A homecoming classic ended with a last-minute hookup, a field goal just feet short of its tying target, and a Titans crowd waiting to finally exhale.

Eastlake backup quarterback Josh Palet’s 22 yard touchdown pass to Jordan Hines with 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter gave the 3rd ranked Titans just enough to edge a gritty Steele Canyon team 20-17 at Stan Canaris Stadium in our 619 Preps Game of the Week.

Postgame video interviews: Josh Palet and Jordan Hines

The 5th ranked Cougars (3-1) took the lead in a wild first quarter and protected it through a hard-hitting second half, only to see the Titans (4-0) steal the game on a desperate final drive. Even then Steele Canyon fought back, but a last-gasp 48 yard field goal was online but short as time expired.

Taking over at their 28 with 1:19 remaining and no timeouts, Eastlake found itself quickly in desperate straits. Palet, who entered the game with just under 10 minutes to play in the fourth quarter in relief of the starter Hines, fired three incomplete passes.

On fourth and 10, Palet hung in the pocket and found senior tailback Chris Fletcher open in the right flat. Fletcher cut upfield and scampered 53 yards to the Steele Canyon 19.

“I read the defense before the play, Chris found an opening, and I threw it to his hands, simple as that,” said Palet.

Two plays later, Palet’s fade into the left corner of the end zone was brought down by Hines in double coverage for the game-winning 22 yard reception.

“It’s the moment I live for,” said Hines, “Josh put it up there and put the game in my hands, and I had to come through and do it for my team.”

Prior to the late home team heroics, Steele Canyon was controlling the ball and the line of scrimmage, on the way to a first win ever against the South Bay’s top team. Indeed, this game was tantalizingly close to being in the Cougars’ back pocket, as they were twice one play away from sealing the victory.

“The guys played hard, and that’s what we ask of them,” said head coach Ron Boehmke.

Behind the hard and shifty running of senior running back Jake Wragg (23 carries, 163 yards, TD), the Cougars milked the clock and kept Eastlake’s offense on the sideline.

After a wild first quarter which saw both teams break huge runs and score two touchdowns, Steele Canyon started the second quarter with a 17 play, 66 yard march. While the drive only netted a field goal and a 17-13 lead, the Cougars had set the tone for (most of) the remainder of the game.

Junior tailback Josh Isbell ran for 166 of his 185 yards in the first half for Eastlake, and left the game after taking a punishing hit from Steele Canyon junior linebacker Jake Ruysschaert over the middle on his 17th and final carry of the game.

“Steele Canyon adjusted really well to what we do,” said Hines, “They pretty much knew our offense, you’ve got to give them a lot of props.”

The Titans were held to 41 second half rushing yards after gaining 180 before halftime, but necessity forced them to take to the air. After Isbell was knocked out of the game, Palet entered and hooked up with Hines on a 29-yard catch to put Eastlake in scoring position.

The drive made it all the way to the Cougars’ 5, but on fourth and inches Fletcher was absolutely crushed by Steele Canyon junior defensive back Chanceller James and stopped cold at the line of scrimmage for a goal line stand and a turnover on downs.

Needing to run off the final 5:36, the Cougars picked up two rushing first downs. On the second, a quarterback line buck up the middle for 15 yards by Brad Boehmke, with his offensive line pushing Eastlake down the field, the game seemed all but over.

Out of time outs, the Titans had one more set of downs to defend, and they held Wragg to six yards on three straight carries. After a delay of game and a punt, Palet and Hines were set up for their Marino-to-Duper act.

The rest was homecoming history.

As if to make the night even better, the junior Hines was named his school’s homecoming king and Big Man On Campus. This was at halftime, as part of an extravaganza that included a fireworks show. They may want to come up with some new awards for the postgame.

“This is just about the best day ever,” said a beaming Hines.

The Cougars, meanwhile, can leave South Bay knowing they are still a power to be reckoned with in the East County this year.

“We would love to have beaten those guys and gotten to 4-0,” said Coach Boehmke, ”but if anything it shows we deserve to be where we are in the county rankings and what it takes to play a county champion.”

The Oceanside football program has been the class of San Diego Section for years. Even in a season filled with youth, and even with their home field under wraps, the Pirates still have the talent and heart to be able to pull out a tough game.

Overcoming three critical turnovers and taking advantage of one very lucky bounce, the 5th ranked Oceanside Pirates (2-1) came from two touchdowns behind to beat the 10th ranked Mira Mesa Marauders 17-14 in our 619 Preps Game of the Week.

