New territory has been charted for both the Olympian Eagles and Sweetwater Red Devils as members of the Metro-South Bay League after both teams won their league openers last week.
The Eagles (3-5 overall, 1-0 in league) will host the Red Devils (3-5, 1-0 in league) on Friday for sole possession of first place in the league standings. The winner will assure itself of at least a league co-championship.
“We’re looking forward to a league championship showdown versus Sweetwater High School,” Olympian head coach Brad Carter said. “They have great running backs and a stingy defense that we will have to be prepared for. We are excited to welcome them to the Eagles Nest for the challenge.”
Olympian opened league play with a dominant 36-14 win at Hilltop.
Sophomore quarterback Jayden Fuentes passed for 108 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while senior Coby Dunn rushed for 137 yards.
Senior Jake Marcial had five catches for 69 yards and two receiving scores while also rushing for 48 yards and scoring one rushing touchdown. He amassed 136 all-purpose yards while tacking on 19 kick return yards.
Junior Josue Vargas also scored one rushing touchdown in the winning effort.
The visiting Eagles had to come from behind to score the win, however. The Lancers built an early lead on a double pass play that saw senior quarterback Isaac Nones haul in a 46-yard catch-and-carry from senior Nick Moore to surprise the Hilltop homecoming crowd.
Moore later caught pass from junior Knecko Vasquez, who completed seven of 13 attempts for 98 yards. Nones connected on just four of 18 attempts with one interception.
The Olympian defense produced a dominant effort. Senior cornerback Isiah Grissom had two interceptions while senior cornerback Aidan Ibarra had one pick. Senior defensive end Matthew Latimer helped seal the game with a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the third quarter.
Sweetwater’s 55-20 thumping of the visiting Montgomery Aztecs elevated the Red Devils to the No.1 ranking among the section’s Division V teams.
“We had a great week of practice, and our kids knew how big of a league game this was,” Sweetwater head coach Ervin Hernandez said. It showed up in the stats with four guys over 100 yards and over 600 yards rushing. This was another game without a turnover on offense, so the kids have emphasized ball security and taking pride in that.
“Our focus is now on Olympian and it’s going to be a competitive game.”
SuHi out-gained Montgomery 657-264 in total yards. The National City team steamrollered the visitors with 603 rushing yards on 44 carries. The Devils attempted five passes, completing three for 54 yards.
Junior quarterback Zaryan Crews rushed six times for 115 yards and two touchdowns while senior Carlos Delgado rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior Xzavier Crews rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns while senior Izell Wright rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
Xzavier Crews totaled 204 all-purpose yards while adding 26 receiving yards and 21 yards on an interception return.
Sweetwater scored eight rushing touchdowns overall in the game. Junior Giovanni Aceves was perfect on seven PAT conversion attempts.
The hosts built a 28-14 halftime lead and kept adding to it as the game went on, putting up 20 points in the third quarter and one touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Devils out-scored the Aztecs 27-6 in the second half.
Sophomore quarterback Andie Deanda passed for 154 yard with one touchdown and one interception. He rushed six times for 85 yards, scoring two rushing touchdowns for Montgomery. Senior Dalaias Garcia caught one 39-yard scoring pass while tacking on two extra-point conversions.
Olympian will close out league play (and the regular season) with a game at Montgomery on Friday, Oct. 27, while Sweetwater will play at Hilltop.
Sweetwater and Olympian seem bound for postseason play, though anything can transpire in the final two weeks of regular season play. Montgomery (15th in Division III) and Hilltop (12th in Division IV) seem less certain and will have to come up with big finishes to secure a playoff berth.
