Prep Varsity Football Review/Preview; Week 9 - Last weeks review for the Southwestern League, Sunbelt League & other Valley teams

Week 9 is when teams start laying claims to league positions and playoff spots. In Other Valley Teams action: there were three shutouts, a win by 40, a loss by 44, and a 2 point loss in a 94-point game. In the Sunbelt League, one team repeated as League Champion by defeating a CIF champion, one team earned a playoff spot with a last minute goal line stand against a team that just forfeited four wins, and one team earned their first league victory behind a 198 yard rushing effort of their best defender. In the Southwestern League, one team claimed their playoff spot by a shutout and featured the year’s longest “pick-6”, one team got their first win in double overtime while keeping another team from its first ever league win in the school’s history, and one team clinched at least a share of the league championship for the sixth year in a row.

OTHER VALLEY TEAMS:

Calvary Murrieta (4-5, 1-3) vs Arrowhead Christian (0-9, 0-4). Warriors win, 22-0.

Both teams wanted their first league win; the Warriors come away with the victory. After getting run over by the Aquinas running game last week, the Warriors bounced back behind three rushing TD’s by QB Zach Chesser and 152 yards of offense by Nate VanBruggen (13 carries).

Next: Nov 11. Calvary Murrieta hosts Ontario Christian (6-2-1, 4-0) at Temescal Canyon High School. The Knights are on a 4-game win streak and have outscored their opponents 319- 162. They are averaging 363 yards and 35.4 points per game. Their offense has gained over 2200 yards on the ground (28 TD’s) and passed for more than 1000 yards (12 TD’s). Against Western Christian last week, they rushed for 500 yards. Mike Salas is their leading rusher with almost 1000 yards and 12 TD’s on the season. Mark Urtz leads all receivers with 454 yards and 5 TD’s. Their defense has 19 sacks, 11 interceptions and 8 fumble recoveries. Can the Warriors pull off an upset victory?

Linfield Christian (4-4-1, 2-2) vs Aquinas (7-2, 3-1). Linfield loss, 0-30.

In the battle of 2-1 teams, the Lions followed up their 25-pt loss to league –leader Ontario Christian with a 30 point shutout loss to the Falcons (who trounced Calvary 48-0 last week). It was a familiar story as the Lions’ mistakes (turnovers and penalties) cost them possessions and field position. The Falcons gained 404 yards to Linfield’s 81. The Lions punted four times in the first half with no first downs; in the second half, they got three first downs.

Next: Nov 10th vs Western Christian (3-6, 2-2). The Fighting Lancers are coming off of a 58-7 loss to Ontario Christian. They have scored 130 points, but allowed 322. They average 225 yards/game, 153 on the ground. Seven of their touchdowns were through the air; eight on the ground. QB Michael Mendoza has completed 56% of his passes for over 600 yards (only 1 interception); his favorite targets are Brad Hargis (255 yds, 2 TD’s on 13 catches) and dual-threat Andrew Henry (156 yards, 3 TD’s on 5 catches). Sarkis Panossian leads all rushers with 582 yards and 4 TD’s. Execute offensively and this should be a “W” for the Lions and a shot at playoffs.

Cal Lutheran (6-3, 3-1) vs Upland Christian Academy (5-4, 1-3). C-Hawks win, 46-6.

The C-Hawks put up eighteen points in the first quarter and 427 yards in the game to soundly defeat the Eagles. RB Ben Schober had 3 TDs and 207 yards on 23 carries; QB Matt Correia had 117 yards and 1 TD on 17 carries. Correia also threw for one TD to Luke Rosenbaum (19 yds).

Next: Nov 11th 7:30 pm. Cal Lutheran hosts Antelope Valley Christian (3-6, 1-3) from Lancaster. The Eagles are on a two-game win streak beating Concordia 48-32 and Anchorpoint Christian 34-20. Their star player is Curion Henson who leads in rushing (312 yds, 5 TD’s), receiving (12 catches for 112 yds, 1 TD), and sacks (3 of his team’s 10) ,. The team has amassed over 1000 yards rushing on the season. This should be an easy win for the C-Hawks.

