This year’s Legacy of Pride game between the host Chula Vista Spartans and Sweetwater Red Devils – the teams’ 76th annual meeting in the county’s longest continuous rivalry series – was not decided until latter stages of the fourth quarter.
After trailing 13-0, the visiting Red Devils scored on the first play of the fourth quarter on a one-yard run by junior Carlos Delgado to trim their deficit on the scoreboard to seven points.
Sweetwater was suddenly within a touchdown and extra-point conversion of tying the game and a touchdown and two-point conversion of winning the game.
But the Devils’ best-laid plans went for naught when Spartan senior Giovanni Barrios scored on a 19-yard run with 7:02 remaining in the quarter to push the hosts ahead by 13 points.
Sweetwater got the ball back and appeared driving but turned the ball over on downs on a fourth-and-one play with 4:37 remaining on the clock.
The National City team played until the end, but Chula Vista proved to be the better team on the field in snapping a two-game losing streak to the Devils.
“We knew if we got healthy, we knew we could compete with anybody,” said Spartan head coach Howard Bannister III, whose team won its second consecutive game following a disappointing 0-4 start to the season. “We didn’t have everyone back but we’re improving every week.
“This was a hard-fought game to the end. It was which team would out-last the other.”
“We had guys who were dinged up but no excuses,” Sweetwater coach Ervin Hernandez said. “Chula Vista did a great job of running the football.”
The Spartans totaled 242 yards in offense in the game — 216 on the ground. The Red Devils ran the ball as well while totaling 185 of their 213 total offensive yards.
The passing game was minimal in a smash-mouth type of a game. Chula Vista sophomore Izaac Baca completed three of seven passes for 26 yards with one interception while SuHi sophomore Zarayan Crews completed one of seven attempts for 28 yards.
Two Spartan scores were set up by punting miscues.
On the first, the Sweetwater punter fielded a low snap and his knee touched the turf before he could kick the ball. Chula Vista took over on the SuHi 29-yard line.
The second was on a partially blocked punt from near the goal line that landed on Sweetwater’s own 18-yard line.
Junior Paul Alvarez (15 carries, 127 yards) scored the first of his two touchdowns in the game to help stake the hosts to a 7-0 lead with 10:02 to play in the second quarter in what had been a game dominated by the defenses of both teams.
Sweetwater put together its longest drive of the first half by moving the ball to the CV three-yard line courtesy of a clutch fourth-down conversion. But a holding penalty moved the ball back to fourth-and-14. The Spartans then blocked the ensuing field goal attempt.
Chula Vista led just 7-0 at halftime.
The Red Devils had a good run-back on the second-half kick-off to midfield and advanced the ball deeper into Spartan territory on a pair of fourth-down conversions. But a third attempted fourth-down conversion on the drive resulted in a sack.
The game progressed until Chula Vista had the ball first-and-10 at the Sweetwater 20-yard line. Alvarez scored his second touchdown of the game on first-and-nine. The extra-point conversion failed, leaving the hosts with a 13-0 lead with 3:34 left in the third quarter.
Alvarez had more than half of the Spartans’ carries in the game, ripping off a 44-yard run to keep one drive going.
Barrios and junior Nathan Houck seemed to do most of the running in the fourth quarter. Barrios had five carries for 41 yards and the team’s final score while Houck carried four times for 37 yards.
Sophomore Elijah Gillespie had two catches for 23 yards to highlight the aerial game.
Senior Matthew Robertson led all players on the field with 12 tackles. CV senior Demetrious Ferreira logged 11 defensive stops while junior Franky Olmeda had 10 tackles.
Houck registered one sack while senior Octavio Ramirez had a fumble recovery. Robertson also caused a fumble.
Junior Xzavier Crews led Sweetwater with eight carries for 60 yards while Delgado had 13 carries for 52 yards. Junior Hector Alvarez had four carries for 43 yards and caught the only pass of the game to lead his team with 71 all-purpose yards.
Senior Isaias Villa led the Devils with seven tackles. The SuHi defense overall recorded six sacks — two each by senior Ajani Hicks and junior Izell Wright and one each by freshman Alberto Mariscal and Delgado. Senior Solomon Ojajuni had one interception for three yards.
Despite the Chula Vista victory, Sweetwater continues to lead the long-running series 41-30-5.
Chula Vista returns to the field Friday at 6:30 p.m. as Metro-Pacific League play kicks off with a game against San Ysidro. Both teams are 2-4 on the season. The game is being played at CVHS, though it is designated as a home game for the Cougars.
