HIGH SCHOOLS : 2-A Football Playoffs : 45-7 Victory Leaves No Doubt RBV Belongs in Final

The high school football team that for much of the season has been called the county’s best moved Friday to within a game of proving the prognosticators correct.

Top-ranked and undefeated Rancho Buena Vista advanced to next Saturday night’s San Diego Section 2-A final with a 45-7 victory over Avocado League rival Oceanside at Torrey Pines High.

RBV, in only its second year of existence, is 12-0 and heading to San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, where it will meet the winner of tonight’s El Camino/San Pasqual game.

Rancho Buena Vista has been the state’s top-ranked medium school team since defeating Oceanside, 35-22, on Oct. 14 in the teams’ first meeting.

“We’ve been preparing for this game next week for 2 years,” RBV Coach Craig Bell said.

The running of tailback Scott Garcia and O.J. Hall again was the key for RBV Friday. Garcia, the county’s top rusher, got off a slow start but finished with 128 yards in 28 carries and also scored on a 9-yard run in an 18-point fourth quarter that put the game away.

But this wasn’t Garcia’s night to star, it was Hall’s. When Garcia was stuffed for no gain on his first two carries, RBV looked outside. Hall’s 68-yard touchdown run with 9:55 left in the first quarter began a night in which Hall would rush for 211 yards on 16 carries and score three times.

“We wanted to hit the short side of the field all night,” Hall said. “We have (260-pound guard) Jack Harrington and (224-pound tight end) Junior Moi on the short side, and nobody can stop them.”

Sophomore MarKeith Ross also scored three times for RBV on runs of 10 and 14 yards and a 38-yard pass from Ed Hoffman.

In taking a 27-7 halftime lead, RBV did not rely on the usual strong running of Garcia, who was held to just 29 yards in 13 first-half tries. Hall did the damage, with 182 yards on 9 carries.

On third down of RBV’s first series, Hall, running behind Harrington, took the handoff and raced through the middle of the Oceanside defense 68 yards for a touchdown. Able Lopez’s extra point try was wide left, and RBV led, 6-0.

Three plays later, Oceanside took the lead. On third and 7 from the 40, wide receiver Lee Strain ran a slant, and Chad Crites’ pass reached Strain in stride. Strain carried the ball the rest of the way on a 60-yard scoring play, Ceasar Garcia’s extra point gave Oceanside a 7-6 lead with 8:33 left in the quarter.

Just before the end of the quarter, Hall swept the left side around a wall of blockers and ran 78 yards to give RBV a 13-7 lead.

With Oceanside stopping RBV’s inside running, Bell then called a rare play: a pass. Hoffman found Ross all alone in the flat for a 38-yard scoring play that widened RBV’s lead to 20-7 with 9:58 to play in the half. The touchdown was set up when RBV’s Bill Godsil recovered a Michael Williams fumble at the Oceanside 34.

RBV made it 27-7 at halftime by going 80 yards in 12 plays, Hall scoring with 47 seconds left from the 2.