Cornerstone (6-3, 1-1) at Marywood-Palm Valley (5-3, 2-0). Cornerstone loss, 46-48.

At stake was the Majestic League title. The Firebirds were on a two-game win streak: 52-8 over Victor Valley Christian and 54-26 over Calvary Baptist. The Crusaders had won six of their last seven, but had just lost to neighboring Cal Lutheran, 49-8. The stage was set for a showdown; due to the stormy weather, both coaches agreed to shorten the quarters to ten minutes from twelve. This proved to be a critical factor as the Crusaders elected to go for a game-winning field goal with eight seconds left. It was blocked.

Next: Nov 11th. Cornerstone hosts Liberty Christian (4-5, 1-3) from Huntington Beach. The Minutemen are coming off of a 57-6 drubbing by Avalon. They allowed 278 yards and 6 TD’s rushing. QB Jacob Mercer completes 62% of his passes; he is also their leading rusher with 256 yds and 3 TD’s. Running back Frank Guzman has 204 yds and 4 TD’s; he also averages 35 yards per kick return. Wide receiver, Eric Isenor, has 3 TD’s on five catches for 54 yards. The Crusaders should advance easily.

Fallbrook (1-8, 0-3) vs San Pasqual (6-2-1, 1-2). Warriors loss, 0-44.

The Golden Eagles ended their two-game losing streak in the Avocado East League by shutting out the Warriors. The Warriors were unable to stop Eagles’ QB Tyler Tony who scored on the ground and in the air. The Eagles’ defense dominated in the rain, holding the Warriors to 73 yards of offense and four turnovers. Warriors’ Christopher Fuetterer took over for Micah Marroquin in the second half and led the team stats, throwing for 32 yards and rushing for 22 yards. Fallbrook has scored just six points total in three games; this was their sixth straight loss. The Warriors have scored 99 points in eight games; they have also given up 251.

Next: Nov 10 vs. Vista (4-5, 2-1). The defending CIF San Diego Section Division I champion Panthers beat cross-town rival Rancho Buena Vista 28-10 to keep their playoff hopes alive. RB Jacob Bedford rushed for 128 yards and 2 TD’s on 15 carries; he also scored on a 52-yd pass from Anthony Pabloff in the first quarter. Panthers need to beat the Warriors to go .500 and earn a playoff spot. Warriors are looking to end a six-game losing streak and this would be a good game to do it.

SUNBELT LEAGUE:

Elsinore (7-2, 3-1) vs Heritage (8-1, 4-0). Heritage win, 24-8.

Heritage is on its way to their second undefeated league season and a league championshp by virtue of their win over defending CIF Champion Elsinore. Patriots’ RB Jamaal Morrow scored first on a 24-yd run; Tigers’ RB Allan Stubbs answered with a 30 yd TD; Daniel Rodriguez 2-pt conversion put Elsinore ahead 8-7. Patriots then scored three times in a row (Morrow’s 17-yd run, Logan Netter 3-yd field goal, and Chad Virgil-to-Darius Allensworth 39-yd TD pass) to put the game away. Virgil was 9-for-12 for 94 yds, all to Allensworth. The Patriots countered the Tigers’ power running attack by putting them into third-and-long situations on most of their eight possessions, forcing four punts and two turnovers on downs. Stubbs ended with 120 yards on 17 carries; Rodriguez had 93 yards on 19 carries. For Heritage, Morrow had 127 yards and 2 TD’s on 19 carries while Tony Hifo had 70 yards on 14 carries.

Lakeside (3-6, 2-2) vs Paloma Valley (formerly 5-4, 2-2; now 1-8, 1-3). Lakeside win, 30-23.

