The countdown is on!
Eight tackle football teams remain undefeated through the opening seven weeks of regular season play. The object is a perfect 10-0 record.
The Steele Canyon Cougars are closing in on that magic mark at 7-0 following last Friday’s 35-14 win over the visiting El Capitan Vaqueros in the Grossmont Hills League opener for both teams.
The league opener expected to be hard-fought and it was with both teams tied 7-7 at halftime in front of a homecoming crowd.
Sophomore quarterback Hayden Passanisi hit senior Logan Dulyea (three catches, 52 yards) on a 34-yard scoring pass for El Capitan while junior Abel Lopez (scored on a short rushing play for the hosts.
The game opened up in the third quarter as the Vaqueros took the lead on a 63-yard catch and sprint by senior Spencer Chastang.
But the Cougars answered immediately on a five-yard pass from junior Gavin Caha to junior Malcolm Ballard for a 14-14 tie.
The rest would be all Steele Canyon as junior Sebastian Castellon recovered a fumble and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown and Caha connected with seniors Josiah Stocker (four catches, 80 yards) and Noah De Arcos (six catches, 55 yards) for late touchdowns to close out the game.
Caha passed for 238 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Junior Marcus Hunt had one carry for 37 yards while junior Trevor Zenno had three catches for 46 yards.
Junior Maui Farrera also had a fumble recovery for Steele Canyon. Senior Ace Woolf contributed five kicking points.
Passanisi passed for 119 yards, though the El Cap rushing game was limited to 71 yards with Chastang managing one bolt for 29 yards.
Defensively, senior Brewin Ford had one interception while senior Lincoln Walker and sophomore Landon Bond shared a sack.
The loss to the Cougars snapped a four-game winning streak for El Capitan, which next plays at Helix this Friday at 7:15 p.m.
Steele Canyon is idle until an Oct. 17 date at Mt. Miguel.
Mt. Miguel 42, Helix 14
The Matadors put their hat in the ring as a league contender after defeating the visiting Helix Highlanders, 42-14, last Friday to go up 1-0 in the league standings. The Spring Valley team remains in the fire with a key contest at defending league champion Granite Hills this Friday.
Granite Hills, ranked sixth among section teams, takes a bye and a 3-3 overall record into the impending clash against the No. 8 Matadors (5-2).
Kick-off is 7 p.m.
Mt. Miguel dissected Helix with four touchdown passes, including three by junior Jeremiah Loper and one by sophomore Andre Jackson. Loper passed for 214 yards while Jackson passed for 55 yards as the hosts piled up 269 passing yards.
The tale of the tape was 338-254 total yards in favor of the Matadors, who retained rights to the Claymore Sword for a second consecutive year.
Senior A.J. Logan had five receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns, including a 66-yard game-breaker. Senior Parris Vernon had two catches for 52 yards and one touchdown while freshman Tmarrion Williams had two catches for 18 yards and one touchdown.
Junior Gianni Porfillo scored on an interception return to ignite the homecoming crowd and push the hosts to a 28-7 lead.
Senior Brandon Arrington had one catch for 40 yards and also returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
Helix’s points came off a rushing touchdown by senior Lee Norman-Lester and a touchdown catch by sophomore Jason Andrew-Johnson. Norman-Lester tallied 118 total yards (70 rushing, 48 passing).
The Highlanders did accumulate 121 yards on kick returns to make the game exciting. On defense, junior Donte Wright and sophomore Cason Iapala both recorded sacks.
The Scotties dropped to 1-6 on the season with one of the most deceptive records in the section.