With Simcox Field still undergoing renovations, Oceanside’s home game was moved down the road to rival El Camino’s home field, Herb Meyer Stadium.

Postgame video–Oceanside WR Anthony Mount and head coach John Carroll:

After trailing 14-0 late in the second quarter, the Pirates grinded their way to 17 unanswered points using trick plays, a crucial deflected pass for a touchdown, and some late hard rushing yards to seal the deal.

Anthony Mount had 3 catches for 88 yards and a TD

Sophomore quarterback Tofi Pao Pao’s 31-yard scoring pass to senior wide receiver Anthony Mount with 2:06 remaining in the third quarter put the Pirates ahead for good. Mount sparked the Oceanside offense with a pair of huge catches, the other being a 48-yard completion on a wide receiver option pass. Mount caught three passes overall for 88 yards and a touchdown, and also ran seven times for 52 yards.

Pao Pao, who had a fumble and interception which led directly to Mira Mesa’s 14 points, finished the game completing 12-of-20 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns, with the one pick.

“That sophomore took some big hits, bounced up and made some huge throws,” said Oceanside head coach John Carroll, “We’re excited about him.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Mira Mesa (1-2) took advantage of some huge plays on defense to forge a 14-0 lead. First, senior defensive lineman Gabi Musallam hammered Pao Pao dropping back to pass, who fumbled. Senior tackle Lloyd Gowen scooped up the loose ball and rumbled 31 yards to the Oceanside 2-yard line before being tackled.

From there, senior fullback Tyler Lehrke punched it into the end zone for a 7-0 Marauders lead.

On the following drive, the Pirates’ offense was triggered by a double pass, with senior wide receiver Demario Coleman hooking up with Mount on a 48 yard connection. Four plays later the Pirates were knocking on the door at the Mira Mesa 3-yard line, when Pao Pao attempted a quick flare to senior wideout Brenden Wright.

Mira Mesa senior cornerback Anthony Payne jumped the route and intercepted Pao Pao’s pass, and he was loose down the right sideline for an 88-yard return. Mount wound up wrestling him down at the Oceanside 8, but two plays later Lehrke was back in the end zone with a three-yard scoring run, and it was 14-0 Marauders.

Taking over with less than two minutes to play in the half, the Pirates got a big play on broken coverage, and then a critical lucky break. First, the Marauders failed to account for Coleman on a fly pattern down the right sideline, and he hauled in a 42-yard bomb to get Oceanside into scoring position.

Two plays later, Pao Pao rolled right from the Mira Mesa 22 and tried to fire underneath to Wright. The ball was deflected off his hands, then off the hands of Payne, and ricocheted behind both of them and to the right, into the far corner of the end zone. There was Coleman, who made a diving catch for an improbable 22-yard touchdown.

Gary Blevins’ Marauders have played a fierce schedule so far

“That was fortunate for them,” Mira Mesa head coach Gary Blevins dryly noted.

The Marauders switched quarterbacks mid-game with little success. Sophomore Trey Lomax played most of the first half, completing 2-of-8 passes for 31 yards. Junior Dominic Richardson, who had missed the first two weeks with a shoulder sprain, played the entire second half and finished 3-of-10 for 34 yards.

“We’re trying to figure out what we’re going to do (at QB),” said Blevins, “it’s a long season. We’re going to need two quarterbacks to get through it.”

Listen to a postgame interview with Mira Mesa head coach Gary Blevins:

The Oceanside defense held Mira Mesa to 60 yards in the second half, including three straight three-and-out series.

Oceanside coach John Carroll talks to his team after a 17-14 win over Mira Mesa

“I’m very proud of the way our defense played,” said Carroll, “we had one or two mistakes but for the most part our defense certainly gave our offense a chance to win the football game.”

After forcing a Marauders punt on the opening series of the third quarter, Oceanside strung together a 13-play, 62-yard drive to close within four points of the lead. Senior kicker Jose Basurto was able to connect on a 32-yard field goal to make it a 14-10 Mira Mesa lead.

The Marauders then picked a particularly bad time to commit their only turnover of the game, as Richardson fumbled on a scramble, giving the Pirates a short field from the Mira Mesa 23 yard line.

