By Jared Garcia–

The Rancho Bernardo Broncos traveled to Carlsbad, fresh off their first loss of the season at the hands of La Costa Canyon. Carlsbad, looking for the upset, started off sluggish but rebounded quickly. The Broncos were rolling on offense early and never looked back. Junior quarterback Mark Salazar threw for 167 yards with 3 total touchdowns. Standout running back Milan Grice finished the game with 164 total yards and a touchdown.

At the end of the first half, Carlsbad quarterback Shea Morales threw a desperation pass 56 yards deep into the end zone and cornerback Jeff Molino got a hand on it, but Carlsbad’s Ramon Sanchez came out of nowhere and snatched it for the TD to cut the deficit down to 21-17. Morales threw for a season high 247 yards while wide receiver Matt Spiering hauled in 5 catches for 135 yards. The Broncos pulled ahead when Salazar scored on the QB sneak with 8:07 left in the fourth quarter. Carlsbad immediately answered back as Morales found Kellen Peet in the back of the end zone to make the contest 35-27 with 3:37 left in the game. The Lancers got a much needed stop on defense, but the offense couldn’t get anything going as time expired. The Broncos (4-1) travel to face the undefeated Westview Wolverines next week as the Carlsbad Lancers host the Torrey Pines Falcons.

The Wolverines led the San Marcos Knights on Friday night 21-7 before the Knights stormed back to a 30-21 lead. The Wolverines countered the run with two touchdowns and a two-point conversion of their own and held the Knights on a late goal line stand en route for a 36-30 win at Excalibur Field. The Wolverines extended their undefeated streak to five, while the Knights fell for the first time since the season opener against Oceanside.

The Wolverines used a balance attack on the ground from AJ Leonard and in the air as Beau Nelson distributed to Ben Ratzlaff and Emeka Anyanwu.

The Knights received big contributions from Joah Robinett (Oregon State) and Terrell Burgess on both sides of the ball. Burgess caused issues for the Westview secondary when he caught the ball out of the slot and used his agility in the second level.

Westview @ #10 San Marcos: The Wolverines come in as one of the bigger surprises in the county so far. They’ll face a big challenge going against the 3-1 Knights. Following an opening season loss to Oceanside in which they were leading after three quarters, San Marcos has outscored their last three opponents by a total of 135-7. Their defense is led by defensive end Joah Robinett, an Oregon State commit, and four-star defensive back Terrell Burgess.

SCORE PREDICTION: San Marcos – 28 Westview – 24

Poway  @ Torrey Pines: The Titans (2-2) come in with close losses to two of San Diego’s best teams (El Camino and Mission Hills). Following a win in the season opener, the Falcons have dropped three in a row against a difficult schedule that doesn’t get much easier the rest of the year.

SCORE PREDICTION: Poway – 20 Torrey Pines – 14

#8 Eastlake vs. #3 St. Augustine (@ MESA COLLEGE): The Titans overtime win against Madison last week will go a long way in ensuring their berth in this season’s Open Division Playoffs. A win over the Saints would be the biggest win in the county to date. The Titans will need Traylon Reed to find the end zone a couple times tonight The Saints have had a great start to the season, suffering only a close, home loss to Los Angeles Loyola.

SCORE PREDICTION: St. Augustine – 30 Eastlake – 20

Lincoln @ Grossmont: The Hornets started the season on a high note with wins over Serra and Carlsbad, but followed it up with losses to Point Loma and Olympian. Can they bounce back on the road to get a win over 3-0 Grossmont?

SCORE PREDICTION: Grossmont – 34 Lincoln – 21

#7 Rancho Bernardo @ Carlsbad: The Broncos hot start came back to life last week after a loss to another early season surprise, La Costa Canyon. After two losses the start the season, the Lancers have outscored their last two opponents 105-21. They’ll need a strong performace to slow down the Broncos.

SCORE PREDICTION: Rancho Bernardo – 31 Carlsbad – 17

SEASON RECORD: 7-3

By Jared Garcia–

Mt. Carmel is 4-1 this season with senior quarterback Lucas Johnson leading the way. Johnson can get it done with his arm or with his legs, totaling 12 touchdowns (8 passing, 4 rushing) through only four games, still without throwing an interception. Johnson was fortunate enough to attend the Elite 11 regionals over the summer, a camp that only the top quarterbacks are invited to.

