Eagles dominate Southwest in desert
- Updated: September 29, 2019
A Southwest player is brought down on Friday night by Granite Hills.
2019 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL
GRANITE HILLS 41, SOUTHWEST 7
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CENTRO —The 16th-ranked Granite Hills Eagles defeated the host Southwest Eagles, 41-7, in a non-league game here on Friday night.
Granite Hills (4-1) led 34-0 at halftime a 41-0 after three quarters as junior quarterback Justus McComb rushed for three touchdowns and passed for two more.
“Having this many weapons on offense definitely makes it easier for me so I’m really thankful for that,” McComb said. “My whole O-line did well today they have college-level calls they have to make.
“(Offensive lineman) Tanner Vielguth really stepped up today. He was sick all day with a sore throat and an upset stomach but still went out there and balled out. And he’s still a sophomore.”
Granite Hills scored on a 66-yard connection from McComb to junior wide receiver Matthew Keeley midway through the opening quarter for the game’s first score.
Just a minute into the second quarter, McComb had a 6-yard rushing touchdown on a drive that was extended when Granite Hills converted a fourth-and-2 at the Southwest 19.
Then, freshman Jaylen Hall had a 74-yard touchdown reception from McComb just a couple of minutes later for a 21-0 lead.
“(Hall) is a very talented athlete can stretch the field for us and has great ball skills,” Granite Hills head coach Kellan Cobbs said. “We feel like he can help us win football games so we brought him up.
“We wanted to bring him up Week 1 but he just wasn’t quite ready yet. He’s getting more and more confident each week so, hopefully, he can keep progressing.”
“I can tell (Hall) is going be a great player,” McComb said. “He works hard and has freakish athletic ability.”
Granite Hills recovered a fumble just moments later and McComb followed that up with a touchdown run 25 of yards.
With six minutes to go in the first half, another touchdown run by McComb, this one from 8 yards out, extended the lead to 34-0.
Granite Hills had an interception with two minutes to go before halftime after Southwest had a first-and-goal at the 9-yard line. Granite Hills drove Southwest back 21 yards back to the 30 before the fourth-down pass was picked off.
Then, midway through the third period, senior Keyvon Martin had a touchdown run of 34 yards.
“I just want to say thanks to the whole Granite Hills staff and community on being so welcoming on my return from Mississippi,” said Martin, who rejoined the team a few weeks ago. “It definitely made my decision on coming back a lot easier.
“The bye week definitely gave us time to bond and figure out that every team isn’t just going to hand it to us considering that loss versus Madison. We had to teach ourselves that every team is just as hungry as us so if we want anything close to a championship we’re going to have to do a lot of taking and be more aggressive about the way we play.
“Basically our mindset has just been to go out there and take everything we wanted and that’s what we did.
“I definitely want to give a lot of credit to my offensive line for making a lot of those (runs) possible for me. Me and every guy on that O-line have a tight bond so if I get tackled or hurt they feel just as bad as I do.”
Granite Hills junior place-kicker Gavin Armstrong was 5-6 on PATs.
The teams gather to pray during the third quarter on Friday night.
Following Martin’s touchdown, the game was halted for about 35 minutes after Southwest Coach John Haines’ wife collapsed on the sidelines, suffering from a seizure.
The EMTs arrived 35 minutes after Robyn Haines fell. She was taken by ambulance to a hospital, then the game resumed on a running clock. She was released from the hospital early Saturday morning.
The couples’ son, Seneca Haines, is the starting center for Southwest High.
Southwest (2-3) scored on an 8-yard pass on fourth down in the fourth quarter, just preventing the hosts from being shutout by the Granite Hills defense.
Granite Hills will host fourth-ranked Steele Canyon (5-0) next Friday at 7 at Valley Stadium.
