There was never any doubt the Eastlake Titans would be privy to this year’s San Diego Section playoffs. But with a 1-5 start, the team’s seeding position didn’t look too desirable.

But braced by a season-ending four-game winning streak — and Metro-Mesa League championship — the Titans’ postseason fortunes appear much brighter.

Eastlake defeated host Otay Ranch, 25-10, last Friday to capture the team’s second consecutive league title and the eighth in the past 13 years.

The Titans overcame an early 3-0 deficit to lead 18-3 at halftime and deflate a second-half charge by the hosts, after narrowing the score to 18-10, with a game-clinching touchdown.

Paco Silva, who took over as head coach midway through the season after veteran head coach John McFadden was placed on leave, said the team took on the adversity and ran with it.

The Titans not only had to deal with a coaching change at midseason but also fight their way through one of the San Diego’s Section’s most brutal schedules.

Three of Eastlake’s five losses came against teams contending to qualify for this year’s Open Division playoffs. The scores were not necessarily pretty: 44-7 to current No. 1 Cathedral Catholic (8-1), 17-6 to current No. 4 Steele Canyon (9-0) and 47-0 to current No. 5 St. Augustine (7-2).

But last Friday’s win was anything but ugly.

Otay Ranch could have forced a co-championship by winning its final two games. When Manuel Martinez kicked a 24-yard field goal, the prospects looked good for the host Mustangs, buoyed in spirit by a large homecoming crowd.

But the visitors rallied with 18 unanswered points to put a damper on the festivities.

Max Susi blocked a punt in the end zone and teammate Jordan Swan recovered the ball for a defensive touchdown.

The EHS offense, maligned at the start of the season, produced the next two touchdowns.

Jackson Daley scored on a one-yard run to make the score 12-3. Daley’s touchdown was set up by an interception by Anthony St. John Gonzalez and a long run by senior Kalehn Newson.

Sophomore Justin Blondin then caught a 34-yard pass from junior Cole McFarlane to increase the lead to 18-3. Blondin would make two touchdown grabs on the night, both of them spectacular.

Otay Ranch quarterback Paco Puentes hooked up with receiver Miles Brotschi on a 20-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone that was just as spectacular to narrow the score to a touchdown and two-point conversion.

But going the other way, Eastlake senior Mateo La broke off a long run to put the visitors once again in scoring position.

McFarlane threaded a perfectly thrown pass to Blondin at the back of the end zone for the prettiest score of the night.

Both teams battled through a scoreless fourth quarter.

The Eastlake defense, which has played solid all season, continued to make a statement on the field with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

Blondin called the team’s latest league championship “amazing.”

“We shut ’em down, coverages, blitzes, sacking the quarterback,” Blondin told a TV news crew on site with obvious emotion in his voice. “We threw the ball, we ran the ball, we shoved it down their throat.”

The Titans (4-0 in league, 5-5 overall) will now enjoy the healing benefits of a bye week before entering the playoffs. Depending on the seeding – Eastlake has moved up to No. 12 among Division I teams – the newly crowned Metro-Mesa League champions could host a first-round playoff game.

 

Horse power
Otay Ranch (1-2 in league, 3-6 overall) definitely had its moments in last Friday’s game.

Puentes passed for 189 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

The Mustangs rushed fro 81 yards on 25 carries and were held out of the end zone.

Adrian DeLa Cruz caught six passes for 90 yards while Brotschi had five catches for 63 yards and one score.

Brotschi also blocked a field goal attempt and averaged 54 yards on three kickoffs.

Ethan Knight averaged 21.2 yards on five kickoff returns.

Otay Ranch, currently ranked ninth among Division II teams, will host Olympian in the teams’ annual Battle of the O’s rivalry game this Friday. Regardless of the outcome, the Mustangs seem to be a cinch to qualify for the upcoming playoffs.

A favorable finish against the Eagles could even secure a home playoff game in the opening round.

Olympian maintains slim playoff hopes with a No. 14 ranking in the division.

