Despite win, Titans not happy with performance

By: SCOTT BAIR - Staff Writer | Saturday, September 1, 2007 12:53 AM PDT ∞

Poway's Nick Milani, left, and Mikael Sowadski bring down Eastlake's Jeremiah Andujo during the 2nd quarter at Poway High School on Friday.
HAYNE PALMOUR IV Staff Photographer
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POWAY ---- Expectations are different at Poway High.

That was plain on Friday night, when the football team wasn't happy with a dominant 27-14 victory over No. 8-ranked Eastlake. Poway scored in every way possible from offense to defense to special teams. The team played excellent defense, produced a number of big plays and only had three penalties.

Despite all that, smiles were a rarity for those in green and white.

"We were inconsistent, especially on offense," Poway coach Damian Gonzalez said. "We played well on defense, but on certain plays we showed a lack of discipline. While I'm proud of our defensive effort, big plays are what kept us in this game."

Disappointment was also understandable for a team that expects to still be playing in December. No. 4 Poway (1-0) was good at times and purely unstoppable at others, but it was not perfect, something that must be strived for if both a Palomar League and a CIF San Diego Section Division I title are to be won.

That's why tailback Nick Ricciardulli, who rushed 20 times for 176 yards and a touchdown, evaluated his performance in somber tones.

"To be honest I really didn't run that well," he said. "I had some big plays there, but I wasn't consistent enough, especially up the middle. But it's early yet. There's plenty of time to fix what went wrong."

"Correctable mistakes" was a term Gonzalez used to describe his team's misgivings.

"There's nothing I saw tonight that we can't fix," he said. "That, above all else, is encouraging."

Gonzalez had to be encouraged by the play of Nick Milani. The senior safety/running back had an excellent night that included a touchdown on a 65-yard punt return, another on an 18-yard run and spectacular defense highlighted by a leaping interception.

Milani had to be that one player completely satisfied with the season opener, right? Wrong.

"It's a good start, not a great one," he said. "We need to build on this game for next week."

Milani's efforts overshadowed tremendous play by nose guard Bobby Nelson and linebacker Niko Skawinski, who shut down Eastlake's running attack. Poway's defense dominated the line of scrimmage and made life difficult for Eastlake quarterback Derek Witte.

Poway fans learned a bit about their quarterback Tynan Murray after his first varsity start. He's a stark contrast to Donnie McKillop, a cannon-armed hurler who ran the offense in the three previous seasons.

Murray is much faster and capable of breaking off a long run at any time, but he looked a bit nervous at the outset. He still hasn't shown accuracy in his arm, but his legs provide yet another weapon to Poway's already potent offense.

While his passing could be better, Murray proved to be a competent game manager against Eastlake (0-1) who doesn't take unnecessary risks.

Contact staff writer Scott Bair at (760) 739-6642 or sbair@nctimes.com.