Helix comes from behind to beat Lincoln 28-21 in San Diego Section Division 1 Championship: 3 observations

ESCONDIDO, Calif. -- Helix looked to be in trouble at halftime of Saturday's San Diego Section Section Division 1 Championship game, trailing Lincoln 21-14, but the Highlanders defense and special teams took control of the game in the second half and they received just enough offense to take down Lincoln, 28-21.

Below are three observations.

HELIX DEFENSE STEPS UP

The Helix defense allowed a Lincoln touchdown with ten seconds remaining in the first half on Saturday night, just two minutes after the Highlanders had driven down the field to even the game, allowing the Hornets to take a 21-14 lead into the locker rooms and prepare to receive the second half kickoff.

Lincoln’s first drive of the second half ended quickly when Nathan Acevedo fumbled away a reception. Though Helix didn’t score on that drive, it was certainly a sign of things to come.

“I’m just so proud of our young guys for stepping up, the schedule that we faced, playing Servite, Mission Viejo, and Cathedral people don’t understand what these guys have been through and for us to play those teams,” Helix head coach Robbie Owens said.

The Helix defense held strong against the Lincoln offense throughout the third quarter and into the fourth quarter. After forcing a three and out from Lincoln, Helix returned the punt all the way to the 16-yard line before Christian Washington would score from a yard out to tie the game.

Lincoln immediately followed up with a key mistake, a botched toss play that was recovered by Helix, giving the Highlanders the ball on the 28-yard line with less than four minutes to play.

Christian Washington’s fourth touchdown of the night came on a one-yard run with 73 seconds remaining to give Helix their first lead since midway through the fourth quarter.

Without any timeouts and needing seven points to tie, Lincoln was sacked on their first play but bounced back with a long first down allowing them to spike the ball and stop the clock. After the spike, Helix brought pressure, causing Jalen Daniels to throw an inaccurate pass that ended up right in the hands of Helix junior Ezriel Noa to seal the win.

“Saw the quarterback getting sacked, I just saw the ball come out, put my hands up and it landed right in my hands,” Noa said.

The Highlanders had completed as good of a second half as they could hope for, shutting out Lincoln for the final 24 minutes while forcing three turnovers.

“It’s just unbelievable to watch the growth and development we’ve had,” Owens said.

RUNNING BACKS ON DISPLAY

Christian Washington first made a name for himself when he took over for an injured Elelyon Noa late in the 2019 season and helped the Highlanders not skip a beat in the rushing game, finishing with 163 yards and a touchdown in the Open Division championship game. Fast forward two years and Washington is still causing headaches for opposing defensive coordinators.

The senior started slowly on Saturday night, but the Helix staff made some adjustments, allowing Washington to break a few runs over the course of the final three quarters.

Washington carried early and often for Helix, finishing with 45 carries for 191 yards and four touchdowns.

Roderick Robinson showed glimpses for the Hornets in the spring season, rushing for 135 yards on 15 carries but took his game to a different level during his junior season.

The junior continues to be one of San Diego’s hardest players to tackle and made his presence known against Helix, rushing for 178 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.

“The shoutout I would give first of all is that (Roderick Robinson) is a freakin’ stud,” Robbie Owens said postgame.

DECISION TIME FOR THE HIGHLANDERS

After Lincoln’s fumble with less than four minutes left to play, Helix ran the ball straight at the Hornets, looking to chew up the clock while also looking for a potential game-winning score.

They found themselves facing a 4th and one from the seven-yard line with 1:17 to play when Robbie Owens called a timeout to discuss the possibilities.

“To be honest with you I was gonna kick it,” Owens said “When they came to the sidelines you just know you’ve got your team when they come to the sidelines and they’re telling you the play I would’ve called if I was gonna go for it, so for them to have that confidence and know what our identity is, I just didn’t want to kick it I felt like we had an opportunity there.”

Helix responded with a direct snap to Christian Washington who ran around the right edge and was tackled right at the line to gain, giving Helix a fresh set of downs. Two plays later Washington took the toss and ran around the right edge in what proved to be the game-winning touchdown.

“At the end of the day you just keep handing the ball off to Christian and eventually he’s gonna break one,” Owens said.

Washington did break a few big runs during the game but his two one-yard touchdown runs in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference for Helix in the Division 1 Championship.