Castillo starts fast as Vaqueros roll

By Ramon Scott
Updated: October 11, 2026

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

EL CAPITAN 56, MONTE VISTA 0

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

SPRING VALLEY — Michael Castillo needed only El Capitan’s first offensive play to demonstrate that the Vaqueros’ improving health was becoming a problem for the rest of the Grossmont Valley League.

Castillo broke an 80-yard touchdown run, beginning a 56-0 victory over Monte Vista on Friday night that gave El Capitan consecutive road wins and an unbeaten league record heading into its next trophy game.

Castillo rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, while Robinson Silva supplied 15 tackles, a rushing touchdown and a 57-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

The Vaqueros improved to 3-4 overall and 2-0 in league, following their 19-7 victory at Santana with a considerably more decisive performance. Monte Vista fell to 2-5 and 0-2, losing its fifth consecutive game.

El Capitan finished with 371 yards of offense, including 280 rushing yards, and held the Monarchs to 129 total yards.

The result gives the Vaqueros more than a second league victory. After a difficult September, they have allowed only seven combined points in their first two Valley games and have reestablished a running game capable of carrying a substantial share of the offense.

“We got most of our guys back last week and are fairly healthy for this time of the year,” defensive coordinator Shaun McDade said before the Monte Vista game.

Friday supplied further evidence of what that healthier lineup can produce.

Castillo gives the offense its foundation

Castillo followed his 157-yard performance at Santana with another efficient evening, averaging 12.1 yards per carry against the Monarchs.

His opening touchdown immediately put Monte Vista in the position El Capitan hoped to avoid for itself: chasing the game against a defense coming off an encouraging league opener.

The Vaqueros averaged 8.5 yards on 33 rushing attempts, spreading carries among nine players.

Daunte Painter added 44 yards on eight carries, and quarterback Hayden Passanisi gained 34 yards on four attempts. Braiden Linder contributed 23 rushing yards and also scored a touchdown.

Ryder Manning and Silva supplied rushing touchdowns, giving El Capitan scoring contributions beyond its leading back.

The passing game added two more scores.

Passanisi completed three of nine passes for 70 yards and a touchdown, while Daniel Montijo completed both of his attempts for 21 yards and a touchdown.

Before the game, McDade said both quarterbacks would have opportunities.

“Both QBs will see time and we will go with the hot hand,” he said.

Both ultimately contributed to an offense that needed only five completions to produce 91 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Elijah Arzu caught two passes for 57 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown reception. Painter caught a 2-yard touchdown pass, and Linder added two receptions for 32 yards.

Silva helps defense finish

El Capitan’s defense supplied both the shutout and a touchdown of its own.

Silva recorded eight solo tackles and seven assists, including two tackles for loss, and recovered two fumbles. His 57-yard scoring return added another substantial play to an evening in which he also reached the end zone on offense.

The Vaqueros were credited with 10 tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries.

Shayne Whitmore finished with seven tackles and 1½ tackles for loss. Ryder Powers added six tackles, while Brycen Vermilya had five tackles, two for loss and a forced fumble.

Diego Jones contributed four tackles, one for loss and a forced fumble. Ethan Soule recovered a fumble.

Containing Monte Vista’s running game had been a central part of the preparation.

“Most definitely our goal is to take away what they do best which is the run game,” McDade said before the game.

The Monarchs could not generate enough offense to change the terms, and El Capitan completed its first shutout of league play.

Powers also handled the finishing points, converting all six extra-point attempts and adding a two-point conversion run.

El Capitan extended its winning streak against Monte Vista to eight games and its recorded series advantage to 33-16-1. The Monarchs’ last victory over the Vaqueros came in 2012.

For Monte Vista, the immediate assignment is finding a way to interrupt a losing streak that has followed a 2-0 start. For El Capitan, the next opponent will test how far its recovery has carried it.

Castillo return changed outlook

El Capitan’s first two league victories have come with Michael Castillo back in a substantial rushing role.

