Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 12:22 a.m.
Earnie Grafton / Union-Tribune
Eastlake tacklers move in on Tyrone Richardson of Chula Vista. Richardson returned an interception for a TD in the first half for the Spartans, but the Titans rallied after halftime to win the game and capture the Mesa League title.
Final score: Eastlake 28, Chula Vista 14.
The big plays: Two HUGE plays at the time. Chula Vista's Tyrone Richardson intercepted a D'Angelo Barksdale pass one step into the end zone and weaved his way the other direction for a 101-yard interception return with 3:31 remaining in the first quarter. Two minutes later, Chula Vista's Aaron Taylor intercepted another Barksdale pass. This one came at the Chula Vista 11-yard line and was returned 89 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 Spartans lead.
Eastlake had a big interception of its own in the third quarter when Zach Bannon picked off a pass by Chula Vista's Victor Perez at the Titans' 7-yard line. It was the starting point for an Eastlake scoring drive that tied the game 14-14.
Quotable: “It's tough because our quarterback is so good. He just had a couple missteps,” Eastlake coach John McFadden said of the interceptions. “It was a true test that he came back and did a great job in the second half. I told our QB a couple of things I can't repeat. And then I told him it's going to get better. Don't worry.”
Quotable II: “We came out lazy at first,” said Eastlake running back Tony Jefferson, “but I knew the third quarter, the fourth quarter, that's our time. We came out and executed and a championship is where we are.”
Title time: The victory gave Eastlake its fourth straight Mesa League championship. It is the seventh league title for the Titans (8-0-2, 5-0) during the past decade. Eastlake needed to get past Chula Vista (6-4, 4-1) for the second straight year to get there.
Tracking Tony: Jefferson is among the county's leading running backs, but Chula Vista had his number in the first half. Jefferson was limited to 25 yards on 10 carries. Only four of his rushes were for positive yards. He did bust off a 45-yard TD run, but it was called back on a holding penalty.
Jefferson broke loose in the second half, rushing for three of the Titans' four TDs. He finished the game with 27 carries for 160 yards.
Singing their praises: The skill guys for both teams get most of the attention, but here are a couple unsung heroes from both sides:
McFadden said Eastlake's Marcus Mendillo and Matt Cellery are “two of the best inside linebackers in the league and in the county. They have played great all year long.”
Chula Vista coach Judd Rachow mentioned offensive linemen Roman Molina and Gabe LaMountain for their efforts, saying “we struggled early in the year on the weak side of the line. They really stepped up and helped us improve.”
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