LEFT:  PCAC Men's Athlete of the Week Anthony Young celebrates of his three interceptions in win over nationally No. 6-ranked Saddleback . RIGHT: Orenzo Davis, Southern Conference All-Purpose Player of the Week, breaks off a 75-yard run to set up Palomar's second touchdown. -- Photos  by Hugh Cox

Young, Davis get conference honors after win

SAN DIEGO / LONG BEACH (10-13-09) -- Palomar cornerback Anthony Young and running back / kick returner Oroenzo Davis have received weekly conference honors for their play vs. Saddleback on Saturday night.

Young, a sophomore from Colony High School in Ontario, California, was selected as Men's Athlete of the Week for all sports by the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference, which doesn't sponsor football but is Palomar's regular home conference.

Davis, a sophomore from Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, was named Southern California Football Association's Conference All-Purpose Player of the Week.

Young intercepted three passes in the fourth quarter -- one to set up a touchdown, one to stop a deep Saddleback drive and the final  one in the end zone to save the game with eight seconds left as the nationally 16th-ranked Comets upset No. 6 Saddleback 27-21 on the road.

Davis rushed for 87 yards on 11 carries, including a 75-yard gain to set up the Comets' second touchdown, caught two passes for 16 yards and tacked on 97 yards on three kickoff returns, including a 49-yarder.

ABOVE: Kevin Ditch kicks his second field goal of the game, a 39 yarder, as time runs out in the firSt half. Note the ball between Palomar blocker Jared Bamber (87) and Saddleback defender Cameron Chadwick (21).. BELOW LEFT: Safety Chris Boudreaux, whose huge hit sparked the Comets.

Young: 3 4th-quarter picks; No. 6 Gauchos fall

MISSION VIEJO (10-10-09) -- Cornerback Anthony Young's third interception of the fourth quarter preserved the win Saturday night as Palomar, ranked 16th nationally by the J.C. Grid-Wire, stunned sixth-ranked Saddleback 27-21.

With eight seconds to play, Young, at 5-foot-9, intercepted the ball in the left corner of the end zone in front of  6-foot-8 T.J. Knowles, the intended receiver on a 16-yard pass from quarterback Brad Curtis. The Gauchos had tried to create a height mismatch with Knowles running a fade pattern.

Young's two previous picks in the quarter set up Tyler Lavea's 6-yard touchdown run with 12:48 left in the game that gave Palomar (5-1, 1-1 Southern Conference) a 27-14 lead, and stopped another Saddleback drive at the Comet 12-yard line (photo, above left, by Hugh Cox).

Young's three interceptions for the game tied the Palomar record set by Josh Hargis, who went on to play for Iowa State, in a 44-24 victory over Long Beach Beach City College on Nov.  8, 2003. Young also contributed 11 tackles, nine solo, as the Gauchos fell to 5-1, 1-1.

To top off Young's big night, Cal was at the game to watch him -- and the Golden Bears represent his dream school. Young and Cal would appear to be a logical match. Palomar players have had good success at Cal over the years, most notably Keith Miller, who went on to be named the North's Player of the game in the 2000 Senior Bowl, then play linebacker in the NFL for the Seahawks and Rams.

Among other huge plays for the Comets on Saturday:

• Free safety Chris Boudreaux delivered the most violent hit of Palomar's season to separate Saddleback receiver Tre Villahamosa from the ball on an attempted catch -- perhaps the biggest spark the Comets had in the game.

• Defensive end Jeff Voa blocked a Saddleback field goal try and recovered the ball  back on the other side of the 50-yard line, setting up a  up a 40-yard Kevin Ditch field goal.

• Wide receiver Martavious Lee delivered a big hit of his own to level Saddleback's Richard Crawford after Crawford intercepted a pass.

All this came on a night quarterback Nate Ong gave Palomar a 14-0 first-quarter lead on touchdown pass plays of 56 yards to Saalim Hakim and 8 yards to Lee -- and was 7-for-9 passing for 101 yards. Ong then gave way to original 2009 QB starter Matt Christian, who sparked the Comets' offense the rest of the night.

Christian, who had been sidelined since the second game of the season with a broken hand, was 13-for-26 passing for 152 yards.

