Maybe adversity, not necessity, is the mother of invention.

Playing Friday night without lead running back Rhodes Relatores, Mission Hills High School football coaches faced adversity against La Costa Canyon.

Enter freshman Efaraima Shepherd.

Shepherd entered his first varsity game in the second half and finished with eight carries for 29 yards and had a 20-yard pass reception as No. 3-ranked Mission Hills (5-1, 1-0) shut out No. 5 La Costa Canyon (3-3, 0-1) 14-0 in an Avocado West League game.

“As a staff, we’ve been talking about bringing Efaraima to the varsity for a while,” said Mission Hills coach Thomas Altieri. “With Relatores out, this was the time. There is no better time to add a player than when you need him. We told him at the half that he was going in, and he gave us a boost.

“He’s a patient runner. He has speed. But he’s still a rookie, still a babe in the woods.”

How green is Shepherd? After Altieri addressed the Grizzlies after Friday’s win, Shepherd had to corral his coach and ask when to report for practice on Saturday.

The Mission Hills defense did its part Friday with four interceptions and four sacks. Jordan Herrera, Xavier St. John, Kai Taitano and Aiden Del Gatto all intercepted passes. Samuel Fader had 2 1/2 sacks and Grant Kuykendall added 1 1/2 sacks and Michael Cortina had one.

LCC started quarterback Jackson Miller. The senior had been splitting time with sophomore Luke Labrum, but Labrum was out with an injury.

Top 10

No. 1 Carlsbad 30, No. 10 Torrey Pines 7: In an Avocado West League game, Darian Webb rushed 16 times for 109 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 45 yards and a 34-yard score for Carlsbad (6-0, 1-0). Antonio D’Alessandro completed 16 of 20 passes for 118 yards and two TDs. Trent Kellas had a sack for a safety. William Junge and Colt Rocha intercepted passes. Torrey Pines falls to 4-2, 0-1.

Concord De La Salle 42, No. 2 Cathedral Catholic 0: Cathedral Catholic was shut out for the first time since 2017, ending a streak of scoring in 110 straight games. Koa Smith-Mayall accounted for 108 yards in total offense. Honor Fa’alave-Johnson, the 2025 CIF Offensive Player of the Year, left the game with a shoulder injury. The game finished with a running clock. The Dons are 3-3. De La Salle, ranked No. 4 in California and No. 20 in the nation, is 6-0.

No. 4 Granite Hills 44, Grossmont 24: Zac Benitez moved into No. 2 in CIF San Diego Section career passing yardage as he led Granite Hills (4-2, 1-0 Grossmont Valley) past rival Grossmont (5-2, 0-1). Benitez passed for 262 yards and six touchdowns, hitting 11 different receivers, to surpass the 10,000-yard mark. He trails only former La Jolla Country Day star Braxton Burmeister, who tops the list with 11,512 yards. Courtney Miller-Thompson led the receivers with 73 yards, including a 16-yard TD.

No. 6 Santa Fe Christian 35, Los Angeles King/Drew 7 (Thursday)

Oceanside 28, No. 7 San Marcos 21: San Marcos (4-2) led by a touchdown at halftime before Oceanside (3-3) rallied to pull out the win. Anthony Barquinero completed 12 of 14 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown. Neke Letuli had 107 rushing yards and a TD, Willie Flynn had a 55-yard scoring run and Darien Mahoney had four catches and Quentin Arnold three. For San Marcos, Jordan Roa threw for 213 yards and two TDs. Sean Green had five catches for 121 yards and a TD. Mo Henderson had 22 carries for 106 yards and a score.

No. 8 Rancho Bernardo 33, Del Norte 21: Rancho Bernardo scored 20 unanswered points in the Avocado East League game. Gaige Weddle threw for 135 yards for RB (5-1, 1-0), with touchdown passes to Aiden Farrell and Brody Cella. Weddle also had 168 rushing yards and a TD. Farrell rushed for 125 yards and three scores. Greyson Ikeda-Fike had a 90-yard TD run for Del Norte (4-2, 0-1).

No. 9 Helix 42, Mount Miguel 8: Caden Thompson passed for three touchdowns to lead Helix (5-2, 1-0) to a Grossmont Hills League win. Jacob Andrew-Johnson caught two of Thompson’s scoring passes and returned a punt for a third score. Stephon Fuentes had a pair of rushing touchdowns and Jacob Smith intercepted a pass. Mount Miguel dropped to 1-4, 0-1.

Avocado East League

Poway 26, El Camino 9: Trevor Barton rushed for a pair of touchdowns and Steve Gomez added one for Poway (4-2, 1-0). Carson Williams rushed 10 times for 51 yards. El Camino falls to 0-6, 0-1.

