Eastlake High School defeats San Marcos Knights Friday night, claiming their first victory in the 2021 Division 1 CIF San Diego Football Championship tournament.
The local football powerhouse are now on a 3-game-winning streak, as they approach this Friday night’s playoff game vs Lincoln High School.
Head coach Jose Mendoza says, they are approaching this postseason with a focused mindset, fully determined to make a deep run in this year’s CIF tournament.
“After our mid-season losses, we started focusing on the little details, as far as execution and not making mental mistakes. Knowing where to go, knowing your role and your responsibility.”
This playoff tournament is familiar territory for coach Mendoza, who has over 30 years of coaching experience on his resume.
However, this postseason is his first experience participating in a playoff bracket as head coach representing Eastlake High School, where he feels he has adapted well into their football program.
“The main thing is building a bond with the kids, getting to know the kids, because every community is different. Once you identify the bond and that connection, everything else on the field is all about football.”
This comes one year after high school football teams across San Diego County faced the adversity of dealing with a global pandemic, stalling the ability to play a full season.
Coach Mendoza believes, the biggest accomplishment for this team has been the breakthrough they’ve had as a collective unit despite a global pandemic, stating that dealing with adversity has helped them become tougher individuals.
“Not everything goes according to plan, so being able to deal with that, has propelled them to become young men for the future,” Mendoza says, “If you are able to adapt as a young adult, you’ll be successful wherever."
During the third game of this season, starting quarterback Johnny Limon suffered a collar bone injury, which suddenly placed Senior student Jordan Blondin at the helm of the quarterback position.
However, Blondin is confident that his contribution to the team will continue to provide success as they roll through the playoffs.
“I just go in with the mindset of staying composed, I can’t let the little things get to my head as the starting quarterback of this team.”
The Eastlake defense also enters this week with full confidence, after consecutive Friday nights of allowing no touchdowns, in large part due to the leadership and playmaking of senior captain Trey White.
The senior defensive captain recently committed to San Diego State University in October, where he will be playing Division-I Football for the Aztecs next Fall.
“I chose SDSU because it’s close to home, so my family and friends could watch me, and I also really like their style of defense.”
White has been an Eastlake Titan for all four years, and believes this year’s squad has the potential to make a deep run in the CIF playoffs, with the possibility of winning a championship ring before graduating.
“We just dominated our freshman year and had the mindset throughout high school of wanting to win CIF,” White says, “ We knew coming into this year, that it was going to be special with all the talent we have.”
Lincoln High School will host the Eastlake Titans this Friday night at 7pm, as the quest for San Diego’s Division-I CIF title continues.
