What is it when Grossmont plays Helix?
The Highlanders exercised their annual domination over the Foothillers, 57-3, last week.
Grossmont had scored 157 points in its previous three games, wins of 51-14 over Steele Canyon, 54-26, over Valhalla, and 51-7 over El Capitan.
Those scores matched up well with Helix’ victories of 58-7 against El Capitan and 41-7 over Steele Canyon.
Grossmont hasn‘t beaten Helix since 1992, a span of 20 consecutive losses to its La Mesa neighbor.
What gives?
The Foothillers are not alone.
Helix is to its league opponents, Grossmont in particular, what San Diego was to those on its schedule in the old City Prep League.
The Highlanders are 35-1 in circuit play since 2010 and 50-4 since 2006. The Cavers were 52-3-1 versus City League and Eastern League competition from 1950-59.
SIX STILL UNDEFEATED
–Calvin Christian (9-0) can earn its second straight, eight-man, Ocean League title against Foothills Christian (6-2).
The Crusaders, located in Escondido with a student body of about 125, are 26-4 in the last three years under Coach Randy Kreglow, who was 16-23 in his first four seasons.
–El Centro Southwest, 31-13 since 2014 under John Mitosinka, is 9-0 for the first time and will seek its first Imperial Valley League title since 2010 against Calexico.
–Mission Hills (9-0), unquestionably the North County’s leader—111-35-2 since 2006 under Coach Chris Hauser, after Hauser guided the Grizzlies through 1-10 and 4-6 beginnings in 2004 and ’05—can earn a seventh league championship in Hauser’s 13 seasons.
Mission Hills, which survived a tense battle last week and nosed out Torrey Pines, 24-23 (the Falcons scored with 1:01 left but botched the snap on a two-point conversion attempt and then almost recovered an onside kick), will meet tough San Marcos (8-1), a loser only to Torrey Pines, 38-21, for the Avocado League title and Highway 78 bragging rights.
–Coach Charles James’s San Diego 9-0 squad can claim its first outright league championship since 1960, after sharing the crown in 1964, ’69, and ’74, when the Cavers attempt to keep pace with the 1925, ’47, ’55, ’57, and ’58 teams, which also were 9-0 at this juncture.
–The Bishop’s (8-0), which topped Classical, 73-0, to claim its third 70-point explosion in the last two seasons (with 4 more of at least 60 since 2015) will try to improve on its 20-13, all-time series lead against La Jolla Country Day and knock down the Knights’ third Coastal League title in the last 4 seasons.
DREADED ADMINISTRATIVE GLITCH
La Costa Canyon used an ineligible player and it cost the Mavericks a 50-13 win over Mt. Carmel in the second game of the season. The Mavericks are 7-2 competitively but 6-3 legislatively.
QUICK KICKS
La Jolla (5-4) visits University City (8-1) for the City League championship and Julian and Salton City West Shores, each 5-2, roll in the Citrus League title decider…Mission Hills dropped to 16th and Helix stayed at 29th in the weekly Cal-Hi Sports state top 50…Ramona moved from No. 50 to 48 and San Marcos is on the bubble..Mission Hills has 23 No. 1 votes and Helix picked up 3 for a total of 5 in the Union-Tribune Week 10 poll:
| Rank | Team | 2017 | Points | Last Week |
| 1. | Mission Hills (23) | 9-0 | 275 | 1 |
| 2. | Helix (5) | 8-1 | 257 | 2 |
| 3. | Ramona | 9-0 | 213 | 3 |
| 4. | San Marcos | 8-1 | 185 | 4 |
| 5. | Torrey Pines | 7-2 | 154 | 5 |
| 6. | The Bishop’s | 8-0 | 123 | 6 |
| 7. | La Costa Canyon | 6-3* | 115 | 8 |
| 8. | Madison | 7-2 | 69 | 10 |
| 9. | St. Augustine | 6-3 | 66 | 9 |
| 10. | Point Loma | 6-3 | 29 | NR |
Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
*Forfeit loss.
NR: Not Ranked.
Others receiving votes: Lincoln (7-2, 22 points), Valley Center (8-1, 12) El Centro Southwest (9-0, 8), Eastlake (7-2, 6) El Camino (5-4, 6), San Diego (9-0, 1).
Voters (28 sportswriters, sportscasters, officials): John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune; Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Tom Saxe, Rick Hoff, Jim Lindren, Union-Tribune correspondents; Paul Rudy, Brandon Stone, Rick Willis, KUSI Chl. 51; Adam Paul, East County Preps.com; Ramon Scott, East County Sports.com; Bodie DeSilva, San Diego Preps.com; Ted Mendenhall, Taylor Quellman, The Mighty 1090; Steve Brand, San Diego Hall of Champions; Troy Hirsch, Fox 5 San Diego; Rick Smith, partletonsports.com; Jerry Schniepp, John LaBeta, Carlton Hoggard, CIF San Diego; Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net; Montell Allen, MBASports-SDFNL Magazine; Bob Petinak, 1360AM; John Kentera, Prep Talent Evaluator; Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9FM; Jim Arnaiz, Mike Dolan, John Carroll, CIF Football Tournament Directors.
I watched the game. Grossmont has a high school-sized line, Helix has a Junior College- sized line. Helix had total domination of the line of scrimmage. The Helix backs reached the line of scrimmage at full speed, untouched until yards downfield. Without a running clock, the score could have been 100-3. I suspect the same thing happened in the other league games which had similar results.
I wonder when the running clock went into play. Karlo has done a nice job there and the Foothillers probably would do well in the other Grossmont loop.
Neither Grossmont nor any of the other Hills League opponents can come anywhere near Helix’s talent level. They can either continue these eviscerations indefinitely or consider re-leaguing. The top ten list above suggests a possible league alignment: Helix, St. Augustine, Point Loma, Madison, and Cathedral Catholic (having a bit of a down year but usually formidable). This alignment makes sense from a power standpoint and might go some way towards ending the massacres that so many HS football games have become.
Sounds good, but I wonder if bosses from the different school districts would want to do a crossover.