2008 JV Game Summaries
Nov. 14 - vs. La Costa Canyon (at TPHS)
Win 17-14
John Wilson and Mitch Yocom ran for a combined 232 yards and CJ Vafiadis sealed the win with an interception as the Torrey Pines Falcons JV Football team completed an undefeated 10-0 season last friday evening with a 17-14 victory over the La Costa Canyon Mavericks. What a great accomplishment for a group of young men who have now posted an 18-0 record over their first two years in high school! Ask anyone who has played or coached this game. It is not easy to finish a season unbeaten, and this group has done it twice in a row!
This showdown in the last game of the season was a rivalry game. No matter what the won-loss records of the two teams involved, the emotions run high and strange things can and usually do happen. So when you have a team coming in with a record of 9-0 (the Falcons) and another team at 4-5 (LCC) you sometimes don't expect a close game.
The game saw the lead change hands 5 times. The scoring started with the Falcons taking advantage of a fumble recovery by Ryan Thomson. Zach Taylor (4 tackles) had stripped the ball away. The Falcons drove to the 1 yard line before they stalled and settled for a 23 yard field goal by John Cabot and a 3-0 advantage. LCC answered with a 30 yard touchdown pass to the back of the endzone to lead 7-3. The Falcons struck next with the drive capped by a 1 yard touchdown run by Kevin Cuff, 10-7 Falcons at the half. The Falcons fumbled twice to stall drives in the second half, and LCC was able to break one for a 40 yard touchdown run to put the Mavericks up 14-10 with about 4:00 left in the third quarter.
Great teams answer when other teams score. The Falcon offense went on an 85 yard drive in 8 plays with a mix of running and passing to score on a 2 yard run to the left corner of the endzone by David Meunier. Meunier was untouched as the well-designed and executed play worked to perfection. John Wilson had 14 carries for 150 yards and Mitch Yocom ran 13 times for 82 yards. John Cabot was 5-9 for 46 yards passing.
The 4th quarter belonged to the Falcon defense as they were called upon three times to stop the Mavericks with the game on the line. The defense met the challenge as they have all year. The last two plays were key as the Mavericks tried to sweep the right side and ran into Kevin Cuff (6 tackles), Scott Mainquist (4 tackles), and JT Stratigopoulos (9 tackles) as they gang tackled the ballcarrier for a loss. Then there was the final offensive play for LCC where CJ Vafiadis made a great interception with pressure on the QB from Timmy Lee. The Falcon offense then picked up a couple of first downs and took a knee inside the Mavericks 10 yard line to run out the clock.
The undefeated season was reality. These young men played like champions and earned the Avocado League Championship!
The future looks bright as they move on up to the varsity ranks. Celebrate your accomplishments! The 2008 JV Falcons will be remembered as a dominating force!
Nov. 7 - vs. San Pasqual (at TPHS)
Win 28-8
Homecoming couldn't have been nicer! After a rousing am Alarm Clock rally seen on KUSI live in the morning and the Prep Pigskin Report later that night, the boys came out with passion and put the Eagles away immediately. The Falcons offense scored on their first three possessions and the defense scored a touchdown as well. It was 28-0 by the middle of the 2nd quarter and then Coach Blackwell substituted freely as the Falcons scored a convincing 28-8 victory over an outmanned San Pasqual squad. This one could have been ugly except for the gentlemen that make up the Falcon JV coaching staff. The second half saw everyone in the game and the playbook very vanilla.
The scoring started with a 1 yard run by John Wornham (5 carries for 34 yards). It continued with a beautiful 39 yard touchdown pass from John Cabot (3-4, 85 yards) to Mitch Yocom. Yocom also rushed for 71 yards on 3 carries including the 3rd touchdown on a 49 yard run. The 4th Falcon score was a 32 yard interception return for a touchdown by CJ Vafiadis. The leading rusher was Dan Averbuj with 90 yards on 7 carries.
In between the Falcon scores, the Eagles could get nothing going against the tough Falcon D. Kevin Cuff and JT Stratigopoulos had 7 tackles apiece. CJ Vafiadis and Zach Taylor pitched in with 4 apiece and Christian Orth led the reserves with 5 tackles in the second half. The Falcon defense is so quick and so disciplined. The Eagles had a meaningless late touchdown against the substitutes. The starters had been out since before half.
The season concludes next week against the green team. Go Falcons! Beat the Mavericks!
