The Big Game : Chula Vista Needs to Find a Way to Scale Mira Mesa

Size or deception? That is the issue.

Chula Vista football Coach George Ohnesorgen thinks his team will have to do something to overcome Mira Mesa’s size advantage when the teams play tonight at 7:30 in a nonleague game at Mira Mesa High School.

But Brad Griffith, Mira Mesa’s coach, won’t admit to having bigger players, which raises a question. Why does the program make Mira Mesa’s linemen appear so monstrous?

“I lied 10 to 15 pounds so the kids don’t look too small,” Griffith said.

Oh.

Anyway, Ohnesorgen isn’t relying on the program. He had a scout checking out the action Friday, when Mira Mesa defeated Southwest, 7-3, so he knows what to expect.

“Our scout was real impressed,” he said. “They’re a physical team. They just try to beat you up.”

This isn’t any real rivalry. Sixth-ranked Mira Mesa (2-0) and fifth-ranked Chula Vista (2-0) have never played each other. Ohnesorgen said: “It’s going to be tough to get pumped up for Mira Mesa since this is the first year we’ve played them.”

But this figures to be more than a run-of-the-mill nonleague game. Both teams are among the best in the county but have different styles.

Mira Mesa is diverse offensively. Running backs Don Elder and Wayne Pittman each rushed for more than 100 yards in Mira Mesa’s 31-6 victory over Monte Vista. Tight end Marc Ziegler proved his ability to go deep against Southwest, catching a 51-yard touchdown pass that Griffith still enjoys watching on film.

“One of the most outstanding catches you’ll ever see,” Griffith said. “Over the shoulder, one-handed. If you see it on film, you wouldn’t believe it.”

Chula Vista has relied heavily on a passing game directed by quarterback Derek Chapman, 11th in the county passing yardage (142 per game). He has two talented targets in receivers Brandon Gregg and Neviett Richardson, both juniors. Running back Trenel Hicks balances Chula Vista’s attack.