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Prep Football: Eagles set for Division V showdown with Vincent Memorial

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Only two games left blemishes on the regular-season record of the Maranatha Christian High football team last season: a 52-0 loss to Capistrano Valley Christian and a 40-12 loss to Vincent Memorial.

The latter was disappointing for the Eagles, because they felt they could play with the Scots. But turnovers turned a 14-6 deficit at halftime into a 28-point loss.

“Last year, we both entered that game undefeated and we felt that was a test to see where we are,” Eagles coach Mike Cole said. “This year is the same thing. We are both undefeated and we want to see where we are.”

Maranatha will find out Friday night, when they travel to Vincent Memorial for a 7 p.m. showdown between two of the top teams in Division V. The Scots enter with a 4-0 record, while the Eagles are 3-0 and coming off a bye week.

“We want to win this game,” Cole said. “We think we are a good team so we are going to do whatever it takes to win the game. It would be a huge win for us and with one more week before league play starts we want to keep things rolling.”

This one will certainly have playoff-seeding implications. With defending champion La Jolla Country Day (3-1) still looking like the team to beat in Division V, the team that wins this one could end up in the driver’s seat for the No. 2 seed.

“Who knows how high we can go if we win this and then keep winning,” Cole said. “I think everybody is trying to get a higher seed so they don’t have to play Country Day (early in the section playoffs).”

The Eagles and Scots feature two of the best defenses in Division V. Maranatha has posted one shutout and has allowed just 20 points in its three games. The Scots have posted two shutouts and have allowed just 10 points in four games.

“Their defense is No. 1 and ours is No. 2 in Division V right now,” Cole said. “All the pressure is going to be on me to try to score.”

Cole, who calls the offensive plays, has plenty of weapons to attack the Scots. The Eagles have showed they can throw the ball and run it with success. Quarterback Christian Cortes has thrown for 480 yards and six touchdowns to just one interception.

Wide receiver Matt DeWildt has 10 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown, while Isaac Schwan has hauled in eight balls for 110 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Trevor Sheng is averaging just under six yards per carry, while Jake Bronson is averaging nearly seven per carry.

“I want to say we always have the ability to score a lot of points,” Cole said. “I feel like nobody can really matchup with our wideouts. A lot of teams bracket and do things to take them away, so basically we have to find out what they are going to take away and attack them somewhere else.”

Vincent Memorial put up just eight points in its season opener, but since then has scored at least 22 points in every game. The senior-heavy Scots love to run it behind their strong offensive line, which features 6-foot-9, 400-pound tackle Frank Martinez.

“Running teams can get downhill and give us problems,” Cole said. “We are built to stop the pass. Vincent Memorial does like to throw the ball, too, but our game plan is to force people to throw.”

Cole hopes his team is ready but not overly hyped for the showdown.

“Sometimes these type of games you can get too hyped up and make mistakes,” he said. “We are going to practice like it is a big game, but treat it like it is just another road game when we get there.”

Maranatha Christian (3-0) at Vincent Memorial (4-0), Friday 7 p.m.

Last week: Maranatha had a bye; Vincent Memorial beat Palo Verde Valley 8-0.

Prediction: Maranatha 21, Vincent Memorial 14.

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