“The Elite 11 camp helped me improve my pocket presence, my drop steps, and being on time with the football”, stated Johnson after the win against Del Norte.

Standout Lucas Johnson made a verbal commitment to play football at SDSU in June, and it was an easy choice for him and his family.

“I chose San Diego State over some of the other schools that offered me because it’s important that my family is able to come and watch me play, plus I fell in love with the facilities and coaching staff there.”

The future is definitely bright for Lucas Johnson and the Sundevils as they travel to San Pasqual (1-2).

La Jolla Country Day started slow on Friday night against undefeated Crawford HS, but found their rhythm in the 2nd quarter as they rolled to a 42-14 victory on Teacher Appreciation Night.

Junior QB Braxton Burmeister, an Arizona commit, came in having accounted for 17 touchdowns in the first three games and added three more on the ground and two in the air in the win. The Torreys used their spread-option attack to keep the Colts off balance all night.

Crawford senior RB Raymond Gabriel led the Colts on the ground but it wasn’t enough as they fell for the first time this season.

• #4 Rancho Bernardo @ #10 La Costa Canyon: The Broncos have rolled through their first three games, outscoring their opponents by a total of 124-12, though it hasn’t been against the top competition in San Diego. They’ll get a good test this Friday when they travel to face the Mavericks who have seen their offense come alive in the last two games.

SCORE PREDICTION: Rancho Bernardo – 35 La Costa Canyon – 24

• Crawford @ La Jolla Country Day: Junior QB Braxton Burmeister (Arizona commit) is off to a fast start for the Torreys, having accounted for 14 touchdowns in the first three games. The Colts come in at 3-0, but they haven’t been tested against a team of the Torrey’s caliber.

SCORE PREDICTION: La Jolla Country Day – 31 Crawford – 21

• #6 Madison @ Eastlake: The Warhawks survived a last minute scare from Bonita Vista last week, but have shown in the early going that they can play with anyone in San Diego. The Titans have been up and down in their first three games but have a great shot at making a big statement this week at home.

SCORE PREDICTION: Madison – 31 Eastlake – 14

• #8 Cathedral Catholic @ #2 Helix: The Dons recorded their first win of the season last week, but they’ve set themselves up with San Diego’s toughest schedule which should have them prepared come playoff time. The Highlanders got tripped up against Chaparral (AZ.) in week one and they had a bye but let out their frustration with a big 56-7 win over Eastlake.

SCORE PREDICTION: Helix – 21 Cathedral Catholic – 20

• San Marcos @ Fallbrook: The Knights began the season with a loss to Oceanside in a game which they were winning heading to the 4th quarter. They’ve followed that up with two blowout victories. The Warriors have followed a similar path, losing to Westview in the opener and winning their last two in blowout fashion.

SCORE PREDICTION: San Marcos – 38 Fallbrook – 24

Jared Garcia–

Although many expected a close game, nobody would have guessed that Mira Mesa would come out on top. Mira Mesa came out strong, leading 23-6 at half behind three touchdown runs by three different running backs (Herrera, Raboteau, and     Liddell-Patacsil). By putting star wide receiver Steffon McKnight at cornerback, Mira Mesa planned on using Steffon’s legs to help contain Lucas Johnson.

“I didn’t play that much on offense because they (coaches) wanted to preserve me for defense and stopping the quarterback”, stated Steffon after the game. The strategy paid off, as McKnight forced Johnson’s fumble and was part of the reason why Johnson was limited to only 4 completions for 20 yards in the air. Mira Mesa, however, had no answer for Johnson’s ground game, as he racked up 135 yards and two electric touchdowns. Rashid Shaheed proved to be a force in the backfield and return game by rushing for a team-high 165 yards and returning a kickoff to the end zone. Mira Mesa’s running game was no exception as Chamberlin Liddell-Patacsil found the end zone from 44 yards out, proving to be the biggest play in the game as it extended Mira Mesa’s lead to 14 4:07 left in the 4^th quarter. Mira Mesa (2-1) has Morse at home next week, while the Sundevils (2-1) travel to Del Norte.

