Highlights from the 2013 Holiday Bowl

 

QUALCOMM STADIUM (12/30/2013) Freshman quarterback Davis Webb threw for 403 yards and four touchdowns to help his Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-5) pull off a 37-23 win over the Arizona State Sun Devils (10-4) in the National University Holiday Bowl.

 

Webb's four touchdowns tied a Holiday Bowl record and earned him offensive MVP honors.

Chargers clinch playoff berth after 27-24 OT win over Kansas City

QUALCOMM STADIUM (12/29/2013) With the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens eliminated from playoff contention, standing in the way of the San Diego Chargers (9-7) and the final seed in the AFC playoffs were the Kansas City Chiefs (11-5), who had already clinched the fifth seed and decided to rest 20 out of 22 of their starters.

After trailing 24-14 in the fourth quarter, the Chargers put up 13 unanswered points, including a 36-yard field goal by Nick Novak with 05:30 left in overtime to secure their first playoff berth since 2009.

The Chiefs had a chance to win it with eight seconds left in the fourth quarter, but Ryan Succop missed a 41-yard field goal and the game went into overtime tied 24-24.

On the opening drive of the game, the Chiefs needed just five plays to score on a 17-yard touchdown run by running back Knile Davis, who was playing for Jamaal Charles.

The Chargers struck back on a 5-play, 78-yard drive that ended with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Phillip Rivers to tight end Ladarius Green.

The Chiefs were forced to punt on the ensuing drive, but Rivers' pass was intercepted by cornerback Ron Parker. The only turnover of the game set up a two-yard touchdown catch by Dexter McCluster that gave the Chiefs a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Chargers answered again with a 4-yard touchdown connection from Rivers to Antonio Gates that tied the score 14-14, but the second-team Chiefs refused to go down.

Davis ran in his second touchdown of the game to give the Chiefs a 21-14 lead at halftime.

The Chargers became the sixth team in NFL history to make the playoffs under the current format after starting the season 5-7 or worse. They will visit the No. 3 seed Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Wild Card game on Sunday, Jan. 5th at 10:05 pacific time. The Bengals defeated the Chargers 17-10 at Qualcomm Stadium in week 13.

Impact Chargers

 

RB Ryan Mathews

22 carries for 144 yards

 

WR Keenan Allen

Five catches for 89 yards

1,046 receiving yards in 2013 (Chargers rookie record)

 

FS Eric Weddle

2-yard run for a first down on a fake punt in overtime, led to game-winning FG

DeMartino powers Utah State to Poinsettia Bowl win over #25 Northern Illinois

Utah State senior RB Joey DeMartino (#28) celebrates with his teammates under a cloud of smoke
after a 1-yard touchdown run gave the Aggies a 21-7 lead late in the fourth quarter.
 

QUALCOMM STADIUM (12/26/2013) Utah State senior running back Joey DeMartino rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown to help his Aggies (9-5) secure a 21-14 win over Northern Illinois (12-2) in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Thursday night.

The Mt. Carmel alum set a Poinsettia Bowl record for the longest rush with a 58-yard run in the first quarter. His performance earned him offensive MVP honors.

Player Spotlight: USD RB Kenn James

 

 

Height & Weight: 5'7" 175lbs

Position: Running Back/Kickoff Returner

Hometown: San Diego, CA

College: University of San Diego

High School: Mt. Carmel

 

With his quick feet and breakaway speed, James proved to be a scoring threat as a rusher, receiver, and returner. As a sophomore he earned team MVP honors and was named first-team All-PFL after setting a single-season school record for all-purpose yards (2,313). He finished his USD career with a total of 4,243 yards (3rd in USD history) and 22 touchdowns.

 

Chargers' season survives another week after holding off Raiders, 26-13

QUALCOMM STADIUM (12/22/2013) For the San Diego Chargers (8-7) to keep their playoff hopes alive, they needed to win and get some help from the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots.

The Bills shutout the Miami Dolphins 19-0, the Patriots blew out the Baltimore Ravens 41-7, and most importantly, the Chargers knocked off the Oakland Raiders 26-13 to avoid a losing season.

After turning the ball over three times in the first half , the Chargers overcame their miscues with two turnovers of their own and 12 costly penalties by the Raiders (4-11).

The score was tied 10-10 at halftime, but the Chargers outscored the Raiders 16-3 in the second half to seal the win. Most of those points came from kicker Nick Novak, who made four field goals (27, 48, 28, and 33 yards) for the Bolts.

Aztecs win the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl



BOISE, IDAHO (12/21/2013) In what might have been his last college football game, junior running back Adam Muema rushed for 229 yards and three touchdowns to help the San Diego State Aztecs (8-5, 6-2 MWC) rout the Buffalo Bulls (8-5, 6-2 MAC) 49-24 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Bronco Stadium.

The win marked their first in the postseason since the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl.

While the Aztecs' offense struggled to score early in the game, the defense picked up the slack with three consecutive stops on third down.

