Eastlake Titans 35, Chula Vista Spartans 0
Roman Coe’s three rushing touchdowns leads the way for a Titanic victory over Chula Vista 35-0. Eastlake’s defense was stellar all night as well forcing seven three-and-outs for their first shutout of the season.
The first half was all defense as both teams brought the pressure. Chula Vista’s Victor Agraz had multiple sacks in the first half with the help of Defensive Captain Ubaldo Nolasco. Eastlake gobbled up the rushing attack of the Spartans which allowed very little space for Darrion Hamilton on play action. Hamilton had some nice throws, but the offense didn’t have enough oomph. It is worth noting both starting quarterbacks didn’t finish the game.
The score was 7-0 at the half thanks to a Roman Coe two-yard score. The junior running back eclipsed 100 yards rushing for the second time this season and scored his first three touchdowns on the season. In the third quarter, he would score on a 31-yard and 3-yard run. Both were impressive as the 31-yard rush looked like he was shot out of a cannon going untouched up the gut, and then he showed his athleticism with a jump-dive into the end zone. Micah Pietela-Wiggs added to his team-high eight touchdowns with a nice six-yard run and Ryzhon Mccoy would take over behind snap in the second half scoring on a 14-yard QB keeper in the fourth quarter.
The line of scrimmage was controlled on both sides of the ball by Eastlake which comes at no surprise because of their size and speed. Leading tackler Josh Mccurty had another double-digit-tackle game and one of the reasons is because the guys up front do their job and don’t allow blockers to get to the second level. Like a wild horse, the middle linebacker roams free and makes the most of it.
Eastlake (5-1) remains undefeated at home and will open Metro-Mesa league play at Otay Ranch (3-3) in Week 7. Chula Vista (3-3) will remain on the road for their third game straight as they take on El Cajon Valley (1-4) in Week 7.
PREVIEW:
The battle of West Chula Vista and East Chula Vista goes down in Week 6 as the Chula Vista Spartans (3-2) face off against cross-town rival the Eastlake Titans (4-1).
The battle of Chula Vista has been dominated by the beasts from the East as the Titans have silenced the Spartans beating them 12 out of the last 13 games with their last loss coming in 2006. The last big game played between these two programs was back in 2003 for the Metro Conference Championship. Before the years of Mater Dei, Olympian, Otay Ranch, and San Ysidro (schools within a 10-mile radius from Eastlake), the game that Eastlake had marked on their schedule was Chula Vista. Now it’s become a lost tradition as the Titans have won their last dozen games by double-digits.
The programs have been going in the opposite direction for the past decade, but first-year Head Coach Howard Bannister of Chula Vista has quietly turned a losing season into a three-game winning streak and above a .500 record for the first time this year. He led the Spartans last week to one of their best wins in recent history coming back from a 21-3 deficit at halftime on the road beating Bonita Vista 24-21. If the Spartans could pull one out on the road, it could be a defining moment for this program and their new head coach.
Eastlake will look to continue it’s dominance with a flurry of backs (Coe, Merrifield, Parks-Price, Mccoy) that keep the chains moving on offense and a hard-hitting defense led by junior Joshua Mccurty. The Middle Linebacker leads the Titans with 75 total tackles and has more solo tackles, 49, then any Titan defender does total tackles— Bernard Coe, 48, and Dylan Kohler 47. The X-factor for the Titans is Micah Pietila-Wiggs who has racked up a team high 486 total yards (149 rushing, 158 receiving, and 157 on punt returns) and seven (four rushing, three receiving) of the 19 offensive touchdowns.
Will Eastlake continue its dominance or will the Spartans rain supreme once again? You can find out on KUSI’s Prep Pigskin Report at 10:30 pm as well as KUSI.com under the Prep Pigskin Report tab.
