Unbeaten Titans Take It to Mt. Carmel 42-7

The theme of Poway High’s homecoming festivities this weekend was “Under the Sea,” but it was Mt. Carmel that sank quickly in Friday night’s football game as waves of Titan defense crashed upon it.

Behind three defensive touchdowns and a balanced offensive attack in what
was the 37th matchup for the Kiwanis Cup between these two crosstown rivals, Poway brought its season record to 4-0-1 as the Titans steamrolled the Sundevils, 42-7.

“We had a pretty intense week of practice,” Poway head coach Damian Gonzalez said afterward. “After last week's game ( a tie with San Pasqual) the motto for us this week was leave no doubt, and I tell you what, we left no doubt tonight. We got after it. Our kids played with a lot of passion, a lot of energy, and that’s great Poway football.”

What looked like a battle between two evenly matched teams midway through the first quarter quickly turned into something different as Poway’s offense, despite losing standout running back Ryan Moreno, was able to establish a running game led to a 14-0 advantage early in the second period.

That’s when the Titans defense, led by defensive end Brian Guendling, began to
take over.

With seven minutes left in the half, Guendling sent Sundevil quarterback Kory Fox scrambling for his life, forced a fumble as the QB stepped up to throw, and returned the ball 16 yards for his first-ever defensive touchdown. Another offensive score just before halftime left the score at 28-0 in favor of Poway at intermission.

After back-and-forth stalled drives by both teams to open the third quarter, the floodgates began to open on Mt. Carmel as Guendling tipped a pass that fell into the arms of defensive end Jonathan Petersen, who returned it 79 yards to put Poway up by 35.

Less than a minute later, Poway safety Ryan Sharpe found himself in the right place at the right time, picking up another Mt. Carmel fumble and returning it 35 yards to officially elevate the status of the game to blowout at 42-0. A Sundevil touchdown late in the third, plus a scoreless fourth quarter, left the final of this one at 42-7.

“I was just really impressed with our defense; our defense was outstanding,”
Gonzalez said. “I’m so proud of those kids, the enthusiasm and energy they play with, creating turnovers which we were able to convert into points. It was fantastic.”

Poway’s offense was no slouch either. Senior quarterback Gabriel Isaak, after sitting out last week with a concussion, returned to action and completed 7-of-11 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Nehemiah Gross, filling in for the injured Moreno, chipped in with 103 yards and two touchdowns to help keep the Kiwanis Cup in Poway for the third straight time.

The series record between these two Poway school district rivals now lies at 26-11 in favor of the Titans.

“Mt. Carmel is a big rivalry, they’re right across the freeway,” Guendling said. “We came here tonight though knowing that we weren’t leaving without that cup. It was a great win for us.”

“We go back 35 years playing these guys, playing for this trophy . . . the tradition is just outstanding,” added Gonzalez. “It was fantastic to get a 'W' against a big rival.”

—Steve Trader for Poway Patch