From the Bench: Poway High football has chance to earn long overdue respect

By Michael Bower

All of the accomplishments the Poway High football team has had over these past two years, and it still is fighting for the smallest scrap of respect anybody outside of the community has to offer.

Senior linebacker Alec Moreno and the Poway High football team will not only be fighting for another section title, but also for respect from outsiders around the county. File photo

Never mind most of its stars from the undefeated 2011 CIF San Diego Section Division I title team returned this season. Forget the fact the Titans have not lost a game by more than 10 points in its last 23 contests.

Who cares that Poway has outscored opponents 219-93 this year. Most importantly, let’s not talk about how the Titans outscored No. 1 Oceanside 13-0 in the second half of their 23-13 loss to the Pirates back in Week 5.

Nope, doesn’t matter. Nobody has given third-seeded Poway — which begins its Division II playoff journey Friday night at 7 against Westview — any type of a fighting chance to ruin the yearly battle between No. 1 Oceanside and No. 2 Helix for the Division II crown.

In fact, the San Diego Union-Tribune had this headline on Nov. 4: “Helix, Oceanside set for another title showdown.”

And that came before the section playoffs even started.

Then there was the following written in the UT on Nov. 7: “…third-seeded La Costa Canyon and fourth-seeded Poway have enjoyed excellent seasons. Doesn’t matter. Come 12/1/12, it’ll be Oceanside and Helix, again, deciding which team is the best in San Diego County.”

As the kids like to say: those are fightin’ words.

Especially since Poway is actually the No. 3 seed and La Costa Canyon is the No. 4 seed.

But once again the Titans were overlooked, as if it doesn’t even matter what seed they earned.

And this is not just the way the media feels; it is how many high school football fans around the county feel.

Sure, Oceanside and Helix should be the favorites on paper to reach the championship game. But not giving Poway even the slightest chance to get to the Division II title game is crazy to anyone that has seen them play regularly.

If both Poway and Helix win this Friday night, the Highlanders better be ready for a war. That Nov. 16 showdown will be more than just a football game for Poway; it will be a chance to earn its long overdue respect. It will be a chance to “surprise” or “shock” the county.

But it would be no surprise or shock to The Bench should the Titans win.

It would simply be an upset — something you see nearly every week in college and the NFL. And it would barely even be that.

Plug in Helix versus Poway into the “Project A Matchup” feature on CalPreps.com and it spits out a 19-17 win for Helix — hardly a lock.

The Titans are no pushover, and doubting them has only proven to make them tougher to beat in the past.

The Bench has seen it happen too many times — tell the Titans they can’t and they usually go out and prove everyone wrong.

And that’s why they already have earned The Bench’s respect. Now is their chance to earn everyone else’s.

From the Bench is a High School Sports column written by Sports Editor Michael Bower. Follow Michael on Twitter @PomeradoSports for complete day-to-day sports coverage.

Related posts:

1. Prep football: Poway High to Division II creates potential for loaded section playoff field; Titans beef up schedule
2. Prep Football: Poway High chasing back-to-back titles; whispers of state
3. Prep Football: San Diego Section Rankings through Week 3
4. Prep Football: Poway High can’t overcome slow start, falls 23-13 to Oceanside

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Posted by Michael Bower on Nov 13 2012. Filed under Featured Story, From the Bench Columns, High School, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry