Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Game of the Week: #10 Poway at #6 La Costa Canyon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-pU40D-0Js

Titans knock off Mavericks behind strong defense, passing game

CARLSBAD – Three seasons removed from its last Division I championship, Poway has the look of a contender again. Friday night at #6 La Costa Canyon, the 10th-ranked Titans played a mistake-free football game and closed out the Mavericks late for a 28-14 victory.

“Poway is back,” said Titans quarterback Gabriel Isaak.

With 8:23 left in the game, Poway running back Ryan Moreno broke a 14-14 tie with a 4-yard touchdown run. After a La Costa Canyon three-and-out, the Titans took a decisive 28-14 lead on an Isaak 1-yard keeper that came two plays after a third down 43-yard halfback pass from Justin Moyers to Isaiah Gross.

“We’re pretty confident. Our kids play with some swag and they played their butts off,” said Poway head coach Damian Gonzalez.

Poway (2-0) prevented La Costa Canyon from getting a first down on its next drive to seal the victory. After allowing the Mavericks a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half, the Titans did not allow LCC (1-1) to get a first down for the final 20 minutes of the game.

“Our defense was outstanding,” Gonzalez said. “We gave up a couple big plays, but our kids bounced back and our second half defense was awesome.”

Poway senior defensive end Brian Guendling spearheaded the Titans’ defensive effort. Lining up across from two Division I prospects on the La Costa Canyon offensive line, Guendling made a number of critical sacks and tackles for losses.

“It didn’t bother me. I knew what I had to do — I had to come out as hard as I could and just make plays,” Guendling said.

Poway led 14-7 at halftime, turning early La Costa Canyon mistakes into points. In the first quarter, Titans senior defensive back Teddy Anderson blocked a punt that Moyers recovered on the Mavericks’ 1-yard line, and on the next play fullback Jimmy Moreno punched it in for the game’s first score.

“We knew this was going to be a tight game, we knew it was going to be close and come down to who made the fewest mistakes,” Gonzalez said.

The Mavericks answered with a four-play, 86-yard drive capped by a Jake Sesti 30-yard touchdown pass to CJ Dimry to take a 7-6 lead. But the next time LCC had the ball, Sesti was intercepted by Poway safety Ryan Moreno and the Titans took advantage of the short field, making it 14-7 on an Isaak 21-yard pass to Derek Babiash with 5:53 to play in the half.

“When you play great teams you can’t shoot yourself in the foot, and we did that way too many times and put ourselves in bad spots,” said La Costa Canyon head coach Sean Sovacool. “We spotted them some points early and that’s avoidable.”

After relying heavily on the running game in their season opener, Poway took to the air to move the ball against La Costa Canyon. The Titans exploited man-to-man coverage by targeting the 6-foot Babiash and the 6-foot-3-inch Gross throughout the game.

“That was part of our game plan coming into this week,” Gonzalez said. “We knew they were going to put everybody in the box and we just wanted to take advantage of the one-on-one matchups on the outside. It worked out tonight.”

Isaak was efficient for Poway, completing 21-of-23 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown. The senior was motivated by last year’s 24-7 loss to La Costa Canyon in which he threw four interceptions.

“As a quarterback, you love to throw and it’s your dream to take over a game and throw,” Isaak said. “This was a ‘dream come true’ night.”

It was somewhat the opposite for La Costa Canyon. The Mavericks showed quick strike ability on offense, but could not get key defensive stops nor avoid costly mistakes in their first loss of the season.

“We’re going to find out how resilient we are,” Sovacool said.

Poway is 2-0 for the first time in four seasons, and delivered a statement with its 14-point win over La Costa Canyon. Bolstered by returning players and an undefeated junior varsity team, the Titans were considered a contender before the season started – and they have looked impressive early.

“We’re coming and no one can stop us,” Guendling said. “We’re a hardworking team and this is our year. We’re going to the ‘Q’ this year.”