Central League

Clairemont 21, Kearny 20: Clairemont’s Jessen Heide scored a 2-point conversion on a run with 10 seconds to play as the Captains pulled off a one-point win. Heide and Avery Gaglio scored rushing TDs for Clairemont (4-3, 1-0). For Kearny (0-6, 0-1), Jaylin Hill carried 31 times for 235 yards and scored two TDs.

City League

Hoover 32, Crawford 0: Hezekiah Manuel completed 18 of 26 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns for Hoover (4-3, 1-0). He also rushed for 84 yards and a TD. Jayden Stewart had 10 catches for 122 yards and a TD. Jayden Cunningham had 12 carries for 116 yards. Abdul Abdallah caught five passes for 94 yards and a score. Crawford is 2-4, 0-1.

Desert League

Vincent Memorial 50, Mountain Empire 29: Vincent Memorial rolled up 50 points for the first time this season to improve to 6-1, 1-0. Guillermo Galvan had a 78-yard kickoff return for a score and caught four passes for 102 yards and a 40-yard TD. Chance Ross passed for 178 yards and two TDs. Amar Mahasin caught six passes for 81 yards and two TDs and a 2-point conversion. Elisha Robinson gained 119 yards rushing and a TD. Mountain Empire falls to 4-3, 0-1.

Eastern League

St. Augustine 48, University City 40: Paisios Polamalu carried 27 times for 360 yards, caught three passes for 32 yards and scored five rushing touchdowns for St. Augustine (3-3, 1-0). Julian Chanfreau completed 8 of 11 passes for 117 yards and two TDs. Jack Altman and Ephraim Polamalu caught touchdown passes. For University City (3-3, 0-1), Thomas Dietrich completed 28 of 41 for 407 yards and five TDs. Deshaun Hille rushed for 97 yards and a TD and caught two TD passes. Hesh Hertz also hauled in a TD pass.

La Jolla 42, Scripps Ranch 29: Nolan Cooper completed 16 of 27 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown, but was unable to lift Scripps Ranch (0-6, 0-1) to its first win. Ian Campbell carried 20 times for 107 yards. Rylan Dicky scored two TDs, while Rory Dunn caught six passes for 96 yards and a score. La Jolla is 2-4, 1-0.

Grossmont Valley League

West Hills 48, El Cajon Valley 12: Evin Dill completed 5 of 8 passes for 97 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown to Xavier Moffatt, as West Hills improved to 5-1, 1-0. Rene Valera Ugalde rushed six times for 54 yards and two TDs, while Braylon Cornell and Marcus Leath each scored once. The defense intercepted four passes, with Mike Ware grabbing two, returning one for an 86-yard TD. Moffatt returned another 60 yards for six points. El Cajon Valley falls to 2-4, 0-1.

El Capitan 19, Santana 8: Shayne Whitmore had a 94-yard interception return as El Capitan improved to 2-4, 1-0. Michael Castillo gained 157 yards on 22 carries, scoring once. For Santana (4-2, 0-1), Ethan Miller threw for 161 yards and a TD and Koko Thornton had 11 catches for 104 yards. Dillian Timanus had a 15-yard TD as well as making eight tackles, causing and recovering a fumble. Tatum Morehouse had 10 tackles.

Valhalla 56, Monte Vista 7: Valhalla improved to 4-2, 1-0 after forfeiting the first two games of the season. Monte Vista falls to 2-4, 0-1.

Imperial Valley League

Imperial 34, Central Union 10: Imperial improved to 5-1, 1-0. Central Union, which had won five straight, fell to 5-2 and 0-1.

Metro Mesa League

Mater Dei Catholic 48, Montgomery 0: Khalonie Jordin returned the opening kickoff 90 yards to jump-start Mater Dei Catholic, which scored 41 first-quarter points to improve to 1-6, 1-0. Jaydin Blondin was 5-of-7 passing for 148 yards and three touchdowns. Warren Florence scooped up a pitchout, dashing 14 yards for a score. He also returned a punt 46 yards for another. Montgomery dropped to 2-4, 0-1.

Eastlake 13, Otay Ranch 3: Christian Vargas’ two field goals and an extra point helped Eastlake (7-0, 1-0) beat Otay Ranch (3-4, 0-1). CJ Wilson carried the ball once for 11 yards and a touchdown. Wilson also intercepted a pass.

Palomar League

Ramona 35, Mt. Carmel 21: Ryan Shaw completed 13 of 20 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns for Ramona (3-4, 1-0). Noah Bedia had six catches for 143 yards and a TD. Liam Cavaness had four receptions for 71 yards and a score. Zarius Pascual had TD runs of 3 and 8 yards. Keegan McElwee had a 13-yard TD run. Levi Rios and Ryan Peck had interceptions. Mt. Carmel is 1-6, 0-1.

Valley Center 48, Escondido 0: Casen Dunham threw touchdown passes of 35, 36 and 46 yards to Gauge Wright and a 70-yarder to Chace Paxton as Valley Center improved to 4-3, 1-0. Branden Reveles and Mitchell Stehly had rushing TDs. Joaquin Stehly returned a fumble 107 yards for a score. Escondido falls to 1-5, 0-1.

