Scots can’t overcome second half mistakes, fall to Sweetwater in CIF SDS championship game
Red Devils score 24 unanswered second half points, run over Vincent memorial 46-37.
ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - On Friday night, the top seed in the CIF San Diego Section Division V, Vincent Memorial, squared off against the #2 seeded Red Devils of Sweetwater.
Both high schools are located near the Mexico border with Sweetwater close to Tijuana and Vincent Memorial next to Mexicali. Before the season started, Vincent Memorial was placed into the newly formed Division 5-AA. Head Coach David Wong quickly made a call to the CIF San Diego Section commissioner to be taken out of 5-AA.
"We were ranked #1 in division five in the preseason," Vincent Memorial head coach David Wong said. "So, I didn't see any reason for us to move down when we were ranked that high. We also wanted the chance to keep playing beyond the section."
Vincent Memorial was in search of the program's first CIF SDS Division V title since 2017.
Little did coach Wong know that the phone call he made to the CIF ahead of the season would have a direct impact on the Scots championship opponent.
"We didn't want to be in that division so there was some shuffling that went on," Wong said. "That involved bringing some Division IV teams down to Division V. One of those teams was Sweetwater. They were ranked in the middle of the pack but they are a much bigger school than we are. But, it is what it is."
The Scots held their own in the first half, scoring the first points on the night on their second possession of the game as senior QB Jacobo Elias tossed a short pass to senior Oscar Garza who galloped into the endzone untouched from 17 yards out.
Sweetwater answered on their next drive to tie the score at 7-7.
The Scots went into the hall holding a 21-14 lead after scores from Joel Cervantes and a 36 yard touchdown pass to Miguel Ruiz with :22 seconds remaining in the first half after the Scots defense forced a fumble.
Sweetwater took advantage of their run game in the second half. The Red Devils would score 24 points unanswered in the second half, aided by a defensive stop on downs and a strip sack fumble of Jacobo Elias.
The Scots had no answered for the Red Devil run game which would amass 433 yards on 52 carries and produce seven touchdowns.
"Well, we had a mental break down or a lapse towards the end of the third quarter, beginning of the fourth quarter," Coach Wong said. "We allowed them to score like 18 unanswered points and that made a difference. My kids are resilient and they did a very good job and we had a very good season."
The loss puts an end to a career for the seniors including Jacobo Elias, Friday Night Lights Offensive Player of the Year. Elias finished the game 19-31 for 332 yards and four TDs.
Senior WR Miguel Ruiz finished the night with 7-140-1 and fellow senior WR Oscar Garza 8-97-1.
Vincent Memorial ended the season with a record of 9-4.
In what could be called a "border battle" between Sweetwater High school located in southern San Diego near Tijuana, and Vincent Memorial High School, located near the Mexicali border.
