Griffins stack complete road win

2026 GROSSMONT COLLEGE FOOTBALL

GRIFFINS 34, VICTOR VALLEY 16

Grossmont rushes for 227 yards, forces two interceptions and answers Victor Valley’s fourth-quarter touchdown to finish the job in all three phases

By RAMON SCOTT
EastCountySports.com

VICTORVILLE — Grossmont spent the week talking about stacking another brick.

This time, the Griffins built something sturdy enough to last four quarters.

Melvin Spicer IV accounted for 230 yards and two touchdowns, Ethan Ford rushed for 96 yards and Grossmont’s defense limited Victor Valley to 214 total yards in a convincing 34-16 American Pacific League victory Saturday.

The Griffins established control early, protected it through a scoreless third quarter and responded immediately when Victor Valley attempted to make the finish interesting.

There was no late collapse. No desperate comeback. No need for a once-in-a-season play to escape.

Grossmont simply completed the game.

“Our victory this past weekend was a follow-up and stacking of the bricks after a team win versus L.A. Valley,” Grossmont head coach Mason Mitchell said. “Our messaging all week long was about putting together a full game in all three phases of football.”

The result improved Grossmont to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the American Pacific League, leaving the Griffins unbeaten in conference play as they prepare to host unbeaten Santa Monica.

Victor Valley fell to 2-3.

Grossmont outgained the Rams 401-214, rushed for 227 yards, generated 23 first downs and controlled possession for nearly 35 minutes. The Griffins converted 10 of 18 third downs, intercepted two passes and held Victor Valley to only 61 yards rushing.

The performance was not flawless. Grossmont committed 11 penalties for 138 yards, continuing a problem that has followed the team throughout September.

The Griffins were otherwise dominant enough to overcome their own mistakes.

They led from their opening possession and never allowed Victor Valley to possess the football with an opportunity to tie or move ahead after the first quarter.

“As our team continues to grow in the right direction, our team unity and development is starting to show in our game-day product,” Mitchell said. “Our team plays a physical brand of football, and it’s not about how we start—it’s how we finish.”

At Victor Valley, Grossmont did both well.

THREE KICKERS BUILD LEAD

Grossmont controlled the opening quarter but twice settled for field goals after moving inside the Victor Valley 20.

The Griffins’ first possession traveled 45 yards in 13 plays and consumed 4:30 before Jasper Brandenburg made a 21-yard field goal.

After Grossmont’s defense forced a short Victor Valley possession, the Griffins moved 37 yards in five plays. Lucas Mora converted a 32-yard field goal, extending the lead to 6-0.

Victor Valley answered with Angel Montero Sanchez’s 21-yard field goal, but Grossmont had established the game’s central advantage.

The Griffins could run the football consistently.

Victor Valley could not.

Ford gained 59 yards on nine first-quarter carries, including a 33-yard run, and eventually finished with 96 yards on 19 attempts.

Grossmont used Brandenburg and Mora to produce its first six points, then called upon Philipa Trakas for the extra point following its first touchdown.

All three specialists contributed to a perfect kicking performance.

• Brandenburg made a 21-yard field goal and two extra points.
• Mora made a 32-yard field goal and one extra point.
• Trakas converted his only extra-point attempt.

The trio produced 10 points without a miss.

One week after Trakas made the first three field goals of his Grossmont career—including a 43-yard winner against L.A. Valley—the Griffins demonstrated that they possess multiple dependable kicking options.

SPICER COMPLETES LONG DRIVE

Grossmont’s first touchdown possession began late in the opening quarter and continued well into the second.

The Griffins traveled 74 yards in 15 plays, holding the football for 6:49 before Spicer scored on a three-yard run.

Trakas converted the extra point for a 13-3 lead.

The extended march represented the type of possession Grossmont has not sustained consistently enough this season. The Griffins remained patient, moved the chains and finished the drive without committing the turnover or costly mistake that could erase the progress.

Spicer then supplied the explosive play.

With 7:07 remaining before halftime, Spicer connected with Trenice Woods for a 71-yard touchdown. Mora’s extra point gave Grossmont a 20-3 advantage.