Paloma Valley announced forfeiture of four games; the excited Lakeside team stepped up to earn a shot at a playoff spot. The Wildcats gave up the first two points on a bad punt snap for a safety; Lancers’ Ryan Byrd scored twice on runs of 8 and 2 yards; Andre Ponce then ran an interception back 41 yards for another score; 23-0 Lakeside with four minutes left in the half. Wildcats’ David Solis scored just before the end of the half; 2-pt conversion from QB Brent Boehm to Anthony Johnston was good, 23-8. Each team scored once in the 3rd quarter (Boehm capped off a 9-play 66-yd drive with a 1-yd run, Byrd scored on an exciting spin-reverse-field 40 yd run), 30-16. Boehm engineered another drive, culminating in a 2-yd TD pass to Johnston with 5 minutes left in the game, 30-23. With two minutes left in the game, Paloma Valley started a potential game-tying/winning drive from its own 31-yd line. Boehm moved the ball to the Lancers’ 9 on five passes; Solis ran to the 7; Boehm hit Johnston to bring up a 4th and goal from the 2 yd line. PV’s hopes and Boehm’s pass attempt to Johnston were knocked down to end the game. Boehm was 21-of-30 for 222 yards and 2 interceptions as Paloma Valley put up 353 yards to Lakesides’ 273 yards. Ryan Byrd led all rushers with 185 yards, 3 touchdowns.

Temescal Canyon (3-6, 1-3) vs Perris (4-5, 1-3). Temescal Canyon win 28-10.

At middle line backer, Hala Tevita is the best defensive player on the Titans team; on Friday he also carried the ball 33 times for 198 yards and the game’s first touchdown. QB Mason Mill contributed two running touchdowns; Cornelius Stringer had a 4-yd interception return. Panthers’ QB Von Campbell scrambled and passed for 193 yards on 11-of-29 attempts, including a 40-yd TD pass to Dallas Deville (5 catches for 79 yards) in the second quarter. Jaylen Lipscomb caught 4 passes for 104 yards.

Next on November 10th:

Elsinore (7-2, 3-1) at Paloma Valley (1-8, 1-3).

Forfeiture of four games makes the Paloma Valley record look much worse than their performance on the field (5-4, 2-2); nonetheless, they are facing the defending CIF champions who are coming off of a big loss to Heritage. This is a matchup of the best spread passing team in the league against the old-school power running team.

Elsinore has held its opponents to 136 total points while scoring 257 points. They are averaging 320 yds per game on the ground, mainly on the legs of Allan Stubbs (1215 yds, 12 TDs) and Daniel Rodriguez (1064 yards, 9 TDs). TE Nolan Peralta leads all receivers with 153 yards, 3 TDs on 8 catches. He also leads the defense with 113 tackles and 3 sacks. Cody Blackwell has 6 sacks and 53 tackles to anchor a defense that has recorded 23 sacks, 10 interceptions and 9 fumble recoveries.

Paloma Valley has held its opponents to 177 points while scoring 251 points. They feature a balanced attack out of a spread formation, with 188 yards passing and 165 yards rushing per game. Wildcat soph QB Brent Boehm has grown up fast and is the league’s leading passer with a 60% completion rate, 1200 yards, and nine touchdowns. Three of his five interceptions came against Heritage. Anthony Johnston is the league’s leading receiver with 831 yards and 5 touchdowns; Patrick Santhavisouk has 326 yards, 3 TDs on 39 catches. Dual-threat RB Tim Stewart has 240 yards and 2 TDs on 23 receptions and 681 yards and 5 TDs rushing. Their defense has recorded 16 sacks (9 by Dejon Golden and Charlie Wallace), 8 interceptions, and 15 fumble recoveries.

Perris (4-5, 1-3) at Heritage (8-1, 4-0)

This is a meeting of the top and bottom teams in the league; one with nothing to prove and one with nothing to lose. One has become a passing team; one is an accomplished running team with inside and outside threats. Experience will be the difference.

