It was a play straight out of the depths of the playbook … a fake reverse, wide receiver pass that went for a game-clinching touchdown as No. 8-ranked Oceanside High School upset No. 2 Granite Hills 44-29 in the season opener Friday.
Oceanside was clinging to a 37-29 lead with 1:19 remaining. It was fourth-and-5 at the Granite Hills 36 when coach Fale Poumele dug up a trick play.
Quarterback Anthony Barquinero took the snap and sprinted to his right, where he handed the ball to wide receiver Izaiah Austin.
The left-handed Austin sprinted back across the field on what appeared at first to be a reverse. But then he looked up and found a wide-open Kapena Sado standing in the end zone.
“I was so open that it was a little scary,” Sado said. “But you tell yourself, ‘I gotta catch this ball. I’m wide open. The team is depending on me.’”
The 36-yard TD was Sado’s third catch of the game. He finished with 88 yards.
Austin caught one pass for six yards. The TD throw was his only pass of the game.
Barquinero completed 11 of 22 passes for 208 yards. Six of his passes went to Mahoney, who finished with 122 receiving yards. Neke Letuli rushed 27 times for 153 yards and had touchdown runs of 1, 8 and 16 yards.
Granite Hills was led by quarterback Zac Benitez, who completed 18 of 28 passes for 297 yards with TD throws of 20, 23, 39 and 59 yards. Courtney Miller-Thompson caught 12 passes for 230 yards and four scores.
But Benitez was sacked four times and threw a pick-six; Lucas Tunning returned an interception 36 yards for a score.
Top 10
(All games non-league)
No. 1 Cathedral Catholic: Bye.
No. 3 Mission Hills 47, El Camino 3: Furian Inferra threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two more as Mission Hills rolled. Brayden Roberson caught six passes for 132 yards and two TDs. Ryan Mackenzie had five catches for 141 yards. Mission Hills outgained El Camino, 435 yards to 86.
No. 4 Carlsbad 24, Las Vegas Arbor View 17: Carlsbad, ranked No. 19 in the state, opened with an intersectional win.
Carson 35, No. 5 Lincoln 30: Dareyen Bridges caught six passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns for Lincoln. Andre Jackson completed 15 of 22 passes for 216 yards and three TDs. Caleb Williams rushed 11 times for 70 yards and a score. Jaeveyion Allen recovered a fumble.
No. 6 La Costa Canyon 35, Central Union 0: RLCC posted its first opening-game shutout since 2012, when it blanked Baldwin Park 42-0.
No. 7 San Marcos 23, Aliso Niguel 7: The Knights led 20-0 at the half and cruised to the win on the road.
No. 9 Rancho Bernardo 28, St. Augustine 24: Rancho Bernardo scored three times in the fourth quarter, winning when Gaige Weddle hit Trevor Damiano for a touchdown pass with 1:52 left. Weddle also had a TD pass to Juan Lopez and rushed 20 times for 148 yards and a pair of scores. Aiden Farrell rushed 20 times for 102 yards and a TD for Rancho Bernardo. Ryan Bieri had the game-clinching sack for the Broncos. St. Augustine’s Pai Polamalu had TD runs of 10 and 78 yards and returned a punt 55 yards for a score.
Santa Fe Christian 38, No. 10 Helix 6: SFC’s Dax Labrum completed 16 of 27 passes for 221 yards and three TDs. Brady Berg scored three times and Chase Woolley had 205 all-purpose yards and a TD. Chuck Stover had 12 tackles for SFC, which has won 14 of its last 15 openers.
Other games
Torrey Pines 45, Honolulu Radford 0: Torrey Pines played late Thursday and posted its first Week 1 shutout since 2018.
Maranatha Christian 71, Orange Glen 0: Collin Leonard completed all four of his passes for 56 yards and a pair of TDs as Maranatha scored 70 points for only the third time in school history. Ryan Niguadula had eight carries for 93 yards and scored six times. Sawyer Bryana caught four passes for 58 yards and two TDs. Kason Lozano had eight tackles and Harrison Boehing added seven.
