Friday, September 25, 2026

The Long Trip to Downey Via the Eastside Italian Deli for the Camarillo at St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy Frosh Football Game


Thursday, September 24, 2026

If it's Thursday, it must be time for one of grandson Jacob's Camarillo H.S. Freshman football games!

Due to the difficulty in finding Frosh football games this season, we were taking a long, two and a half hour road trip today through downtown Los Angeles to the old suburban city of Downey.

We left Camarillo at noon to give us plenty of time to get to the game, including a stop for lunch at a new spot for us.


But definitely NOT a new spot
on the Los Angeles dining scene

Established in 1929 and a hot topic on Facebook, we decided to give the Eastside Italian Deli, located at 1013 Alpine St. about 1.4 miles from Dodger Stadium. A new try today.

It was small inside but sported
appealing and eclectic decor

As I stated, this fun, corner deli is
close to Dodger Stadium

Tomato cans converted to light shades

A nice tribute to recycling in these tough times.

No argument from our camp

When it was my turn to order, I asked the young lady at the register if they had a signature hot sandwich.

Without batting an eye, she responded, "The D.A. Special that has Italian sausage, meatballs, roast beef and pastrami with a rich tomato based sauce on a homemade roll."

SOLD!

WHAT HAVE I DONE?

It was as incredibly good as it was oversized. I ate half of it and took the rest home to turn into a tasty omelet tomorrow.

Of course, that's a diet Pepsi I ordered to help wash it down.

The most amazing feat of the day was my NOT spilling a single drop of the rich sauce on my white shirt.

EPIC!

We will most assuredly return to the Eastside Italian Deli again soon, a great place that lived up to the hype and then some.

Filled to the brim, it was on to Downey.

Camarillo H.S. Scorpions
Coastal 101 League
2 Wins - 3 Losses

at

St. Pius X - St. Matthias Academy Warriors
Angelus League
0 Wins - 1 Loss

Their school name is a mouthful, for the sake of brevity, we'll refer to them as SPX-SMA for the remainder of this post.

Captains meeting at midfield

Scorpions opened the game
with a solid running attack . . .

. . . based on good blocking principles

The battle against the Warriors
hard charging DE was a good one

Our new starting QB found
this wide open receiver

Back to the ground game

Ending this opening drive with a Punt

The SPX-SMA Punt Return
was troublesome

A DE that can also run the rock

Four backs all in the backfield?

A crazy look in these wide open spread offense attack days.

Uh-oh, luckily for the Scorpions
this Warrior dropped the pass

Another SPX-SMA incomplete

The Scorpions need to get a
body on a body

Collision about to happen

End of the First Period
Camarillo - 0
SPX-SMA - 0

Jacob got the call at DE to start
the Second Stanza

This Warriors back was a problem

Stop hugging during the play!

The Warriors QB was starting
to sling it with authority

This SPX-SMA receiver was ever
so infuriatingly consistent

Good open field tackle

Pressure in the backfield
 
Scorpions Defense Swarming

The always physical Pit

The Offensive Line did a good
job Pass Blocking today

It helped greatly that our new QB released the ball quickly and on time.
 
QB Scrambling

Now, THAT'S a body on a body!

Great Defensive Effort . . .

. . . but #10 came up with a big
catch yet again

Both players were swept off
of their feet on this exchange

Warriors Receiver on a
Wheel Route for a TD

OT vs. Edge Rusher competition
was intense today . . .

. . . but the Camarillo QB stayed upright

Tuck it and RUN!

Jacob inserted at WR

Well, he is fast, maybe he's going deep as the half was coming to a close.

No, he's running a WR Screen!

He caught it and held on when the
Warriors arrived for a four yard gain

The drive fizzled after Jacob's catch

One last run by SPX-SMA just
before Halftime

Halftime Score
SPX-SMA - 12
Camarillo - 0

Camarillo Kicking Off
to start the Third Period
 
A solid Warriors Kickoff Return

Jacob back at DE vs. the Read Option

Pursuing the ball

Jacob about to get a piece of a tackle

Nice block by this Warrior

This SPX-SMA back was
NOT fun to tackle

The Warriors mixing it up

Camarillo . . .

. . . PICK SIX!

We are back in the ballgame!

Another explosive Warriors
Kickoff Return

Pick Six, no worries, the SPX-SMA
QB was getting "back on the horse"

The Warriors OL was also doing
a good job protecting their QB
 
Warrior in the open field, NOT GOOD!

Jacob blocking on a Kickoff Return

A good Kickoff Return at that!

Funky looking body position
by this Warriors Edge Rusher

About to get NASTY!

The proverbial "Hole big enough
to run a truck through!"

Fighting to turn the corner

The calm before the storm

The Storm

Here comes that beefy Warrior
RB one more time

End of the Third Quarter
SPX-SMA - 20
Camarillo - 7

The Defense strikes again with . . .

. . . another PICK SIX!

Jacob long snapping on the PAT

On the ensuing Kickoff, Jacob . . .

. . . made the tackle,
YAHOO!

SPX-SMA RB about to . . .

. . . get serious with a straight arm . . .

. . . but the Camarillo defender
would not be denied!

A Warriors WR Screen . . .

. . . looked like . . .

. . . a real problem

Gap Sound Camarillo Defense

Another running attempt

Get off that block!

Keep SWARMING!

Dip and Rip to the ball carrier

This looks seriously bad

Who wants it more?

Warriors head feint Pass Rush move . . .

. . . was to no avail . . .

. . . the Scorpions OT handled it well

Jacob back at DE . . .

. . . with a chance for a turnover . . .

. . . but the SPX-SMA QB pounced
back on the ball

Subsequently, the Warriors took a knee to end the game.

Final Score
SPX-SMA (1-1) - 28
Camarillo (2-4) - 14

The Scorpions have a bye next week before traveling to Simi Valley H.S. to take on the Pioneers (5-0) on Thursday, October 8th.

Jacob and Michael post-game

With the Grandparents too

We all believed that Jacob played well today. He gave great effort on each play that he was on the field. 

A BEAUTIFUL sunset near downtown
Los Angeles as we drove home

This photo was taken by Michael as I was driving.

A lot of driving today beyond question but watching a competitive game made it all worthwhile.

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