by Kyle Englehart for 619Sports.net

The Titans of Eastlake battled the Escondido Cougars in a heated CIF semifinal match-up Friday night in Chula Vista. Standing in each other’s path towards a CIF championship appearance, the two teams fought to for a chance to play at the “Q.”

The ball found its way into Tony Jefferson’s hands most of the night and the Eastlake Titans (10-0-2) defeated the Cougars of Escondido (8-3-1) 35-14. The win sends the Titans to the D-1 final against Vista under the bright lights of Qualcomm Stadium.

Jefferson (23 carries, 217 yards) continued upon his fantastic 2009 campaign scoring three touchdowns on offense and making big plays on the defense; including a spectacular leaping interception in the end-zone.

Yet it was the Titans that got off to an extremely slow start. The team found their 1^st first-down with 1:02 left in the first quarter, and trailed Escondido with under a minute left in the first half.

Escondido’s Ricky Seale, who has more touchdowns this season (35) than the Cougars had passing yards tonight (21), was not a factor in the game. Seale had 12 first-half carries for 42 yards. On the final play of the half, he was tackled out of bounds and never returned to the game. Seale injured his left knee and was on crutches after the game.

“We knew Ricky Seale was the main factor of this game,” said Jefferson post-game. “In the second half he didn’t come back in and we took full advantage of it.”

Without the running threat of Seale, Escondido was forced to throw the ball in the 2^nd half. Two quick interceptions in the 3^rd quarter resulted in Jefferson TD runs and the Titans would never look back.

A 69 yard TD run by RB Daniel Diaz made the score 28-7 in the final quarter and a stingy defense and clock munching running attack finished the game out with no difficulties.

“We’ve been in some close games they just keep on fighting, there is absolutely no give-up in them,” said Titan head coach John McFadden

The victory at Stan Canaris Stadium was the last of Tony Jefferson and the Eastlake seniors’ high school careers. Jefferson, who is graduating early and starting college this spring, is still deciding upon USC or Oklahoma.

“This is a very emotional and fun time for me,” said Jefferson. “I’m having a lot of fun right now.”

The excitement will only continue as Eastlake travels to Qualcomm Stadium next Friday, December 11. There they will face the Panthers from Vista High School (10-2) for the Division 1 CIF Championship.

Vista comes into the bout scorching after upsetting top ranked La Costa Canyon. The Panthers demolished the Mavericks 47-7 on LCC’s home turf.

But don’t overlook the Titans. They are riding a ten game winning streak and are scoring 38.7 points per game during that time, while allowing only 9.2.

–Courtesy 619Sports.net

Unbeaten Eastlake faced a near monumental upset from the Spartans of Chula Vista Friday night at Stan Canaris Stadium. In front of a boisterous home crowd and playing on senior night, the Titans trailed Chula Vista 14-0 heading into halftime.

Led by stand-out running back Tony Jefferson, the Titans of Eastlake High (8-0-2; 5-0) scored 28 unanswered second-half points to defeat the Chula Vista Spartans (6-4: 4-1) 28-14. With the victory, Eastlake secured the Mesa League Championship and a trip to the CIF playoffs.

Entering the match-up, the Eastlake Titans sat firmly atop the Mesa League standings. The team seemed poised to cruise to an easy victory against Chula Vista in the final game of the regular season, but the Spartans had different plans.

The Chula Vista defense dominated Eastlake in the first half, holding Jefferson to 33 yards on ten carries. Without an effective run-game, something Eastlake has used successfully early and often, quarterback D’angelo Barksdale was forced to try to make plays downfield.

On consecutive drives early in the half, Barksdale threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. Chula Vista DB Tyrone Richardson zigged and zagged his way 100 yards for the score while corner Aaron Taylor took his 80 yards to the house. The Eastlake offense would continue to sputter and entered halftime trailing 14-0.

Something happened in that locker room, because a different Eastlake team reemerged. Fueled by passionate speeches from some of the seniors, the team awoke from its scoring slumber. On their first offensive possession, the Titans pounded the ball downfield and Jefferson capped off the drive with a 19 yard touchdown scamper. This would prove to be the turning point in the game.

Hungry to get their seniors a final regular season victory, the Eastlake defense immediately got the ball back for their offense. An interception by safety Zach Bannon resulted in a 10 play, 93-yard scoring-drive that ended with Jefferson scoring his second TD of the night.

“In the locker room, it was basically just getting our offensive line pumped up,” said Jefferson referring to the halftime break. “We basically just had to get a pump up speech, not even by the coach but by the players, and we came out here and executed.”

