VALLEY CENTER - The signs of love and solidarity for injured Mission Hills High football player Scott Eveland were everywhere.

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From the posters on the fences, to T-shirts, to donation booths, to the players from both teams gathering at midfield prior to kickoff, to a No. 54 on the scoreboard, there was no escaping what the teams were playing for.

But once the ball was kicked off, it was business as usual and No. 5-ranked Mission Hills took care of business, beating Valley Center 35-21 in the Valley League opener for both clubs.

Coming off a bye last week, the Grizzlies (3-1, 1-0) rolled up 28 points in the first half, took a 28-7 lead into the locker room.

"We got caught up in the game and as coaches we were bumping into each other after the week off," said Mission Hills coach Chris Hauser. "We had a few hiccups. This wasn't our best attention-to-detail week. But that's the nature of the situation we're in.

"But the kids had fun, and that was important."

No Mission Hills player had more fun than running back Dante Potter.

The senior finished with 19 carries for 166 yards and a pair of touchdowns, one a 90-yard sprint in the second quarter.

"Last year, they would have caught me from behind," Potter said. "But my offensive line has done a great job. The coaches called a great play, and the guys blocked it perfectly.

"This was a great win because Scotty (Eveland) was in our hearts.

"And the unity Valley Center showed, getting together at midfield before the game, was great. We're rivals, but we're all football players.

"And we know Scotty was with us tonight."

Mission Hills took an early 6-0 lead when Eddie Nuckols rammed in from the 2 after the Grizzlies took advantage of a short Valley Center punt.

But Valley Center (2-0) countered with a 1-yard sneak by quarterback Tyler Bernard. The play was set up by a 50-yard Bernard-to-James Johnson strike in which Johnson leaped over a defender.

Bernard had a big night passing, hitting 15-of-28 for 243 yards. Johnson had nine catches for 191 yards.

Mission Hills answered with three straight scores, a 1-yard run by Nuckols, Potter's 90-yard run and a 1-yard run by Potter after the Grizzlies recovered a muffed Valley Center punt.

"Mission Hills is a very good football team," said Valley Center coach Rob Gilster. "Their size and depth really present problems.

"But we made two huge mistakes that cost us. Letting Potter go 90 yards hurt, and the fumble on the punt gave them 14 points.

"Still, we stood up well to a good team. Now we have to prove we can beat a good team."

Mission Hills rushed for 267 yards and passed for 136.

"There was an interesting atmosphere here tonight," Hauser said. "The air was kind of heavy.

"It didn't feel quite right, and I don't really know why.

"I think it's going to take some time to heal because we're still dealing with the unknown."

Contact staff writer John Maffei at (760) 740-3547 or jmaffei@nctimes.com.