Prep football: Del Oro makes a statement, beats undefeated Granite Bay
Thomas Graham ll embodies what it means to be a high school football player at Del Oro.
He’s a senior leader on the Golden Eagles who rarely comes off the field. He moved to Loomis when he was 10 years old and waited his turn to play under the lights.
After Friday, he has something special to celebrate. With fifth-ranked Del Oro’s 21-10 win over No. 2 Granite Bay in a Sierra Foothill League opener, the Golden Eagles improved to 6-0 for the first time since 2016. Del Oro went to a state championship game that season.
“I’ve been going to Del Oro games since I’ve been playing football,” Graham said. “I love the atmosphere and always have. It’s the same one I remember back then. I love this program, every person at this school and the community itself.”
The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series with its rival Granite Bay 14-13. The Grizzlies won the last two meetings. The last time both teams met with an undefeated record was 2009. Del Oro also won that game.
“Every win in the SFL is a big win,” Del Oro coach Mike Maben said. “They’re so hard to get. You can’t take any of them for granted.”
Graham returned a punt 60 yards to the house to spark the team. Caden Pinnick connected with Jagger French for a 16-yard touchdown pass with no time remaining in the first half to take an 11-point lead into the break.
Pinnick had a 21-yard touchdown run for the first Del Oro score of the game. Pinnick and the Del Oro offense controlled the clock with strong runs and dominant line play. Del Oro running back Kai Acia was the workhorse and ran for a team-high 85 yards.
The Del Oro defense pitched a shutout after Granite Bay running back C.J. Herring scored a 10-yard touchdown with 7:22 left in the first half. The Golden Eagles forced multiple turnovers, which included three fumbles and an interception by Robert Garcia.
“Our defense did great tonight,” Graham said. “It’s going to be very hard to stop.”
Indeed it is. Del Oro went 0-5 during the COVID-19 shortened spring season, which included a 48-7 loss to Granite Bay to end the season. A handful of players were on that roster, including another senior leader in Akio Martinson.
“Best feeling in the world,” Martinson said on the start to the season. “I grew up watching Stone Smartt, Cam Davis and my brother Tatuo at Del Oro. Coming to those games were super fun. I wanted to be just like them but even better. Now we’re here.”
Granite Bay (5-1, 0-1) will face Oak Ridge at home next week. Del Oro plays Rocklin at home for its final home game of the season on Friday.
“It’s a big win because it’s the first league game,” Graham said. “It shows a strong precedent. We have to show the league that we are here to play and we aren’t going to back down from anyone. We (needed) to take it to Granite Bay because they took it to us last year. It was a very personal game.”
This story was originally published September 30, 2022 at 10:59 PM.