While Oceanside retreated seven yards on their first two plays, Pao Pao used a good pocket on 3rd-and-17 to whip a bullet over the right seam into the hands of Mount. The 5′6″ receiver extended for the pass and sped into the end zone, tumbling across the goal line to give Oceanside a 16-14 lead. Fernando Elizarraraz’s extra point accounted for the final margin of victory.

The Pirates then stuffed Mira Mesa on their next two drives and seemingly had the game in hand, but for the third time a major mistake would give the Marauders a golden chance to steal the win. Pao Pao scrambled on a 3rd-and-25 from deep in his own territory and fumbled 10 yards downfield, with Lehrke picking up the loose ball at the Oceanside 30.

Richardson used an 11-yard completion to Marcus Smith and four hard runs by senior tailback Marco Lazaro to gain a first-and-goal from the Oceanside 4-yard line. That was all the Marauders could muster, though, as two Lazaro line bucks were stuffed for a loss, and Richardson threw incomplete on third down.

Senior kicker Louis Salazar had a chip shot 22-yard field goal to tie the game with 4:29 left but hooked it wide left, keeping Oceanside in front by three.

The Pirates never gave Mira Mesa another chance. Keegan and Mount carried four times each on a draining 11-play drive which leeched the final 4:29 off the clock. Mount’s 19 yard carry on 3rd and five from the Oceanside 48 forced Mira Mesa to use their final timeout, essentially icing the game.

“It was all about heart on that third down,” said Mount, “We wanted it more than they did.”

Already having taken on a brutal preseason schedule, things get no easier for Oceanside. They battle the current #1 team in our 619 Preps/NC Times Top-10 poll, Vista, in two weeks.

This story will be updated later with postgame video from the field.

Headlined by a quintet of players from the two-time state champion Oceanside Pirates, Brady Hoke announced a class of 27 recruits yesterday on National Signing Day. The largest Aztecs recruiting class since 2005 is the latest sign of Hoke’s attempt to cleanse the program of its losing ways.

“All programs have a blueprint of what they want to be,” said Hoke at a Montezuma Mesa press conference (video below), “The biggest thing for us is to recruit guys who have character. We want to recruit guys who come from winning programs.”

In that case, reaching out to John Carroll and Oceanside High is a natural start. The six-time defending CIF champions and two-time state champs are coming off a 13-0 season. The late addition of speedy cornerback/slotback Jerry Whittaker (who decommited from Arizona) to a group that already included linebacker Rene Siluano, cornerback King Holder, linebacker Jake Fely, and defensive lineman Kenneth Galea’i gives Hoke his first clear win in local recruiting.

Yes, the biggest fish in what might have been the best year for prep talent in San Diego history still left the pond. There are no obvious superstars like Tony Jefferson, Ricky Seale or Thomas Molesi in Hoke’s class. But you’ve got to start somewhere, and the class of 2010 for SDSU reflects months of hard work reconnecting with local prep coaches who had backed away in the Craft/Long era.

–See more San Diego Prep News at 619Sports.net

The San Diego Section’s all-time rushing leader will be heading to the Bay Area to play football. Escondido’s Ricky Seale signed his letter of intent to attend Stanford University in the fall, and to play for coach Jim Harbaugh on the football team. Seale’s signing, which took place today at the Escondido High School Learning Center, capped months of speculation as to where Seale would land.

“Thank God, it’s finally all over,” said Seale after putting ink to paper.

Seale was one of four Escondido athletes signing letters of intent on Wednesday, a banner day for the North County school. Tim Zier signed a baseball scholarship with SDSU, while Joe Morton signed to play basketball at Wyoming, and Mala Lemay accepted a softball scholarship from Hawaii.

How close did the Aztecs come to landing Seale?

“It was a 50-50 deal all the way,” said Seale, “but Stanford was always my first choice.”

After the jump, watch video of Seale and Tim Zier answering questions on Signing Day:

Seale didn’t know for sure if he would be admitted into Stanford until late last night, when Harbaugh called his house.

“I was just, Oh My God,” said Seale, “I was actually surprised I got in, but I’ve been working so hard for it so I was really happy it all worked out.”

Seale was receiving pressure from inside his own school and to the west as well. Over at Oceanside, the five Pirates who are coming as a group to play under Brady Hoke were reaching out to Zier, asking him to help recruit Seale to SDSU. Meanwhile, the Pirates were trying to keep mammoth defensive tackle Thomas Molesi in town as well; Molesi said he came “this close” to switching, but instead honored his commitment to Oregon State.

