Olesons help Knights return to victory

By Ramon Scott
Updated: October 19, 2026

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 39, SAINT JEANNE DE LESTONNAC 8

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

EL CAJON — Foothills Christian did not need many passes to make its return to the field a productive one.

Hayden Oleson and Jack Oleson completed all five of their combined attempts for 125 yards and three touchdowns, while Quentin Wardlaw rushed for two scores as the Knights defeated visiting Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac, 39-8, on Saturday morning in a game played at Orange Glen High School.

Foothills improved to 4-3 overall, returning from two idle weekends with a victory that restored some offensive momentum before its final two Sunset League games. The Knights remain 2-0 in league.

The Mustangs, from Temecula, fell to 0-7.

Foothills had last played Sept. 25, when a 40-0 loss to Lake Mead Christian Academy interrupted a three-game winning streak. Saturday’s performance gave the Knights contributions from several younger players and scoring production through both phases of their offense.

Five throws, three touchdowns

Junior Hayden Oleson completed both of his passes for 35 yards and a touchdown, adding an 18-yard carry.

Freshman Jack Oleson completed all three of his attempts for 90 yards and two touchdowns and rushed twice for 27 yards. His longest completion covered 45 yards.

Sophomore Isaac Maisonet caught three passes for 74 yards and two touchdowns. Jax Vizkeleti, also a sophomore, supplied a 45-yard touchdown reception.

Those receiving contributions gave the Knights three scores without requiring a high-volume passing attack.

Foothills finished with 286 total yards, combining its 125 passing yards with 161 yards rushing.

Wardlaw leads ground game

Wardlaw made the most of six carries, gaining 73 yards and scoring twice. The sophomore’s longest run covered 47 yards, and he averaged 12.2 yards per attempt.

Junior Drew Mikulsky added a rushing touchdown and finished with 22 yards on five carries. Senior David Stewart also gained 22 yards, needing just three attempts.

The Knights averaged seven yards per carry, with six players contributing rushing attempts.

Trevor Embleton converted three extra points to complete Foothills’ scoring.

The distribution offered an encouraging response to the Knights’ previous outing, when their offense managed just 126 total yards against Lake Mead Christian Academy.

Young defenders contribute

Freshman Degan Bird led Foothills with six tackles. Jacob Manalo, Tuchon Phoenix and Jake Mangini added three apiece.

Freshman Nathan Manalo and sophomore Jaxson Felan each broke up two passes. Mikulsky and Keano Konkus added one pass defended each.

Felan, Sam Clark, Wyatt Matlock and Ryan Harrison each received credit for a tackle for loss. Konkus also handled seven kickoffs, including a touchback.

Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac finished with 222 total yards.

Ryan Trout completed 11 of 26 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, while Brandon Vera caught six passes for 82 yards and the Mustangs’ only touchdown. Trout added a rushing two-point conversion.

Greyson Land gained 80 yards on 10 carries and added a 20-yard reception.

Lookahead: League race returns to the forefront

VICTORY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (0-8, 0-3) at FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN (4-3, 2-0)
Friday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m. — Santana High School
Sunset League

Foothills returns to league play with an opportunity to secure a winning regular-season record and move to 3-0 in the Sunset League.

Victory Christian Academy is coming off a 20-14 loss to Orange Glen.

Quarterback JD Lair, running back Kyle Capili and receiver Michael Aguirre provide offensive options for the visitors, while Nathan Garcia carries an average of 7.5 tackles per game.

Foothills has the stronger offensive production, averaging 284.6 yards per game compared with Victory Christian’s 166.4. Stewart remains its leading rusher, while Saturday’s contributions from Wardlaw, Maisonet and both Olesons demonstrated additional ways to finish possessions.

The immediate goal is to handle Friday’s assignment and preserve an unbeaten league record for the regular-season finale against O’Farrell Charter.

O’Farrell is 3-0 in league after defeating Tri-City Christian, 33-6. A Foothills victory this week would set up a meeting of unbeaten league teams with the Sunset championship at stake.