By Bill Dickens
MaxPreps.com
Versatile Oceanside Pirates senior Rene Siluano, a 5-foot-9, 165-pounder known more for his ability to gain rushing yards, made a major impact on the defensive side during the final seconds of Friday’s (Dec. 12) San Diego Section CIF Division II championship bout against Helix at Qualcomm Stadium.
With Helix staring at 2nd-and-goal from the Pirates 2-yard line with less than a minute to play at The “Q,” Siluano made a victory-saving interception in the end zone to preserve a 23-19 victory securing a fifth-straight section title for the Pirates.
“I was expecting the ball to go to No. 1 (Travon Van) or No. 11 (6-foot-8 Levine Toilolo) – those are their go-to guys, their play-makers,” Siluano said. “If (Culver) had thrown the ball a little higher, I don't think I would have gotten it. But the ball was so low that at first I thought it was a shovel pass.”
“That's how championship football should be played, close like that, coming down to the wire,” Oceanside quarterback Jordan Wynn said. “People will be talking about this game for years.”
The victory lifted Oceanside to a 12-0-1 finish, which was not good enough to earn a chance to repeat its Division II State Championship Bowl crown on Saturday (Dec. 20). Cathedral Catholic (13-0) received that honor and will oppose Stockton St. Mary's (12-2) at the Home Depot Center in Carson at 4 p.m.
Escondido rusher Seale becomes section’s best
Escondido junior running back Ricky Seale, son of former San Diego Chargers DB Sam Seale, became the San Diego Section’s most prolific rusher for yards in a season by running for 216 yards and three touchdowns in the SDCIF Division I final loss against La Costa Canyon. Seale finished the season with 2,663 yards.
Jaguars receiver grabs section record
Valley Center senior James Johnson set a San Diego Section career record for receiving yards, reeling in six catches for 162 yards in the Jaguars' Division IV 31-20 championship win over Madison.
Johnson finished his career with 2,930 yards. His final high school catch was good for a 56-yard touchdown.
Gaffney remains unstoppable
Cathedral Catholic running back Tyler Gaffney scored four touchdowns – two rushing and two receiving – in the Dons 49-13 knockout of Valhalla in Friday’s (Dec. 12) San Diego CIF Div. III championship at Qualcomm Stadium. That scoring spree added to Gaffney’s section scoring record, raising the bar to 51 touchdowns and 306 points.
Matador on guard
Danesia Williamson, a senior guard out of Mount Miguel (9-0), averaged 22 points, 7.3 assists, 5.0 steals and three rebounds as the No. 3-rated Matadors mowed down San Diego Section Top 10 rivals La Costa Canyon and Mt. Carmel as well as Bonita Vista. The USD-bound guard was 11-11 shooting free throws and totaled 30 points in the win over Mt. Carmel.
Other Top Performances
— Rancho Bernardo senior 140-pound wrestler Billy Rogers posted a five match sweep and was named middleweight MVP of the Jimmy Hamada Duals Tournament, helping the Broncos to the team title that included a win over No. 3 La Costa Canyon in the semifinals.
— Poway senior soccer goalie Keith Cline has notched four shutouts in five games this year – including a 2-0 triumph over Mission Bay in the championship game of the Coronado Tournament. It's the second straight year Poway has won the Coronado Tournament title.
— La Costa Canyon senior running back Seth Hanson carried seven times for 136 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown sprint in a 45-28 victory over Escondido in the San Diego CIF Division I Section final.
— El Camino senior center Luke Evans produced 27 points and 22 rebounds in an 83-58 victory over Eastlake and then pitched in 30 points in a 68-45 win over Valhalla in the Eagle-Vaquero Shootout.
— Unheralded Valley Center junior linebacker Julian Lavigne made 13 tackles and four quarterback sacks in a 31-20 win over Madison in the section Division IV final.
Coming Attractions
Championship basketball is on the docket this weekend as the 62nd annual San Diego Kiwanis Tournament championship games are on tap – the girls at 4 p.m. and the boys at 7:30 – both at Serra High in San Diego.
Dickens Dealings
Helix quarterback Ty Culver has probably seen the movie “The Best of Times.” This is a 1986 film where Robin Williams plays Jack Dundee, a 30-something banker who cannot forget dropping a perfectly thrown pass in the final seconds of a 1972 football game between tiny Taft and its arch-nemesis, powerful Bakersfield.
Thirteen years later Jack coerces Reno Hightower (Kurt Russell), star quarterback of the fateful game and now a financially struggling garage owner in debt to Jack’s bank, into helping him replay the game. The game is replayed and at the critical moment Reno throws another perfect forward pass to Jack. He catches it, and Taft defeats Bakersfield.
This story is based on an actual game between Bakersfield High and Taft High that occurred in 1976.
Unfortunately for Culver, his pop pass in the final seconds turned into an Oceanside interception, costing the Highlanders the SDCIF Division II championship. Since this is reality, he will not get that mythical second chance.
