Clairemont Chieftans 28, San Diego Cavers 6

The magic of a downtown Homecoming and the power of the San Diego Chicken couldn’t help the San Diego Cavers Friday night, as they fell to the visiting Clairemont Chieftains 28-6 at historic Balboa Stadium. The San Diego Chicken led the band, harassed the Chieftains (4-3) on offense and defense, and even helped the Cavers (1-6) faithful with an amazing rendition of "We want fried chicken," but it just wasn’t enough to stop Clairemont.

The "Dylan Duo," Clairemont’s two-headed runningback attack is led by the thunder, Dylan Suits, and lightning, Dylan Irwin. Suits is just a sophomore but don’t tell that to the Cavers defense line and linebacker group. To them, Suits is a full grown man who continuously ran over defender after defender, finishing with two touchdowns and more than 10 broken tackles from my count. The upperclassman Irwin was not to be outdone, however, scoring two touchdowns of his own- one in the air on a 47 yard rainbow pass and the other on the ground with just moments left on the clock in the 4th quarter. 

As for San Diego, they have lost four in a row and the road doesn’t get any easier. They will host the undefeated and extremely talented Mission Bay Buccaneers (7-0) next Friday. If the Cavers want to score the upset they will need to regroup, manage the clock better and stop dropping passes. They had at least four drops in consecutive games and, on two occasions, the Cavers mismanaged the game clock and failed to get plays off on crucial 3rd downs against Clairemont Friday night and the Kearny Comets last week. 

The Clairemont Chieftains are riding high after this big win and will look to continue their winning ways as they travel over the bridge to battle the Coronado Islanders (3-4) next week. The league is wide open at this point with most teams just getting into the beef of their league schedule. Keep your eyes on KUSI.COM/PPR for all your updates on the Central Football League and the entire county’s prep pigskin action, and then tune in at 10:30 p.m. for the big show on Friday night. 

PREVIEW: Central League rivals Clairemont and San Diego will both be looking to prove they are better than their records as they take the field Friday night at historic Balboa Stadium. The Clairemont Chieftains (3-3) were shut out at home last week against Castle Park, 20-0, but are undefeated on the road this season. The trip down "163" could be just what the Chieftains need to get their season back on track. While the San Diego Cavers (1-5) hope some home cooking will end their current three game losing streak. 

Both teams love some Smashmouth Football, but Clairemont could be the most lopsided run-to-pass team in the county. The Chieftains average 176 yards per game on the ground compared to just 21 receiving yards per game. These are not mystery stats either. The whole county knows the Chieftains love to run more than Forrest Gump, but Clairemont Head Coach Joseph Kim promises a balanced offense has always been his intent despite the run-heavy totals so far this season. 

As for San Diego and Caver Nation, they will rely heavily on their senior leadership to help send the Chieftains back north with a loss instead of downtown to Hodad’s for celebratory "frings" and massive cheeseburgers. The upperclassman runningback trio tasked with this mission, Omar Smith, Jushawnte Spann and Savion Ramsey, have a lot to prove in their final year under the downtown lights. We here at the PPR fully expect the trio to run hard and often this Friday night . 

You can catch all the action at 6:30 p.m. at Balboa Stadium. If you want to avoid downtown traffic, which can make you want to get out and walk faster than your vehicle travels, stay home and watch all the San Diego and Clairemont game highlights on the PPR at 10:30 p.m. You can also track real time updates, with scores, injuries and amazing snack bar options, via social media @RedJacketArmy and @KUSIPPR.