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Highlanders turn back clock, Pirates
- Updated: September 14, 2026
2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL
No. 16 HELIX 20, No. 6 OCEANSIDE 13
Highlanders end seven-game skid against longtime rival with 20-13 road victory
By Ramon Scott
EAST COUNTY SPORTS
OCEANSIDE — The uniforms were familiar, the setting was imposing and the opponent had spent much of this century making Helix’s trips north end badly.
This time, the Highlanders brought home a victory reminiscent of the years when meetings with Oceanside regularly helped determine championships.
Quarterback Caden Thompson accounted for two touchdowns, Jeremy Robinson again delivered critical plays on offense and defense, and Helix ended the Pirates’ seven-game winning streak in the series with a 20-13 nonleague victory Friday night.
The Highlanders improved to 3-1 with their third consecutive victory and their second straight road win against a traditional county power. Helix defeated St. Augustine 27-20 one week earlier.
Oceanside, which defeated Helix 41-14 last season, fell to 1-3.
The Pirates’ record did not reflect the difficulty of the assignment. Oceanside opened its season by defeating Granite Hills before facing Carlsbad and Mission Hills, two of the county’s highest-rated teams.
Helix had lost 10 of its previous 14 meetings with Oceanside since 2000, including eight postseason games. The Pirates had won seven straight in the series.
That history made the result significant. How the Highlanders produced it may have mattered even more.
One week after relying on two interception returns for touchdowns to beat St. Augustine, Helix received one score apiece from its quarterback, running game and passing attack. The defense held Oceanside without a touchdown for more than three quarters after the Pirates scored on a short field in the opening period.
Oceanside capitalized first when a Helix fumble on the kickoff return gave the Pirates possession only 25 yards from the end zone.
The Pirates needed six plays to score. Neke Letuli completed the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run with 4:26 remaining in the first quarter, but the missed extra point kept Oceanside’s lead at 6-0.
Helix did not answer quickly. Instead, the Highlanders assembled the kind of possession that gradually changed control of the game.
A 20-play second-quarter drive consumed most of the period and forced the Oceanside defense to remain on the field through three Helix fourth-down conversions.
Thompson escaped for 17 yards on fourth-and-16 during the possession. The senior later finished the march with a 3-yard touchdown keeper on fourth down with 11.9 seconds remaining before halftime.
Jacob Martin-Del Campo added the extra point, and Helix carried a 7-6 lead into the locker room.
The Highlanders extended their advantage following another defensive stand early in the third quarter.
Robinson broke up an Oceanside pass inside the Helix 10, helping stop the Pirates before they could reclaim the lead. Once Helix regained possession, Thompson connected with Robinson to advance to the Oceanside 23.
Stephon Fuentes handled the rest.
Fuentes took a pitch, redirected behind the line and burst through an opening before breaking toward the right side for a 23-yard touchdown run with 7:42 remaining in the third quarter.
The extra-point attempt missed, leaving Helix ahead 13-6.
Fuentes carried much of the offensive workload and finished with 76 yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts. Helix rushed 35 times despite averaging fewer than three yards per attempt, remaining committed to the ground game as it protected its lead.
Oceanside advanced into Helix territory early in the fourth quarter, but a personal-foul penalty pushed the Pirates backward. Jordan Fuga then intercepted a pass at the Helix 36, denying Oceanside its best opportunity to tie the score.
Fuga’s takeaway continued an impressive stretch for the Helix secondary. The Highlanders had returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the previous week’s victory, including Robinson’s 93-yard return and Jacob “J.J.” Andrew-Johnson’s 98-yard score.
This time, Robinson supplied the decisive touchdown on offense.
Helix faced fourth-and-9 near midfield after an attempted deep pass broke down on the previous snap. The Highlanders returned to the concept, spread Oceanside across the field and created an opening for Robinson behind the secondary.
Thompson found him for a 43-yard touchdown with 11:28 remaining. Martin-Del Campo’s extra point gave Helix a 20-6 advantage.
Robinson caught three passes for a game-high 78 yards and a touchdown, averaging 26 yards per reception.
Thompson completed 8 of 17 passes for 125 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He added 27 rushing yards and a touchdown, but his value extended beyond the final yardage.
Helix faced 10 fourth downs and elected to keep its offense on the field seven times. The Highlanders converted six of those seven attempts, including the touchdown pass to Robinson and three conversions during the second-quarter scoring drive.
Oceanside produced one final challenge with an 82-yard drive late in the fourth quarter.
Pirates quarterback Anthony Barquinero escaped pressure and powered through a defender at the goal line for an 8-yard touchdown run with 1:37 remaining. The extra point reduced Helix’s lead to 20-13.
Barquinero finished 8 of 16 passing for 69 yards and rushed six times for 48 yards and a touchdown. Letuli, who had gained 118 yards against Mission Hills the previous week, was held to 65 yards on 14 carries. He added two receptions for 28 yards.
Helix secured the ensuing kickoff and still needed one final first down to finish the game.
On fourth-and-7, Thompson escaped toward the sideline and crossed the marker. Oceanside could not regain possession.
Helix left Oceanside having allowed only 219 total yards, including 79 through the air. The Highlanders did not dominate statistically, but they controlled possession, avoided a passing turnover and repeatedly extended drives in the game’s most important moments.