Olympian at Otay Ranch

• Otay Ranch quarterback Paco Puentes has thrown for 1,181 yards with 10 touchdowns but also has thrown 15 interceptions.
• The Otay Ranch running game is averaging 117.8 yards per game.
• Ethan Knight has rushed for 329 yards on 71 carries with five touchdowns. He tops the team with 972 all-purpose yards — 329 rushing, 232 receiving and 14 on punt returns.
• Dylan Baca leads the Mustangs with 369 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
• Aidan Arguilla leads Otay Ranch with 83 tackles and four sacks. Keith Robinson has three interceptions.
• Lukas Hamilton has thrown for 1,230 yards with nine TDs and nine picks for Olympian while receiver Anthony Gilpin Jr. has 39 catches for 687 yards and six touchdowns. Gilpin has four picks on defense.
• Diego Sanchez tops the Eagles with 103 tackles.

 

 

Friday Night Lights

Metro-Mesa League
Friday, Oct. 25
Eastlake 25, Otay Ranch 10
Olympian 42, Bonita Vista 39 2OT

Friday, Nov. 1
Bonita Vista at Mater Dei Catholic, 7 p.m.
Olympian at Otay Ranch, 7 p.m.

League standings: Eastlake 4-0, Mater Dei Catholic 2-1, Olympian 1-2, Otay Ranch 1-2

 

Metro-South Bay League
Friday, Oct. 25
Hilltop 43, Sweetwater 14
Chula Vista 12, Mar Vista 7

Friday, Nov. 1
Hilltop at Mar Vista, 7 p.m.
Sweetwater at Chula Vista, 7 p.m.

League standings: Hilltop 2-0, Chula Vista 1-1, Mar Vista 1-1, Sweetwater 0-2

 

Metro-Pacific League
Friday, Oct. 25
Castle Park 44, San Ysidro 0
Montgomery 56, Southwest 0

Friday, Nov. 1
Castle Park at Montgomery, 7 p.m.
San Ysidro at Southwest, 7 p.m.

League standings: Castle Park 2-0, Montgomery 2-0, San Ysidro 0-2, Southwest 0-2

 

It’s down to one game for Trojans, Aztecs in quest for Metro-Pacific League title

Friday’s Warrior Bowl at Montgomery High School is for the Metro-Pacific League championship.

The Castle Park Trojans enter the game as the Metro Conference’s lone unbeaten team at 9-0 while the host Montgomery Aztecs are 8-1 and riding a four-game winning streak.

Kickoff is 7 p.m.

There is much at stake beyond just bragging rights for the league title. The Trojans have an outside shot of finishing on top of the San Diego Section’s Division V rankings and a win would go a long way in securing a bye to the quarterfinals. Montgomery would also like to nail down a first-round bye in the upcoming playoffs and nudge up the Division IV rankings.

The Trojans enter Friday’s game ranked second among Division V teams, trailing top-ranked Vincent Memorial (8-1).

The Aztecs are ranked third among Division IV teams, trailing top-ranked Santana (8-1) and second-ranked Serra (7-2).

Both teams appear to be streaking toward the CIF playoffs. Castle Park defeated visiting San Ysidro, 44-0, in last Friday’s homecoming game while Montgomery topped visiting Southwest, 56-0, in another homecoming clash.

The shutout was the third consecutive for the Aztecs and the second consecutive for the Trojans. Montgomery has logged four shutouts on the season while Castle Park has posted three shutouts.

The Aztecs have outscored opponents 324-72 on the season, including 131-0 in the past three games.

The Trojans have outscored opponents 369-120 on the season and 82-0 in their last two games.

Castle Park head coach Chris Livesay admitted it will take a superior effort to come out on top to claim this year’s league title.

“They have so many athletes on offense,” Livesay offered in respect of the Aztecs. “They really put us in conflict all over the place. The outside receivers make plays while the backs and quarterback can really hurt you if you don’t tackle well.

“Offensively, we have to block better than we have. It’s just that simple. Everybody in the stadium knows we are going to run buck sweep; it’s really a question of us being able to block their blitzes.

“I think there is no question they are more athletic, but I still like our guys in this one, I like our toughness. We’ve been in tight games and we’ve been down in games and our guys stay in the fight.”

