Griffins face Rams in prove-it road game

2026 GROSSMONT COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Grossmont carries momentum from one-point comeback into closely rated road test against Rams

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

VICTORVILLE — Grossmont found a way last week.

Now the Griffins must demonstrate that they can build upon it.

One week after Isaac Turner’s 100-yard interception return and Philipa Trakas’ 43-yard field goal produced a dramatic 22-21 victory over Los Angeles Valley, Grossmont travels to face Victor Valley on Saturday in the type of game that can reveal whether a young team is actually gaining traction.

The Griffins are 3-2. Victor Valley is 2-2.

The teams are closely matched statistically and separated by little in the computer ratings, which make Victor Valley a slight favorite largely because of its home field.

That makes Saturday a prove-it game for Grossmont.

The Griffins do not need another extraordinary escape. They need to demonstrate that last week’s finish can lead to a cleaner, more complete performance against an opponent they should reasonably believe they can beat.

Grossmont has not consistently cleared this kind of hurdle in recent seasons. Games against similarly rated opponents have too often produced penalties, missed opportunities or one decisive mistake.

The Griffins have already experienced both sides of that equation this season.

They carried a 27-14 lead into the fourth quarter against Antelope Valley and lost, 28-27. One week later, they entered the fourth quarter trailing L.A. Valley 21-12 and won, 22-21.

“Find A Way!” is the phrase Grossmont head coach Mason Mitchell said his team carries.

The Griffins found one last week.

Saturday offers them an opportunity to prove it was more than a one-week rescue.

TWO TEAMS STILL BEING DEFINED

Grossmont’s overall statistics describe a team that has produced moments of quality without sustaining them consistently.

The Griffins average 312.5 yards per game, including 181.3 passing and 131.3 rushing. They have scored 29 points per game while allowing 26.8.

Victor Valley’s three statistically recorded games have produced slightly more offense—348 yards per contest—but considerably greater defensive vulnerability.

The Rams average 206 passing yards and 142 rushing yards. Opponents have generated approximately 412 yards per game, including 275 through the air.

Victor Valley has scored 28 points per statistical game and allowed 34.

Neither team has established dominance. Both have enough offensive ability to score. Both have been susceptible to the kind of mistakes that can swing a close game.

The computers project Victor Valley to win by approximately three points.

Grossmont should view the matchup differently.

The Griffins are not traveling to face an opponent beyond their reach. They are traveling to face a team with its own defensive problems, inconsistent special teams and a passing offense that has thrown only five touchdowns in three counted games.

This is precisely the type of road game Grossmont must begin winning if Mitchell’s improving program is going to take its next step.

SPICER GETS HIS OPPORTUNITY

Victor Valley’s clearest statistical weakness has been its pass defense.

Opposing quarterbacks have averaged 275.3 yards per game and thrown nine touchdown passes. Victor Valley has intercepted only two throws and recorded four sacks.

That gives Grossmont quarterback Melvin Spicer IV an inviting matchup—provided the Griffins protect him and avoid placing themselves behind the chains.

Spicer has completed 56 of 96 passes for 628 yards, with four touchdowns and three interceptions. He ranks third among American Pacific League quarterbacks at 157 passing yards per game.

Those numbers have been serviceable rather than explosive.

Grossmont has not produced a consistent primary receiver, either. Its passing game has been distributed across a large rotation.

Trenice Woods leads the Griffins with 12 receptions for 124 yards. Myles Norman has caught 11 passes for 92 yards and one touchdown. Januel Fernandez has converted four receptions into 85 yards and two scores.

Jaidan Brooks has provided the greatest explosiveness, averaging 27.7 yards on three receptions, while Ladarrione Perkins, Demann Beverly, Elijah Smith, Isaac Syph and Dvonta Peoples have all contributed.

Victor Valley’s defensive numbers suggest those opportunities should be available.

Grossmont must actually convert them.

The Griffins gained 347 yards and controlled the ball for almost 35 minutes against L.A. Valley, yet their offense reached the end zone only once. Penalties repeatedly erased progress or forced Spicer into obvious passing situations.

A similar performance may not survive on the road.

FORD, PERKINS GIVE GROSSMONT BALANCE

The Griffins’ clearest offensive strength is their backfield.

Ethan Ford leads Grossmont with 190 yards on 38 carries, averaging five yards per attempt. He ranks fifth among American Pacific League runners at 47.5 yards per game.

Perkins has been even more productive per opportunity.

He has rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, an average of 6.4 yards. Against L.A. Valley, Perkins gained 95 yards on 14 attempts, scored Grossmont’s only offensive touchdown and added two receptions for 25 yards.

