Week 10: Mission Hills Grizzlies 41, El Camino Wildcats 14

Mission Hills (3-5, 2-2) got their groove back Friday night with a 41-14 victory over El Camino High School (1-7, 0-4).

Sophomore Jason Boyle set the tone early with a trip to the end zone, logging one of his three touchdowns on the night. The one-yard touchdown was set up by a 39-yard run thanks to Justin Castro.

El Camino didn’t answer back until the second quarter with an eight yard run from Zion Jackson, cutting the Grizzlies’ lead 14-7.

Mission Hills quarterback Joey Armentrout connected on his first touchdown pass late in the second quarter, finding Joe Smith down the field for 30 yards on the reception. The extra point was fumbled on the snap, making the score 20-7.

El Camino’s Ranse Garner closed the second half with the longest run of the night, going 72 yards down the sideline for a Wildcats’ touchdown.

Mission Hills led 20-14 at the half.

Boyle opened the second half with his third rushing touchdown of the night, finding a gap in El Camino’s defense to go 30 yards into the end zone.

Mission Hills would go on to score 21 unanswered points, securing their second league of the season win with a 41-14 victory over El Camino.

The Grizzlies will face cross-town rival No. 6 San Marcos High School (7-1, 3-1) in the Discover Bowl next week for their final game of regular season. El Camino will travel across town to take on their rival Oceanside High School (4-5, 1-4).

Be sure to tune into the Prep Pigskin Report on KUSI next Friday night at 10:45 p.m. for highlights and updates. For live updates, make sure to follow us on Twitter @RedJacketArmy.

PREVIEW

Severe weather may not be in the forecast this Friday, but an Avocado League matchup is on the docket that could create just as much buzz.

The El Camino Wildcats (1-6, 0-3) are on the prowl for their first conference win of the season and will be traveling to Mission Hills High School Friday night to take on the Grizzlies (2-5, 1-2).

Despite what their records reflect, both programs have played against some of the county’s top talent and are arguably part of one of the most difficult leagues in the city.

El Camino’s six losses were to the top four teams in San Diego County (No. 1 Cathedral Catholic, No. 2 Torrey Pines, No. 3 La Costa Canyon, No. 4 Eastlake) and to two other Top 10 teams (No. 7 San Marcos and No. 10 Rancho Bernardo).

Mission Hills’ five losses were to several teams residing outside of San Diego County, against No. 2 Torrey Pines and Oceanside. Due to a lot of graduating seniors, this program has been dealing with a lot of growing pains on the offensive side of the ball.

The Grizzlies lost two dynamic presences in their offense this past year – quarterback Jack Tuttle and wide receiver Chris Olave. With the dynamic duo off to college, the next men up were Joey Armentrout, Quinton Hadnot and Joe Smith.

Armentrout’s lack of experience at the varsity level was questionable at the beginning of the season, but the former junior varsity leader took the reins and was named the starter for the 2018 season. Two of his favorite targets on offense this year have been Joe Smith and Quinton Hadnot, who have accounted for 769 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

There isn’t much to worry about for Mission Hills’ defense because of its senior leadership unless you’re the opposing team. Senior standout and possible Iron Hog nominee Isaac Anderson is every quarterback’s worst nightmare, totaling three sacks on the season and nine hurries.

Two other strong forces headlining the Grizzlies’ defense this season is linebacker Mckyle So’oto and strong safety Jason Boyle. So’oto leads the team in tackles with 72 (41 solo), followed by Boyle with 70 (39 solo).

Several players to watch out for on El Camino’s roster are quarterback Brock Manber, wide receiver Jordan Wilkins, and Ranse Garner. When all three of them are dialed in, this Wildcats’ offense has the potential to take control of a game.

Since 2006, these teams have only crossed paths five times. The Grizzlies took the gold last year with a 56-20 victory, increasing their series lead 5-0.

Will this be the year El Camino defeats Mission Hills, or will the Grizzlies improve to 6-0 on the series?

Be sure to tune into the Prep Pigskin Report on KUSI this Friday night at 10:45 p.m. for highlights and updates. For live updates, make sure to follow us on Twitter @RedJacketArmy.