Grant Pacers return to CIF state championships after racing past Rocklin in NorCal final
Fifteen years ago, the Grant Pacers took their football act to Southern California and delivered a performance for the ages. They won the CIF State Open Division championship in the closing moments over the No. 2-ranked team in America in Long Beach Poly.
Here come the Pacers again, a new batch of stars with the same old principles of grit, hard work, fired-up coaches and an array of sensational athletes. For the current edition, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3 — the jersey numbers of their go-to power sources.
With Wayshawn Parker, donning No. 1, bolting or bulldozing his way for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, with Kingston Lopa (No. 2) scoring on offense and defense, and with running back Devin Green (No. 3) reaching the end zone two times, Grant overwhelmed Rocklin 41-14 on Friday night in Placer County to seize the CIF Northern California Division 2-AA regional championship.
After players threw water, ice and just about anything they could get their hands on in the air to celebrate, co-coaches Carl Reed and Syd Thompson settled their giddy group to express pride. They broke the huddle with a chant on three: “1, 2, 3 — LA!”
That was to signify where this season of promise will come to the end, in the state finals at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo on Saturday night. OK, so that game will not be held in Los Angeles, but a “1-2-3 Mission Viejo!” cheer wasn’t going to roll nearly as smoothly.
The point is, Grant heads back to SoCal with a shot to win its third CIF state crown, which includes last year’s remarkable effort to the 3-AA mountain top, a championship game that was played on its home turf in Del Paso Heights.
And nothing inspires the Pacers more than doubters, of which there were many on social media this season and this week. The theme was that Grant may be good, but it couldn’t possibly hang with the big boys. How could the D-III Pacers compete with a powerhouse such as Rocklin?
Answer: Go with your 1-2-3 attack, rely on the young offensive line and emerging quarterback, and then turn your stout defense loose and take it from there.
“We took care of business,” Parker said amid a joyous postgame scene. “The way I was running, how Devin was running and Kingston Lopa doing all of that, we’re hard to beat.”
The Pacers were not sharp early, committing four penalties on their first drive before settling down.
“Told the guys that we can’t get emotional,” said Reed, like Thompson, a Grant Pacer from yesteryear. “I mean, we’ve had adversity all year. We’ve fell behind this team or that team, and then a war of attrition, and then we took over.”
The UNLV-bound Green had a 2-yard touchdown to pull Grant to within 7-6 (the Pacers missed the extra point), and he made it 34-14 with a 61-yard touchdown romp. The senior rushed for 117 yards.
The Oregon-bound Lopa put Grant ahead to stay at 13-7 with a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown with 7:53 left in the first half, and he pushed it to 20-7 with 5:52 left in the third quarter with a 14-yard touchdown catch from Luke Alexander.
“He’s a special player,” Reed said of Lopa. “He plays big in big games. Kingston Lopa rises to the occasion every time. And Devin and Wayshawn know what it’s like to be Pacers. And shout out to our O-line. No senior starters on that line. And our defense came up big and knew they had to have stops. Our front seven just played sideline to sideline.”
The Grant defensive front was led by junior end Jeremiah Tuiileila, who had another sack to give him 20 on the season. Grant had four sacks and held the Thunder to a season-low point total.
The Washington State-bound Parker had a 1-yard plunge to give his team a 27-14 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter, and then the stadium lights went out. They soon came back on, but Parker doused the Thunder’s seasons for good with a twisting and turning 28-yard TD effort with 3:42 to play for the final margin. He rushed for 151 yards.
Grant (12-2) will play La Serna of Whittier on Friday at 4 p.m. at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. Serna (12-2) beat Orange Vista 49-32 in the SoCal Regional final. Rocklin, winner of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship, finished 12-2.
This story was originally published December 2, 2023 at 12:15 AM.