Sweetwater (3-3) has a bye this week and will next play at Otay Ranch on Oct. 7 to conclude the non-league portion of its schedule.
Aztecs extend win streak to five games, top Trojans, 42-7, in Warrior Bowl rivalry game
This year’s Warrior Bowl rivalry game between neighboring Castle Park and Montgomery high schools took place on a Thursday night as the proverbial “only game in town.”
The teams battled hard at Swift Stadium on the campus of Castle Park High School with the visiting Aztecs capturing their fourth consecutive win in the series, 42-7, on Sept. 22.
With the non-league win, Montgomery extended its Metro Conference-best record to 5-1.
The rivalry has a special meaning to Aztec head coach Freddy Dunkle, a Castle Park alumnus.
“We tell our guys that every game is like a championship game and we want to win as many championship games as we can,” Dunkle said. “As a Castle Park alumnus, it means a lot to me to be back on campus. I played here and I coached here.”
CPHS coach Paco Silva is in the process of absorbing the meaning of the rivalry between the schools.
He said there’s no denying what it means to the players.
“The kids just want to play hard,” he said. “If they win the trophy, it’s a great feeling for them. If they don’t win, they just want to go down like fighting men. The kids want to play hard. We just want to come out with respect.”
The Warrior Bowl victory also had a lot of meaning for Montgomery senior Isaac Cervantes, who won his fourth trophy in as many years in the rivalry series.
“I think it’s great to come over here the last four years and beat Castle Park,” said Cervantes, who had 23 carries for 208 yards with a 12-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
It was the third consecutive game that Cervantes had rushed for more than 200 yards.
“I’m hoping to rush for 1,000 yards this season,” he said.
He’s getting there with 751 yards through six games, an average of 125.2 yards per game. The Aztecs have four regular season games remaining, plus any playoff games.
Junior quarterback Diego Villanueva led the Aztec offense with a efficient passing game by completing eight of nine passes for 171 yards passing with three touchdowns, including a pair of junior Mike Mohr (two catches, 28 yards) and one to junior Jordan Benton (two catches, 21 yards).
Benton opened scoring on a five-yard run to give him two touchdowns in the game.
Senior outside linebacker/running back Victor Flores led the Aztec defense with five tackles, including two for a loss, and an interception return for a touchdown measuring 37 yards.
Mohr caught a 14-yard scoring pass following the botched CP field goal try to make the score 14-0 with 1:11 remaining in the first quarter.
On the first play of the Trojans’ next series, Flores made his theft through the air for the pick-six.
The score was 28-7 at halftime.
Senior Gideon Baraka posted a team-high 10 tackles while senior Joe Davidson had nine stops. Junior Thomas Gordon had one sack while junior Arath Leyva had one fumble recovery.
Davidson averaged 35.5 yards on two kick-off returns.
Senior Xavier Rosales collected six kicking points.
The Aztecs generated 430 yards in total offense compared to 219 for the host team.
Sophomore quarterback Dylan Villarreal completed five of 13 passing attempts for 93 yards with two interceptions and rushed seven times for 22 yards.
Sophomore Ladell Hampton rushed 15 times for 73 yards, including a 26-yard burst, while senior Jeremiah Simler had eight carries for 27 yards, including a one-yard touchdown to erase a 21-0 Montgomery lead.
Senior Sergio Cobos had the game’s first big play when he hauled in a 58-yard sideline pass to put Castle Park in scoring position at the Aztec five-yard line while trailing 7-0. But the Trojans eventually misfired on a field goal attempt to help set the tone for much of the game to follow.
Castle Park later in the game drove the ball to the Montgomery five-yard line but fumbled.
Junior Noah Mathews keyed the hosts with eight tackles on defense while senior Valentin Navarro had one fumble recovery. Junior Nicholas Lopez got the home fans cheering on a 60-yard kick-off return.
The Trojans (1-4 overall) were missing two starters for this year’s Warrior Bowl game, so the best may be yet to come.
Castle Park kicks off Metro-Pacific League play this Friday against the visiting Southwest Raiders, who have cobbled together a 4-2 record after missing a year of varsity play.
Silva feels once all the pieces come together, his team can be a contender for this year’s league championship.
“If we stay healthy and keep eligible, we’re going to have something special at the end of the year,” he said.
Crusaders starting to get it going at right time of the season
While the San Diego Section playoffs are still five weeks away, it appears the Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders are poised to finally make their move.