Fallbrook 47, Escondido 14: Easton Lucy completed 5 of 6 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown for Fallbrook, and Aiden Jimenez added a TD pass. Junior Hernandez rushed 13 times for 113 yards and two TDs, while Caleb Way had 12 carries for 171 yards and two scores. Hudson Quinn caught five passes for 82 yards and two TDs. Kendahl Colling blocked a punt and had two long kickoff returns.
San Pasqual 41, Classical Academy 13: Cam Pereira threw five touchdown passes in his San Pasqual debut, three of them going to Jared Brecht and two to Jordan Simmons. Jonathan Leon had a pair of interceptions for the Eagles. Dylan Bachoua and Max Gallegos had sacks.
West Hills 28, Chula Vista 13: Evan Dill rushed for 104 yards and completed 8 of 15 passes for 99 yards and three scores for West Hills. Two of the TD passes went to Chuck Rosolino, while one went to EJ Lee-Fields. Rene Ugarde came in late and tossed a 28-yard TD to Caden Johnson. Chula Vista was led by Gabe Ruiz, who caught four passes for 124 yards and a TD.
Hilltop 8, Coronado 7: Tre Nichols scored on an 8-yard run and Benji Borquez tackled a Coronado player for a safety to lead Hilltop to a narrow win. Nichols led the Lancers with 72 rushing yards. Lajuan Johnson intercepted a pair of Coronado passes while Abraham Matuz and Zach Humphries each had eight tackles. Coronado’s Sean Bryant had eight tackles and blocked a punt that he recovered and returned for a touchdown. Reese Pagon had eight catches for 130 yards.
Holtville 17, Ramona 16: Kai Gonzalez ran 13 times for 66 yards and one touchdown and threw for 60 yards for Holtville. Leonardo Riebeling rushed 18 times for 63 yards, scoring once and collecting a key 2-point conversion. Jayden Bastidas added 63 yards rushing on eight carries. Ivan Hinojosa booted a 40-yard field goal and picked off a Ramona pass to seal the victory.
Poway 16, Scripps Ranch 0: Poway authored its first opening-game shutout since 2003. Nolan Cooper completed 10 of 16 passes for 83 yards for Scripps Ranch. Scripps Ranch’s Jordan Zeller broke up three passes, had four tackles and gained 20 yards on a fake punt. Jaden Gausman had 61 yards on 16 carries.
Escondido Charter 41, Foothills Christian 0: Charter posted an opening-week shutout for the first time since 2023.
La Jolla Country Day 50, Canyon Hills 13: LJCD scored at least 50 in a season opener for the first time since 2006. Canyon Hills’ Taylon Sheriff had five catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Westview 23, Mt. Carmel 19: Westview led 20-6 at the half and held on to win.
Point Loma 65, Lawndale Leuzinger 0: Ryder Watson threw for 155 yards and four touchdown passes and rushed for 85 yards and two scores for Point Loma. Defenders Levi Evering and Blake Lingard both had pick-sixes for the Pointers.
Hoover 52, Southwest-San Diego 21: Hez Manuel completed 25 of 32 passes for 472 yards and six touchdowns for Hoover. He also rushed for 54 yards and scored two TDs. Jayden Stewart had 14 catches for 252 yards and five TDs. The Cardinals’ Ayden Medina, Xavier Perea and Abdul Abdallah all intercepted passes. Southwest’s Isaac Munoz completed 37 of 58 passes for 355 yards and three TDs. Leo Holguin caught 13 passes for 112 yards and a pair of TDs. Jonathan Molina had 125 yards in kickoff returns.
Patrick Henry 35, La Jolla 30: Madin Gardini threw touchdown passes of 34 and 51 yards for Patrick Henry. Kymani Joseph scored on a 51-yard catch and 5-yard run. Cael Betschart scored on a 5-yard run. Isaiah Maestes intercepted a pass.
Mountain Empire 39, Anza Hamilton 0: Elisha Robinson gained 166 yards on 24 carries and two scores, while Chance Ross threw for 206 yards and three TDs for Mountain Empire. Amar Mahasin had five catches for 196 yards and three TDs.
Perris 27, Kearny 20: Jaylin Hill carried 27 times, gained 183 yards and scored two touchdowns for Kearny. Teammate Brendan Duncan gained 124 yards on eight carries and scored a TD.
