EAGLES SOAR PAST HIGHLANDERS IN REUNION GAME
LA MESA, CA — The Granite Hills Eagles (7-2) squared off against the Helix Highlanders (3-6) in a Thursday night showdown that featured an intriguing subplot between former teammates. Before the matchup, Eagles' star Maxwell Turner revealed he and former teammate Pablo Jackson, now playing for Helix, had placed a friendly wager on who would rack up more rushing yards, adding extra spice to an already heated rivalry.
Turner emerged victorious in both the personal duel and team battle, leading the Eagles to a 35-21 win while adding three more touchdowns to his school record. His dominant performance included 200 rushing yards with two ground scores and a receiving touchdown. Despite being on the losing side, Jackson made his presence felt with two touchdowns for the Highlanders. The Eagles' ground attack was unstoppable, amassing a season-high 380 rushing yards.
The Eagles' defense proved equally impressive, with Trevor Smith, Logan Vance, and Parker Vance each recording interceptions in a stellar team effort. The victory highlighted the diverging paths of these programs this season - Granite Hills has won five of their last six games, while Helix's struggles continued having lost four of their previous five contests. This was the Eagles' third straight win over Helix. The last East County team to beat the Highlanders three straight years was Monte Vista from 1997 to 1999.
BRAWLEY USES EXPLOSIVE SECOND HALF TO HAND IMPERIAL FIRST LOSS
IMPERIAL, CA — In a clash with league title implications, the Brawley Wildcats (8-1, 3-0 IVL) unleashed a dominant second-half performance to defeat previously unbeaten Imperial Tigers (8-1, 2-1 IVL) by a score of 49-28 on Friday night at Shimamoto-Simpson Stadium.
What began as an evenly matched bout, tied 14-14 at halftime, transformed after the break as Brawley scored 28 unanswered points in the third quarter. Sergio Garcia sparked the turnaround with multiple big plays, including a 73-yard run that set up a score, while the Wildcats' defense elevated its play by pressuring Imperial quarterback Jayden Ayala consistently.
The victory puts Brawley in prime position for the Imperial Valley League championship, though Central could force a three-way tie with a win in next week's rivalry "Bell Game" against the Wildcats. The Tigers, who showed resilience with Ayala throwing his third touchdown pass in the final minutes, will look to regroup against Southwest El Centro in their regular season finale.
STOWERS, BUCHANAN HELP MATADORS DOMINATE STEELE CANYON
SPRING VALLEY, CA — The Mount Miguel Matadors (7-2, 3-1 GHL) achieved a program milestone Friday night, defeating the Steele Canyon Cougars (4-5, 0-3 GHL) for the first time in school history behind a remarkable performance from junior quarterback AJ Stowers in a 57-34 victory.
Stowers continued his stellar season with seven total touchdowns, including six through the air and one on the ground. It marked his fifth game this year with four or more touchdowns
The junior signal-caller found a favorite target in senior wide receiver Ezelle Buchanan, who had a career night with five touchdown receptions. The dynamic duo proved unstoppable as the Matadors put up their second highest point total of the season.
AJ Logan was the only other recipient of a Stowers scoring pass. Senior running back John Weaver IV recorded a rushing touchdown for Steele Canyon, while Nico Jara took a kickoff to the house and caught a pass from Gavin Caha for six.
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CRUSADERS EXACT REVENGE IN 8-MAN SHOWDOWN WITH DEFENDING CHAMPS
EL CAJON, CA — The St. Joseph Academy Crusaders (7-1, 1-0 Ocean League) made a statement Friday night, defeating defending CIF San Diego 8-Man champion Foothills Christian Knights (5-2, 1-1 OL) by a score of 24-6.
The game served as a rematch of last year's championship, where the Knights edged out a 31-26 victory.
"We’ve been looking forward to this game since the end of last year," said St. Joseph's second-year head coach Tom Davis. "We prepared hard for this."
Foothills Christian struck first when senior running back Kameron Brown electrified the home crowd with an 80-yard touchdown run, giving the Knights an early 6-0 lead. However, the Crusaders responded with an overwhelming display of offensive balance and a shutdown defense that would dictate the rest of the game.
"We knew how good Kameron Brown was last year," Davis said, recalling Foothills' ball control in the final minutes to secure the previous title. "He's a good ball player, so we focused in on him."
St. Joseph quarterback Paolo Puccio connected with Josh Clow for a touchdown to take the lead, while running backs Mathew Adams and Asher Larkin each found the end zone on the ground. The Crusaders’ 24 unanswered points marked a dominant performance and redemption, avenging both losses to Foothills Christian from last season.
Quick Hits
- San Pasqual head coach Tony Corley joins the 100-win Club after a 46-0 victory over Vista.
- La Costa Canyon (9-0, 4-0 Avocado League) beat arch-rival Carlsbad (6-3, 2-2 AL) for the first-time since 2017 to stay undefeated.
- O'Farrell Charter (2-7, 2-2 Sunset League) earns its first two-game win streak in team history following a 27-6 win over Mountain Empire (1-8, 0-4 SL).
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