San Diego U-T Preps

Forced to play at Sweetwater High due to ongoing stadium renovations, Hilltop was unable to reward the Lancers’ fiery home crowd Friday night in a 21-7 loss to Eastlake.

The Titans (2-0) relied heavily on their running game, but it was the team’s passing attack that ignited the win. Quarterback Daniel Amon was unspectacular for most of the game, but connected with running back Jalyn Jackson for a short pass that the speedy playmaker turned into a 57-yard touchdown sprint.

Metro Mesa League leader Eastlake alternated between quarterbacks for much of the game, opting to go with the quicker Ryzhon McCoy when the Titans felt they needed a spark. McCoy delivered with his arm and his legs, running for 35 yards and throwing a 22-yard TD strike to wide receiver Micah Pietila-Wiggs.

“We know we’ve got a lot of things we have to work on,” Titans coach Dean Tropp said. “We finished it when we needed to, and that’s what I’m most proud of. That was a great group effort by our defense.”

MORE FOOTBALL

• Friday’s scores
• Next week’s schedule

Hilltop (1-1) was strong on defense, but the offense struggled to find any consistency. Running back Jeremiah Rivera was the Metro South Bay League representative’s top threat, wiggling his way through the Titans’ defense for some hard-earned yards. Rivera scored Hilltop’s lone touchdown, a 7-yard touchdown catch-and-run from quarterback Daniel McPherren.

“Our guys learned we can play with anybody,” Lancers coach Drew Westling said. “Our defense was outstanding. We did a nice job on a lot of things on offense and had just one error that prevented us from having sustainable success.”

Terrones is a freelance writer.