HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ROUNDUP : Plucky Southwest Upsets Sweetwater

In the 15-year history of Southwest High, its football team had defeated Sweetwater exactly one time going into Friday night’s Metro Conference game at Sweetwater.

And for 24 minutes, it appeared that total would remain at one.

But then came the second half. Southwest owned it. Big plays. Long drives. Big breaks. Southwest had them all.

In the end, Southwest also had a 27-12 victory to improve to 6-2, 4-1. Sweetwater, ranked No. 6 in the county, fell to 6-2, 4-1. Both teams trail Chula Vista (6-2, 5-0) by one game in league with two remaining.

Trailing, 12-3, at the half, Southwest got big break No. 1 when Eddie Karakey, a 6-foot 270-pound defensive lineman, scooped up a fumble and rumbled 48 yards to the Sweetwater six-yard line minutes into the second half. On the next play, Riley Washington scored on a sweep and it was 12-10.

“One of my players gave a good hit and knocked the ball loose,” Karakey said. “I just picked it up and ran. I was thinking end zone all the way.”

In its next possession, Southwest quarterback Andy Quinn (seven of 19 for 100 yards) hit Chad Barton on a 45-yard pass play to the Sweetwater 20. Three plays later, a Sweetwater pass interference penalty gave the Raiders a first-and-goal at the eight. Jerry Racette scored on the next play, and Southwest took the lead for good, 18-12.

Southwest’s Tom Lapira recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, but the Raiders gave the ball back on a fumble of their own seven plays later. Southwest did drive enough to pin Sweetwater deep in its own territory, and four plays later Southwest’s Mike Johnson, a Times All-County defensive lineman in 1989, sacked Sweetwater quarterback David Gregorio in the end zone for a safety.

Tenuous as that 20-12 lead was, Washington, the 1990 San Diego Section 100-meter champion, sprinted around right end for a 60-yard touchdown.

“I knew once I got to the sideline, I was gone,” Riley said.

With that carry, Washington went over the 100-yard mark for the third consecutive week and scored his 13th touchdown in three games. Washington finished with 135 yards in 19 carries.

In the first half, Sweetwater looked to be running away with its fifth consecutive victory since a 56-28 loss to top-ranked Morse in front of its homecoming crowd of approximately 3,000. Danny Branch, who has been nursing a sore hamstring and broken wrist for three weeks, scored on his first carry of the game, a 65-yarder that gave the Red Devils their 12-3 halftime lead.

Sweetwater had 161 yards in the first half, all on the ground. It finished with only 261.