SAN DIEGO PREP FOOTBALL : Vista’s Offense Remains Earthbound to Beat Poway and Stay Undefeated, 29-7

During the third quarter of Friday night’s Palomar League opener between Vista and Poway high schools, one of the Vista coaches shouted encouragement from the sideline.

“That’s the way to do it,” he yelled. “This is Vista Football!”

For those who haven’t seen it yet, Vista Football consists of a powerful running game that not only chews up the clock but also chews up enemy defenses. The No. 8-ranked Poway Titans now know all about it.

Vista, ranked third, gained 309 yards rushing and controlled the game from beginning to end to defeat Poway, 29-7. Vista is 4-0. Poway fell to 2-2.

“They’re so physical and that just gave us too many problems,” said Dave Boulware, Poway coach. “Every time we’d make an adjustment and put somebody in a hole, they’d make an adjustment and knock him out of there.”

The main beneficiary of Vista’s picture-perfect blocking schemes was Panther tailback Roger Price, who rushed for 165 yards on 25 carries.

So dominant was Vista’s running game that the Panthers did not attempt a single pass in the second half.

“I’ll tell you one thing, I’ve got a lot of assistant coaches who make me look real good,” Vista Coach Dick Haines said. “Our running game is coming along well and we’ve got a pretty good defense. Don’t forget that.”

It’s doubtful that Poway quarterback Andy Bynre will. The Titan senior suffered his poorest outing of the season, completing just 9 of 22 passes for 110 yards and 1 touchdown.

“Vista’s defensive line really took charge and blew us off the ball,” Boulware said. “They were coming so hard up the middle that we had to resort to using the sprint-out passes, which cut down our options.”

Vista took control of the game from the outset, driving 70 yards in 9 plays on its first possession to take a 7-0 lead.

Sal Aunese threw an incomplete pass on first down, and then Vista turned to its explosive running game.

Aunese ran three times for 34 yards on the drive, and tailback Roger Price ran four times for 29 yards. Price scored on a four-yard run on first-and-goal.

After Vista’s defense held, its offense went right back to work, driving 52 yards in 11 plays to make it 13-0.

Aunese was forced to go to the air only once on the drive, completing a 10-yard pass to wide receiver Todd Baird on a third-and-nine play to keep the Panthers’ drive alive on the Poway 29-yard line.

From there, Price needed just four carries, finally taking it over on a six-yard run on the first play of the second quarter.

After seeing the ball for only one minute and gaining no yards in the first quarter, Poway went to work in the second period. Titan quarterback Andy Byrne drove his side 80 yards in six plays to pull within 13-7.

Byrne completed a 36-yard pass to split end Jeff Maynor and received help from a fourth-down pass interference call to set up the touchdown.

On first down from the 10, Byrne hit Maynor for the score in the far corner of the end zone. It was Maynor’s seventh touchdown catch of the season.

Vista was finally stopped on its next possession when Poway safety Steve Pearce picked off an Aunese pass in Titan territory.

But Vista got the ball back and drove for a field goal just before the break.

Price, who wound up with 96 yards on 13 carries in the first half, rushed 28 yards on Vista’s final drive to set up Clint Estremo’s 37-yard field goal that made it 16-7 Vista at halftime.

From that point, all that was left was for the Panthers to resort to good old Vista Football in the second half.