The Perris Panthers’ inexperienced line has been manhandled in the trenches all season and they have had to revert to the pass more and more as the season progressed. QB Von Campbell has had to rely on his wheels and his wits as he faced pressure defense after pressure defense. He and receiver Dallas Deville have emerged as Perris’ bright spots in the last few games. Von Campbell put up 265 yards last week against Elsinore and 193 yards this week against Temescal Canyon. Deville had 203 yards and three scores on 11 catches in those two games.

Heritage is averaging 350 yards and almost 34 points per game. Tony “Smash” Hifo has over 400 yards and 8 TD’s. Jamaal “Dash” Morrow is the league’s leading rusher with over 1200 yards and 15 TD’s. QB Chad Virgil is a 60% passer with over 700 yards and 8 TD’s. WR’s Lamont Morrow and Darius Allenworth combine for over 550 yards receiving and 7 TD’s. Their defense is tough on the run with Tony Hifo, Nick Avne, Limahia Hifo and Darius Allensworth accounting for 40% of their tackles. Sione Takitake has 3 of their 8 sacks; Allensworth has 4 of their 13 interceptions. They also have 14 fumble recoveries.

Lakeside (3-6, 2-2) at Temescal Canyon (3-6, 1-3).

New Head Coach Kitrick Taylor had three long-term goals for his program: “play together as a unit; learn to win ball games; eventually get to playoffs.” The Lancers might reach all those goals in his first year; Thursday they travel to Temescal Canyon to battle for 3rd place in the league and a playoff spot. They are bringing with them the league’s leading rusher in Ryan Byrd and a team full of new-found hope and enthusiasm. The Titans are coming off of a 28-10 win over the Perris Panthers in which LB/FB Hala Tevita dominated on both sides of the ball. The Titan offensive line was key to the victory. Other offfensive weapons include Dawson Lindeman (874 yds, 12 TDs), Michael Shepherd (501 yds, 7 TDs) and Terry Jones (370 yds, 3 TDs). The Titans lost to Elsinore by only 10, to Paloma Valley by only 6 and to Heritage by only 4. They are a formidable foe and the Lancers will have their hands full.

SOUTHWESTERN LEAGUE:

Chaparral (5-4, 3-1) vs. Great Oak (4-5, 1-3). Chaparral win, 17-0.

Chaparral LB Cameron Gamble had the highlight of the night when he “gambled” and jumped an out route with two minutes left in the game and ran 84 yards for the longest “pick-6” of the season in the Valley! The win earned Chaparral the City Championship as well as a playoff berth. The Pumas’ Justin Harris gained less than half of what he had rushed for last week, but he still ended up being the game’s leading rusher (19 carries for 77 yards). The league’s leading rusher, Great Oak’s Jakob Certeza (1064 yards, 118 yds/gm), was held to just 62 yards on 22 carries. Both teams’ defenses played tough; each had a goal line stand resulting in a recovered fumble. Both offenses struggled with turnovers, penalties and the muddy field.

Murrieta Valley (7-2, 3-1) vs Vista Murrieta (4-5, 4-0). Vista Murrieta win, 23-14.

Vista Murrieta did not play well, but they still ended up with a “W” and another league championship. Despite four fumbles, 12 penalties, and ten failed 3rd down conversion attempts, the Broncos managed 414 yards of total offense. QB Nick Stephens ran for 88 yards and one TD and passed for 167 yards (12-of-18) and one TD (Phillip Jones-Ward, 29 yds). Su’a Cravens again showed up on both sides of the ball with 78 rushing yards and one TD, 62 receiving yards, and 8 tackles. Bryce Smith led the defense with 28 total tackles and two of their six sacks. Murrieta Valley QB Andrew Blake was 14-of-31 for 161 yards and two TD’s, including a 56 yd pass to Jack Magpusao (8 catches, 104 yds) for the first score of the game.

Temecula Valley (5-4, 1-3) vs Murrieta Mesa (4-5, 0-4). Temecula Valley win, 30-24.

