Mission Hills rolls past Orange Vista 41-12: 4 takeaways
SAN MARCOS, CALIF. – Despite four first quarter turnovers by Orange Vista, Mission Hills held a 7-0 lead over the Coyotes after the opening 12 minutes of play on Friday night.
Mission Hills drove deep into Orange Vista territory on their first drive of the second quarter and were rewarded with a 13-yard touchdown pass on a fourth down attempt that seemed to open up the flood gates.
The Grizzlies would score one minute later on a defensive touchdown and added two more touchdowns in the final two minutes of the first half on their way to a 41-12 win over their visitors from the Southern Section.
Below are four takeaways from Friday's game.
Jonathon Class, Mission Hills defense rule the night
Jonathon Class was one of six underclassmen to be named to the All-CIF San Diego Section first team last season and through four games as a senior, he looks like a lock to repeat.
Playing on both sides of the ball, Class racked up three sacks, recovered a fumble in the first half and caught a 13-yard touchdown during Mission Hills' massive second quarter. Class also tipped a screen pass in the final minute of the second quarter that led to the first of two interceptions by defensive back Jalen Veasey.
Mission Hills recovered fumbles by Orange Vista on each of their first two possessions before Jace Rackleff made a diving interception on a tipped pass. The Coyotes would then turn the ball over on downs during their fourth possession of the opening quarter.
They would go on to turn the ball over seven more times over the final three quarters including a 37-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Curtis Johnson in the second quarter.
Dropped passes don't cost Mission Hills
Mission Hills sophomore quarterback Troy Huhn finished Friday's blowout with three touchdown passes, one each to Jon Class, Ryder Ridill and Keaton Smith. If not for several drops by offensive skill players, the Grizzlies would have taken over the game a quarter earlier.
The opening score of the game was a one-yard touchdown run by Curtis Johnson, setup by a fumble recovery on the 23-yard line. Mission Hills' possession before and after the touchdown both ended with turnover on downs that could have been prevented without the drops that plagued the Grizzlies throughout the four quarters.
Orange Vista offense struggles without Sire Gaines
Orange Vista senior two-way star Sire Gaines sat out Friday's game with an injury and the lack of his presence was felt from the first series for the Coyotes.
The Arizona State commit has totaled more than 3,300 all-purpose yards over the past three seasons while scoring 44 touchdowns.
Each of Orange Vista's first two possessions ended with a fumble following a botched quarterback and running exchange. The Coyotes struggled to move the ball, reaching the Mission Hills side of the field once in their eight first half possessions.
Orange Vista got on the scoreboard in the second half, scoring on two touchdown passes to Dionte West that came from 57 and 28 yards out. They continued to struggle taking care of the ball however, throwing interceptions on each of their final two possessions of the night.
Time for Mission Hills to buckle up
Mission Hills will wrap up the non-league portion of their 2023 schedule next when they travel to rival San Marcos on Saturday for the Discovery Bowl. The Knights took their first loss of the season on Friday night, 27-7 at Torrey Pines, after sophomore quarterback Kreet Makihele left with an upper body injury during their first possession.
The Grizzlies will then have a bye week before starting play in the Avocado League. Up first, they'll play host to Carlsbad, the San Diego Section's top ranked team. Mission Hills has held their own better than most against Carlsbad in recent memory, losing to the Lancers in both 2021 and 2022 by six points each. Mission Hills owns a 5-4 head-to-head advantage against the Lancers.
