December 13: Carlsbad 17, Torrey Pines Falcons 6

Lancers' 'D' shuts down Torrey Pines at Q for title
By Kevin Gemmell
UNION-TRIBUNE COMMUNITY SPORTS WRITER

December 14, 2005

SEAN M. HAFFEY / Union-Tribune
Troy Lauduski of Carlsbad plays takeaway, stealing a 40-yard reception from Torrey Pines' Michael Disraeli.

Carlsbad's defenders figured if they could match their season average of yielding just 8.6 points per game, they'd have a pretty good shot at knocking off back-to-back champion Torrey Pines.

As it turned out, Carlsbad beat that number, topping the Falcons 17-6 in the San Diego Section Division I title game last night at Qualcomm Stadium. It's the Lancers' first title since 2002.

The secondary smothered the Falcons passing attack while the linebackers and defensive linemen set up camp in Torrey's backfield most of the game, sacking Falcons quarterback Hunter Wanket seven times.

"Our team defense was great," said Carlsbad coach Bob McAllister. "We swarmed to the ball. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Torrey Pines. We got on a roll here. The kids believed in themselves and didn't stop."

Matt Branley led the charge on the defensive line, sacking Wanket twice and notching another three tackles for a loss. The Lancer defense also forced three Torrey Pines turnovers while holding the Falcons to 97 yards on the ground and just 37 in the air.

"I can't describe how good I feel," Branley said. "I've been waiting for this since my freshman year. All of our hard work has paid off. We went 110 percent off the ball every time."

The Lancers (11-2) allowed just 13 points in their last five games.

"Oh man, that's sweet," McAllister continued. "This is the best defense I've coached. They play with reckless abandon. We came out and beat a great team. We had 2,000 people today inside our gym at a pep rally and that really fired us up.

"We knew we were going to have a good defense coming in (to the season). The kids believed in the system and they played hard and gave a tremendous effort."

Carlsbad's Antwon Dawson started the second quarter with a bang. Following a Torrey Pines punt to end a scoreless first quarter, Dawson took the first play of the second 90 yards for the game's first score. Exploding between the tackles, the 5-foot-3, 150-pound back broke three tackles and outran the rest of the Falcons to give his team a 7-0 lead.

"I just cut back behind (Alex Gomez's) block and ran as far and as fast as I could," Dawson said.

Torrey Pines answered with a touchdown late in the half, moving 67 yards on nine plays and capping the drive with a 13-yard Nic Renshaw run. But the long arms of Carlsbad's Mendalson Covington blocked the extra point, preserving the Lancers' lead at 7-6.

"My hats off to them," said Torrey Pines coach Ed Burke. "They are a fine football team. But so are my guys. We were Palomar League champs and we went 11-2. That says a lot about our team."

Carlsbad moved further ahead in the closing minute of the first half when Gomez went untouched off the right tackle for a 1-yard score, giving the Lancers a 14-6 advantage at the break.

The Lancers tacked on more points in the third quarter when Malcolm Cisneros booted a 27-yard field goal. Cody VanDerLinden recovered a Torrey Pines fumble at the Falcons 20. But the Falcons were able to minimize the damage by holding the Lancers to three points.

Carlsbad hounds Torrey Pines to claim Division I crown

By: TERRY MONAHAN - Staff Writer

SAN DIEGO ---- For as much acclaim as the offense received this season, the Carlsbad High football team staked a lot on its defense. And the Lancers picked the right night for their finest defensive showing.

Making good use of seven quarterback sacks, Carlsbad captured its second CIF Division I championship in four years with a 17-6 victory over Torrey Pines on Tuesday night at Qualcomm Stadium.

A crowd of 17,909 watched the day's four championship games.

No team's defense had such an overwhelming performance as that of Carlsbad, which allowed only 13 points in its final five games.

"This is the best defense we've ever had,'' said Carlsbad coach Bob McAllisterm who also guided the Lancers to the crown in 2002. "They played with reckless abandon and gave us a tremendous victory. The kids believed in the system, and we had the right kids in the system.''

The eighth consecutive win for the No. 2-seeded Lancers also ended a nine-game winning streak by top-seeded Torrey Pines.

Carlsbad's defense applied an exclamation point by holding Torrey Pines to 142 total yards, ending the Falcons' dream of becoming the first team to win three straight CIF titles since Division I was created in 1993.

Nick Hasselberg's fumble recovery on fourth-and-4 from the Lancers' 34-yard line with 8:41 to play ended a threat following. An interception by Torrey Pines' Cooper Stephenson that positioned the Falcons at the Carlsbad 40 with 9:44 left.

Hasselberg recorded three sacks, Matt Branley had two, and Mendalson Covington and Brock Butler added one each.

"The biggest thing is we were unable to move the ball and make it a contest,'' said Torrey Pines coach Ed Burke. "That's a credit to Carlsbad's defense. In the last five games they've given up only 13 points, so what they did was not surprising.

"That defense has been outstanding all season long.''

Before Tuesday, the only blemish for Torrey Pines (11-2) was a 27-20 loss to Mira Mesa on Sept. 16. Carlsbad also finished 11-2.

So powerful was the Lancers' defense this year that only twice did they give up 20 points in a game, leading to a 330-99 scoring margin.

Torrey Pines was similarly dominant, outscoring opponents 347-148.

But Carlsbad was just too tough. It more than doubled the Palomar League champions in yardage (325 to 146) as running backs Antwon Dawson and Alex Gomez both surpassed 100 rushing yards. Dawson rushed 12 times for 136 yards, and Gomez added 117 yards on 22 carries.

"We have tremendous respect for Torrey Pines, Ed and his staff,'' said McAllister. "We beat a great program. We had a great run in the playoffs. This win, this championship is well-deserved.''

The anticipated defensive struggle came to pass in the first half.

After both teams spent the first quarter feeling each other out, with each recovering a fumble, the Lancers broke through on the first play of the second quarter.

Dawson, a 5-foot-3, 150-pound scatback, took a seemingly harmless handoff over right guard. When he broke through the line of scrimmage, he eluded a tackler and regained his balance en route a 90-yard jaunt and 7-0 lead.

The Lancers were marching toward another score on their next drive before turning the ball over on downs at the Torrey Pines 33.

That sparked the Falcons, who covered 67 yards in nine plays. The drive ended when Nic Renshaw burst into the end zone from 13 yards out with 2:13 left before halftime. A 15-yard facemask penalty helped keep the drive alive.

But the Falcons failed to tie the score. Kicker Bill Bennett's conversion try was blocked, keeping Carlsbad ahead 7-6.

As if feeding off the momentum from the blocked kick, the Lancers beat the clock for another score just before halftime. It came when Gomez went in untouched from a yard out off the right side, capping the 10-play, 80-yard drive for a 14-6 halftime lead.

