You could call it the “Battle of Banner Grade.”
Or, as the father of the Julian coach says, “It’s kind of a Cal-Stanford Big Game.”
Coach Tim White, the son of University of California alum and legendary San Diego Chargers lineman Ed White, guided his Julian Eagles to two touchdowns in the final four minutes and then saw his team execute a nerve-wracking extra point to defeat Borrego Springs 34-33.
The two far East County clubs have been playing each other since 1967 and this season’s second meeting may have been the best.
Julian’s winning touchdown pass came with a price, a 15-yard penalty against the Eagles’ receiver, who back pedaled into the end zone and pointed at the Rams’ defenders.
Instead of being penalized on the ensuing kickoff, game officials assessed the infraction before the point after touchdown, resulting in an attempt of 35 yards. A medium-range field goal, at least. The kick was good.
Football is only part of Tim’s job description. He also teaches algebra, geometry, and algebra 2 and doubles as athletic director at the mountain school. “I must be a glutton for punishment,” he laughed.
Julian and Borrego Springs usually play a nonleague game early in the season before their Citrus League contest. “We play them twice because they’re the only school left (in the San Diego Section) playing 11-man football that’s the same size (enrollment) as us,” said White.
So last week White and his band of 20 or so Eagles trekked the 45 minutes to Borrego, a journey beginning down the winding Banner Grade to the desert below. The joyous ride back up, amid the switchbacks and tall pines, didn’t seem that long.
PIRATES GAIN STATEWIDE
Oceanside bludgeoned La Costa Canyon 56-0 last week and was a unanimous No. 1 selection in this week’s  UT-San Diego poll. The Pirates also climbed from 17th to 14th in Cal Hi Sports‘ weekly ratings and is No. 1 in Southern California Division II.
The South ranking keeps the Pirates (8-1) in the driver’s seat in the race to a state bowl game playoff berth.
Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis
First-place votes in ( )
Team + Record + Points + Last Week
1. Oceanside (29) 8-1 290 1
2. Helix 7-1 247 2
3. Cathedral Catholic 7-2 199 4
3. Mission Hills 7-2 199 5
5. Poway 7-2 170 6
6. Olympian 9-0 150 7
7. La Costa Canyon 7-2 122 2
8. St. Augustine 7-2 78 9
9. Madison 8-1 46 NR
10. Eastlake 6-3 27 8
Others receiving votes:Â Valhalla (22), San Pasqual (12), Valley Center (6), Brawley (5), Patrick Henry (4), El Camino (1), Grossmont (1).
