SAN MARCOSSAN MARCOS — With the starting quarterback healthy again and the defense playing up to its potential, the San Marcos High football team is finding itself in postseason form.
The eighth-ranked Knights won their sixth straight game Friday night with a 23-0 whitewashing of Poway in a CIF Division I first-round playoff matchup at San Marcos.
Quarterback Kreet Makihele tossed two touchdown es in the first half, and the San Marcos defense kept Poway off the scoreboard to earn a quarterfinal-round rematch against crosstown rival Mission Hills on Nov. 10.
“I’m excited for the Mission Hills game,” said Makihele, who completed 12 of 18 es for 202 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. “I didn’t get to play against them the first time, but our coaches have us prepared.”
Makihele, who suffered a fractured collarbone during a Week 4 loss at Torrey Pines, returned to signal-calling duties two weeks ago against Rancho Bernardo.
“The doctors thought I might be 100 percent by playoffs, and it feels good,” Makihele said of the injury.
Makihele’s favorite receiver against Poway was Brady Pohl, who caught five first-half es for 85 yards and one TD.
“I was trying to move the ball around to different players, and Brady had a big game for us,” said Makihele, who now has 18 touchdown es this season.
San Marcos (9-2), seeded No. 7 in Division I, handed No. 10 seed Poway (3-8) its seventh straight loss to end the season in the first meeting in 20 years between the North County teams which first started playing each other in 1961.
“We did some good things tonight, but time just ran out on us,” said Titans coach Kyle Williams. “Their defense was real strong, and we made a couple mistakes here and there.”
Poway turnovers led to both San Marcos scores in the first half. The Knights were forced to punt on their first offensive possession, but on Poway’s third play following the punt, defensive lineman Reid O’Keefe broke through the line for a strip sack on Poway quarterback Ty Hurst, resulting in a fumble which was recovered by fellow lineman Gannon Stesiak at the Poway 31-yard line.
It took just one play for Makihele to find Pohl over the top in the middle of the end zone for a 31-yard touchdown with 4:04 elapsed in the opening period.
A defensive stop by Poway linebacker Mikey Steinhour on a fourth-and-1 halted a San Marcos drive at the Poway 28-yard line late in the first quarter, but an errant snap in shotgun formation resulted in an 18-yard loss with linebacker Lucas Miller recovering the ball for the hosts at the 12-yard line.
Four plays later, on the third snap of the second quarter, Makihele connected with tight end Cayden Woolwine for a 2-yard TD and a 13-0 lead.
An interception by Poway’s Colin McCann at the San Marcos 18 ended the Knights’ next offensive series, and the Titans went into their hurry-up offense and drove to the San Marcos 15, where quarterback Ty Hurst connected with tight end Thomas Kowalski in the end zone, only to have the apparent score nullified by a holding penalty.
The Titans lined up for a 27-yard field-goal attempt on fourth down, but when holder Tyler Alsop attempted a on the fake, it was broken up by Justus Woods of the Knights, leaving the score 13-0 at halftime.
An interception by cornerback Elijah Martinez led to a 25-yard touchdown run by Ethan Martinez with four minutes left in the third period, and Evan Pickering closed out the scoring with a 39-yard field goal with 5:25 left in the contest.
The San Marcos defense did the rest, having now allowed just 42 points during the six-game win streak which includes two shutouts.
“I think our defense underperformed the first few games of the season, but the last few games we have really picked it up,” said O’Keefe, who had two sacks on the night. “We’re coming for revenge against Mission Hills.”
The Grizzlies, seeded No. 2 in the Division I bracket, defeated San Marcos 35-7 in Week 5. The Knights haven’t lost since.
“I’m really proud of the way we’ve been playing, but we’ve got a lot to clean up,” said Knights coach Tom Carroll. “Mission Hills is very well-coached, so it should be a great game.”
Hoff is a freelance writer.
SAN MARCOS 23, POWAY 0
Poway 0 0 0 0 — 0
San Marcos 6 7 7 3 — 23
SM — Pohl 31 from Makihele (kick failed)
SM — Woolwine 2 from Makihele (Pickering kick)
SM — Et. Martinez 25 run (Pickering kick)
SM — FG Pickering 39