Gomez deserved the touchdown. He carried on seven of the 10 plays.

That march put the finishing touches on a first half in which the Lancers, who average 301 yards a game, rolled up 255 yards.

A fumble recovery by Cody VanDerLinden at the Falcons' 20 halfway through the third quarter led to Malcolm Cisneros' 27-yard field goal and a 17-6 lead.

That's all the Lancers needed for a title.

Contact staff writer Terry Monahan at (760) 739-6648 or tmonahan@nctimes.com.

Carlsbad 17, Torrey Pines 6

Carlsbad         0 14 3  0 ---- 17

Torrey Pines   0 6   0 0 ----  6

Individual Scoring

C ---- Dawson 90 run (Cisneros kick)

TP ---- Renshaw 13 run (kick failed)

C ---- Gomez 1 run (Cisneros kick)

C ---- FG Cisneros 27

                           C                   TP

First Downs       13                  10

Yds Rushing      245                106

Yds Passing        72                  36

Passes            7-13-1             4-10-0

Fumbles-Lost    1-1                  3-3

Penalties-Yds    7-55               1-1

Individual Statistics

RUSHING ---- Carlsbad, Dawson 12-136, Gomez 22-117, Christian 3-minus 8. Torrey Pines, Bird 8-59, Renshaw 9-31, Collins 2-8, Vanderwiel 1-6, Donahoe 1-3, Djavaherian 3-3, Belasco 1-0, Wanket 12-minus 4.

PASSING ---- Carlsbad, Christian 7-13-1-72. Torrey Pines, Wanket 4-10-0-36.

RECEIVING ---- Carlsbad, Lauduski 2-58, Gomez 2-6, Wheba 1-13, Dixon 1-minus 1, Dawson 1-minus 4. Torrey Pines, Lambesis 2-26, Moffatt 1-6, Bird 1-4.

TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS ---- Carlsbad, Hasselberg 8-2-3, Branley 6-0-2, Hood 4-2-0, Benson 4-1-0, Covington 3-3-1, Butler 2-2-1, VanDerLinden 2-2-0, Cisneros 2-1-0, Nesbit 2-1-0, Simmons 2-0-0, D'Amaro 1-1-0, Cahill 1-0-0, Connally 0-1-0. Torrey Pines, Goverman 8-0-1, Stephenson 7-3-0, Vanderwiel 6-2-0, Fentin-Thompson 4-2-0, Mathews 4-2-0, Scott 3-2-0, Collins 3-1-0, Heinle 3-0-0, Cutting 2-0-1, Owen 1-1-0, Bird 1-0-0, Harper 1-0-0, Sawaya 1-0-0, Jacobs 0-1-0, MacMillan 0-1-0.

INTERCEPTIONS ---- Torrey Pines, Stephenson 1.

MISSED FIELD GOALS --- None.

December 2: Torrey Pines Falcons 24, Vista 8

Torrey Pines gets early gift as Belasco returns with a vengeance

By: DAN HAYES - Staff writer

CARMEL VALLEY---- Torrey Pines High's Scooter Belasco was in a giving mood this week, and just in time for the holidays. Prior to Thursday's football practice, the senior running back presented head coach Ed Burke with a doctor's note clearing him to play offense ---- he punted in last week's win ---- just 27 days after injuring his right arm against Poway.

In Friday night's CIF Division I semifinal game, Belasco gave his teammates and coaches even more as he scored two touchdowns and put on an all-around show at Falcons Stadium as the Falcons knocked off Vista 24-8 in a rematch of last year's CIF final.

Torrey Pines (11-1) will next play Carlsbad, a 34-0 winner over Bonita Vista, on Dec. 13 at Qualcomm Stadium for the Division I championship.

"I walked up to Coach Burke and said 'All you have to do is smile,' " said Belasco, who ran for a touchdown, caught another, and also had a punt downed at Vista's 3-yard line. "It's great to get back on the field. We won that last (regular season) game against La Costa Canyon, but it was a loss to me because I couldn't contribute. This is a big win."

Said Burke: "He had (the note) folded and cupped in his hands. I didn't just smile, I hugged."

His defense's performance on the field against Vista (9-3-1) was just as pleasing for Burke.

The Falcons forced five turnovers, including four in the first half, and had nine sacks of quarterback Tony Castellano, who started in place of injured senior Loa Madon (shoulder).

The unit also effectively slowed the powerful Vista running game, limiting fullback John Gyves to 45 yards through 3 1/2 quarters of play. Gyves finished with 80 of his team's 117 rushing yards and the team's only touchdown.

"It was just unbelievable," said senior defensive lineman Sam Jacobs. "We practice hard all week and said they're not going to do that to us. All 22 players played great tonight."

The first turnover was costly a one for Vista as the Falcons' Casey Matthews recovered a muffed punt return at his opponents' 8.

Four plays later, Torrey Pines led 3-0 after Bill Bennett's 29-yard field goal.

The Panthers' next drive ended in an interception as Robby Collins ---- who later recovered a fumble ---- had his third pick in the past two games.

"It's a sad game to lose," Vista coach Dan Williams. "It's tough to win with five turnovers. Torrey Pines had a great scheme."

The Falcons also took advantage of early opportunities.

Following Collins' interception, Torrey Pines ended a 70-yard scoring drive when Hunter Wanket hit Belasco for a 31-yard touchdown.

One drive later, Wanket and Connor Bird (88 rushing yards) had runs of 23 and 14 yards. Vista was later called for a personal foul on third-and-21, Belasco added a 10-yard run and Bird eventually scored on a 16-yard TD run.

"That's the 'Black-Shirt' defense over there and we were able to manipulate our way through it," Belasco said.

Belasco, defense help Falcons reach final

By Glae Thien
SPECIAL TO THE UNION-TRIBUNE

December 3, 2005

Scooter Belasco came braced to play for top-seeded Torrey Pines against Vista in the San Diego Section Division I football semifinals last night.

One day after receiving medical clearance, Belasco put on an arm-length brace to protect his right elbow, which had been dislocated three weeks ago. He then caught a 31-yard touchdown pass, scored on a 5-yard run and even ran for a first down as a punter after a taking high snap.

Add, too, a strong showing by the Falcons defense, which forced five turnovers, including an interception and fumble recovery by Robbie Collins.

The result was a 24-8 victory in a rematch of last year's title game that ended in a 14-14 tie.

With that, the Falcons (11-1) advanced to the title game for the third straight year. They will face second-seeded Carlsbad on Dec. 13 at Qualcomm Stadium.

"I kind of had to ease back into it," said Belasco, a senior running back. "Once I was hit the first time, I was all right. That (TD catch) definitely got all the adrenaline going. I'll probably wake up sore. But it was worth it, definitely worth it."

The Falcons took a 17-0 halftime lead, but head coach Ed Burke cautioned them that Vista came back from a 14-point deficit in last year's title game.

