A first may have occurred in last Friday’s Chula Vista Kiwanis Bowl as Chula Vista senior La’Darrione Perkins secured both the Spartans’ offensive MVP and defensive MVP awards. It may be the first time a player has won both awards in the same game.
Regardless of whether he was the first player to do so in the 23-year history of the event, there’s no doubt that Perkins deserved to claim both coveted awards.
On offense, he rushed 25 times for 136 yards and one touchdown and had four catches for 54 yards and one touchdown. He racked up 190 yards in total offense.
On defense, he registered five tackles, including three solo stops.
Buoyed by Perkins’ star power, the host Spartans defeated Hilltop, 26-7, to win their second consecutive game in the rivalry series and, in the process, improve their season record to 3-1.
Overall, Chula Vista leads the series 13-10.
“This is my eighth game and it’s the first time one player has won both awards,” CVHS coach Howard Bannister III said. “But then La’Darrione is a special player.”
Perkins said the game’s outcome was all about energy, starting with his own.
“The offense was under-performing,” he said in regard to the game’s scoreless first half. “We needed to make something happen. I was being a dog. Our energy was low, and we brought it up. I got the fire going and then everybody joined in.”
2024 Kiwanis Bowl MVPs
Chula Vista: La’Darrione Perkins (Offensive MVP and Defensive MVP)
Hilltop: Bryson Grant (Offensive MVP), Damian Moreno (Defensive MVP)
Chula Vista opened scoring on a 73-yard pass play from senior quarterback Izaac Baca to junior Carlos Echeverria. The pass was almost intercepted and, when it wasn’t, Echeverria had no one to beat to the end zone on a breakaway score.
Echeverria also serves as the team’s place-kicker and supplied two extra points in the non-league contest to go with his TD catch.
Junior Justin Yniesta doubled the Spartan lead to 14-0 on a 35-yard interception return.
Hilltop (1-3) made a grab at seizing momentum in the game as sophomore Bryson Grant caught a 46-yard Hail Mary-type pass from Lancer senior quarterback Kneko Vasquez to trim Hilltop’s deficit to 14-7 with plenty of time left in the fourth quarter.
Vasquez was flushed from the pocket and, at the last resort, heaved the ball down field before he could be sacked. The resulting rocket-like trajectory took it right to Grant’s hands as he out-leapt a CV defender in the end zone.
But Perkins put a damper on the Lancer celebration by coming right back with a 29-yard touchdown catch of his own to push the score to 20-7 with 4:10 to play in the game.
Perkins etched his name on the game with a four-yard scoring run with 23 seconds left.
As the winning team, the Spartans received a check for $1,500 for their program from the Kiwanis Club of Chula Vista, the game’s sponsor, while the Lancers, as the runner-up team, received a check for $1,000.
Hilltop’s individual award-winners included Grant (offensive MVP) and junior Damian Moreno (defensive MVP).
Moreno recorded 14 unassisted tackles to highlight the Lancers’ defensive effort.
Vasquez completed seven of 17 passes for 98 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Senior Andy Bautista led the Lancers on the ground with 13 carries for 39 yards.
Chula Vista out-gained Hilltop 320-145 in total yards.
Baca completed eight of 25 passing attempts for 144 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Baca also rushed four times for 36 yards. Echeverria led Spartan receivers with 68 yards on two catches.
Junior Benjamin Rivera keyed the hosts defensively with three sacks.
Photo Gallery by Phillip Brents
South County Football Log
Non-league
Friday, Sept. 13
Chula Vista 26, Hilltop 7
Southwest 31, Valhalla 14
Bonita Vista 23, Sweetwater 14
Otay Ranch 27, Central Union 20
Montgomery 32, Hoover 20
Castle Park 35, Rock Academy 34
San Ysidro 49, O’Farrell Charter 14
Santana 26, Olympian 25
Granite Hills 49, Eastlake 16
Rancho Buena Vista 56, Mar Vista 14
Maranatha Christian 49, Victory Christian Academy 14
CALPREPS TOP 25 RANKINGS
San Diego Section Week 4
- Lincoln (2-2), 2. La Costa Canyon (4-0), 3. Carlsbad (3-1), 4. Cathedral Catholic (3-1), 5. Granite Hills (3-1), 6. San Marcos (4-0), 7. Mission Hills (3-1), 8. Rancho Bernardo (4-0), 9. El Camino (2-1), 10. La Jolla (3-1), 11. Mt. Miguel (4-0), 12. Del Norte (2-2), 13. Helix (2-2), 14. Poway (3-1), 15. Oceanside (2-2), 16. Brawley (3-0), 17. Torrey Pines (1-3), 18. Mater Dei Catholic (0-3), 19. Scripps Ranch (4-0), 20. Santa Fe Christian (3-1), 21. Madison (1-3), 22. University City (3-0), 23. Bishop’s (1-2), 24. Mt. Carmel (4-0), 25. La Jolla Country Day (2-2)Others: 34. Eastlake (1-3), 36. Chula Vista (3-1), 44. Otay Ranch (1-3), 47. Sweetwater (3-1), 52. Bonita Vista (1-3), 56. Montgomery (2-2), 57. Hilltop (1-3), 58. Olympian (1-3), 71, Southwest (3-1)
FINAL: SOUTHWEST 31, VALHALLA 14
The Southwest Raiders are 3-1 for a reason after knocking off the visiting Valhalla Norsemen last Friday in non-league play. QB Leo Holguin passed for 237 yards and four touchdowns while RB Nery Gomez rushed for 58 yards and one touchdown.
