Seven East County high school football teams kicked off the 2024 season with timely victories. Two of them — the Granite Hills Eagles and Mt. Miguel Matadors — remain undefeated through the opening two weekends of non-league play.
Granite Hills posted a 56-28 win at Mater Dei Catholic while Mt. Miguel recorded a 54-12 win over visiting Rancho Buena Vista in games last Friday to both stay unbeaten on the season with 2-0 records.
For the second consecutive week, the Eagles put up big numbers on the road, tallying 579 yards in total offense in blowing past host Mater Dei Catholic. Sophomore quarterback Zac Benitez completed 16 of 19 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns while senior Max Turner rushed 20 times for 189 yards and scored four rushing touchdowns.
On the receiving end of the ball, junior Tristan Diaz had four catches for 103 yards and one touchdown while senior Brendan Lewis had six catches for 72 yards and one touchdown. Senior Lathan Fry had five catches for 46 yards and one touchdown while also completing one pass for a 55-yard touchdown to junior Kyler Oberg.
Senior Parker Vance had one catch for 37 yards.
Benitez, who logged one interception, completed the game with a 142.0 passer rating.
As a team, the Eagles passed for 313 yards in the game and rushed for 266 yards.
Sophomore Gage Spalding followed Turner on the scoresheet with 50 yards on seven carries while senior Luis Huertas had 15 yards on seven attempts.
On defense, Vance had one interception for 22 yards. Senior Trent Whillock had seven kicking points while Lewis converted one extra-point conversion.
The Mater Dei Catholic defense gave up eight touchdowns.
Through two games, Turner has rushed for 392 yards and seven touchdowns while Benitez has passed for 492 yards and four touchdowns. Vance has two interceptions in as many games to his credit.
Granite Hills tees it up next against the Perry Pumas from Gilbert, Arizona, on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 4 p.m. (Honor Bowl at Cathedral Catholic).
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Meanwhile, it was another all-around effort for the host Matadors, who racked up 354 yards in total offense and received touchdowns from four players.
Junior K.J. Shields (six carries, 147 yards) scored three rushing touchdowns while junior Zane Rottier (seven carries, 64 yards) scored two rushing touchdowns. Junior A.J. Logan tacked on a five-yard rushing score while senior Sha-hei Phillips scored on an interception return.
The Matadors will grapple with likewise unbeaten La Jolla Country Day (2-0) this Friday in La Jolla.