J9 brings fireworks as Highlanders roll

By Ramon Scott
Updated: September 28, 2026

Helix senior Julius Garcia upends a Mater Dei Catholic ball carrier on Friday.

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

No. 12 HELIX 49, MATER DEI CATHOLIC 14

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

LA MESA — Helix saved the ceremonial fireworks for after the game. Jeremy Robinson displayed his own pyrotechnics before halftime.

The junior scored on a punt return, a reception and a run, then added an interception as the Highlanders overwhelmed Mater Dei Catholic, 49-14, on Homecoming Friday at Hart Stadium.

A 28-point second quarter sent Helix into the locker room with a 42-0 lead, turning what once figured to be a measuring-stick matchup between two established programs into an emphatic demonstration of the Highlanders’ progress.

Helix improved to 4-2 and has quickly returned to the top 10 in most county rankings. A week after pushing Cathedral Catholic through the final minute of a 24-19 defeat, the Highlanders made sure this performance came with a victory.

Damaja Jones’ team contributed across all three phases. Robinson provided the early special-teams breakthrough, the offense produced six touchdowns, and the defense repeatedly ended Mater Dei possessions before the Crusaders could establish themselves.

For Mater Dei, now 0-6, the evening underscored how much work remains to regain its familiar footing. The Crusaders’ rise once made this a matchup of comparable ambitions. Programs change as the people who helped build their strongest teams move into new roles, and sustaining that standard requires more than retaining a recognizable name.

Mater Dei still carries the expectations of an accomplished program. On Friday, Helix was considerably further along in meeting its own.

Four touchdowns separate the teams before the break

The Highlanders did not score on their opening possession, turning the ball over on downs. Robinson quickly supplied another route to the end zone, returning a punt for the game’s first touchdown.

Kingston James added the next score, and Helix led 14-0 after one quarter.

The second period belonged entirely to the Highlanders.

Caden Thompson connected with Robinson for a touchdown to extend the lead to 21-0.

Jace Sells intercepted a Mater Dei pass, and Stephon Fuentes added a rushing touchdown as the margin reached four touchdowns.

Dean Niumata recovered a fumble during the quarter, and Helix continued to frustrate the Crusaders on fourth down. Mater Dei turned the ball over on downs three times during the opening half.

Robinson’s 19-yard touchdown run made it 35-0.

Another interception gave the Highlanders an additional opportunity, and Thompson found Eunique Johnson for a 2-yard touchdown reception.

Robinson then intercepted a pass himself before halftime, adding a defensive contribution to an already substantial evening.

The final defensive statistics credited the Highlanders’ three interceptions to Sells, Robinson and Cason Iapala.

Mater Dei scored in the third quarter to make it 42-7. James supplied Helix’s final touchdown in the fourth before the Crusaders added a late rushing score.

The final statistics credit James with one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown, and Thompson with three touchdown passes.

Fuentes gives the offense its footing

Robinson produced the most varied collection of highlights, but Fuentes supplied the Highlanders’ most consistent rushing production.

The junior gained 89 yards on 11 carries, averaging 8.1 yards per attempt, with a long run of 36 yards and a touchdown.

Johnson added 52 yards on nine carries, while Jordan Smith gained 39 yards on two attempts. Helix had several ways to advance the ball without asking Thompson to carry the entire offense.

Thompson was credited with 102 passing yards and three touchdowns. Robinson caught two passes for 50 yards, including a 43-yard gain, while J.J. Andrew-Johnson added two receptions for 37 yards.

Jacob Martin-Del Campo converted all seven extra points, completing a night in which Helix steadily turned touchdowns into seven-point possessions.

The Highlanders have more to establish before declaring themselves fully restored among the section’s elite. But Friday provided something tangible: a decisive response to a difficult loss, a productive Homecoming and a winning record entering league play.

Robinson finds three ways to score

A defense can account for Jeremy Robinson in coverage and still have to deal with him somewhere else.

Robinson scored three touchdowns against Mater Dei Catholic without relying on the same method twice. His punt return opened the scoring, his touchdown reception helped launch the second-quarter surge, and his 19-yard run pushed the lead to 35-0.

He finished with 135 all-purpose yards: 50 receiving, 19 rushing and 66 on two punt returns.

Those yards came on just five combined catches, carries and punt returns. His interception supplied another significant play that did not require an offensive touch.

