Watch out, the East County’s big guns have started to fire salvos!
The Helix Highlanders recorded their third consecutive win and the Granite Hills Eagles won for the second consecutive week in downing a pair of highly regarded adversaries in non-league play last Friday.
Granite Hills edged the No. 1 Mission Hills Grizzles, 28- 27, while Helix topped No. 10 Oceanside 20-13.
The Granite Hills-Mission Hills contest came down to a missed two-point conversion on the part of the Grizzlies in a bid to win the game.
“It was a good game,” Eagles head coach Kellan Cobbs said. “It was tied up 21-21 with about three minutes left in the game. We drove down and scored with about 50 seconds left. They then went down and scored with 13 seconds left went for two points but they didn’t get it.”
Quite a dramatic ending, indeed.
Senior quarterback Zac Benitez completed 17 of 23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 18 times for 43 yards and two scores to spearheaded the Eagles offensively. Senior Courtney Miller-Thompson caught six passes for 54 yards and one touchdown while junior Jonah Hamilton had four catches for 86 yards and one TD.
Hamilton logged one catch for 67 yards. Other pass-catchers included senior Jesse Wilhite (two catches, 51 yards), sophomore Manny Walker (four catches, 49 yards) and junior Jaden Sheridan (one catch, 10 yards).
Granite Hills rolled up 396 yards in total offense with 146 rushing yards split between Benitez, senior Gage Spalding (15 carries, 77 yards), junior Niko Williams (seven carries, 18 yards) and Miller-Thompson (two carries, eight yards).
Wilhite collected 106 all-purpose yards while Benitez racked up 293 total yards.
Senior Jacob Nunez had four kicking points.
The Eagles defense weathered 458 yards in total offense by Mission Hills. Seniors Cayden Phillips and Eurijah Schutza led the GHHS defense with 10 tackles each. Wilhite had one interception while sophomore Jamir Alverez recovered a fumble.
The season quickly progresses. At 2-1, Granite Hills next encounters Los Alamitos (0-4) in a non-league home game this Friday.
Mountain men
The numbers appeared on the side of the Mountain Empire Redhawks in last Friday’s non-league matchup against the Crawford Colts. The Redhawks racked up 424 yards in total offense, including a prodigious 409 rushing yards.
But the final score read: Crawford 42, Mountain Empire 41.
“At one point in the fourth quarter we were up nine points with the ball,’ Redhawks head coach Cameron Keller said. “We fumbled. They recovered, scored and went for a two-point conversion and got it to make it a one-point game.
“We scored again and went for two points to make it a two possession game and missed it. They scored and went for two points to go up by one point. We had a chance to win it with two minutes left. On third-and-12, wide open, good ball and we dropped it and they picked it off. They took a knee to end it.
“Our offensive line and running game played well. We had six rushing touchdowns. But turnovers and dropped passes killed us. Our quarterback went two-for-seven with 15 yards and one interceptions. We had four dropped balls, one resulting in a pick.”
Junior Elisha Robinson led the ground assault with 294 rushing yards and five touchdowns while senior Chance Ross had eight carries for 114 yards and one touchdown.
Senior Amar Mahasin had one catch for 13 yards and one carry for one yard to wrap up the offense.
Robinson finished the game with 305 all-purpose yards by adding 11 yards in kick returns. He also scored on a two-point conversion. Mahasin also had 11 yards in kick returns.
Ross had 129 yards in total offense.
Junior Angel Avila keyed the defense with 14 tackles (10 unassisted) while senior David Oney had 11 stops.
Robinson was active on both sides of the ball with two sacks and one fumble recovery. Senior Logan Snyder also recovered a fumble.
Junior Zackary Hanssen averaged 46.1 yards on seven kickoffs and 26 yards on one punt.
The Redhawks (2-2) will now regroup with a home game this Friday against the San Ysidro Cougars (1-3). The Cougars lost 61-13 last Friday to Hoover (3- 1).