 168 yards) tied the school record co-held by A.J. Conti (2006 against St. Augustine) and Tila Case (2007 against Santana.
Senior Shune Hayes had three quarterback sacks to lead the El Cap defense, which also received one pick each by LaChappa and G.T. Taylor.
Senior Ryland Jessee passed for 245 yards and two second-half touchdowns and senior Kevin Allen III rushed for 102 yards and two scores and also scored on a 73-yard kick-off return as visiting Helix held on for the key non-league win against an Edison team ranked 31st in the state.
Sophomore Jake Williams had two catches for 74 yards while senior Kyzza Matovu (two catches, 39 yards) and senior Jackson Daniels (three catches, 18 yards) both made touchdown grabs.
The Highlander defense, paced by two picks by Jessee, made a late interception to run out the clock. Senior Charlie Carlson tacked on eight kicking points.
In Santana’s win, senior Trent Taylor scored on a receiving touchdown and 80-yard kick-off return while senior Dylan Borcher scored on a 40-yard interception return and senior Linden Benson and sophomore Jayden Goldman each scored one rushing touchdown.
Seniors Collin Dill (six rushes, 31 yards) and Diego Calderon (30 receiving yards, seven rushing yards) each scored one rushing touchdown to lead West Hills.
East County Scoreboard
Non-League
Thursday, Aug. 17
Santana 40, Canyon Hills 21
Mission Bay 31, Christian 19
Friday, Aug. 18
Mt. Miguel 48, Sweetwater 14
Grossmont 34, San Diego 14
Hilltop 27, Valhalla 21
El Capitan 47, Valley Center 18
Crawford 35, El Cajon Valley 6
Vincent Memorial 29, Monte Vista 13
Steele Canyon 42, Heritage 15
West Hills 14, Imperial 7
Helix 38, Edison 34
Hoover 52, Mountain Empire 14
Saturday, Aug. 19
Granite Hills 27, Mission Hills 17