Orenzo Davis totaled an even 200 offensive yards -- 85 yards rushing on 11 carries (including a 75-yarder to set up a touchdown), 16 yards on two receptions and 97 yards for three kickoff returns.

Wide receiver Paul Moore also had a productive night with seven catches for 87 yards -- including a series of grabs in heavy traffic,  diving for the ball and on third-down plays.

Hakim had two receptions for 56 yards and Lee three catches for 33 yards.

Ditch also contributed a 30-yard field goal with no time remaining in the second quarter. And strong safety Dean Faddis (eight tackles, four solo, one sack, one tackle for loss), tackle Wade Tolbert (seven tackles, five solo, one sack, three tackles for losses), Tanner Hicks, DeMario Williams, Cordell Rodgers and Matt Segi also came up big defensively.

GAME STATS | SEASON STATS

Quarterback Nate Ong looks downfield on the last play of the game vs. Grossmont on Saturday. Ong's long pass was incomplete just out of bounds in the right corner near the goal line. -- Photo by Hugh Cox

Video review gives QB Ong first 300-yd. game

SAN MARCOS (10-7-09) -- A video review of Palomar's 29-26 s to Grossmont on Saturday gives redshirt freshman quarterback Nate Ong his first 300-yard passing game.

An Ong-to-Paul Moore completion was recorded for the wrong distance. Ong's adjusted statistics are 25-for-37 with one interception for 306 yards and two touchdowns.

Moore's corrected statistics gives him eight receptions in the game for 98 yards.

Before Saturday, the last Palomar quarterback to throw for at least  300 yards was Hunter Wanket, now the starting QB at Central Connecticut State, who had 326 yards passing in a 34-14 win over San Bernardino Valley on Sept. 1, 2007.

ABOVE: Nate Ong and Martavious Lee hook up on a 29-yard pass play for Palomar's final touchdown with 2:27 left in the game. -- Photos by Hugh Cox. BELOW: Middle linebacker Matt Segi hauls down Grossmont ball-carrier. -- Photo by Rick Rowell

Comets' 4th-quarter comeback short 29-26

ESCONDIDO (10-3-09) -- Palomar's Southern Conference football opener against Grossmont on Saturday afternoon at Wilson Stadium by the numbers:

• The Comets outscored Grossmont 26-3 in the first, third and fourth quarters.

• But the Griffins outscored the Comets 26-0 in the second quarter.

You do the math. Grossmont won 29-26 to advance to 5-0. Palomar fell to 4-1.

"It was deja vu all over again in that first half," said Palomar coach Joe Early, borrowing a famous Yogi Berra comment relating to Major League baseball to describe the way the Comets came out against the Griffins for the second year in a row. Grossmont, which hadn't beaten Palomar since 1987 prior to last season, now has won the last two games of the series.

"We couldn't move the ball (zero rushing first downs and two passing first downs in the first half, after which the Griffins led 29-10), Early added. "We couldn't tackle. But I was proud of the way we pulled together and came back in the second half. We had our opportunities to win, but we let them fall through our hands.

"On the plus side, I can't see anyone in this conference going undefeated. There are just too many good teams."

Opportunities weren't the only thing that fell through the Comets' hands. So did the football. Palomar fumbled five times, losing two of them. Even more important, the Comets dropped two wide-open touchdown passes.

The Comets led 10-3 after one quarter on a 9-yard Orenzo Davis touchdown run and Kevin Ditch's 38-yard field goal, but fell behind 29-10 at halftime.

Palomar then outscored Grossmont 9-0 in the third quarter on a 5-yard Nate Ong-to-Martavious Lee TD pass and a safety when when the Griffins' punter ran the ball out of the end zone on a fourth-and-21 play from the Grossmont 1-yard line.

The Comets closed to within three points with 2:27 left in  the game, at 29-26, on Ong's 29-yard TD pass to Lee and Ditch's third PAT kick of the afternoon. That capped a 90-yard, three-play drive on which Ong also connected with Paul Moore for 17 yards and Noel Phillips for a 44-yarder.

Ong, a redshirt freshman who inherited the starting quarterback job in the third game after Matt Christian fractured his throwing hand, came of age in the second half and finished the afternoon 24-for-37 passing for 306 yards and two touchdowns.