Spicer has contributed 112 net rushing yards and two touchdowns despite losing 100 yards through sacks and other negative plays.

Grossmont has rushed for 525 yards through four statistical games. Victor Valley has allowed 136.7 rushing yards per contest.

The Griffins do not need to abandon their developing ground identity merely because Victor Valley has been more vulnerable through the air.

A productive Ford-Perkins combination would give Spicer manageable situations and prevent the Rams from attacking Grossmont’s pass protection.

Mitchell praised his offensive line after last week’s victory.

“They fought and strained and were the light in our offense,” Mitchell said.

They will need to provide that light again.

MEZA DIRECTS RAMS

Victor Valley’s offense revolves around quarterback Antonio Meza.

Meza has completed 67 of 110 passes for 598 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. His 199.3 passing yards per game exceed Spicer’s average, although he has also absorbed enough negative rushing plays to finish with minus-20 net yards.

Receiver Lamason Waller is his primary target.

Waller has caught 21 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns, averaging seven receptions per game. His average of 8.1 yards per catch indicates that Victor Valley frequently uses him to move the chains rather than strictly as a downfield target.

Latavion Lispcomb has 10 catches for 100 yards, while Brody Gavin and Devin Moody have produced 88 receiving yards apiece. Darren Gandy and Elijah Realzola have also caught touchdown passes.

The Rams spread the football around, but their passing game has not been exceptionally explosive. Meza’s longest completion is 32 yards.

That places pressure on Grossmont’s defense to tackle well and prevent short completions from becoming extended possessions.

The Griffins allow 259.3 passing yards per game, but last week they turned L.A. Valley quarterback Chase Everett’s aggressiveness into three interceptions.

Turner intercepted two passes. Jonathan Smith collected the third, forced a fumble and broke up two additional throws.

Victor Valley has protected the football reasonably well, throwing only two interceptions.

Grossmont needs to make Meza earn every completion without surrendering the explosive mistake that can change a close road game.

RAMS BRING TWO-BACK ATTACK

Victor Valley has divided its ground game primarily between Carlos Amplayo and Zaire Stebbins.

Amplayo has gained 162 yards and scored two touchdowns on 33 carries. Stebbins has rushed for 116 yards on 24 attempts.

Both average approximately 4.8 yards per carry.

Dell Hester has supplied Victor Valley’s most explosive rushing play, turning three attempts into 82 yards—including a 75-yard touchdown.

The matchup appears to favor Grossmont.

The Griffins have allowed only 85.3 rushing yards per statistical game and 2.9 yards per attempt. Their defensive front has produced 13 sacks and 31 tackles for loss.

Avery Morris, Lincoln Chukwuemeka and Jeremiah Savaiinaea Jr. have two sacks apiece. James Tivao, Jirah Savaiinaea Jr., Alejandro Martinez-Rodriguez and others have contributed to a deep pressure rotation.

Victor Valley has generated 142 rushing yards per game, but Grossmont’s front is the stronger unit in this matchup.

If the Griffins stop Amplayo and Stebbins without overcommitting, they can place the game in Meza’s hands and give Turner and Smith opportunities in the secondary.

TURNER MUST BACK UP BREAKOUT

Turner delivered the play of Grossmont’s season last week.

With L.A. Valley threatening to extend a 21-12 lead from the Grossmont 11, Turner battled a receiver for position, intercepted Everett at the goal line and returned the football 100 yards for a touchdown.

The freshman from Lincoln finished with two interceptions and 107 return yards.

His performance immediately changed how opponents must view Grossmont’s secondary.

Turner cannot expect another quarterback to challenge him carelessly. Victor Valley now has film of him winning the football at the catch point and converting a turnover into points.

The next stage of Turner’s development will be playing with the same discipline when opportunities do not arrive so dramatically.

Smith has provided a steadier body of work across four games, recording 12 tackles, an interception, two pass breakups and a forced fumble.

Together, they give Grossmont a secondary capable of punishing mistakes.

GLIMPSES MUST BECOME COMPLETE GAMES

Turner’s breakout against L.A. Valley may represent something larger than one spectacular return.

Grossmont’s roster is filled with young players who have demonstrated ability in stretches without yet producing complete, consistent performances.

Turner became the clearest example last week.

“We were waiting for Turner to hit the ground running for us,” Mitchell said. “We were getting glimpses, but he put an entire game together.”

That distinction applies across the roster.

Spicer has produced efficient stretches but has not yet directed a complete four-quarter offensive performance. Ford and Perkins have each run effectively, although Grossmont has not consistently converted its rushing production into touchdowns. The defensive front has generated 31 tackles for loss, but the Griffins have still allowed opponents to complete 62 percent of their passes.