The victory does not complete Helix’s return from consecutive sub-.500 seasons, but it strengthens the evidence that the Highlanders are moving in the right direction.
They have beaten St. Augustine and Oceanside in consecutive weeks. Their reward is an even larger challenge.
Long-time county rival Cathedral Catholic visits Hart Stadium on Friday.
ROBINSON’S IMPACT TRAVELS BOTH WAYS
Jeremy Robinson has produced defining plays in consecutive victories, but not from only one position.
Against St. Augustine, Robinson returned an interception 93 yards for a touchdown. Against Oceanside, the junior receiver and defensive back contributed at crucial moments on both sides of the ball.
Robinson broke up a pass inside the Helix 10 during Oceanside’s opening possession of the second half. After the Highlanders regained possession, his reception moved the ball to the 23 immediately before Fuentes scored.
Robinson later broke behind the Oceanside secondary for the 43-yard touchdown that gave Helix a two-possession advantage.
He finished with three receptions for 78 yards and one touchdown.
Through Helix’s two-game road sweep of St. Augustine and Oceanside, Robinson has scored one offensive touchdown and one defensive touchdown while helping prevent another score.
SERIES FINALLY SWINGS BACK TO HELIX
Few nonleague opponents are tied more closely to Helix’s championship history than Oceanside.
The teams met during the playoffs in nine seasons between 2000 and 2014, frequently with a section championship or a berth in the title game at stake.
Oceanside controlled much of that history.
The Pirates entered Friday with a 10-4 advantage in 14 meetings since 2000, including eight postseason victories. Oceanside also had won the last seven meetings and defeated Helix 41-14 in 2025.
Helix finally changed the direction of the series by winning on the Pirates’ field.
The Highlanders’ current three-game winning streak does not yet match the accomplishments of their championship teams. Beating a quality Oceanside opponent on the road, however, represented a meaningful step toward restoring that standard.
EXTRA OPPORTUNITIES BECOME EXTRA POSSESSIONS
Fourth down was not Helix’s entire story, but the Highlanders’ execution helped make the victory possible.
Helix converted six of seven fourth-down attempts, including:
- Thompson’s 17-yard scramble on fourth-and-16 during the 20-play second-quarter drive.
- Thompson’s 3-yard touchdown run to finish that possession.
- Thompson’s 43-yard touchdown pass to Robinson on fourth-and-9.
- Thompson’s fourth-and-7 scramble that secured the final first down.
The Highlanders turned four potential changes of possession into two touchdowns and the opportunity to run out the clock.
That allowed Helix to overcome modest offensive totals and an early turnover without asking its defense to spend the entire night protecting a narrow lead.
LOOKING AHEAD: COUNTY POWERS RENEW ACQUAINTANCES
Cathedral Catholic (1-2) at Helix (3-1)
Friday, Sept. 18, 7 p.m.
The difficulty of Helix’s schedule rises again Friday when Cathedral Catholic visits Hart Stadium.
The Dons’ 1-2 record and fall from the county’s No. 1 position could create a misleading impression. Cathedral reminded everyone of its talent last week by overwhelming Mater Dei Catholic 63-0.
Quarterback Koa Smith-Mayall completed 10 of 13 passes for 203 yards and four touchdowns and added a 60-yard touchdown run.
Isaac Cook caught four passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns.
Cathedral’s defense was equally overwhelming. Tali Burton recorded 14 tackles, while Kevin Clark finished with 12 tackles and two sacks. Ryder Molchanoff added two sacks, Noah Lauifi intercepted a pass and Honor Fa’alave-Johnson contributed seven tackles, including two behind the line.
The Dons are averaging approximately 401 yards and 33 points per game, making Helix a considerable underdog despite the Highlanders’ three-game winning streak.
For years, however, Helix met Cathedral on nearly even terms in major nonleague games and postseason matchups. The two programs became familiar obstacles in one another’s championship pursuits.
Helix cannot reclaim that standing through nostalgia. It can make a forceful argument on the field.
Beating Oceanside ended one frustrating chapter in the Highlanders’ recent history. Beating Cathedral would announce that Helix has returned to the county’s championship conversation.
HELIX 20, OCEANSIDE 13
Helix — 0 7 6 7 — 20 Oceanside — 6 0 0 7 — 13
Scoring
O — Neke Letuli 5 run (kick failed)
H — Caden Thompson 3 run (Jacob Martin-Del Campo kick)
H — Stephon Fuentes 23 run (kick failed)
H — Jeremy Robinson 43 pass from Thompson (Martin-Del Campo kick)
O — Anthony Barquinero 8 run (kick good)
Helix leaders
Passing: Caden Thompson 8-17, 125 yards, TD, 0 INT.
Rushing: Stephon Fuentes 17-76, TD; Thompson 12-27, TD.
Receiving: Jeremy Robinson 3-78, TD; Jacob Andrew-Johnson 3-39; Jeremy Davis 2-8.
Defense: Jordan Fuga, interception.
Oceanside leaders
Passing: Anthony Barquinero 8-16, 69 yards.
Rushing: Neke Letuli 14-65; Barquinero 6-48, TD.
Receiving: Letuli 2-28.
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