SAN DIEGO HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL : Today’s Playoff Preview : 3-A Semifinal

Despite having one of the best pass defenses in the county, Mount Miguel High School football Coach Gary Cooper has no illusions about today’s San Diego Section 3-A semifinal playoff against the county’s top passing team--Fallbrook.

“To say you are going to stop (Fallbrook) is a mistake, because you can’t stop them,” Cooper said. “We just want to slow them down. We don’t want to play a fast-break football game with them or we will lose.”

Defense is what carried Mount Miguel to the playoffs, Cooper said. But the Matadors (9-2) will be tested tonight at 7:30 against Fallbrook (9-2-1) in the semifinal round of the San Diego Section 3-A playoffs at Mira Mesa High School. The winner of tonight’s game advances to the Section 3-A final next Saturday at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

Fallbrook quarterback Scott Barrick, considered by Cooper and several other coaches to be the top passer in the state, has thrown for more than 2,500 yards this season. He led the county in passing, completing 194 of 326 passes for a 59.5% passing percentage and 23 touchdowns.

Barrick’s primary target: Bill Dunkel, the county’s most reliable receiver. This season, Dunkel caught 71 passes, setting a San Diego Section single-season reception record. San Dieguito’s Travis Knox held the previous mark in 1984 with 67 receptions.

When Mount Miguel’s offensive statistics are compared with Fallbrook’s, the first question one asks is: How did Mount Miguel make it this far?

Mount Miguel’s offense is run oriented, but its top rusher, senior running back Charlie Ray, averages only 2.9 yards a carry. Matador quarterback Anthony Rivera has passed for only 400 yards, but he missed the first five games of the season because of a shoulder separation. Since his return, the Matadors have yet to lose.

“We don’t have the numbers, that’s why every body in the county can’t believe we are where we are,” Cooper said. “We have plenty of intangibles--a lot of heart and a strong desire to win. They don’t have any columns for those things.

“We are not a flashy team. We just do the things we need to win.”