HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ROUNDUP : Injured Teammate Inspires Mira Mesa to Beat Chula Vista

The guy with the ice packs, the sweat dripping profusely and the ear-to-ear grin made the call.

Jomo Graham, Mira Mesa’s offensive and defensive lineman, explained that No. 4 Mira Mesa (3-0) wasn’t going to let the early injury to David Walker, fellow lineman and friend, mean nothing.

“Everyone just kept getting reminded of him,” said Graham.

With Walker, who was taken to a hospital with a back injury, in mind, Mira Mesa was able to hold off a last-gasp Chula Vista drive and defeat the visitors, 6-0.

Mira Mesa had prepared itself for Chula Vista’s hard driving defense and had hoped to capitalized on a shaky offense.

“We knew they’d be tough on defense,” Mira Mesa Coach Brad Griffith said, “and we thought their offense might sputter.”

They just hadn’t anticipated their production on offense would be shut down so effectively. Only Mike Bovee leg saved them. Quarterback/kicker Bovee, in his first three field goal attempts of the season, make two of them, kicking a 38-yard through the uprights in the third quarter and booting another 42-yard beauty, with 10 yards to spare, in the fourth.

“They did hold us,” Graham said. “They gave us some problems.”

And with 2:44 remaining, Mira Mesa had another big problem when Wayne Pittman, the Marauders workhouse running back, fumbled, and Chula Vista took over on its own 44-yard line.

“We were just breaking down a little,” Graham said. “We were a little tired from rushing so much.”

After stalling on its first two plays of the drive, quarterback Alan Delos Reyes found Neviette Richardson for a gain of 28 yards, and the next three plays resulted a loss of six yards.

But on fourth and 16 from Mira Mesa’s 40, Reyes threw deep . . . into the waiting arms of defensive back Quantell Donigan, who made the catch at the 12.

“It just came my way,” said Donigan. “I wanted it to be big.”

Chula Vista (1-2), who three games into the season has more losses than last year when it finished 10-1-1, biggest threat came after Bovee’s early fourth quarter field goal. The Spartans ran the ball 11 times on 11 plays and picked up 53 yards behind the running of Richardson, Steve Gomez and LeMar Bailey. But Chula Vista couldn’t convert on fourth and one from Mira Mesa’s 37, and the Marauders took over on downs.

Mira Mesa’s Pittman totaled with 123 yards on 23 carries, and teammate Robbie Edwards rushed 14 times for 78 carries.

For Chula Vista, Gomez picked up 68 on 14 carries and Bailey rushed 55 yards on four carries.