2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

MONTE VISTA 29, MONTGOMERY 14

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

SPRING VALLEY — Daesean Jenkins can change a football game without requiring the football to be handed or thrown to him.

The Monte Vista junior did it again Friday night.

With Montgomery driving for a potentially crucial touchdown, Jenkins intercepted a pass near the goal line and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown with 27 seconds remaining, putting the finishing touch on the Monarchs’ 29-14 victory.

Jenkins’ return completed a remarkable turnaround for Monte Vista. The Monarchs trailed 7-0 at halftime before scoring all 29 of their points during the second half.

Monte Vista’s defense made the comeback possible before it began. Montgomery drove to the goal line late in the second quarter, but the Monarchs produced a stand that kept the deficit at seven entering halftime.

The offense responded after the break.

Brayden Silie scored a rushing touchdown and added two two-point conversions, supplying the power element in Monte Vista’s ground game. Deon Hunter added another rushing touchdown as the Monarchs gradually took control.

Montgomery remained close enough to threaten late. The Aztecs were again moving toward the Monte Vista end zone when Jenkins stepped into the passing lane and transformed a possible Montgomery touchdown into the game-clinching score.

The victory improved Monte Vista to 2-0 following its 31-23 season-opening win at Crawford. Montgomery fell to 0-2 despite leading throughout the first half and playing a largely clean, competitive game.

For the second consecutive week, however, Jenkins supplied the play Montgomery’s opponent could not overcome.

JENKINS HAS BECOME MONTE VISTA’S GAME-TAKER

Some explosive players dominate with strength. Others depend upon pure speed or overwhelming force.

Jenkins has shown an ability to simply take a game away from the opponent—on offense, defense or special teams.

He opened the season by returning the kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown against Crawford. Later in the same game, he broke loose for a 45-yard rushing touchdown.

One week later, his 95-yard interception return ended Montgomery’s last meaningful opportunity.

Through two games, Jenkins has already produced three touchdowns covering a combined 226 yards. Each has traveled at least 45 yards, and two have come without Monte Vista’s offense taking the field.

That gives him a rare, almost Deion Sanders-type influence—not as a comparison of level or career, but in the way opponents must account for him in every phase. Kicking toward him can become dangerous. Throwing into his area can become catastrophic. Giving him room as a runner can change the score immediately.

Jenkins demonstrated that same defensive instinct as a sophomore when he returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Crawford in his varsity debut. He has now scored three defensive touchdowns in a young career that is only beginning to take shape.

There may not be another player in the Grossmont Conference currently capable of changing games in quite as many ways.

And football might not even be his best sport.

Jenkins was recognized last season as one of San Diego County’s top young basketball players. One scouting assessment captured his appeal succinctly: Jenkins possesses the wiggle, burst and unmistakable “it” factor whenever he has the basketball.

Those qualities translate easily to the football field. Once Jenkins finds space, a routine play can become six points.

Only a junior, he may still be one of the county’s most underrated explosive athletes. That designation will become increasingly difficult to maintain if he continues scoring from nearly everywhere on the field.

MONARCHS’ DEFENSE DELIVERS TWICE AT GOAL LINE

Jenkins produced the most spectacular defensive play, but Monte Vista’s victory was not the work of one defender.

The Monarchs faced two significant Montgomery threats near their own goal line and prevented points both times.

The first stand ended the opening half and kept Monte Vista within 7-0 despite an otherwise difficult first two quarters. That stop proved critical once Silie, Hunter and the offense began generating points after halftime.

The second threat ended with Jenkins racing 95 yards in the opposite direction.

Montgomery’s first-half defense also deserves credit. The Aztecs kept Monte Vista off the scoreboard for two quarters and carried the lead into halftime before the Monarchs’ running game and defense changed the contest.

NEXT: A VERY DIFFERENT REMATCH WITH MORSE

Monte Vista travels to Morse on Friday at 7 p.m. for a rematch of last season’s Division V semifinal, but the circumstances surrounding the teams have changed considerably.

Morse defeated Monte Vista 50-12 in that playoff meeting, one week after eliminating Santana 38-0. The Tigers appeared to hold a substantial advantage over the Grossmont Valley League at the time.

The opening two weeks of this season suggest otherwise.

Santana returned to Morse in Week 1 and decisively reversed its playoff result, defeating the Tigers 37-12. Monte Vista has meanwhile opened 2-0, while Morse has fallen to 0-2.

Morse showed improvement Friday during a 25-16 loss to Eastlake.

Quarterback Hunter Griffin threw a touchdown pass and scored on a run, while Deandre Eleby caught a 30-yard touchdown pass and converted two two-point attempts.

Eastlake running back David Branco ultimately controlled that game, rushing for 209 yards and three touchdowns, including scoring runs of 66, 11 and 46 yards.

Monte Vista will not possess Santana’s 49-point offensive performance from Week 2, but the Monarchs have demonstrated a physical rushing attack, timely defense and an elite game-changing threat in Jenkins.

After what happened to both Grossmont Valley teams in last season’s playoffs, Monte Vista will not lack motivation. Based on the teams’ contrasting starts—and Santana’s convincing victory on the same field—the Monarchs should enter the rematch with a legitimate expectation of returning home 3-0.