In his post-game address to his team, Mater Dei Catholic head coach john Joyner stressed how proud he was of his group and their resiliency to withstand adversity, some of it self-created, in posting a 29-19 victory at Hilltop Friday night in the Metro-South Bay League opener for both teams.
The game was long – three hours, nine minutes – filled with penalties, injuries and a lengthy halftime show on Senior Night. It added up to a grind for both teams with numerous timeouts for water breaks and just to grab a few extra seconds of rest.
The thing that Joyner stressed most was getting the win. The Crusaders have set a goal of winning two championship banners this year. The first would be a league banner; the second would be a CIF banner.
Both are distinct possibilities at this point. But Joyner’s group is going to have shore up the sloppiness it displayed on Friday if the Crusaders are indeed to emerge as champions.
“One-an-oh, each game – that’s all I want you to think about each game the rest of the season,” Joyner told his troops.
Mater Dei Catholic plays at Sweetwater next Friday, then hosts Mar Vista on Nov. 6 in what is shaping up to be this year’s Metro-South Bay League championship game.
Mar Vista defeated visiting Sweetwater, 28-7, in Friday’s other league slate.
Both Mater Dei Catholic and Mar Vista are 7-1 overall, 1-0 in league. Hilltop is 3-5 overall, 0-1 in league, while Sweetwater is 1-7 overall, 0-1 in league.
C.J. Verdell scored two touchdowns, including one on a 75-yard breakaway run the first time the visitors touched the football in the second half. He also scored on an eight-yard run in the second quarter.
Verdell leads the Crusaders with 17 touchdowns in eight games.
Alex Golembiewski got Mater Dei Catholic on the scoreboard first courtesy of 37-yard field goal. Verdell had driven the ball to the four-yard line. But a penalty and ensuing sack pushed the visitors away from the end zone.
The Hilltop defense played well early on, holding the Crusaders without a touchdown on two red zone trips.
The Lancers, in fact, took a 7-3 lead on a 20-yard scoring pass from Alex Tejeda to Gus Ferreira midway through the second quarter. But Mater Dei Catholic came right back to re-take the lead on a 60-yard touchdown catch by Eli Shelton.
Shelton remains the team’s deep threat wonder. The catch was just his sixth of the season but his fifth for a touchdown.
Hilltop blocked the PAT attempt and the Crusaders had to settle for a 9-7 lead at halftime in a gritty showing by both teams.
The second half featured much more scoring, some lengthy injury timeouts and an excessive amount of yellow flags.
Verdell’s breakaway run down the sideline with 8:20 left in the third quarter made the score 15-7 after the PAT conversion missed wide.
The hosts remained in the ballgame, however, and drew to within two points on the scoreboard when Angel Pineda scored on a one-yard run with 8:07 to play in the quarter. The Lancers went for the two-point conversion but were stopped short of the goal line, leaving the Crusaders holding onto a 15-13 lead.
Mater Dei Catholic then pulled away as the physical nature of the game took its toll. Verdell made the score 22-13 with his second TD run and Quentin Frazier scored on a 45-yard punt return to up the score to 29-13 with 4:36 left in the game.
Hilltop didn’t give up and managed to draw closer on the scoreboard when Luis Hernandez caught a 16-yard touchdown pass with 1:00 remaining. The Lancers again failed on the two-point conversion try.
MDC quarterback Chris Jones has now thrown 11 touchdown passes without an interception on the season. The punt return for a touchdown was the second for Frazier this season while Golembiewski now has successfully made four field goals in six attempts.
“We made some big plays and our big boy line stood up,” Joyner said.
For Hilltop, Tejeda has now thrown five touchdown passes against eight picks. The touchdown was the third of the season for Pineda while Mendoza made his first TD catch this season.
Junior defensieve end/nose guard Micah Scott was the first Crusader to come off the field, followed by sophomore tackle/tight end Nicholas Dell’acqua, who finished the game on crutches on the sideline.
A big loss for the Lancers was senior defensive back/halfback Dylan Trenga, the team’s leader in all-purpose yards, who sat out the second half of the game with an injury.