Even Trakas’ emergence followed three games in which he had attempted only two extra points.

Against L.A. Valley, several of those developing pieces came together late enough to produce a victory. Turner delivered his first complete college performance. Trakas converted his first three field-goal attempts. The offensive line created the possession that set up the winning kick, and the defense protected the lead.

Victor Valley offers the next stage of that development.

Grossmont cannot expect Turner and Trakas to supply another extraordinary rescue. The Griffins need more of those previously isolated glimpses to become sustained production across four quarters.

TRAKAS CHANGES KICKING PICTURE

Grossmont entered the L.A. Valley game without a settled kicking hierarchy.

It may have left with one.

Trakas made the first three field-goal attempts of his college career, connecting from 25, 30 and 43 yards. The longest gave Grossmont its 22-21 lead with 5:18 remaining.

He is now 3-for-3 on field goals and 2-for-2 on extra points.

Grossmont has received seven field goals from three kickers. Jasper Brandenburg has converted from as far as 45 yards, and Lucas Mora has a long of 41.

Victor Valley’s specialists have been less consistent.

Angel Montero Sanchez has made three of five field goals with a long of 29 yards and four of six extra points. The Rams are only 5-for-8 on extra points as a team.

In a game projected to be decided by one possession, Grossmont’s suddenly deep kicking operation could be a legitimate advantage.

The Griffins would prefer not to require another late rescue.

If they do, Trakas has already demonstrated that the moment will not overwhelm him.

THE PENALTY PROBLEM

Everything favorable about Grossmont’s matchup comes with one enormous qualification.

The Griffins must stop penalizing themselves.

Grossmont committed 17 penalties for 174 yards against L.A. Valley. That followed 15 penalties for 129 yards against Antelope Valley and 12 for 114 against Southwestern.

Across those three games, the Griffins were penalized 44 times for 417 yards.

No team can expect to establish consistent offensive rhythm, control field position or win close road games while surrendering that much yardage.

Turner’s touchdown and Trakas’ three field goals allowed Grossmont to overcome the problem last week. That does not make it sustainable.

The Griffins’ statistical advantages against Victor Valley—particularly their run defense, pass rush and kicking depth—will matter only if they stop erasing them with flags.

Saturday’s game may tell more about Grossmont’s discipline than its talent.

The talent is present.

The question is whether the Griffins can get out of their own way long enough to use it.

WHAT GROSSMONT MUST PROVE

Grossmont proved last week that it could respond when a game appeared ready to escape.

That was meaningful, especially after the fourth-quarter collapse against Antelope Valley.

The next step is different.

The Griffins must show they can control a competitive game without requiring a 100-yard defensive touchdown. They must sustain offense, finish drives and avoid giving Victor Valley free yardage.

Mitchell believes his young team is beginning to find itself.

“We have a really good young team, and we are starting to gain traction,” he said following the L.A. Valley victory. “Our team has a lot of talent, and we are finding our footing.”

Victor Valley provides a fair measurement.

A convincing victory would suggest Grossmont has moved forward more quickly than expected. A close victory would still represent progress. A loss shaped by penalties and missed opportunities would feel painfully familiar.

The Griffins have enough ability to win this game.

Now they must demonstrate that they know how.

THE PICK

Victor Valley has the home field, the slightly more productive passing offense and the narrow support of the computer projections.

Grossmont has the stronger defensive front, the better run defense and the more dependable kicking options. The Griffins also carry the emotional benefit of having finally finished a close game.

Picking Grossmont requires trusting a team that has not yet earned complete trust.

It also requires believing last week’s comeback mattered.

The Griffins will make this more difficult than necessary. Meza and Waller will move the football, and Victor Valley will have an opportunity late.

This time, Grossmont’s defense and Trakas provide the final difference.

GROSSMONT 24, VICTOR VALLEY 23

GAME CAPSULE

GROSSMONT (3-2) at VICTOR VALLEY (2-2)

When: Saturday, Sept. 26, 5 p.m.
Where: Victor Valley College, Victorville
Computer projection: Victor Valley by approximately three
Grossmont player to watch: Ladarrione Perkins, 141 rushing yards, 6.4 yards per carry, two touchdowns
Victor Valley player to watch: Antonio Meza, 598 passing yards, five touchdowns
Key matchup: Grossmont’s defensive front against Victor Valley’s two-back rushing attack
Deciding factor: Whether the Griffins can reduce the penalties that have repeatedly disrupted otherwise competitive performances
ECS prediction: Grossmont 24, Victor Valley 23

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