At 1-4 entering Friday’s non-league game at Central Union in Imperial Valley, the Crusaders have played the section’s second-toughest schedule. The haven’t gone unscathed.
Mater Dei Catholic, last year’s Division III section and Division 2-AA state champions, have dueled the section’s current No. 1-ranked team (Carlsbad) to a 36-35 overtime loss, the section’s second-ranked team (Cathedral Catholic) to a 28-14 setback and lost, 56-20 to the section’s No. 3-ranked team (Lincoln).
The Crusaders also dropped a 35-16 non-league decision to Arizona power Mesa Red Mountain to kick off the 2022 season.
After a much-needed bye week to heal from such a grueling opening schedule, the reigning Metro-Mesa League champions pummeled parochial school rival St. Augustine, 44-0, last Friday to erase a 0-4 start.
Mater Dei Catholic entered this week ranked seventh among section teams (Central Union is ranked 16th). While a top four Open Division playoff berth might have slipped from their grasp, the Crusaders very much appear in the running to contend for this year’s Division I championship.
Helix Charter (5-1) is currently ranked fourth in the latest MaxPreps rankings release, followed by No. 5 Madison (5-0) and No. 6 Poway (4-1). The section will use its own rankings formula for playoff selection, but the MaxPreps numbers should be a close guide.
No. 1 Carlsbad is 4-1, No. 2 Cathedral Catholic is 3-3 and No. 3 Lincoln is 5-1.
If Mater Dei Catholic can carry the momentum of last Friday’s blowout victory against the Saints into their final five games, the Crusaders could stage a late surge up the rankings ladder to at least make a grab for a top Division I playoff seed.
Mater Dei Catholic finishes up non-league play with an Oct. 7 game at Hilltop, then kicks off league play Oct. 14 against visiting Otay Ranch and hosts Bonita Vista on Oct. 21. The Crusaders are set to duel Eastlake in a Thursday night encounter on Oct. 27 to close out league play.
Otay Ranch (1-3) entered this week as the Metro Conference’s No. 2-ranked team, followed by Eastlake (0-6), Montgomery (5-1) and Bonita Vista (2-3).
Eastlake lost its sixth consecutive game, 46-28, last Friday at Oakley Freedom in a trip to the Bay Area. The Titans face an upcoming non-league game at Montgomery on Oct. 7.
What will happen when an upper tier Division IV team (Montgomery) plays a lower tier Division I team (Eastlake)?
It will be intriguing to find out.
Break out
Senior quarterback Dominic Nankil competed 18 of 23 passes for 285 yards with three touchdowns to pace Mater Dei Catholic past St. Augustine (2-3). Senior Jalen Hall caught four passes for 102 yards, including two touchdowns, while senior Jerry McClure had two catches for 75 yards and one touchdown.
Senior Anthony Lopez keyed the Crusader defense with nine tackles and one interception while classmate Vincent Friend had six tackles, including two for a loss.
Freshman Brady Palmer led the Saints with 81 passing yards while junior Parker Patterson keyed St. Augustine with 29 rushing yards.
Mater Dei Catholic’s defense held the Saints to 110 total yards. Junior receiver Isaiah Hasten tallied nearly half that chuck with three catches for 52 yards.
The Crusaders just have too many weapons – both offensively and defensively – not to make an impact
Barons return to win column over undefeated Scots
The Bonita Vista Barons returned to the win column by handing previously undefeated Vincent Memorial a 38-35 non-league defeat last Friday at Sweetwater High School.
“It was a very close game and came down to the last drive,” Bonita Vista coach Tyler Aricaga said. “While we were able to respond to some adversity, there are a lot of things that we need to work on. Vincent Memorial is a solid team and battled until the very end.
“Having that win will help us with some momentum going in against Mar Vista this upcoming week. They have a good quarterback and an explosive offense and the Mariners always play hard until the very end. We are trying to clean up some of our mistakes from last game this week and look forward to a great game this upcoming week.”
Senior Juan Gomez passed for 235 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a score.
Junior Caden Ada-Tannehill had 14 carries for 151 yards and scored one rushing touchdown.
Senior Isaiah Chappell (two catches, 87 yards) and sophomore Marcos Pena (two catches, 66 yards) both caught touchdown passes for the Barons (2-3).
Junior Antonio DiStefano kicked a 35-yard field goal.
