THE BIG GAME : Spartans Shut Down Marauders

Chula Vista made short work of the mystique.

Ever since the announcement this past summer that Torrey Pines Coach Bob Davis and his star quarterback son, Chad, were transferring to Mira Mesa, the talk has been what an addition he was to the team and what a force the Marauders would be, could be, in the City Eastern League.

Mira Mesa’s dreams for the 1991 season were centered squarely on Chad Davis.

Friday night at Mira Mesa High, Chula Vista forced the Marauders into a cold sweat and Davis into a corner as it emerged with a 6-0 nonleague victory that left Mira Mesa Coach Brad Griffith scratching his head and stating repeatedly, “We just didn’t execute.”

It’s not that Davis, who is closing in on the career high school passing record of Todd Marinovich, did such a bad job. The numbers were respectable: Davis completed 12 passes in 28 attempts for 141 yards to a corps of receivers--all brought up from the junior varsity--who were put there as targets for Davis.

It’s just that Chula Vista (1-0) had a banner night. Make that the Chula Vista defense.

“Davis is a pretty good quarterback,” Chula Vista Coach George Ohnesorgen said. “But I know he has a lot of new receivers. Maybe it was the pressure of our linebackers and defensive linemen. That’s what I like to think. They did a great job. It’s tough to do anything well with guys running after you all night.”

Running after you, over you, anywhere they can get a piece of you.

Case in point. First quarter: Mira Mesa gets to the Chula Vista 15, the first of two times in the game it gets that close to scoring. Linebacker Jermaine Campbell intercepts a Davis pass at the 10 and returns it to the Spartan 35.

That play drew this response from Campbell: “I wasn’t thinking about running it back, I was just thinking, ‘Wow, I got him. ‘ “

Case in point. Third quarter: On a first and 10 at Chula Vista’s 38-yard line, defensive lineman Andy Duran had consecutive sacks that set Davis back 11 and 8 yards. That series ended when a long snap sailed over Davis’ head and he had to scramble just to get the punt off.

Case in point. Fourth quarter. The Marauders (0-1) again look like they might score. This time, on a second and 10 at the Spartan 14, linebacker Memo Juarez-Gil takes advantage of a bad handoff, recovering the fumble.

“The kids were looking for someone else to run the ball game tonight,” Griffith said. “It just wasn’t going to happen. If you were to tell me this team wouldn’t be able to score its first time out, frankly, I’d have been quite surprised.”

Ohnesorgen wasn’t. It was his plan all along to put his veterans on defense and bring the offensive along slowly.

“We wanted to put the better kids, the more experienced ones, on defense and give the other kids time to mature as well as get more consistent,” said Ohnesorgen.

Chula Vista’s lone touchdown came with 6:18 left in the second quarter. Robert Tirado, who carried 10 times for 49 yards, scored on a 11-yard carry up the middle.

“It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough,” he said.

Chula Vista had 83 rushing yards to Mira Mesa’s 53, and held the Marauders to 4 yards rushing the second half. John Jeffries completed three passes for 31 yards.