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High Desert Football: Granite Hills pulls off a victory over Silverado for first time since 2010

todd hadler
·4 min read

In 2010, Granite Hills beat Silverado by a score of 8-6. For the next 12 years, both teams matched up against each other in the Desert Sky League and Silverado would come away victorious every single time.

On Friday night, in the DSL opener for both teams, Granite Hills snapped that losing streak and pulled off a Silverado 30-20.

Silverado, who has won the DSL title three years in a row, had not lost a league game since 2019. It is just their third league loss in the past decade.

“Ultimately, we know in order to have a chance, you have to beat Silverado. They are who they are and it feels really good to get that one out of the way,” Granite Hills head coach Alex Gonzalez said.

Granite Hills jumped out to a 13-point lead in the first half thanks to runs by quarterback Jordan Dalton and running back Kameron Smith.

Granite Hills' Kameron Smith breaks past the last Silverado defender on his way to a touchdown on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. Granite Hills won the game 30-20, snapping a 12-game losing streak to Silverado.
Granite Hills' Kameron Smith breaks past the last Silverado defender on his way to a touchdown on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. Granite Hills won the game 30-20, snapping a 12-game losing streak to Silverado.

Toward the end of the second quarter, it took just 1 minute and 16 seconds for Silverado to score two touchdowns and take the lead.

Then, just 19 seconds after that, Smith scored on the first play of Granite Hills’ drive to retake the lead.

They would not give up the lead again as the team chewed up time starting in the second half.

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Silverado finally got the ball back toward the end of the third quarter after Granite Hills’ drive lasted about 9 minutes. The Hawks drove downfield and got as far as Granite Hills’ two-yard line.

A fumbled snap lost them a few yards and then on fourth down, Silverado quarterback Jace Weiss was sacked by Christian Long for a turnover on downs.

A field goal from Granite Hills gave the team a 23-14 lead, and Silverado’s real last chance to get back in the game fizzled out quickly.

On a fourth and two from midfield, miscommunication led to the ball being snapped when most of the Hawks’ offense looked unready. Many players stood around as Weiss scrambled to make a throw with his non-dominant hand; however, it fell incomplete.

The Cougars sealed the deal a few plays later with another big run from Smith.

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Key plays

Silverado’s second touchdown of the game to take the lead was the team’s best play all night. Wide receiver Jayden Pauling ran a post that saw him open right in the middle of the field. Weiss connected with him perfectly, which led to a 46-yard touchdown that Pauling caught in stride.

Not to be outdone, Smith responded immediately after this with his own 46-yard touchdown. Granite Hills passed the 50-yard line on the kickoff return and Smith found a hole on the next play and did not look back.

By the numbers

42 – The number of carries from Smith against the Hawks.

1:35 – The time it took for Silverado to score two touchdowns to take a brief lead before Granite Hills scored again to retake the lead for good.

3 – The number of sacks Granite Hills recorded in the fourth quarter.

Silverado quarterback Jace Weiss runs the ball against Granite Hills on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. Granite Hills won the game 30-20, snapping a 12-game losing streak to Silverado.
Silverado quarterback Jace Weiss runs the ball against Granite Hills on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. Granite Hills won the game 30-20, snapping a 12-game losing streak to Silverado.

Game ball

Smith was the workhorse for the Cougars offense, getting the ball 42 times for 232 yards and three touchdowns.

They said it

Gonzalez on his offensive game plan against Silverado: “If we’re gonna beat this team we’re gonna do it with our best player and our best plays, which for us is our run game. Then when they start getting greedy, hit them with a pass play to just keep it on balance."

Smith on finally beating Silverado in his senior year: “It was win, the only option I had. That was all on my mind. My team trusted me and I trusted them.”

Gonzalez on looking ahead to the rest of the year: “There’s probably going to be about 15 minutes in that locker room that they’re celebrating and it’s over. We still have to get through Adelanto, Victorville and Barstow.”

What’s next

The Hawks (0-7, 0-1 DSL) are on a bye next week as they look to get back on track, while Granite Hills (5-2, 1-0 DSL) returns home to take on Adelanto in a Thursday night showdown.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: High Desert Football: Granite Hills beats Silverado for first time since 2010