Oct. 31 - vs. Fallbrook (at Fallbrook)
Win 35-6
Trick or treat! The tricks were certainly on the Warriors. The treats were all reserved for the Falcons. No doubt it was a very scary Halloween night for the Fallbrook Warrior JV's as the Torrey Pines Falcons, now an unblemished 8-0, rumbled over, around, and through them 35-6 on a warm evening in Fallbrook. It was the last road game of the season for the Falcons and they didn't dissappoint. As the Falcon crowd arrived after their lengthy friday afternoon drive, the Fallbrook faithful paid some parents praise for the great Torrey team even before they took the field. Their reputation had certainly preceded them. This group of young men have now won 16 games in a row dating to their entrance into high school. This is a remarkable achievement in focus and athleticism. Some of these boys have achieved even longer streaks in their younger days playing in Pop Warner-----------so it should be no surprise if it continues!
After a few minutes to get into the flow of the game, the Falcons took the early 7-0 lead on a 10-yard pass from John Cabot to Mitch Yocom. Later in the second quarter, Cabot (5-9, 130 yards, 2 td's, 1 int) connected with Hunter Shigley for a 64-yard score to give the visitors a 14-0 lead at the half. In the second half, the rout was on with Cabot scrambling to paydirt from 9 yards out, John Wornham scoring on a 10 yard burst up the gut, and Dan Averbuj breaking the plane from a yard away. Wornham led all rushers with 8 carries for 44 yards and John Wilson had 9 carries for 32 yards. The o-line of Mainquist, Thomson, Kim, Quinonez, Murray, and Barnes provided great time for the QB to throw. I am sure it gives opposing coaches fits when you have 8 different players carrying the ball and 5 different recievers catching passes.
The defensive line of Ryan Thomson, Timmy Lee, Zach Taylor, and Scott Mainquist set up so many plays for the linebackers and put constant pressure on the Fallbrook QB. The pass defense was like a spider's web as it seemed the ball just could not reach the warrior recievers. The linebackers were like vampires as they descended on their prey. JT Stratigopoulos had 9 tackles, Kevin Cuff had 8, David Meunier had 6, and Zach Taylor 5. Mitch Yocom and Hunter Shigley each had an interception and Sean Moffat forced a fumble that Kevin Cuff was in perfect position to recover. All together, another dominating performance by a defense that is certainly relentless.
The Falcons return home this coming week to play San Pasqual for the Homecoming game. Should be another fun night!
Go Falcons! Beat the Golden Eagles!
Oct. 24 - vs. Mission Hills (at TPHS)
Win 17-7
Before the season started, many who looked at the 2008 schedule thought that this would be an extremely tough test. The Falcons JV defeated the Mission Hills Grizzlies 17-7 to run their 2008 record to 7-0. This was a tough game by two talented and extremely well-coached squads. Every time the offenses seemed to get it going, the defenses would rise up and make the big stop needed. It had a championship feel---------every play was a struggle for both squads.
The Falcons offense had some big plays and scored first with 5:45 left in the 2nd quarter on a 24 yard FG by John Cabot to take a 3-0 lead into the half. To begin the 3rd quarter, the Falcons went on a long scoring drive capped by a 13 yard touchdown pass from John Cabot to Scott Mainquist to make it 10-0. Cabot was only 3-6 for 73 yards for the game. Mission Hills came back with a drive of their own scoring on a 4th down pass with a diving catch to make it 10-7. After a Falcon punt on the next possession, the Falcon defense showed its mettle by stopping the Grizzlies on a 4th and 3 at midfield which sent the game into the Falcons favor. The offense took over from there and marched in for the clinching score as John Wilson ran in from 12 yards to make it 17-7.
The offense worked hard all day with John Wilson running for 60 yards and a touchdown on 7 carries and John Wornham gaining 47 yards on 10 carries. Mitch Yocom had 6 carries for 32 yards, and Cabot ran for 29 yards on 6 carries.
The Falcon defense again displayed a great deal of pride and poise stopping the Grizzlies over and over. Kevin Cuff led with 11 tackles, JT Stratigopoulos had 10, and David Meunier chipped in with 6. John Wilson had an interception on a tipped ball.
Next week the Falcons take their show on the road to Fallbrook! Go Falcons! Beat the Warriors!
Oct. 17 - vs. Escondido (at Escondido)
Win 34-14
Torrey Pines and Escondido both entered this game undefeated at 5-0. Escondido came to play. With their large, huge, gargantuan lineman (we are talking multiple 300 pounders here), shifty QB and tough running tailback, they brought their "A" game to compete with our boys. After a quarter and a half, the Cougars led 7-0 and had kept the ball for 26 of the first 30 plays of the game. Then came THE CALL-----------4th and 7 at their 48 yard line for the Falcons. Coach sent in the Fake Punt! JT Stratigopoulos long-snapped great, the line blocked great, John Cabot threw an 11 yard strike to
CJ Vafiadis who cradled it in perfectly for the first down. What a great gutsy call! The Falcons never looked back as they rolled to a 34-14 victory in the Avocado league opener for both schools.