Sunset League

Tri-City Christian 46, Victory Christian 22: TCC improved to 4-2, 1-0. Victory Christian is 0-6, 0-1.

Nonleague

Bishop’s 37, Coastal Academy 36: Bishop’s outscored Coastal Academy 24-8 in the fourth quarter, driving the length of the field to scored with 23 seconds to play and winning the game on a 2-point PAT from Amaree Maye to Bruce Esajian. Jojo Bryant then intercepted a pass to seal the win for Bishop’s, which is 4-2. Maye threw for two TDs and ran for two. Darius Ashcraft had field goals of 30, 37 and 40 yards and made both his PATs. Coastal falls to 1-4.

San Pasqual 47, Fallbrook 20: Jared Brecht scored four times, including on a punt return and kickoff return, as San Pasqual improved to 4-2. Jordan Simmons had four carries for 101 yards and a TD and five catches for 56 yards and a score. Cam Pereira completed 11 of 16 passes for 194 yards and three TDs. Jonathan Leon had an interception. Ryan Hodgins had an interception, recovered a fumble and forced a fumble. Fallbrook falls to 4-3.

Mira Mesa 21, Rancho Buena Vista 17: Nico Giusti threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns for Mira Mesa (5-1). Juju Salmond rushed for 185 yards and a TD, Devin Cabrales had 68 yards receiving and a score, and Isaac Mendiola had 60 yards receiving and a score. Van Piercy threw for 182 yards and a TD for RBV (3-4). Ean Perfect had 12 carries for 70 yards and Sean Richard caught three passes for 67 yards.

Hilltop 35, Vista 12: Hilltop (3-3) led wire-to-wire, paced by Lajuan Johnson’s 182 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Lane Bailey added 107 passing yards to help the Lancers. Abraham Matuz had 16 tackles and Zion Almanzon 11. The defense also recovered three fumbles. Vista is 0-7.

Patrick Henry 46, Morse 16: Madin Gardini completed 18 of 28 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns for Henry, which is 6-0 for the first time since 1999. Gardini also rushed for 151 yards and three scores. Cole Farace caught six passes for 102 yards and a TD. Max Dean rushed for 59 yards and caught two passes for 11 yards. Morse is 2-4.

Mission Bay 34, Canyon Hills 6: Austin Stefl completed 19 of 23 passes for 387 yards and five touchdowns for Mission Bay (4-2). Major Scott had six catches for 132 yards and three TDs and intercepted a pass. Sean Lander caught four passes for 110 yards and a TD and intercepted a pass. Jayden Marcelino caught six passes for 97 yards and a TD. Ma’Kahi Fields-Cook rushed 22 times for 102 yards and a TD for Canyon Hills, which fell to 1-5.

Madison 35, Coronado 14: Adrian Sola carried 14 times for 138 yards and two touchdowns as Madison improved to 4-2. Kaleo Dolfo carried nine times for 93 yards and a TD. Joseph Augustine had 105 yards in total offense and scored rushing and receiving TDs. For Coronado (1-5), Melo Avetyan had more than 100 all-purpose yards. Reese Pagon caught two touchdown passes.

Brawley 28, Temecula Linfield Christian 0: Brawley won its third straight game to improve to 3-4, while Linfield fell to 1-5.

Steele Canyon 35, North Las Vegas CIVICA 12: Gavin Caha was 11 of 22 for 260 yards and four touchdowns to lead Steele Canyon (4-2). Josiah Stocker caught five passes for 161 yards and three TDs. Luke Rode led the defense with seven tackles and a sack, while Joel Rodriguez chipped in an interception and five tackles. CIVICA is 3-2.

Classical Academy 33, Army-Navy Academy 14: Nick Mizel threw for 142 yards and ran for 37 as Classical Academy improved to 2-4. Charlie Cummings caught five passes for 57 yards and a TD. Army-Navy is 3-3.

Castle Park 62, Orange Glen 8: Castle Park (3-3) scored 60 or more points for the first time since beating Hoover 70-19 in 2019. Orange Glen is 0-7.

Palo Verde 46, Yuma (Ariz.) Cibola 7: Aiden Walker, Christian Richards and Zarious Cano ran rampant for Palo Verde (4-2). Chase Robinson had his fourth interception of the year.

O’Farrell Charter 23, Anza Hamilton 13

Desert Mirage 40, Calipatria 6

Coachella Valley 21, Southwest-El Centro 7

8-man

Borrego Springs 56, Warner 30

Mammoth 43, St. Joseph Academy 12

Julian 50, West Shores 38

Saturday
Eastern League

San Diego vs. Christian, late

Palomar League

Maranatha Christian vs. Escondido Charter, late

Don Norcross and Steve Brand contributed to this report.