"It was very, very important at halftime that we understood that (Vista) had the talent to come back," Burke said. "We had to finish it and put it away."

After a scoreless third quarter, the Falcons increased their lead to 24-0 on Belasco's TD run with 4:21 remaining. Vista (9-3-1) closed the scoring with a 3-yard run by John Gyves with 2:56 left.

"We just had to come out and prove ourselves," said Collins, a junior defensive back. "Everyone (else) has doubled us all year. We outhit them and we outplayed them."

Vista senior Tony Castellano started at quarterback in place of Loa Madon, the usual starter, who suited up but was sidelined by an injury to his throwing shoulder, suffered in practice during the week. Castellano went 11-of-20 for 176 yards with three interceptions.

Colllins recorded his third interception in two games at the Falcons 30 late in the first quarter. Eight plays later, on third-and-15 at the 31, Hunter Wanket threw Torrey Pines' only completion of the night, hitting Belasco in the end zone for a 10-0 lead 11:40 before halftime.

Connor Bird rushed for 88 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries to help lead the Falcons attack.

Casey Matthews had a fumble recovery on a muffed punt, recovering at the Panthers 8 to set up the first Torrey Pines score, a 29-yard field goal by Bill Bennett with 6:36 left in the first quarter.

Ryan Fentin-Thompson and Josh Goverman each also had an interception before the half ended.

November 25: Torrey Pines Falcons 16, LCC Mavericks 12

Hook-and-ladder play lifts Torrey over La Costa Canyon

By: DAN HAYES - Staff Writer

CARMEL VALLEY ---- Torrey Pines High football coach Ed Burke called for one play on Friday night and his team heard another. Both calls were similar ---- they included the hook-and-ladder ---- but involved entirely different receiving routes.

It didn't matter.

Hunter Wanket still connected on a 6-yard pass to Michael Lambesis, who despite having a defender all over his back, made a picture-perfect pitch to a streaking Connor Bird, who caught the ball in stride and raced 38 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 3:55 left in the fourth quarter.

From there, the No. 1-seeded Falcons used their defense to stop La Costa Canyon and held on for a 16-12 victory in the quarterfinals of the CIF Division I playoffs at Falcons Stadium.

"I can't take any credit," Burke said. "We had a mistake in the huddle. The call was a mistake but the execution was correct. That's the luck of being Irish."

The win advances Torrey Pines (10-1) to a semifinal matchup with Vista, which knocked off host Rancho Bernardo 20-0. It also meant that for the second season in a row, La Costa Canyon (8-4) was knocked out of the playoffs by its biggest rival.

After the tough loss, La Costa Canyon coach Darrin Brown showered his players with praise for being able to stay in the game until the end despite having seven penalties called to the Falcons' one.

"I thought the refereeing was terrible," Brown said. "It was totally one-sided and our kids did an outstanding job to overcome a lot. They lost to a good football team but (the refs) will be embarrassed when the tape is reviewed."

Buoyed by a strong defensive effort, the Mavericks took a 12-9 lead with 6:14 to go in the game when Briton Forester made a 32-yard field goal.

But Bird had a 2-yard run followed by runs of 24 and 4 for Wanket to set up the trickery.

"I don't think they saw it coming," Bird said. "It caught them off guard."

La Costa Canyon's defense caught Torrey Pines by surprise on the game's very first possession. Michael Bethea intercepted a pass and returned it to the Falcons' 28.

Eight plays later, the Mavericks took a 7-0 lead as Cole Ducey scored on a quarterback sneak including fourth-and-goal from the 1.

The Falcons then answered with lengthy, consecutive possessions, but only came away with a pair of field goals by Bill Bennett to make it 7-6 at the half.

La Costa Canyon's defense struck once more as junior Nick Witzmann sacked Wanket for a safety and a 9-6 lead.

But Bennett answered again with a 34-yard field goal to tie the score with 11:08 left in the fourth quarter.

Torrey Pines 16, LCC 12

La Costa Canyon         7 0 2  3 -  12
Torrey Pines                 3 3 0 10 - 16

Individual Scoring--

LCC - Ducey 1 run (Greenway kick)
TP - FG Bennett 34
TP - FG Bennett 23
LCC - Safety, Witzmann tackled Wanket in end zone
TP - FG Bennett 34
LCC - FG Forester 32
TP - Bird 38 with lateral from Lambesis after pass from Wanket (Bennett kick)

                                           LCC                 TP

First Downs                          7                   10
Yds Rushing                        152                 131
Yds Passing                          98                   87
Passes                               7-14-3              6-17-2
Fumbles-Lost                       0-0                  0-0
Penalties-Yds                      7-60                  1-5

Individual Statistics--

RUSHING - La Costa Canyon, DeLuca 18-93, Tyler 5-45, Leedy 8-16, Ducey 5-minus 2. Torrey Pines, Wanket 10-53, Collins 1-37, Moffatt 7-17, Bird 7-14, Donahoe 4-11, Djavaherian 4-8, team 1-minus 9.

PASSING - La Costa Canyon, Ducey 7-14-3-98. Torrey Pines, Wanket 6-17-2-87.

RECEIVING - La Costa Canyon, Leedy 3-67, Chandler 1-11, Gibson 1-10, Oman 1-5, Bethea 1-5. Torrey Pines, Lambesis 3-37, Galvin 2-12, Bird 1-38.

November 10: Torrey Pines Falcons 7, LCC Mavericks 6

'Mr. Clutch' comes through for Falcons

By: SCOTT BAIR - Staff Writer

LA COSTA ---- Hunter Wanket has a new nickname. Torrey Pines High football coach Ed Burke came up with it after his quarterback led the Falcons to a 7-6 road victory over arch-rival La Costa Canyon on Thursday night.

"He's Mr. Clutch," Burke said. "I think that's a pretty good nickname for Hunter after what he did tonight."

Wanket led the Falcons on a seven-play, 73-yard touchdown drive with just over three minutes remaining in the game and the Falcons down six points. Wanket was 5-for-5 for 58 yards on that final drive, which ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Michael Lambesis in the corner of the end zone.

The game-deciding drive made Torrey Pines (9-1, 5-0) the undisputed champion of the Palomar League. It also ended a game's worth of frustration after the Falcons had been close to the end zone on numerous occasions and come away with nothing.

"There was definitely some frustration after coming so close without anything to show for it," Wanket said. "But I had faith in my receivers and my offensive line. I knew that if we had one more chance, we could get it done."

Wanket showed faith in the 6-foot-5 Lambesis, who caught eight passes for 110 yards. His final catch was the most important. Wanket threw a fade pass to Lambesis, who outjumped two defenders and brought the ball down for the touchdown.

La Costa Canyon had 1 minute, 48 seconds to make something happen, but John MacMillan intercepted a pass from Cole Ducey to end the Mavericks' comeback hopes.

