By Bill Dickens
MaxPreps.com
One of the most unheralded yet most talented quarterbacks in the CIF San Diego Section is 6-foot-5, 207-pound junior Pete Thomas of Valhalla. Those with a keen eye for talent can see that Thomas is a Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger (6-5, 241) clone.
Granted, Thomas needs to bulk up, and he surely will. Remember, Roethlisberger – a five-year veteran out of Miami-Ohio – is 26 years-old, while Thomas just turned 17 on Oct. 11.
Boston College has already made a scholarship offer. Fact is, Thomas and his family are planning to attend the Eagles’ Nov. 8 contest against Notre Dame in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The Irish are also heavily interested and may intensify their pursuit after that game.
“I’m keeping my options open,” Thomas said.
Still on the board of the early-birds wooing Thomas are Georgia, LSU, Wake Forest and USC. The list of interested parties is certain to swell.
With three games left in the regular season of his junior year, Thomas is averaging 274 total yards per game. As a passer, Thomas statistically ranks with the elite. He has completed .706 percent of 197 passes for 1,821 yards and 21 touchdown strikes. Only twice has he been intercepted, and one of those came off a deflection.
The third-leading passer in the San Diego Section, the best is yet to come for Thomas.
El Cajon Christian’s Thompson Knows the Zone
Quite simply, Christian High running back Charles Thompson doesn’t have “off games.” The 5-foot-10, 185-pound senior is a measure of consistency, scoring 20 touchdowns (at least one in every game) in propelling the state’s top-ranked Division V Patriots to an 8-0 mark. Nine of Thompson’s scores have come in the last two games – five in a 45-21 romp over Santa Fe Christian on Oct. 25. Thompson is averaging 10.2 yards per carry and 172.8 yards rushing per game.
Saints Man of the Crower
St. Augustine sophomore sensation Evan Crower is the latest in coach Jerry Ralph’s long line of passing phenoms. Crower, who has lofted as many as 60 passes in a game this season, connected for five touchdowns in the Saints 41-34 nod over San Diego Lincoln on Oct. 24.
Pirates Push Win Streak to 19
Senior running back Rene Siluano scored four touchdowns to help Oceanside maul Mt. Carmel 59-14 for its 19th straight win. The Pirates should roll up similar numbers Oct. 31 against Orange Glen before taking bigger challenges from Valley Center and Ramona to close the regular season.
Hungry Like a Wolverine
Quarterback Tommy Hansen of Westview completed 18-of-26 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns as the Wolverines walloped San Marcos 55-14 on Oct. 24.
Other Top Performances
— It was business as usual for Cathedral Catholic and standout running back Tyler Gaffney as the Dons downed Mira Mesa 31-21 for their 14th straight win on Oct. 24. Gaffney carried 21 times for 206 yards and scored twice in addition to reeling in six passes for another 80 yards.
— Valhalla tennis senior Malorie de la Cruz won her 132nd consecutive Grossmont Conference set as the Norsemen won the Grossmont South League championship. De la Cruz began her streak as a sophomore.
— Cody Smith, a senior quarterback at Warner, accounted for 10 touchdowns during the Wildcats' 72-49 8-Man football win over St. Joseph of San Marcos. Smith fired six touchdown passes and rushed for four more scores.
— La Costa Canyon Danielle Frasier and Carlsbad's Rachel Morris have been named second-team Junior All-Americans by the American Junior Golf Association, a recognition once received by nearly all of the nation's top professional players.
— Torrey Pines’ Brock Ringo (is that a football name or what) rushed for 190 yards on 15 carries and scored on a 29-yard run in a 10-10 tie with Mission Hills on Oct. 24.
Looking Ahead
— The Greater San Diego Boys Water Polo Tournament will be conducted at Westview, Santana, Cathedral Catholic and Valhalla on Oct. 31-Nov. 1.
— The football TV Game of the Week pits St. Augustine against Mira Mesa Friday (Oct. 31) on Channel 4 San Diego. The delayed telecast is set for Saturday at noon.
Dickens Dealings
Not many NCAA Division I women’s basketball teams feature a sister tandem like San Diego State University will in 2010 when freshman Ashley and then redshirt-junior Allison Duffy join forces. That’s an interesting predicament for all concerned.
Following an early commitment by El Capitan senior Ashley Duffy this year, the Aztecs of veteran coach Berth Burns will have both Allison and Ashley on the court simultaneously.
The younger Duffy, now a senior guard for the Vaqueros, said she welcomes another opportunity to play basketball with Allison, who will be a redshirt sophomore for the Aztecs this season. The siblings will have two seasons to play together at SDSU.
“The chance to play ball with my sister again was a factor in my choosing to go to San Diego State,” Ashley said. “But it wasn’t the only reason. I like Coach (SDSU’s Beth) Burns and her staff. I was more comfortable there than I was at USD and some of the other schools. I don’t know exactly why, it was just a feeling I had.”
Soon to become a four-year starter, Ashley Duffy averaged 15.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5 assists and 6.7 steals for El Capitan as a junior.
“At State they see me as a 2-guard rather than playing the point (like she does at El Capitan),” she said. “They can also see me playing three. It doesn’t matter. I just want to play.”
As comfy as that may sound, the younger Duffy recalls how she and her older sister got into a scrap during an El Capitan game two years ago.
“I remember when we got into a tiff when I was a freshman and Allison was a senior,” Ashley said. “Allison thought I should have passed her the ball and I didn’t. She ran over and got in my face. It was one of those push and shove deals, and the coach took both of us out of the game.”
The Duffy sisters believe that scuffle was “no big deal.”
It was probably a bonding moment.
