Surprise Team Heading the List for Scoring Points

Quick. No peeking at the statistics. Who is leading the county’s 2-A and 3-A football teams in scoring offense?

A couple of hints:

- It’s not Morse.

- This team was 4-6 last year.

This team had only 21 able bodies for its game on Saturday, yet won 42-26 and brought its offensive output to 92 points.

These guys are the Patriots, but they’re not from Orange Glen nor Patrick Henry.

Christian?

Bingo.

Christian has gone entire seasons without scoring 92 points--it managed only 47 two years ago--but now leads the county with a 46-point average.

“You’ve got to defend the whole field when you play us,” said second-year Coach Dale Peterson, who mixes an I-formation, two tight end offense, with a four-receiver wide set. “Teams (Mar Vista and Mission Bay) have not been able to do that so far.”

Sophomore quarterback Andy Herbert, running back Kingsley Egorerua, a transfer from El Cajon Valley, and receivers Greg Giles and Justin Demaree have been outstanding, but Peterson was more impressed with a pair of backup offensive lineman--Matt Buggert (5-feet-10, 220) and Peter Morgan (5-10, 190)--who filled in for injured starters David Massey (6-5, 230) and Brian Eddery (6-0, 250) on Saturday.

“That’s what tickles me to death,” Peterson said. “The backups went in and just flat did the job. They were both outstanding.”

Record Breakers: After Valhalla’s Keith Price and Mt. Miguel’s Earl Bryers set school rushing records in Week No. 1, a third school record fell last Friday in the Grossmont Conference.

Making his varsity football debut, Monte Vista junior Ricky Berrian broke a 27-year-old Monarch record by rushing for 224 yards (26 carries, three touchdowns) in a 28-27 victory over West Hills. Larry Godley had rushed for 206 yards against Vista in 1964.

“I got some good advice from (assistant coach) Lynn Cole before the game,” Monte Vista Coach Ed Carberry said. “He said, ‘Give Ricky the ball.’ ”

Add Record: Carberry said a major reason for Berrian’s big day was the blocking of tackle Tye Ursillo.

“It was the most dominant physical performance I’ve ever seen from a high school kid,” Carberry said. “He was cart-wheeling guys.”

Marauders Marauding: Defending champions Torrey Pines (3-A) and La Jolla (2-A) again figure to be the teams to beat in girls’ tennis this fall, but the Mira Mesa Marauders, 3-A semifinalists in 1990, return all but two players from last year and have beaten four opponents this season by a combined 68-4.

On one occasion, sophomore Veronica Bausova won her sets, 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, and so did the doubles team of Lolita Guillot and Melanie Wrench.

Mira Mesa Coach Tim Cunningham expects things to get tougher soon. Mira Mesa plays at The Bishop’s School on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

A Man for All Seasons: In addition to girls’ tennis, Cunningham coaches boys’ basketball in the winter and boys’ tennis in the spring and serves as athletic director and physical education department chairman. He also teaches four physical education classes a day.

Test Time: The Torrey Pines girls’ volleyball team will get an indication of just how good it is when it plays in the 12-team Redondo Power Classic this Friday and Saturday in Redondo Beach and a national invitational tournament the following weekend in Chicago.

Torrey Pines (1-0) is currently ranked No. 1 in California and has two of the best players in the state in Brett Hensel and Kami Schmedding.

“My main concern is whether we’re No. 1 in the state at the end of the season,” said Falcon Coach Jim Harrah, whose team lost in the state semifinals last year. “But don’t get me wrong. (The ranking) is a real nice honor, and the girls are soaking it up. But they also know there’s a lot of work to be done.”

Injury Update: Mira Mesa’s John Tucker, who underwent emergency surgery to have his spleen removed following the Marauders’ Sept. 13 football game against Chula Vista, is recovering nicely and is expected to be back in school sometime this week.

Tucker, a senior wide receiver, hurt himself making a diving catch and falling on the football on the third play of the game. However, he didn’t realize the extent of the injury until much later.

Despite feeling pain in his abdomen, Tucker, who is also a wrestler and has a 4.1 grade-point-average, continued to play. It wasn’t until after the game that his father, Bill, took him to the hospital for an examination that immediately led to surgery.

Tucker will likely miss the rest of the football season and probably will not be able to wrestle.