THE BIG GAME / CASTLE PARK-OCEANSIDE : Teams Seek to End Comparison

SAN DIEGO —  Castle Park Coach Alan Duke watches tonight’s opponent, Oceanside, on film and wonders if he’s having trouble with his eyesight.

Could he have gotten his films mixed up with that of Oceanside?

“Every time I see them do something, I see my own team,” Duke said. “They look just like us.”

The striking similarities have made Duke’s preparations this week much easier. He simply has used his first-team defense and offense as his scout teams.

“I really do feel like we’re playing ourselves,” he said. “We have the same type of athletes. And we’re wide-open and so are they.”

Both teams are coming off convincing opening-game victories. Oceanside defeated Mt. Carmel 39-10, and Castle Park drubbed West Hills, 33-0.

But Duke and Oceanside Coach John Carroll realize they will learn a lot more about their teams at 7:30 tonight at Oceanside High.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to go up against a good football team like Castle Park,” Carroll said.

Said Duke: “I think we’re both going to find out we’re pretty good.”

Oceanside was pretty good in all phases of the game against Mt. Carmel. It ran for 150 yards--halfback Marlon Andrews was 12 for 60 and running back/receiver Carl Mathis was three for 54--and quarterback John Portugal was 15 for 29 passing for 180 yards and a touchdown.

The defense allowed no points and only 20 yards total offense in the first three quarters, before giving way to the second string in the fourth quarter. Monster back Calvin Walton led the way with two blocked punts, a blocked field goal and two sacks.

Offensively, Oceanside employs the run-and-shoot. Duke is still trying to come up with a catchy name for his wide-open attack.

Junior running back Anthony Davis, whom Carroll and Duke say runs like the former USC back of the same name, is Castle Park’s biggest weapon. He rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown in 15 carries last week, but Duke said the numbers are deceiving.

“He could have had more, but he was running over the top of people,” Duke said.

Junior quarterback Moses Moreno threw for 128 yards and two touchdowns, one of them going for 50 yards to 5-foot-5 receiver Chris Barros.

Even though both offenses are explosive, Duke said he doesn’t expect a shootout.

“I think you’ll see the opposite,” he said.