For a Helix team looking to sustain its improvement, Robinson’s versatility changes the demands on an opponent. He can influence field position, stretch the passing game, finish a rushing opportunity and take the ball away.

Friday, he did all four.

Niumata leads the disruption up front

The interceptions were only part of Helix’s defensive work.

Dean Niumata recorded five tackles, including 3½ tackles for loss and 1½ sacks, and recovered a fumble in the live scoring account.

His production helped keep Mater Dei from finding the sustained possessions it needed to slow the game’s momentum.

Diego Cano-Robinson and D Hubert each received credit for a sack. Lamarquis Sutton broke up two passes, while Jeremy Davis was credited with a forced fumble.

Behind that pressure, Sells, Robinson and Iapala each intercepted a pass. Helix also stopped three first-half fourth-down attempts.

The Highlanders did more than keep Mater Dei out of the end zone before halftime. They repeatedly brought possessions to an abrupt finish, giving their offense opportunities to pull away.

LOOKAHEAD: Mount Miguel brings recent history to a changed matchup

MOUNT MIGUEL (1-3) at HELIX (4-2)
Friday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m. — Hart Stadium
Grossmont Hills League opener

The next step in Helix’s recovery comes against a team that helped make its recent slide impossible to overlook.

Mount Miguel arrives Friday with consecutive victories over the Highlanders, but the teams approach this league opener in substantially different circumstances.

During the Matadors’ resurgence, their climb appeared to threaten Helix’s customary place near the top of East County football. This fall, the Highlanders again look equipped to contend, while Mount Miguel is trying to halt a three-game losing streak.

Some of the personnel movement between the programs reflects that shift. Jordan Fuga and Kiti Fuga, previously at Mount Miguel, are now part of a Helix team rebuilding its strength around an established quarterback and a growing collection of playmakers.

That does not settle Friday’s game. It does give the matchup a different feel.

Helix can reasonably entertain league championship ambitions, even with Granite Hills remaining the respected favorite. The Highlanders’ competitive showing against Cathedral and their complete first half against Mater Dei give those ambitions more substance than reputation alone.

Mount Miguel, meanwhile, could find itself the underdog in each of its four Hills League games. That makes an encouraging start at Hart Stadium especially valuable.

The Matadors have had a bye to prepare following a 42-12 loss to Poway. Since opening with a 42-26 victory at Montgomery, they have lost to University City, Torrey Pines and Poway by a combined 141-32.

There are still players capable of making Helix work.

Cayden “Prince” Mobley is the receiving threat the Highlanders must locate on every snap. His listed average of 94.8 receiving yards per game makes him central to Mount Miguel’s ability to generate the explosive plays that could change the tone of the evening.

Dominic Lopez contributes as a runner and linebacker, with listed averages of 61 rushing yards and 7.3 tackles per game. Quarterback Enrique Gonzalez will need time to find his receivers against a Helix front coming off a disruptive performance.

For the Highlanders, the task is to carry Friday’s defensive pressure into league play while continuing to distribute the ball among Robinson, Fuentes, Johnson and James.

Helix looks closer to its familiar place in the conference. Beating the team that has won the last two meetings would provide another meaningful step toward reclaiming it.

SERIES: A long rivalry, a long interruption

The results give Helix a 43-18 series lead through 2025, including Mount Miguel’s forfeit victory in 2005. Friday would be the 62nd meeting.

The recent results reversed decades of Helix control. Friday gives the Highlanders their first opportunity this season to reverse that more immediate trend.

Year or stretch	Series significance
1957	Mount Miguel won the first meeting, 21-19.
1973-75	The Matadors won three straight, their longest series winning streak.
1978	Mount Miguel edged Helix, 41-40.
1980	Helix won twice: 35-13 in league play and 13-0 in the section championship game at San Diego Stadium.
1988-2004	Helix won 17 consecutive meetings.
1998 and 2000	Mount Miguel pushed eventual championship teams: Helix escaped 7-6 and 22-19.
2005	Mount Miguel’s official 1-0 forfeit win ended the streak.
2007	No meeting.
2009	Mount Miguel won, 44-21.
2010-15	Helix won six straight, ending with 59-14.
2016-23	Eight seasons passed without a meeting.
2024-25	Mount Miguel won 48-35 and 42-14 upon the rivalry’s return.