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.
