Prep football rankings: Grant returns, showdowns loom, breaking down each ranked team
Welcome back to the rankings, Grant Pacers.
On the strength of a 42-0 victory over McQueen of Reno, Grant looked more like its fierce, formidable self after a lean 2021, where some games were tight to the finish but victories otherwise eluded one of the most storied programs in California. McQueen was no slouch, having gone 10-2 last season, ranking among Nevada’s top programs.
Now ranked 19th, the Pacers were a ranked regular throughout the 1980s, reaching five City Championship games (now simply the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals). They led the Sacramento region in victories in the 1990s and 2000s and didn’t slow down. They went 13-1 in 2010 after being ranked in the top 10 nationally most of the season, went 14-1 in 2014, 10-2 in 2015 and reached the playoffs in 2018 before the decline. Grant went 1-9 in 2019, 2-0 in the spring season of 2021 in Mike Alberghini’s final stretch as coach, and then screeched to an 0-9 showing last fall.
Carl Reed earned his first head coaching victory at Grant, a proud alum who doesn’t have to be reminded that he replaced a 282-win coach. Grant players and coaches are inspired by the program’s rich history that includes eight section championships, the 2008 CIF State Open crown and having 17 Pacers play in the NFL.
The flashback vibes continue this Friday when Grant welcomes No. 20 Inderkum, coached by Reggie Harris, an assistant for some of those championship Pacers teams. JoJo McCray had four touchdown passes, two to Kyrell Goss-Pruitt and one each to Jonah Ardoin and Gregory Badley to power Grant against McQueen. Debee Lopa returned an interception back 55 yards for a score.
▪ The Bee’s No. 2-, 3- and 4-ranked teams lost openers, leading to some shuffling. But because those teams lost to good to great ones, they did not plummet.
▪ There are four Thursday night games featuring six ranked teams: Del Campo at No. 10 Del Oro; No. 17 Woodcreek at No. 12 Whitney; No. 21 Roseville at No. 11 Placer and Ponderosa at No. 24 Vista del Lago. Thursday and Saturday games will become more the norm this season due to a shortage of referees.
A closer peek at the rankings:
THE BEE’S TOP 25
1. Folsom 1-0
The Bulldogs rolled Monterey Trail 47-18 but there was profound program hurt with the loss of Stanford-bound tight end Walker Lyons for the season with a broken leg. Austin Mack led the offensive charge with five touchdown passes.
2. Granite Bay 1-0
The Grizzlies have a bevy of backs, including Carter Jackson, who scored four times in a 34-12 win over Elk Grove; the D played well.
3. Rocklin 0-1
The Thunder lost 14-7 at Turlock, ranked fourth by The Modesto Bee. Season-ending leg break to LB star Derek Houston from scrimmage is a blow.
4. Monterey Trail 0-1
A highlight in the loss to Folsom was Vincent Arcuri hitting Hassaan Miller for a school-record 86-yard touchdown strike. Arcuri is the son of MT assistant coach Rick Arcuri. Next: De La Salle.
5. Sheldon 1-0
The Huskies scored a school-record 78 points in a 59-point victory at River Valley, pulling starters in the second quarter; RB Devin Green is off to the races.
6. Jesuit 0-0
The Marauders held tough in a jamboree scrimmage against Bay Area powers De La Salle and Pittsburg; 17 starters graduated from 2021.
7. Vacaville 1-0
The Bulldogs beat Davis 49-21, outscoring the Blue Devils 28-0 in the second half as Brady Mott had himself a game: 152 yards receiving from QB Brody Fortunati and 12 tackles. Showdown looms at Oak Ridge.
8. Oak Ridge 1-0
The Trojans rolled Cosumnes Oaks 56-0 on the road as Dwight Martin scored twice and had two interceptions; Trojans set a physical tone early.
9. Elk Grove 0-1
Looking the part of young team with new quarterbacks and runners, the Thundering Herd fell to fine Granite Bay bunch 34-12.
10. Del Oro 1-0
With an emphasis on line play - hello Akio Martinson! - and pouncing on mistakes, the Golden Eagles beat Inderkum 35-8.
11. Placer 1-0
The Hillmen are experts at running the run-heavy wing-T, and the fleet of backs include Baylor Kelley, who rushed for 220 yards and three scores in a 37-35 thriller over Casa Roble.