Spicer completed 15 of 25 passes for 174 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He also rushed nine times for 56 yards and a touchdown, averaging 6.2 yards per attempt.

His 230 yards of total offense came without the damaging turnovers that can undermine an otherwise productive game.

Victor Valley sacked Spicer only once for one yard.

He protected the football, converted manageable opportunities and allowed Grossmont’s running game to dictate the afternoon.

VICTOR VALLEY ANSWERS BEFORE HALF

The Rams produced their best first-half possession after Woods’ touchdown.

Beginning at their own 13, Victor Valley traveled 87 yards in 12 plays. Quarterback Avery Boe completed a two-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Bechtel, cutting Grossmont’s lead to 20-10 with 2:25 remaining before halftime.

Grossmont did not force the issue before the break.

The Griffins possessed the ball for the final 2:17 and took their 10-point advantage into halftime.

Victor Valley had finally created some offensive momentum.

Grossmont’s defense made certain it did not continue into the third quarter.

TURNOVERS PRESERVE LEAD

Neither team scored during the third quarter, but the scoreless period belonged to Grossmont’s defense.

Victor Valley received multiple opportunities to reduce the deficit, including one possession that began in Grossmont territory following a turnover.

Quincy Shepard Jr., listed as No. 4 on defense, intercepted Boe to prevent the Rams from taking advantage of the short field.

Later in the quarter, Victor Valley assembled a 17-play possession that consumed nearly six minutes. Once again, Grossmont prevented the Rams from scoring and regained possession on a turnover.

Damari Jones recorded Grossmont’s other interception.

Boe completed 23 of 40 passes, but those completions produced only 153 yards—3.8 yards per attempt. He threw one touchdown and two interceptions.

Grossmont was even more restrictive against the run.

Victor Valley managed only 61 yards on 30 rushing attempts, averaging two yards per carry. Running backs Carlos Amplayo and Zaire Stebbins combined for 35 yards on 18 attempts.

The Griffins recorded 10 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Defensive lineman Runnar Miller Jr. produced his strongest statistical game of the season with five tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss.

Esai Valera and Jeremiah Savaiinaea Jr. also made tackles behind the line.

Victor Valley ran 70 offensive plays but averaged only 3.1 yards per snap.

The Rams occasionally moved the chains.

They rarely moved Grossmont’s defense backward.

NORMAN EXTENDS LEAD

Grossmont opened the fourth quarter with a drive designed to take back complete control.

The Griffins traveled 75 yards in 12 plays and consumed 5:29.

Running back Myles Norman finished the march with a 21-yard touchdown run.

Brandenburg converted the extra point, extending Grossmont’s lead to 27-10 with 8:52 remaining.

Victor Valley responded with a 10-play, 49-yard drive. Stebbins scored on a three-yard run, reducing the deficit to 27-16 with 6:16 left.

The Rams attempted a two-point conversion, but Christopher Hooper was stopped.

Grossmont still faced a meaningful fourth-quarter test.

A quick punt or a turnover could have returned the football to Victor Valley with enough time to create pressure.

Earlier in the season, that type of situation had become dangerous for the Griffins.

This time, Grossmont finished properly.

KEARNS, HICKS FINISH IT

The Griffins took possession at the Victor Valley 49 following the Rams’ touchdown.

They never gave the ball back with the game still in doubt.

Grossmont traveled 49 yards in eight plays and consumed 4:16. Backup quarterback Michael Kearns III carried the ball on a six-yard run toward the goal line.

The ball came loose, but Nassir Hicks recovered it in the end zone for the touchdown.

Brandenburg’s extra point extended the lead to 34-16 with 2:15 remaining.

Victor Valley turned the ball over on downs four plays later.

Grossmont ran out the clock.

The play was not executed exactly as designed, but it reflected the larger theme of the game. One Griffin’s effort created the opportunity, and another completed it.

“Our team motto is ‘The We over Me mentality,’” Mitchell said. “When we can prioritize the we, the me benefits, and we hold them to it.

“We saw that come to fruition on Saturday against Victor Valley.”

Kearns did not receive the touchdown.

Hicks did not begin the play with the football.

