Steele Canyon Cougars 17, Otay Ranch Mustangs 6
The Steele Canyon Cougars (3-2) successfully defended the honor of East County. Conversely, the Otay Ranch Mustangs (2-3) were unable to slay a third East County opponent. The Cougars defeated the Mustangs with final score of 17-6.
The first word to come to mind is execution; in fact, a lack of execution comes to thought. Yellow flags soared high in the air throughout the ball game. Both teams repeatedly committed false starts, often withholding an opportunity to execute a touchdown.
During the course of the game, both teams were able to reach the red zone, even taking position within the 5 yard line. As I stated before, they both lacked execution. The only extensive drive that lead to a touchdown within the red zone occurred in the first quarter. Steele Canyon’s running back Malcolm Anders smashed through 2 yards of Mustangs to score the first points of the night.
The 6 points Otay Ranched managed to score were results of two successful field goal attempts by Bernardino Soto. The failure to accomplish a scoring drive lead to the two kicks.
The most exciting play of the game arose when Pierre Alexander rushed through the Mustang defense and scored his team another touchdown. Once again, in the 4th quarter, Steele Canyon was unable to fulfill an opportunity to score a touchdown after a long drive. Instead, the drive lead to 3-points after a field goal.
PREVIEW: We have witnessed plenty of exciting games in the South Bay for the past four weeks. As we are ushered into Week 5, another game worthy of praise will arise for our entertainment. The Steele Canyon Cougars (2-2) will leave the east county to clash against the Otay Ranch Mustangs (2-2) in Chula Vista. The result of this game will determine which team will propel into Week 6 with a winning record.
Otay Ranch has experienced the power of East County many times this season. You can say that the Mustangs are proficient in the language of East County football. Three out of the four games Otay has played this season have been against East County teams: Valhalla, Grossmont, and Mount Miguel. The Mustangs only lost to one of those teams, Grossmont in Week 2. A victory over Steele Canyon will provide Otay Ranch with bragging rights that may be expressed down the road in playoffs.
Steele Canyon rarely gets a taste of the South Bay in their schedule. In fact, Otay Ranch is the only team Steele Canyon feuds against from the South Bay in the ’15-’16 season. Last year marked the first time the two teams faced each other in the regular season. The Cougars managed to cash out a 38-16 win over the Mustangs.
The game Friday is more than just two teams playing a football game. Will Otay Ranch conquer another East County team or will Steele Canyon defend the honor of the east? The regional war will ensue on the Prep Pigskin Report at 10:30 on Friday night!
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