Prep Football: Granite Hills tops Hesperia in a shootout, Smith scores six touchdowns
During last week’s loss to Elsinore, Granite Hills' head coach Alex Gonzalez saw something he never thought he would see from his team.
At a certain point in the 47-28 loss, Gonzalez saw his team walking while Elsinore players jogged. He never thought he would see the day his team would get out-hustled during a game.
“So I told the guys, ‘Every week there’s an excuse but maybe that’s who we are and that starts with me the coach. We got to hold each other accountable, we’re gonna change the way we practice, we’re gonna make everything so much faster,’” Gonzalez said.
The Cougars were able to make the necessary adjustments to get back into the win column with a 56-42 victory at home over Hesperia on Friday night.
After rushing for just 39 yards last week, Granite Hills running back Kameron Smith was back to his usual self, running for 299 yards. He scored six total touchdowns and also caught three passes for 94 yards.
Smith scored three in each half with his biggest being a 69-yard pass from quarterback Byron Rivas right before the end of the first half to give the Cougars a 21-14 lead.
They never looked back.
Granite Hills eventually pulled out to a 42-14 lead in the third quarter, partly due to a recovered onside kick right after they scored on the opening drive of the half.
Hesperia kept the game close by scoring two touchdowns at the end of the third quarter to pull within 14 points but never recovered.
What it means
The Cougars bounced back from a lackluster performance against Elsinore, proving that they are still one of the top offensive threats in the area.
After starting 3-0, Hesperia has now lost its second straight before going into league play.
Key plays
Tied up at 14 with 38 seconds left in the first half, Rivas faked a screen to the left which pulled the safety down. Smith got past his defender, Rivas connected with him and it was open field for Smith for a 69-yard touchdown.
Hesperia was able to take advantage of a shaky special teams showing from Granite Hills as Samuel Parm took a kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter. The Scorpions almost had one before this but it was ruled back for a holding call.
By the numbers
43.5 — The number of points per game averaged by Granite Hills through six games this season.
100 — The number of rushing yards for Hesperia running back Jaquan Morris in the first half.
9 — The number of touchdowns split between both teams in the second half.
Game balls
Smith is back on track to being the rushing leader again in the High Desert with this performance. He combined for 393 yards of offense with six touchdowns.
But a collective game ball goes out to the Granite Hills offensive line. Team captain Matthew El-Ali suffered an injury last week and did not play Friday night but the offensive line was able to make lanes for Smith against a stout Hesperia defense.
They said it
Smith on what he saw from the defense: “They didn’t want to attack me. I was taking what they were giving me and they were giving me open holes.”
Gonzalez on the start of league action next week: “I think we’re a good team but I just wish the guys would finish the game. I just want to put together 48 minutes of football. I think today we played a solid 40 minutes.”
What’s next
Granite Hills is home for the fourth consecutive time next week with a league matchup against Barstow on Friday night, while Hesperia hosts Sultana in the 27th annual Key Game. The Scorpions look to extend their winning streak to four games against its rivals.