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

Positions: RB / LB Height: 5’10” Weight: 200 Class: 2010 School: Mission Hills High School San Marcos, CA

Chad Dobbins and the Mission Hills Grizzlies ran their way into the semifinals of the CIF San Diego DII playoffs last Friday with a dominating 35-7 victory over Grossmont. The 5’11 200 lb senior running back set a career high with 192 yards and 3 touchdowns on only 13 carries. Dobbins has gone somewhat under the radar this season as his grind it out style doesn’t receive the same exposure as the flashy style of a Ricky Seale. Dobbins told the North County Times, “I don’t usually have those big, flashy runs like Ricky does. I’m one of those running backs who chips away. Today, maybe I turned that around.” And turned it around is exactly what he did with touchdown runs of 76, 54 and 32 yards. With his stellar performance, Dobbins eclipsed the 1,000 rushing yard mark for the season. Dobbins may need a little more of the flash he showed against Grossmont as his Grizzlies take on the #1 ranked, undefeated Oceanside Pirates in a semi-final showdown this Friday night.

Check out Chad’s SportsForce profile here

Scouting report courtesy of SportsForce – Home for college Sports Recruiting Videos, Tips, Tools and Premium Services – www.sportsforceonline.com

Positions: QB Height: 6’5″ Weight: 215 Class: 2010 School: Valhalla High School, El Cajon, CA

Quarterback Peter Thomas has etched his name into San Diego high school football history. With a 14-7 win last Friday, Thomas led his Valhalla Norsemen to their first league football championship in the school’s 35-year history. Thomas threw the game winning 65-yard touchdown pass late in the 3^rd quarter to secure the win. He was elated after the game telling The San Diego Union-Tribune, “This is absolutely awesome, no one in the 35 years of our school has ever experienced this moment before.” Thomas, who is ranked by MaxPreps.com as a top 100 player and the 6^th best pro-style quarterback in the country has committed to playing football at Arizona State University next fall.

Many SportsForce athletes have been receiving local recognition and one continues to receive national press coverage as Dillon Baxter continues his quest to be the national player of the year for high school football. With the high school fall sports season wrapping up, national signing day is inching closer we are looking forward to more amazing athletic performances throughout the play offs.

Dillon Baxter is receiving constant attention as he moves forward in a phenomenal season breaking records along the way. This has caused many people to draw comparisons between Dillon and a few other football players from San Diego. MaxPreps took on the subject comparing Dillon to Helix High School Alum, Reggie Bush:

Visit Dillon Baxter’s SportsForce profile HERE

Baxter has had an outstanding season, punctuated by his performance Friday night against Lincoln. The 6-foot, 205-pounder, who lines up at quarterback for Mission Bay, threw for 282 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 268 yards and two scores. He also intercepted a pass on defense.

For the season, Baxter has amassed 781 passing yards and 1,090 rushing yards. He’s even kicked three PATs.

Baxter has good speed, excellent balance and the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, all characteristics that have folks in the San Diego buzzing about the area’s next great rusher.

In a September matchup with Paloma Valley, Baxter rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another as Mission Bay won 38-15. Paloma Valley head coach Bert Esposito was highly complementary of Baxter after the game.

“That’s the best high school football player I’ve ever seen, and I saw Reggie Bush at this age,” Esposito told North County Times afterward. “But this kid’s phenomenal.”

The San Diego Union-Tribune published November’s Athletes of the Month. Two former SportsForce Athletes of the Week received honors, Lauren Birks for Girls Volleyball and Kenny Stills for Football. The Union-Tribune writes of Lauren:

Lauren Birks, La Jolla Country Day

Helping the Torreys to a glittering 27-1 season record, Birks, a junior outside hitter, was credited with a team-leading 287 kills on 478 attempts. Showing her all-around ability, Birks compiled 230 digs and 39 service aces.

