The Big Game : San Dieguito Offense to Test Southwest Defense in Opener

Two years ago, San Dieguito High and Southwest played in one of the top football games of the season.

At the end of the third quarter, the game was tied, 10-10. Each team then scored two touchdowns, and Southwest held a 25-24 lead.

With less then a minute to play, sophomore Sean Newcomer caught a 30-yard scoring pass to give San Dieguito a 32-25 victory that would eventually propel it into the 3-A playoffs with a 5-5 record.

“It was definitely a barn-burner,” said Coach Ed Burke, entering his fifth season at San Dieguito. “We were lucky to get out of that one.”

Tonight at 7:30 at San Dieguito, the Mustangs and Red Raiders play each other for the first time since that game.

While revenge could be on the minds of Southwest players who would have been sophomores in ‘87, both teams are looking to build on successful 1988 seasons.

San Dieguito is coming off an 8-3 season in which they lost to eventual champion Morse, 14-6, in the 3-A quarterfinals. The Mustangs had the seventh-best offense in the county, averaging 25.3 points per game.

Southwest established itself as the county’s No. 1 defensive team, allowing just 7.6 points per game during a 9-3 season. The Raiders also lost in the quarterfinals, 28-0, to Orange Glen, the 3-A runner-up.

Southwest should again be strong defensively with returning standouts Laurence Estes (defensive back), Jermaine Brown (linebacker) and Mike Johnson and Fernando Villalboza (defensive line).

San Dieguito will counter with quarterback Bryan Thistle, running back Mike Henry, tackle Kevin Barres and guard Brad Emery leading the wing-T offense.

Having met three times in the past four years, Burke and Carl Parrick, Southwest’s ninth-year coach, respect each other’s programs.

Said Parrick: “Preparing for San Dieguito is preparing for a well-coached team. That’s what I keep telling my kids.”

And Burke: “Carl and Greg Raby (defensive coordinator) do a superior job down there.”