Benitez passes 10K in Eagles win

By Ramon Scott
Updated: October 3, 2026

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2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

No. 6 GRANITE HILLS 44, No. 17 GROSSMONT 24

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

EL CAJON — The career milestone belonged to Zac Benitez. The homecoming victory and the celebration thereafter belonged to Granite Hills.

The Eagles’ four-year quarterback surpassed 10,000 career passing yards, threw for 262 yards and five touchdowns and ran for another score as No. 6 Granite Hills defeated No. 17 Grossmont, 44-24, Friday night in the Grossmont Hills League opener.

Benitez became the second quarterback in San Diego Section history to reach 10,000 passing yards, joining former La Jolla Country Day standout Braxton Burmeister, who finished with 11,512 yards from 2013-16.

Granite Hills improved to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in league, rebounding from its loss to Cathedral Catholic. Grossmont fell to 5-2 and 0-1, beginning its return to the Hills against the program it must still find a way to contain.

Benitez distributed completions to 11 receivers, while the Eagles’ defense and special teams helped establish a 23-0 advantage. Grossmont found more traction after halftime behind Tyler Holmes, but Granite Hills answered each scoring push that threatened to make the finish uncomfortable.

Manny Walker caught Benitez’s opening touchdown pass with 4:04 remaining in the first quarter, putting the Eagles ahead 7-0.

Then Jamir Alvarez intercepted Holmes and raced to the Grossmont 1-yard line. Benitez finished the short-field opportunity himself, selling a fake to Gage Spalding before keeping the ball for a 1-yard touchdown. The extra point made it 14-0 with 54 seconds left in the quarter.

A blocked Grossmont punt produced a safety, and the Eagles continued to build their lead.

Spalding appeared to break loose for an approximately 42-yard gain to the Grossmont 1, only to have holding erase the play. Granite Hills still reached the end zone when Benitez connected with Courtney “Nino” Miller-Thompson for a 16-yard touchdown, making it 23-0 with 8:52 left in the half.

Grossmont answered through the air. Holmes found Marquise Edmond for a 43-yard touchdown, but the two-point conversion failed.

Benitez’s next scoring possession included a sharp 15-yard completion to Jesse Wilhite in tight coverage. He finished it with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Brody Vicars, extending the Eagles’ advantage to 30-6 with 1:11 remaining before halftime.

Granite Hills gained 149 passing yards and 28 rushing yards in the opening half, with Benitez accounting for all four touchdowns.

That early separation distinguished this meeting from the teams’ previous game on the same field. In the Eagles’ 90-46 victory in 2024, Grossmont stayed within 41-34 at halftime and closed to 41-40 in the third quarter. Friday, the Foothillers spent the second half trying to recover from a much larger deficit.

Holmes supplied much of that effort himself.

His scrambling and designed runs generated gains when Grossmont’s running backs repeatedly met resistance near the line of scrimmage. Eagles penalties also helped extend the Foothillers’ opening second-half possession, including a roughing-the-passer call on a play in which Holmes’ helmet came off as he went down.

Holmes finished the drive with a short touchdown keeper to the left. Additional Granite Hills penalties moved the two-point attempt closer to the goal line, but the Eagles held, keeping the score 30-12.

Benitez answered with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Romeo Pepe, the Madison transfer making his Granite Hills debut after sitting out the first five games. The extra point restored the margin to 25, and the Eagles led 37-12 after three quarters.

Grossmont mounted another scoring drive, again benefiting from a substantial Holmes run. Corbin Dow scored from 5 yards out with 8:27 remaining, but another unsuccessful conversion left the Foothillers trailing 37-18.

Granite Hills finished its next possession with Benitez’s fifth touchdown pass.

Facing third-and-10 at the Grossmont 30, Benitez completed a pass that carried the Eagles to the 3. A short run moved the ball to the 2 before his touchdown throw was tipped by a Grossmont defender and caught by an Eagles receiver in the end zone.

The extra point made it 44-18 with 2:23 remaining, completing a night in which Benitez accounted for six touchdowns.

Holmes added a 7-yard touchdown pass with 26 seconds left, bringing Grossmont to its final total. The Foothillers finished 0-for-4 on two-point attempts.

Grossmont totaled 270 yards—118 passing and 152 rushing. Miller-Thompson led Granite Hills with 75 receiving yards, and Walker supplied the Eagles’ longest completion, 33 yards.

The Foothillers continued competing after the difficult opening half. Granite Hills, despite repeated penalties, had enough answers to finish its homecoming celebration with a league victory—and a place in section history for its quarterback.

A milestone with more ahead

Benitez’s 10,000-yard achievement puts him in a two-player club in San Diego Section history. Burmeister’s 11,512-yard career total remains the mark ahead of him, with the remainder of Benitez’s senior season still to play.

Friday’s performance also showed the breadth of the Eagles’ passing options: 11 players caught passes, and newly available Romeo Pepe contributed a touchdown in his debut.

Six points at a time

Grossmont scored four touchdowns but came away with six points on every scoring possession.

Granite Hills stopped all four two-point attempts, including the third-quarter try that followed consecutive Eagles penalties near the goal line. Those stops prevented the Foothillers from taking full advantage of their improved second-half offense.

Next: Steele Canyon visits

Granite Hills (4-2, 1-0 Hills) hosts Steele Canyon (4-2, 0-0) on Friday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m.

The Cougars arrive with three consecutive victories, most recently a 35-12 home win over North Las Vegas CIVICA.

Gavin Caha completed 11 of 22 passes for 260 yards and four touchdowns, with Josiah Stocker catching five passes for 161 yards and three scores. Luke Rode contributed seven tackles and a sack, while Joel Rodriguez had an interception and five tackles.

Caha and Stocker give the Eagles an immediate passing-game assignment. Granite Hills’ own priority will include reducing the penalties that repeatedly complicated Friday’s second half.

Next: Battle for the Musket

Grossmont (5-2, 0-1 Hills) hosts Helix (5-2, 1-0) on Friday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m., renewing the Battle for the Musket, one of East County’s enduring trophy traditions.

Helix enters off a 42-8 victory over Mount Miguel, its second consecutive decisive win following a 49-14 result against Mater Dei Catholic.

Helix brings a 30-game series winning streak into Friday’s Battle for the Musket at Grossmont. The Foothillers last defeated the Highlanders in 1991, winning 28-14.

Helix won the last meeting, 56-26 at Grossmont in 2024, following victories of 57-8 in 2023 and 42-17 in 2022. The teams did not meet in 2025.

For Grossmont, the challenge is to give Holmes more consistent help, sustain possessions and avoid another early deficit. Both teams bring five victories into the rivalry, but the Foothillers need their first Hills win after Friday’s difficult return.