Someone once said you had to have momentum on your side. You could feel MO leaping across the field on that play and the Falcons drove down and scored to tie it at 7-7 on a 1 yard pass from John Cabot to Scott Mainquist just before halftime. The second half was all Falcons as Cabot (11-12, 163 yards, 4 td's) hit Hunter Shigley (2 receptions, 40 yards) for a 30 yard touchdown to go ahead on the first drive of the third quarter. Before that, the Falcons had 2 touchdowns (both great pass plays from John to CJ) called back by penalty on that drive.
Mitch Yocom (4 receptions, 65 yards) caught a 52 yarder for a touchdown, Scott Mainquist (2 receptions, 8 yards) caught a 7 yard touchdown (his 2nd of the day), and John Wornham broke free for an 18 yard touchdown run to round out the scoring. CJ Vafiadis had 2 receptions for 50 yards total. The leading rusher was Cabot with 49 yards followed by Wornham with 34 yards.
On defense, the Falcons ran a new scheme for the first quarter and a half (Hmmmmm.....Why does a quarter and a half ring a bell?) They went back to their original scheme, the defense they have run since August and completely dominated from that point on. They really stepped up and played well until the offense could get on track as they only allowed one score. Leading tackler was Hunter Shigley with 6. Kevin Cuff, Scott Mainquist, and David Meunier (fumble recovery) had 5 tackles apiece, and JT Stratigopoulos chipped in with 4 tackles and a fumble recovery after Zach Taylor stripped the ball from the Escondido runner.
The Falcons (6-0) return to their nest next week against Mission Hills. Go Falcons! Beat the Grizzlies!
Oct. 3 - vs. El Camino (at El Camino)
Win 42-0
There was an airshow in town today as the Blue Angels were at Miramar. We didn't realize the real airshow would be on friday evening at El Camino High School in Oceanside. The JV Falcons took to the air early and often as they soared over the Wildcats of El Camino 42-0. The Falcons (5-0) scored on their first six possessions and had their 42 points four minutes before it was even halftime.
Hunter Shigley had the game of a lifetime hauling in four touchdown passes from quarterback John Cabot (36,30,35, and 21 yards) and adding two interceptions from his safety position. Cabot was equally excellent as he tossed 7-7, 189 yards, and the before-mentioned 4 td's in only one half of work. Great praise needs to be heaped upon the offensive line of Scott Mainquist, Patrick Barnes, Ryan Thomson, Kevin (Ping) Kim, Devon Quinones, and Daniel Murray for keeping John's white road uniform clean on a muddy field. Leading rusher was John Wilson with 36 yards, and he also added an acrobatic, diving catch for a 31 yard gain. Mitch Yocom ran for 28 yards and caught one pass for 23 yards.
Despite having a lot of "big boys" and drawing praise from Falcon players as the "best team we have played so far", El Camino could do nothing against the stingy Falcon defense. They tried both the run and the pass with little success - trick plays were no good either as the Falcons chalked up their fourth shutout of the year. Kevin Cuff led the defense with 4 tackles,
JT Stratigopoulos chipped in with 3 tackles as did Scott Mainquist. Cuff also recovered a fumble at the Wildcat 6 yardline after Timmy Lee ripped the ball free. The secondary was airtight as the Wildcat pass attack could not get on track. In addition to Shigley's two picks, the Falcons got a late interception from Nick Gotta on a diving catch in the endzone.
On to Escondido in two weeks. Go Falcons! Beat the Cougars!
Sept. 26 - vs. Poway (at Poway)
Win 35-0
The JV Falcons pummelled Poway 35-0. That was the halftime score, and the second half saw the reserves getting playing time and sticking to a vanilla playbook to politely run out the clock. The Falcon juggernaut (4-0) ran 18 plays in the first half and scored 5 touchdowns. I think the coaches will take that ratio. Time of possession did not have a place in this one. Mitch Yocom (96 yards rushing) started the scoring on a untouched 72 yard touchdown run on the first play. He also scored later on a 15 yard scamper. In between, John Wornham (26 yards rushing) had punched it in from a yard out. John Cabot 2-2, 48 yards and a TD, then connected with John Wilson for a 31 yard scoring pass. Mr. Wilson juked the safety at the 8 yard line with a smooth move. Scott Mainquist caught the other pass Cabot threw for 17 yards. The scoring was completed with an 8 yard TD run by Dan Averbuj (they still can't catch him).
Alex Bertran and JT Stratigopoulos both blocked Poway punts in this one. Mitch Yocom gathered an interception. This trio has been playing together since they were 8 years old in Pop Warner Mighty Mite. Timmy Lee recovered a fumble caused by Kevin Cuff (5 tackles) and Stratigopoulos (6 tackles). Keith Jackson had 5 tackles from the defensive tackle position.
Next week the Falcons take their game on the road to Oceanside where they play the El Camino Wildcats. This team is so fun to watch. Poetry in motion! Come out and root them on.
