San Clemente rolled past Murrieta Valley 42-13 on Friday, Sept. 25, handing the Nighthawks their third loss in five games. Also Friday, Vista Murrieta held off Oceanside El Camino 24-21 for the Broncos' second straight win.

Nighthawks fall hard to unbeaten Tritons

The final score was the most lopsided loss of Murrieta Valley's season. The Nighthawks (2-3) had entered the nonleague game ranked No. 5 in IE Varsity's Inland-area poll after averaging 42 points per game in back-to-back wins over Cajon and Roosevelt.

San Clemente (5-0) brought a defense that had allowed just 12.3 points per game through four contests, according to West Coast Preps. The Tritons had piled up 28 tackles for loss, 13 sacks and five interceptions before arriving in Murrieta. Junior quarterback Preston Beck entered the game with 763 passing yards and seven total touchdowns. BYU commit Jaxson Rex anchored both sides of the ball with 226 receiving yards, 31 tackles and two interceptions through four games.

The result flipped last year's outcome.

Murrieta Valley beat San Clemente 26-14 in 2025. Four-star junior left tackle Vincent Shields, who holds scholarship offers from Ole Miss, Alabama and Texas A&M, was a pregame storyline. No individual stats from Friday's game were available at publication.

Head coach G. Wilson's Nighthawks open Southwestern League play Thursday, Oct. 1, at home against Chaparral.

Broncos grind out second straight win

Vista Murrieta's 24-21 victory over El Camino was tighter than the Broncos might have expected against a team that entered 0-4. The win pushed Vista Murrieta to 2-3 and extended a turnaround that looked unlikely five weeks ago.

The Broncos opened the season with a 42-21 loss to Southwestern League rival Great Oak on Aug. 20. Head coach Coley Candaele pointed to the roster's youth afterward.

"We played well considering that we started three freshmen, eight sophomores, and only had five returning players that have played varsity," Candaele told the Valley News after that August loss.

Since then, the Broncos have won two of their last three, including a 31-21 road victory at Beaumont on Sept. 18 and Friday's three-point win over El Camino. Murrieta Valley hosts Chaparral on Oct. 1 to open league play for both programs.