Interception returns for touchdowns by Xavier St. John and John Garcia were huge Friday night as No. 3 Mission Hills beat No. 4 Granite Hills 31-21 in a battle between two of the San Diego Section’s top teams.
But Mission Hills coach Chris Hauser wanted to talk about his offensive line after the Grizzlies improved to 4-0.
“We did to them what they did to us the last two years: ran the football,” Hauser said, referring to 27-17 and 28-17 losses to Granite Hills (3-1) the last two seasons.
“Granite Hills is really good up front, big. Their No. 71 (6-foot-3, 305-pound Jeremiah Maze) is a man. Heck, their JV offensive line is huge. But our guys up front came up big, really helped us win this game.”
Offensive linemen Jackson Fader, Rafael Naranjo, Carson Dollard, Caleb Masters and Matthew Dooley opened holes, allowing Patrick Fleming to rush 18 times for 128 yards and Jacoby Williams to go for 41 yards on nine carries.
Mission Hills’ second touchdown drive covered 70 yards and took 11 plays. Eight of those plays were Fleming rushes, including a 4-yard TD run.
Fleming had runs of 21, 10 and six yards on Mission Hills’ third-quarter TD drive that went 85 yards on six plays. He had runs of 18 and eght yards in a fourth-quarter drive that ended in a field goal. Williams added 16 yards on four carries.
Mission Hills is 4-0 for the first time since the COVID season of 2020; the Grizzles also started 4-0 in 2017.
Top 10
Mission Viejo 34, No. 1 Lincoln 24: Mission Viejo scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for the road win. The Diablos are the No. 3-ranked team in the state and No. 9 in the nation. Kainan Manna completed 13 of 18 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns for Lincoln (3-1). Junior Curtis rushed 22 times for 113 yards and two TDs. Courtney Miller-Thompson had eight catches for 89 yards. Jaeveyion Allen caught a 56-yard TD pass and forced a fumble.
No. 2 Cathedral Catholic: Idle
No. 5 La Costa Canyon 28, San Clemente 14: Coby Herman came up big as La Costa Canyon (4-0), rushing for touchdowns of 28 and 27 yards and throwing a halfback pass to Lennox Marcucci for a 52-yard score. Herman rushed 25 times for 247 yards. Ford Mitchell returned an interception 41 yards for a TD for the Mavericks, scored on a 3-yard run, and had a 2-point PAT. San Clemente (2-2) was ranked No. 34 in the state.
No. 6 Carlsbad 40, No. 10 Poway 22: Eli MacNeal threw five touchdown passes for Carlsbad (4-0), including scoring passes of 51 and 46 yards to Travis Jeffery. Kai Brown adde3d a 5-yard TD run. Luke Jorgensen was forced to move from running back to quarterback for Poway (2-2) after Noah Schuback left with an injury. Jorgensen finished with 31 carries for 270 yards and two TDs. He also had two 2-point PATs.
No. 7 San Marcos 45, Mater Dei Catholic 13: Zamar Reese scored on a 48-yard run and returned a punt for a score for San Marcos (3-1). Carson Monagran blocked a punt for a score and caught a touchdown pass from Kreet Makihele. Cutter Vorhees had a TD reception. Zeke McIntyre scored on a reverse and Colin How had a TD run. Mater Dei Catholic is 1-3.
No. 8 Mount Miguel 14, Torrey Pines 10: AJ Logan caught a pair of touchdown passes for Mount Miguel (3-1). Logan’s 15-yard pass from Jeremiah Loper with four minutes to play was the clincher after his 20-yard TD catch put the Matadors ahead. Loper passed for 251 yards and Logan had 105 yards in receptions. Kingston Bankston had a receiving TD for Torrey Pines (2-2). Reece Goldberge had 12 tackles while Chris Peralta had nine tackles and a sack.
