Eagles take down top-ranked Grizzlies

 

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2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

GRANITE HILLS 28, MISSION HILLS 27

Granite Hills stops two-point try inches short, stuns Mission Hills 28-27

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

EL CAJON — For nearly four quarters, Granite Hills kept finding ways to keep the most explosive offense in San Diego County from taking control.

An interception in the end zone.

A red-zone takeaway.

A sack at a critical moment.

And finally, with everything riding on one snap, a wall of Eagles at the goal line.

Granite Hills stopped Mission Hills quarterback Furian Inferrera inches short on a two-point conversion with 11 seconds remaining Friday night, preserving a dramatic 28-27 victory over the No. 1-ranked Grizzlies in one of the biggest wins of the young San Diego Section season.

Mission Hills had just pulled within a point when Inferrera found junior Ryan MacKenzie for a touchdown in the closing seconds.

The Grizzlies didn’t hesitate.

They went for two — and the win.

Inferrera kept the football and attacked the goal line. For a moment, Mission Hills players thought their quarterback had broken the plane.

The officials never signaled a score.

Granite Hills had stopped him perhaps no more than inches from completing the comeback.

The Eagles erupted.

There was still one final piece of business. Mission Hills attempted an onside kick, was penalized for offsides and had to try again. Jaden Sheridan secured the ensuing kick for Granite Hills, allowing the Eagles to enter victory formation and finally put away the county’s top-ranked team.

Granite Hills improved to 2-1, while Mission Hills fell to 3-1.

It was not a victory built on shutting Mission Hills down statistically.

Quite the opposite.

The Grizzlies finished with 458 yards of offense, and Inferrera completed 21 of 32 passes for 361 yards and two touchdowns.

MacKenzie was nearly unstoppable at times, catching 12 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown, while Brayden Roberson added five receptions for 136 yards and a score.

Yet when Mission Hills appeared most dangerous, Granite Hills kept producing game-changing plays.

That began before halftime.

With the Eagles leading 14-7, Mission Hills drove into Granite Hills territory in the closing seconds. The Grizzlies had reached the Eagles’ 30 with 11.5 seconds remaining and were threatening to erase the deficit.

Instead, senior Jesse Wilhite made one of the defensive plays of the night.

A Mission Hills pass was directed toward the right corner of the end zone, where Wilhite fought the receiver for the football and came away with the interception.

He took a knee in the end zone.

Granite Hills took a knee moments later.

Halftime: Eagles 14, Grizzlies 7.

The sequence repeated itself in a different form during the third quarter.

After Granite Hills turned the ball over, Mission Hills drove into the red zone and appeared ready to tie the game.

The Grizzlies fumbled.

Granite Hills recovered.

A personal-foul penalty against the Eagles after the turnover backed them up near their own goal line, but the field position hardly mattered.

On the ensuing possession, Zac Benitez found junior Jonah Hamilton, who broke a pair of tackles and raced for a touchdown officially listed at 67 yards.

In a matter of moments, Mission Hills had gone from threatening to score to trailing 21-7 with 3:21 remaining in the third quarter.

That was the kind of night it was for Granite Hills.

The Eagles made Mission Hills work for everything — and when one snap could completely change the game, Granite Hills frequently won it.

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BENITEZ ANSWERS WHEN GAME FLIPS

Mission Hills eventually demonstrated why it entered the night ranked No. 1.

The Grizzlies cut the deficit to 21-14 when Roberson broke loose for a touchdown, then completed the comeback with under five minutes remaining when senior Rhodes Relatores scored on a 2-yard run.

The PAT tied the score at 21-all.

For the first time all night, Granite Hills had lost the advantage it had controlled from the opening quarter.

The Eagles suddenly looked as if they might be letting the game slip away.

Then Benitez settled everything down.

The senior quarterback, already responsible for Granite Hills’ first two touchdowns, directed the most important possession of the night.

Benitez used his legs. Gage Spalding kept the chains manageable. Then Mission Hills committed the mistake that helped swing the drive.

Benitez gained only a couple of yards on a keeper before a Grizzlies defender arrived late and drew a 15-yard personal-foul penalty.

Instead of facing another difficult down, Granite Hills suddenly had a first down in Mission Hills territory.

Benitez then hit Hamilton, Spalding carried the Eagles deeper into scoring range, and Granite Hills reached the Mission Hills 30-yard line area.

At that point, the Eagles had options.

Senior kicker Jacob Nunez had already converted every extra point and gave Granite Hills a legitimate field-goal possibility.

Benitez never needed him for three.

With approximately 50 seconds remaining, the senior quarterback delivered perhaps his finest throw of the season.

Benitez dropped the football toward the right side of the end zone for senior receiver Courtney “Nino” Miller-Thompson, placing it where only his receiver had a realistic chance to make the catch.

Miller-Thompson went up and secured it.

