High school football scene & heard: Rain holds off as Dons leave Mission Hills all wet

SAN MARCOS — Flash flood watch. Atmospheric river. Lightning. Stage 3 event.

From the weather forecast you’d have thought Friday’s football playoffs were going to require canoes and paddles. But 2½ hours before Friday’s Cathedral Catholic-Mission Hills Open Division semifinal, just the slightest drizzle was falling.

Mission Hills, though, was prepared. Two large tents protected the Grizzlies’ benches, Gatorade bottles and a training table.

There was nothing on the Cathedral sideline.

“They knew the weather forecast,” said Mission Hills defensive coordinator Thomas Altieri.

Like clockwork, Cathedral staff walked onto the field minutes later, setting up tents.

By game time, the skies were dry.

Weather impact

Fans were armed with umbrellas. There was a tent in the Cathedral stands and cheerleaders opted for warmth, wearing sweatsuits. But the most obvious sign of the rain forecast were a few empty seats in both stands.

To the house

Cathedral Catholic’s start couldn’t have been better. The Dons forced a fumble on the first play from scrimmage. Then Honor Fa’alave-Johnson, featured in Friday’s Union-Tribune, busted up the middle for a 47-yard touchdown. Elapsed time: 19 seconds.

Boy Scout?

Three days before kickoff, Fa’alave-Johnson knew the weather forecast predicted rain.

“I like to be prepared,” he said.

Cathedral Catholic won 42-35 on a final-minute TD run by Fa’alave-Johnson.

Ode to AC/DC

Fittingly, Mission Hills walked onto the field with AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” blasting from the speakers. The selection wasn’t weather-related.

“It’s the first song played every game,” said Mission Hills ASB director Jocelyn O’Neil. “It’s their walkout song.”

Coach of the Year?

DJ Zapata is a 35-year-old math teacher at Mission Hills. The initials stand for Daniel James. He doesn’t bother with periods after the initials.

“I’m a math teacher,” said Zapata. “I don’t pay attention to punctuation.”

He’s also a husband and father of three children: Myles, soon to be 6; Oliva, soon to be 4; and Morgan, 1. Last month for Halloween, Myles trick-or-treated as a Ninja, Oliva as Snow White and Morgan as Tinkerbell.

Zapata is also a big reason for the Grizzlies’ success.

Mission Hills opened the season 4-0, then was rocked when Chris Hauser, the program’s only head coach since the school opened in 2004, was placed on administrative leave after the San Marcos Unified School District opened an investigation into an ongoing but unspecified matter.

Into the breach stepped Zapata, a former Grizzlies starting quarterback. Zapata had served Hauser as quarterbacks coach the past 11 seasons.

As to why the team has played so well under potentially tumultuous circumstances, Zapata said: “I would say leaning on tradition and the recipe that’s been laid out for 22 years. The message has been that the standard is the standard.”

Hauser compiled a 176-74-2 record at Mission Hills. The Grizzlies won the Open Division title in 2013 and lost section championship games in 2017 (Open), 2012, ’22 and ’23 (D1) and 2007, ’10 (D2).

Hauser hat tip

Hauser resigned last month as a teacher and coach at Mission Hills. His presence, though, is still felt. “The culture Coach Hauser built has stayed here and will stay here as long as possible,” said Huhn.

Huhn take II

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Huhn withdrew his commitment to Penn State after former Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin was fired. He said he’s not leaning toward any college right now.

“The plan is to finish this season with all my guys, enjoy it, then take it slow, day by day,” he said.

What’s your blood type?

Cathedral Catholic junior running back Alex Voils penned a message on his back plate, which hangs from the shoulder pads. “Why be scared? You bleed how I bleed.”

Food review

When a burger’s on the menu, we go for the beef. Cheeseburger, fries and soft drink, the $8 tab picked up by colleague John Maffei, was delicious. Four belches on U-T five-belch meter.

Quotable

Mission Hills middle linebacker Andrew Romer on the Grizzlies overcoming adversity, “Most teams, the situation we had would have drawn people apart. We came together. We embraced the problem rather than ran from it.”