Steele Canyon 7, San Diego 3: Luke Rode had 14 tackles for Steele Canyon. Gavin Caha completed 11 of 24 passes for 124 yards and the game’s only score, a 7-yard pass to Malcolm Ballard that was tipped before Ballard pulled it in. Xavier Wilson had 14 tackles for San Diego. The Cavers’ Kye Cooper carried 10 times for 92 yards, caught five passes for 83 yards and had seven tackles. Teammate Jayden Johnson gained 72 yards on 10 carries.
Grossmont 34, Madison 7: Tyler Holmes passed for 168 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 57 yards and another score for Grossmont. Cedric Norris caught a pair of TD passes and ran for another. Jacob Fee rushed for 83 yards and a TD. Nate Clark led the defense with seven tackles, an interception and a pair of blocked passes. Izzy Lewis added a fumble recovery. For Madison, Adrian Sola scored on a 12-yard run.
Santana 37, Morse 12: Ethan Miller threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns for Santana. Denton Goar caught three passes for 86 yards and a TD, while Koko Thornton added four grabs for 42 yards and another score. Tatum Morehouse had 15 tackles and a pair of sacks.
University City 38, Olympian 13: University City intercepted five passes, two each by Decklan Houston and Hesh Hertz and one by DJ Ferguson. Hertz also caught seven passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Hahn blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for a TD. He also scored on a 3-yard run. Thomas Dietrich completed 28 of 46 passes for 248 yards and three TDs for UC.
Monte Vista 31, Crawford 23: Crawford’s Giovanni Garcia completed 21 of 32 for 253 yards and a touchdown. Damian Monroy caught seven passes for 130 yards and a TD. Shamar Warrer had 10 tackles and scored two rushing TDs.
Eastlake 28, Bonita Vista 0: Noah McCurty had 12 tackles and a sack to lead Eastlake. He got help from Jovani Ceja’s and Stephen Guevara, who had eight tackles apiece; David Branco added seven tackles. Jeremiah Holliday ran for a score and David Sampson caught a TD pass.
Otay Ranch 23, Rancho Buena Vista 14: Caleb Delaughter and Brayden Hyman hooked up for a 39-yard touchdown pass with 3 seconds remaining in the first half, sparking a Mustangs win. Delaughter threw for 119 yards, while Hyman caught two passes for 69 yards. Jeremiah Jordan ran for 64 yards rushing on seven carries, scoring once.
Mount Miguel 42, Montgomery 26: Mount Miguel rode sophomore David Watt’s 80-yard kickoff return and touchdowns from Cayden Mobley and Dominic Lopez for the win. Mobley caught two TD passes, while Lopez collected TDs both on the ground and in the air.
Del Norte 29, Mater Dei Catholic 28: Khalonie Jordan caught six passes for 124 yards and a TD to lead Mater Dei Catholic. Jayden Blondin completed 19 of 25 passes for 284 yards and three TDs.
Southwest-El Centro 7, San Ysidro 0: For the first time in nine years, Southwest opened the season with a victory.
Monte Vista 31, Crawford 23: Brayden Sillie scored two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion run to lead Monte Vista. Desean Jenkins added 76 yards rushing and a TD for the Monarchs.
Valley Center 34, Bishop’s 17
Tri-City Christian 36, Temecula Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac 0
Las Vegas CIVICA 42, Army-Navy 0
Coastal Academy 40, O’Farrell Charter 0
Mira Mesa 31, Castle Park 13
Imperial 25, Mission Bay 20
Valhalla 75, San Jacinto Valley 0
Mar Vista 27, El Cajon Valley 7
Sweetwater 52, Vista 21
Castle Park 32, Victory Christian 0
Palo Verde 40, Calexico 20
Palm Desert 24, Brawley 16
Imperial 25, Mission Bay 20
Vincent Memorial 41, Temecula Prep 6
Pearl City (Hawaii) 28, El Capitan 21
8-man
St. Joseph Academy 50, Temecula River Springs Charter 8
Saturday’s game
Clairemont at Calabasas Viewpoint, late
Don Norcross and Steve Brand contributed to this report.