Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Division I Finals: Poway vs. Vista

Titans dethrone Panthers in record-setting blowout

QUALCOMM STADIUM – Poway came into the season with dreams of a Division I title, and on Monday night concluded its campaign in dreamlike fashion. The top-seeded Titans played a near perfect game against third-seeded Vista, winning their second section title in school history with a record-setting 56-0 victory.

“That is one way to go out,” said Poway quarterback Gabriel Isaak. “I’m so proud of these guys – they worked so hard from the very beginning and we believed that we would win this game. It’s finally here, we finally did it, and now we can celebrate.”

Rather than shy away from the championship spotlight, Poway (12-0-1) embraced it from the outset. The Titans blew away Vista (7-6) with seven touchdowns in the first half, including a pair of three-score outbursts in each of the opening quarters.

“We got up early and the pressure came off, and everybody was loose and just started having fun,” said Poway head coach Damian Gonzalez.

Poway had a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter and broke the game open by scoring two touchdowns in 11 seconds. With 6:28 left Conor Flanagan ran for a seven-yard touchdown to put the Titans up 14-0 and after a Jonathan Petersen interception, Poway scored on its next play – a 21-yard touchdown pass from Isaak to Isaiah Gross.

“We were clicking tonight and so many kids stepped up,” Gonzalez said. “It was just a whole team effort.”

After the first quarter Poway had a commanding 28-0 lead, and the score stayed that way until the Titans unleashed a three-touchdown assault on Vista in the final three minutes of the first half. The middle score was a 65-yard interception return touchdown by junior Derek Babiash that put Poway up by 42 points.

“I saw the guy break on the out route and I knew I was going to jump it,” Babiash said. “The ball came and right when I got it I had my eyes on the end zone and I kept on running.”

Babiash finished the game with a career-high three interceptions and more than 100 interception return yards. Poway forced seven Vista turnovers in what ended as the most lopsided title game in section history.

“I wanted to make big plays, so basically I was just being a ballhawk and following where the ball went,” Babiash said. “Whatever our coaches game plan during the week, we just listen to that and seem to end up in the right spots every game.”

Poway led by 49 at halftime, and finished with a finals record 56 points. The Titans captured their first Division I crown since 2007 by drubbing the defending champion Panthers.

“Our kids played so well, I’m so proud of them and I’m so excited,” Gonzalez said. “I’m glad we brought home another title to Poway.”

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

2024 continues to impress with yellowfin much closer to San Diego than they should be

New rockfish regulations coming this week as opener approaches

Titans dethrone Panthers in record-setting blowout

QUALCOMM STADIUM – Poway came into the season with dreams of a Division I title, and on Monday night concluded its campaign in dreamlike fashion. The top-seeded Titans played a near perfect game against third-seeded Vista, winning their second section title in school history with a record-setting 56-0 victory.

“That is one way to go out,” said Poway quarterback Gabriel Isaak. “I’m so proud of these guys – they worked so hard from the very beginning and we believed that we would win this game. It’s finally here, we finally did it, and now we can celebrate.”

Rather than shy away from the championship spotlight, Poway (12-0-1) embraced it from the outset. The Titans blew away Vista (7-6) with seven touchdowns in the first half, including a pair of three-score outbursts in each of the opening quarters.

“We got up early and the pressure came off, and everybody was loose and just started having fun,” said Poway head coach Damian Gonzalez.

Poway had a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter and broke the game open by scoring two touchdowns in 11 seconds. With 6:28 left Conor Flanagan ran for a seven-yard touchdown to put the Titans up 14-0 and after a Jonathan Petersen interception, Poway scored on its next play – a 21-yard touchdown pass from Isaak to Isaiah Gross.

“We were clicking tonight and so many kids stepped up,” Gonzalez said. “It was just a whole team effort.”

After the first quarter Poway had a commanding 28-0 lead, and the score stayed that way until the Titans unleashed a three-touchdown assault on Vista in the final three minutes of the first half. The middle score was a 65-yard interception return touchdown by junior Derek Babiash that put Poway up by 42 points.

“I saw the guy break on the out route and I knew I was going to jump it,” Babiash said. “The ball came and right when I got it I had my eyes on the end zone and I kept on running.”

Babiash finished the game with a career-high three interceptions and more than 100 interception return yards. Poway forced seven Vista turnovers in what ended as the most lopsided title game in section history.

“I wanted to make big plays, so basically I was just being a ballhawk and following where the ball went,” Babiash said. “Whatever our coaches game plan during the week, we just listen to that and seem to end up in the right spots every game.”

Poway led by 49 at halftime, and finished with a finals record 56 points. The Titans captured their first Division I crown since 2007 by drubbing the defending champion Panthers.

“Our kids played so well, I’m so proud of them and I’m so excited,” Gonzalez said. “I’m glad we brought home another title to Poway.”

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Santa Fe Christian Drops Palo Verde Valley in Dominant Fashion

Next Article

Point Loma's Rogers outruns Monte Vista in spectacular performance

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.