By the numbers
Both teams piled up a fair amount of yards in the game — 355 by Mater Dei Catholic and 303 by Hilltop.
Jones completed 12 of 25 passing attempts for 226 yards while Verdell rushed 11 times for 115 yards while making one catch for 21 yards to finish with 136 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.
Shelton had seven catches for 111 yards while Frazier had one catch for 55 yards. Frazier also averaged 22.5 yards on kick returns, with one fair catch and one return of 45 yards.
Mater Dei Catholic’s defense was downright bullish. Jayden Emberton-Gaines led the Crusaders with 19 total tackles while Mario Williams had 10 stops and both Ruben Duran and Elias Eribez each had nine tackles.
As a team, the Crusaders recorded seven sacks, led by Isaiah Faue with two sacks and one each by Williams, Pedro Chavez, Chris Escobar, Micah Short and Emberton-Gaines.
The visitors also recorded nine pass deflections in the game.
Hilltop’s Tejeda completed 11 of 26 passing attempts for 139 yards with two touchdowns. He also rushed 10 times for 43 yards.
Pineda had 29 carries for 124 rushing yards and one touchdown while Hernandez had three catches for 43 yards. Jaime Mendoza had two catches for 38 yards while Ferreira had two catches for 28 yards and Neiko Santana had two catches for 23 yards.
Mendoza also totaled 36 yards on two kick-off returns.
Mar Vista tops Sweetwater, 28-7, to start 1-0 in league
The Mariners (7-1 overall) broke open a relatively close game against visiting Sweetwater (1-7 overall) with two second-half touchdowns to win by three scores in the Metro-South Bay League opener for both teams.
Michael Wilson finished the game with two passing scores – one each to Alejandro Sosa and Xavier Williams — while Khalil Spruill (four carries, 65 yards) and Noah Berry (nine carries, 82 yards) each scored on breakaway runs to account for Mar Vista’s scoring.
“It was a solid win for us as Sweetwater had beaten us the past two years,” MVHS head coach Tyler Arciaga explained. “I thought our defense played well and contained the big plays from the Sweetwater rushing attack. I thought Michael Wilson has stepped up well into his role at quarterback and has improved in the passing game and his on-field leadership.
“Noah Berry has stepped up well as a running back while Khalil Spruill was sidelined. Our offensive line has done a good job and helping average 230 yards on the ground.”
Wilson opened the scoring in the game on a 26-yard touchdown pass to Sosa, followed by a 58-yard scoring run by Spruill.
Oscar Gutierrez scored on a nine-yard run in the second quarter to allow the Red Devils to cut into the Mariners’ early 14-0 lead. But the hosts had an answer for that when Wilson connected with Williams (three catches, 70 yards) for a 40-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Berry then scored an insurance touchdown on a 53-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Wilson completed five of 10 passing attempts for 110 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed seven times for 48 yards.
The Mariners amassed 355 total yards to Sweetwater’s 238 total yards. Mar Vista rushed 26 times for 245 yards while the Red Devils had 50 carries for 236 yards.
Gutierrez paced SuHi with 14 carries for 69 yards while Alexander Alanis had 53 yards on six carries. Alfredo Ulloa gained 49 yards on 17 carries while Francisco Velazaquez had 44 yards on six carries.
Sweetwater’s Manuel Salazar completed one of three passes for just two yards.
Jakari Lowe led the visitors with 12 total tackles, Leonardo Soto had one sack, Velazquez had one fumble recovery and Alejandro Jenkins had one interception.
Two years ago, Hilltop and Mar Vista played for the Metro-South Bay League championship, with the visiting Lancers winning on the last play of the game.
“We play a tough Hilltop team and it is always a battle with them — don’t be fooled by their record,” Arciaga noted. “They do a lot of different things on offense and special teams that we need to prepare for. We need to have a strong showing this week to give us momentum for final part of the season and the playoffs.”