Trojan horse
Castle Park defeated San Ysidro by a decisive score despite being out-gained 322-212 in total yards. The Trojans scored five touchdowns — four rushing and one on a punt return — while tacking on a field goal by Nicolas Magana.

Ashuan Duncan (19 carries, 83 yards) scored two touchdowns while Roman Cabal (nine carries, 63 yards) and Cristian Sanchez (five carries, 42 yards) both scored once on the ground.

Cabal led the team defensively with 11 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery while Xavier Alvarado had one interception for 27 yards.

Antonio Gomez scored on the punt return.

On the season Erik Hernandez has rushed for 1,019 yards with 19 touchdowns in eight games while Cabal has scored eight rushing touchdowns.

Castle Park has scored 49 touchdowns on the season — 39 rushing scores.

San Ysidro leaders included quarterback Mathew Jaime with 148 passing yards, Josue Juarez with 76 rushing yards and Jesse Hernandez with 123 receiving yards.

Aztec territory
Montgomery built a 42-0 lead on Southwest at halftime. The Aztecs scored eight touchdowns — five rushing, two receiving and one on a punt return.

Quarterback Alexander Dixie completed one touchdown pass while rushing for a score. He completed all four passing attempts for 81 yards while rushing twice for 38 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown run.

Isiah King (two receptions, 59 yards) caught two touchdown passes while Jaheem Williams (two carries, 56 yards) scored one rushing touchdown and one on a 50-yard punt return.

Xavier Brown, Keoa Gumataotao and Christian Venegas each scored one rushing touchdown.

Gumataotao also threw a 49-yard bomb to King.

Brown (two carries, 73 yards) broke off a 70-yard run while Williams’ longest run of the night was for 50 yards.

Zach Pearson had four catches for 87 yards.

The Aztecs out-gained the Raiders 369-90 in total yards.

Ben Larsen had one sack and one fumble recovery while Pearson and Daniel Dunkle also had fumble recoveries. Larsen caused three fumbles in the game.

Ray Flores led Southwest with 79 rushing yards on 19 carries.

On the season Dixie has thrown for 999 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for 665 yards and scoring seven times.

Williams (603 rushing yards) leads Montgomery with 10 touchdowns — seven rushing and three on punt returns. Venegas ranks second with nine touchdowns — eight rushing and one on a fumble recovery. Dixie ranks third on the team with eight touchdowns — seven rushing and one on an interception return.

The Aztecs have accumulated 47 touchdowns this season — 29 rushing, 13 passing, three on punt returns and one each on a fumble recovery and pick six.

They have demonstrated they can score a variety of ways.

So can Castle Park.

 

 

Metro-South Bay League Previews:

Hilltop (2-0, 8-1) at Mar Vista (1-1, 3-6)

The visiting Lancers can wrap up their third consecutive Metro-South Bay League championship with a win over the Mariners. Conversely, Mar Vista can force a co-championship with an upset victory.

Hilltop chugged to its fourth consecutive win by dealing the visiting Sweetwater Red Devils a 43-14 setback on homecoming night. The Lancers rolled up 396 total offensive yards — 233 yards on the ground and 163 yards through the air. The hosts led 22-0 after the first quarter and 29-14 at halftime.

Jeremiah Serrano rushed 32 times for 231 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead the Hilltop scoring parade. Quarterback Javin Deanda threw one touchdown pass to Marko Aki (eight catches, 142 yards) while Abraham Avila scored one rushing touchdown.

On the defensive ledger, the Lancers recorded 11 sacks, 26 tackles for a loss and three fumble recoveries. Gage Scruggs led the victors with 13 tackles, including six tackles for a loss and three sacks while Rudy Lucero recorded 12 tackles, four tackles for a loss and two sacks.

On the season, Deanda has thrown for 1,959 yards with 16 touchdowns while rushing for six scores. Serrano has rushed for 1,435 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns while Aki leads the team’s receivers with 780 yards and nine touchdown catches.

Chula Vista (1-1, 1-8) took Mar Vista out of the running for an outright championship with a 12-7 victory in Imperial Beach last Friday. The Mariners scored in the first quarter but could not muster any more points the rest of the game while the Spartans scored all of their points in the second quarter.

