Eagles close gap in loss to Dons

By Ramon Scott
Updated: September 30, 2025

Gage Spaulding carries for Granite Hills on Friday. / Vic Marano

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2025 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC 40, GRANITE HILLS 30

EastCountySports.com

SAN DIEGO – Granite Hills is in the middle of one of the most difficult stretches of any schedule in the county, and it showed again Friday night as the Eagles fell 40-30 to second-ranked Cathedral Catholic before a spirited homecoming crowd.

The Eagles (3-3), ranked No. 6 in the county and No. 35 in the state, went toe-to-toe with the Dons (5-0, No. 13 in California) and trailed by just a point at halftime before a fourth-quarter surge by Cathedral Catholic proved decisive.

Granite Hills’ .500 record may not tell the full story — their three losses have come to Mission Hills (San Diego No. 3), Los Alamitos (state No. 11), and Cathedral Catholic, all state-ranked powers.

Junior quarterback Zac Benitez once again put the offense on his shoulders, completing 28 of 38 passes for 372 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a score.

DJ Wilkins was his top target, hauling in nine receptions for 105 yards. Noah Walker added 92 yards and a 50-yard touchdown, while Isaac Rodriguez chipped in with a 35-yard scoring grab. Gage Spaulding, returning to the lineup, powered in for a 3-yard touchdown run.

Granite Hills answered an early Cathedral Catholic strike — a 70-yard Brady Palmer-to-Isaac Cook connection — with a five-play, 33-yard scoring drive capped by Benitez’s 2-yard keeper.

A missed PAT kept the Eagles down 7-6, but they grabbed their first lead later in the half when Jacob Nunez drilled a 31-yard field goal after a defensive stand.

The Dons regained the lead just before halftime, 14-9, but the Eagles pushed the pace after the break.

Spaulding’s touchdown run in the third quarter gave Granite Hills a 16-14 edge, and the Eagles stayed within striking distance well into the fourth.

But Cathedral Catholic’s Honor Fa’alave-Johnson took over late, scoring on runs of 17 and 55 yards and finishing with 110 rushing yards on just eight carries. He also caught seven passes for 97 yards and intercepted a Benitez pass in the fourth quarter to halt a Granite Hills drive. Palmer was steady for the Dons, throwing for 305 yards on 20-of-27 passing while also rushing for 42.

The Eagles made their final push when Benitez found Walker uncovered for a 50-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 33-23 with 4:20 remaining. Cathedral Catholic answered quickly, however, and despite a late Granite Hills score, the Dons secured the 40-30 win with 577 yards of total offense.

Despite the loss, Granite Hills showed marked improvement from last season’s 52-6 defeat in the same matchup, and their willingness to challenge elite programs reflects their championship pedigree from the last three years.

The Eagles also dropped a 49-42 shootout last week against Los Alamitos, the No. 11 team in California. Granite Hills’ offense shined in the high-scoring contest, as Benitez again spread the ball among his deep receiving corps. Noah Walker (477 yards, 6 TDs on the season), Tristan Diaz, Rocket Demery, DJ Wilkins, and Zheden Smith all played big roles in keeping pace with the Griffins.

But despite the offensive fireworks, the defense struggled to contain Los Alamitos’ big-play threats.

Granite Hills still managed to push the state power deep into the fourth quarter before falling short, leaving head coach Kellan Cobbs’ team sitting at 3-2 before heading into the Cathedral Catholic matchup.

Granite Hills may be just .500 through six games, but their record comes against one of the stiffest slates in San Diego.

With stars like Benitez and Walker continuing to put up elite numbers, and Spaulding back in the lineup, the Eagles look poised to make another championship run in the Grossmont Hills League as the clear favorite.

They’ll get a chance to reset with extra rest before traveling to face Mount Miguel on October 10.