La Costa Canyon (7-3, 3-2) held Torrey Pines to just 60 rushing yards, leaving the burden on Wanket.

He was up to the challenge, completing 20 of 26 passes for 263 yards and the game-winning touchdown. He also rushed 12 times for 27 yards.

"Hunter was outstanding," Burke said. "He was excellent on every (play), and not just with his throws. He came up with some key runs as well that kept some drives alive."

The Falcons' defense also had an excellent game. The group kept La Costa Canyon out of the end zone, giving up just two field goals to Briton Forester, who converted from 23 and 44 yards out.

Until the final Torrey Pines drive, the Mavericks' defense held strong against the Falcons.

"Our defense played great," La Costa Canyon coach Darrin Brown said. "They came through for us in key situations all night. We didn't come out with the win, but I couldn't be more proud of my kids. We lost this game, but we'll see what happens in the postseason."

Torrey Pines 7, La Costa Canyon 6

Torrey Pines          0 0 0 7 ---- 7
La Costa Canyon   3 3 0 0 ---- 6

Individual Statistics

LCC ---- FG Forester 23
LCC ---- FG Forester 44
TP ---- Lambesis 10 pass from Wanket (Bennett kick)

                                          TP                               LCC

First Downs                        18                                  8
Yds Rushing                        60                                 96
Yds Passing                         263                               29
Passes                              20-26-0                           3-10-1
Fumbles-Lost                      2-0                                  0-0
Penalties-Yds                      4-35                                2-15

Individual Statistics

RUSHING ---- Torrey Pines, Wanket 12-27, Moffatt 8-22, Bird 10-14, Collins 1- minus 3. La Costa Canyon, Leedy 8-37, DeLuca 8-30, Marquis 10-24, Tyler 1-5, Ducey 2-0, Bethea 1-0.

PASSING ---- Torrey Pines, Wanket 20-26-1-263. La Costa Canyon, Ducey 3-10-1-29.

RECEIVING ---- Torrey Pines, Lambesis 8-110, Bird 4-70, Disraeli 3-29, Donahoe 3-20, Collins 1-18, Stephenson 1-16. La Costa Canyon, Chandler 2-28, Whitcomb 1-1.

November 4: Torrey Pines Falcons 28, Poway Titans 23

Torrey Pines' triumph marred by key injuries

By: SCOTT BAIR - Staff Writer

CARMEL VALLEY ---- The Torrey Pines High football team's trainers have been working overtime lately. The Falcons, beset by injuries, went into Friday night's home game against Poway without leading tackler Cory Scott, wide receiver Michael Lambesis and starting offensive linemen Alex Borgia and Nathan Vaughn, to name a few.

The list of walking wounded grew throughout the game, but No. 2-ranked Torrey Pines held strong and emerged with a 28-23 win over the Titans that clinched at least a share of the Palomar League title.

"I'm so proud of these kids," Torrey Pines coach Ed Burke said. "They hung tough and fought through adversity that a lesser group would have succumbed to. Poway challenged us, but our guys responded. They got the job done when they needed to."

The victory came at a heavy price. Scooter Belasco, Torrey Pines' top running back, cornerback and punter, left the game in the first quarter and did not return. He got hit on a running play suffered what Burke believed was a dislocated elbow. He was taken to an area hospital for further examination.

Burke said that thought Belasco, a senior, could be done for the season.

Offensive lineman Joe Cheng was also injured. He left the game in the second quarter due to a knee strain.

But the Falcons (8-1, 4-0) persevered with the players left standing. They weathered a Poway run of 16 unanswered points in the middle of the second half to secure the victory.

The Titans gained some momentum after falling behind 28-7 early in the third quarter on a 6-yard touchdown run from running back Brandon Sullivan. Then Guy Ricciardulli made it a game with a 53-yard punt return for a touchdown. A failed extra point left Poway (4-5, 2-2) down eight points heading into the fourth quarter.

The Titans were in the red zone and threatening to score again with Nic Renshaw made a spectacular interception of Poway quarterback Donnie McKillop. Poway threatened again, only come away with a 23-yard field goal from Butch Roche.

But when Torrey Pines needed to keep the chains and the clock moving, the team was able to do so behind the running of Connor Bird (11 carries, 115 yards) and Kyle Moffatt (9 carries, 44 yards). The Falcons defense did a solid job handling Sullivan, who rushed 25 times for 73 yards, well below his per game average of 162 yards.

"We came up a little short there at the end," Poway coach Damian Gonzalez said. "I'm happy with how we battled back in the second half. These guys can take confidence from the fact that they competed well with the No. 2 team in the county. If we can compete with these guys, we can compete with anybody."

Link to Radio Broadcast

TORREY PINES 28, POWAY 23

Poway             7  0  13  3 – 23
Torrey Pines  7 14  7   0 – 28

P–Sullivan 12 run (Roche kick)
TP–Donahoe 37 pass from Wanket (Bennett kick)
TP–Moffatt 1 run (Bennett kick)
TP–Bird 14 run (Bennett kick)
TP–Disraeli 34 pass from Wankett (Bennett kick)
P–Sullivan 6 run (Roche kick)
P–Ricciardulli 52 punt return (kick failed)
P–FG Roche 23

October 28: Torrey Pines Falcons 14, Rancho Bernardo Broncos 13

Bird lifts Falcons

By: SCOTT BAIR - Staff Writer

RANCHO BERNARDO ---- Connor Bird may be a little guy at 5-foot-7 and 171 pounds, but he's not afraid to block. When the Torrey Pines High football team's scatback saw receiver Matt Lambesis streaking toward the end zone in the middle of the field with under 40 seconds remaining and no timeouts, Bird hurried downfield to help block. Instead, he made a play that gave the Falcons a 14-13 upset of top-ranked Rancho Bernardo on Friday night.

Bird recovered Lambesis' fumble in the end zone with 30 seconds to play, and teammate Bill Bennett kicked the game-deciding extra point as the Falcons (7-1, 3-0 Palomar League) took first place in the league.

"Matt made a great catch and an excellent run," Bird said. "I was just there to back him up."

Lambesis, who had four receptions for 87 yards, made a great catch and a number of quality moves to get Torrey Pines (7-1, 3-0) to the brink.

The Falcons' comeback drive began on their 10-yard line with 2:15 remaining and Rancho Bernardo (7-1, 2-1) leading 13-7. Quarterback Hunter Wanket orchestrated a text-book two-minute drill, completing 5-of-7 passes during Torrey Pines' march to the end zone.

Wanket's final throw was risky, but ultimately rewarding.

"Matt was going to run a skinny post to the middle of the field," said Wanket, who completed nine passes for 186 yards. "I saw the safety cheat over to cover Scooter (Belasco) on the outside, I knew Matt would be open. I thought that if I got it to him, Matt could take care of the rest."