Jefferson wasn’t about to let his team lose on senior night

“Losing this game would have just crushed me,” he said post-game. “I knew we were going to come out here and win. It’s a great way to end my senior year regular season.”

Jefferson finished the game with 28 carries for 176 yards and three TDs. Even with only 33 yards in the first half, head coach John McFadden never lost faith in his stellar senior running back.

“He’s an incredible kid,” said the head coach of Jefferson. “Every time I think he drives me crazy with the spinning and stuff, he hurdles over three guys and I just say ‘wow.’ He’s just an incredible kid.”

Besides Jefferson, several seniors made the most of their final regular season game. RB Daniel Diaz was a constant outside running threat; used in combination with Jefferson, Diaz totaled 76 yards on 11 carries.

After throwing two early interceptions, QB D’angelo Barksdale rebounded with a second-half TD pass that put the Titans in the lead. And the offensive line led by senior Gabe Gomez handled the Spartans defensive line in the second half, helping Jefferson and Diaz total 189 yards after halftime.

Jefferson knows that his team faces challenges in the CIF playoffs, but is confident that his team will overcome them.

“We have a lot of work to do; we have to fix a lot of things,” he said. “We can’t tell what the future holds, but I can see us in a stadium.”

Eastlake will most likely have earned a first-round bye in the CIF championships. They will rest up and prepare for which ever team they draw in two weeks time. Behind the dangerous running attack of Tony Jefferson, the Titans of Eastlake will be a formidable CIF opponent.

–Courtesy 619Sports.net

By Craig at 619Sports.net

VALLEY CENTER- The Valley Center Jaguars are an elite Division IV program, with five CIF championship banners to prove it. But each year when they meet Oceanside in Valley League play, coach Rob Gilster’s team gets to see a level of talent and speed that rarely travels up Cole Grade Road.

“Our kids only see speed like that once a year,” said Gilster.

On Friday night, #1 Oceanside raced past #4 Valley Centerso quickly, the Jaguars and their fans barely got a glimpse before the Pirates were off with the treasure. Oceanside (9-0, 5-0) jumped out to a 24-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and completely throttled the Valley Center offense in a 45-7 final that was not nearly as close as the score.

Pirates head coach John Carroll was proud of his team’s intensity on a night when the Pirates’ first-team defense held the Jaguars (8-1, 4-1) to 37 yards, three first downs and zero points in 13 possessions.

Oceanside scored two touchdowns in the first 2:44 of the game to quickly drain any drama from a matchup of 8-0 teams. The Pirates marched 72 yards on the opening drive, scoring on a Devin Taverna wide receiver option TD pass to Demario Coleman. Moments later, senior cornerback/running back Noah Tarrant picked off a Beau Reilly pass in the left flat and easily scampered 26 yards for a pick six, making it 14-0.

Oceanside racked up 152 of their 381 total yards of offense in the first quarter, with quarterback Quentis Clark (9-for-17, 125 yards, TD) hooking up with Jerry Whittaker on a 27-yard scoring toss to make it 21-0. The Pirates ran for a combined 210 yards, with Whittaker (8 carries, 82 yards) and King Holder (3 carries, 52 yards, 2 TD) leading the way.

But the story on this night was on the other side of the football, where the Pirates’ defense regularly induced gasps from the Valley Center crowd with their pad-rattling hits. Stanton Upson, an all-league running back who entered the game with over 1200 yards and 13 touchdowns, was held to a paltry 26 yards on 22 carries.

With Upson under wraps and the score out of hand, the Oceanside defenders were left free to pin their ears back and chase the quarterback. Beau Reilly wound up being sacked six times, three times by Molesi.

Noah Tarrant, meanwhile, enjoyed an unusual two touchdown day. After his pick six score as a corner, Tarrant found himself in the right place at the right time in the third quarter, when a bad snap on a punt left Jaguars’ punter David Last awkwardly booting a scrambling kick from his end zone. Tarrant grabbed the short wobbler on the run and raced 12 yards for his second non-offensive touchdown of the game:

On a night where there wasn’t much to enjoy from a Valley Center perspective, head coach Rob Gilster saw something very important on the field: a Jaguars team that met the physical challenge offered by the Pirates without backing down.

Oceanside further bolstered their #1 section and #5 state ranking, and at 9-0, they are a week (and a win over Ramona) away from both securing another Valley League title and completing a 10-0 regular season. While John Carroll’s team once had a 10-0 season that included a forfeit, they’ve never completed a 10-0 regular season on the field, a fact he shared with his team in the postgame huddle.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars will still be a #1 or #2 seed for the Division-IV playoffs, where they will likely roll until they see another brilliantly fast San Diego athlete, Mission Bay’s Dillon Baxter.