Touchdown.

Nunez added the extra point.

Granite Hills 28, Mission Hills 21.

Benitez finished 17 of 23 passing for 250 yards and two touchdowns.

He also carried 18 times for 43 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns, accounting for all four Granite Hills scores either running or passing.

It was a senior quarterback’s response at precisely the moment Granite Hills needed one.

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ONE MORE MISSION HILLS CHARGE

Fifty seconds proved to be plenty for Mission Hills.

Even after Granite Hills recorded a sack for a 3-yard loss and forced the Grizzlies to burn their final timeout, Inferrera kept the drive alive.

His deep completion to MacKenzie moved Mission Hills to the Granite Hills 13 with 22 seconds remaining.

The Grizzlies spiked the ball.

On the next play, Inferrera escaped pressure and threw the football away as he was going down. An intentional-grounding flag initially came out, which would have cost Mission Hills both yardage and a down.

After a conference, however, the officials picked up the flag.

The Grizzlies received another chance.

Inferrera took advantage.

He found MacKenzie for the touchdown with approximately 11 seconds remaining.

Mission Hills could have kicked the tying extra point.

Instead, the Grizzlies put their undefeated record and No. 1 ranking on one play.

Inferrera kept it.

Granite Hills stopped him.

Ballgame.

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EAGLES STRIKE FIRST

Granite Hills had set the tone early.

A Mission Hills pass-interference penalty helped the Eagles reach the red zone on their opening scoring drive.

Benitez finished it himself, keeping the football for a 4-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 lead with 7:16 remaining in the first quarter.

Mission Hills answered on Inferrera’s 5-yard quarterback keeper, tying the game at 7 with 3:16 remaining.

Granite Hills later lost an opportunity when Spalding fumbled at the Mission Hills 23, but the Eagles moved back in front during the second quarter.

Benitez scrambled 7 yards up the middle for his second rushing touchdown, and Nunez’s conversion gave Granite Hills a 14-7 lead with 4:50 remaining before halftime.

Nunez had a perfect night, converting all four PAT attempts.

Spalding supplied the bulk of Granite Hills’ traditional rushing attack, carrying 15 times for 77 yards, an average of 5.1 yards per attempt.

Junior Niko Williams also received meaningful work, carrying seven times for 18 yards as Granite Hills shared backfield responsibilities.

Hamilton led the Eagles with 86 receiving yards on four catches, including the long touchdown.

Miller-Thompson caught six passes for 54 yards and the go-ahead score.

Wilhite contributed offensively as well, catching two passes for 51 yards, giving him a major impact on both sides of the football.

Granite Hills finished with 396 total yards, including 250 through the air and 146 rushing.

Mission Hills finished with 458.

But this game wasn’t decided by the yardage totals.

It was decided by what happened when the field became short and the consequences became enormous.

Wilhite’s interception.

The third-quarter red-zone fumble recovery.

Benitez-to-Hamilton immediately afterward.

Benitez-to-Miller-Thompson when the Eagles had surrendered their two-touchdown lead.

And finally, a defense standing its ground with Mission Hills one conversion away from stealing the game.

The No. 1 team came to El Cajon with an offense capable of scoring from anywhere on the field.

Granite Hills let it move the football.

The Eagles simply refused to let it make the last yard.

FINAL: GRANITE HILLS 28, MISSION HILLS 27.

 

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FOUR PLAYS THAT WON IT

For all the offense produced Friday night, Granite Hills’ upset can be reduced to four enormous moments.

1. JESSE WILHITE’S END-ZONE INTERCEPTION

Mission Hills was threatening to tie the game just before halftime. Instead, Wilhite took the football away in the end zone, and Granite Hills carried a 14-7 advantage into the locker room.

2. THE THIRD-QUARTER RED-ZONE TURNOVER

Mission Hills was again positioned to score when it fumbled inside Granite Hills territory. The Eagles recovered despite subsequently being backed up by a penalty.

3. BENITEZ TO HAMILTON

Granite Hills immediately punished the turnover. Benitez connected with Jonah Hamilton for a 67-yard scoring play, and Hamilton broke two tackles en route to a 21-7 lead.

4. THE HALF-INCH

Mission Hills’ final touchdown cut the score to 28-27. Inferrera kept the ball on the two-point conversion, but Granite Hills stopped him inches short.

Those four plays illustrate why the final score meant more than simply surviving a late rally.

Granite Hills repeatedly won the game’s biggest downs.

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BENITEZ PUTS TOGETHER COMPLETE NIGHT

Zac Benitez didn’t have to throw for 400 yards to outduel one of the county’s most productive quarterbacks.

He had to make the right plays.

Benitez completed 17 of 23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns, added 43 yards rushing and scored twice on the ground.