Lambesis did, with a little help from Bird.

Torrey Pines' final touchdown was the only score of the second half.

The Falcons scored first on a 27-yard pass from Wanket to Belasco. Rancho Bernardo answered with a 3-yard touchdown run from Richard Caldwell and a pair of Ryan Schmitz field goals.

Running back Nick Pascarella finished with 116 yards on 24 carries, and tight end Will Yeatman had six catches for 84 yards to pace the Broncos. Rancho Bernardo gained 330 yards, but only reached the end zone once, which gave Torrey Pines a chance at a comeback.

"We're disappointed about what happened here tonight, but it's not going to make or break our season," Yeatman said. "We're upset right now, but there are plenty of games left to play. Our goal is to win a (CIF) championship. One loss isn't going to make us lose sight of that."

Torrey Pines' Bird wings it for win

Fumble recovery, TD in final seconds topple Broncos

October 29, 2005

If the Torrey Pines High football team wins the Palomar League title, people will remember how Connor Bird dived into a pile as a 5-foot-7 running back, and emerged a giant.

With Torrey Pines trailing Rancho Bernardo by six points with 30 seconds remaining in the game, Falcons receiver Michael Lambesis fumbled at the RB 1-yard line trying to stretch into the end zone, and a mad dash for the goal line ensued.

But it was Bird who dived in and recovered the ball for a touchdown, giving his Falcons (with the PAT by Bill Bennett) a 14-13 win over the previously undefeated Broncos last night in a Palomar League contest at Rancho Bernardo.

Torrey quarterback Hunter Wanket engineered the 90-yard, game-winning drive with 2:30 remaining in the game, completing 5-of-7 passes for 89 yards. Bird took care of the last yard.

At the RB 27, Wanket found Lambesis for the third time on the drive. The 6-foot-5 receiver ditched three tackles and broke for the goal line, only to see the ball slip out of his hands.

"I saw it pop out and I knew I had to get (Lambesis') back," Bird said. "I knew I had to get in there and back him up."

The win gives No. 3 Torrey Pines (7-1, 3-0) sole possession of first place in the Palomar League while No. 1 Rancho Bernardo (7-1, 2-1) needs a Torrey loss in its final two games if the Broncos hope to repeat.

Falcons coach Ed Burke didn't hold back kudos when describing his senior quarterback's performance on the final drive.

"Hunter is a senior quarterback who has been underestimated," Burke said. "I asked him to step up, and he did it. He was gutsy, he was poised and it took a lot of courage."

The Falcons jumped ahead toward the end of the first quarter when Wanket tossed a perfect fade pass and hit Scooter Belasco in stride for a 27-yard touchdown.

But RB quickly responded with a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard Richard Caldwell touchdown run. A 26-yard reception from tight end Will Yeatman and a 17-yard run from Caldwell set up the score.

RB added two field goals (41, 37) from Ryan Schmitz in the second quarter to take a 13-7 halftime lead.

However, the Broncos failed to convert on two field goals in the second half that ultimately contributed to the one-point loss.

"This was a gutsy win against a great Rancho Bernardo team," Burke said. "They hammered us all night. But in the clutch, clutch players make clutch plays."

Torrey Pines 14, Rancho Bernardo 13

Torrey Pines            7  0   0 7 - 14
Rancho Bernardo     0 13 0 0 - 13

Individual Scoring
TP - Belasco 27 pass from Wanket (Bennett kick)
RB - Caldwell 3 run (Schmitz kick)
RB - FG Schmitz 41
RB - FG Schmitz 37
TP - Bird fumble recovered in end zone (Bennett kick)

                                         TP                        RB

First Downs                       15                         13
Yds Rushing                       62                        205
Yds Passing                       193                       125
Passes                              10-19-1                 9-21-0
Fumbles-Lost                      2-0                       0-0
Penalties-Yds                      5-30                     3-23

Individual Statistics--

RUSHING - Torrey Pines: Bird 6-55, Collins 1-9, Belasco 11-7, Wanket 3-0, Vanderwiel 5- minus 3, Moffat 4- minus 6. Rancho Bernardo: Pascarella 24-116, Caldwell 15-85, Heinemann 5-9, Bunnell 3-9, Sanborn 4- minus 14.

PASSING - Torrey Pines, Wanket 9-17-1-186, Vanderwiel 1-2-0-7. Rancho Bernardo, Sanborn 9-21-0-125.

RECEIVING - Torrey Pines, Lambesis 4-87, Disraeli 3-33, Belasco 2-52, Stephenson 1-21. Rancho Bernardo, Yeatman 6-84, Kemp 3-31.

JV Score--

Torrey Pines 34, Rancho Bernardo 9

October 21: Torrey Pines Falcons 51, Westview Wolverines 0

Torrey Pines empties bench in 51-0 rout of Westview

By: TOM SHANAHAN - For the North County Times

CARMEL VALLEY ---- Torrey Pines High quarterback Hunter Wanket and his fellow starters found themselves on the bench for the start of the second half, but the senior and his teammates weren't complaining.

That's because Torrey Pines again made short work of an opponent, defeating Westview 51-0 Friday night at Falcon Field. The second half was played with a running clock --- like Torrey Pines' 48-6 win over San Marcos earlier this year --- after the Falcons led 37-0 at halftime.

"It's really fun for us," Wanket said of watching the backups get playing time. "We have a great team and we're all friends. It's really cool to see everybody get in there. We'll watch films together Saturday, and it's always fun to support each other."

Torrey Pines, ranked No. 5 in the San Diego Section, improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the Palomar League. Westview dropped to 1-6 and 0-2.

"They're an excellent football team," Westview coach Tim White said. "You can't turn the ball over against a team like that and expect to win the game. But I'm proud of my kids for the way they continued to play and support each other."

Three Westview turnovers were converted into scores, beginning with a safety on a first-down snap out of a shotgun formation at the Wolverines' 15-yard line. Quarterback Dan Hentschl alertly kicked the ball out of the end zone to prevent a Torrey Pines touchdown.

The score was soon 9-0 as Torrey Pines, following the ensuing kickoff, drove 51 yards in nine plays for a touchdown on a 9-yard pass from Wanket to senior wide receiver Mike Lambesis.

After an interception by senior linebacker Ryan Fentin-Thompson, Wanket hit senior running back Scooter Belasco with a 55-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline for 16-0 lead. A Westview fumble on the next series led to a 17-yard touchdown pass from Wanket to Lambesis for a 23-0 first-quarter advantage.

Torrey Pines added second-quarter touchdown runs of 15 yards by Connor Bird and 4 yards by Kyle Moffatt.

In the second half, senior Michael Donahoe scored on a 19-yard run and junior Jeff Le on a 4-yard run.

The Falcons finished with 321 yards rushing as 11 players carried the ball.

