2026 GRANITE HILLS EAGLES PREVIEW

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

GRANITE HILLS EAGLES SEASON PREVIEW

With guests ZAC BENITEZ, GAGE SPALDING, CAYDEN PHILLIPS

Three championships down, one senior season left for Benitez and East County’s defining football dynasty

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

EL CAJON — At some point, Granite Hills stopped being the emerging program trying to catch the traditional powers of San Diego County.

The Eagles became one of them.

They won the San Diego Section Open Division championship in 2023, followed with Division I titles in 2024 and 2025, and have won four consecutive Grossmont Hills League championships.

This is no longer a good run.

It is a dynasty.

And for one more season, the quarterback in the middle of it all is Zac Benitez.

Benitez begins his senior year with an opportunity that is difficult to put into historical perspective: winning a fourth consecutive CIF championship as Granite Hills’ starting quarterback.

He isn’t avoiding the subject.

“It’ll definitely be a great thing to walk out with four,” Benitez said. “I’ve got to get that missing finger ring on it for sure.”

But Benitez also provided perhaps the best explanation for why Granite Hills has sustained this level of success.

“I think we just maintain the grit that we have as a team,” he said. “I think the team chemistry is definitely there to get another CIF. But we don’t overlook league. We obviously take that as a championship as well.”

For Benitez, the progression is simple.

“We have three stages where we get through league and then CIF, regionals and then state,” he said. “Obviously our main goal is state, but as long as we maintain the grit that we have as one and just playing for each other, we’re going to get it done.”

That’s an ambitious standard.

At Granite Hills, it is also the established one.

Benitez has one championship left to chase

The statistical case for Benitez is already overwhelming.

As a junior, he completed 297 of 438 passes for 4,009 yards and 42 touchdowns, completing 67.8 percent of his throws. He added 189 rushing yards and four scores.

That’s 4,198 yards of total offense for a quarterback who led Granite Hills through another championship season.

The Eagles averaged 39.1 points per game, defeated Lincoln 41-29 for the Division I title and finished 10-4 against one of the strongest schedules in the section.

Benitez has done it while the supporting cast continually changed.

The 2023 championship team wasn’t the 2024 team.

The 2024 team wasn’t last year’s team.

And Granite Hills graduated another large senior class before 2026.

The program deserves enormous credit for continuing to reload — and Granite Hills was already becoming a championship program before Benitez arrived — but the quarterback has been the constant throughout the last three title runs.

A fourth would give Benitez a legitimate claim as the most accomplished high school football player the Grossmont Conference has produced.

What happens afterward is another question.

The conference has produced excellent quarterbacks, but relatively few have gone on to lengthy Division I success.

Alex Smith remains the obvious standard after Helix, Utah and a long NFL career, while Pete Thomas played Division I football at Colorado State, NC State and Louisiana-Monroe. Heck, Grossmont High head coach Anthony Lawrence was a record-setting quarterback at the University of San Diego.

Benitez has committed to San Jose State, and the fit was important to him.

“When I went out there on the visit, it was a great environment to be in and there’s great coaches,” Benitez said. “It’s kind of just like a family, and I just felt like a second home away, which kind of made me stick through and commit to San Jose.”

Playing in Ken Niumatalolo’s program could provide an intriguing next stage for a quarterback whose high school résumé has arguably exceeded his recruiting attention.

Benitez also deserves credit for building that résumé where he started.

In an era when accomplished players routinely move in search of a different level of exposure, he remained at Granite Hills and became one of the faces of a public-school dynasty.

Now he’s trying to finish it.

A senior who understands what Granite Hills has given him

For all the talk about records, championships and San Jose State, he understands that his Granite Hills career is almost over.

“Being an Eagle, stepping in as a freshman, it was a blessing,” Benitez said. “I’ve changed within these four years, especially with my coaches. They mentored me both on and off the field.”

Benitez described those coaches as more than football instructors.

“I see them as father figures as well,” he said. “I follow within their footsteps.”

That has changed his approach to his final season.

“You never know which game is going to be your last,” Benitez said. “I’m really taking this year to enjoy it and have fun. You only got high school one time in your life, so I’m really taking this and cherishing every moment.

“The first game, walking out of the Eagle, first time putting on the pads, the first touchdown pass — every little moment, I’m cherishing it.”

That maturity may be as representative of Benitez’s career as the numbers.

Receivers change, expectations don’t

Granite Hills lost enormous receiving production from last season, including a late preseason transfer loss of a top producer. from last season, who bolted late to a possible Open championship rival in Cathedral Catholic.

So Benitez isn’t simply inheriting last year’s passing game.

The Eagles have rebuilt it.

Senior Nino Miller-Thompson, the transfer from Lincoln, gives Granite Hills an established new weapon.