Moore had eight receptions for 98 yards and Lee six catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

Davis returned four kickoffs for 111 yards.

Ditch was 3-for-3 on PATs.

Safety Dean Faddis led the Comets defensively with 11 tackles (10 solo), a tackle for a loss and a pass break-up. Jose Chairez had eight tackles (four solo) and two tackles for losses. Chris Boudreaux had seven tackles (five solo), broke up a pass and blocked a PAT attempt.

Matt Segi had two sacks, four tackles for losses and recovered a fumble. John Middlemas and Gator Pugh also had fumble recoveries.

GAME STATS | SEASON STATS

Ex-Comet Watters: go-ahead TD for Aztecs

SAN DIEGO (10-3-09) -- When linebacker Willie Watters turned down non-Division I scholarship offers after his sophomore season at Palomar to walk on at San Diego State, his goal was to play D-I football and contribute.

As a fifth-year senior who has been moved from linebacker to defensive end and now to fullback, Watters got his wish on Saturday night.

He caught a 5-yard pass from quarterback Ryan Lindley for the go-ahead touchdown with 8:01 left in the game as the Aztecs defeated New Mexico State 34-17 before an announced crowd of 21,184 at Qualcomm Stadium.

Watters played two seasons for the Comets after arriving from Cherry Creek High School in Englewood, Colorado.

Saints add Lorenzen to their practice squad

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (9-30-09) -- Former Palomar quarterback Tyler Lorenzen, the J.C. Grid-Wire's 2006 All-American first-team quarterback and that season's California Community College Offensive Player of the Year, has been signed to the New Orleans' Saints' practice roster.

Lorenzen, who moved to tight end when he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars during the summer after two seasons as the starting QB at the University of Connecticut, was signed by the Saints as a tight end.

He was released just before the start of the regular season by the Jaguars.

Rushing, defense key PC's 4th win in 4 games

PALM DESERT (9-27-09) -- Nationally fifth-ranked Palomar utilized a punishing ground game and a dominant defensive effort to remain unbeaten after four games on Saturday evening.

Orenzo Davis rushed for 127 yards on 14 carries, including a 3-yard touchdown with 6:42 left in the game to clinch the victory, as the Comets went on the road and defeated College of the Desert 17-7 in a non-conference game.

Noel Phillips added 64 yards rushing on four carries, including a 15-yarder that set up Paul Moore's 8-yard touchdown run out of the "Wildcat" The TD gave Palomar a 10-0 lead in the second quarter. Tyler Lavea rushed for 56 yards on 10 carries.

Safeties Tevan McCaskill and Chris Boudreaux combined for 17 tackles.

McCaskill recorded nine tackles (six solo), intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble and broke up two passes. Boudreaux had eight tackles (six solo), two tackles for losses, broke up two passes and had two of the biggest hits of the game.

Kevin Ditch staked Palomar to a 3-0 first-quarter lead with a 36-yard field goal. He also was 2-for-2 on PATs.

Palomar missed two scoring opportunities in the third quarter, after COD had cut the Comets' lead to 10-7..

The first came on an interception at the goal line after the Comets, getting two first-down runs by Lavea and a pair of Nate Ong completions to Moore and tight end Jared Bamber, had advanced the ball down to the Roadrunners' 6.

The second followed a 52-yard run by Davis as the Comets took the ball to the COD 12. From there, a  a field goal attempt went awry as holder Alex Tweedy had trouble getting the ball down after the snap, picked it up and unsuccessfully tried to run it in.

Ong passed to Moore for 27 yards and a first down and to Bamber for 13 yards and a first down, and Davis broke off a 12-yard first-down run and an 8-yard run to set up Davis' fourth-quarter TD. The touchdown capped a 71-yard,  seven-play drive.

Devin Willis intercepted a pass in the end zone for Palomar on the final play of the game and ran it out to the 29-yard line. DeMarco Williams recorded a sack.Gator Pugh and, Matt Segi each had half a sack.

Shaheen Pourfallah helped give the Comets good field position by averaging 42.4 yards for five punts with a long of 47 yards.

