INLAND FIELDHOUSE

FONTANA – The Fontana Jurupa Hills-Fontana Summit varsity football game on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021, was different than any other game we’ve been on the sidelines for this season for two reasons. No. 1 – It featured the first referee crew we’ve seen use the actual chains for a first-down measurement. No. 2 – It was the first game we’ve covered this Fall that did not include an interception returned for a touchdown.

For Jurupa Hills, it seemed everywhere the Spartans turned there was a defender. The stats attest as JHills gained only five first downs and 67 total yards from scrimmage. It was a miserable night on offense, and opening the playbook for new QB Marquis Roby may have been too big an ask against such a committed and relentless defense. Why they don’t put the ball in the hands of Jordan Napier more? And where was senior QB Andray Freeman and junior RB/WR Stacy Bey?

Jurupa Hills head coach Citos Marinez: “We thought we could the ball to perimeter because of their size, and they just played a great game. I just have to tip my hat to them, coach Matheny and coach Mercado and coach McCarthy. They got them ready. Their kids played hard. The good thing is that this is happening at the break of the year where now we go into league and we have to win two of the three games to get in (to the playoffs) and all three to be the champ. So that’s the good thing – we still have stuff to play for at the end of the season. We got to watch the film and see what is causing us to turn the ball over and not be successful, but again, the good thing is we’ll have a lot guys that will be coming back soon. Their defensive line did a good job of containing us. They had a really good scheme.”

For Summit, one cannot overlook the job the defense did in a game where its offense ran fewer plays than the other team, they turned the ball over more than the other team and they were penalized at a rate of more than 2-to-1. And senior RB De’Marri “Beanie Matheny” Owens (pictured) is a delight. The SkyHawks bowling ball greased his way down the lane for a 44-yard TD on his first carry, and he and powerful sophomore Sitane Mikaele just pounded the ball behind a big-boy offensive line for more than 220 combined rushing yards.

Summit head coach Nick Matheny: “We probably could’ve finished it earlier but they’re a great team. We have a good quarterback and they have a great pass defense so we had to switch some things up, make a couple of adjustments and sometimes you have to grind it out. Last week we threw for four touchdowns and 275 (yards), and this week we had to grind it out. I attribute (only allowing 21 points the last four weeks) to the way we practice on defense. Devean James is a four-year starter at linebacker. Carlos Hamana (48) is a two-year starter and the end of the day they do so much, mentally, to get our dudes – and we have some dudes in the front, we have some boys – they do some much to get us right, and then everybody just plays really hard. We came into the saying this, ‘We have to pop a run or a pass’ and we took some shots but they covered us up, you know what I mean? (Payton Clark) makes the big throw here when everybody thinks we’re going to run the clock out. It’s a long throw, across the field (and) sophomore-to-sophomore, mind you, and so great job of our guys of not being being selfish and worrying about themselves and just worrying about the outcome. At this moment, I feel pretty (expletive) good. Our defensive coordingator Mark Mercado and our assistant head coach Jeff McCarthy and our entire defensive staff… I don’t know if there’s people that work harder. Mark Mercado is a special human being. He does things that I can’t do. I do the talking, and he grinds it out.”

Jurupa Hills – 0 – 0 – 6 – 0 — 6
Summit – 0 – 7 – 0 – 7 — 14
First quarter
No scoring
Second quarter
S – Owens 44 run (Chavez kick), 10:57
Third quarter
No scoring
Fourth quarter
JH – Roby 5 run (kick failed), 9:00
S – Mikaele 8 run (Chavez kick), 2:25
Team statistics
Total plays – Jurupa Hills 55; Summit 49.
First downs – Jurupa Hills 5; Summit 7.
Penalties – Jurupa Hills 4-35; Summit 11-90.
Turnovers – Jurupa Hills 2; Summit 3.
Individual statistics
Rushing – Jurupa Hills: Napier 5-23, Taylor 5-10, Roby 13-1, Calderon 7-(minus-4); Summit: Owens 13-130, Mikaele 14-88, James 4-10, I.Hall 1-(minus-2), Clark 2-(minus-8).
Passing – Jurupa Hills: Roby 5-13-1-30, Ruiz 2-5-0-7, Napier 0-1-0-0; Summit: Clark 5-15-2-40.
Receiving – Jurupa Hills: ; Summit: James 2-17, A.Hall 2-13, Tufag 1-10.
Interceptions – Jurupa Hills: Muniz 1-4, Napier 1-0; Summit: Purifoy 1-20.

PHOTO: Fontana Herald-News