Omar Perez passed for 216 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions to lead Chula Vista to its first win of the season. Alex Guzman caught nine passes for 156 yards and one touchdown while Carlos Serratos had two catches for 24 yards and one touchdown.

Serratos and Andrew Marquez both had interceptions for the visitors while Serratos had one fumble recovery.

Diego Garza led Mar Vista with 11 unassisted tackles while Jo’vahn Young and Dante Pacheco both had interceptions. Young’s pick went for a touchdown.

Should Hilltop lose and Chula Vista defeat visiting Sweetwater, three teams would share this year’s league title: Hilltop, Mar Vista and Chula Vista. The Lancers are well aware of that fact.

“Mar Vista is a very well coached and a consistent opponent,” Hilltop head coach Drew Westling said. “We need to play our best and limit our mistakes so they cannot capitalize.”

 

Sweetwater (0-2, 1-8) at Chula Vista (1-1, 1-8)

Friday’s 73rd Legacy of Pride game is just for that — pride — as both teams maintain slim playoff hopes.

Junior quarterback Omar Perez leads Chula Vista offensively with 1,687 passing yards and 14 touchdowns. Senior Alex Guzman has collected 960 receiving yards and eight touchdowns while classmate Dylan Sallee has nabbed 41 passes for 637 yards and seven touchdowns. Sallee has two interceptions on defense.

Sweetwater, which is led by senior signal-caller Nico Salazar, has lost seven games in a row. Salazar can punish opposing tacklers in the run game.

Sweetwater defeated Chula Vista, 31-0, last year to lead the series 39-30-3.

 

Metro-Mesa League Preview:

Bonita Vista (0-3, 3-6) at Mater Dei Catholic (2-1, 5-4)

Friday’s game has Division III playoff implications for both teams. Mater Dei Catholic likely needs a win to cement a home playoff game in the opening round while Bonita Vista needs a win to secure a post-season berth.

Bonita Vista slipped to the No. 11 ranking position following last Friday’s 42-39 double overtime loss at Olympian. The top 12-ranked teams receive playoff berths. A season-ending loss could conceivably drop the Barons out of the playoffs.

Bonita Vista fell short in last Friday’s game despite opening up an early 20-0 first quarter lead and a 32-10 edge at halftime.

The host Eagles (1-2, 2-7) scored 22 unanswered second-half points to force the game into overtime, the final three points coming on a late field goal by senior David Kay.

Both teams scored a touchdown and extra point in the first overtime period.

Olympian quarterback Lukas Hamilton completed a 23-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Gilpin Jr. in the first overtime and Josh Buchanan converted a 17-yard halfback pass to Chris Kane to tie the score.

Kay booted a 45-yard game-winning field goal in the second overtime period.

Bonita Vista, in riding a four-game losing streak, racked up a staggering 615 offensive yards despite absorbing the disappointing loss, including 502 passing yards.

Gabe Burke caught an 80-yard scoring pass, Buchanan caught a 53-yard scoring pass and Ron Vann Jr. caught a 76-yard scoring pass to boost the Barons to their big first quarter lead.

Justin Locke and Justin Shorty led the Barons with 12 tackles apiece while Egor Cleary had 10 stops. George Herrero and Adriel Ramos both had one sack while Vann had one interception.

Mater Dei Catholic, currently ranked seventh in the division, enters Friday’s game after a bye week. The Crusaders are riding a two-game winning streak.

 

Santana football recruits seeking CIF championship rings

Santana High School seniors Nathan Temple and Nathan Hughes, standouts on this year’s football team, have started the college recruiting process.

Both young men were in attendance at last Saturday’s community college football game between Southwestern College and Grossmont College, a game won by the host Jaguars 42-3.

Both are hoping to return to DeVore Stadium as members of the top-ranked Santana gridiron squad for the San Diego Section Division IV championship game on Nov. 29.

The Sultans have advanced to the CIF championship game twice in school history —2011 and 2016.

Santana dropped a 20-14 decision to Valley Center in 2011 in a game played at what is now SDCCU Stadium while the Sultans fell short, 38-24, to La Jolla Country Day in 2016 in a game played at Southwestern College.

