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 5th 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
