Tight-knit Valley Center team is one win away from state football title

VALLEY CENTER — When friends Braylon Mitchell, Jesse Morales and Joeisha Ryan Tirado entered Valley Center High School, they vowed to find a road to a CIF football championship before they graduated.

The Jaguars won a league championship two years ago, but the path to a San Diego Section title was elusive.

A promising senior season went wildly off course, and the injury-ravaged Jaguars were 1-5 after a forfeit loss to Carlsbad and a 61-28 beatdown at Imperial the next week.

Finally healthy in Week 7, Valley Center found the right route to a title.

The Jaguars beat Escondido and Mt. Carmel, suffered a “slap-the-face” 49-7 loss to San Pasqual and then pulled off a 29-27 upset of Ramona that gave the Jaguars a share of the Palomar League championship with San Pasqual and Ramona.

“The Ramona game was the first time in a while that we saw we had a legitimate team,” said Mitchell, the team’s senior quarterback who will lead the Jaguars (8-6) 100 miles north Friday to tackle San Jose Lincoln (11-3) at Fullerton College with the State Division 6-AA championship on the line.

“We saw that when we were healthy, we had a dominant team.”

At their lowest, the Jaguars were without most 11 starters, including their left tackle and right guard. The top four quarterbacks were all out at some point, forcing the team to audition a junior-varsity wide receiver at the position.

Mitchell, who has completed 199 of 307 passes for 2,995 yards and 31 touchdowns with 11 interceptions, was the healthiest quarterback … and he had a separated left shoulder.

“I told the coaches to brace it up and let’s play,” the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Mitchell said. “But with so many guys out, they didn’t think it was worth the risk.”

Added Valley Center coach Bill Dunckel: “I hated to forfeit, just hated it. It’s not in my nature to give up, but we had no choice. We were searching for answers. We had guys playing out of position. We had to scheme for that. We had no rhythm. …

“That was definitely the low point.”

Once the Jaguars hit the playoffs, they rolled over Mira Mesa (56-29), with Mitchell throwing for 232 yards and Tirado rushing for 217.

La Jolla Country Day fell 42-35. Tirado rushed for 297 yards and four touchdowns.

In the San Diego Section Division 4 championship, the Jaguars edged Eastlake 21-14 with Mitchell throwing for 208 yards, Tirado rushing for 156 yards and Morales catching nine passes for 135 yards.

Last week in the Southern California Regional 6-AA Championship, Valley Center beat Moreno Valley Valley View 30-19. Mitchell threw for 225 yards, Tirado ran for 128 and Morales caught five passes for 121 yards.

A two-way star, Tirado has rushed 219 times for 1,362 yards and 16 TDs. On defense, he has 42 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks.

“I had a couple of fumbles early in the season and the coaches kind of lost trust in me,” Tirado said. “Then I got hurt. When I got back, I was determined to help the team. I’m kind of a seek-contact running back. I’m not shifty. I run over guys. That’s why I like playing defense because I’d rather hit guys than be hit.”

Morales has 85 catches for 1,361 yards and 15 TDs.

“Braylon and I have a special connection,” Morales said. “We can change a play, a pass route with just a nod. We’ve played together for so long that there is a natural connection.”

Morales credits this season’s success to new offensive coordinator Kris Plash, who, like Dunckel, was a star receiver in high school at Orange Glen.

“(Plash) saw the connection Braylon and I have,” Morales said. “Now, we throw it 60% of the time. He has made a huge difference.”

Valley Center, a school with an enrollment of just under 1,100, is a one-school town. The football connections run deep.

“We all play Pop Warner together,” Mitchell said. “Escondido Pop Warner is very good, but those kids scatter to a bunch of schools once they get to high school. Up here, we stick together.”

There’s also a family atmosphere within the program.

There are four Stehlys on the team — Mitch, Joaquin, Max and Jack. All are major contributors. Max and Jack are brothers. All are cousins.

“The players here love the coaching staff,” Dunckel said. “They love each other. They love football. When we were 1-5 and struggling, not one kid bitched. Not one kid wanted to give up. Sure, they were frustrated. So were the coaches.

“This is a small, tight-knit community. These kids think it’s cool to go to a small school. They knew that once we got healthy, got on the right road, we had a chance to do something special.”