2014 Prep Football Rankings: Week Six

Games of the Week

#3 Cathedral Catholic Dons (3-1) at #5 Eastlake Titans (3-2)

Senior running back Isaiah Strayhorn ran the ball 21 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns to help his Titans pitch a 23-0 shutout to St. Augustine. The Titans look to earn their second straight win over a ranked opponent when they host Cathedral Catholic's visit to Chula Vista.

Coming off a signature win over Helix, the Dons found themselves in a see-saw battle at Newbury Park (CA). They put up 21 fourth quarter points (including 14 unanswered) to pull away with their second intersectional victory of the season.

This will be the fourth meeting between the teams with Cathedral leading the all-time series 2-1. The last game took place in 2011 with the Dons upsetting the then number one ranked Titans, 22-7. Eastlake's only win of the series came in 2010 when they edged the Dons 24-22.

Granite Hills Eagles (5-0) at #6 El Capitan Vaqueros (4-0)

Two of the best teams in the East County will fight to keep their perfect seasons alive in what should be a clash of explosive offenses. Granite Hills survived a scare in a 24-21 win over visiting Hoover last week, while El Capitan is coming off a bye.

The Vaqueros are powered by a highly productive offense led by quarterback Brad Cagle (10 total TDs), running back D.J. Smith (357 yards, 5 TDs, 10.8 YPC), and receiver Isaiah Capoocia (17 RECs, 276 yards, & 4 TDs). The Vaquero defense, that's given up only 14 points this season, will try to hold off Eagles' duel-threat QB Seth Collins and his favorite target Michael Ledesma, who is also a key player on defense.

Williams' last second TD to Bell stuns Marist

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (09/27/2014) Trailing 13-16 with five seconds left to play, the San Diego Toreros (3-1, 1-1 PFL) found another way to steal a win from the Marist Red Foxes (0-5, 0-2 PFL).

Facing 4th down-and-6, quarterback Keith Williams found senior receiver Reggie Bell wide open for the 36-yard game-winning touchdown.

This marks the second straight contest between these teams to be decided within the final seconds of the game. Last season David Last nailed a 28-yard field goal as time expired to give USD a 35-33 win at Torero Stadium.

The Toreros are now 10-0 all-time against Marist with the last five of six games being won by seven points or less.

2014 Prep Football Rankings: Week Five

 Defending D-I champion Cathedral Catholic moves up after knocking off Helix, 9-7.

 

Games of the Week

#6 Eastlake Titans (2-2) at #4 St. Augustine Saints (2-2)

 

This Friday, Merrill Douglas Stadium at Mesa College will be the stage where two of the most dynamic running backs in the county try to lead their team to a winning record and the first victory over a ranked opponent this season. According to Max Preps, St. Augustine's Elijah Preston currently leads in the county in rushing yards (775). Eastlake's Isaiah Strayhorn places third (654) after a 239-yard performance in a 32-20 win over Madison.

 

#7 Ramona Bulldogs (4-0) at #5 Helix Highlanders (2-1)

Ramona will put its unbeaten streak to the test when they travel to the East County to take on Helix, who is coming off a low scoring defeat at Cathedral Catholic. Last season it was Ramona that stunned the Highlanders at home in a low scoring affair (10-6), leading to a 5-0 start. The Bulldogs will be looking for a similar outcome this Friday, while the Highlanders try to avoid losing consecutive games for the first time since 2009.

Hit of the Week: Eric Weddle destroys Marquise Goodwin

 
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (09/21/2014) San Diego Chargers safety Eric Weddle delivered a vicious hit on Buffalo Bills wide receiver Marquise Goodwin during the Bolts' 22-10 road win. The Chargers improve to 2-1 as they return home to host the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3) next Sunday.

Video: Toreros top Princeton, 39-29

TORERO STADIUM (09/20/2014) Senior receiver Reggie Bell caught four passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns to help the San Diego Toreros (2-1) pull off a hard-earned win over the visiting Princeton Tigers (0-1).

USD Toreros set to host Princeton

After a tough loss at Jacksonville last week, the San Diego Toreros (1-1, 0-1 PFL) return home to take on the Princeton Tigers (0-0) this Saturday in a 1:00 p.m. meeting at Torero Stadium. This will be the season opener for the Tigers, who are coming off an 8-2 record and a share of the Ivy League title.

"They're a very good football team," said Dale Lindsey, who is looking for his 10th win as USD's head coach.

"They're talented and have a lot of returning players. You don't [win the Ivy League] without good players who are disciplined and tough."
 

Surge standout becomes San Diego's first female varsity football head coach

San Diego Surge LB/TE Knengi Martin (#47)

On Tuesday, U-T San Diego reported San Diego High's hiring of Knengi Martin as it's new head coach of the varsity football team. She replaces Doug Packwood who recently decided to step down after three years with the Cavers.

This move makes Martin the first woman in CIF San Diego Section history to head coach a prep football team at the varsity level. According to Max Preps, she could possibly be just the second in California.

Before the unexpected promotion, Martin served as the head coach for the Cavers' freshman and JV squads.