–Courtesy 619Sports.net

By Craig at 619Sports.net

ESCONDIDO–Fans, college scouts and media came together at Wilson Stadium to watch one of the great running backs in San Diego Section history, Ricky Seale, as undefeated Escondido took on Vista in the 619 Sports Prep Game of the Week. But on a night of hard-hitting, the Cougars defense stole the show from Seale. Escondido (5-0) stifled the talented Vista (3-2) offense for 3 1/2 quarters, sacking the Panthers six times in a 21-10 win.

Cougars head coach Paul Gomes came into the game with his top two stars having missed practice all week. Seale was sick and seemed slowed in the game with what teammates called mono, while fullback Tim Zier was resting after a mild concussion suffered against Rancho Bernardo. That took both out of the starting defense, but Gomes said the unit didn’t skip a beat:

Zier will go a step further. He believes his Cougars defense is a championship unit:

Hear from Ricky Seale, Andrew Wahlquist, and more from Zier and Gomes below:

Tim Zier and Ricky Seale lined up in the Escondido backfield (619 Sports)

Both Seale and Zier played on offense, and both broke long scoring runs in the first half but were shut down from there. Seale struck first on a 39 yard cutback scamper through the heart of the Vista defense, making it 7-0 on the game’s opening drive. But he ran for only 32 yards on 17 carries from there. Zier led the team with 22 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns, including a 59 yard second quarter burst up the middle.

Seale was more than happy to let Zier shoulder the load in the second half against a punishing Vista team that was keying on his every move:

The Panthers defense-led by senior linebacker Ofisa Kose-stifled the Escondido rushing attack in the second half. Seale, Zier and quarterback Cruz Navarro (10 carries, 61 yds rushing, 1-3, 33 yds passing) were held to a combined 27 yards on the ground after intermission. That set the stage for the Cougars defense to shine, and they held Vista to just a pair of second-half first downs before the final drive of the game.

Vista has a couple of highly talented playmakers on offense, but they rarely got an opportunity to find open field. With SDSU’s Brian Sipe in attendance on the sidelines, hopefully the Aztec coach took note of 5′6″ jitterbug Jordan Alexander (10 carries, 39 yards/3 catches, 49 yards, TD) , who displayed a series of spin moves, hesitations and cutbacks that brought back memories of Reggie Bush at his best. Alexander turned two screen passes into big plays, including a 36 yard catch-and-run for Vista’s only touchdown of the night.

Most of the time, Vista QBs Chris Liuchan and Christian Gallardi were staring at the Escondido sky after hitting the ground hard, with a host of Cougars on their back. Andrew Wahlquist, a senior linebacker, recorded two of Escondido’s six sacks on the night:

While Ricky Seale’s numbers were pedestrian on this Friday, Tim Zier knows Seale will have plenty more chances to rack up stats. Not just on Fridays, but Saturdays and Sundays as well:

–Article Courtesy 619Sports.net

By Craig at 619Sports.net

It’s not often you get a playmaker as talented as Kenny Stills into your program, so La Costa Canyon (5-0) is doing whatever it takes to get Stills the ball. The senior wide receiver also lined up at running back and quarterback during a 38-14 bruising of Rancho Buena Vista (1-2-1) on the LCC campus Friday night. Stills finished with 5 catches for 132 yards and a touchdown, while running out of the “Gator” formation twice for 21 yards. That’s Gator, as in Tim Tebow, as in the defending national champs who would very much like to see Stills in Tallahassee next year.

Not only is Stills multi-talented, but he is coveted by most of the top college programs in the country. Florida, Oklahoma, USC, Cal, and Penn State are all knocking down Stills’ door hoping to catch his eye. As a nod to his receiver’s brilliance, Stills told 619 Sports after the game that many of the formations the Mavericks use are named after the different schools seeking his services next year:

Hear more from Kenny Stills and LCC head coach Darrin Brown after the jump:Rancho Buena Vista actually started the game running the ball well, but the Longhorns were victims of their own mistakes all night long. A pair of botched shotgun snaps snuffed out a long, promising drive to open the game, and a pair of second-quarter fumbles, one on yet another bad snap, both were recovered by LCC.

Late in the first quarter, head coach Darrin Brown went to a hurry-up offense that delivered the game’s first touchdown on a 5 play, 43 yard drive. Seth Hanson punched in a 6-yard scoring run to make it 7-0 LCC. A bit later in the quarter, after Mavs’ linebacker Tucker Toolson recovered a high snap fumbled by RBV quarterback Willy Castillo, LCC marched a short field again. A 45-yard drive was capped with Westin Manor’s 2-yard touchdown plunge.

