The Grossmont High School Foothillers appear to be zeroing in on this year’s Grossmont Valley League championship with a one-game lead on the Santana Sultans and West Hills Wolf Pack with two games remaining in regular season play.
The Foothillers (7-1 overall) continue to climb the mountain following last Friday’s 48-27 victory at West Hills.
Grossmont is 3-0 in league play while both West Hills and Santana are 2-1 in league play. Monte Vista and Valhalla are both 1-2 while El Cajon Valley is 0-3.
“The defense is still playing hard and violent and creating turnovers and scores,” Grossmont head coach Anthony Lawrence said. “Colton Burke (senior) had a pick-six and Gage Weichelt (senior) had a punt return TD (75 yards).”
Grossmont racked up double-digit scoring in the first three quarters to lead 34-14 at halftime and 48-20 entering the final quarter.
Scoring was spread around.
Sophomore Corbin Dow scored a rushing TD as both he and the offensive line had the run game working.
Junior quarterback Tyler Holmes amassed 292 passing yards while throwing four touchdowns: one each to senior Kenny Krauss (22-yard catch), junior Logan Struck (18-yard catch), senior Randy Ballard (43-yard catch) and junior Max Bewley.
Holmes also rushed for a two-yard score.
Junior Evin Dill passed for 92 yards with one touchdown and one interception to pace the hosts. He also rushed for 64 yards and one touchdown to lead the team with 156 total yards.
Senior Julian DeBeneditto (five carries, 29 yards) and senior Jacob Romero (six carries, 12 yards) each scored rushing touchdowns.
Senior Jacob Timmerman (three catches, 26 yards) had the touchdown grab.
On defense, juniors Tyler Woodland and Zack Waters each had sacks. Senior Christian Slojkowski averaged 43.3 yards on three punts.
The Foothillers play at El Cajon Valley 2-6 overall) on Friday, then host Monte Vista (4-4) on Oct. 30 to close out regular season play.
The Santana Sultans remain in second place in the league standings following last Friday’s tight 14-7 win over the visiting Monte Vista Monarchs.
The Sultans are 2-1 in league play, 5-3 overall, while the Monarchs dropped to 1-2 in league, 4-4 overall.
Both Santana and Monte Vista are bidding to secure berths in the upcoming section playoffs — the Sultans likely in Division IV and the Monarchs likely in Division V.
Anything can happen. Monte Vista was the final team to make the playoffs last year but ran the table to win the Division V championship.
“It was a close and hard-fought game on Friday night, and special teams proved to be the deciding factor in our win,” Santana head coach Tim Estes said. “The energy and effort from that unit made all the difference.
“Early in the game, Maddox Esoo came up with a huge play — blocking a field goal attempt and returning it all the way for an 80-yard touchdown, which completely shifted the momentum in our favor. Later, Chris Ledezma made another critical play by blocking a punt that we recovered inside the five-yard line, setting us up for an easy score.
“Our defense held strong when it mattered most, and our offense capitalized on the opportunities created by special teams. The players showed a lot of heart and resilience, especially in a game that could have gone either way.”
Senior Caleb Carnes had a five-yard touchdown run.
The Monarchs held sophomore Julian Mayers in check with 16 carries for 35 yards and limited the Sultans to 17 rushing yards overall.
Defensively, senior Jordyn Gillissie and sophomore Tatum Morehouse each recorded one sack while Gillissie led the team with nine tackles. The Sultans had three fumble recoveries: one each by Esoo, junior Denton Goar and senior Dawson Dela Cruz.
The Sultans travel to city rival West Hills on Friday for the teams’ annual Mayors Cup match-up
“It’s not just another matchup — it’s our crosstown rivalry and a key league game with major implications,” Estes said. “The team is focused, motivated, and ready to carry the momentum from last week into this one. We know emotions will be high, but we’re preparing to play with discipline, intensity, and pride for our school and community.”
Santana is ranked No. 49 in the section while West Hills is ranked No. 55.