After earlier limitations following a knee injury, Castillo has gained 290 yards on 33 carries against Santana and Monte Vista, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt and scoring three rushing touchdowns.

The two performances supplied different kinds of separation.

At Santana, his 45-yard touchdown run turned a five-point fourth-quarter lead into the final 19-7 margin. At Monte Vista, his 80-yard run on El Capitan’s first offensive play immediately established the Vaqueros’ advantage.

His production gives El Capitan a dependable starting point as it prepares for a West Hills defense that kept Santana out of the end zone Friday.

Silva delivers on both sides

Robinson Silva followed his 13-tackle performance at Santana with 15 tackles against Monte Vista, giving him 28 over El Capitan’s first two league games.

Against the Monarchs, he added two tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries and touchdowns on offense and defense.

His 57-yard fumble return provided the defensive score. His rushing touchdown gave the Vaqueros another way to finish a possession.

El Capitan has outscored its first two league opponents 75-7. Silva’s tackling and takeaway production have been central to that improvement.

EL CAPITAN LOOKAHEAD: Burner Trophy meeting of league unbeatens

WEST HILLS (6-1, 2-0) at EL CAPITAN (3-4, 2-0)
Friday, Oct. 16, 7 p.m. — El Capitan High
Grossmont Valley League — Tony Burner Memorial Trophy

El Capitan returns to Lakeside with consecutive league victories and an opportunity to defend the Tony Burner Memorial Trophy against another unbeaten Valley team.

The Vaqueros have won the last two meetings, 16-3 in 2025 and 41-0 in 2024. West Hills last won 35-21 in 2023.

Both teams enter after defensive performances that kept their opponents out of the end zone.

West Hills retained the Santee City Cup with a 12-3 victory at Santana, recording five sacks. Quarterback Evin Dill threw two touchdown passes and rushed for 94 yards, while E.J. Lee-Fields added 75 rushing yards.

El Capitan counters with Castillo’s renewed rushing production and a defense that has allowed seven points over its last two games.

The central assignment will be sustaining offense against a defense equipped to disrupt it.

For the Vaqueros, Castillo’s success must carry into a more demanding matchup. Timely completions from Passanisi and Montijo would help prevent West Hills from concentrating entirely on the run.

Defensively, El Capitan must account for Dill’s ability to extend possessions with his legs and the additional rushing threat supplied by Lee-Fields.

The trophy gives this game its identity. With both teams 2-0 in league, the result will also shape the Valley race.

MONTE VISTA LOOKAHEAD: Monarchs, Braves seek league win

MONTE VISTA (2-5, 0-2) at EL CAJON VALLEY (2-5, 0-2)
Friday, Oct. 16, 7 p.m. — El Cajon Valley High
Grossmont Valley League

Monte Vista and El Cajon Valley arrive with identical records and an immediate opportunity to change the direction of their seasons.

The Monarchs have lost five straight after opening 2-0. The Braves are coming off a 55-0 loss to Valhalla and have dropped 15 consecutive league games.

Monte Vista has won the last three meetings, including 27-0 last season, 40-12 in 2024 and 24-14 in 2023. El Cajon Valley’s most recent victory was 37-8 in 2022.

The Monarchs have reason to expect they can compete more effectively in this matchup, but their recent results make a cleaner performance essential.

Daesean Jenkins supplies a rushing threat, with Aleksander Carrera and Edwin Smith IV providing additional options. Monte Vista needs sustained possessions and enough defensive stops to avoid spending another evening chasing a widening deficit.

For El Cajon Valley, this represents a meaningful opportunity to end its league drought.

Quarterback TJ Ibrahimi and receiver Amir Miller give the Braves a passing combination for Monte Vista to contain, while Janvier Kashindi supplies a rushing option.

The Monarchs enter with the stronger recent series history and a reasonable opportunity to stop their slide. The Braves have equally strong incentive to view this as their chance to earn a league victory.

Both teams need the same first step: turn a manageable matchup into a complete performance.