Scots ready for title game
The stage for the CIF-San Diego Section Div. V football final was set on Friday, with the top two seeds advancing to Saturday night’s championship game.
This year, those top-seeded teams are No. 1 Vincent Memorial and No. 2 Crawford.
Despite coming from different cities and leagues, the programs are very familiar with one another having both competed in Manzanita League action until Crawford joined the Central League ranks last season.
The last time the Scots and Colts saw one another, it was in the Div. V semifinals in 2015. The game ultimately favored the Colts, 23-19, who that year, nabbed two wins over Vincent Memorial, including a 28-12 league result.
While each team has a different lineup than in 2015, there are no doubt a few scabs festering on some of the Scots, who are determined to prove their No. 1 place in the Div. V playoffs.
Vincent Memorial
So far this season, the Scots have blown past their opponents averaging 42.9 points per game and holding their own against larger opponents in size and division ranking.
Vincent Memorial has suffered just two losses this season, which came to a pair of formidable opponents in Central Union High and Santana.
Since the mid-season setbacks, the Scots have built a six-game win streak, completed Manzanita League undefeated and allowed just one touchdown in the CIFSDS playoffs.
Vincent Memorial opened the playoffs with a 43-8 toppling of Southwest San Diego, followed by a 59-0 shutout over Classical Academy last week.
Guiding the Scots in the win and essentially all season was quarterback Eduardo Valenzuela. The senior standout has 3,212 passing yards on the season with 39 touchdown passes.
Grabbing 20 of those 39 scoring passes this season is Juan Pablo Ruiz, who is a favorite target for Valenzuela.
Ruiz has 1,326 receiving yards on the season, giving the Scots plenty of depth on offense as they also have a trio of ball carriers in Valenzuela, Daniel Rizzo and Javier Briseño, who can also get the job done on the ground.
Defensively, Vincent Memorial has a lengthy list of players, who have worked to tally 28.5 sacks, 48 tackles for loss and 64.9 tackles on the season.
While the Scots’ list of season totals are no doubt impressive, the Colts are also in the title game for a reason
Crawford
Helping Crawford to its mark of 8-4 at this point in the year is senior quarterback Shawn Balala.
The starter is a force in the air and on the ground, similar to Valenzuela, and has 17 passing touchdowns and two rushing scores this season.
Some favorite targets for Balala include Ali Musa and Matthew Clark, who have a combined 11 touchdown receptions on the season.
Clark also has five rushing scores this year for a second-best on the team behind Niko Perry’s six rushing scores.
While the Colts’ stats are less than those of the Scots, the toughness of the team’s league opponents should be noted.
Like the Scots, the Colts have taken on their fair share of tough teams including San Diego, Kearny and Clairemont, who all advanced to the Div. III and IV playoffs this season, respectively.
Only Saturday will determine which team’s preparation and grit tested them most for the championship game.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday at Southwestern Community College located at 900 Otay Lakes Rd. in Chula Vista.
The game will be broadcast live on The High School Sports Network website.