Watch Ricky Seale and Tim Zier answer questions from 619 Sports and the assembled media in Escondido:

Seale finished his prep career with 6,694 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per carry. He will compete for playing time in the Cardinal backfield with another San Diego prep phenom, the former section rushing leader (and state player of the year) Tyler Gaffney.

Zier, meanwhile, is excited to begin a baseball career under Tony Gwynn at San Diego State, but admitted that “football is always in the back of my mind.” Zier teamed with Seale to form a lethal combination the past two years in the Cougars’ backfield.

–Story and video courtesy 619Sports.net

–View Ricky’s full SportsForce profile: http://www.sportsforceonline.com/athletes/rseale

Brandon Johnson came back from a major achilles injury to play a 5th year with the Toreros. In the process he has become USD’s all-time leading scorer, but a 9-18 season has put a sour edge to what should be a season of celebration. Brandon joined 619 Sports after USD practice at Jenny Craig Pavilion to reflect on his career and the challenges he has faced:

–Story and video courtesy 619Sports.net

Maybe someday Brady Hoke will throw that proverbial “fence around the county” and get the top prospects in San Diego County to come to SDSU. Before he builds that fence, though, Hoke will need to first interrupt the pipeline.

You know, the one Bob Stoops has built between San Diego and Norman, Oklahoma.

Stoops, looking to restore Oklahoma to national title contention in 2010, will do so with the help of a trio of San Diego talents. All-time San Diego section receiving leader Kenny Stills and hard-hitting Eastlake star

Tony Jefferson both announced on Friday night that they will attend the University of Oklahoma next year, joining Scripps Ranch star Brennan Clay. The threesome made their announcements at the KUSI Prep Pigskin Gala at the Hall of Champions.

Clay, who had committed months before to the Sooners, was thrilled to have his two talented Silver Pigskin finalists (Mission Bay’s Dillon Baxter won the trophy) join him in Norman:

Hear from all three of the newest Sooners after the jump:

Brennan Clay(full SportsForce profile here) was the first to commit to Oklahoma. He joined 619 Sports immediately after the announcement of the Silver Pigskin award to talk about the honor of the evening and the process of luring Jefferson and Stills to join him in Norman:

Kenny Stills (full SportsForce profile here) had been heavily recruited by USC but wound up narrowing his choices to Florida, Michigan and Oklahoma. In the end, Stills told 619 Sports the chance to team up with Jefferson and Clay, and to participate in the Sooners’ vaunted passing attack, was too much to pass up:

Tony Jefferson angered the Arroyo Seco when he first committed to UCLA, only to show up at the UCLA-USC game wearing Trojans garb. After hearing the barbs from the Bruins, Jefferson withdrew his commitment to the Bruins and took a campus trip to Norman. The rest was history, as he told 619 Sports:

With Jefferson in the secondary and Clay and Stills in the OU backfield, Boomer Sooner is picking up speed heading into 2010.

–Courtesy 619Sports.net

In a year filled with deserving candidates, Mission Bay superstar Dillon Baxter took home the hardware. The Buccaneers QB and future USC Trojan was announced as the 11th winner of the KUSI Silver Pigskin, awarded each year to the top high school football player in San Diego Section.

Baxter led Mission Bay to a 13-0 record and a D-IV San Diego Section championship, setting the all-time section single-season rushing record in the process. Baxter carried 261 times for 2,974 rushing yards and 50 touchdowns, while throwing for 1,922 yards and 25 more touchdowns.

Baxter beat out Escondido’s Ricky Seale, LCC’s Kenny Stills, Eastlake’s Tony Jefferson, Scripps Ranch’s Brennan Clay, and Valhalla’s Pete Thomas for the yearly honor (all pictured above).

After the announcement, Baxter spoke with 619 Sports about the honor, his future at USC, and the challenge of potentially matching up with Oklahoma and their three new San Diego stars in the future:

–Courtesy 619Sports.net

by Craig at 619Sports.net

CIF San Diego Section will send two schools to next weekend’s State Bowl games at the Home Depot Center, as both Oceanside and Francis Parker have earned trips to Carson. The bowl matchups were announced by the CIF earlier this afternoon.

Francis Parker will represent Southern California in the Small Schools division, taking on the Modesto Christian Crusaders at 4pm on Friday. Oceanside was named as the SoCal Division I representative, they will battle Bellarmine Prep Bells at 8pm on Friday night.

