Jersey Mikes City Game of the Week: Madison Warhawks 41, Eastlake Titans 7

In the last three match ups between Eastlake and Madison the Titans had walked away victorious. If anyone had that stat on their mind, it was Warhawk running back Erick Buchanan.

It only took the senior 11 carries to rack up 109 yards, on the 5th he would score from 41 yards out for Madison’s first score of the contest. Buchanan would also be quarterback Terrell Carters second touchdown recipient of the 2nd quarter by snagging in an 8 yarder to put Madison up 20-0. Senior receiver Elijah Thomas would haul in a 27 yard reception to give Carter touchdown pass number four, and with a 41-0 lead for Madison late in the third this one was a wrap.

Madison’s offense might not be getting all the praise its getting if their team’s shutdown defense didn’t play the game that it did. With Eastlake quarterback Alfredo Garcia on the sideline the Warhawks defensive squad only allowed 27 passing yards from Titans backup quarterback Josh Montoya, and only 2 yards from starting running back Kaleb Dueitt. Madison’s star linebacker Sampson Nui had a quiet night on the stat sheet by his standards with only 5 tackles, but some critical stops and key pass deflections helped give his team the opportunities to make the win a blowout. The Jersey Mikes City Game of the Week MVP could go to Madison as a whole but Erick Buchanan’s 150 total yards and two scores deserve to be highlighted.

Now at 3-1, the Madison Warhawks will prepare for a clash in Spring Valley with the struggling Mt Miguel Matadors. The 1-3 Eastlake Titans get no breathers on their tough schedule, they host the unbeaten St Augustine Saints in an Open Division 1st round rematch. 

PREVIEW – This weeks Jersey Mikes City Game of the Week features two squads looking to improve on their playoff performances from last season. Both the Eastlake Titans and Madison Warhawks were able to qualify for the Open Division tournament, meeting the eventual finalists in their respective first round match ups. 

The Eastlake Titans rolled through their last three games of 2015 to end the year 5-6, sneaking into the Open Division and a battle with the St Augustine Saints. The entire season could be considered a success but the last game was a tough finish, Rodney Thompson and Elijah Preston put on a show in the Saints 54-14 rout. Eastlake is 1-2 to start 2016 with two tough blowout losses, but playing against defending CIF Champions in Rancho Bernardo and Helix is always great experience. Look for the Titans to heavily utilize junior quarterback Alfredo Garcia’s dual threat ability on Friday night, him and senior running back Kaleb Dueitt focus on bounce back performances after having trouble with the Highlander defense. 

The hosting Madison Warhawks know exactly what that trouble feels like, having their own successful 2015 season come to an end by those same Highlanders. The defending Western League champions enter this year 2-1, piling up back to back impressive home wins after an opening night loss at Vista Murrieta. This years Warhawk team is led by returning stars quarterback Terrell Carter and running back Erick Buchanan. Carters having a lights out 8 touchdown to 1 interception start while the dual threat Buchanan is leading the squad in both rushing and receiving yards. 

Madison definitely looks like their offense could be overwhelming for the Titans, but if the Jersey Mikes City Game of the Week has proven anything its that anything can happen once the players hit the field. Tune into Prep Pigskin Report this Friday at 10:30 PM for all the action!