HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL : Chula Vista Tires of Ties, Rolls to 31-8 Metro Victory Over Southwest

Chula Vista and Southwest, two evenly matched teams on paper, had tied the past two times they faced each other, and many of the estimated 1,500 fans attending Friday night’s game at Montgomery High expected another close one.

They were wrong.

Chula Vista, dominating the line of scrimmage on both offense and defense, routed Southwest, 31-8, in a Metro Conference game. Chula Vista, the two-time defending conference champions, improved to 3-2, 2-0. Southwest, which has finished second the past two years, fell to 3-2, 1-1.

LeMar Bailey, who touched the ball just six times in the first half, was brilliant on five of them, scoring two touchdowns and setting up another.

After Bailey returned a punt 17 yards in the first quarter, he took Chula Vista’s second play from scrimmage 55 yards for a touchdown. The extra-point kick was wide.

A few minutes later, Bailey intercepted a pass from Southwest’s Andy Quinn and returned it 17 yards to the Southwest 33. After a penalty, Bailey scampered 37 yards, setting up Steve Gomez’ 1-yard touchdown on the next play. Gomez recovered a fumbled pitch in the end zone on the two-point conversion and Chula Vista, which had run just four plays, led, 14-0.

Chula Vista’s next scoring drive--near the end of the first half--was a little more deliberate. The Spartans drove 90 yards in 13 plays over 6:29, capped by Bailey’s 5-yard score.

All three of Bailey’s first-half runs were the same play. With Southwest keying on fullback Gomez, Bailey took handoffs on a modified reverse sweep they called “Rocket” and took off like one around right end.

“That’s what our game plan was, trying to get outside,” Bailey said.

Chula Vista scored 10 more points in the second half--Rod Rodriguez kicked a 26-yard field goal and Gomez scored his second touchdown on a 7-yard run--to go up 31-0.

Southwest avoided the shutout by getting a fourth-quarter safety--Chula Vista snapped the ball out of the end zone on a punt attempt with 19 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Quinn completed three passes to Leon King, the final one a 37-yard touchdown pass with no time left.

Quinn finished with 264 yards passing, completing 18 of 34, but three passes were intercepted.