SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Football

Spartans open season with 23-7 victory

By Phillip Brents

The "new-look" Chula Vista High football team, and Kevin Davies, in particular, got off to an auspicious start to the 2001 campaign following a 23-7 non-league victory Sept. 7 at University City. Davies accounted for 11 of his team’s 23 points by scoring one touchdown on an 84-yard punt return and kicking a 33-yard field goal and two point-after touchdown conversions. Davies finished as the team’s second-leading rusher in the game with 76 yards on 10 carries.

The Spartans travel to West Hills Sept. 14 for a 7:30 p.m. non-league contest. The Wolf Pack kicked off its season with a 38-0 non-league win against La Jolla.

"We were a little sloppy but happy with the win. We made some mistakes you’d expect from inexperience. West Hills is a very good team. If we make those same kind of mistakes, it could get ugly, so the opener was a mix of the good and the bad," Chula Vista head coach Rex Johnson said in putting the season-opening win in perspective.

The Spartans took a 14-0 first-quarter lead on a 46-yard pass play from quarterback Travis Crawford to receiver Carlos Santamaria. Crawford completed two of three passes for 50 yards and later scored his team’s final touchdown of the day on a five-yard run. Davies’ punt return followed Santamaria’s opening score.

After a 65-yard fumble return by UC’s Rodney Fowler cut Chula Vista’s lead to 13-7, Davies tacked on his successful field goal to give his team a 16-7 halftime lead.

Chula Vista racked up 231 total net yards, including 181 rushing yards. Julian Smith led the Spartans on the ground with 83 yards on 17 carries. Defensively, Chula Vista limited its opponent to 99 rushing yards and 124 passing yards with interceptions by Romero Crawford and Tyrell Williams and one quarterback sack by John Hill. John Bell led the victors with 13 tackles, followed by Pat Narvaez and Romero Crawford with 10 tackles each.

In other games last Friday, Marian Catholic received a four-touchdown effort from Marco Contreras in a 65-0 non-league victory against CETYS from Mexico while Montgomery topped Mt. Miguel, 30-21, as Kenyatta Williams scored four times.

Patrick Gates led Marian (2-0) with 187 rushing yards and scored once while Eugene Alaniz racked up 106 yards and scored two touchdowns. Contreras, who rushed for 97 yards, scored three times on the ground while also catching a 35-yard scoring pass from quarterback Mario Ledesma. The Crusaders led 28-0 after the first quarter and 58-0 at halftime.

Mathew Cruz also scored on an 85-yard interception return.

In Montgomery’s win, Williams totaled 256 yards in offense, including 153 receiving yards. He scored a 41-yard run, pass plays of 73 and 80 yards from QB Ian Pizzaro and a 55-yard punt return. The Aztecs led 30-7 before the visiting Matadors added two late touchdowns.

South Bay League favorites Eastlake and Castle Park had less auspicious season debuts. Defending champion Eastlake fell, 38-21, to visiting Ramona while Castle Park dropped a gritty 9-7 decision to visiting Torrey Pines on a 25-yard field goal by Derek Belch with 29 seconds remaining in regulation time.

Ryan Bartsch scored on runs of 15 and 80 yards to spike the Titans to an early 13-0 lead but the Bulldogs responded with 31 unanswered points to steal the victory. Jason Bash led Ramona with 237 rushing yards on 38 carries, scoring four touchdowns. Mark Whaley scored the Titans’ other TD on a 33-yard run in the final quarter to cut the team’s deficit to 31-21.

Belch converted three field goals on the night to subdue the Trojans, who otherwise played a splendid defensive game by allowing Torrey Pines just 32 yards in the first half. Robert Bell keyed Castle Park with 104 yards and an 18-yard scoring run that gave the hosts a 7-3 halftime lead.

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