SAN DIEGO SECTION FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : 2-A : Lincoln’s Speed Spells End to Oceanside’s Title Hopes, 41-7

SAN DIEGO â€”  After the final gun sounded, Lincoln High Coach Vic Player simply stood on the sideline and applauded.

It was probably the most appropriate thing he could have done. After all, Player had just watched his Hornets dismantle Oceanside, 41-7, to win the school’s second consecutive San Diego Section 2-A football championship at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

The 34-point spread was the largest in a Section championship since the CIF began keeping such records in San Diego in 1960.

After he was done applauding, Player walked across the field and spoke to Oceanside Coach Roy Scaffidi. Scaffidi, too, applauded Lincoln.

“You have a great team,� Scaffidi told Player. “I’m just sorry we couldn’t give you a better game.�

Other Oceanside coaches agreed. “You guys have a fantastic football team,� several of them said.

There was much evidence of Lincoln’s brilliance Saturday night, despite the fact that the Hornets’ all-county wide receiver, Patrick Rowe, was injured and was in only two plays of the second half.

“Hey, this is my fourth CIF championship team and this is my best,� Player said. “We really just have some outstanding athletes.�

Some examples:

--Quarterback Keith Mitchell, sidelined in last week’s semifinal victory over Grossmont with an ankle injury, had the speed to avoid Oceanside’s rush and completed 15 of 21 passes for 224 yards and 3 touchdowns.

--Running back Marcus Hopkins rushed 15 times for 114 yards and 1 touchdown. Hopkins also filled in at cornerback for Rowe in the second half and helped limit Oceanside’s big receiving threat, Junior Seau, to just four receptions.

--Tight end Charles Patterson, whose father, Charles Sr., played at Lincoln in 1969, caught 4 passes for 71 yards and 2 touchdowns. Patterson, a cornerback on defense, also had an interception.

Patterson’s father never played in a Section championship while at Lincoln. But he was thrilled for his son.

“He was squeezing the heck out of my cheeks after the game,� the younger Patterson said of his father. “He may have been happier than I was.�

Coming into the game, Oceanside had hoped to stay with Lincoln’s speed. Instead, after Lincoln moved 80 yards to a touchdown on its first possession, the only time the Pirates had a look at the game was late in the second quarter.

That’s when Duane Wilson recovered a fumble at the Lincoln 20-yard line--the Hornets’ only turnover of the game--and, four plays later, Sai Niu scored on a three-yard run to get Oceanside to 14-7.

The Pirates’ momentum, however, was fleeting. Lincoln drove 67 yards on four plays to extend its lead to 21-7 at halftime.

The touchdown came with just five seconds remaining in the half on a 42-yard pass from Mitchell to Patterson.

“I told the coaches I could get open on the ‘Slot left, 87 pass,’ � Patterson said.

There was man-to-man coverage on the play and Mitchell hit Patterson with a perfect pass down the sideline.

“That made it really difficult on them,� Player said. “They were close at 14-7 and all of a sudden we score again.�

On the second play of the third quarter, Rowe ran left and was upended by Seau. He left the game suffering from a slight memory loss and did not return. Still, Lincoln continued to dominate.

Mitchell hit Patterson on a 13-yard scoring pass late in the third quarter to make it 28-7. In the fourth quarter, Kevin Key scored on a three-yard run and Kenneth Hawkins scored on three-yard pass from backup quarterback Freddie Stokes to account for the final margin.

Moments later, the clock ran out. And then the applauding started.