Davis also contributed a 46-yard kickoff return and caught two passes for 13 yards, giving him 186 all-purpose yards..

GAME STATS | SEASON STATS

ABOVE: Defensive end Alika Valese (98) and middle linebacker Tyler Seau (52) double-team Mesa quarterback Tynan Murray. BELOW LEFT: Nate Ong, who was 12-for-18 with a touchdown in his first start at quarterback for the Comets. -- Photos by Rick Rowell. Below right: Raquan Wooden, who had a 50-yard interception return to end  the frirst half.

Lavea finishes off Mesa; No. 3 Comets are 3-0 

ESCONDIDO (9-19-09) -- Tyler Lavea, on one of his best nights, took matters into his own hands as the clock wound down in the final seconds Saturday evening, keeping nationally third-ranked Palomar unbeaten along the way. 

The sophomore running back caught a swing pass from quarterback Nate Ong on the left side, cut it back to the right and threaded his way through San Diego Mesa's defense to the South end zone at Wilson Stadium on a 25-yard touchdown play with 46 seconds remaining.

His effort dropped the hammer to finish off the upset-minded Olympians (0-3). The Comets held on to win 27-17 and advanced to 3-0.

"

"I don't know if I've ever seen a better play than that with everything on the line," said Palomar coach Joe Early. "That was just typical Tyler Lavea.

"Facing fourth-and-long, facing giving the ball back with ... timel eft, that was  huge," Early told the North County Times. "Tyler certainly showed his value to this team. He's like the Energizer Bunny. Whether it's practice or a game, he just keeps going and going."

Mesa, down 20-6 in the third quarter, refused to go away as the Olympians, who haven't beaten the Comets since 1967, battled back to pull to within three points, at 20-17, on a touchdown and two-point conversion pass with 3:27 to play.

Raquan Wooden intercepted a pass at the Palomar 4-yard line and returned it 50 yards on the final play of the first half as the Comets went into the locker room with a 17-6 lead.

Lavea had scored the game's first touchdown on a 5-yard run, also had a 35-yard TD run called back and finished the evening with 101  yards rushing on 20 carries and three receptions for 29 yards. He tacked on a 32-yard kickoff return for good measure.

Freshman defensive end Josh Marquardt had a breakout game for Palomar with 13 tackles (nine solo), a sack and a tackle for a loss. Outside linebacker Gator Pugh (eight tackles, seven solo, one quarterback hurry), free safety Chris Boudreaux (eight tackles, five solo, one sack, one tackle for loss, one pass break-up) and defensive tackle Jamar Fleming (seven tackles) also made life uncomfortable for the visitors all evening long.

Orenzo Davis rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, Noel Phillips added 50 yards on eight attempts and Javon Reynolds caught four passes for 58 yards for the Comets.

Kevin Ditch added field goals of 27 and 25 yards and was 3-for-3 on extra points, bringing his season total to 13-for-13.

GAME STATS | SEASON STATS

LAVEA HELPS COMETS HOLD ON (North County Times 9-20-09)

ABOVE: Cornerback Anthony Young (21) trips up Victor Valley's  Darnell Norman while safety Dean Faddis is a split second from finishing Norman off. -- Photo by Hugh Gerhardt. BELOW LEFT: Outside linebaker John Middlemas, who sacked the Rams' Robert Love three times.

Comets get defensive in win over Victor Valley

ESCONDIDO (9-12-09) -- Palomar's defensive unit unloaded on Victor Valley on Saturday evening, leading the way as the Comets won a non-conference football match-up 24-7 at Wilson Stadium.

Cornerback Anthony Young delivered the game-breaker, intercepting Victor Valley's Robert Love and returning the ball 44 yards for a touchdown with 13:33 left in the fourth quarter..

Young's play extended a 10-7 Palomar lead to 17-7 and effectively finished off the Rams' upset chances as the Comets advanced to 2-0. Palomar has outscored its two opponents 79-7.

Outside linebacker John Middlemas, the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week, leveled Love, Victor Valley's elusive quarterback, three-times on sacks, which put another three  exclamation points on a Palomar defensive effort that limited the visitors to 14 yards rushing.

