Folsom steamrolls Granite Bay 63-0
About the only thing that didn’t go perfect for Cal-Hi Sports No. 5 and SacBee top-ranked Folsom, in an easy 63-0 whitewash of a pretty solid Bee No. 6 Granite Bay, was Washington-bound quarterback Jake Browning was below his game averages of 6.75 TD passes and 427 yards in his first four games.
After throwing five TDs last Friday on 14-of-22 for 314 yards, Browning still has more numbers in four games (2,021 yards passing and 32 TDs) than some All-State quarterbacks had for a season in past years.
Browning’s big target against Granite Bay was Joshua Deguara. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior wide receiver had nine catches for 219 yards and four touchdowns.
Whether he can throw 100 TDs passes this season as Cal-Hi Sports Editor Mark Tennis mused a couple of weeks ago, is a long way off, but with 170 career TDs the possibility Browning can break the national record of 210 set by Marty Mauk of Kenton, Ohio, in 2011 is looking like it could happen in newly re-aligned Sierra Foothill League play or the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
Next for Folsom (5-0) is a trip across Sacramento County east from the I-50 corridor to the I-80 corridor and a date with a 2-3 Del Oro of Loomis team coming off a 50-14 win over Grass Valley Nevada Union.
Granite Bay (2-2) takes a break from league to host Aptos, a school where head coach Ernie Cooper started his coaching career.
A strange twist to changes that have been made in the CIF State Bowl Game playoffs is the way De La Salle and Folsom are playing its almost kind of a shame the CIF decided to do away with the Regional Open Division contest.
If those two teams do run the table it would have been the biggest match-up ever.
Central Catholic wins a hum-dinger
Every local media member, including BlackHatFootball Rich Estrada, Joe Cortez of the Modesto Bee, Thomas Lawrence of the Stockton Record-Net, and even ex-scribe and CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Director of Communications Will DeBoard, converged on Modesto for the match-up between two-time defending CIF Division IV Bowl Game champion and host Central Catholic and Manteca – and did they see a real doozy.
After they fell behind 28-21 in overtime Central Catholic scored on their first play when Justin Rice bulled his way in from 10-yards out.
With the thought of his kicker having had a 28-yard field goal blocked that would have won the game in regulation, head coach Roger Canepa quickly decided to go for the 2-point conversion and all the marbles.
Figuring if he could bull his way in from 10-yards he could do it from just over two, so Canepa called Rice’s number again and the same “tight-right-blast” play – and Rice took it home for a 29-28 victory.
With Central Catholic now in the Valley Oak League with larger schools for the first time since the 1970’s, games like the one against Manteca could be more common this season.
Next up is a road game at a 4-0 Sierra of Manteca coming off a 55-20 win at Tracy Kimball. Sierra is averaging 57 points a game.
St. Mary’s rebounds to edge Los Gatos
After getting bottled up two weeks ago in an overtime loss to St. Ignatius, St. Mary’s running back Marcel Spady came through with two fourth quarter touchdowns to lead the Rams to a come-from-behind 35-32 victory.
St. Mary’s trailed 10-0 in the second quarter, 17-15 at the half and 25-22 after three quarters.
With Spady’s two scores the hosts led 35-25 but Los Gatos wasn’t done. The Cats scored and then recovered an onside kick. The visitors proceeded to drive to the Rams 2-yard line before fumbling away a potential winning score.
St. Mary’s (3-1) has one more non-league game at always tough and 3-1 Atwater Buhach Colony.
Grant (Sacramento) 43, Franklin (Elk Grove) 14
Those that think that Cal-Hi Sports No. 15 and Bee No. 3 Grant (4-0) is still not a major force to be reckoned with better think again after the way the Pacers handled a talented and athletic visiting Wildcats in the Delta Valley Conference opener for both teams.
With a huge line anchored by two national recruits, Darrin Paulo, a 6-foot-6, 300-pound senior with big-time interest including UCLA and USC, and junior 6-4, 330-pound Soape Tupou, the duo helped control both sides of the line of scrimmage.
Junior running back Deshawn Collins benefitted from some huge holes opened to run for 143 yards that included a 68-yard touchdown run.
Quarterback Donovan Brown threw for four touchdown passes with three going to Ariyon Huff.
Linebacker Carl Granderson got into the act with three sacks.
Grant head coach Mike Alberghini still was without several key players out with injury, plus defensive star Chris Atteberry sat out after being ejected in the Fresno Bullard.
Atteberry will be back in the face-off this week with Cal-Hi Sports No. 19 and Bee No. 2 Elk Grove, with hopes Deondre’ Whittington-Grays will be at full strength and TieNeal Martin will be available.
Franklin (2-2) will look to rebound against visiting Sacramento Sheldon.
It’s been six years since Grant took out Long Beach Poly in the 2008 CIF Open Division Bowl Game, but if they continue to play well, get healthy and improve, the chances the CIF NorCal Division I Bowl Rankings No. 3 Pacers could be making some real noise come playoff time.
Elk Grove 56, Davis 13
After a ho-hum 7-0 win over Yuba City the offense got busy on the road in Davis by posting a decisive Delta Conference opening victory.
The Thundering Herd (4-0) bolted to a 35-7 halftime lead and coasted home.
Spencer Sheff saw limited action but the Herd’s leading rusher gained 93 yards and scored three touchdowns.
Jesuit (Carmichael) 28, Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 21
Beau Bisharat, a junior running back whose picture of yours truly interviewing him at the 2014 East Bay Nike Football Training Camp graces my Twitter profile, rushed for 177 yards and three touchdowns on runs of 36 and 23 yards, and a 7-yarder with 3:12 remaining that provided the winning margin.
Two key third quarter turnovers in the Pleasant Grove red zone that prevented Jesuit (3-1) from opening up the game almost proved their undoing.
Even after the Bisharat score the defense allowed Pleasant Grove to drive past midfield before a sack by Isaiah Bailey sealed the deal.
“It was a fun game. I enjoyed playing in crunch time,” wrote Bisharat in a Twitter Direct Message.
Jesuit now faces Davis on the road while Pleasant Grove (1-3), under first-year head coach Jason Rossow, hosts crosstown Monterey Trail.