WR Jordan Cretain had five catches for 177 yards — four for touchdowns. Cretain, who had one 89-yard catch and run, tallied 227 total yards in the game with 47 additional rushing yards. The Raiders had four sacks on defense — two by DE Dylan Garcia.
It’s a wrap: Barons, Mustangs pick up first wins of 2024 season in upset fashion
Three Metro Conference teams picked up their first victories of the 2024 season: the Bonita Vista Barons, Otay Ranch Mustangs and San Ysidro Cougars.
The Barons did so in a 23-14 shocker over the previously undefeated Sweetwater Red Devils while the Mustangs braved a road trip to the scorching Imperial Valley desert to upset the previously undefeated Central Union Spartans, 27-20.
“Our team has faced its share of challenges, including injuries and tough opponents,” new BVHS head coach Jay Hernandez said. “However, the coaching staff crafted an excellent game plan, which we reviewed in detail during our film session on Monday. The team fully understood the strategy and was ready for the game.
“At our team dinner on Thursday, we had a heart-to-heart discussion that set the tone for our performance. On Friday night, we showcased the strength of a well-rounded team effort, with contributions from offense, special teams and defense.”
“We established the run game early with Kenny Jordan, which allowed Greyson (Smith) to balance the offense with his passing,” Hernandez said. “Caleb Saenz made a key fumble recovery on a punt, and the defense was stellar, holding our opponent scoreless in the second half.”
Sweetwater took a 7-0 lead on a 51-yard scoring pass from senior Zaryan Crews to sophomore Abdulkhadir Osman.
The Barons countered with 10 points in the second quarter, but the Red Devils led, 14-10, at halftime after Crews (16 carries, 61 yards) scored a rushing touchdown.
Bonita Vista did all the scoring in the second half to pull out the non-league victory.
Smith, the nephew of NFL No. 1 draft pick Alex Smith, completed 10 of 22 passing attempts for 168 yards with a touchdown to senior Treyon Davis.
Jordan had 25 carries for 125 yards and two touchdowns and three catches for 38 yards. Davis had three catches for 54 yards while sophomore Nathan Lindquist had three catches for 38 yards. Senior Hayden McMackin had one catch for 22 yards.
Junior Aiden Cortes keyed the Barons with 14 tackles, including two sacks. Juniors Jordan and Jaydin Lewis each had one sack. Sophomore Cole Margets had one interception.
Bonita Vista out-gained Sweetwater 282-265 in total yards.
Crews led SuHi with 200 total yards (61 rushing, 139 passing) and had 12 tackles on defense. Senior Jacob Gonsalves had two catches for 79 yards.
Senior linebacker Joey Brinkman (six tackles, one sack) and senior defensive lineman Omer Lopez keyed the Otay Ranch defense while junior quarterback A.J. Lopez (123 passing yards, 63 rushing yards) and sophomore running back Jaidon Castillo (seven carries, 43 yards) paced the Mustang offense past Central Union (3-1).
Lopez scored three rushing touchdowns while senior Alejandro Farias was successful on a 39-yard field goal.
Junior Xander Mendez keyed the special teams effort by averaging 17.6 yards on punt returns to set up two scores. Senior P.J. Dumaran and junior Ethan Louischaroen each had one pick to bolster the Mustang “D.”
San Ysidro topped visiting O’Farrell Charter, 49-14, to enter the win column for the first time this season. The Cougars ran over the Falcons with six rushing touchdowns and 264 yards.
Three players each scored two touchdowns: junior Dario Garcia (seven carries, 73 yards), junior Sean Blazen (22 carries, 149 yards) and senor Jaiden Dominguez (three carries, nine yards). Garcia passed for 106 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Senior Gabriel Roque had five catches for 78 yards and one TD/
Senior Jonathan Brown-Williams recorded an interception on defense for San Ysidro, which led 35-14 after the first quarter.
The Cougars will be looking for their second win when they host Hoover (2-2).
Deuces wild
Both the Castle Park Trojans and Montgomery Aztecs evened their early season records at 2-2 with non-league wins last Friday.