Santana is bidding to retain its No. 1 ranking among Division IV teams when it closes out regular season play Friday, Nov. 1, with a key Grossmont Valley League game against visiting El Cajon Valley.

The Sultans are 8-1 while the Braves are 3-6.

Monte Vista, which handed Santana its first loss of the season after an 8-0 start, resides in first place with a 3-0 league record. Santana and West Hills follow with 2-1 league records while Mount Miguel is 1-3 and El Cajon Valley is 0-3.

Monte Vista closes it season at West Hills on Friday, Nov. 1, seeking a win to claim outright possession of this year’s league title. However, depending on the bounce of the ball, the Grossmont Valley League could conceivably field a tri-championship this season.

The Monarchs denied the Sultans a perfect season with a 37-10 victory on Oct. 18.

Monte Vista pounded El Cajon Valley, 35-0, last week while Santana had a bye week.

“We’re ready to rebound against El Cajon Valley,” said Temple, who has passed for 1,476 yards with 24 touchdowns against just two two interceptions this season. “We have weapons on both sides of the ball.”

Eleven players have scored touchdowns for the Sultans this season, led by senior Randall Smith with 13.

Smith (25 catches, 468 yards) and Hughes (10 catches, 305 yards) have been top targets for Temple, who owns a lofty 143.3 quarterback rating and looks to be one of the section’s top college recruits in 2019.

Temple, who has also rushed for three touchdowns, leads Santana with 1,591 total yards.

Hughes plays several positions: receiver on offense, safety on defense as well as handling kicking and punting duties.

He ranks second on the team with 58 points, including 33 kicking points.

Hughes has kicked 30 of 33 extra-point conversion attempts and tacked on a 33-yard field goal this season while also scoring four receiving touchdowns.

He has made 28 tackles on defense with two interceptions and one fumble recovery.

“We’ve been sticking to our game plan and not worrying about the game plan of the opponent,” Hughes said of the secret to the Sultans’ runaway success this season.

“We’ve got to keep our chemistry going, working hard in practice and keeping our grades up.”

Both were impressed by the quality of community college football during their visit.

“It’s faster, more physical,” Temple said.

Southwestern (5-2) was keyed by five interceptions, including three interception returns for touchdowns, to keep Grossmont (0-7) winless on the season.

Pigskin playoffs
The Division VI (eight-man) playoff bracket has been set. Top-seeded Foothills Christian (9-0) will face fourth-seeded Ocean View Christian Academy (6-2) in one semifinal pairing while second-seeded San Diego Jewish Academy (7-0) will face third-seeded San Pasqual Academy (7-1) in the other semifinal matchup.

Both games are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 2.

The winners will advance to the championship game Nov. 9 at Mission Bay High School.

Foothills is the defending division champion.

Foothills and San Pasqual finished as the top two teams in the Ocean League while SDJA and Ocean View finished as the top two teams in the Citrus League.

Senior Tony Mroz leads Foothills with 1,275 passing yards and 19 touchdowns while rushing for 517 yards and nine touchdowns.

Four receivers each have caught three touchdown passes: junior Jason Oliveira (10 catches, 351 yards), senior Blake McIntyre (14 catches, 288 yards), senior Jay Mayer (seven catches, 166 yards) and senior Tanner Corey (10 catches, 150 yards).

Junior Christian Liang keys Ocean View with 558 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns while passing for 392 yards and five touchdowns. Sophomore Tony Valdez leads the Patriots with 63 tackles on defense while sophomore Kevin Yuan has recorded five sacks.

The Foothills-Ocean View semifinal clash is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Seau Field in La Mesa.

Victory Christian Academy finished regular season play 5-4 overall, including a 2-3 mark in Citrus League play.

Junior Grant Egasani led the Knights with 1,047 passing yards and 17 touchdowns this season while junior Weston Spacklin topped the team with 757 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

Junior Jalen Wilson keyed Victory Christian with 19 touchdowns overall, including nine TD catches, six rushing scores, one fumble recovery and three kickoff returns for touchdowns.

Freshman Isaiah Tabares made an impact with eight sacks, one interception and two fumble recoveries.