The Helix Charter High School football team once again held the torchlight for the Grossmont Conference by winning the 2021 Grossmont Hills League title enroute to claiming the San Diego Section Division I championship and advancing to the Southern California regionals.
The Highlanders played 13 games total as they nearly pushed the season to its limit. The last step would have been to play in the state championship game.
That would have been nothing new for the Scotties, who won the 2011 Division II state championship bowl game. The highly successful 2021 season, however, proved to be the last for head coach Robbie Owens, who subsequently left the program after six seasons to take the defensive coordinator job at Keiser University, an NAIA school in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Owens posted a 53-20 overall record at Helix while taking the Highlanders to the CIF championship game five times, winning Open Division titles in 2017 and 2019 and Division I title in 2021.
The Highlanders placed runner-up in the Open Division in 2016 and runner-up in overtime in the 2018 Division I final.
Assistant coach Damaja Jones stepped up to take the reins of the program. A 2001 graduate of the La Mesa school, he had served as the Scotties’ defensive coordinator since 2008. Jones has a lot of familiarity with the program on multiple levels as the school’s track and field coach while mentoring cross-over athletes.
While there may be a new head coach in the program, the expectations are the same: excel.
“We were able to win the Division 1 championship last year with a record of 9-4,” Jones said. “We are looking to have a strong overall season (this year). We are returning a lot of starters on both sides of the ball. Our expectations are always high, and we want the ability to compete for a CIF championship.”
The Highlanders remain at the Division I level for the 2022 season, meaning a great season could land them in the Open Division.
At the least, there is the possibility of getting the chance to defend their Division I championship and Grossmont Hills League title.
The team’s top returners include a whopping 11 all-league selections from last year: seniors Adren Parker (defensive back/ receiver), Puka Noa (linebacker/fullback) and Quincy Herron (tight end) along with juniors Ryland Jessee (quarterback), Jeremiah Savaiinea, Ryan Mason, Anthony Gash, Orlando Nambo, Daniel Larsina, all lineman, Kairo Kahananui (linebacker/tight end) and Travis Ford (defensive lineman/running back).
Ford is hugely built at 6 feet, 4 inches and 240 pounds. Junior linebacker/running back Jirah Savaiinaea is also returning.
Parker expects to add speed to the Helix lineup after helping lead the school’s 4×400 relay team to a fifth-place medal at May’s state track championship meet. Parker also competed in the 400-meter dash, placing fourth to earn a state medal.
Parker was the conference champion in both the 200- and 400-meter dashes and ran legs on the school’s conference-winning 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams. Parker and Co. finished first at the section finals in the 4×400 relay and second in the 4×100 relay.
Parker had six catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns last football season.
The Highlanders were a primary rushing team behind departed senior Christian Washington, who gained 2,241 yards and scored 31 rushing touchdowns. Washington topped the Scotties with 34 touchdowns, including three receiving scores.
But, when needed, the Scotties could pass the ball quite effectively.
Jessee passed for 1,683 yards with 13 touchdowns against five interceptions as a sophomore. Herron had 330 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Impact newcomers include receiver/defensive back Jackson Daniels, running back/defensive back Kevin Allen and defensive back Carter Ross, all juniors.
Rewind/fast-forward
The Highlanders finished 3-0 in league play with victories against Steele Canyon (27-22), Grossmont (29-14) and Granite Hills (49-35) to end regular season play 6-3 overall.
The Scotties won their opening three playoff games to finish the section portion of their schedule as division champions.
Helix downed ninth-seeded Grossmont, 41-21, in a league rematch in the quarterfinals, then eliminated fifth-seeded El Camino, 28-17, before meeting the third-seeded Lincoln Hornets in the championship game.
The championship game was a thrill-seeking adventure as the Highlanders rallied from a halftime deficit to finally prevail, 28- 21, with 14 unanswered fourth quarter points.
Helix will play seven nonleague games this season while tuning up for league play.
The Highlanders kick off the 2022 season with an Aug. 19 game at Mira Mesa, followed by a home game against Otay Ranch on Aug. 26. Mountain View (Ariz.) makes a pit stop at Jim Arnaiz Field on Sept. 2. Another high profile home game follows against Cathedral Catholic on Sept. 9.
The Scotties play an away game against St. Augustine on Sept. 16 and host Anaheim Servite on Sept. 23 before traveling to Mission Viejo on Oct. 7 to wrap up their extremely competitive pre-league schedule.
Helix plays its opening two league games on the road: Oct. 14 at Steele Canyon and Oct. 21 at Grossmont. The Highlanders host Granite Hills in a pre-Halloween contest on Oct. 28.
The first possible scrimmage is set for Aug. 11 and the first regular season contest on Aug. 18. The sit-out period ends on Sept. 22, making transfers eligible to play. The last possible pre-playoff contest is Oct. 29.
The San Diego Section playoffs are scheduled to kick off Nov. 4 with first-round play in Division I through Division V, followed by quarterfinals on Nov. 11, semifinals on Nov. 18 and championship games Nov. 25-26 at sites to be determined.
Division IV (1 p.m.) and Division I (7 p.m.) are scheduled for Nov. 25 while Division III (1 p.m.), Division V (5 p.m.) and Division II (7 p.m.) are scheduled for Nov. 26.
Thanksgiving is Nov. 24 this year, meaning that several teams will give thanks for winning division championships.
The Open Division semifinals are scheduled Nov. 11, followed by the championship game Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at SDSU’s Snapdragon Stadium. The 8-Man playoffs will feature three rounds: quarterfinals on Nov. 4, semifinals on Nov. 11 and a championship game on Nov. 18.
Pairings for the state regional playoffs will be finalized on Nov. 17. Only the section champions in the Open Division and Division I through Division V will qualify.
The regional playoffs are set for Dec. 2-3, followed by state bowl games Dec. 9-10.
There are no regional playoffs for 8-Man yet.
Extra points
Foothills Christian will compete in the 8-Man Ocean League this season alongside St. Joseph Academy (San Marcos), Victory Christian Academy (Chula Vista), San Diego Jewish Academy (San Diego) and Ocean View Christian Academy (San Diego).
Foothills Christian kicks off league play Sept. 22 with a game against the San Diego Jewish Academy at Junior Seau Field.