Together, they finished it.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF FOURTH QUARTER

Grossmont entered the game with reason to distrust comfortable leads.

Against Antelope Valley, the Griffins carried a 27-14 advantage into the fourth quarter and lost 28-27.

Against L.A. Valley, they entered the fourth trailing 21-12 and required Isaac Turner’s 100-yard interception return and Trakas’ winning field goal to escape 22-21.

Victor Valley presented another potential late test when it cut Grossmont’s lead to 27-16.

This time, the Griffins did not require a defensive touchdown or a last-minute kick.

They answered with an eight-play scoring drive.

The possession was not as dramatic as Turner’s interception return. It might have been more significant for the team’s long-term development.

Grossmont protected the football long enough, converted the necessary downs and removed nearly all the remaining time before extending the lead to three scores.

“Our team took our messaging to heart and really emphasized our desire to be great collectively,” Mitchell said.

That is how a favored team is supposed to close a road victory.

For a young Grossmont team still learning how to win consistently, it represented an important step.

FORD SETS PHYSICAL TONE

Ford did not score, but his 96 rushing yards created the foundation for Grossmont’s offensive control.

The freshman averaged 5.1 yards on 19 attempts and produced a game-long run of 33 yards.

His first-quarter production allowed Grossmont to possess the football, reach scoring range twice and prevent Victor Valley from establishing an early offensive rhythm.

Spicer added 56 yards, Norman scored from 21 yards and Kearns produced the final six-yard scoring run before Hicks’ recovery.

Grossmont finished with 227 rushing yards on 47 attempts.

The Griffins generated 14 rushing first downs and kept possession for 34:59, nearly 10 minutes longer than Victor Valley.

Grossmont also converted 10 of 18 third downs, a 56-percent success rate that transformed several possessions into extended drives:

• 13 plays for a field goal.
• 15 plays for a touchdown.
• 12 plays for a touchdown.
• Eight plays for the clinching touchdown.

“Our team plays a physical brand of football,” Mitchell said.

Ford’s production supplied the clearest evidence.

He did not require a touchdown or a collection of highlight runs to influence the game. His steady gains kept Grossmont ahead of the chains and allowed Spicer to operate without carrying the entire offense.

UNITY BECOMING PRODUCTION

Mitchell credited more than individual performances for Grossmont’s second consecutive victory.

“Our coaching staff does a phenomenal job catering to our student-athletes’ needs, and we always keep in mind who we are as a team,” Mitchell said. “Our coaching staff coaches with tons of fire and passion.”

The Griffins opened the season with an overwhelming victory over Compton before enduring a lopsided loss to Southwestern, a one-point defeat against Antelope Valley and an uneven comeback victory over L.A. Valley.

At Victor Valley, the team’s identity appeared clearer.

Grossmont ran the football 47 times, protected its quarterback, used three kickers successfully and received contributions from key players.

Shepard made the interception.

Woods caught the 71-yard touchdown.

Norman scored the 21-yard touchdown.

Kearns and Hicks combined for the final score.

PENALTIES REMAIN OBVIOUS PROBLEM

The victory did not eliminate Grossmont’s most persistent weakness.

The Griffins committed 11 penalties for 138 yards.

That followed:

• 12 penalties for 114 yards against Southwestern.
• 15 penalties for 129 yards against Antelope Valley.
• 17 penalties for 174 yards against L.A. Valley.

Across those four games, Grossmont has been penalized 55 times for 555 yards.

That is more than the length of five football fields surrendered without the opponent earning any of it.

Grossmont was dominant enough at Victor Valley to absorb the damage. The Griffins held advantages of 187 yards in total offense and 166 yards on the ground.

Against unbeaten Santa Monica, 138 penalty yards could decide the game.

The number of flags declined from the previous week.

The yardage remained far too high.

Grossmont has shown it can win a close game and control a road game. Becoming a championship team will require the Griffins to stop creating so many additional obstacles for themselves.

SPECIAL-TEAMS DEPTH EMERGES

Grossmont’s three-kicker arrangement might look unconventional, but it was completely effective Saturday.

Brandenburg opened the scoring with a 21-yard field goal and converted two extra points.