It took two overtimes, but the Golden Bears prevailed. TV led 24-7 to start the 4th quarter. The Rams scored 17 points in the 4th quarter to come from behind; kicker Tanner Lydie sent the game into overtime with a 36-yd field goal. There were no scores in the first overtime; TV QB Derrick Tarin scored the winning TD on a 2 yd run. After being sidelined with a back injury for most of the season, TV’s Kason Kennedy, was back; he rushed 30 times for 227 yards and two TD’s, including five critical carries on the final drive to set up the winning TD. Mesa QB Chase Chambers threw for a record-setting 404 yards (36-of-50), but only one TD (Davien Neitz, 3 yds). His favorite receiver Khalil Sharpe caught 15 passes for 230 yards.

Next on Thursday, November 10th:

Chaparral (5-4, 3-1) at Murrieta Valley (7-2, 3-1). This is the battle for second place; MV does have a shot at sharing the league title with a win. This is the game to watch in this league – MV’s multi-weapon offense against Chaparral’s recruit-filled defense.

Chaparral has the #2 and #4 rushers in the league in QB Matt Morin (650 yds, 13 TD’s) and RB Justin Harris (630 yds, 4 TD’s); Morin is also averaging 82 yards passing per game, although he has thrown 8 interceptions on the season. He has 13 rushing TD’s and 4 passing TD’s. WR Chris Stratton is the #4 receiver in the league with 403 yards and 4 TD’s; 212 of those yards came in a 12-catch game against Oceanside in the pre-season. The Pumas have won five of their last six games (lost to Vista Murrieta) and their defense has been holding their opponents to less than ten points, including shutouts of both Temecula teams. Their defense has recorded 20 sacks (Damon Watkins and Teddy Queen account for 11), 9 interceptions, and 18 fumble recoveries. CJ Dozier leads all tacklers with 53.

Murrieta Valley has the #2 passer in the league; Andrew Blake has completed over 60% of his passes for almost 1800 yards and 20 TD’s. The Nighthawks also have the #3 (Jacob Augustine) and #6 (Jack Magpusao, 7 TD’s) rushers in the league who combine for just under 1200 yards. Magpusao is also the #2 receiver in the league with just under 500 yards and 5 more TD’s. WRs Jaleel Shabazz and Brandon Iacobellis have 51 receptions, 740 yards, and 6 TD’s between them. Safety Terin Solomon (52 tackles) and DE Noah Johnson (8 of the team’s 17 sacks, 32 tackles) lead the defense.

Temecula Valley (5-4, 1-3) at Great Oak (4-5, 1-3). This one is for pride and bragging rights since neither are going to playoffs. The game will feature last year’s league leading rusher, TV’s Kason Kennedy, against this year’s leading rusher, Great Oak’s Jakob Certeza.

Temecula Valley put together an impressive offensive attack against Murrieta Mesa: 157 yards passing (1 TD), 208 yards rushing (3 TD’s) for a total of 365 yards and 30 points. RB Kason Kennedy looked healthy with a 227 yd, 2 TD game. The Golden Bears’ balanced attack and confidence may be back after this hard-fought win. QB Derrick Tarin is the #3 passer in the league completing 55% of his passes for over 1400 yards and 7 TD’s. He has also thrown 6 interceptions. Kennedy missed three games and saw limited action against Vista Murrieta (8 carries) and Chaparral (1 carry); despite that, he has 440 rushing yards and 6 TD’s. TV’s leading receiver is Daniel Manning (32 catches for 471 yards, 4 TD’s). DE Jerome McElroy leads the defense with 7 sacks. Injuries, turnovers and penalties have kept the Golden Bears from performing up to their potential.