2014 Prep Football Rankings: Week Four

Games of the Week

#3 Helix Highlanders (2-0) at #5 Cathedral Catholic Dons (2-1)

 

Coming off an 8-7 edging over neighborhood rival Torrey Pines, Cathedral will play host to Helix, who is fresh off a bye week. This will be the Highlanders' first game of the year against a San Diego opponent after knocking off two intersectional teams to start the season.

 

Otay Ranch Mustangs (3-0) at #4 St. Augustine Saints (1-2)

 

St. Augustine running back Elijah Preston rushed for 295 yards and four touchdowns during a hard fought 42-35 loss to Loyola (Los Angeles, CA) last week. After opening the season with three road trips, the Saints kickoff their home schedule against an Otay Ranch team looking to legitimize an undefeated start.

 

Gates' three TD catches lift Chargers past Seahawks

QUALCOMM STADIUM (09/12/2014) The "Legion of Boom" had no answers for tight end Antonio Gates, who caught seven passes for 96 yards and three touchdowns (tied career-high) to help the San Diego Chargers (1-1) come away with a 31-20 win over the Seattle Seahawks (1-1).

The Chargers are now 6-3 against defending Super Bowl champions since 2000.

Phillip Rivers completed 28 of 37 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns to Gates. He showed no fear for Seahawks' star cornerback Richard Sherman, completing five passes in his direction for 60 yards.
 

Toreros drop PFL Opener at Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, FL (09/13/2014) The University of San Diego Toreros (1-1, 0-1 PFL) opened Pioneer Football League play with a 35-18 road loss to the Jacksonville Dolphins (1-1, 1-0 PFL) Saturday afternoon.

The Toreros turned the ball over four times and allowed Jacksonville's offense to put up 447 total yards.

Chargers blow 11-point 4th quarter lead, fall to Cardinals 18-17 in season opener

 

GLENDALE, AZ (09/08/2014) Rookie receiver John Brown caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer with 2:25 left to play to help the Arizona Cardinals (1-0) rally from an 11 points deficit and defeat the San Diego Chargers (0-1) in the season opener.

The Chargers became the first team in the Super Bowl era to drop back-to-back season openers where they led by double digits heading into the 4th quarter. Last season they fell to the Houston Texans 31-28 after leading 28-14.

2014 Prep Football Rankings: Week Three

 

 

Top Storylines

 

While Helix is getting well deserved #1 nods this week due to an impressive start, Mission Hills will remain our top team.

 

Rancho Bernardo takes over the #10 spot after Poway suffers a 25-24 loss at Mount Miguel. The Broncos are off to their first 2-0 start since 2010, their last winning season.

 

USD Toreros survive Western New Mexico's comeback bid in season opener

Senior WR Brandon White (#13) celebrates his 74-yard TD catch with teammates Reggie Bell (#3) & Stephen Hutchinson (#60).

TORERO STADIUM (09/06/2014) In his first collegiate start, sophomore Keith Williams completed 12 of 25 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns as the University of San Diego Toreros (1-0) held off a late rally to come away with a 23-17 season-opening win over the visiting Western New Mexico Mustangs (0-1).

Video: #3 St. Augustine survives late rally at Madison

Madison & St. Augustine met for the first time since the 2012 CIFSD Section D-IV Championship.

 

Trailing St. Augustine 28-14 at the start of the fourth quarter, Madison rallied with 15 unanswered points to take a 29-28 lead with 4:12 left to play.

The Saints answered back after a huge kickoff return by Elijah Preston set up a one-yard run by Francoise Sims for the game-winning touchdown.

Another chance for the Warhawks to take the lead fell short after Kareem Coles' pass was intercepted by sophomore Jacob Baker. The Saints went on to run out the clock and escape with a 36-29 win.

USD Toreros set to open 2014 season against Western New Mexico

San Diego Toreros (0-0) vs. Western New Mexico Mustangs (0-0)
Saturday, September 6, 2014 6:00 p.m. PST
Walter J. Zable Field at Torero Stadium

Second-year head coach Dale Lindsey and the University of San Diego Toreros will kickoff the 2014 home schedule against the Western New Mexico Mustangs for the fourth consecutive year. While the Toreros own a 3-0 lead in the series, the margin of victory has decreased each game.

The Mustangs are led by West Hills High alum Adam Clark, who enters his fifth season as head coach. He returns 12 key contributors from last season's 4-6 campaign, and has 50 players on the roster from California, including 22 from the San Diego County area.

2014 All-NFL San Diego Team

With the 2014 regular season underway, we compiled a list of players with prep football and/or collegiate ties to San Diego County who are currently featured on National Football League rosters.

2014 Prep Football Rankings: Week Two

In a losing effort, St. Augustine RB Elijah Preston (#20) rushed for 182 yards against Oceanside.

 

Top Storylines

Top 10 teams went 1-4 against intersectional opponents last week with the only win coming from #4 Helix, who defeated St. Bonaventure (Ventura, CA) 24-20.

Madison is bumped out the rankings after opening the season with a 35-7 home loss to #9 El Capitan. They'll look to bounce back when they host #3 St. Augustine, who also began the season with a tough loss.