CIF: Foothillers seek to match 1925, ’71

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: November 18, 2023

2023 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

ECS staff report

CIF Division 3 – Semifinals
Grossmont 30, Mission Bay 14

PACIFIC BEACH – The Grossmont Foothillers may be East County’s oldest high school — technically, Julian High, founded in the late 19th Century, is the oldest — owns very few championships in football. Still, following a disasterous winless campaign in 2022, the Hillers moved in position to claim a rare title.

On Friday (Nov. 17), Grossmont mounted a lead of more than three touchdowns, romping over top-seeded Mission Bay. The Hillers advance to the CIF San Diego Section title game in Division 3 with a one-sided, 30-14 whipping of the Buccaneers.

Grossmont (7-5 overall), which guaranteed a winning season, will meet 6th-seeded La Jolla Country Day for the crown. The Toreys survived a missed two-point conversion pass by Fallbrook to nip the Warriors, 39-38 in overtime.

The Hillers punched their ticket early in the third quarter by surging to a 30-6 advantage.

The first wave — the game was held just two miles off the Pacific Ocean — of scoring saw Grossmont mount a 14-0 cushion in the first quarter. And when they added 16 additional points in the third quarter, the team could finally look forward to possible matching just two lone title teams in school history.

In CIFSDS history, the school’s lone crown came in 1971, nipping Cowles Mountain neighbor Patrick Henry, 8-7, at (since demolished) Qualcomm Stadium.

The only other crown ofnote was was a CIF Southern Section playoff triumph over Calexico, 9-0, in a contest held at El Centro’s Central High.

The year: 1927 (The Hillers also won a (San Diego) County League title in 1925).

Grossmont also claimed consecutive Metro League crowns in 1933-34.

Game Recap

The Hillers completed a pair of TD passes, adding a 2-point conversion run by Hudson Herber on the second score for a 14-0 cushion.

The defences took over by forcing turnovers, but only MissionBay could convert following its interception, as quarterback acob Morgan found receiver David Dunn on a 9-yard pass.

The third quarter was all Grossmont with 16 consecutive points before the Bucs scored a late, cosmetic touchdown.

Attempting to rally, Mission Bay turned the ball over on downs at midfield, opening the door for a short TD, The drive was capped on a rush by Isaac Aceves. A 2-point pass made it 22-6.

On the next drive,another rushing TD and a 2-point play on the ground made it 30-6.

Team scoring plays were not reported, but the individual statistics are on the board.

The ballc-ontrol offense saw runing back Isaac Aceves dominate behind his line. The senior rushed 26 times for a career-high 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Aceves shattered his previous best of 167 yards against West Hills.

Herber, a senior quarterback, completef 11-of-20 passes for 83 yards and two TDs,

The scorinf receptions went to senior Elias Burlaza (4 catches, 36 yards) and junior Parekr Vanderburgh (4-24).

On defense, a pair of seniors — Zandy Vasiliou and Walter Jackson — led the hillers with 9 tackles each, while Jacob Suter added 8 stops. Among Suter’s tackles were a pair of QB sacks.

Jayden Luong also posteda fumble recovery thanks to a hit by Zelan Reynolds.