Hilltop Coach, Munoz Cannot Find Recruiters

Quarterback Jorge Munoz of Hilltop High is the third-leading passer in the history of the San Diego Section and could easily move to second before ever having the benefit of participating in the playoffs.

Why then is Munoz, who is 6-feet-2, not getting much of a look by college recruiters?

“Good question,” Hilltop Coach Joy Gritts said. “The only thing that would hold him back, as far as Division I, is his foot speed. He’s not slow, but he’s not the quickest guy either. I do know this, he’s got to be one of the best throwers in the county.”

And one of the best magicians.

Munoz has thrown for 5,112 yards--more than all but Jim Plum of Helix (6,913) and Scott Barrick of Fallbrook (5,388)--but he has done so in only 26 games. He has averaged nearly 200 yards per game.

Hilltop, a lock for postseason play this year at 6-2, did not make the playoffs in 1989 or 1990, Munoz’ sophomore and junior years. And last year the Lancers had only eight games because Mar Vista did not have enough players and forfeited prior to playing Hilltop.

A note to recruiters: Munoz is also fourth on the all-time list in completions (357) and touchdowns (51) and could move to No. 2 in both categories by the end of this month.

Double Time: Any recruiter planning to look at Munoz may also find himself a punter. Kenny Sanchez, a backup quarterback who started punting for the Lancers midway through last season, is averaging 45.0 yards per punt (22 for 989) this fall.

The section record of 44.2 yards per attempt was set by Matt Smith of USDHS in 1985.

“When he started punting for us at the end of last season, he wasn’t that good,” assistant coach John McFadden said. “But he worked hard over the summer.

“Of course, we’ll take credit for his improvement as coaches, but it’s not us. He got better on his own.”

Old as the Hills: Tucked away in the Cuyamaca mountains, Julian High celebrated its 100th homecoming on Friday.

The Eagles, however, selected the wrong game for the event. Julian (2-4) lost to undefeated Santa Fe Christian, 34-14.

Eight-Man Showdown: Santa Fe Christian (7-0) plays host to La Jolla Country Day (8-0) on Friday.

Sink or Swim: Coronado has won a section water polo championship in six of the past eight seasons, including its section record fourth in a row last year. It has played in all but one championship match since 1982 under Coach Randy Burgess.

Could this year be the end of the Islanders’ dynasty? Coronado lost to Poway--a team it has defeated the past three years in the championship--10-4 on Friday.

“If we do fall, it’s not because the kids haven’t worked hard,” Burgess said. “We’ve had a huge turnover this year.”

Coronado, which will compete in the 3-A playoffs despite having only 620 students, lost nine senior starters from last year, including All-American goalie Jack Bowen, who is now playing for Stanford.

Down to Two: Three football teams lost for the first time on Friday--USDHS, Kearny and San Diego--leaving Vista (8-0) and La Jolla (8-0) as the county’s only unbeaten and untied teams. Grossmont, after tying Santana on Friday, is 7-0-1.

Vaqueros Stomping: El Capitan has averaged 42.2 points per game in its last five football games, all victories. If the Vaqueros (5-2-1) had scored only 11 more points in their first three games, they could be undefeated.

El Capitan’s 596 rushing yards against El Cajon Valley on Friday ranked third highest in section history, only 17 fewer than the record of 613 set by Rancho Buena Vista in 1989. The Vaqueros also had three backs--Eric Rockhold, Jessic Heise and James Hopkins--rush for more than 100 yards for the second times this season.

One-Man Show: Rob Reid has had a hand or foot in just about everything the Valhalla football team has done this season. In addition to playing quarterback and free safety, Reid is leading the Grossmont Conference in punting with an average of nearly 40 yards per attempt and he has made five of six field goals (the one failure was blocked).

Furthermore, four of those field goals have been from beyond 40 yards.