TONIGHT’S GAMES

Fallbrook vs. Sweetwater

The records--Sweetwater, 10-0 overall and 4-0 in the Metro-Mesa League. Fallbrook, 8-2 and 4-2 in the Palomar League.

The site--Sweetwater High School.

The season--Sweetwater finished first in the Metro-Mesa League and No. 1 in The Times’ Top 10. Fallbrook finished second behind Vista in the Palomar League and No. 9 in the rankings.

Last year--Sweetwater went 13-0 and won the 3-A championship with a 28-13 win over Vista. Fallbrook was 5-6, but still qualified for the playoffs. Fallbrook lost to Sweetwater 48-7 in the first round.

1985 meeting--The teams did not meet.

Common opponents--None.

Sweetwater outlook--The Red Devils’ winning streak is at 35 games. Sweetwater finished third in the county in offense with a 30.3-points-a-game average and first in defense. Tailback Terry Rodgers gained 1,472 yards to place second in the county and scored a county-high 28 touchdowns. Martell Black added 810 yards and 13 touchdowns. Are they ever tested? Well, they only defeated Bonita Vista, 6-0.

Fallbrook outlook--Quarterback Scott Barrick is expected to return after missing the final two games with a sore arm. Barrick completed 52% of his passes for 1,802 yards and 12 touchdowns. Bill Dunckel caught 35 passes for 576 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Warriors are a young team that pulled out games against El Camino (10-9), San Dieguito (24-21) and Orange Glen (34-31).

Key to the game--Can Fallbrook pass and trick their way past a Sweetwater team that is very talented, confident and experienced in playoff competition? In last year’s first round playoff game, Fallbrook took an early 7-0 lead. “They ran a trick play right off the bat,” Alim said. “Trick plays are part of their arsenal. After that, we settled down and played real well.” Sweetwater won, 48-7.

Mira Mesa vs. Vista

The records--Mira Mesa, 7-3 overall and 4-1 in the City Eastern League. Vista, 10-0 overall and 6-0 in the Palomar League.

The site--Vista High School.

The season--Mira Mesa finished second in the City Eastern League, one game behind Morse. Vista won its second consecutive Palomar League championship.

Last year--Mira Mesa beat Monte Vista, 30-3, in the first round of the playoffs before losing, 16-6, to Sweetwater in the 3-A semifinals. Vista beat Bonita Vista, 40-16, and Mount Miguel, 35-0, before losing, 28-13, to Sweetwater in the 3-A championship.

1985 meeting--The teams did not meet.

Common opponents--Poway (Poway 33, Mira Mesa 16; Vista 29, Poway 7). Morse (Morse 20, Mira Mesa 13; Vista 44, Morse 14). Mount Carmel (Mira Mesa 24, Mount Carmel 20; Vista 49, Mount Carmel 14).

Mira Mesa outlook--After being ranked No. 7 and beating No. 4 Monte Vista in its opener, Mira Mesa stumbled, losing three of its next five games including the 20-13 loss to Morse that gave the Tigers the City Eastern championship. To their credit, the Marauders beat Point Loma the next week to all but clinch a playoff spot. Quarterback DeWayne Odom threw for 1,272 yards and 14 touchdowns but was inconsistent and did not complete 50% of his passes.

Vista outlook--The Panthers, ranked No. 2, are thought by many to be the strongest team in the county. Sweetwater followers may argue, but the Vista running attack is the most fearsome in the game. A 29-21 win over Orange Glen in week six, was the Panthers’ closest game of the season. Vista is led by quarterback Sal Aunese, tailback Roger Price and an offensive line that, when it is not committing penalties, may be unequaled in San Diego County.

Key to the game--Mira Mesa has some excellent offensive players and they’ll have to control the ball if the Marauders are going to have a chance to win. Vista’s running game seems unstoppable unless the defense puts nine or 10 men on the line. If that happens, Aunese will burn them with the pass.

Lincoln vs. University City

The records--Lincoln, 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the City Central League. University City, 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the City Western League.

The site--Mira Mesa High School.

The season--Lincoln finished second in the City Central League, one game behind Crawford. University City won its first City Western League championship.

Last year--Lincoln lost to Chula Vista, 13-12, in the first round of the 2-A playoffs. University City did not make the playoffs.

1985 meeting--The teams did not meet.

Common opponents--Kearny (Lincoln 41, Kearny 12; University City 27, Kearny 14). Crawford (Crawford 23, Lincoln 15; Crawford 7, University City 0).

Lincoln outlook--The Hornets’ record is deceiving because they forfeited their first two games of the season. When they finally lost on the field, 23-15, to Crawford three weeks ago, they responded by blitzing their last two opponents by a combined score of 86-6. Lincoln’s offensive threats, including quarterback Malcolm Glover, who completed 58 of 132 passes for 1,536 yards and 14 touchdowns.

University City outlook--The Centurions were stunned by Mission Bay last week, 14-8, in their regular-season finale. But the biggest concern to Coach Steve Vuckojevich were injuries to tailback-linebacker Paul MacRenato, fullback Darrin Wagner and quarterback Brian Sexton. MacRenato, who leads the team in rushing with 843 yards on 135 carries, has a severely bruised right knee but will probably start, according to Vuckojevich. He said Wagner has recovered from a hip pointer and Sexton is OK after suffering bruised ribs.

Key to the game--Since University City doesn’t score much (14.3 points per game), the pressure is on the Centurion defense, which surrendered 11.3 points per contest. “We’ve got to control the ball on offense and prevent giving up the big play on defense,” Vuckojevich said. “That’s the only way to have a chance against Lincoln, because a team like that will kill you if you let them explode.”

El Capitan vs. San Marcos

The records--El Capitan, 4-4-1 overall and 2-0-1 in the 2-A Grossmont League. San Marcos, 5-4-1 overall and 4-1-1 in the Avocado League.

The site--El Capitan High School.

The season--El Capitan won the 2-A Grossmont League, and is the No. 3 seed. San Marcos finished second in the Avocado League.

Last year--San Marcos lost to Kearny in the first round, 16-15. El Capitan did not make the playoffs.

Common opponents--The teams did not meet.

El Capitan outlook--The Vaqueros saved their biggest win of the regular season for last week, when they beat Valhalla, 16-9, to capture the 2-A Grossmont League title. El Capitan lost its first three games of the season, but finished in a rush, winning three of its last four. The offense is led by running backs Rick Bowe and Brian Boggess.

San Marcos outlook--The Knights started the season with four losses, but rebounded to win five straight and tied El Camino, 7-7, in the finale. San Marcos’ strength is its defense. In its last eight games only Escondido has scored more than 13 points against San Marcos. The game that put the Knights in the playoff race was a dramatic 10-8 win three weeks ago against San Pasqual.

Key to the game--Both teams run the ball and play excellent defense. The team that scores early will have a tremendous advantage because it may force the team playing catchup to alter its offense and throw the football.