Great Oak is coming off of three tough losses and has been averaging 188 yards rushing and 125 yards passing. They score twice as many times (16) on the ground as in the air. RB Certeza leads the league with 1064 yards rushing and 8 TD’s. QB Carson Luna has thrown for 1089 yards and 8 TD’s (5 INT’s). WR’s Bryan Jones and Ryan Hayes still lead the league in yards per catch (34 and 26). The Wolfpack offense has shown flashes of greatness against the league’s toughest opponents. Execution mistakes and penalties have been momentum killers all season. Their defense has kept them in most of the games, led by MLB Chris Boswell with 103 tackles and 3 sacks.

Murrieta Mesa (4-5, 0-4) at Vista Murrieta (4-5, 4-0). The Rams bring their rapid-fire air attack against the league’s best defense in a long-shot bid to knock off the top dog for their first league win. The Broncos get an opportunity to test their pass defense for the playoffs against the league’s best passer.

Murrieta Mesa is primarily a passing team (2316 yards), averaging 257 yards per game in the air. QB Chase Chambers is the best passer in the league with 2162 yards and 19 touchdowns. He is coming off of his first 400-yd passing game. His three favorite receivers are Khalil Sharpe (#1 in the league, 904 yds, 4 TD’s on 56 receptions), Daniel Castro (#7, 331 yds, 2 TD’s on 27 receptions) and Gilbert Toves (#9, 319 yds, 3 TD’s on 25 catches). Dominic Odegaard (282 yds) and Chambers (203 yds) lead the Rams’ rushing attack. Craig Mauldin and Garrett Andrews lead the defense in tackles.

Vista Murrieta’s defense has been dominant; they have allowed only 120 points, 69 of those in the pre-season against state-ranked teams. They have held league teams to two scores or less (a total of 27 pts) with the exception of Great Oak who scored 24. They have recorded 824 tackles, 30 sacks, 16 interceptions, and 10 fumble recoveries. Bryce Smith leads all tacklers with 127. The Broncos’ offense is averaging 334 yds and 33 points per game, 213 of those yards and 18 of their 28 touchdowns have been on the ground. QB Nick Stephens leads the team rushing (580 yds, 3 TD’s); RBs Aaron Piecukonis (554 yds, 4 TD’s) and Su’a Cravens (354 yds, 7 TD’s) are also potent weapons. Cravens has also caught 10 passes for 179 yds and 3 TD’s. Receivers Darion Williams (180 yds, 2 TDs), Cody Piecukonis (172 yds, 1 TD) and Esteban Ortuno (139 yds, 1 TD) keep the defense honest. Kicker Tyler Rausa accounts for 73 of the team’s 197 points (13 field goals, 34 PAT’s); 44 of his 54 kick-offs have been touchbacks; he is also averaging 44 yds/punt.

Thursday 11/03

(4-4-1, 2-2)Linfield Christian - 0 : Aquinas(7-2, 3-1) - 30

Friday 11/04

Southwestern League

(5-4, 2-2)Chaparral - 17 : Great Oak(4-5, 1-3) - 0

(4-5, 0-4)Murrieta Mesa - 24 : Temecula Valley(5-4, 1-3) - 30

(4-5, 4-0)Vista Murrieta - 23 : Murrieta Valley(7-2, 3-1) - 14

Sunbelt League

(7-2, 3-1)Elsinore - 8 : Heritage(8-1, 4-0) - 24

(3-6, 2-2)Lakeside - 30 : Paloma Valley(5-4, 2-2) - 23

(3-6, 0-4)Perris - 10 : Temescal Canyon(3-6, 1-3) - 28

Other Valley Teams

(1-8, 0-3)Fallbrook - 0 : San Pasqual(6-2-1, 1-2) - 44

(4-5, 1-3)Calvary Murrieta - 22 : Arrowhead Christian(0-9, 0-4) - 0

(6-3, 4-1)Cal Lutheran - 46 : Upland Christian Academy(5-4, 1-3) - 6

(6-3, 1-1)Cornerstone - 46 : Marywood Palm Valley(5-3, 1-1) - 48

*Records are indicated by overall standings 1st, then league standings 2nd