Helix Falls Short of Beating Eastlake in Clash of the Titans, Losing 21-14

Was Helix robbed?

In a reality check for San Diego football rankings, Helix Charter High School fell one touchdown shy of beating Division I powerhouse Eastlake High on the opening night of the prep football season, falling 21-14 to the visiting Titans.

But an end-of-game pass from Helix quarterback Brandon Lewis to Kendall Keys that could have been the tying or (with a conversion) winning touchdown was ruled incomplete. (See video.)

Eastlake senior running back/safety Jude Isbell broke up the pass to Keys with 1:16 left Friday night.

“I made one [similar hit my] freshman year, but I don’t think anything quite that big,” Isbell told The Reader. “I don’t know what it looked like, but his helmet fell off and it felt pretty good.”

Helix coaches thought that Keys had possession long enough for the play to be ruled a touchdown, but referees ruled it an incomplete pass.

“It was a bang-bang call,” Starr told The Reader. “It was a judgment call, so what are you going to do? I told him I disagreed, but what is that good for?”

Rated No. 1 in one poll and No. 2 in another, the Scotties came within 17 yards and 76 seconds in the final quarter of potentially beating the No. 3-ranked team in the county. But mistakes and controversial referee calls doomed the Highlanders to a 0-1 record after losing only one game last season.

Coach Troy Starr, in his fourth year leading the Scotties, said: “We made a lot of mistakes.” Several players were banged up in the game, but the injuries didn’t appear serious. 

Eastlake scored first with 1:12 left in the first quarter after the Scotties prevented an earlier score in the red zone. The Titans went up 14-0 after 67-yard run with 9:50 to go in the first half against Helix.

With 4:33 left in first half, Helix scored, and trailed 14-7. Helix kept Eastlake from scoring from within 5 yards just before halftime. Eastlake went ahead 21-7 with 2:56 in the third quarter after a drive that included at least two fourth-down conversions.

Finally, Helix scored with 7:43 left in the game on 39-yard pass from Brandon Lewis to Kendall Keys.

“This is a great win,” Isbell told The Reader. “We were looking forward to this all offseason and this is what we were working hard for.”

At bottom, Starr said, “we got a chance to see who we are.”