Senior Jesse Wilhite is expected to contribute on both sides of the football, and Benitez sounded particularly enthusiastic about sophomore Manny Walker, the younger brother of last year’s leading receiver.

“You guys definitely got to keep an eye out for him,” Benitez said of Walker. “He has crazy hands and he can create separation from whoever’s guarding him.”

The Eagles also have a fascinating pair of larger targets.

Senior Brody Vicars, who served as Benitez’s backup quarterback last season, has been working at tight end.

“He did good,” Benitez said of Vicars’ work at quarterback last season. “He definitely uses his legs. He could skedaddle a bit. Right now, we have him as a tight end, and with today’s practice I was really impressed with how he was moving. So he’s going to be a threat for sure.”

Then there is Jonah Hamilton, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound junior.

“Jonah’s a young guy, but he’s stepping into the role,” Benitez said. “Lengthy, he’s fast and he can jump. So jump balls are definitely going to be there.”

Benitez also identified Jaden Sheridan, Troy Cumming and Mitch Macleod among the younger receivers competing for roles.

Even linebacker Cayden Phillips may get involved. Phillips said he’s hoping for more offensive snaps this season and expects to line up outside when called upon.

Benitez doesn’t buy the suggestion that his receivers are simply products of the quarterback.

“I think it’s both ways,” he said. “The receivers make me good. Obviously I put the ball there, but it’s not going to make me look good if they don’t catch it.

“I have good receivers that make me look good, and I have receivers that I make look good. So it goes both ways.”

Spalding and Williams provide the balance

Granite Hills doesn’t have to ask Benitez to throw 45 times every Friday.

Senior Gage Spalding rushed for 407 yards and seven touchdowns on 76 carries last season.

Senior Davion Williams added 451 yards on 92 attempts.

Together they return 858 rushing yards, giving Granite Hills a proven one-two option behind Benitez. Spalding expects the partnership to become even more productive.

“Hopefully it’ll be Davion Williams this year,” Spalding said when asked about his backfield partner. “We’ve had really good practices together and we’re going to be that yin and yang back there this season.”

Spalding sees the backs complementing one another beyond carries.

“Hopefully, piggybacking off each other — blocks, catches, many touchdowns hopefully.”

Junior Niko Williams, sophomore Jamir Alverez and senior Daven Anderson give Granite Hills additional backfield depth.

For an offense replacing so much receiving production, having two experienced senior backs may become particularly valuable early.

Haisch anchors another big offensive front

The preseason analytics identified line turnover as one of Granite Hills’ primary concerns. It doesn’t mean the Eagles lack size.

Senior Seth Haisch, listed at 6-foot-2 and 300 pounds, remains the foundation.

Spalding identified Haisch as one of the crucial pieces up front along with Sam Williford, Jacob Gomez and others competing for starting jobs.

“We kind of move everybody around,” Spalding said, “but those are our impact players up front.”

Benitez also mentioned senior Isaac Hann, a 280-pound guard and defensive tackle, among the players expected to contribute.

The roster offers plenty more size: Ryder Christman is listed at 335 pounds, Spirtryder Gamache at 285, Jacob Gomez at 265, Williford at 255 and Willie Spain at 245.

There is experience mixed with youth throughout the group. Benitez knows exactly how important those players are.

“I’ve got to treat my guys right for protecting me,” he joked.

With Mission Hills, Los Alamitos and Cathedral Catholic waiting in September, protection won’t be a minor issue.

If the new line comes together around Haisch, Granite Hills should again possess one of the county’s most difficult offenses to defend.

Phillips takes over leadership of the defense

Granite Hills’ biggest returning defensive production belongs to Cayden Phillips.

Phillips recorded 83 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five sacks and two forced fumbles last season.

Now he inherits a larger leadership role after the graduation of Braydon “Boogie” Wells, who led last year’s defense with 89 tackles.

“It’s been a big change,” Phillips said. His expectations haven’t changed.

“Our goal for our defense this year is a top-10 defense in San Diego like it is every year,” Phillips said. “Goal doesn’t change. Get us back to the Open.”

That’s revealing. Granite Hills isn’t measuring this defense solely against Helix, Steele Canyon, Grossmont or Mount Miguel.

The Eagles are measuring it against the best defenses in the county. Phillips believes the offseason work gives them a chance.

“Our chemistry — we’ve been working at it since January,” he said. “We never stopped. Our season ended in December. We got right back into the lab after Christmas break.

“We’ve got a lot of returners that weren’t necessarily starters, but we’ve got a lot of returners this year and a lot of guys that want it. We’ve got a lot of athletes on our defense, too.”

Granite Hills has strength through the middle

Phillips believes the Eagles can build their defense from the middle outward.

“We’ve got a big three in the middle of the field this year,” he said.

