Lightning fast start

No longer is Coach J.R. Tolver depending on his family and friends to make up most of the Sage Hill School crowd.

Fans are beginning to show up. Sage Hill is giving them a reason to attend home and away football games.

Two games into the season and Sage Hill has tied last season’s win total. Under their first-year coach, the Lightning are finding ways to outdo last year.

Sage Hill earned a No. 10 ranking in the CIF Southern Section East Valley Division poll after wins against Fairmont Prep and Animo Leadership of Inglewood.

The last time the Lightning started 2-0 was in 2007. That same year Sage Hill met Tri-City Christian of Vista.

The Lightning again play host to the Eagles (1-0) from the CIF San Diego Section.

Tolver is expecting a large crowd tonight at 7 for Sage Hill’s second home game of the season.

Thirty-five family members made the 85-mile trip from Tolver’s hometown in San Diego in the season opener.

“That was exciting to have that support,” said Tolver, who isn’t counting on his family to drive to Newport Coast for every home contest. “This community is really starting to rally around our team. We just want to respect the game and show the people that we understand how to play the game right.

“It’s good for the guys to be noticed.”

The early success has kept Sage Hill focused.

The Lightning are coming off a 20-0 shutout of Animo, their first in five years.

What Sage Hill has faced the first two games will differ from what Tri-City Christian runs offensively.

The Eagles run a spread, similar to the one used at the University of Florida.

“They have four to five wide receivers line up, but they have the ability to run with the quarterback or the tailback,” Tolver said. “They ran for more than 300 yards in their [49-20] victory at Borrego Springs [on Sept. 4]. They have a big line, which averages around 250 pounds per lineman. The strength of their team is the line.”

The same can be said for Sage Hill. One of its linemen won’t play tonight.

Tolver said senior left tackle Mo Kreitenberg would celebrate the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, which starts at sundown today.

Junior Alec Van Hoogenstyn will fill in for Kreitenberg and protect quarterback Randall Mycorn’s blind spot.

“Alec’s a good player and he’s improved a lot since we’ve taken over this program,” Tolver said.

“We go seven guys deep on the offensive line. Alec is one of the guys.”