The nationally third-ranked Comets broke what up to that point had been a scoreless deadlock with 3:37 left in  the first quarter on a wild play that saw the football squirt loose from receiver Mikey Head at the end of a 43-yard pass-and-run play from quarterback Matt Christian. Receiver Javon Reynolds grabbed onto the ball and ran it the final 10 yards for a touchdown. Kevin Ditch converted to put Palomar up 7-0.

The Rams pulled even at 7-7 on a 1-yard run keeper by Love and J Nimitz' PAT with 9:32 to play in the first half. That's the way it remained until late in the third quarter, as the Comets frittered away a handful of scoring opportunities.

At that juncture  Nate Ong, in the game at quarterback after Christian re-injured his hand, hit on five straight completions to Reynolds (for 4 yards), Martavious Lee (for 16 yards), Reynolds (for 5 yards), Lee (for 21 yards) and Pat Cashman (for 7 yards) as he drove the Comets from their own 40-yard line to the Victor Valley 17.

On fourth down, Ditch kicked his third field goal of the young season, a 34-yarder, to give the Comets a 10-7 edge with 4:54 remaining in the period.

In the fourth quarter, Tyressee Jones scored on a 3-yard run to cap a 71-yard drive on which Jones and Ong ran for back-to-back 23-yard first downs, Ditch's PAT made it 24-7 with 6:12 left in the game.

Late in the final quarter, the Comets barely missed scoring again after when Tyler Lavea busted off an apparent 65-yard run down to the Victor Valley 1-yard line. A holding call back at the 9 brought back the last part of the play. Lavea then carried 19 yards back down to the 4, but two plays later offensive coordinator Dan Early had Ong take a knee to end the game.

Safety Kevin McCaskill contributed seven tackles (six solo) and had two tackles for losses. Safety Chris Boudreax had five solo tackles and broke up two passes. Along with his interception and touchdown return, Young had four tackles (three solo and one for a loss) and three pass break-ups. Defensive end Josh Marquardt contributed two sacks. Middle linebacker Tyler Seau also had a sack.

Christian was 8-for-15 passing for 168 yards, and Ong was 7-for-9 for 79 yards, while tacking on 47 rushing yards on five carries. Lee had three catches for 82 yards. Lavea (82 yards on eight carries) and Jones (81 yards on 13 tries) led Palomar's ground game. Martavious Lee had three receptions for 82 yards and Head three for 64 yards.

Victor Valley, which opened the season by stunning Riverside Community College one week earlier, fell to 1-1.

GAME STATS | SEASON STATS

Rivals.com tabs 3 Comets among top 50 in USA

BRENTWOOD, Tennessee (9-9-09) -- Rivals.com has selected three Palomar football players among the nation's top 50 community college football prospects.

On Wednesday, the web site tabbed USC-bound offensive right tackle Brice Schwab  (6-foot-8, 320 pounds, photo by Rick Rowell) ) as the nation's No. 2 "JUCO" prospect at any position.

Rivals.com selected wide receiver Martavious Lee (right), who has committed to LSU, as the nation's No.  21 prospect and cornerback Anthony Young at No. 45.

ABOVE: Eastern Michigan University transfer Kevin Ditch kicks Palomar's first field goal of the season, a 48-yarder in the second quarter. He also made a 40-yarder. -- Photo by Hugh Cox. BELOW LEFT: Tight end Blake Masoner. SECOND FROM LEFT: Free safety Chris Boudreaux.   THIRD FROM LEFT: Punt returner Mikey Head. RIGHT: Corner Anthony Young.

Comets dominate every phase in a 55-0 rout

CHULA VISTA (9-5-09) -- It was supposed to be a close game. It wasn't.

Nationally fourth-ranked Palomar rolled to a 55-0 non-conference victory over defending Mountain conference co-champion Southwestern in its 2009 football opener Saturday evening at Devore Stadium.

It was a beat-down. The Comets, utilizing all 91 healthy players, dominated the Jaguars in every phase of the game -- from start to finish -- as they recorded their most one-sided win since they began the 2007 season by routing West Los Angeles 59-0.

Starting quarterback Matt Christian and back-up Nate Ong shredded the Southwestern secondary by completing 19 of  27 pass attempts, without an interception, for 270 yards and four touchdowns.

