By Ed Piper, Jr.
Hilltop defensive coordinator Kurt Gritts views his football team's 38-6 win over Castle Park in week one as comparable to La Jolla's 43-0 shutout of Montgomery--a win over a weak opponent.
"We run a spread offense from the shotgun, so we're somewhat similar to La Jolla," said Gritts, looking ahead to Friday's game.
"(We know) what we've seen on film" about the Vikings. "They beat heck out of Montgomery. Montgomery's line didn't block. They'll battle Castle Park for the bottom (down here)."
One of Gritts' defensive leaders is middle linebacker Domonic Esparza. "He fills the hole pretty good, makes tackles," says his coach.
"Our 'D' is not too bad. Our team speed is pretty good."
Hilltop runs a 5-2 defense, "a little different from what (La Jolla) has seen," said the defensive coordinator.
On the offensive side, quarterback Alex Tejeda is a three-year starter. "He throws the ball very well. His vision and speed are good."
Regarding the potential dual distractions of La Jolla playing its first game on its new surface and the home opener being Blastoff, Gritts said, "We've talked a little about it being the first game on the new field. Get through the first quarter, and..."
Hilltop (1-0) is ranked fifth in Division 3 by MaxPreps. La Jolla is ranked 13th. Hoover, a City League opponent, is ranked 16th. La Jolla has a particularly weak strength of schedule rating, -34.8, meaning its scheduled opponents are easier than many other teams.
The Lancers play in the Metro League South Bay. Head coach is Drew Westling. Their strength of schedule ranking is -6.7.
Among teams in the newly constituted City League, Patrick Henry and University City won their openers, as did La Jolla. Serra and Hoover lost.
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