No. 9 Rancho Bernardo: Idle
Mission Bay High’s, Sean Lander (7) celebrates making the hit against University City High’s, Desmond DeMara (5) during Friday’s Football game played at University High School in San Diego, CA. (Xavier Hernandez for the UT)
Other games
Rancho Buena Vista 42, Mar Vista 8: Rancho Buena Vista (2-2) hit it big, scoring on 80 and 55 passes from Van Piercy to Sean Maron Richard and a 49-yard Piercy strike to Jasias Gonzalez. Kaipo Gutierrez had TD runs of 17 and 15 yards for the Longhorns, while Eric Morales added a 1-yard TD run. Ciontae Fewell scored for Mar Vista (3-1).
Santa Fe Christian 34, Vista 14: Dax Labrum threw four touchdown passes for Santa Fe Christian (4-0): a 76-yarder to Micah Jones, a 44-yarder to Joshua Husmann, a 32-yarder to Baylen Brees and a 5-yarder to Jairus Bolden. Labrum was 13 of 20 for 265 yards. Cole Hajjar had 10 tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a sack. Keoki Becerra scored on a 33-yard pass from William Calderon for Vista (0-4). Broc Schweikhard had a 5-yard TD run.
Bishop’s 42, Perris California Military Academy 6: Cash Herrera threw four touchdown passes for Bishop’s (3-0). Nick Pfister had two TD receptions whle Zed Horby and Dane Larson had one apiece. Larson also had an interception. Matt Binn had a TD pass to Bruce Esanjina. Matt LaBrucherie returned a fumble for a score. Jacob Popperwell rushed six times for 129 yards. Ryan O’Dowell had 2 1/2 sacks.
Army-Navy 34, Canyon Hills 0: Abraham Drame had interception and fumble return touchdowns for Army-Navy (4-0). Tristan Hoag returned a punt for a score. Landon Schrom ran for a TD and threw one to Jacob Eastley. Jonah Tua and Lincoln Brunson were defensive standouts for the Warriors. Canyon Hills is 2-2.
Oceanside 41, Helix 14: Anthony Barqueneri was 14 of 16 passing for 263 yards and three touchdowns for Oceanside (1-3). He also rushed for a TD and caught a TD pass. Mykah Letuli rushed 17 times for 106 yards and a TD. Mykah Faletoi and Kymani Nua had TD receptions. Helix (1-3) was led by Jeremy Robinson, who scored on a pass from Caden Thompson. Bryson Calloway rushed for the other TD.
Westview 62, Valley Center 20: Matty Guimond threw five touchdown passes for Westview (1-3) and Charlie Klinghammer had a pair of rushing TDs. Collin Ison had a rushing TD and Miles Miranda scored on a punt return. Westview forced 14 Valley Center (1-3) turnovers.
Ramona 42, Valhalla 0: The Ramona (2-2) defense held Valhalla (1-3) to 81 yards total offense. Tallon Ogilvie had an interception, Wyatt Mallinson and Michael Mota had sacks, and the Bulldogs had a pair of sacks. Deion Askew, Tim Paredes and Adrian Ornelas had TDs for the Bulldogs. Tate Swanson had a 41-yard field goal.
Classical Academy 28, Crawford 13: Hunter Schmidt scored on runs of 4 and 3 yards and on a 62-yard pass from TJ Winter for Classical Academy (1-3). Winter also had a 16-yard TD pass to Thomas Wentzel. Khalid Ali scored on a 3-yard run for Crawford (1-3) while Ali Munyarakengwa had a 43-yard punt return.
Maranatha Christian 42, Coronado 35: Aaron Tasin had 15 carries for 117 yards and three touchdowns for Maranatha Christian (3-1). Shane Piester completed 7 of 12 passes for 123 yards and two TDs, both scores going to Hudson Heinrichs, who had three catches for 70 yards. For Coronado (2-1), Chase Jenkins scored on TD runs of 75 and 62 yards.
Rock Academy 55, Castle Park 40: Zayen Campbell rushed 18 times for 326 yards and three touchdowns for Rock Academy (2-2). Abel Endicott completed 12 of 18 passes for 207 yards and five TDs. Quentin Uhland had six catches for 161 yards and two TDs. Logan Sathoff had two TD catches, Iman Oredi had one. Castle Park is 1-3.