No. 3 QB Aaron Aegerter got into the act at the end by breaking off an 18-yard run on the first play of his Palomar career and driving the Comets down to the Southwestern 9-yard line late in the fourth quarter -- before a fumble prevented the Comets from putting the Jaguars in the 60-point club.

Orenzo Davis led a  punishing effort by the Comets' running backs, rushing for 123 yards and a touchdown behind an offensive line anchored by tackle Brice Schwab, guard Sam Tupua and center Tom Berry.

Corner Anthony Young (five tackles, fumble recovery, broken up pass in the end zone), free safety Chris Boudreaux (five tackles, four solo, pass break-up, quarterback hurry) and corner Omar Smith (five tackles, fumble recovery, three pass break-ups) led  the way as the defense completely shut down the Jaguars' offense in pitching the shutout. Jeff Voa blocked a Southwestern field goal try.

On special teams, kicker Kevin Ditch (2-for-2 on field goals of 48 and 40 yards, 7-for-7 on PATs, 60.7-yard average for 10 kickoffs) and Mikey Head (five punt returns for 130 yards led an equally impressive performance on special teams. Head set up Davis' TD run with a 48-yard return  down to the Southwestern 11.

The Comets rolled up 562 yards in total offense to Southwestern's 222 yards, out-rushing the Jaguars 292 yards to 30 and out-passing them 270-192.

Christian (10-for-16, 141 yards, two touchdowns) put Palomar  on top 7-0 with 3:15 left in the first quarter when he connected with wide receiver Geoff Akpom on a 30-yard pass, catch and run play for the Comets' first TD of  the season.

In the second quarter, the Comets scored on Tyler Lavea's 2-yard touchdown run, Ditch's 38-yard field goal,  Davis' 12-yard run and a 22-yard pass play into the right corner from Christian to Saalim Hakim. That made it 31-0 at halftime.

Ditch's 40-yard field goal and a 36-yard pass from Ong to Martavious Lee on Ong's first attempt made it 41-0 after three quarters. Ong, a red-shirt freshman, debuted with a 9-for-11, 129-yard, two-touchdown performance.

The Comets last  two scores came in the fourth quarter on an 8-yard run by Tyresse Jones and an 8-yard pass play from Ong to 6-foot-4, 240-pound freshman tight end Blake Masoner.

During the evening, eight Comets carried the football, and 11 caught passes, led by Lee (four receptions  for 72 yards and a touchdown), Hakim (three for 22 yards and a TD) and Lavea (three for 27 yards

GAME STATS | SEASON STATS

Davis shares conference Athlete of Week honors

SAN DIEGO (8-8-09) -- Palomar running back Orenzo Davis shares the first weekly Pacific Coast Conference Men's Athlete of the Week honors for all sports.

Davis, a -foot-9, 190-pound sophomore from Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries Saturday night in the Comets' 55-0 season-opening road victory over Southwestern.

The other conference co-Athlete of the Week was San Diego Mesa water polo player Kelly Sullivan.

Although Palomar plays football in the Southern Conference, the Pacific Coast Conference is the Comets' regular home conference.

5 more Palomar players tabbed by Grid-Wire

SEATTLE, Washington (8-8-09) -- Five more Palomar players have received honors by the Seattle-based J.C. Grid-Wire.

Quarterback Matt Christian, receiver Martavious Lee, tight end Arthur Williams, center Tom Berry and guard Sam Tapua have received pre-season All-American honorable mention recognition. Previously, offensive tackle Brice Schwab was named to the pre-season first team and tight end Jared Bamber was selected to the second team.

Schwab, Bamber are pre-season All-Americans

SEATTLE, Washington (8-28-09) -- The J.C. Grid-Wire has selected two Palomar players, sophomore offensive tackle Brice Schwab and sophomore tight end Jared Bamber, to its Pre-Season All-American team.

The Grid-Wire named Schwab (6-8, 320 pounds, photo at left by Rick Rowell) to the Pre-Season All-American first-team.

It selected Bamber (6-4, 246, upper right) to the second team.

Schwab has committed early to USC.

Bamber is being recruited, among others, by Cal, Arkansas, Tennessee, Pitt and Middle Tennessee.

