Prep football: Granite Bay makes big plays on road for Division II upset of Modesto’s Downey
Granite Bay head football coach Joe Cattolico said it best, “It’s easier to play with a lead.”
The Grizzlies (8-4) jumped ahead 21-0 and never looked back as they upset the Knights of Downey High in Modesto, 42-24, in the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs Friday night.
They converted in late-down situations on three of their first five drives which kept the Knights (10-1) on their heels from the beginning of the quarterfinal showdown.
A screen pass on third down turned into a 77-yard touchdown reception for running back Carter Jackson. Isaiah Ene then turned a fake punt on fourth and 2 into a 25-yard gain that helped set up a second-quarter score.
“We were resilient,” Cattolico said of his team’s ability to convert on third and fourth down. “We weren’t very consistent offensively, but we were resilient. We had some big plays ... and converted some third and fourth downs when we needed to, and that was big for us because they’re really explosive offensively.”
No. 3 Downey entered the contest 10-0 with an offense that averaged 45 points a game. But the sixth-ranked Grizzlies asserted their dominance physically all night. Not only did they keep the Knights to just over half of their usual offensive production, they came up with seven sacks on Downey’s prolific quarterback Conner Stoddard and kept the Knights’ rushing game in check.
“We played a really physical schedule all year long against really good ball clubs both in our league and out,” Cattolico said. “Hopefully that prepared us to get to this point and we’re gonna have to do that again next week.”
In addition to the long TD throw, Jackson rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown.
While Stoddard was able to complete 21 of 24 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns, two costly interceptions ended Knight drives. Ene came up with both takeaways while switching to offense to carry the ball 12 times for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
“(Ene) played great, he’s done that for us all year long,” Cattolico said. “I thought it was a really good team effort, but he made some really big plays that were instrumental in us winning.”
The Grizzlies earned their fourth win over Downey in the playoffs and will play in the semifinals for the first time since 2017. They face No. 2 Del Oro, which defeated No. 10 Antelope 46-26 in their quarterfinal match.
This story was originally published November 12, 2022 at 12:08 AM.