–Courtesy 619Sports.net

D- III: Cathedral On Top Again

Cathedral Catholic and Point Loma battled it out in what proved be a closer match than years prior considering the Dons blowout win against the Pointers in the 2007 CIF Championship , beating them 41-3. The Pointers able to lead the Dons in the second half through the third quarter with a score of 14-6, but that is where the lead would end. The Dons finally gained momentum with a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, however, their attempt at a 2 point conversion pass was knocked down.

After the defense held, Cathedral got the ball back at its own 36 with 5:19 remaining. On 3rd-and-9, Cathedral Catholic coach, Sean Doyle, sent in word to go for the downs. Dons QB, Max Brewer called a slant-and-go for WR Chance Early, who was lined up in single coverage split to the left against Point Loma’s Davis Callejon. The slant move drew in Callejon and allowed Early to get a half-step behind his coverage.

Brewer delivered a perfect throw, running back Early made the catch, then broke free of Callejon’s tackle at the 35-yard-line. The rest was clear sailing to the end zone and a third-straight Section championship.

D-IV Final: Baxter Scores 7 TDs in 48-17 Rout of Valley Center

Baxter, in a performance for the ages, rushed for 384 yards and seven touchdowns as the top-seeded Mission Bay Bucaneers (13-0) ran past Valley Center 48-17 in Chula Vista. Baxter, who already owns the state scoring record, came within 40 yards of the single-game San Diego section rushing record, held by Kenneth James Jr. of Mt. Carmel, who ran for 424 yards against Westview earlier this year.

His first carry of the night went for 34 yards, but that was just a warmup. On his final carry of the first half, Baxter broke a 92-yard scoring run. On his first carry of the third quarter, it was Dillon Baxter for 87 yards and another score. A 46 yard scoring romp on 4th down sealed the deal in the final quarter.

Baxter’s take on the game:

It was a special night for Mission Bay coach Willie Matson, who saw 30 years of hard work rewarded with his first CIF title:

Baxter said he fulfilled a promise by delivering a title plaque to Matson before he left for USC:

Jaguars head coach Rob Gilster had nothing but praise for his great running back:

But in the end, both coaches could only watch and admire the individual brilliance of Dillon Baxter, who will surely go on to great things at USC in the next four years. From the opposing sideline, Gilster could only grit his teeth after missed tackles and long Baxter runs:

Meanwhile, Baxter’s high school career can now be compared to the greats who have preceded him, such as Marcus Allen and Reggie Bush. Has there ever been a more dominant player in the section than Baxter? Matson said simply that Baxter was the best player he had ever coached:

–Courtesy 619Sports.net

D-I: Eastlake Holds Off Vista 21-14

Twelve seconds remained and Vista stood but 15 yards away from the tying score in the D-1 CIF championship game against Eastlake. Down 21-0 in the 3^rd quarter, the Panthers clawed their way back into the game; both teams’ entire seasons boiled down to these final seconds. QB Christian Gallardi snapped the ball, rolled to his left, and tossed it towards the end zone. Qualcomm Stadium was silent as the entire crowd held their collective breaths.

With a tremendous leaping grab, Daniel Johnson intercepted his third pass of the game to secure the D-1 CIF Championship for Eastlake High School (11-0-2). The Titan’s 21-14 victory over Vista High School (10-3) brought Eastlake the school’s first ever CIF title.

Eastlake RB Tony Jefferson:

Eastlake head coach John McFadden:

D-II Final: Oceanside Opens Championship Six-Pack

The Oceanside Pirates took advantage of sloppy play from the Helix Highlanders to win the DII San Diego Section CIF Championship 26-10. The win extended their own record to six straight CIF Championships dating back to 2004.

Helix came into Friday’s game after stunning Valhalla and Scripps Ranch the previous two weeks. The Highlanders started the game as well as they could have hoped. After a tremendous kickoff return from star DB Jimmy Pruitt, the Helix offense drove the ball 56 yards culminating in a 10-yard touchdown pass from sophomore QB Brandon Lewis.

But as Quentis Clark told 619 Sports after the game, this team knew they would bounce back. While admitting that they were not used to being down early, Clark reiterated that the team never lost its swagger that had led to a perfect record in 2009. With a sixth straight title, Oceanside is in a class all by themselves.

Oceanside head coach John Carroll:

Helix head coach Troy Starr:

Oceanside quarterback Quentis Clark:

Oceanside linebacker Jake Fely:

Oceanside linebacker Sam Niu:

–Courtesy 619Sports.net