Players on the San Marin High football team had been imagining this moment all season … and the reality was so much better than the dream.
“This feels so good,” exclaimed junior Jimmy Hughes, who made his first start at quarterback this season to help lead the Mustangs to a dominating 32-8 home victory over Granada Hills Charter in Saturday’s CIF State Division 4-A championship football game.
Hughes and the Mustangs (13-2) celebrated their second consecutive State championship following their 2021 victory over Independence in the Div. 5-AA title game. Hughes played just one game at quarterback as a sophomore on that championship team, behind starter Joey Cook. But he studied the game and worked hard in the offseason, waiting for his chance.
“This was a Cinderella story for Jimmy,” San Marin head coach Dom DiMare said. “You can’t write another story like this.”
Hughes racked up 143 yards on a 7-for-11 passing night with three touchdowns, and ran for another 77 yards.
“On the biggest stage, Jimmy’s name was called and I couldn’t be any more proud for him, for his family, for his teammates,” DiMare said.
Hughes was starting in place of Dominic Ingrassia, who racked up 2,443 passing yards as he helped lead the Mustangs to a 12-2 record before he suffered a shoulder injury during last weekend’s Northern California championship.
“I felt like over the year we became a great team,” Hughes said. “Coming into this game, we were all ready and we went out there and did it.”
While San Marin’s offense took care of the ball, the Mustangs nearly impenetrable defense stopped Granada Hills’ vaunted running game from ever gaining traction. San Marin kept the Highlanders off the scoreboard through the first quarter, and held them to just 247 total yards of offense — something no other team had been able to do this season.
“This game was above all expectations,” San Marin senior linebacker Wyatt Drenner said. “It’s surreal to be back-to-back champions. This is a different feeling from anything else. You can’t buy this. All the blood, sweat and tears added up to this.”
The Mustangs were prepared for the storm that never really came — neither from the skies nor from Granada Hills. San Marin practiced all week in wet conditions with balls soaked in water. The rain came in downpours early on, but lightened up for most of the game. That didn’t make it any easier for the Highlanders.
The Mustangs came out strong, with three touchdowns in the first seven minutes of the game. Hughes’ first pass of the night targeted sophomore Wesley Timmel for a 50-yard touchdown and a 6-0 lead just 2 minutes into the game.
“We wanted the ball and wanted to go down and score,” DiMare said. “We want the ball in the hands of our offense. That’s our best defense to keep the ball away from them.”
The Highlanders, meanwhile, ran into a brick wall on their first possession as they lost 6 yards on the drive before punting. The Mustangs stacked the box with 11 defenders — six defensive linemen and five linebackers — against an offense that had averaged 422 rushing yards in the past 14 games.
“We knew they wanted to come out fast and hard, and we needed to stop them hard right away,” said Drenner, who had a major impact with close to 10 tackles. Seniors Jacob Pearce and Hayden Cordero also showed how dominating the San Marin defense could be.
“We had to make the big plays,” Drenner continued.
After a 9-yard dash by Hughes, sophomore Jonah Lozano burst his way through the Highlander defense for 41 yards to reach the end zone for a 12-0 San Marin lead. Lozano led the Mustangs with 108 yards on eight carries.
Granada Hills couldn’t control the ball on the kickoff and the Mustangs seized the moment — and the ball, then went right back on the march from the Highlanders’ 26-yard line. Hughes broke off an 11-yard run on third-and-1 to get the Mustangs within seven yards of the end zone. Charlie Singleton drove right through the heart of the Granada Hills defense, then leapt over the line. As he landed on the turf, the officials signaled for a touchdown, giving San Marin a 18-0 lead.
“The running backs, Charlie and Jonah, they had great games,” DiMare said. “And Timmel with a great smokescreen for our first touchdown… It’s a cast of characters, a cast of great athletes that came together and did it for themselves and their team.”
San Marin looked to be driving for another touchdown late in the first before fumbling the ball away on Granada Hills’ 12 yard line. Handed the ball, the Highlanders once again were unable to go on the move and had to punt.
After an interception cut San Marin’s next drive short, Granada Hills turned to its little-used passing game. An 11-yard pass from Dijon Stanley to DJ Richmond revived the offense. Stanley’s 24-yard run two plays later got the Highlanders within striking distance and he was eventually able to push the ball into the end zone and cut into San Marin’s lead, 18-8.
The Mustangs came right back with a 70-yard drive as they ran the ball 10 times before senior Frankie Quinci reached down to catch a low 21-yard pass from Hughes in the end zone for a 25-8 lead.
Granada Hills nearly scored again in the final minute of the first half, but San Marin junior Wesley Garton leapt in front of the Highlanders receiver for an interception at the 1 yard line.
The Mustangs gave themselves some extra security with a score midway through the third quarter. The drive, which took eight plays and 62 yards, was highlighted by a pair of passes from Hughes to Quinci — one for 23 yards and one for 25 yards and a touchdown for a 32-8 lead.
“It’s a huge step for Jimmy, but he worked hard all season long,” DiMare said. “He kept working and kept getting his reps, hoping his time would come, and his time came on the biggest stage. I’m very, very proud of him.”
Hughes spread the credit to his teammates: “The defensive line was amazing, and Jonah and Wesley and Charlie were all crushing it. And the O-line certainly opened up a lot of holes, they were incredible.”
The Mustangs were forced into an uncomfortable and unusual offense in the second half as they attempted eight more passes, which availed them little. The Highlanders hadn’t completed a single pass during the regular season, but Stanley finished 2 for 8 for 41 passing yards, after he was limited to just 65 yards on 19 carries.
“Hats off to that San Marin defense. They were just strong and didn’t give us any opportunities,” Stanley said.
Drenner said, “We wanted to force them to pass. That was going to be the key, to take away their running game and force them to do something desperate.”
This was the first trip to the State title game for the Highlanders, but “it won’t be the last,” according to Stanley, who has committed to the University of Utah. “Our team is good enough that we’ll be back.”
After winning back-to-back titles, DiMare was hesitant to discuss the possibility of a “dynasty,” but he looks forward to returning most of his roster. The bulk of the offensive and defensive lines will be back, along with Ingrassia, Hughes, Timmel, Singleton and Lozano.
“They’ll be back together for another year,” DiMare said of his players. “They’ll have another chance.”
Granada Hills 0 8 0 0 — 8
San Marin 18 7 7 0 — 32
SM — Hughes 50 pass to Timmel (pass fail)
SM — Lozano 64 run (run fail)
SM — Singleton 7 run (run fail)
GHC — Di. Stanley 2 run (Di. Stanley run)
SM — Hughes 21 pass to Quinci (Rodas kick)
SM — Hughes 25 pass to Quinci (Rodas kick)
RUSHING — GHC, Di. Stanley 19-65, Enilobo 2-38, Martin 2-18, Richmond 5-(minus-1), Delgado 1-(mnius-9), Da. Stanley 5-(minus-7). Totals 34-104. SM, Hughes 18-77, Lozano 8-108, Singleton 12-44, Giomi 1-5. Totals 39-234.
PASSING — GHC, Di. Stanley 2-8-1 41, Delgado 0-1-0 0. Totals 2-9-1 41. SM, Hughes 7-11-1 143.
RECEIVING — GHC, Da. Stanley 1-30, Richmond 1-11. Totals 2-41. SM, Quinci 4-84, Timmel 3-59. Totals 7-143.
Records: San Marin 13-2. Granada Hills Charter 12-3.