Castle Park defeated the Rock Academy, 35-34, in a game played at Hilltop High School while Montgomery defeated Hoover, 32-20, in a game played on the Cardinals’ field.
The Trojans rolled to the win on the strength of five rushing touchdowns — three by senior Christian Haynes (12 carries, 187 yards) and two by senior Tait Villarreal (17 carries, 89 yards). As a team, Castle Park rushed 37 times for 317 yards while completing two passes for seven yards.
The Rock Academy racked up 461 total yards, including 397 rushing yards, as both teams kept the ball on the ground. Senior Ashton St. Jean led Rock Academy with 374 rushing yards and tacked on nine receiving yards for 383 individual yards in the game.
Junior Jorge Padilla keyed the Trojans defensively with 12 tackles while senior Anthony Vidrio logged one sack and senor Miguel Rivas had one fumble recovery.
Senior Roberto Escabedo kept the Warriors from starting with good field position with seven kickoffs for a 53.9 average, including one for 60 yards, and four touchbacks. Escabedo also was perfect on all five PAT attempts.
Castle Park, which is playing without a home stadium this season, has a bye this weekend.
Senior Amio Fox rushed for 36 yards and two touchdowns and freshman Isaiah Mena-Maljin tacked on a touchdown run to lead the visiting Aztecs while Mena-Maljin compiled 178 passing yards though he did not complete a touchdown pass.
Junior Andie Deanda had four catches for 85 yards while senior Royal Impala had three catches for 40 yards. Senior Raul Moreno had three catches for 34 yards. Deanda notched a pair of two-point rushing conversions.
Senior Sir Autry rushed for 134 yards and twice for Hoover, which out-gained Montgomery 359-234 in total yards while coming up short on the scoreboard.
Junior Isaac Espinosa keyed the Aztecs with 12 defensive tackles while senior Marcus Trujillo had 10 stops. Espinosa and senior Ivan Venegas each recorded one sack. Trujillo and Fox also each had an interception.
Montgomery hosts El Capitan (1-3) on Friday in another non-league matchup. The Vaqueros have lost three consecutive games and will be looking to break that streak.
Eagles return to form, soar past Titans 49-16
The Granite Hills High School football team returned to the win column last Friday with a 49-16 non-league victory against the visiting Eastlake Titans. The host Eagles scored seven touchdowns — three rushing, three passing and one on a kick-off return.
Granite Hills improved to 3-1 on the season and maintained the No. 5 position in the CalPreps rankings behind No. 1 Lincoln (2-2), No. 2 La Costa Canyon (4-0), No. 3 Cathedral Catholic (3-1) and No. 4 Carlsbad (3-1).
Final regular season rankings will determine the San Diego Section’s four Open Division qualifiers, so the Eagles remain in the hunt to defend their CIF Open Division championship.
Sophomore Zac Benitez completed 15 of 23 passing attempts for 144 yards and three touchdowns — one each to junior De’vell Green (two catches, 39 yards), senior Lathan Fry (three catches, 32 yards) and junior Emilio Vera (one catch, six yards).
Benitez also had six carries for nine yards and one rushing TD to go with his three passing scores.
On the season, he has passed for 677 yards with eight touchdowns.
The Eagles produced a balanced offense with 144 passing yards and 186 rushing yards.
Sophomore Gage Spalding rushed 17 times for 92 yards and one touchdown while senior Max Turner rushed four times for 89 yards and one touchdown.
Turner’s longest carry from the line of scrimmage was for 75 yards.
Senior Brenden Lewis returned a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown while junior Kyler Oberg returned two kickoffs for 53 yards. Sophomore Jason Nunez contributed six kicking points.
Overall, Benitez connected with seven different receivers in the win. Lewis had three catches for 22 yards while Oberg had two catches for 29 yards. Junior Tristan Diaz had two catches for 22 yards.
“Overall bright spots for us against Eastlake where our special teams units,” GHHS head coach Kellan Cobbs said. “Brenden Lewis returned a kick return touchdown and our sophomore kicker Jacob Nunez was seven for seven on PATs and kicked four touch-backs. On offense Zach Benitez through three touchdowns, Max Turner ran for a touchdown and Gage Spalding rushed for a touchdown.”
Eastlake was held to 41 passing yards but rushed 24 times for 87 yards and one touchdown by senior William Schmitz (15 carries, 73 yards). Junior Isaiah Rodriguez scored on a 96-yard kickoff return and also had a 53-yard interception return in the setback.
Senior Kingston Schaaf led the visitors with 11 tackles, including one sack.
Granite Hills has a bye this weekend but returns to the gridiron Sept. 27 for a non-league game at Madison. Eastlake (1-3) gets back into the mix with a Thursday night encounter against visiting Point Loma (1-2).
