QB Jaden Jackson helps new school take down old school in West Park’s win over Roseville
West Park head football coach Jason Tenner expects greatness from his Panther program.
Whether they’re grinding out victories on Friday nights in the fall, plugging away in the classroom or making an impact in the community, Tenner has consistently preached that football is just a minor piece of the bigger picture.
“We want them to be great, both on and off the field,” Tenner said. “We go to Fiddyment Farm Elementary every Tuesday morning and play with the kids. We want them to know it’s more than football. Last year, we were second in the section in team GPA for football. That’s what we’re striving for.”
The product on the field is pretty good, too. The proof was in West Park’s 35-28 victory over Roseville on Friday in the Panthers’ home opener in the first ever football meeting between Roseville’s oldest and newest schools.
Roseville opened in 1912 and has produced NFL players, including three-time Super Bowl champion Tedy Bruschi and current players Kolton Miller and Jordan Kunaszyk.
With the trajectory of its football program, West Park may very well have its share of NFL alumni one day. For now, the Panthers will settle for bragging rights within the Roseville city limits.
“It’s the battle of Roseville,” said West Park quarterback Jaden Jackson, who accounted for three touchdowns in Friday’s victory.
“We’re not scared to fight. If we’re in a dogfight, we’re gonna keep fighting and never give up.”
West Park took eight minutes off the clock on the game’s opening drive, which Ben Osby capped with a 1-yard score on fourth-and-inches.
The Panther defense stood tall on Roseville’s opening drive as Deacon Ogden snatched a tipped pass and returned it 55 yards for a score to make it 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
West Park scored again with 3:23 to play in the second quarter when Jackson hit HaReal Greer in stride for a 22-yard TD pass to make it 21-0 Panthers.
Roseville got on the board with 2:22 left in the first half as Mason Susnara connected with Kenny McClure for a 50-yard scoring play to make it 21-7 West Park at the half.
Roseville kept the momentum to start the third quarter as D’Marcis Gresham chugged 62 yards to the end zone on the Tigers’ first play of the second half, making it a one-score game, 21-14.
West Park responded with a big play of its own as Jackson hit Greer once again, this time for a 64-yard TD strike.
Jackson took in a short score of his own with 9:30 left in the fourth to give the Panthers a 35-14 lead, but Roseville made West Park work toward the end of the game.
Graham Dahle scored twice in the final minute and Kaiden Pedone recovered his own onside kick to give Roseville one last chance with 15 seconds left, butt West Park held on for the win.
“It was stressful because we were up 35-14,” Jackson said. “We had to put our starters back in and fight till the end.”
Roseville (2-1) scheduled all of its nonleague games within the Roseville Joint Union High School District. The Tigers opened with a 48-19 win at Antelope before taking down Oakmont at home 36-7 the following week. Roseville will also play Woodcreek in the annual Junction Bowl rivalry game in the regular season finale on Nov. 1.
Roseville has a bye next week before hosting Yuba City in its Foothill Valley League opener Sept. 20.
West Park (3-0) hosts Woodcreek next Friday in what has become known as the “747” series, named after the last three digits of their shared Roseville ZIP code. West Park and Woodcreek have a competitive series for all sports with the winner of each head-to-head athletic contest receiving a point. The overall winner throughout the school year will receive a championship belt to remain at the school for the following year.
Nick Pecoraro is a sports journalist and host of “Premier Preps with Nick Pecoraro,” a weekly prep show available on YouTube that recaps games and teams in the Sacramento area each week. Find it at youtube.com/@PremierPreps.
This story was originally published September 6, 2024 at 11:11 PM.