Wanket was 4-of-7 for 99 yards, with all his passes in the first quarter.

Westview          0    0  0 0 -  0
Torrey Pines     23 14 7  7 - 51

Individual scoring

TP - Safety, Ball snapped out of end zone.
TP - Lambesis 9 pass from Wanket (Bennett kick).
TP - Belasco 55 pass from Wanket (Bennett kick).
TP - Lambesis 17 pass from Wanket (Bennett kick).
TP - Bird 15 run (Bennett kick).
TP - Moffat 4 run (Bennett kick).
TP - Donahoe 19 run (Bennett kick).
TP - Le 4 run (Bennett kick).

                                      W                                  TP

First Downs                    7                                   19
Yds Rushing                   95                                  317
Yds Passing                   39                                   99
Passes                          6-12-1                            4-7-0
Fumbles-Lost                2-2                                  1-1
Penalties-Yds                1-5                                  7-60

Individual Statistics

Rushing - Westview, Rojas 13-83, Hentschl 2-10, Coulter 4-9, Johnson 2-5, Lofton 1-minus 1, Hansen 2-minus 11. Torrey Pines, Belasco 4-68, Bird 8-56, Vanderweil 3-59, Djavaherian 5-43, Moffat 6-37, Donahoe 3-26, Le 3-21, Myrick 2-3, Macaulay 1-3, Pettis 1-1.

Passing - Westview, Hansen 5-8-0-22. Hentschl 1-4-1-17. Torrey Pines, Wanket 4-7-0-99.

Receiving- Westview, Coulter 3-31, Mallory 1-5, Hentschl 1-2, Johnson 1-1. Torrey Pines, Lambesis 3-44, Belasco 1-55.

JV Score--
Torrey Pines 34, Westview 6

October 14: Torrey Pines Falcons 49, Mt. Carmel 7

Burke gets milestone win against Mt. Carmel

By: SIMON SAMANO - Staff Writer

RANCHO PENASQUITOS ---- All night long, Torrey Pines High kicker Bill Bennett launched kickoffs into the end zone and beyond. And each time it happened, the only thing both Mt.Carmel kick returners could do was stare at each other in disbelief and hang their heads, feeling almost helpless.

That sentiment became an all too familiar theme for the Sundevils Friday night, as the Falcons were on auto-pilot on their way to a 49-7 victory in the Palomar League opener for both teams.

It was a special night for Torrey Pines coach Ed Burke, who captured his 200th victory as a San Diego Section coach in his 24th year on the job. Burke also spent five years at the helm of San Dieguito High.

"I feel honored and pretty humbled," Burke said. "I'm just proud of our kids because they came in and played well in what I thought was a difficult situation."

They certainly did play well.

The Falcons (5-1, 1-0) dominated every facet of the game. They compiled 323 yards rushing, while holding Mt. Carmel (0-6, 0-1) to a measly 12 total rushing yards. Except for a first down the Sundevils picked up on a penalty in the first quarter, Torrey Pines' defense didn't allow an earned first down until late in the fourth quarter.

After the game, Mt.Carmel coach Darren Spence said his team was never mentally in the game.

"We didn't show up tonight," Spence said. "When you don't show up to play, that's what is going to happen to you, especially against a great team.

"Coach Burke is a good man. For him to only score 49 points on us, that was nice of him."

It was a big night for running back Scooter Belasco. He began the scoring onslaught when he scored from four yards out on the Falcons' first drive. Then with Torrey Pines leading 14-0, Belasco shot his way up the middle for a 43-yard touchdown scamper. Belasco's third and final touchdown came on the Falcons' next drive when he leaped above two defenders for a 33-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Hunter Wanket.

"Scooter just has a motor that keeps running, and he did an outstanding job for us," Burke said.

Mt.Carmel got on the board in third quarter when running back Devon Akpom scored on a 56-yard screen pass, breaking three tackles along the way.

A running clock was employed for the entire second half.

Torrey Pines 14 21  7  7 – 49
Mt. Carmel     0  0   7  0 –  7
TP–Belasco 9 run (Bennett kick)
TP–Moffatt 1 run (Bennett kick)
TP–Belasco 43 run (Bennett kick)
TP–Belasco 33 pass from Wanket (Bennett kick)
TP–Djavaherian 9 run (Bennett kick)
TP–Myrick 20 run (Bennett kick)
MC–D.Akpom 56 pass from Belay (Burback kick)
TP–Nascenzi 17 run (Bennett kick)

                                          TP                                   MC

First Downs                        15                                    5

Yds Rushing                        332                                 12

Yds Passing                         62                                   102

Passes                                3-3-0                              7-13-0

Fumbles-Lost                      0-0                                   0-0

Penalties-Yds                      5-20                                 4-20

Individual Statistics

RUSHING - Torrey Pines, Belasco 4-72, Moffatt 6-62, Nascenzi 3-34, Djavaherian 4-32, Collins 2-27, Myrick 2-21, Pettis 2-20, Bird 3-17, Vanderwiel 2-15, Donahoe 2-13, Le 2-10, Galvin 1-7, Wanket 1-2. Mt. Carmel, Griffin 2-4, D. Apkom 7-3, Jacoub 2-3, Hveem 5-2.

PASSING - Torrey Pines, Wanket 2-2-0-45, Vanderwiel 1-1-0-17. Mt. Carmel, Belay 5-8-0-93, Jacoub 2-5-0-9

RECEIVING - Torrey Pines, Belasco 2-45, Nascenzi 1-17. Mt. Carmel, G. Akpom 4-29, D. Akpom 1-56, Flood 1-14, Griffin 1-3.

JV Score

Torrey Pines 26, Mt. Carmel 7

September 30: Torrey Pines Falcons 36, El Camino 19

Torrey Pines run away from El Camino

By: MARC FIGUEROA - Staff Writer

CARMEL VALLEY---- A power running game is not the forte of the Torrey Pines High football team. It doesn't have to be when you have players like Connor Bird, Robby Collins and Scooter Belasco.

Bulk is not what these guys are about, but boy can they run. The three running backs, none of whom weigh more than 171 pounds, joined forces to score five touchdowns to lead the fifth-ranked Falcons to a 36-19 nonleague victory over visiting El Camino.

"When you have a lot of toys to play with, Torrey Pines certainly makes the best use of them," said Wildcats coach Trace Deneke. "And that's a testimony to (Torrey Pines coach) Ed Burke and his coaching staff."

Torrey Pines (4-1) couldn't shake loose from the Wildcats until early in the fourth quarter when Belasco found a seam and raced 30 yards for a touchdown to give the Falcons a 29-13 lead with 11:40 to play. Belasco scored again on a 7-yard run with 6:29 remaining to put the game out of reach.

Trailing 22-7 late in the third quarter, the Wildcats (2-3) cut the Falcons' lead when Andrew Aiello scored on a 2-yard touchdown run ---- his second rushing TD of the night. El Camino's two-point conversion failed and that's as close as the Wildcats would get.

