LA MESA – Troy Starr isn't much for superlatives; he's more of an even-keel guy.

So it wasn't surprising when the Helix High football coach wore a straight face last night after his team ended the regular season with a 27-14 victory over visiting Monte Vista.

“We'll take it,” Starr said. “We didn't play as well as we should've, but we played well enough to win.”

The win wasn't pretty. The Highlanders played shoddy football, committing eight penalties, most of which came on offense. But Helix (8-1-1, 5-0 Grossmont South League) got a strong showing from its defense, which kept the Monarchs at bay for most of the game.

Senior lineman Anthony Larceval was a major force for the Highlanders with four tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Senior defensive back Trelan Taylor stopped a Monte Vista drive with an interception and also had three tackles.

“We came out a little sloppy on offense, but the defense played really well,” senior quarterback Ty Culver said. “They were playing perfectly, but we've got to go into practice and work on the mistakes that we made on offense.

“It was a tough victory, but at least we got the win.”

While Culver, who passed for 75 yards and ran for 67 more, had a fair night, most of the crowd's eyes were on his running back, Travon Van. The senior was a pain for the Monarchs (5-5, 2-3) all night. He didn't reach the end zone, but he burned Monte Vista's defense for 151 yards on 19 carries.

“We always go into games and try to dominate, but we're not underestimating (any) team,” Van said. “This was just a final tune-up to see where we're at with playoffs coming up.”

While the Helix running back didn't score a touchdown, the quarterback had no trouble doing so. Culver started the scoring with a 5-yard sneak shortly before the first quarter ended.

Culver added to the Highlanders' lead in the second quarter, passing to 6-foot-8 senior tight end Levine Toilolo for a touchdown. Helix held the 14-0 lead at the half.

Monte Vista got on the scoreboard midway through the third quarter on a 36-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Maurice Payne to senior wideout Mike Hodges. The Highlanders responded a few minutes later with a Paul Blakeney touchdown run to make it 21-7. Both teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but the Monarchs could not muster another scoring drive.