The El Capitan High School football team had its chance for an undefeated season sidetracked by a 33-28 non-league loss to the visiting Coronado Islanders on Sept. 3. It was time for the Vaqueros to return the favor last Friday by ending the Rancho Buena Vista Longhorns’ perfect start with a 21-12 non-league victory.
El Capitan head coach Ron Burner termed the win “just a great game overall by all three facets of our team.”
“Even though we had four two-way players out, the team responded and played lights out,” Burner said. “Our goal was to stop their running game and make them throw which we were very successful in. We also moved some offensive players to defense to help shore it up.”
Savigon Yokley, who has dominated the quarterback position while finding added life as a receiver, showcased his multiverse of talent by switching to defense for last Friday’s game. The result: another superb performance.
“Savigon Yokley played the entire game at safety in the box and did a tremendous job as did Bradley Larsen, who all came over from offense this week,” Burner said.
Other players continued to step up to aid the Vaqueros’ cause.
Antwone Yokley, Savigon’s twin brother, returned two punts for huge gains, caught eight passes for 116 yards and one TD with four pass break-ups on defense.
Savigon Yokley did play on the offensive side of the football — with predictable results. He completed 10 of 15 passing attempts for 205 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for a score. On defense, he had eight tackles.
The Longhorns had entered the game sporting an impressive 3-0 record after outscoring their opening opponents 90-6 with two shutouts.
“It felt great to go to North County and upset an undefeated team,” Burner said.
Grossmont Valley League teams kick off league play this Friday with three games. El Capitan (3-1) plays at El Cajon Valley (1-3) while West Hills (4-0) hosts Mount Miguel (1-1). Santana (4-0) hosts Valhalla (1-3).
El Cajon Valley and Mount Miguel are both coming off their first wins of the season.
Mount Miguel blanked host Crawford, 27-0, while El Cajon Valley racked up a commanding 41-12 win over visiting Clairemont.
Senior quarterback Daniel Jacobs completed four of seven passes for 101 yards and three touchdowns while junior Kal-el Gordon rushed for 230 yards and scored twice on the ground while catching a touchdown pass to key El Cajon Valley. The Braves recovered four fumbles and had two interceptions (both by sophomore Paris Dixon) on defense.
Senior quarterback Ruben Hernande passed for two touchdowns in the first half and rushed for two scores in the second half to key the Matadors to their opening win.
