Two weeks into the 2021-22 interscholastic football season, six Grossmont Conference high school teams continue to sport undefeated records. It’s still early in the season but the Granite Hills Eagles, Helix Highlanders, Grossmont Foothillers, El Capital Vaqueros, Santana Sultans and West Hills Wolf Pack all certainly must be enjoying their current 2-0 records.
East County is well represented in the undefeated department, in fact, as El Cajon Christian High School also owns a 2-0 record heading into this weekend’s slate of non-league games.
Grossmont head coach Chris Holmes continues to wear a big smile on his face after the Foothillers recorded their biggest win to date after defeating the fifth-ranked El Camino Wildcats, 35-22, last Friday in a non-league encounter.
“It was an amazing triumph for our team,” Holmes said. “I am very proud of the preparation and execution the men showed. It was a complete team win with all three phases playing at high levels.
“We brought the game to El Camino and battled through adversity. We were able to utilize our tenacity and conditioning to take control of the football game.”
Grossmont senior quarterback Trenton Giles completed three touchdown passes and ran for another to help secure the upset victory. Giles threw two TD passes to senior Giovanni Burns and also connected with senior Ryan Rodieck on another scoring pass.
Senior Thomas Warsaw also scored on a 30-yard touchdown run as the hosts rolled up 358 all-purpose yards in the game.
Giles completed 15 of 28 passing attempts for 241 yards with two interceptions while rushing 13 times for 38 yards.
Burns had three catches for 96 yards, including one that measured 64 yards, while Rodieck had six catches for 87 yards, including on reception for 31 yards.
Senior kicker Joe Garcia tacked on five extra-point conversions.
El Camino fell to 1-1.
“I thought Trenton Giles and Gio Burns played amazingly,” Holmes said. “Trenton had three big TD passes and ran another in from the 10-yard line. Gio had two TD catches with one being a 64-yard strike from Giles. Gio also had a big-time interception on defense.
“Ryan Odom on defense once again was an absolute force. His big playmaking ability was on full display with his second quarter interception which he returned 38 yards down inside the 10-yard line.”
It’s been an amazing start to the season indeed.
The Foothillers have racked up 72 points in scoring their season opening wins. Several players have already started to compile some impressive statistics.
Giles has completed 56.2 percent of his passes for 440 yards with six touchdowns against four interceptions for a 92.0 quarterback efficiency rating. He’s also scored two rushing touchdowns.
Warsaw is the team’s rushing leader with 50 yards on 12 carries and has scored one touchdown.
Rodieck has caught 11 passes for 169 yards and four touchdowns while Burns has four catches for 118 yards and two scores. Senior Jawad Rivera has caught four aerials for 109 yards and one touchdown.
Grossmont next plays an out-of-region game this Friday at Downey Warren in a matchup of 2-0 ball clubs.
Santana 28, Montgomery 7
Junior Luke Nash rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns while senior Dylan Anderson scored on a 71-yard pass play and 22-yard interception return to key the Sultans to their second victory in as many games to start the season.
Defense once again set up the offense.
Santana limited the Aztecs (0-1) to 183 total yards, including just 32 rushing yards.
Seniors David Friedman and Brayden Breshears both had interceptions to set up scoring drives for the hosts while senior Logan Jorden had nine tackles and two sacks. Sophomore Isaiah Lloyd also registered a pair of sacks to further key the defense.
Overall, Santana had three interceptions in the game. Breshears returned his pick 57 yards.
The Sultans host the Mar Vista Mariners (2-0) on Friday at 7 p.m. in an early season battle of undefeated teams.
Mar Vista, which is coming off a 59-6 non-league victory against Clairemont (0-2) last Friday, has scored 87 points in two games.
West Hills 21, Imperial 7
Senior Max Conaway (nine catches, 134 yards) reeled in a pair of touchdown passes, including one for 64 yards, while senior Cohen Benavente returned an intercepted pass 30 yards for a touchdown as the host Wolf Pack (2-0) recovered from a 7-0 halftime deficit to the Tigers (0-1).
Senior quarterback Braden Oberg has passed for 227 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 110 yards in the team’s undefeated start. Conaway has 11 receptions for 182 yards and four touchdowns.
Senior Dylan Snyder has rushed seven times for 50 yards and scored once on the ground while catching three passes for 42 yards and one score. Sophomore Collin Dill has seven carries for 32 yards and scored twice.
Conaway leads the team with 259 all-purpose yards, including 77 yards on interception returns.
The Wolf Pack has recorded four interceptions in two games on defense, including three picks against Imperial (one each by Benavente, Conaway and senior Rex Grennan).
West Hills goes on the road for a non-league game at Olympian (0-2) on Friday. Kick-off is 6:30 p.m.