Coach Brown was pleased with his team’s overall effort on the night:

The signature play of the game was delivered by Stills with less than three minutes remaining in the first half. Facing a first-and-25 from their own 27, Mavericks’ QB Garrett Krstich hit Stills on a simple crossing route about 8 yards downfield. Stills then made a sharp cut upfield between two defenders, and scampered 73 yards for the touchdown.

Coach Brown on Stills’ great play:

Life is pretty good right now if you’re Kenny Stills. Tall and growing, young and talented, and coveted by most of the best teams in college football. The BMOC has found little to complain about:

The Longhorns, meanwhile, played with heavy hearts, after most of the team went to the memorial on Friday morning of one of their former players from 2007 and 2008. Michael Pyper was killed in an auto accident last Friday night coming home from the RBV game. It was a tough week for the kids according to the coaching staff, but to their credit the team kept playing late in the game, scoring two touchdowns against the LCC third team to make a 38-0 score more respectable at 38-14.

In a North County packed with top teams, the balanced Mavericks look primed for a deep run in the division playoffs, with hopes of a state bowl invite. Coach Brown won’t even think past the Mission Hills game. Stills, meanwhile, still thinks that LCC has some room to grow:

–Courtesy of 619Sports.net

by Kyle Englehart of 619Sports.net

Everybody’s eyes were fixated on Eastlake’s Tony Jefferson Friday night. The standout RB/DB was the focus of the fans, the media, and most obviously the Poway Titan’s defense.

Jefferson and the 5^th ranked Eastlake Titans (3-0-2) ran all over Poway (0-5) to cruise to an easy 34-7 victory Friday night in Chula Vista. Eastlake ran sweeps and misdirection plays all night that kept the Poway defense in a constant state of confusion.

There was seemingly nothing that the Poway defenders could do. Eastlake’s rushing trio of Jefferson, Chris Fletcher, and Daniel Diaz had the Poway secondary scampering to make tackles throughout the night. Whether it was pounding Jefferson up the middle, or sending it outside with Fletcher and Diaz, the rushing attack was relentless and unstoppable (31 rushes, 316 yards and 3 TDs).

Jefferson is off to an astounding start this year; entering tonight’s game with 600 yards and six touchdowns. Yet he is becoming accustomed to playing the role of decoy as of lately.

“A lot of teams are keying in on me, because of the success I have had,” he said after the game. “Less carries are coming for me, but as long as my team is getting the scores like today, it’s all good.”

Hear Tony Jefferson’s postgame comments:

While his attempts may have decreased, his production certainly has not. Jefferson ran the ball 10 times tonight for 120 yards with three touchdowns. His rushing partners Fletcher and Diaz combined for 179 yards themselves.

“It’s nice to have 3 guys that do a good job,” remarked Eastlake head coach John McFadden. “They all run hard and they all read the holes well.”

Listen to John McFadden’s postgame comments:

McFadden and his offense were using pre-snap motion to confound the Poway defenders early and often. Faking the outside sweep to either a motioning Fletcher or Diaz opened up the middle for Jefferson. While play-faking to Jefferson clogged up the line and left the outside open for the motion-man to run free.

“It’s hard for defenses to focus in on one player,” said Diaz (7 rushes, 68 yards). “Obviously Tony gets most of the attention, and rightfully so, but it’s hard for defenses to prepare for that.”

Equally as impressive as the Eastlake rushing trio was the play of their defense. Eastlake held Poway scoreless until the final minutes of the game, when a 25-yard TD strike with 1:09 depleted any hopes of a shutout.

The Eastlake defensive line and linebackers were in the backfield on almost every play. Poway QB Colton Kirkegaard (11/15, 108 yards, 2 INTs) was sacked five times and had to scramble out of the pocket any time he wished to throw. The run defense was just as stubborn, allowing Poway about 1.8 yards per carry. Besides their only score, the highlight of Poway’s night was kicker Marcus Diaz drilling 60-yard field goals during halftime.

“Our defense has really been good all year long,” said Coach McFadden. “I wouldn’t want to go against them.”

Hilltop (3-2) is the next opponent in line for Coach McFadden and the Eastlake Titans. The Lancers are coming off of a devastating 44-6 loss to Mission Bay and will be looking to rebound on October 16, when the two teams meet.

–Courtesy of 619Sports.net and Kyle Englehart