Titans Remain Unbeaten with 31-13 Win Over Carlsbad

Being undefeated, one would think there isn't much to perfect. And yet the Poway High football team has so much more it can improve on.

"I thought the second half we got a little stagnant," coach Damian Gonzalez said after Friday night's 31-13 nonleague win over visiting Carlsbad. "We tried to sub some guys and that always happens, but I wish we played with a little more intensity in the second half. But I was happy with the 'W' tonight."

While the second half may have been a little slow, it was just the opposite during the first two quarters when the Titans (7-0-1) scored 24 unanswered points, including touchdowns on their first three possessions in the first quarter.

This was a change from previous games where the Titans relied more on the defense and special teams.

Poway scored in the first quarter on a 30-yard run by Conor Flanagan, a 3-yard run by Ryan Moreno, and a 40-yard pass from Gabriel Isaak to Isaiah Gross. The only scoring in the second quarter was a 21-yard field goal by Jason Diaz.

A 3-yard pass from Isaak to Flanagan made it 31-0 early in the third quarter before Shawn Cameron (14 yards) and Christian Chapman (1 yard) scored rushing touchdowns for the Lancers.

"I was real proud of our offense tonight," Gonzalez said. "We started off slowly here the last few games, but tonight we changed that. It was a big focus this week to get better and I think it showed tonight."

Quarterback Isaak was rewarded with the MVP rock and was happy the offense finally showed its true colors.

"People have been saying that our defense is great, our special teams are great, but our offense is so-so." Isaak said. "So when we heard that we knew we had something to prove tonight. Our offense isn't just so-so. It is ready to face any defense that comes our way."

Isaak finished the night 15-of-23 for 177 yards, with no interceptions and two touchdowns.

The importance of the game lies in future playoff seedings. A win against the Lancers (5-3) could strengthen the Titans' argument for the No. 1 seed in the Division I playoffs.

"It is a huge win, and that is what we had been telling the kids all week. We treated this game like a playoff game, and it was a seeding game for us. I think we made a strong statement for us tonight why we should be the (No. 1) Division I seed," Gonzalez said.

When asked about the two upcoming league games against Torrey Pines and Rancho Bernardo, Gonzalez was only focused on one thing.

"I've only got one, and that is next week," he said. "Right now our focus is to win the Palomar League championship. We're excited to play Torrey Pines, and that is the next step to it."