It was all Torrey Pines after that.

"They're like a bulldog with the mailman," Deneke said. "They just grab your leg and never let go."

The Torrey Pines ground attack accounted for 269 yards, 221 of it coming compliments of Bird, Belasco and Collins.

"It's a blessing to have these great athletes," Burke said. "And fortunately all of the guys showed up tonight."

Nursing a slim 9-7 lead late in the first half, the Falcons created a bit of breathing room when Bird caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Hunter Wanket with 21 seconds to go. The extra-point attempt failed.

The Falcons started with a short field and needed just four plays to reach the end zone.

The Wildcats found themselves pinned back in their end of the field for most of the second quarter. Torrey Pines made them pay the first time when Aiello was tackled in the end zone for a Falcons safety with 7:01 to go.

The Wildcats got great field position on their second possession of the game and took an early 7-0 lead on an Aiello 1-yard run with 6:27 left in the first quarter.

The Falcons countered right back when running back Collins scored on a quarterback option that resulted in a 47-yard TD run.

The Wildcats were on the move early in the game, but were stalled when the Falcons forced an El Camino fumble at the Torrey Pines' 3-yard line.

Link to Radio Broadcast

September 23: Torrey Pines Falcons 48, San Marcos Knights 6

Sportsmanship on display in Falcons' win

By: TOM SHANAHAN - For the North County Times

CARMEL VALLEY ---- It was an ugly mismatch between Torrey Pines High, a Palomar League power ranked No. 5 in the CIF San Diego Section, and San Marcos, a lower-division Valley League school. But Torrey Pines' 48-6 nonleague home victory Friday night, played with a running clock in the second half, could have been much uglier than the final score.

"I want to applaud Torrey Pines and what a class act they are," San Marcos coach Desi Herrera said. "They put up 41 points in the first quarter, but their kids didn't rub it in and their coaches were very classy. Teams should want to be like Torrey Pines. And with that I also want to applaud my kids for not quitting when we were overmatched. It could have been uglier than it was."

By the end of the first quarter, Torrey Pines had run only seven offensive plays, yet the Falcons led 41-0 on four offensive touchdowns and two defensive scores. Torrey Pines coach Ed Burke began emptying his bench with the start of the second quarter.

In all, 11 Falcons carried the ball. And Torrey Pines threw only one pass, a 27-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Hunter Wanket to Mike Lambesis on the Falcons' first play of the game. That possession followed an interception by outside linebacker Cooper Stephenson.

Torrey Pines' next five touchdowns came on a 44-yard run by Scooter Belasco, the first play of the possession; a 61-yard run by fullback Kyle Moffat, the third play of the series; a fumble recovery by Sam Harper in the end zone; a 24-yard interception return by Cory Scott; and a 34-yard run by Connor Bird on the second play of the series.

Despite limited playing for his starters, Burke was satisfied with their performance.

"We didn't have a good game last week," Burke said. "Our concentration was on who was going to show up for Torrey Pines. I'm happy to say that the good group showed up."

NOTE: These stats are from the NC Times, and have a few errors.

Torrey Pines 48, San Marcos 6

San Marcos    0 6 0 0 - 6
Torrey Pines 41 7 0 0 - 48

Individual Scoring

TP - Lambesis 27 pass from Wanket (Bennett kick)
TP - Belasco 44 run (Bennett kick)
TP - Moffat 61 run (kick failed)
TP - Harper recovered fumble in end zone (Bennett kick)
TP - Scott 24 interception return (Bennett kick)
TP - Bird 34 run (Bennett kick)
TP - Vanderwiel 13 run (Bennett kick)
SM - Cassady 1 run (kick failed)

                                               SM                                  TP

First Downs                             5                                      10
Yds Rushing minus                  -2                                      209
Yds Passing                            51                                      27
Passes                                    8-22-2                               1-1-0
Fumbles-Lost                          6-2                                    2-2
Penalties-Yds                          1-5                                    2-20

Individual Statistics--

RUSHING - San Marcos, Allen 3-14, Perez 2-minus 3, Cassady 11-minus 4, team 1-minus 15. Torrey Pines, Moffat 2-81, Belasco 1-44, Bird 1-34, Donahoe 1-22, Collins 3-22, Nascenzi 1-17, Le 3-6, Goodin 1-6, Macaulay 2-3, Vanderwiel 5-1, Wanket 1-minus 2, team 1-minus 25.
PASSING - San Marcos, Cassady 8-22-2-51. Torrey Pines, Wanket 1-1-0-27.
RECEIVING - San Marcos, Rawlings 6-34, Barbour 2-17. Torrey Pines, Lambesis 1-27.

JV Score

Torrey Pines 48, San Marcos 0

September 16: Mira Mesa Marauders 27, Torrey Pines Falcons 20

Link to Radio Broadcast

September 9: Falcons 20, Castle Park Trojans 6

Professor Burke holds his seminar, Advanced Theory of Offensive Strategy

TORREY PINES 20, CASTLE PARK 6

Torrey Pines 7  7  0  6 – 20
Castle Park   6  0  0  0 –  6
TP–Belasco 39 pass Wanket (Bennett kick)
CP–Blossom 31 run (pass failed)
TP–Stephenson 12 pass Wanket (Bennett kick)
TP–Belasco 67 pass Wanket (kick failed)

NC TIMES Coverage:

Torrey Pines wins convincingly against Castle Park

By: North County Times -

CHULA VISTA - Scooter Belasco was a double threat for the Falcons, rushing for 87 yards on seven carries and pulling in touchdown catches of 39 and 67 yards from quarterback Hunter Wanket.

Torrey Pines 20, Castle Park 6

Torrey Pines 7 7 0 6 - 20
Castle Park  6 0 0 0 - 6

Individual Scoring
TP - Belasco 39 pass from Wanket (Bennett kick)
CP - Blossom 30 run (pass failed)
TP - Stephenson 13 pass from Wanket (Bennett kick)
TP - Belasco 67 pass from Wanket (kick failed)

                   TP          CP

First Downs 9            10

Yds Rushing 113        131

Yds Passing 142          93

Passes          6-13-1   12-16-0

Fumbles-Lost 0-0        0-0

Penalties-Yds 3-25      7-66

Individual Statistics

RUSHING - Torrey Pines, Belasco 7-87, Moffatt 7-27, Djavaherian 2-5, Vanderwiel 1-2, Bird 5-0, Wanket 5-minus 8. Castle Park, Blossom 11-76, Sampson 8-29, Espinoza 5-19, R. McGuire 7-4, D. McGuire 1-2, Saunders 3-1.