Pictured: Poway quarterback Gabriel Isaak looks for a receiver while scrambling downfield

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Live Five: Sitting On Stacy, Matte Blvck, Think X, Hendrix Celebration, Coriander

Alt-ska, dark electro-pop, tributes, and coastal rock in Solana Beach, Little Italy, Pacific Beach
Next Article

Poway’s schools, faced with money squeeze, fined for voter mailing

$105 million bond required payback of nearly 10 times that amount

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-pU40D-0Js

Titans knock off Mavericks behind strong defense, passing game

CARLSBAD – Three seasons removed from its last Division I championship, Poway has the look of a contender again. Friday night at #6 La Costa Canyon, the 10th-ranked Titans played a mistake-free football game and closed out the Mavericks late for a 28-14 victory.

“Poway is back,” said Titans quarterback Gabriel Isaak.

With 8:23 left in the game, Poway running back Ryan Moreno broke a 14-14 tie with a 4-yard touchdown run. After a La Costa Canyon three-and-out, the Titans took a decisive 28-14 lead on an Isaak 1-yard keeper that came two plays after a third down 43-yard halfback pass from Justin Moyers to Isaiah Gross.

“We’re pretty confident. Our kids play with some swag and they played their butts off,” said Poway head coach Damian Gonzalez.

Poway (2-0) prevented La Costa Canyon from getting a first down on its next drive to seal the victory. After allowing the Mavericks a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half, the Titans did not allow LCC (1-1) to get a first down for the final 20 minutes of the game.

“Our defense was outstanding,” Gonzalez said. “We gave up a couple big plays, but our kids bounced back and our second half defense was awesome.”

Poway senior defensive end Brian Guendling spearheaded the Titans’ defensive effort. Lining up across from two Division I prospects on the La Costa Canyon offensive line, Guendling made a number of critical sacks and tackles for losses.

“It didn’t bother me. I knew what I had to do — I had to come out as hard as I could and just make plays,” Guendling said.

Poway led 14-7 at halftime, turning early La Costa Canyon mistakes into points. In the first quarter, Titans senior defensive back Teddy Anderson blocked a punt that Moyers recovered on the Mavericks’ 1-yard line, and on the next play fullback Jimmy Moreno punched it in for the game’s first score.

“We knew this was going to be a tight game, we knew it was going to be close and come down to who made the fewest mistakes,” Gonzalez said.

The Mavericks answered with a four-play, 86-yard drive capped by a Jake Sesti 30-yard touchdown pass to CJ Dimry to take a 7-6 lead. But the next time LCC had the ball, Sesti was intercepted by Poway safety Ryan Moreno and the Titans took advantage of the short field, making it 14-7 on an Isaak 21-yard pass to Derek Babiash with 5:53 to play in the half.

“When you play great teams you can’t shoot yourself in the foot, and we did that way too many times and put ourselves in bad spots,” said La Costa Canyon head coach Sean Sovacool. “We spotted them some points early and that’s avoidable.”

After relying heavily on the running game in their season opener, Poway took to the air to move the ball against La Costa Canyon. The Titans exploited man-to-man coverage by targeting the 6-foot Babiash and the 6-foot-3-inch Gross throughout the game.

“That was part of our game plan coming into this week,” Gonzalez said. “We knew they were going to put everybody in the box and we just wanted to take advantage of the one-on-one matchups on the outside. It worked out tonight.”

Isaak was efficient for Poway, completing 21-of-23 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown. The senior was motivated by last year’s 24-7 loss to La Costa Canyon in which he threw four interceptions.

“As a quarterback, you love to throw and it’s your dream to take over a game and throw,” Isaak said. “This was a ‘dream come true’ night.”

It was somewhat the opposite for La Costa Canyon. The Mavericks showed quick strike ability on offense, but could not get key defensive stops nor avoid costly mistakes in their first loss of the season.

“We’re going to find out how resilient we are,” Sovacool said.

Poway is 2-0 for the first time in four seasons, and delivered a statement with its 14-point win over La Costa Canyon. Bolstered by returning players and an undefeated junior varsity team, the Titans were considered a contender before the season started – and they have looked impressive early.

“We’re coming and no one can stop us,” Guendling said. “We’re a hardworking team and this is our year. We’re going to the ‘Q’ this year.”

Pictured: Poway quarterback Gabriel Isaak looks for a receiver while scrambling downfield

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Game of the Week: #9 San Pasqual at #4 Poway

Next Article

Game of the Week: Oceanside at La Costa Canyon

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader