Eagles stay close, Dons pull away

 

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2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

No. 2 CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC 42, No. 3 GRANITE HILLS 21

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON — Granite Hills had answered twice, turning a two-touchdown deficit back into a one-score game. When Zac Benitez found Brody Vicars for a 14-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, the Eagles had given themselves another chance to finish a difficult night with a victory.

Cathedral Catholic kept the next opportunity for itself.

The Dons drove from their own 10-yard line for a fourth-quarter touchdown, stopped Granite Hills on downs and scored again to pull away for a 42-21 victory Friday night at Granite Hills Stadium.

For the Eagles, the final margin followed three quarters of trying to overcome Cathedral’s offensive balance, persistent pressure on Benitez and an early injury to a teammate that halted the game for more than 35 minutes.

Granite Hills senior defensive end Gabe Luera suffered an apparent leg injury with 8:32 remaining in the first quarter and was taken away by ambulance. His teammates gathered on the field before his departure.

The Eagles continued to compete after the interruption, forcing turnovers and twice climbing within seven points after falling behind by 14. They could not produce the final combination of a stop and a scoring drive.

Koa Smith-Mayall threw five touchdown passes, including three to Isaac Cook, as Cathedral improved to 3-2. Granite Hills also stands at 3-2 after its three-game winning streak ended.

The Eagles now turn toward their Grossmont Hills League opener against visiting Grossmont on Friday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m.

A quick answer, then a long interruption

Cathedral needed little time to establish its offense.

Ashton Stewart’s opening kickoff return gave the Dons the ball at their own 42. Willie Flores carried into Granite Hills territory, Smith-Mayall connected with Cook to reach the 7, and Flores finished the possession with a touchdown run.

Granite Hills answered with its biggest play of the night.

After Benitez connected with Niko Williams early in the possession, the Eagles turned to Courtney “Nino” Miller-Thompson as a passer. The senior receiver delivered a 67-yard touchdown pass to Jesse Wilhite, and Jacob Nunez’s extra point tied the game 7-7.

The play gave Granite Hills an immediate response and showed how quickly its receiving group could change a game.

Cathedral was moving again when Luera was injured. Following the lengthy delay, the Dons completed the possession with Smith-Mayall’s 25-yard touchdown pass to an uncovered Cook, taking a 14-7 lead.

Granite Hills pushed into Cathedral territory on its next possession but turned the ball over on downs. Ty Spencer then intercepted a pass at the Eagles’ 5, ending another Dons threat and keeping the deficit at seven through the opening quarter.

A takeaway gives Granite another opening

Cathedral’s defensive front made it difficult for the Eagles to build on Spencer’s interception.

Granite Hills moved away from its goal line but ultimately punted. The Dons’ running game brought them back into scoring position, and Smith-Mayall finished the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Cook for a 21-7 lead.

The Eagles’ next possession also ended with a punt. This time, however, Cathedral gave the ball back.

Granite Hills recovered a mishandled snap at the Dons’ 32, creating the short field it needed.

The ensuing possession required persistence. Cathedral recorded sacks, the Eagles worked through fourth-down situations, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Dons helped Granite Hills continue the drive.

A 9-yard run on fourth-and-3 from the Cathedral 10 brought the ball to the 1. Gage Spalding finished from there, and Nunez’s kick cut the deficit to 21-14.

Granite Hills followed the touchdown with a defensive stop. Cathedral punted, leaving the Eagles another opportunity at the Dons’ 45 with less than a minute remaining before halftime. A false start and subsequent backward movement kept Granite Hills from turning that possession into points.

Still, the Eagles entered the break within one touchdown.

Another chance, another response

Special teams provided an early opportunity in the third quarter.

After Granite Hills punted on its opening possession of the half, Cathedral muffed the kick and the Eagles recovered at the Dons’ 40.

The recovery did not produce the tying score.

Cathedral pushed Granite Hills backward, with Ryder Molchanoff’s fourth-down sack ending the possession. The Dons then drove for Cook’s third touchdown reception, restoring their two-touchdown advantage at 28-14.

Again, Granite Hills responded.

Benitez and the Eagles moved downfield, with a Cathedral personal foul helping the possession reach the red zone. Benitez finished the drive with his 14-yard scoring pass to Vicars, and Nunez added the extra point.

At 28-21 entering the fourth quarter, Granite Hills remained one defensive stop and one touchdown away from changing the game.

Cathedral instead put together the possession that separated the teams.

Starting at their own 10, the Dons worked the ball downfield despite holding penalties. Flores, Stewart and Honor Fa’alave-Johnson contributed on the ground, and Smith-Mayall found receiving options beyond Cook.

The drive ended with a touchdown pass to Fa’alave-Johnson, extending the lead to 35-21.

Granite Hills turned the ball over on downs at its own 33 on the following possession. Smith-Mayall then connected with AJ Trudell for the final touchdown.

Zedahn Smith’s late interception ended the Eagles’ last possession.

Pressure limits the Eagles’ offense

Benitez completed 22 of 33 passes for 158 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Miller-Thompson’s touchdown throw brought Granite Hills to 225 passing yards and 283 yards of total offense.

The Eagles completed passes, but Cathedral made it difficult to turn those completions into sustained scoring drives.

Miller-Thompson caught 10 passes for 67 yards, with his longest reception covering 11 yards. Manny Walker added four catches for 22 yards. Wilhite finished with two receptions for 76 yards, while Vicars caught two passes for 21 yards and a touchdown.

Spalding supplied 51 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt. Granite Hills finished with only 58 net rushing yards on 28 attempts, as losses in the backfield reduced its overall production.

Cathedral’s defensive statistics credited the Dons with 11 sacks, including four by Molchanoff and two apiece by Kevin Clark, Titus Napoleon and Jordan Lilo. Clark also led Cathedral with 12 tackles.

On the other side, Smith-Mayall completed 13 of 17 passes for 200 yards and five touchdowns, with Spencer accounting for his lone interception.

Cook caught five passes for 102 yards and three scores. Cathedral also rushed for 240 yards, with Stewart gaining 78, Fa’alave-Johnson 74 and Flores 69.

The Dons finished with 440 total yards, pairing a productive running game with a quarterback who repeatedly finished drives through the air.

Cayden Phillips led Granite Hills with 10 tackles. Eurijah Schutza added eight.

Luera injury brings game to a halt

The most concerning moment of Friday’s game came early, when Granite Hills senior defensive end Gabe Luera suffered an apparent leg injury during a blocking play.

The game stopped with 8:32 remaining in the first quarter, and the delay lasted more than 35 minutes while medical personnel attended to Luera and an ambulance arrived.

The Eagles gathered around their teammate on the field before he was taken away.

Miller-Thompson contributes two different ways

Courtney “Nino” Miller-Thompson produced Granite Hills’ longest play with his arm, then remained Benitez’s most frequently used target.

His 67-yard touchdown pass to Jesse Wilhite supplied the Eagles’ first score. He also caught 10 passes for 67 yards, accounting for nearly half of Benitez’s 22 completions.

The two lines tell different parts of the game.

The trick play gave Granite Hills the explosive touchdown it needed to answer Cathedral’s opening drive. Miller-Thompson’s receiving production showed the Eagles could continue finding him, even as the Dons limited the space available after the catch.

None of his 10 receptions exceeded 11 yards.

That distinction matters entering league play. Granite Hills can move the ball through short completions, but getting more from those possessions will require protection, yards after the catch and enough production elsewhere to prevent defenses from concentrating on its leading receiver.

Wilhite’s touchdown and Vicars’ third-quarter score demonstrated that the Eagles have other targets capable of finishing drives. John Sheridan also contributed a 19-yard reception.

Takeaways keep the Eagles involved

Granite Hills created three changes of possession through an interception and two recoveries, giving itself opportunities to offset Cathedral’s advantage in total offense.

Ty Spencer’s interception at the Eagles’ 5 stopped a first-quarter scoring threat.

The second-quarter recovery of a mishandled snap at Cathedral’s 32 led to Spalding’s 1-yard touchdown, pulling Granite Hills within 21-14.

The Eagles then recovered a muffed punt at the Dons’ 40 early in the third quarter. That opportunity ended on downs.

Those plays helped keep Granite Hills within reach, but the Eagles converted only one of the three takeaways into a touchdown. Cathedral’s defense prevented the other two from becoming scoring possessions.

Granite Hills also forced a punt immediately after its second-quarter touchdown. The defense and special teams supplied chances; the challenge was getting enough offense from them to erase the deficit.

A championship pursuit continues

Friday’s loss closed Granite Hills’ nonleague schedule. It did not end the larger pursuit that has followed Zac Benitez into his senior season.

The San Jose State commit has quarterbacked the Eagles to three consecutive section championships: the 2023 Open Division title and Division 1 championships in 2024 and 2025.

A fourth consecutive championship remains the goal.

The next stage begins with league play, where Granite Hills will need to turn the experience of a demanding nonleague schedule into more consistent execution.

The Eagles have already answered an opening loss with three straight victories. Their next response must come against a Grossmont team arriving with its own momentum.

LOOKAHEAD: Holmes and Grossmont bring a different test

GROSSMONT (5-1) at GRANITE HILLS (3-2)
Friday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m. — Granite Hills Stadium
Grossmont Hills League opener

Granite Hills moves from a quarterback who threw five touchdown passes to one who can change a game just as quickly by running.

Tyler Holmes brings Grossmont into the league opener after accounting for 319 yards and five touchdowns in a 40-33 comeback victory at West Hills.

Holmes passed for 181 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 138 yards and three scores. His fourth-quarter touchdown runs of 19 and 39 yards helped turn a seven-point deficit into a seven-point victory.

Grossmont trailed by 15 in the first half. It outscored West Hills 22-6 after halftime, then preserved the win with a goal-line stand and Jonah Yost’s fourth-down pass breakup.

The Foothillers have scored 94 points in consecutive victories over Otay Ranch and West Hills. Granite Hills cannot count on an early lead discouraging them.

Containing Holmes requires more than pressure

Holmes averages 188.2 passing yards and 106.8 rushing yards per game, making him Grossmont’s leading producer in both categories.

For Granite Hills, getting into the backfield will be only part of the assignment. The Eagles must also keep Holmes from escaping pressure or finding an open lane on a designed run.

A missed opportunity to finish a tackle can become a first down. A defender leaving his responsibility to chase Holmes can create an opening for a receiver.

Corbin Dow gives Grossmont another rushing option, while Jonah Martinez, averaging 93 receiving yards per game, adds a substantial threat through the air. Henry Ficorola’s 44-yard touchdown reception late in the first half at West Hills showed how quickly the Foothillers can take advantage of limited time.

Grossmont averages 419.2 total yards per game, divided almost evenly between 213.5 rushing and 205.7 passing. The Eagles will have to defend the full offense rather than commit everything to one phase.

Granite needs more productive possessions

The Eagles’ offensive priority begins with protecting Benitez and reducing the negative plays that interrupted drives against Cathedral.

Spalding’s 51 yards on 11 carries offered evidence that Granite Hills could gain ground when it got the ball into his hands. A steadier running contribution would help the Eagles avoid the obvious passing situations Cathedral exploited.

The matchup also offers opportunities.

Grossmont allowed 401 yards to West Hills, including 219 passing yards by Evin Dill. The Wolf Pack scored on all four first-half possessions before the Foothillers tightened their defense after halftime.

Benitez, Miller-Thompson, Wilhite and Vicars give Granite Hills enough receiving options to test that coverage. The Eagles must turn those matchups into points while avoiding the stalled possessions that followed promising field position against Cathedral.

Granite Hills averages 336.2 yards and 30.2 points per game. Grossmont averages 33.3 points, and its recent production has been considerably higher.

Both teams have reason to believe they can score. The difference could come from which defense makes the opposing quarterback work harder for his opportunities.

Finishing carries extra weight

Grossmont’s win at West Hills was decided after the Wolf Pack reached first-and-goal at the 1. The Foothillers forced them backward and held on fourth down.

Granite Hills’ loss turned after the Eagles reached the fourth quarter trailing by only seven. Cathedral scored the final 14 points.

Those finishes give the league opener a clear point of emphasis for both teams.

For Kellan Cobbs’ Eagles, the task is to carry a competitive position through the final quarter. For Anthony Lawrence’s Foothillers, it is to produce the second-half defense they showed in Santee without first surrendering control of the game.

Granite Hills has the home field, an experienced quarterback and a new league schedule in front of it. Grossmont arrives with a 5-1 record and proof that it can recover when a game starts going the other way.

The Eagles’ response to Cathedral will need to last four quarters.

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