SAN DIEGO MESA 48, PALOMAR 14
Coming off a 68-point showing against Citrus, the No. 10 ranked San Diego Mesa Olympians remained dominant in its American Pacific League opener, rolling past Palomar 48-14 at Merrill Douglas Stadium. The Olympians constructed a 26-0 halftime cushion behind quarterback Diesel Taylor (Del Norte), who passed for 276 yards and two touchdowns while adding a 23-yard touchdown scamper. Colin McCann opened the scoring with a three-yard plunge and caught eight passes for 74 yards, while Grady Woodward hauled in a 29-yard scoring strike. Kicker Lorenzo Flores provided insurance with field goals of 33 and 42 yards as Mesa piled up 501 yards of total offense and converted 11 of 19 third downs.
Palomar’s offense was stifled for most of the night, managing just 68 rushing yards on 29 attempts. Mesa delivered a defensive touchdown midway through the third quarter when Hunter Wiggins strip-sacked Comets quarterback Noah Schuback, allowing defensive lineman Isaac Rimada to scoop up the loose ball and return it 27 yards for a score. Palomar finally found the end zone on a two-yard run by Aaron Knapp and later saw defensive back Andrew Livingston return an interception 40 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown. However, Mesa countered immediately with a four-yard touchdown pass to Braxton Sherley and a 14-yard strike from backup quarterback Tyson Line (Mira Mesa) to Joshua Newbern to seal the win.
SOUTHWESTERN 40, Mt. San Jacinto 12
The No. 18 ranked Southwestern Jaguars maintained its undefeated record with a wire-to-wire 40-12 victory over Mt. San Jacinto at HCN Bank Stadium in Menifee. The Jaguars jumped ahead just three minutes in when their defense notched a safety, followed quickly by a four-yard touchdown run from Elias Johnson and a five-yard touchdown dash by Caleb Blocker. Southwestern stretched its lead to 26-0 in the second quarter when defensive end Damarrion White (Granite Hills) stepped in front of a Julian Silva pass and returned the interception 20 yards for a touchdown. Freshman kicker Daniel Meadows added a 29-yard field goal and converted all five of his extra-point attempts to round out an explosive first half.
Southwestern controlled the line of scrimmage, rolling up 204 rushing yards behind a balanced committee that included Johnson (two rushing scores), Blocker, and Jamar Johnson. Quarterback Dominic Duran operated with precision, completing 13 of 17 passes for 180 yards, while Kiram Dallas ignited special teams with three kickoff returns for 156 yards—including a 90-yard burst. Mt. San Jacinto managed second-half touchdown passes from backup quarterback Seth Bolender to Khalil Lang and Jeremiah Walthour, but the Jaguars' defense limited the Eagles to 213 total yards and just 3-of-14 on third-down conversions to move to 4-0.
GROSSMONT 22, LA Valley 21
The Grossmont Griffins overcame 17 penalties for 174 yards and a nine-point second-half deficit to capture an electrifying 22-21 victory over Los Angeles Valley at Mashin-Roth Memorial Stadium. The Griffins trailed 21-12 late in the third quarter after Monarchs quarterback Chase Everett threw touchdown strikes to Kyle Smith Jr. and Joshua Hephzibah. The game pivoted dramatically on the opening drive of the fourth quarter with LA Valley threatening at the Grossmont 11-yard line. Former Lincoln High standout cornerback Isaac Turner stepped in front of an Everett pass at the goal line and sprinted 100 yards down the sideline for a pick-six, swinging the momentum and cutting the Monarch lead to 21-19.
Freshman kicker Philipa Trakas served as the hero on special teams, hitting all three of his field-goal attempts—from 25, 30, and a decisive 43-yarder with 5:18 remaining that put the Griffins in front. Grossmont’s ground game grounded out clock behind Ladarrione Perkins, who finished with 95 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. The Griffins' defense clamped down over the final possessions, finishing the contest with four sacks—including two from Jeremiah Savaiinaea Jr.—and three interceptions, two by Turner and one by Jonathan Smith, to preserve the one-point league victory.
SAN DIEGO 38, Cal Poly 35
In front of a homecoming crowd at Mustang Memorial Field in San Luis Obispo, the University of San Diego Toreros upset Big Sky Conference host Cal Poly on a 38-yard game-winning field goal by Emiliano Salazar with just two seconds left. San Diego dictated tempo throughout the first half, opening with an eight-minute, 16-play drive capped by a Dom Nankil (Mater Dei Catholic) seven-yard touchdown toss to Cole Monach. Tailback Adam Criter ripped off a 55-yard touchdown sprint later in the first quarter on his way to 179 rushing yards on 28 carries, and Nankil added a 22-yard touchdown pass to Monach and a one-yard quarterback keeper right before halftime to establish a 28-21 lead. Omar Mbakwe widened the gap to 35-21 with a one-yard touchdown run to open the third quarter.
Cal Poly mounted a fierce comeback behind quarterback Anthony Grigsby Jr. (211 passing yards, three touchdowns), who threw a 28-yard scoring strike to Tayvion McCoy and a game-tying 10-yard touchdown to Fidel Pitts with 8:23 remaining. The Toreros' defense came up with a pivotal stand after Cal Poly regained possession at the USD 47 with 3:14 left; defensive end Shaun Aletor recorded a crucial third-down sack to force a Mustang punt. Taking over at his own 22 with 1:06 remaining, Nankil engineered an eight-play, 57-yard drill highlighted by a 28-yard completion down the middle to Christopher Hall with 11 seconds to spare. That set up Salazar’s walk-off kick, and Thomas Nunes recovered a fumbled Mustang lateral on the ensuing kickoff to secure San Diego's first win of the season.
James Madison 26, SAN DIEGO STATE 13
James Madison jumped to a 19-0 halftime lead and relied on steady situational defense to pull away for a 26-13 victory over the San Diego State Aztecs (1-2) at Snapdragon Stadium. The Dukes set the tone immediately on a six-play, 75-yard opening drive that ended with quarterback Camden Coleman rushing in from 4 yards out. JMU kicker Morgan Suarez extended the advantage with field goals of 46 and 32 yards, capitalizing on an SDSU offense that sputtered early and turned the ball over twice in the first half. Just 30 seconds before halftime, Coleman found tight end Cole Keller for a seven-yard touchdown strike, and the pair connected again on a 20-yard score early in the fourth quarter to put the contest out of reach. Coleman finished 19-of-27 for 246 yards, two passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown, while the Dukes' defense was paced by Nakian Jackson's 14 tackles and a sack and interception from linebacker JT Hooten.
San Diego State relied heavily on running back Javion Kinnard, who turned in a relentless performance with 181 rushing yards on 33 carries along with four receptions for 70 yards. Kinnard got the Aztecs on the board midway through the third quarter with a three-yard touchdown plunge, capping an 11-play, 82-yard march. Quarterback Jayden Denegal later trimmed the deficit to 26-13 on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Acevedo (Lincoln) with under nine minutes remaining, but the Aztecs could draw no closer after failing on the subsequent two-point conversion. SDSU penetrated JMU territory twice in the closing minutes, but the Dukes' front held firm on fourth down both times to seal the win and drop the Aztecs to 1-2 on the season.
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