That group includes sophomore Jamir Alverez in the nickel role with Phillips and senior Eurijah Schutza at linebacker. Schutza recorded 65 tackles last season, giving Granite Hills 148 returning tackles between him and Phillips alone.

Alverez was already playing varsity as a freshman, finishing with 26 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and an interception.

Phillips also singled out Jaylen Smith, who comes over from Helix, and returning senior Jacob Gibson in the secondary.

Then there is Wilhite.

Wilhite intercepted five passes last season, returned them for 82 yards, recovered two fumbles and produced two defensive touchdowns.

“He’ll be a big impact when he’s on the field,” Phillips said.

Wilhite has spent substantial preseason time with the offense, but his ability to return to free safety gives Granite Hills one of the county’s most dangerous takeaway threats.

The rest of a deep secondary includes veterans and emerging players such as Daeveon Brown, James Esquibel, Damian Jones, Ty Spencer, MJ Aloese, Cameron Palmer, William Connoway and Roman Martinez.

Front four is the defensive question

The greatest uncertainty lies up front. Granite Hills graduated several established defensive linemen, including much of last season’s pass-rush production.

Phillips acknowledged the issue without sounding particularly alarmed.

“Our front four is looking pretty good,” he said. “We’re a little undersized up there, but they’ll get the job done.”

The current roster includes seniors Jan Polak, Reese Claytor, Andrew Baker and Gabe Luera, along with a sizable junior group featuring Niko Polar, Jacob Lopez, Troy Dally, David Dominguez, Aiden Beckstrand and Jeremiah May.

Polar, at 6-foot-1 and 275 pounds, certainly isn’t undersized inside.

Sophomores Kolton Hopkins and Silas Stoll are additional developmental pieces.

That group’s ability to create pressure without forcing Granite Hills to compromise its coverage could determine whether Phillips’ top-10 defensive goal becomes reality.

Coaching remains the program’s constant

Players graduate. New stars arrive. The coaching infrastructure remains.

Phillips considers that one of Granite Hills’ greatest advantages.

“It’s definitely our coaching staff,” he said. “Our coaching staff is what gets us through the season. They know how to prepare us week by week.”

That begins with Kellen Cobbs, now in his 14th season, but Phillips emphasized that Granite Hills’ continuity extends across the staff.

“They’ve been doing this for 20-plus years together,” Phillips said.

He identified defensive coordinator Coach Vinnie San Filoppo, defensive backs coach Coach Henry Diaz, receivers coach Coach Lance Leance and quarterbacks coach Coach Tyler Hopper among the assistants who have helped establish the program’s culture.

That continuity may be the biggest reason Granite Hills can lose 20-plus seniors and still begin the next season expecting to contend for a championship.

The system remains after the names change.

There may already be another quarterback coming

Benitez will leave after this season. Granite Hills doesn’t intend to stop.

Senior Brody Vicars has already provided varsity depth behind him, while junior Ryder Bowman is also on the current roster.

Benitez said he has begun helping coach the younger quarterback through practices and individual plays.

That may be a small detail. It also says a great deal about where Granite Hills has reached as a program.

The championship quarterback isn’t guarding his legacy. He’s trying to prepare the next one.

The Open Division is the target

Granite Hills won Division I championships the last two seasons. Nobody needs to apologize for winning championships.

But this program has reached a level at which the Open Division has again become the target.

Phillips said it directly. Benitez said it directly.

Spalding understands how much the early schedule matters toward making it happen.

“We have four straight home games,” Spalding said. “Those are four very big games when it comes to seeding.”

The key stretch includes Mission Hills, Los Alamitos and Cathedral Catholic, three teams that beat Granite Hills last season.

Benitez knows those results matter within the current playoff system.

“It’s all about us winning,” he said. “Playing the tough teams — they go by how tough your schedule is now. So we’ve got to get those wins to bump us in that top four.”

That’s the challenge.

Granite Hills went 10-4 last season, but all four losses came against upper-tier opponents: Mission Hills, Los Alamitos, Cathedral Catholic and Pacifica-Oxnard.

The Eagles dominated the Grossmont Hills League. They won Division I. To return to the Open, they probably need to reverse some of those results.

Oceanside starts it immediately

Granite Hills doesn’t get a warm-up. The Eagles open Aug. 21 at Oceanside, which Granite Hills defeated 45-29 last season.

The Pirates are again expected to be among the better teams in the section, making this an immediate test for Granite Hills’ reconstructed offensive line and receiving corps.

Benitez said the Eagles won’t get caught looking ahead.

“We definitely have some tough teams on our schedule,” he said. “But we take each week one by one.”

That approach becomes important considering what follows.

Granite Hills visits Mater Dei Catholic, then begins its pivotal home stretch.

Mission Hills, Los Alamitos, Cathedral could determine Open fate

Mission Hills visits Granite Hills on Sept. 11. The Grizzlies beat the Eagles 31-21 last season.