Mira Mesa Wide Receiver, Steffon McKnight, played the entire night on defense to help slow down the Sun Devils elusive quarterback Lucas Johnson.

• #9 Cathedral Catholic @ Torrey Pines: The annual “Battle of Del Mar Heights Road” has provided great entertainment in recent years, with the Dons winning five of the last seven matchups by a combined score of 96-54. 2.1 miles are all that separates the schools since the Dons relocated to the North County. The Dons have started 0-2 and will face most likely the toughest schedule in the county during the season while the Falcons lost their last game against #1 Mission Hills.

SCORE PREDICTION: Cathedral Catholic – 13 Torrey Pines – 10

• Bonita Vista @ #5 Madison: The Barons have started the season 2-0, though Vista and Imperial have not provided the most difficult competition. The Warhawks slipped up against St. Augustine last week, though they look to have the athletes to make a deep postseason run.

SCORE PREDICTION: Madison – 31 Bonita Vista – 14 

• #8 Eastlake @ #3 Helix: The Titans had a nice bounce back victory last week against El Toro and now will get their biggest test of the season when they travel to face the Highlanders, who lost to Chaparral and are coming off of a bye in week two. Running back Traylon Reed has run for nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns in two games but they’re only completing 27% of their passes.

SCORE PREDICTION: Helix – 30 Eastlake – 17

• Mira Mesa @ Mt. Carmel: The Marauders will face their 3rd team from north county in three weeks when they head to Rancho Penasquitos to take on the the 2-0 Sun Devils. San Diego State QB commit Lucas Johnson has accounted for 560 yards and six touchdowns in two games while the Sun Devils have their sights set on making a run in the Palomar League.

SCORE PREDICTION: Mt. Carmel – 28 Mira Mesa – 20

• Hoover @ La Costa Canyon: The Cardinals will head north to visit the Mavericks in a return game after hosting the Mavs last season and falling 21-9 in a battle between top defenses. Hoover is coming off of a beatdown of Parker last Friday, while the Mavericks travelled to the Southern Section and took down Trabuco Hills.

SCORE PREDICTION: La Costa Canyon – 21 Hoover – 7

The top-ranked Mission Hills Grizzlies came up with big time stops when it mattered on Friday night as they shutout 6th-ranked Torrey Pines at Ed Burke Field. The Grizzlies forced the Falcons to fumble on the 1-yard line on their first possession and then turned them over on downs from the 1-yard line in the 3rd quarter.

Grizzlies QB Dakota Miller navigated his way in the pocket and made accurate throws to help Mission Hills start the season 2-0.

By Jared Garcia — SanDiegoPreps.com

The matchup of Ramona (0-1) and Point Loma (0-1) was bound to be a great one because in the past 3 seasons, the largest margin of victory between the schools was 3 points. Point Loma came out strong, forcing a fumble on the third play of the game. The Pointers proved that they were not going to be stopped as running back Tshombre Carter scored from 2 yards out with 8:42 left in the first quarter. After the touchdown, The Bulldogs and The Pointers exchanged turnovers in a very sloppy end to the first quarter. Senior quarterback Marco Cobian led Ramona on an impressive 85 yard drive, which ended in a spectacular 5 yard touchdown run by Cobian himself. Point Loma’s senior running back Jaylen Griffin rushed for over 100 yards and a TD, while Marco Cobian led Ramona with 3 total touchdowns (2 rushing, 1 passing). Quarterback Brenden Torrence was pivotal to the Pointer’s success as he found junior Kenny Watson in the back of the end zone with 1:04 left in the third quarter. The touchdown was significant because Point Loma still held onto their lead, even after Marco Cobian’s 2^nd rushing touchdown of the game. Point Loma held on to win 20-18.

When asked about his critical touchdown pass, PLHS quarterback Brenden Torrance attributed his success to his increased focus in practice. Next week, Point Loma plays at home against Lincoln, while Ramona travels to Valley Center.