HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : 3--A Football Roundup : Helix Takes a Big Lead and Hangs On

LA MESA —  Tory Winrow, Helix’s quarterback, gave his coach reason to raise his voice at halftime Friday night at Helix.

Winrow had two nifty 16-yard touchdown runs in the first quarter. Jason Ledford’s 21-yard field goal gave the Highlanders a 17-0 halftime lead over Mira Mesa (8-3). Scary stuff, says Helix Coach Jim Arnaiz.

“That’s the worst lead in the world, that 17-0 lead,” Arnaiz said. “I did some pretty good yelling at halftime.”

Arnaiz feared a letdown.

But Helix (8-1-1) hung on to win, 17-13, to earn a meeting with Chula Vista next Saturday in the second round of the San Diego Section 3A Playoffs. More than anything, Mira Mesa just ran out of time.

Mira Mesa drove 80 yards on 13 plays for an early fourth quarter touchdown. Then, after stopping Helix, the Marauders started another drive at their own 14. They advanced to the 35 before Helix defensive back Pat Gomez intercepted a Jimmy Murray pass.

Mira Mesa stopped Helix and went 65 yards for a touchdown on the subsequent possession. Problem was, there was only 5 seconds remaining after Marc Ziegler caught Murray’s 2-yard touchdown pass.

Helix blocked Mira Mesa’s extra point attempt and time expired after a failed onside kick.

Spike Mitchel led Helix’s ground attack with 104 yards on 15 carries. Winrow finished with 44 yards on 7 carries. Two of those carries, however, were very important.

“I saw a little opening and I tried to find the hole,” said Winrow, about both runs. “I had to make a couple of people miss to get to the end zone. But you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”

Helix noticed the difference in Mira Mesa’s intensity in the second half. Suddenly, things weren’t as easy.

“It seemed like the holes kind of closed up,” Mitchel said. “There was a big difference between the first and second half. That’s what we were worried about.”

Winrow’s touchdown runs came on an option play that Arnaiz devised several weeks ago. After Helix’s second score, it began to look like a blowout. But the Highlanders were unable to generate any consistent offense in the second half.

“At the beginning we were hot,” Arnaiz said. “But we made some mistakes along the way.”

Southwest 12, Patrick Henry 10--Hubert Phillips caught a 5-yard pass from Richard Delano and squeezed across the goal line to give Southwest the lead for good at Montgomery. The play was set up by a 60-yard Southwest punt and an interception and 20-yard return. Patrick Henry led 7-6 at the half on a 60-yard touchdown run Kahalil Short. Patrick Henry closed to 12-10 on a 45-yard Andy Trakas field goal late in the third quarter but couldn’t get across midfield after that.