The Granite Hills High School boys basketball team’s 2-5 start to the 2025-26 season might need to have an asterisk placed beside it after the Eagles won last year’s Grossmont Valley League title with a 10-0 record and advanced to the Division IV section semifinals.
“We lost a lot of guys and haven’t had our football guys in the lineup because the football season went so long,” veteran Granite Hills head coach Dan Duffy said. “These tournament games now are more like practice games for us getting everyone together on the same page.”
The football season did indeed go long for the Eagles. Granite Hills qualified for the state playoffs as the Division I section champion and met Oxnard Pacifica in the Southern California regional championship game on Dec. 6. The Eagles’ season finally ended there with a dramatic 42-35 loss to the visiting Tritons (15-1) on a fumble return for a touchdown with 43.2 seconds to play in regulation.
Granite Hills (10-4) had rallied from a very early 21- 0 deficit, 35-14 at halftime, to tie the game 35- all with a 21-0 surge in the third quarter.
Neither team could take the lead on missed field goals in the fourth quarter and it appeared the game was headed for the overtime tiebreaker to determine which team advanced to the state bowl championship game.
Junior quarterback Zac Benitez completed 21 of 31 passing attempts for 335 yards to seven receivers: senior Tristan Diaz (six catches, 72 yards), junior Zedahn Smith (five catches, 83 yards), senior Noah Walker (four catches, 83 yards), senior D.J. Wilkins (three catches, 36 yards), senior Parker Johnson (one catch, 48 yards), junior Anthony Mattar (one catch, nine yards) and senior Isaiah Rodriguez (one catch, four years).
Walker, Diaz and Johnson each had touchdown catches.
Junior Gage Spalding rushed 11 times for 63 yards and two touchdowns, breaking loose for 27 yards down the sideline to help power the host’s resurgence.
Johnson made the successful two-point conversion after his touchdown catch to tie the game with 2:28 remaining in the third quarter.
Benitez topped the Eagles with 355 total yards by tacking on 20 rushing yards. He also had one punt for 49 yards.
But mistakes and penalties added up to derail the Eagles’ chances of ultimately winning the game and playing for a state title.
“In a championship game, one or two plays can be the difference,” Granite Hills head football coach Kellan Cobbs said. “It is what it is. We were down 35-14 at halftime and bounced back to tie the score, but we couldn’t finish it.”
The Eagles basketball team recorded its first win of the season, 57-49, over Valley Center on Dec. 8 and topped San Ysidro, 53-36, as part of the Sweetwater tournament on Dec. 13.
Benitez is the most recognizable of the football players joining the hardcourt squad along with junior receiver Zedahn Smith. Sophomore Kris Mays is also being counted on this season as one of the hoops team’s key players.
Smith averaged 8.1 points per game last season while Mays averaged 4.8 ppg as a freshman. Benitez averaged 4.7 rebounds per game in 2025-25.
But gone from the lineup of last season’s 18-11 team are graduated seniors Andre Dankha (21.4 ppg, 4.0 assists per game) and Lathan Fry (11.0 ppg, 15.8 rebounds per game).
“We have playing talent, we have a lot of guys to replace,” said Duffy, who is in his 24th season coaching at Granite Hills.
The Eagles moved up to the Grossmont Hills League this season against teams like Steele Canyon, Helix, Monte Vista and Mt. Miguel. Helix is off to a 7-3 start while Mt. Miguel is 5-4, Steele Canyon is 6-6 and Monte Vista is 4-5.
Steele Canyon finished 19- 10 last season as a Division II quarterfinalist while Mt. Miguel advanced to the Division III quarterfinals.
“It’s going to be tough,” Duffy said of the team’s upcoming league schedule. “They’re all good in the Hills League.”