San Diego Section Football Rankings
TOP 50 TEAMS
MaxPreps through Sept. 25
1. Carlsbad 4-1
2. Cathedral Catholic 3-3
3. Lincoln 5-1
4. Helix 5-1
5. Madison 5-0
6. Poway 4-1
7. Mater Dei Catholic 1-4
8. (tie) Granite Hills 4-2
8. (tie) Mira Mesa 4-1
10. La Costa Canyon 3-2
11. Mission Hills 2-3
12. El Camino 3-2
13. (tie) Torrey Pines 2-3
13. (tie) Point Loma 5-1
15. Mt. Carmel 4-1
16. Central Union 3-2
17. San Marcos 3-2
18. Ramona 2-3
19. St. Augustine 2-3
20. University City 3-2
21. Rancho Buena Vista 5-1
22. Fallbrook 4-2
23. Otay Ranch 1-3
24. Patrick Henry 2-2
25. San Fe Christian 5-1
26. Morse 4-2
27. Del Norte 3-2
28. Brawley 3-2
29. Calexico 5-0
30. Imperial 4-1
31. Palo Verde Valley 5-1
32. La Jolla 3-3
33. Valley Center 2-3
34. Rancho Bernardo 2-3
35. Christian 2-3
36. Scripps Ranch 2-4
37. Bishop’s 3-2
38. Steele Canyon 1-5
39. Oceanside 0-5
40. Eastlake 0-6
41. La Jolla Country Day 4-1
42. Montgomery 5-1
43. West Hills 4-2
44. Mission Bay 5-1
45. Escondido Charter 4-1
46. San Pasqual 3-2
47. El Capitan 3-2
48. Grossmont 0-6
49. Crawford 4-1
50. Coronado 3-2
Division I
1. Carlsbad (4-1), 2. Cathedral Catholic (3-3), 3. Lincoln (5-1), 4. Helix Charter (5-1), 5. Madison (5-0), 6. Poway (4-1), 7. Mater Dei Catholic (1-4), 8. La Costa Canyon (3-2), 9. Mission Hills (2-3), 10. El Camino (3-2), 11. Torrey Pines (2-3), 12. St. Augustine (2-3), 13. Rancho Bernardo (2-3), 14. Scripps Ranch (2-4), 15. Steele Canyon (1-5), 16, Eastlake (0-6)
Division II
1. Granite Hills (4-2), 2. Mira Mesa (4-1), 3. Mt. Carmel (4-1), 4. Central Union (3-2), 5. San Marcos (3-2), 6. Ramona (2-3), 7. Otay Ranch (1-3), 8. Santa Fe Christian (5-1), 9. Brawley (3-2), 10. La Jolla (3-3), 11. Valley Center (2-3), 12. Christian (2-3), 13. Oceanside (0-5), 14. Grossmont (0-6), 15. San Diego (3-3), 16. Vista (1-4)
Division III
1. Point Loma (5-1), 2. University City (3-2), 3. Rancho Buena Vista (5-1), 4. Patrick Henry (2-2), 5. Morse (4-2), 6. Del Norte (3-2), 7. Imperial (4-1), 8. Bishop’s (3-2), 9. West Hills (4-2), 10. San Pasqual (3-2), 11. El Capitan (3-2), 12. Bonita Vista (2-3), 13. Santana (2-4), 14. Escondido (3-3), 15. Canyon Hills (1-3), 16. Olympian (2-3), 17. Orange Glen (0-5)
Division IV
1. Fallbrook (4-2), 2. Calexico (5-0), 3. Palo Verde Valley (5-1), 4. La Jolla Country Day (4-1), 5. Montgomery (5-1), 6. Mission Bay (5-1), 7. Coronado (3-2), 8. Mt. Miguel (2-4), 9. Francis Parker (2-3), 10. Hilltop (3-3), 11. Sweetwater (3-3), 12. Chula Vista (2-4), 13. Holtville (3-3), 14. Westview (0-5), 15. Kearny (3-2), 16. Valhalla (0-6), 17. Monte Vista (1-4)
Division V
1. Escondido Charter (4-1), 2. Crawford (4-1), 3. Vincent Memorial (4-1), 4. Classical Academy (5-1), 5. Army-Navy Academy (5-1) 6. Mar Vista (1-4), 7. El Cajon Valley (2-4), 8. Castle Park (1-4), 9. San Ysidro (2-4), 10. Hoover (3-2), 11. Clairemont (3-3), 12. Mountain Empire (2-3), 13. Southwest El Centro (0-5), 14. Southwest (4-2), 15. Maranatha Christian (2-4), 16. Tri-City Christian (0-6), 17. O’Farrell Charter (0-6), 18. Calipatria (0-5)
