Weekend Preview : Kearny, Which Likes It Tough, Gets Wish Against Sweetwater

Kearny High School football Coach Tom Barnett believes the tougher his team’s opponent, the tougher his team becomes. This week it doesn’t get any tougher.

Barnett leads his team into National City to play second-ranked Sweetwater at 7:30 p.m.

“This is the kind of game I like,” Barnett said. “Our kids get really pumped.”

Of the five nonleague games that 2-A division Kearny plays, three are against 3-A schools and two are against defending champions of 2-A leagues--El Capitan and Crawford. Sweetwater offers both. It is defending champion of the 3-A Metro-Mesa League.

Kearny has already polished off one 2-A team, beating El Capitan, winner of the Grossmont League’s 2-A division last season, 13-0, in Lakeside. This week’s test is expected to be a lot tougher.

“I don’t know what we’re going up against,” Barnett said. “All I know is we’re going up against a good team.”

The last time anyone saw Sweetwater on the field locally was after it lost to Helix High, 15-6, in a semifinal game of last season’s 3-A playoffs that snapped a 36-game winning streak. Sweetwater, idle last week, opened the season with a 28-12 victory at Mexico City.

But even the exchange of game films gave Kearny little help. Barnett said Sweetwater Coach Gene Alim told him that their game film against Mexico City did not come out well enough to use, so Alim sent him a film of a scrimmage against another team from Mexico that the Kearny coach described as possibly the worst team he has ever seen.

Sweetwater is led by quarterback Danny Aina, who completed 11 of 22 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown against Mexico City. Mike Molina, who was listed as a defensive back in preseason, also did well. He carried the ball 25 times for 125 yards.

Kearny’s defense was strong, shutting out El Capitan. But offensively, Barnett was not quite as happy. “I hope we can execute a little better,” he said.

Kearny was inside the El Capitan five-yard line twice and did not score and was inside the 10 on another occasion but fumbled the ball away. Quarterback Scott Welich completed 11 of 21 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, and running back Alan Ring carried 15 times for 118 yards against El Capitan.

Barnett knows his offense will have to execute better, but for the Komets to upset Sweetwater, Kearny’s defense will have to be sharp.

“That’s what we’ve got to do--stop the rushing attack,” Barnett said. “Sweetwater is a wide-open team. I like to give our kids some different looks.

“You never know what’s going to happen. You can’t beat them if you don’t schedule them.”

Other Games to Watch

TODAY

Madison (1-0) at Vista (1-0)--Madison played tough on defense last week, shutting out Clairemont, 45-0, and scoring three touchdowns. The Madison offense wasn’t bad, either, led by quarterback Maurice Jackson, who threw for two scores and ran for one. Vista, the No. 1-ranked team in the county, has won 14 straight games, including a 28-0 victory over Oceanside last week. Running back Tommie Booker gained 157 yards and scored 3 touchdowns.

Morse (2-0) at El Camino (0-1)--Morse is the only team to win two games so far, beating Kona Pauli in Hawaii and Mission Viejo last week. The Morse defense has allowed only seven points. El Camino lost to Point Loma, 14-6, Saturday, but is always considered a contender for the 2-A championship.

San Marcos (0-1) at Fallbrook (1-0)--San Marcos, No. 9 in the preseason rankings, faces its second straight tough test. Last week, despite 89 yards rushing by fullback Jim Jennings, the Knights lost to No. 6 Orange Glen, 26-15. Fallbrook, ranked No. 4, opened with a 34-14 victory over Maui High in Hawaii two weeks ago.

BIG GAME FACTS

Who: Kearny vs. No. 2 Sweetwater.

Where: Sweetwater High.

When: 7:30 p.m.

Records: Kearny 1-0; Sweetwater 1-0.

Last meeting: Sweetwater 29, Kearny 14 (1982).

Players to watch: Kearny: Scott Welich, (5-10, 175) QB; Alan Ring, (5-11, 180) RB; Darrel Hicks (5-9, 150) WR. Sweetwater: Danny Aina (5-11, 180) QB; Robert Phillips (5-10, 175) RB; Pierre Jones (6-0, 195) RB.