12. Whitney 1-0
The Wildcats rallied from 21-0 down to beat Antelope 35-28, relying on depth and second-half defense.
13. Antelope 0-1
The Titans drop two spots after falling 35-28 to Whitney; Curron Borders rushed for nearly 200 yards.
14. Sacramento 1-0
Kimmbie Drayton’s first win as coach was emphatic: 48-6 over Stagg as unsung guys Elijah Hardiman and Keimari Benjamin played big.
15. Christian Brothers 1-0
The Falcons had a great home crowd that watched a 39-0 win over Burbank as freshman QB Deakon Holden had two touchdown passes and Erik Jensen ran for three.
16. Yuba City 0-1
The Honkers held tough in falling 26-20 to defending CIF State Division 3-AA champion Vanden, which returned 16 starters; Nick Afato had two TDs.
17. Woodcreek 1-0
The Timberwolves impressed in a 43-13 victory over Franklin of Elk Grove and prepare for what figures to be a nice showdown against Whitney on Thursday.
18. Capital Christian 0-1
The Cougars scheduled tough to get tougher and took one on the chops, falling 56-0 to San Diego power Lincoln. Cougars dropped nine spots.
19. Grant 1-0
Grant’s fast start means nothing if it flames out against Inderkum. The coaches will remind the players of this often.
20. Inderkum 0-1
The Tigers had a tight game suddenly become a blowout with fumbles returned for scores against Del Oro, falling 35-8.
21. Roseville 1-0
The Tigers belted rival Oakmont 49-0 as Brandon Graydon accounted for four touchdowns, and the defense was led by Ryker Davis and Ryan Smith.
22. Lincoln 1-0
The Zebras graduated a ton but roll on, beating River City 49-12 behind leaders such as Sean Cotten and Ryan Hennig.
23. Casa Roble 0-1
The Rams lost a thriller at Placer 37-35, and Casa has a new QB leader in sophomore Connor Campbell.
24. Vista del Lago 0-1
The Falcons dropped eight spots after falling at 8-time section champion Manteca, 44-6. Next is tough Ponderosa.
T25. Dixon 1-0
The Rams, defending Golden Empire League champions, beat Union Mine in El Dorado 28-21 and host Winters next.
T25. Rosemont 0-0
The Wolverines open Saturday against McClatchy at venerable Hughes Stadium.
Bubble teams: Bradshaw Christian 1-0; Center 1-0; Delta 1-0; El Dorado 1-0; Liberty Ranch 1-0; Marysville 1-0; Natomas 1-0; Nevada Union 1-0; Pioneer 0-1; Ponderosa 1-0; Roseville 1-0; Sutter 1-0; Twelve Bridges 1-0; West Park 1-0; Wood 1-0; Woodland Christian 1-0.
Schedule
All games kickoff between 7-7:30 p.m., unless noted:
Thursday
Del Campo at Del Oro
Roseville at Placer
Woodcreek at Whitney
Ponderosa at Vista del Lago
Natomas at Liberty Ranch
Twelve Bridges at Pioneer
Friday
Serra at Folsom
Vacaville at Oak Ridge
Nevada Union at Sheldon
Antelope at Elk Grove
De La Salle at Monterey Trail
Argonaut at Union Mine
Wood at Casa Roble
Winters at Dixon
McQueen at Rocklin
Chico at Sutter
El Dorado at Bear River
Bret Harte at Golden Sierra
Foothill at Oakmont
Inderkum at Grant
Highlands at Galt
Florin at Armijo
Colfax at Woodland
Cosumnes Oaks at Pitman
Oroville at Lindhurst
Rio Linda at Kennedy
Yuba City at Lincoln
Johnson at Bella Vista
Bishop Diego at Capital Christian
Pleasant Grove at Christian Brothers
Woodland Christian at Esparto
Vacaville Christian at Linden
Laguna Creek vs. Franklin at Cosumnes Oaks
Marysville vs. Rio Americano at Del Campo
Burbank vs. Valley at Cosumnes River College
Saturday
San Juan at Mira Loma, 11 a.m.
Valley Christian at Delta Charter, noon
McNair at Sacramento, 1 p.m.
Mesa Verde at Foresthill, 7 p.m.
Millennium at Rio Vista, 7 p.m.
Cordova at El Camino, 7 p.m.
Douglas at Vanden, 7:30 p.m.
Rosemont vs. McClatchy at Hughes Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published August 22, 2022 at 11:25 AM.