Victory Christian 28, Foothills Christian 6: Chato Garcia threw for 114 yards and rushed for 70 yards and two touchdowns for Victory Christian (1-2). Gabriel Aguirre had a rushing TD, returned a kickoff for a score and had two interceptions. Alejandro Rodrigues had 14 tackles and an interception. Micah Gerdes had 13 tackles and two sacks. Foothills Christian is 0-4.
Mission Bay 29, University City 20: Mission Bay’s defense led the way with eight sacks as the Buccaneers improved to 4-0. Jeyvon Higman had three sacks and a 43-yard touchdown run. Sean Lander had a 34-yard TD catch and a sack. DeShaun Hille rushed for more than 100 yards and scored two TDs, including one from 53-yards for UC (3-1).
La Jolla 35, Grossmont 22: Nico Bardino had 100 yards in total offense, two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving, plus eight tackles for La Jolla (3-1). Carson Diehl had 121 yards receiving, six tackles, a TD catch and an interception. Charlie Martin had 10 tackles and rushed for two TDs. Hudson Smith threw for 217 yards and two TDs. Tyler Holmes passed for 196 yards and rushed for 73 yards for Grossmont (2-1). Corbin Dow had 122 total yards and a touchdown. Colton Burke led the defense with four tackles, a tackle of a loss, while forcing a fumble..
San Diego 26, Mt. Carmel 12: Jayden Harris threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Kye Cooper and had a 4-yard TD run for San Diego (3-0). Cooper also had a 44-yard kickoff return for a TD on an onside attempt. Esteban Herrera returned an interception 30 yards for a TD. Kelle Leuck threw a 3-yard TD pass to Atticus Enriquez for Mt. Carmel (2-2). Hudson Adams had a pair of field goals.
Madison 46, Sweetwater 19: Adrian Sola rushed 16 times for 129 yards and scored four touchdowns for Madison (1-3), securing Kenny Nears’ first win as Madison’s head coach. Romeo Pepi had four catches for 94 yards. Isaac Logo Diaz threw for 116 yards. Sweetwater is 1-3.
Scripps Ranch 28, La Jolla Country Day 27: Scripps Ranch (2-2) stopped a 2-point conversion attempt with less than 30 seconds remaining to seal the win. Malachi Sayles scored three TDs, rushing for 206 yards on 26 carries. Jaden Gausman rushed for a TD. Aiden Frank led the Falcons with 11 tackles. LJCD is 1-3.
St. Augustine 28, Brawley 7: Pai Polamalu rushed 13 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns for St. Augustine (1-3). The Saints rushed for 172 yards and three TDs. Vincent Smith completed 6 of 13 passes for 93 yards and a score. Brawley is 0-4.
Clairemont 32, Vincent Memorial 25: Kellen Morton completed 11 of 16 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 30 yards and had a sack for Clairemont (1-3). Tyler Allen rushed for 148 yards on 21 carries with TD runs of 61 and 8 yards. Bradley Eby caught five passes for 107 yards, including TD catches of 27 and 40 yards. Bruce Pawlack intercepted a pass. Vincent Memorial is 0-3.
Santa Rosa Academy 24, Kearny 14: Jaylin Hill gained 105 yards on 22 carries for Kearny (1-2). Elijah Rabadan had 13 tackles. Jayvon Peterson and Brandon Le intercepted passes.
Patrick Henry 25, Otay Ranch 10: AJ Lopez passed for 162 yards and Jaiden Castillo rushed for a touchdown for Otay Ranch (1-3).
San Ysidro 27, Mountain Empire 19: Dario Garcia scored on a pair of runs for San Ysidro (2-2). Garcia scored on a 16-yard scamper and a 2-yard plunge. Mountain Empire (2-1) was led by Elisha Lashone Robinson, who rushed for 100 yards and a score. Jason Landman had nine tackles. The Red Hawks lost two fumbles in the red zone.
Southwest-San Diego 63, Tri-City Christian 0: Southwest improved to 3-1 as Samuel Gonzalez scored four touchdowns while gaining 92 yards on eight carries. Joseph Ellis added 64 yards on four carries, scoring once on the ground and catching a TD pass. He had a pair of sacks and a fumble recovery on defense. Tri-City Christian is 0-3.
