Cougars win with defense, bounce

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

Steele Canyon 7, San Diego 3

BALLARD KEEPS EYES ON PRIZE, COMES UP WITH TIMELY TOUCHDOWN

By Ramon Scott

EastCountySports.com

SPRING VALLEY — On a night when points were at a premium, Malcholm Ballard kept his eyes on the football to score the only touchdown of the night.

That was enough to deliver Steele Canyon’s only points—and ultimately its season-opening victory.

Ballard secured a deflected pass in the end zone during the second quarter, while the Cougars’ defense kept San Diego off the scoreboard over the final three periods in a gritty 7-3 nonleague win Friday night at Steele Canyon.

“I’m pretty sure—I think it might’ve hit off his helmet,” Ballard said. “I never took my eye off the ball.”

His concentration turned what appeared destined to become an incompletion into the game’s decisive play.

San Diego struck first with a field goal at the 4:52 mark of the opening quarter. The Cavers would not score again.

Steele Canyon’s defense created the opening its offense needed early in the second quarter when senior Trey Williams intercepted a pass at the San Diego 24-yard line. A pass-interference penalty later moved the ball to the 6.

Senior quarterback Gavin Caha fired toward the end zone, but a San Diego defender arrived and appeared to make the proper play on the ball. The pass was deflected upward—possibly off the defender’s helmet—and remained alive long enough for Ballard to track it through traffic and secure the touchdown.

Senior Jordan Harvey added the extra point, giving Steele Canyon a 7-3 advantage that held through halftime and the entire scoreless second half.

The Cougars’ defense preserved that margin for more than two quarters, preventing San Diego from reaching the end zone and protecting the slimmest of leads without any further offensive support.

Senior Luke Rode led the defensive effort with 14 tackles, including 13 solo stops. Williams added six solo tackles to accompany the interception that set up the winning score. Cameron Buchanan, Marcus Hunt and Gunner Minich contributed five or more tackles apiece.

Steele Canyon recorded 51 tackles as a team, including 45 solo stops.

Caha contributes through air and on ground

The final score did not reflect a big offensive night, but Caha still accounted for most of Steele Canyon’s production.

The senior completed 11 of 22 passes for 124 yards and the touchdown to Ballard. He also led the Cougars with 62 rushing yards on four attempts, finishing with 186 total yards.

Ballard caught three passes for 27 yards and the game’s only touchdown. Trevor Zenno led Steele Canyon with 30 receiving yards on one catch, while Cameron Trujillo added two receptions for 29 yards. Aden Brown caught two passes for 18 yards, and Josiah Stocker had two receptions for 17.

Hunt carried 13 times for 38 yards, while Michael Ortiguero Jr. added 13 yards on three attempts. Steele Canyon finished with 113 rushing yards and 124 through the air for 237 yards of offense.

Caha also helped control field position, placing both of his punts inside the San Diego 20. He averaged 35.5 yards per punt, including a long of 44 yards.

A different kind of victory

The seven-point output was Steele Canyon’s lowest since a 39-0 loss to Granite Hills in Week 7 of the 2024 season.

Before Friday, the Cougars had scored in double figures in 23 of their previous 24 games. This time, however, they proved capable of winning without their usual offensive production.

A harken back to the Cougars’ days of the team’s past dominating defenses, if you will

Steele Canyon did not score in the first, third, or fourth quarters. The Cougars needed one takeaway, one penalty and one unusual touchdown catch—but their defense made that sequence stand up.

It also provided an encouraging opening statement for a team that entered the season closely rated with Helix among the Grossmont Conference contenders. Following Week 1, Steele Canyon sits 17th in the latest county computer rankings, while Helix understandably fell after its 38-6 road loss to Santa Fe Christian.

The Cougars are 1-0. San Diego fell to 0-1 and will host Madison in its City League opener Friday.

Championship rematch comes next

Steele Canyon’s next assignment carries much greater significance than a typical Week 2 nonleague game.

The Cougars travel Friday to face Santa Fe Christian in a rematch of last season’s thrilling San Diego Section Division II championship game, won by the Eagles 44-41.

In that title game, Caha demonstrated that he belonged among the county’s leading quarterbacks by going toe-to-toe with Santa Fe Christian standout Dax Labrum. The two will meet again with both programs carrying 1-0 records.

Labrum and the Eagles opened their season by overwhelming Helix 38-6. Santa Fe Christian is currently 10th in the county computer rankings, seven positions ahead of Steele Canyon.

The Eagles quarterback coach is Pro Football Hall of Famer Drew Brees, whose son plays receiver for Santa Fe Christian. That adds another layer of intrigue to a matchup already featuring two accomplished senior quarterbacks and the immediate history of last year’s three-point championship game.

Steele Canyon will need considerably more offense than it produced against San Diego. Still, the Cougars will arrive with proof that their defense can carry them through a difficult night—and with Caha getting another opportunity to match throws with Labrum in what could become one of the Grossmont Conference’s most compelling nonleague games of the season.

Quarterback rematch recalls championship shootout

Friday’s trip to Santa Fe Christian will reunite Gavin Caha and Dax Labrum, the quarterbacks who directed one of the most entertaining championship games in the San Diego Section last season.

Santa Fe Christian completed a perfect 13-0 local season by defeating Steele Canyon 44-41 in the 2025 Division II final before an estimated crowd of 4,700 at Southwestern College. It was the highest-division championship in Eagles history, but not before Caha and the Cougars nearly erased a 16-point halftime deficit.

Labrum completed 21 of 33 passes for 286 yards and threw four touchdown passes. He connected with Chase Woolley for scores of 8 and 51 yards, with Brandan Scott from 7 yards and with Brady Berg from 28. Woolley finished with six receptions for 89 yards, while Cruz Campbell caught five passes for 97 yards.

Caha answered by completing 15 of 24 passes for 272 yards despite Steele Canyon producing only 57 yards on the ground. His 80-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Henton supplied one of the Cougars’ two explosive first-half scores, along with Nico Jara’s 99-yard kickoff return. Josiah Stocker caught eight passes for 138 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown, while Henton finished with three receptions for 96 yards.

Santa Fe Christian led 30-14 at halftime and extended the advantage to 37-20 during the third quarter, but Caha helped bring Steele Canyon within 37-34. The Cougars later closed the margin to 44-41 on Abel Lopez’s 3-yard touchdown run with 4:30 remaining. Steele Canyon never regained possession, however, as the Eagles used favorable field position, a Cougars penalty and three first downs to exhaust the remaining time.

The rematch arrives under much different circumstances. Steele Canyon opened this season by leaning on its defense in a 7-3 win over San Diego, with Caha passing for 124 yards and accounting for 186 total yards. Labrum and Santa Fe Christian immediately rediscovered their scoring form in a 38-6 victory over Helix.

Caha has already demonstrated that he can match Labrum in a high-scoring game. After Steele Canyon won its opener with only one touchdown, the question Friday will be whether the Cougars can again generate the offensive firepower necessary to keep pace with the Eagles.

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