Visit Lauren Birk’s SportsForce profile HERE

While Kenny had another month of stand out performances,

Kenny Stills, La Costa Canyon

Stills, a senior, led the Mavericks to a 4-0 record in October. For the month, Stills caught 23 passes for 447 yards and three touchdowns. He tossed a 29-yard touchdown pass and ran for 26 yards on four carries. On defense, he picked off one pass and recovered a fumble.

Visit Kenny Stills’ SportsForce profile HERE

This past weekend, Ricky Seale broke the San Diego CIF rushing record that has been standing since Demetrius Sumler (2002-05) set it. Seale surpassed the 5,650 yard record by 161 yards. 619Sports.net writes:

“Seale electrified the boisterous home crowd in Escondido by eclipsing the section rushing record on the game’s first series, scampering 28 yards for a touchdown. That gave him 50 yards for the game and 5,651 yards for his career, one more than Demetrius Sumler of Cathedral Catholic. But while Seale kept the 5th ranked Cougars (6-1-1, 1-1-1 Avocado) close, once running 10 straight times on a drive out of the wildcat formation, eventually he wore down. After carrying 26 times for 178 yards in the first half, Seale was held to just 34 yards in the second half by the athletic “Gang Green” defense of LCC.”

Another San Diego football star who has been garnering lots of attention is La Costa Canyon wide reciver, Kenny Stills. The question now stands where Kenny will play after high school. 619Sports.net caught up with Kenny to see what schools top the list:

“I’m looking at Florida and Oklahoma, and if I can stand the cold weather, I could go to Michigan,” said Stills, who plans on making his official announcement on December 1st.

However things could change:

“If Stills delays his decision, that would be good news for two more schools who have popped up on his radar screen. Stills told 619 Sports he’s been offered a scholarship by the University of Miami, a school that has a tradition of developing NFL wide receivers.”

Stills’ Miami trip isn’t scheduled until December 11th-13th, so the Hurricanes have to hope Kenny is still undecided by that point. Stills also said the only way he will be at school for the spring semester (he’s on target to graduate in December) would be if he is trying to qualify academically for Stanford.”

Kenny is also very grounded when it comes to his recruiting decision

“’I know this body still needs to fill out, and my education is really important to me. You need something to fall back on after football is over.’”

Visit 619Sports.net for both full articles.

Ian Autman is a sophomore running back out of Olympian High School in Chula Vista, CA. Ian Autman had a breakout game vs. San Ysidro which included 10 carries for 110 yards with 3 TD’s. Ian is a compact runner with explosive speed and agility. Built in the model of other undersized running backs, like Maurice Jones-Drew or Darren Sproles, his quick footwork and low center of gravity make him elusive and difficult to tackle. He is the leading rusher averaging almost 7 yards per carry for the undefeated 5 – 0 Olympian Eagles.

Visit Ian’s SportsForce profile to learn more.

Nick Melka is a defensive end and tight end out of Lisle, IL. At 6’2” and 242lbs Nick is a force on the field. He is captain of the football team as well as a captain of the boys volleyball team. In his 2008 season, Nick has 51 Tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 5 ½ sacks and one blocked punt. So far in his 2009 season, Nick has 11 ½ sacks over six games and one blocked extra point.

For Nick’s complete profile, click here.

Sean Callahan is a midfielder for the boys soccer team at the San Diego Jewish Academy. Sean is the leading all-time scorer for San Diego Jewish Academy as well as a varsity letter man as a freshman and named to All-Citrus League Team, scoring 8 goals. Sean was named team captain as a sophomore and Citrus League Player of the Year, scoring 28 goals in 19 games.

For Sean’s complete profile, click here.

Bernadette Butkiewicz plays outfield and 1B/2B for Patrick Henry High School in San Diego, CA. She was named the offensive MVP last season and also plays for the San Diego Chaos. Bernadette defines herself by saying, “I work hard not only in practice and in games, but I do my own personal training at Velocity in Poway and work with hitting Coach Darren Johnson.”

For Bernadette’s complete profile, click here.

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