Extra points
Greg Bell scored three touchdowns in Bonita Vista’s clutch 32-13 Metro-Mesa League victory at Olympian. The Barons improved to 2-0 in league play and own undisputed rights to first place at the moment. The Eagles dropped to 1-2 in league play, 5-3 on the season.
Eastlake moved closer to the .500 mark with a big 28-7 win at Otay Ranch in the teams’ Battle of the Burbs rivalry game. The Titans are now 2-1 in Metro-Mesa League play, 4-5 overall, after handing the Mustangs (1-1, 4-4) their first league loss.
Metro-South Bay League
Season Statistical leaders
Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders
Passing: Chris Jones 1,105 yards, 11 touchdowns, 0 interceptions (125.3 QB rating)
Rushing: C.J. Verdell 93 carries for 1,057 yards, 14 touchdowns
Receiving: Eli Shelton 12 catches for 304 yards, 5 touchdowns
Touchdowns: C.J. Verdell 17
Kicking points: Alex Golembiewski 48
Tackles: Jayden Emberton-Gaines 82
Sacks: Mario Williams 7
Interceptions: Jovan Bayless 4
Fumble recoveries: Austin Keller, Ruben Duran, Kyle Moses 1 each
Hilltop Lancers
Passing: Alex Tejeda 954 yards, 5 touchdowns, 8 interceptions
Rushing: Dylan Trenga 72 carries for 328 yards, 3 touchdowns
Receiving: Luis Hernandez 25 catches for 415 yards, 2 touchdowns
Touchdowns: Dylan Trenga 5
Kicking points: Emilio Ugarte 14
Tackles: Domonic Esparza 36
Sacks: Andrew Rivera 7
Interceptions: Domonic Esparza, Frederic Soto-Saenz, Emilio Ugarte 1 each
Fumble recoveries: Cristian Llanes, David Corona, Andrew Rivera 1 each
Mar Vista Mariners
Passing: Michael Wilson 438 yards, 5 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
Rushing: Khalil Spruill 57 carries for 608 yards, 8 touchdowns
Receiving: Paden Hazuga 13 catches for 138 yards
Touchdowns: Khalil Spruill 8
Kicking points: Abe Sanchez 22
Tackles: Jacob Hinojosa 22
Sacks: Hugh Anthony 3
Interceptions: Paden Hazuga, Michael Wilson, Noah Berry 1 each
Sweetwater Red Devils
Passing: Manuel Salazar 154 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions (85.7 QB rating)
Rushing: Alredo Ulloa 74 carries for 568 yards, 3 touchdowns
Receiving: Alfredo Ulloa 3 catches for 101 yards, 3 touchdowns
Touchdowns: Alfredo Ulloa 6
Kicking points: Francisco Velazquez 12
Tackles: Jakari Lowe 72
Sacks: Joel Ojeda, Issac Piche 2 each
Interceptions: Trevor Talbert 2
Fumble recoveries: David Hernandez, Francisco Velazquez, Adrielle Lagda, Roque Espinoza 1 each
Prep Football Scoreboard
Metro-Mesa League Standings
Bonita Vista Barons 2-0, 6-2
Eastlake Titans 2-1, 4-5
Olympian Eagles 1-2, 5-3
Otay Ranch Mustangs 1-1, 4-4
Chula Vista Spartans 0-2, 1-7
Friday, Oct. 23
Eastlake 28, Otay Ranch 7
Bonita Vista 32, Olympian 13
Metro-South Bay League Standings
Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders 1-0, 7-1
Mar Vista Mariners 1-0, 7-1
Hilltop Lancers 0-1, 3-5
Sweetwater Red Devils 0-1, 1-7
Friday, Oct. 23
Mater Dei Catholic 29, Hilltop 19
Mar Vista 28, Sweetwater 7
Metro-Pacific League Standings
Castle Park Trojans 1-0, 4-4
Montgomery Aztecs 1-0, 1-7
San Ysidro Cougars 0-1, 0-7
Southwest Raiders 0-1, 0-8
Friday, Oct. 23
Castle Park 34, San Ysidro 0
Montgomery 23, Southwest 16 (OT)