Go Falcons! beat the Wildcats!
Sept. 19 - vs. Rancho Bernardo (at TPHS)
Win 21-7
The JV Falcons ran their record to 3-0 with another victory. What happens when one team has 415 yards of total offense and the other only 96 yards? Oh, by the way, along with their 415 yards, the Falcons fumbled four times, including once going in at the one yard line. This 21-7 victory in their nest was closer than it should have been. The boys would tell you they did not reach their potential in this one. On offense, John Cabot was 4-6, 101 yards, 1 td passing. John Wornham led rushers with 95 yards. Kevin Cuff had 88, John Wilson had 69, and Mitch Yocom 47. The offensive line kept the sticks moving all day. The only time they stopped was when they stopped themselves with turnovers. Mitch Yocom started the scoring with a 22 yard run, then John Cabot hit John Wilson with a 34 yard scoring strike. The only other score came on a 4 yard run diving to the corner by John Wilson.
Rancho Bernardo scored on a penalty-aided drive in the third quarter. The rest of the game the falcon defense did their thing keeping the Broncos in check for most of the day. They were unable to runat all and threw the ball endlessly - only 6-21 as the secondary was there and the pass rush really kept the pressure on. Sean Moffatt intercepted a pass, and leading tacklers for the Falcon defense included JT Stratigopoulos with 8, Kevin Cuff with 6, Scott Mainquist with 6, CJ Vafiadis with 5, David Meunier with 5, and Hunter Shigley with 4. The Falcon defense had 5 interceptions go through their hands.
This impressive group looks forward to eliminating the fumbles, catching the picks, and ruining Poway's homecoming.
Go Falcons! Beat the Titans!
Sept. 12 - vs. Eastlake (at TPHS)
Win 42-0
It sure seems like another fantastic year. The Falcons JV seem to have the drill down. Get the ball, score, get the ball again, score again. Detect a Pattern? For the second straight week, they made it look easy with a 42-0 methodical thumping of the Eastlake Titans. The defense was relentless. JT Stratigopoulos had 9 tackles, Kevin Cuff had 6 tackles, and Hunter Shigley added 4 tackles of his own as the defense held the Titans to 64 total yards for the game. Eastlake was only 4-13 passing against the Falcon secondary. Of course, the linebackers can't tackle unless the line keeps the opposing team's blockers off them! What a defense!
The scoring began with a 6 yard touchdown run by John Wornham. Then Kevin Cuff went in from 3 yards. Just before the half, John Cabot ( 3 completions in 6 attempts for 62 yards, 1 td and 1 int) threw a 17 yard td strike to CJ Vafiadis in the back of the endzone to take a 21-0 halftime advantage. It really wasn't that close. The Falcons added a 1 yard td run by John Wornham, a beautiful 20 yard td pass from Matt Carpowich to Alex Bertran, and a 23 yard scamper by Chris Orth to round out the scoring in the second half. John Wilson ran for 138 yards and Mitch Yocom for 66 yards, while Wornham and Cuff chewed up the tough inside yards sprung by an excellent effort by the offensive line.
After the game, Coach Jim Ciancimino (line coach) was heard to say, "This is not just a bunch of great athletes. They are a fine group of boys." And the JV boys also recieved airtime on the postgame varsity radio show as they were congratulated for their 10th win in a row dating back to last year for this group. The future at Torrey Pines is looking good!
Next week it is Rancho Bernardo. Go Falcons! Beat the Broncos!
Sept. 5 - vs. Theodore Roosevelt (at TPHS)
Win 35 - 0
The JV Falcons wasted no time picking up right where they left off last year with an easy 35-0 non-league win to start off their 2008 season. The offense was unstoppable, and the defense unyielding. They played like champions!
The Falcons took the opening kickoff and quickly scored on a 37 yard gallop by Mitch Yocom. The scoring continued with a John Cabot to John Wilson 47 yard touchdown pass. Kevin Cuff punched it in from 2 yards out on the next possession, and Hunter Shigley intercepted an errant Roosevelt toss and returned it 30 yards to paydirt. David Meunier ran 49 yards for the last touchdown just before the half. The second half saw the reserves getting some playing time. The offensive line of Daniel Murray, Ryan Thomson, Kevin Kim, Harry Wilburn, Patrick Barnes, and Scott Mainquist moved out the Rough Riders seemingly at will as they rolled up 247 yards of total offense. Mitch Yocom ran for 51 yards to lead all rushers as nine different players carried the ball today.
The defense was stellar led by JT Stratigopoulos and his 7 tackles, Scott Mainquist added 3 tackles, and the defense only yielded only 13 yards in the first half and 63 for the game. Mitch Yocom added two interceptions. Alex Bertran and Victor Pontis had 3 tackles apiece in the second half.
The Falcons host Eastlake next week. Go Falcons! Beat the Titans!