SAN MARCOS — For the seventh straight time, the Mission Hills High School football team beat crosstown rival San Marcos.

For the second straight year, it was a close, hard-fought, dogfight, with Mission Hills scoring on three consecutive series and pulling out a 28-21 Avocado West League game before a standing-room-only crowd at San Marcos.

“It’s a rivalry game, schools just a few miles apart, so it’s a game that’s played with great passion,” said Mission Hills quarterback Troy Huhn. “You could feel the energy. Both teams, both crowds were really into it. San Marcos is tough, really tough.”

Mission Hills, ranked No. 1 in the county and No. 14 in the state, finishes the regular season 9-1 and 3-1 in league play. The Grizzlies tri-league champions, sharing the crown with La Costa Canyon and Carlsbad, who are both 3-1 in league play.

San Marcos, ranked No. 8 in the county, is 6-4, 1-3 in the league.

Mission Hills struck first, scoring on its first possession, going 55 yards on four plays with Patrick Fleming going the final 13 yards.

San Marcos got even, scoring early in the second quarter, with Zamar Reese capping a short drive with a 1-yard run. Reese set up the score with a long punt return.

The Knights took the lead on their next series with Reese carrying all six plays in a 58-yard drive, scoring on a 5-yard run.

Mission Hills tied it, scoring with 15 seconds in the half, with Huhn connecting with Josh Gonzalez from 14 yards out.

“That ball actually hit the helmet of the defender,” Gonzalez said. “So it took all my concentration to stay with it.”

Mission Hills opened the second half with a nine-play, 80-yard drive, with Huhn hitting Gonzalez with a 36-yard scoring pass.

“The defender came up and was playing press coverage,” Gonzalez said. “So I gave him a little move, kind of a hitch-and-go.

“Give Troy credit for getting me the ball and the offensive line for giving him time to throw it.”

San Marcos answered with a seven-play, 78-yard drive with Reese going the final 23 yards.

Mission Hills took the lead back when Huhn finished a 65-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run. He also had a 17-yard run in that drive, a 22-yard pass to Fleming and a 25-yarder to Gonzalez.

San Marcos pushed the ball from its 20 to the Mission Hills 10 in the next series, but a fourth-down pass into the end zone sailed high.

Mission Hills, running behind Rhodes Relatores, who had five carries for 33 yards in the drive, was able to run out the clock.

“This was a great team win,” Gonzalez said. “We knew it would be tough. We knew San Marcos would give us everything they had.  It was a great game all around, and a great win.”

Huhn finished the game by completing 15 of 20 passes for 190 yards. Gonzalez had six catches for 88 yards.

Fleming carried nine times for 77 yards and a TD. Relatores had eight carries for 39 yards and Huhn nine for 28, which included a pair of sacks and two kneel downs at the end of the game.

Reese carried 25 times for 105 yards for San Marcos, but only had two runs of more than 10 yards, a 17-yarder and one for 23. Both of those long runs went for touchdowns.

Quarterback Kreet Makihele completed 10 of 16 for 146 yards. Ty Sagaser caught four passes for 86 yards while Zeke McIntyre had two catches for 38.

The CIF San Diego Section playoff pairings are Sunday, and Mission Hills is firmly in the four-team Open Division. San Marcos could get a top-four seed in Division 1.

Mission Hills 28, San Marcos 21

Mission Hills 7   7  7    7 – 28

San Marcos 0  14  7    0 – 21

MH- Fleming 13 run  (Baker kick)

SM – Reese 1 run (Hackett  kick)

SM – Reese 5 run (Hackett  kick)

MH – Gonzalez 14 pass from Huhn (Baker kick)

MH – Gonzalez 36 pass from Huhn (Baker kick)

SM – Reese 23 run (Hackett  kick)

MH -Huhn 1 run (Baker kick)