Monte Vista 22, Coastal Academy 14: Derrick Taylor rushed for a pair of touchdowns for Monte Vista (3-1), his second one coming with a minute remaining in the game. Cody Terpstra scored on a pair of runs for Coastal Academy (3-1).
Morse 19, West Hills 16: Christian Slojkowski kicked field goals of 44, 44 and 34 yards and Jacob Romeo rushed for the touchdown for West Hills (0-4). Evan Dill rushed for 106 yards on 13 carries.
Calipatria 32, O’Farrell Charter 28: Sebastyan Lopez rushed for two long touchdowns and added eight points on two-point conversion runs to lead Calipatria (1-2) past O’Farrell (1-2). Raven DelaTorre’s interception in the end zone on the game’s final play sealed the victory. Dakobi Coleman completed 17 of 324 passes for 236 yards and four TDs for O’Farrell. Oscar Jones had five receptions for 126 yards and two TDs, while Evan Kelly had five catches for 98 yards and two scores.
Hilltop 13, Chula Vista 7 (OT): Leo Mendoza raced in from 9 yards out in overtime to give Hilltop (2-2) the victory. Mendoza rushed for 141 yards on 27 carries. Damian Moreno had 13 tackles and Abraham Matuz 12 for the Lancers. Obreon Tamashiro ran for the Chula Vista (1-3) TD.
Olympian 35, Santana 9: Ethan Miller threw for 120 yards and a touchdown for Santana (3-1). Olympian is 4-0.
Yuma Cibola 21, Calexico 12: Jose Fernandez rushed for 102 yards on 10 carries, scoring twice, for Calexico (3-1).
Palo Verde Valley 40, Coachella Valley 24: Palo Verde Valley (2-2) was led by Kenneth Salazar, who carried 11 times for 145 yards and a pair of touchdowns Dominic Salcido added a 95-yard kickoff return for a score. The defense stopped Coachella Valley (1-3) three times inside the red zone.
Central Union 30, Southwest-El Centro 6: CJ Acosta opened the scoring for Central Union (4-0) with a 36-yard touchdown reception. Matthew Lizaola added a 5-yard rush and Josue Garcia returned an interception 30 yards. Emilio Morales caught a 28-yard TD pass from Luis Jimenez. Daniel Dimas rushed for a 5-yard TD for Southwest (0-4).
Imperial 56, Fallbrook 14: Deren Hueso rushed for four touchdowns and returned a kickoff for a fifth for Imperial (4-0). Gio Robles and Santonio Urena both caught a pair of TD passes while Samuel Hilficher ran for one. Fallbrook (1-3) had a TD run by Harrison Jones. Teague Lucy threw a 9-yard TD pass to Blake Robinson.
Steele Canyon 42, Temecula Rancho Christian 14: Gunner Minnich intercepted two passes, returning one for a touchdown for Steele Canyon (4-0). Abel Lopez rushed for 150 yards, scoring twice.
El Capitan 21, Bonita Vista 7: Michael Castillo rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown to lead El Capitan (2-2). Hayden Passanisi was 9 of 15 passing for 122 yards and a TD to Logan Dulyea. Cole Margetts returned an interception 60 yards for Bonita Vista (0-4).
El Cajon Valley 23, Orange Glen 8: Janvier Kashindi rushed for two scores and intercepted a pass for El Cajon Valley (1-3). Kashindi gained 154 yards on 20 carries. Orange Glen is 1-3.
Other scores
Santa Maria St. Joseph 42, Eastlake 0
8-man
Borrego 49, Calvin Christian 8
Rowland Heights Southland Christian 26, Horizon Prep 14
Julian 68, Warner 6
West Shores 52, Noli Indian 6
Saturday’s games
Escondido Charter at Yermo Silver Valley, late
8-man
Pasadena Poly at Francis Parker, late
Don Norcross, Steve Brand, Kevin Farmer and Clark Fahrenthold contributed to this report.