Granite Hills rolls to second straight boys lacrosse crown

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: May 2, 2026

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP BOYS LACROSSE

East County Sports.com

EL CAJON — On an evening of milestones, Granite Hills clinched the Grossmont Hills League championship for the second straight season, but this year’s edition was different.

Unlike 2025, when the Eagles fought to essentially a first-place draw with Helix, this season was better by going a perfect 6-0 in GHL action to claim the title outright.

The perfect GHL mark was clinched following Friday’s (May 1) Senior Night victory over El Capitan, 19-8, at Valley Stadium. The 19 goals equaled a season-high set earlier against La Jolla Country Day.

GraniteHills (15-3 overall) was well on its way to a ninth consecutive triumph after scoring six unanswered goals in the first period.

The early offense came on overlaps from a pair of midfielders.

Tristan Diaz scored two of his five goals in the early going, while junior Cayden Phillips found trhe twine twice over the same time period, part of his four goals.

Setting the stage was Carson Kowalsky, who registered three assists in the early going. The senior finished with a goal and finished just short of the school record with eight assists.

Meanwhile Kowalsky, who recently surpassed 100 career goals, was joined in the Century Club for scoring by Logan Vance, who scored three times in the second half to reach 100 exactly.

The Eagles inundated the Vaqueros with 48 official shots on goal, plus a host of other chances that sailed wide.

Fortunately for El Capitan, goalie Dom Cornelius stood on his head. Of course, he had a high save total of 29 due to the volume of shots. However, several were of spectacular efforts, making him a strong possibility for selection to the all-league team, which is scheduled to be announced shortly.