His line:

Passing: 17-for-23, 250 yards, 2 TD
Rushing: 18 carries, 43 yards, 2 TD
Total offense: 293 yards
Touchdowns responsible for: 4

His most important work came after Mission Hills erased Granite Hills’ 21-7 lead.

With the score tied at 21 late in the fourth quarter, Benitez directed the go-ahead drive and capped it with a perfectly placed touchdown throw to Courtney Miller-Thompson.

Mission Hills had all the momentum.

Benitez took it back.

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WILHITE’S TWO-WAY IMPACT

The official offensive statistics don’t tell the most important part of Jesse Wilhite’s night.

Wilhite caught two passes for 51 yards, added 55 yards in the return game and finished with 106 all-purpose yards.

But his defining play came on defense.

With Mission Hills threatening immediately before halftime, Wilhite battled a Grizzlies receiver in the end zone and came away with an interception.

Instead of potentially entering halftime tied 14-14, Granite Hills walked into the locker room still ahead 14-7.

In a one-point game, that possession became enormous.

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THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE UPSET

GRANITE HILLS

Zac Benitez — 17-23, 250 yards, 2 TD passing; 43 yards, 2 TD rushing
Gage Spalding — 15 carries, 77 yards
Jonah Hamilton — 4 catches, 86 yards, TD
Courtney Miller-Thompson — 6 catches, 54 yards, TD
Jesse Wilhite — 2 catches, 51 yards
Manny Walker — 4 catches, 49 yards
Jacob Nunez — 4-for-4 PATs

TEAM OFFENSE: 396 yards

MISSION HILLS

Furian Inferrera — 21-32, 361 yards, 2 TD, INT; 26 rushing yards, TD
Ryan MacKenzie — 12 catches, 183 yards, TD
Brayden Roberson — 5 catches, 136 yards, TD
Rhodes Relatores — 13 carries, 66 yards, TD

TEAM OFFENSE: 458 yards

Mission Hills outgained Granite Hills by 62 yards.

Granite Hills won by one point.

That’s football.

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LOOK-AHEAD: LOS ALAMITOS COMES TO EL CAJON

Granite Hills doesn’t receive much time to celebrate its biggest victory of the season.

Next Friday, the Eagles remain home for another nonleague test against Los Alamitos, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sept. 18.

There will be a revenge element attached to this one.

Granite Hills traveled north last season and came home with a 49-24 loss to Los Alamitos.

This time the Griffins come to Valley Stadium — and the circumstances look considerably different.

Los Alamitos enters the matchup 0-4, while Granite Hills is 2-1 and coming off a victory over the No. 1 team in San Diego County.

The Griffins’ record shouldn’t tempt Granite Hills into overlooking them.

Los Alamitos plays in the powerful Southern Section and has traditionally faced a demanding schedule. The Griffins have averaged approximately 248 yards of offense per game this season, including 112 rushing and 136 passing.

Running back/athlete Kamden Tillis has been their most productive runner, averaging approximately 62 rushing yards per game, while quarterback Elijah McDaniel leads the passing attack.

Granite Hills enters with considerably greater offensive production.

The Eagles are averaging approximately 351 total yards per game, with Benitez accounting for nearly 248 passing yards per contest through three games.

Spalding has provided the primary rushing production, and Miller-Thompson has emerged as the featured target in a receiving group that also includes Hamilton, Wilhite, Walker and Sheridan.

Friday’s Mission Hills victory also provided something statistics cannot quantify.

Granite Hills proved it can win a close game against elite opposition.

It played with a lead.

It surrendered that lead.

It responded with a late touchdown.

And when the game came down to one final defensive snap, the Eagles made it.

The next challenge is different.

After spending a week trying to knock off No. 1, Granite Hills now has to handle the expectations that come after doing it.

NEXT GAME
Los Alamitos (0-4) at Granite Hills (2-1)
Friday, Sept. 18 — 7 p.m.
Last meeting: Los Alamitos 49, Granite Hills 24

The rematch comes almost exactly a year after the teams staged a shootout at Los Alamitos, where the Griffins prevailed 49-42. Granite Hills jumped ahead 14-7 in the first quarter, but Los Al erupted for 28 second-quarter points to take a 35-21 halftime lead. The Eagles kept coming, eventually pulling within 49-42 on a late Benitez touchdown before the Griffins ran out the clock.

Several of the principals are back. Zac Benitez, then a junior, completed 34 of 45 passes for 423 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for two scores for Granite Hills. Current Eagles kicker Jacob Nunez was 6-for-6 on PATs. On the Los Alamitos side, current senior Kamden Tillis was a major problem for Granite Hills, pounding out 205 yards on 34 carries with three touchdowns.

So while Los Alamitos comes to El Cajon at 0-4 this time, Granite Hills has a pretty good reminder of what the Griffins are capable of — and Benitez and Tillis will be among the players who remember last year’s seven-point shootout firsthand.

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