There isn’t a marquee name returning to Granite Hills football this season. No established star expected to carry the Cougars back into the playoffs. No obvious headliner for opponents to game plan around.
Instead, Granite Hills enters the 2026 season with something far less predictable. A roster full of opportunity.
After graduating quarterback Amir Sneed, one of the Desert Sky League’s most dynamic two-way players, the Cougars will rely on a new wave of leaders to establish the program’s next identity. For 12th-year head coach Alex Gonzalez, that’s exactly what makes this year’s team so intriguing.
“What excites me the most? I want to say maybe the unknown,” Gonzalez said. “If you look on paper, our top players are all gone. Nobody really knows who these guys are. I’m just curious to see how they’re going to respond in a tough situation, in a close game and when things are going well. They’re all very, very green to varsity football.”
That uncertainty follows a season in which Granite Hills finished 4-6 overall and 1-3 in Desert Sky League play, narrowly missing the CIF-Southern Section playoffs after a fourth place finish in the standings. The Cougars opened the year with a 62-21 rout of Sultana before entering league play at 3-3. They defeated Adelanto 25-20 but dropped contests against Victor Valley, Barstow and Silverado to close the season.
Now, the challenge is building a team capable of writing its own story rather than trying to recreate last year’s.
“I never think about replacing a kid one by one,” Gonzalez said. “Each team has their own personality or their own strengths and weaknesses. You find who’s the best quarterback, who’s the best outside backer, and you work with what they’ve got. Maybe those two different kids are going to do those jobs well and we don’t miss a beat.”
It’s an approach Gonzalez has refined over more than a decade leading the program.
Entering his 12th season, Gonzalez is the longest-tenured head football coach in the High Desert, but that’s never been the accomplishment that motivates him. Granite Hills has captured one DSL championship during his tenure, winning the title in 2023 before Barstow reclaimed league supremacy each of the last two seasons.
Instead, Gonzalez measures success through constant growth.
“Here at Granite, it’s just been an uphill battle every year,” Gonzalez said. “Every year I try to learn something new and put something new into the program and get a little better. Sometimes it works. Sometimes not so much, but it’s just my personality. I’m never content.”
He also believes every team develops its own identity based on the players leading it.
“Each team has its own personality,” Gonzalez said. “I think it’s always a reflection of the leadership of the senior class. Every group is different. The kids have different needs, different emotions, and I’ve learned how to tailor things to bring out the best in them.”
That responsibility now falls largely on senior quarterback Skylar Hamilton.
He spent last season contributing at wide receiver, safety and on special teams while learning behind Sneed. This season, he’ll take over the offense after spending the offseason preparing for the moment.
“You know, just getting better at leading,” Hamilton said. “Last season I played receiver because Amir was there at quarterback, but I think this season is really when I needed to step into that leadership role and just talk to my guys and get everybody close.”
Hamilton said much of his offseason focused on sharpening the details that come with playing quarterback.
“Working on my mechanics, my footwork, connecting with my receivers, getting good with the O-line, the run game, making the correct reads and just overall improvement,” he said.
More than anything, Hamilton believes chemistry could become one of Granite Hills’ biggest strengths.
“I think we’re really close,” he said. “We’re all a tight-knit group. It’s like a brotherhood. Nobody’s really separated. We’re all just one group.”
Senior receiver and defensive back Kamari Chambliss shares that optimism.
Although Chambliss has been part of the varsity program since his freshman season, injuries delayed his opportunity to become a full-time starter. Now healthy entering his senior campaign, he’s eager to finally share the field with teammates he’s grown up alongside.
“I’ve been with most of these guys since freshman year,” Chambliss said. “Now we’re going into our senior year, so I can’t wait to actually play varsity games with them and hopefully have a good season together and just ball out.”
Chambliss believes Granite Hills has put in the necessary work during the offseason.
“I feel like our school works really hard and we’re very disciplined in what we do,” he said. “If we stay consistent with everything we do and just keep building, I believe we’re going to have a good season.”
The same confidence exists up front, where junior lineman Jaiden Howell expects the Cougars to establish themselves physically.
Howell has been on varsity since his sophomore season after stepping into the lineup because of an injury, and he said the offensive line has spent months preparing for the upcoming campaign.
“We’ve had camps every week, sometimes twice a week,” Howell said. “We’ve been in the weight room every day for months. We’ve been working really hard this offseason.”
Like Hamilton and Chambliss, Howell points to the bond inside the locker room as one of the team’s defining characteristics.
“Even some of the younger guys, we’re like a family,” Howell said. “We all know each other. We’re close, and we’re fighting for each other more than anything.”
That unity could prove especially important offensively.
Gonzalez expects juniors Kobe Shepherd and Max Fryerson to shoulder much of the workload in the running game after both gained varsity experience last season. Behind what he believes could be one of the team’s strengths along the offensive line, the Cougars hope to control games by staying on schedule.
“I think the run game is going to be strong,” Gonzalez said. “I think our O-line is going to be pretty good. The main thing is we’ve got to stay honest and keep the ball moving forward, not get behind the chains. We’re not crazy fast, so executing is going to be the key.”
When asked who will emerge as Granite Hills’ next household name, Gonzalez admitted there isn’t an obvious answer.
Eventually, though, he smiled and pointed toward his new quarterback.
“I think Skylar Hamilton,” Gonzalez said. “I think he’ll pop out, and people will know who he is.”
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: The unknowns fuel Granite Hills’ optimism as season opener approaches
Reporting by Jose Quintero, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jose Quintero, Victorville Daily Press | USA TODAY Network