Mora made a 32-yard field goal, added an extra point, averaged 34.3 yards on three punts and handled three kickoffs.

Trakas converted an extra point and averaged 61.3 yards on four kickoffs, producing one touchback.

The performance came one week after Trakas went 3-for-3 on field goals against L.A. Valley.

Rather than immediately assigning every responsibility to one specialist, Grossmont continued dividing the duties.

All three delivered.

The kicking unit supplied 10 points and did not leave one on the field.

That qualified as another phase completed.

TURNER’S IMPACT CONTINUES BEYOND THE STAT LINE

Turner did not repeat his two-interception performance from the L.A. Valley victory, but Grossmont’s secondary continued producing takeaways.

Shepard and Jones intercepted Boe, preventing two Victor Valley possessions from developing into points.

One week after Turner’s 100-yard return transformed the game, Grossmont generated two more interceptions and held Victor Valley to 153 passing yards on 40 attempts.

The Griffins did not require one defender to rescue them.

The entire defense controlled the game.

BY THE NUMBERS

Category	Grossmont	Victor Valley
Final score	34	16
Overall record	4-2	2-3
League record	2-0	0-1
First downs	23	18
Total offense	401	214
Rushing yards	227	61
Passing yards	174	153
Third-down conversions	10 of 18	6 of 15
Turnovers	1	2
Sacks	2	1
Penalties	11-138	5-40
Time of possession	34:59	25:01

 

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

• Grossmont — Brandenburg 21-yard field goal, 3-0
• Grossmont — Mora 32-yard field goal, 6-0
• Victor Valley — Montero Sanchez 21-yard field goal, 6-3

Second quarter

• Grossmont — Spicer 3-yard run (Trakas kick), 13-3
• Grossmont — Woods 71-yard pass from Spicer (Mora kick), 20-3
• Victor Valley — Bechtel 2-yard pass from Boe (Montero Sanchez kick), 20-10

Fourth quarter

• Grossmont — Norman 21-yard run (Brandenburg kick), 27-10
• Victor Valley — Stebbins 3-yard run (conversion failed), 27-16
• Grossmont — Hicks fumble recovery in end zone following Kearns’ 6-yard run (Brandenburg kick), 34-16

UP NEXT: UNBEATEN SANTA MONICA

Grossmont returns home Saturday, Oct. 3, for its most important American Pacific League game of the season.

The Griffins host Santa Monica at 3 p.m.

Santa Monica is 6-0 overall and 3-0 in league play. Grossmont enters 4-2 and 2-0, while San Bernardino Valley also remains unbeaten in conference competition.

Saturday’s winner will take an important step toward controlling the league championship race.

Mitchell’s comments following the Victor Valley victory were not presented specifically as a Santa Monica preview, but his message applies directly to the challenge ahead.

“If we play to our strengths and keep that mentality, then we will have a great year,” Mitchell said.

Those strengths are becoming identifiable.

Grossmont can run behind Ford, Norman and Spicer. Its defense can pressure quarterbacks and produce interceptions. Its kicking game has three capable contributors. Its young players have demonstrated that they can respond after difficult moments.

The penalties remain a significant liability.

Santa Monica is unbeaten and unlikely to allow Grossmont to overcome another 138-yard afternoon of self-inflicted damage.

The Griffins will need the complete three-phase performance Mitchell emphasized throughout the Victor Valley week—only cleaner.

Grossmont’s first victory in its current two-game streak was about finding a way.

The second was about taking care of business.

The third would establish the Griffins as legitimate championship contenders.

FINAL WORD

Grossmont was expected to have an opportunity to win at Victor Valley.

The Griffins did considerably more than survive the trip.

They controlled the line of scrimmage, protected the football, forced turnovers and responded immediately when the Rams tried to make the fourth quarter interesting.

There was no dramatic reversal, no desperate final possession and no late collapse.

Grossmont made the final minutes routine.

Mitchell described the program’s guiding principle as the “We over Me mentality.”

Against Victor Valley, Woods, Norman, Kearns, Hicks and Shepard made important plays.

The team received the victory.

And Grossmont added another brick.

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