The Grossmont Hills League lineup appears as balanced as it’s been in a while if the opening two weeks of league play are any indicator.
Granite Hills, Steele Canyon, Mt. Miguel and Helix Charter have each posted at least one win. Nobody is 2-0 yet, though Granite Hills is on the verge of grabbing that honor – and either sole possession or a share of the league lead — with a win over visiting Helix this Friday.
Last Friday’s 29-16 win over visiting Mt. Miguel was an exciting preview of things to come. The host Eagles, ranked sixth among section teams, trailed 16-14 before coming to life with 15 unanswered points to escape with the victory in their league opener.
Granite Hills and Steele Canyon are both 1-0 in league play, followed in the standings by Mt. Miguel and Helix, both at 1-1, and El Capitan at 0-2.
“It was good to start league play off with a win,” Granite Hills head coach Kellan Cobbs said. “Jesse Wilhite (interception) had a big turnover for us in the second half and (senior quarterback) Zach (Benitez) made some key fourth down throws/runs. We need to keep getting better each week. We have Helix this week, so we know they will give us their best effort.”
Helix, which dropped a 41-14 decision at Mt. Miguel in its league opener, is coming off a 41-21 win over visiting El Capitan last Friday.
Steele Canyon had the week off with a bye.
Granite Hills (4-3 overall) took its first lead in the game in the third quarter and had to steal back the lead in the fourth quarter as the team’s depth and defense took over.
The No. 8 Matadors (5-3) had assumed a 13-7 halftime lead on a short touchdown run by junior quarterback Jeremiah Loper, who later connected with senior A.J. Logan on a short scoring pass.
The Eagles’ lone score came between those two plays on an arcing 44-yard touchdown strike from Benitez to senior Rocket Demery.
Junior Gage Spalding (nine carries, 36 yards) put the Eagles in front 14-13 on a nine-yard run but Clint Ettleman responded with a 28-yard field goal to ease the Spring Valley visitors back in front by three points.
The second half was a different read.
Davion Williams (seven carries, 126 yards) scored on a four-yard run and Benitez hit Isaiah Rodriguez for a two-point conversion to boost the hosts in front 22-16. An interception by Wilhite and a fumble recovery by senior teammate Kai Young stopped Mt. Miguel in its tracks.
The Eagles closed out scoring on a 12-yard TD pass from Benitez to Noah Walker (five catches, 75 yards) to seal the win in front of the festive homecoming crowd.
Benitez completed 22 of 37 passing attempts for 296 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed seven times for 20 yards.
Junior Seth Rodriguez had seven carries for 29 yards. On the receiving end, senior Tristan Diaz had six catches for 43 yards while junior Zhedan Smith had five catches for 42 yards. Senior D.J. Wilkins had two catches for 41 yards while senior Emilio Vera had one catch for 25 yards.
Granite Hills out-gained Mt. Miguel 407-293 in total yards.
Demery had one kickoff return for 37 yards while Rodriguez had one punt return for 21 yards.
Senior Parker Johnson led the Eagles with seven tackles and one sack. Senior Wyatt MacLeod and Hunter Hamilton also recorded sacks. As a team, Granite Hills registered seven tackles for losses in the highlight game.
Mt Miguel head coach Verlain Betofe called last Friday’s match-up a “good game.” He’s also looking forward to another one against undefeated Steele Canyon (7-0 overall) this Friday at home.
“We have them 16-14 in the fourth quarter but ran out of gas,” the Matador sideline boss said. “We have a feeling we will see them again. As far as Steele Canyon, we are excited for the matchup. They are 7-0, so they have done a god job of winning games this year.”
Loper passed for 148 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed five times for 39 yards with one touchdown. Senior Parris Vernon had four catches for 59 yards while Logan had four catches for 39 yard and one touchdown. Sophomore Jayden Stewart had three catches for 22 yards.
Junior Jayden Hunter had 11 carries for 50 yards while sophomore Jeremiah Holliday had three carries for 33 yards. Senior Zane Rottier had one burst for 16 yards. Junior Gianni Porfilio had one catch for 21 yards.
Win column
The host Highlanders snapped a four-game losing streak in evening their league record with one win and one loss, 2-6 overall.
Senior Lee Norman-Lester rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Scotties while junior Donte Wright (eight carries, 156 yards) scored twice on the ground. Sophomore Jordan Lindley (seven carries, 46 yards) scored one rushing touchdown.
The Highlanders rushed for 347 yards to dominate the line of scrimmage.
Junior Julius Garcia was successful on all five Helix point-after-touchdown tries.
Norman-Lester also passed for 105 yards to finish the game with 246 total yards.
The Scotties out-gained the Vaqueros 452-222 in total yards.
Sophomore Hayden Passanisi passed for 202 yards and three touchdowns for El Capitan (4-4 overall) Junior Ryder Powers logged three PATs.