Saddleback, Comets are picked 1-2 in conference

COSTA MESA (8-28-09) -- Saddleback and Palomar were  picked to finish 1-2 in the Southern Conference by the media and Sports Information Directorsat Thursday's conference Media Day at Orange Coast College.

The Gauchos received 60 points and three first-place votes. The Comets got 58 points and three first-place votes. Fullerton was selected No. 3 with 56 points and four first-place votes. Grossmont (36 points) was tabbed No. 4, Santa Ana (33 points) No. 5, Orange Coast (24 points) No. 6 and Long Beach City College (13 points) No. 7.

Two J.C. Grid-Wire Pre-Season All-Americans, sophomore offensive tackle Brice Schwab and sophomore tight end Jared Bamber , were introduced by Palomar coach Joe Early.

Lorenzen TD catch gives Jags shot at win

JACKSONVILLE, Florida (8-22-09) -- Rookie tight end and Palomar alum Tyler Lorenzen gave the Jacksonville Jaguars a chance to win their pre-season match-up with the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night in Jacksonville, catching a 20-yard touchdown pass from Todd Bouman with 40 seconds to play.

Lorenzen's TD reception pulled Jacksonville to within one point, but the Jags lost the game 24-23 when they failed on a two-point conversion try. Lorenzen was the J.C. Grid-Wire's first-team All-American quarterback for  the Comets in 2006. He's trying to make the Jaguars' roster as a tight end after starting at QB for two seasons for the University of Connecticut.

Mace has 6 tackles for Bills during pre-season

BUFFALO, New York (8-23-09) -- Corey Mace (Palomar / University of Wyoming), in his second season with the Buffalo Bills, has recorded six tackles in the Bills' first three pre-season games.

The 6-foot-3, 294-pound defensive tackle made his NFL debut with the Bills late last season after being elevated from the practice squad.

So far, the Bills have faced the Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers in the pre-season.

Duhart twins get NCAA D-II rides to St. Paul's

SAN MARCOS / LAWRENCEVILLE, Virginia (8-6-09) -- Two more Palomar football players have received scholarships to play at the four-year college level.

Twin brothers Keith and Kevin Duhart both will play at NCAA Division II St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville, VA, this upcoming Fall.

"They're both great kids and they've had to overcome a lot," Palomar assistant coach Cody Trefethen said. "We're pretty proud of both of them."

Keith Duhart, a 6-foot-2, 197-pound slot receiver / wide  receiver who runs a 4.31 in the 40, re-joined Palomar's 2008 team midway through the season after dealing with clerical issues after originally enrolling in and playing at another community college in 2005. He wound up starting as the Comets won four of their last five games to finish an 8-3 season. Duhart capped the season with five receptions for 72 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Matt Christian, in a 38-33 win over Cerritos in the Golden Empire Bowl at Bakersfield.

Kevin Duhart, a 6-foot-1,  196-pound strong safety who runs a 4.45 in the 40, had 16 tackles, 13 solo, and had an interception and 9-yard return as the Comets defeated Orange Coast 41-14 in the final game of the regular season.

The Duhart twins played at Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, FL.  Florida  does not have community college football, which resulted in their coming west.

 "They both have Division I "clock" issues, but have have worked very hard to achieve their academic and athletic goals," Trefethen said.

Keith and Kevin Duhart shared the Comets' "Above and Beyond" award at last Fall's Palomkar football banquet.

Comet receiver Martavious Lee verbals to LSU

SAN MARCOS (5-13-09) -- Palomar wide receiver Martavious Lee became the second Comet to commit early to a marquee Division I program on Thursday when he gave a verbal commitment to LSU following the final day of spring football for the Comets.

A 6-foot-2, 180-pounder from Coral Gables (FL) High School, Lee caught 39 passes for 725 yards and 13 touchdowns in 10 games for Palomar last Fall. He runs 4.4 in the 40. Previously, 6-foot-8, 220-pound offensive tackle Brice Schwab gave a verbal commitment to USC on April 20. Both Schwab and Lee will transfer following their sophomore seasons for the Comets this Fall.

Lorenzen signs with Jaguars as a tight end