By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Granite Bay High School received monster efforts from its Big 3 senior impact leaders and plenty of additional support from an inspired cast of grinders to cap a banner season.
Granite Bay beat Pleasant Grove 30-24 in a thrilling Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship game at Sacramento State on Saturday afternoon on a wind-swept day with a backdrop of fan support. It included a raucous throng of Granite Bay fans, parents, alums and a student body section - The Tribe - that came in with painted faces with school color green.
It was Granite Bay's fourth section title since 1999 and first in D-I.
The Grizzlies (12-2) anticipated a title run this season with quarterback Brendan Keeney, tight end/defensive end Spencer Briare and lineman Gavin Andrews - The Big 3. Those captains keyed the 28-21 win at top-seeded Lincoln-Stockton in a semifinal, and the momentum carried into here with the conquest of the second-seeded Eagles of Elk Grove, who held The Bee's No. 1 regional ranking since the season started in August.
"We knew Briare, Keeney and Andrews had to play well, and they're studs, and Ark Bird was magic out there, too," said Granite Bay coach Ernie Cooper, the only varsity head football coach for the Grizzlies.
Keeney completed 13 of 19 passes for a modest 136 yards, but his touchdown strikes of 15 and 12 yards to Briare and steady decision making were paramount. Andrews locked up regularly with Pleasant Grove's national recruit in Arik Armstead, and as a unit, the Grizzlies won the line of scrimmage. Andrews gutted out a sore elbow, so stiff he couldn't bend it, but he said you would have to cut the limb off to sideline him.
Andrews spoke glowingly afterward of his family and friends in the stands. He is off to Oregon State on scholarship next season.
Bird rushed for 166 yards on 27 carries and had scoring runs of 6 and 38 yards. His 38-yard effort with 4:19 left put the Grizzlies ahead to stay, and his hard running down the stretch iced it as Granite Bay elected to take a knee to run it out deep inside Pleasant Grove territory.
Not using it as an excuse by any measure, Pleasant Grove coach Joe Cattolico said two of his star leaders in Armstead and tailback Mark Jenkins were limited with nagging injuries that have dogged them for two months. Armstead, the national recruit lineman, was limited with a rotator cuff injury.
Jenkins, with a bad ankle, managed just 34 yards on 10 carries and the Eagles had just 157 yards as a team, a credit to the Grizzlies defense that also included Austin Paulus, Alec Naki, Nick Grace, Jimmy Malamatenios, Tony Milo, Gustavo Cruz and Beau Hersberger.
Cattolico heaped praise on Granite Bay, the poise of Keeney, the run game, the physical line play.
They're really good, well coached and they don't make mistakes," Cattolico said.
Pleasant Grove (12-2) entered the season nationally ranked No. 8, then lost its second game 50-49 in overtime to Lincoln-Stockton. The Eagles still had hopes for a bowl game, a long shot given the 1-loss powers in the Bay Area. Cattolico said his team, as good as it was this season, was not a nationally ranked club.
"I love our kids, outstanding kids, but we are not a top 10 or 25 team in the country," Cattolico said. "That's silly. We have one big-time Division I recruit and that doesn't make us a top team. Our kids were in an impossible situation this season with the expectations but they did a great job handling it."
Cooper understands that his team is long shot to land a bowl invite when the state's 10 section commissioners meet on Dec. 11, but he'd love a bowl bid
"We can play with anyone," Cooper said.
Pleasant Grove scored on a Cody Demps 67-yard touchdown pass to brother Wyatt Demps and on an Isaiah Saunders 2-yard run and a Cody Demps 45-yard scoring run on a 4th-and-3 play.
Listen to this morning's SureWest Sports Radio Show from earlier this morning on ESPN1320.com. Interviews included section commissioner Pete Saco, a preview of the Folsom-Vacaville game, a review of Del Oro's D-III title win and keys to how Granite Bay could beat Pleasant Grove.
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