A week later comes Los Alamitos, which survived a 49-42 shootout against Granite Hills last year.

Then Cathedral Catholic arrives Sept. 25 after defeating Granite Hills 40-30 in 2025.

That three-game stretch may define the Eagles’ Open Division résumé. Benitez doesn’t need reminding about Cathedral.

“Everybody knows about them,” he said. “They have the guys in the trenches and they have the skilled guys, but I think we definitely have the talent to go out there and compete against them.”

He also made clear Granite Hills remembers last year’s loss.

“We definitely got to get our get-back,” Benitez said.

Still, he returned to the same point he made throughout the interview.

“We don’t look at who we play next,” he said. “We look at who we play that week and get that job done.”

Grossmont enters; Steele Canyon awaits

League play opens Oct. 2 against Grossmont, which moves into the Grossmont Hills League after going 9-2 and sweeping the Valley last season.

The Foothillers bring quarterback Tyler Holmes, 1,000-yard running back Corbin Dow and an offense capable of making the game entertaining.

Then comes Steele Canyon, which returns quarterback Gavin Caha and another talented offensive group.

Granite Hills beat the Cougars 35-10 last season, but Steele Canyon remains one of the more credible challengers in the league.

The Eagles then travel to Mount Miguel, where the personnel and coaching landscape has changed dramatically since Granite Hills beat the Matadors twice last season.

A late nonleague trip to San Jacinto gives Granite Hills another useful test before the finale.

Helix closes the regular season

Oct. 30. Granite Hills at Helix. No explanation is necessary.

The balance of power in East County has shifted toward Granite Hills during this championship run, and last year’s 40-14 Eagles victory underscored the current gap.

But Helix appears improved.

The Highlanders now have Caden Thompson at quarterback, an established running game and a defense built around linebacker Jeremy Davis.

Granite Hills will still enter as the considerable favorite. That doesn’t make Hart Stadium an easy place to finish a regular season.

If a league championship or Open Division berth remains at stake, the atmosphere should resemble November before November actually arrives.

Nunez gives Eagles another major advantage

Granite Hills also returns one of the best specialists in the conference.

Senior Jacob Nunez made 61 of 64 extra points and six field goals last season, including a long of 37 yards. He scored 79 points with his leg.

That matters more in 2026 than it did during some of Granite Hills’ blowouts last season.

The Eagles expect to play multiple games against opponents capable of pushing them into the fourth quarter.

Having an experienced kicker can decide one of them.

Another championship team — or something even bigger?

The preseason analytics again project Granite Hills to finish first in the Grossmont Hills League and approach nine victories.

That’s the minimum conversation. Granite Hills should win the league.

Granite Hills should contend for another CIF championship.

The bigger question is whether this team can get back into the Open Division and perhaps take the championship run all the way through regionals and into another state game.

The offense still starts with one of the best quarterbacks in San Diego County.

Benitez has Spalding and Williams behind him, Miller-Thompson and Wilhite among his senior targets, intriguing younger weapons such as Walker, Hamilton and Sheridan, and Haisch anchoring the offensive line.

The defense has Phillips, Schutza and Alverez through the middle, Wilhite and Gibson among the experienced defensive backs, and another deep group of linemen trying to emerge.

There are questions. There always are when another 20-plus-player senior class leaves.

Granite Hills has simply reached the point where replacing those players is part of the program rather than evidence of its decline.

One last ride

Granite Hills was ascending before Benitez became its quarterback.

The Eagles won the 2022 Division II championship and a state bowl title before his championship run began.

They have a 73-player roster now, a large collection of underclassmen and a JV program that went 7-3 last season.

There is every reason to believe Cobbs’ program will remain among East County’s best after Benitez leaves.

But that doesn’t diminish what this particular senior season could mean. Three seasons as Granite Hills’ varsity quarterback.

Three CIF championships. One Open Division title. Two Division I titles. A 4,000-yard junior season. A San Jose State commitment.

And one final opportunity to put a fourth championship ring on the finger that Benitez joked is still missing one.

There may someday be a Grossmont Conference quarterback who produces bigger statistics.

There may be another who eventually achieves more at the college or professional level.

But if Benitez leaves Granite Hills with four CIF championships in four high school seasons, it will be extraordinarily difficult to construct a more accomplished prep career.

He understands that. He also seems determined not to let the pursuit consume his final season.

“I’m really taking this and cherishing every moment,” Benitez said.

That’s probably the right way to approach it.

Granite Hills has already made history.

Now its quarterback gets one more season to add to it.

Related Posts

• 
  EAST COUNTY FEARLESS FORECASTER – Week 1
• 
  2026 GROSSMONT FOOTHILLERS PREVIEW
• 
  2026 EL CAJON VALLEY BRAVES PREVIEW