Canyon Springs Likes Ike

The elite high school football teams from San Bernardino County might avoid choosing Moreno Valley Canyon Springs as a future opponent.

Canyon Springs, led by a dominating defense, registered a 21-0 victory over No. 8 Rialto Eisenhower on Friday night before 2,000 at Valley View High.

Canyon Springs’ 3-0 record also includes last-second victories over Division I power Fontana and Division IV standout Rancho Cucamonga.

“I think some of these teams may have underrated us,” said Canyon Springs running back Solomon Bates, who rushed for 71 yards in four attempts, including an 11-yard touchdown in the second quarter. “We haven’t played well the last couple of years, but we’re a force to be reckoned with now.”

Eisenhower (2-1) had hoped to run the ball successfully, but an eight-man defensive front by Canyon Springs eliminated that offensive option.

Throwing the ball was the Eagles’ next option--and that didn’t work either.

Eisenhower quarterback Devin Rentz had trouble finding open receivers and received little help from his offensive line. Rentz completed nine of 18 first-half passes for 71 yards, while being sacked twice and hurried much of the time.

That left Eisenhower with option No. 3--punting. And even that wasn’t executed properly.

Eisenhower’s Kenneth Smalls dropped the ball before he could punt early in the first quarter, leading to a 27-yard field goal by Jon Oliva of Canyon Springs.

The next snap Smalls saw sailed over his head. He picked up the ball and fell into his end zone for a safety, giving Canyon Springs a 5-0 lead.

Canyon Springs finally received a punt in the second quarter and returned it 25 yards to the Eagles’ 13-yard line. Bates ran it in two plays later for an 11-0 lead.

“I take total responsibility for the punting mistakes,” Smalls said. “We haven’t had any problems in practice and there are no excuses for all the errors.”

Adam Molina put the finishing touches on a 21-point Canyon Springs first half, returning an interception 22 yards for a touchdown.

Eisenhower finished with 80 yards of offense, including minus-24 yards rushing.

Canyon Springs had only 170 yards of offense, but it didn’t need any more on this night.