The Aztecs finally got on the board with 0:21 left in the first quarter after a 29-yard scramble by junior quarterback Quinn Kaehler.

The defensive onslaught continued in the second quarter. A sack by senior linebacker Vaness Harris led to an Aztecs fumble recovery on the Buffalo 30-yard line. That set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Muema that gave the Aztecs a 14-0 lead.

The Bulls managed to answer back with 10 straight points, but more miscues and turnovers helped the Aztecs pull away with 28 straight points of their own.

The Final 2013 Prep Football Rankings

The San Diego Section's streak of six straight seasons with at least one state champion came to an end after Mission Hills suffered a hard fought 35-28 loss to Bakersfield in the Division I Southern California State Regional. The Grizzlies end their outstanding season as the top ranked team in the county.

Player Spotlight: USD DE Blake Oliaro

 

Height & Weight: 6'5" 255lbs

Position: Defensive End

Hometown: Folsom, CA

College: University of San Diego

High School: Folsom

 

Oliaro has the ability to wreak havoc in the trenches with a combination of power and speed. His 30 career sacks rank third in USD history behind Eric Bakhtiari (35) and Mario Kurn (34.5).

 



Chargers hold off Broncos 27-20

DENVER, CO (12/12/2013) The San Diego Chargers (7-7) kept their AFC Wildcard hopes alive with a huge road win over the Denver Broncos (11-3) on Thursday Night Football.

The win gave the Broncos their only loss at home this season, and snapped their 10-game win streak against AFC West opponents.

The Chargers controlled the clock 38:49 to 21:11 thanks to a monster rushing performance led by Ryan Mathews, who ran for 127 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries.

The Broncos put up 10 points on their first two possessions, but the Chargers' defense held the Peyton Manning led offense in check for most of the game. They allowed just 20 points, 18 rushing yards, and 295 yards total. All season lows for the NFL's top ranked offense.

 

Rookie wide receiver Keenan Allen continued to make his case for Offensive Rookie of the Year with two highlight reel touchdowns (19 & 10 yards) in the second quarter. He leads all rookie receivers with 63 receptions for 931 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Mathews ended the opening drive of the second half with a 23-yard run for a touchdown to give the Chargers a 24-10 lead early in the third quarter.

Imperial's Freeman wins 2013 Silver Pigskin



Royce Freeman (#21) outruns St. Augustine defenders for a huge gain.
 

BALBOA PARK (12/10/2013) Imperial senior running back Royce Freeman was named the 2013 Prep Pigskin Report Silver Pigskin Player of the Year Tuesday night. The announcement was made at KUSI's annual Silver Pigskin Gala at the San Diego Hall of Champions.

Freeman led the county in rushing yards (2819) and rushing touchdowns (41) while helping Imperial to an 11-1 record.

He also broke the county's all-time career records for rushing yards (7601), rushing touchdowns (111), and points scored (724).

Other nominees included Oceanside running back Thai Cottrell, Grossmont quarterback Anthony Lawrence, Eastlake running back Isiah Olave, San Pasqual receiver Jajuan Thomas, and Mission Hills linebacker Fred Warner.

Weekend Recap: Chargers stomp the Giants, College & Prep Bowl Games Decided

 

Chargers defeat the Giants 37-14

QUALCOMM STADIUM (12/08/2013) Philip Rivers threw for three touchdowns (all in the first half) and 249 yards to help the San Diego Chargers (6-7) come away with a 37-14 win over the New York Giants (5-8).

The Chargers are now 3-0 against Eli Manning since the infamous 2004 NFL Draft, where the first overall pick was traded to the Giants for Rivers.

Ryan Mathews led the Chargers rushing attack with 103 yards and a touchdown. Rookie receiver Kennan Allen (59 yards & 2 TDs) and running back Danny Woodhead (52 yards & 1 TD) were Rivers' key targets through the air.

On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Donald Butler and cornerback Shareece Wright each recorded an interception.

The Chargers will have a short week as they head to Denver for a Thursday night showdown against Peyton Manning and the first place Broncos (11-2). The Broncos defeated the Chargers 28-20 at Qualcomm Stadium on Nov. 10.

2013 CIF Section Champions Crowned

 

 

The season-long debate over who's the No. 1 team in the county has finally come to a close. Mission Hills made it perfectly clear after defeating Oceanside to claim the first-ever San Diego Section Open Division title at Qualcomm Stadium.

Highlights: Holtville wins Division V title

 

MESA COLLEGE (11/30/2013) The Holtville Vikings (11-2) earned their first section title since 1992 after a blowout win over the Crawford Colts (12-1) in the San Diego Section Division V final Saturday night.

In a game dominated by the run, Vikings quarterback Clay Bowler rushed for 156 yards and three touchdowns. The elusive senior also added a touchdown pass and an interception on defense to his stat sheet.

Things didn't begin well for Holtville. A Vikings fumble on the opening kickoff was recovered by Crawford. The early miscue set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Ray Lyons to put the Colts up 6-0.

The Vikings went on to shut down the Colts' offense and put up 42 unanswered points.