PASSING - Torrey Pines, Wanket 6-13-142-1. Castle Park, R. McGuire 12-16-93-0, D. McGuire 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING - Torrey Pines, Belasco 2-106, Lambesis 2-21, Stephenson 1-13, Fentin-Thompson 1-2. Castle Park, Bayless 6-41, Kendrick 2-15, Blossom 2-14, Valencia 1-19, Rivera 1-4.

JV Score
Torrey Pines 35, Castle Park 6

September 2: Falcons 28, Santa Fe Christian Eagles 14

Justin Heinle trips up SFC's QB

TORREY PINES 28,
SANTA FE CHRISTIAN 14

SFC  7  0  7  0 – 14
Torrey Pines  5 17  6  0 – 28
TP–FG Bennett 43
SFC–Cutshaw 1 run (Zimdars kick)
TP–Safety, ball snapped out of end zone
TP–Bird 60 run (Bennett kick)
TP–FG Bennett 51
TP–Belasco 35 run (Bennett kick)
SFC–Stanley 26 pass from Love (Zimdars kick)
TP–Bird 40 run (kick failed)

Torrey Pines masters wing-T on defense, too (NC Times)

By: SCOTT BAIR - Staff Writer

CARMEL VALLEY ---- No football team knows how to defend the wing-T better than a wing-T team. The Torrey Pines High defense sees the misdirection-based attack every day in practice and knows the system's subtle intricacies as well as the opposing offense trying to run it. Heck, indigenous Falcons defenders have played within the wing-T since they were in Pop Warner football, where the local youth program mimics Torrey Pines coach Ed Burke's successful system.

That familiarity was evident in the Falcons' 28-14 nonleague victory over Santa Fe Christian on Friday night at Torrey Pines High, the season opener for both schools. The Falcons' defense held the defending CIF Division IV champions to 136 total yards and a meager 38 yards on the ground. CIF Division I co-champion Torrey Pines forced five turnovers and completely shut down the Eagles' interior running game.

"They were just too much," said Santa Fe Christian coach Brian Sipe, who played quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in the 1970s and 1980s. "That was the toughest defense I've had to deal with since my days in the NFL."

Torrey Pines' defensive dominance stemmed from the players' knowledge of the scheme.

"Knowing their offense definitely helped," said Torrey Pines safety Ryan Fentin-Thompson, who had an interception and was involved in numerous tackles. "We've been working against the wing-T nonstop for the last three weeks since fall practice started. We had a solid game plan out there, and I thought we executed it well. We didn't blow assignments and we didn't try to do too much. This was a real team effort tonight."

The Eagles scored thanks to two big plays.

The first gave the Eagles an early 7-3 lead. Running back Corbin Cutshaw scored on a 1-yard run that was set up by an 87-yard kickoff return by Stanley Paul. Paul caught a line drive off Bennett's foot and jetted through the wedge and into the open field. He was tackled at the last minute, but Cutshaw finished Paul's work one play later.

The second came on a 25-yard halfback pass from Trevor Love that Paul took into the end zone.

That third-quarter score put Santa Fe Christian within striking distance at 22-14, but Falcons running back Scooter Belasco took the Eagles right back out six plays later with a 32 yard touchdown run.

Sipe wasn't happy with the final score, but he was pleased with his team's effort in a game against a much deeper team.

"This was a step we had to take," Sipe said of the choice to play a high-caliber Division I team. "The scoreboard doesn't read how we'd like it to, but I think we played well given the circumstances. We want to be known as one of the best programs in the county and I think we're one our way to reaching that status."

Torrey Pines too much for SF Christian (San Diego Union Tribune)

By Joshua Sandoval
SPECIAL TO THE UNION-TRIBUNE

September 3, 2005

Since the matchup was scheduled back in January, most of North County viewed last night's high school football opener between Santa Fe Christian and Torrey Pines as David vs. Goliath.

However, this tale had a different ending as No. 3-ranked Torrey Pines came out victorious over visiting Santa Fe Christian 28-14.

Just over six miles separate Santa Fe Christian and Torrey Pines, yet the two football programs had never faced one another until last night when the Eagles traveled two exits south on I-5.

In the week before the matchup, Torrey Pines coach Ed Burke didn't exactly buy into the David versus Goliath setup.

"It's a good rallying cry for them." Burke said. "I look at them as a good team that just happens to play in Division IV."

Santa Fe Christian, defending San Diego Section champion in Division IV, put up a fight through the first quarter, mounting a 7-5 lead. But Torrey Pines quickly showed why the Falcons are defending co-champions in Division I.

In the second quarter, Connor Bird ran for a 70-yard touchdown to give the Falcons their first lead. Torrey Pines would never look back.

After a 51-yard field goal from kicker Bill Bennett, Bird would add another touchdown on a 2-yard run to give the Falcons a 22-7 halftime lead.Bird finished the game with 105 yards rushing.

By halftime it was clear Torrey Pines' advantage of having a 60-player roster was taking its toll on Santa Fe Christian, which has 27 players. The Falcons had the ability to switch to fresh legs whenever needed and were content to run out the clock in the second half.

After the victory, Burke praised the Torrey Pines defense.

"Our defense hit well tonight," he said. "We did a good job of containing their main offensive threats.

Torrey Pines will look to go 2-0 next week at Castle Park. Santa Fe Christian will hope to rebound in its home opener against Mission Bay.

July 22-23: North County Passing Tournament

Day 1: Falcons go 2-1 in Visalia-like heat at RBV.

Day 2. Falcons make it to the Championship round, win their first game, but lose a tough one and are out of the running.

Pictures here

July 8-10: Falcons emerge from 2 grueling days in the heat in Visalia with a Championship!

It was a gritty performance, as our back was against the wall in several games. On Day 1, an interception at the goal line with seconds remaining preserved a victory in the very first game. Following a solid win in game 2, a loss in game 3 made our task on Day 2 that much harder. We started with a 9am game where we won big. In the second game, at 10am, the team showed great resilience as we pulled out a tough come from behind victory against Hanford High. We tied the score late in the game, and an interception with seconds remaining gave us the victory.

That earned us a 1pm semifinal game against Redwood, one of the hosts of the tournament. That game was a see-saw battle between two very good teams. We tied the score late in the game, and it went to overtime. Three overtimes later, we emerged on top.

In the final, against El Diamante, we faced another topnotch opponent, and again it was a back and forth battle. The game wasn't decided until the final seconds. In the end it was Torrey that came out on top.

The team built a lot of character over the weekend, and that will serve them well in the upcoming season.

Visalia Trench Wars: A crew of linemen competed in the Trench Wars on Thursday after the long drive to Visalia, and performed very well.

Photos of spring practice and the Cardinal/Gold game are posted here (Trench wars), here (Day 1) and here (Day 2).

SDSU Tournament

June 17-18

Congratulations, team, on a great showing!! 3 wins on Friday and a win Saturday morning got us into the semifinals, where we battled but came up just short.