SAN MARCOS – With the game on the line last night against visiting Fallbrook, Mission Hills senior quarterback D.J. Zapata had no doubt where he was going with the ball.

A 9-yard completion to tight end Dallas Butler on fourth down gave the Grizzlies (6-3-1, 2-2-1) a first down, and a 5-yard fade route to junior Nigel Westbrooks in the corner of the end zone two plays later gave Mission Hills the lead and a 35-31 win over the Warriors.

Facing fourth-and-six at the Fallbrook 15-yard line and trailing 31-28, Grizzlies head coach Chris Hauser opted to throw for the first down, and the target was obvious.

“Butler, every time,” said Zapata, who was 15-for-24 for 247 yards and three touchdowns. “He's one of the most physical kids I've ever played with, and he's got great hands.”

Butler finished with seven catches for 120 yards and a touchdown, but his biggest reception of the night gave the Grizzlies a first down at the Warriors'4-yard line with less than a minute remaining in the game.

After Fallbrook stopped a run up the middle for a loss, Zapata looked to the other offensive star of the night for the win.

“We got a signal from the sideline to throw it up to (Westbrooks),” Zapata said. “As soon as I let go of the ball, I knew he was going to go get it.”

Westbrooks' fifth catch of the game gave him 103 yards for the night.

“Tonight, this is better than a blowout,” Hauser said. “They did something they haven't done all season, and that's come from behind.”

The teams combined for five turnovers in the first half, including four interceptions, but Mission Hills' mistakes proved more costly. A fumble on the game's opening kickoff gave the Warriors the ball at the Grizzlies' 15-yard line and set up a touchdown pass from quarterback Michael Welsh to Cody Williams on the first play from scrimmage.

The Grizzlies' second turnover, a Zapata interception, gave the Warriors a 21-14 halftime lead, as junior Earl Smith returned the ball 57 yards for a touchdown with two seconds remaining in the half.

“We had a chance because they really shrugged that (interception off),” Hauser said.

After Fallbrook's Brady Harrington gave the Warriors (4-6, 2-3) a 31-28 lead with a 44-yard field goal, Zapata marched the Grizzlies down the field for the winning score.

“I believe this is going to give us a surge into the playoffs,” Hauser said.