Grant vs Rocklin, Round III: Sacramento prep football powers meet in next titanic CIF clash
These titans have clashed before, and the efforts resonate even now: Grant vs. Rocklin.
The programs meet Friday night at Sacramento City College’s Hughes Stadium to decide the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship. It’ll be the Pacers of Del Paso Heights against the Thunder of Placer County, the gritty city kids against the tough-minded sorts from the foothills.
A year ago next week, the programs met in Rocklin for the CIF Northern California Division 2-AA trophy a week after winning section crowns at different divisions. The Pacers registered a 41-14 decision and a measure of revenge for old-time Pacers who never forget — and for coaches who grimace when recalling what happened 14 years earlier in a section semifinal showdown between the programs.
In 2009, Grant was coming off of a historic 2008 season, storming to the first CIF State Open Division championship and a 14-0 season. Some Grant players who were on that 2008 team are on the current coaching staff, and Grant head coach Carl Reed was an assistant to the famed Mike Alberghini. That 2008 state victory by Grant elevated the Sacramento region as a whole on the state map, as the Pacers were in the midst of program greatness, having been named by The Sacramento Bee as the region’s Team of the Decade for the 1990s and 2000s.
In 2009, Grant’s 12-0 season was stopped at the goal line in the closing seconds of a section D-II semifinal, thanks to a thunderous Rocklin stand.
Rocklin’s defensive coordinator then was Jason Adams. He’s now the Rocklin coach who has a host of returning players itching for a shot at payback against the Pacers, though players from both sides said this week that the showdown is “exciting” but offered little else.
The section’s top three teams, based on seeding, hail from the Sierra Foothill League. Leading the pack is top-seeded Folsom in Division I, seeking a championship four-peat. Second-place SFL finisher Oak Ridge earned the D-I No. 2 seed with a 17-6 late-season victory over Rocklin.
Folsom (11-1) and Oak Ridge (8-4) cap the weekend as they meet for large-school honors on Saturday night at Hughes Stadium.
Rocklin (10-2) is the top seed in D-II, and Grant (9-3) is the No. 3 seed, having toppled second-seeded St. Mary’s of Stockton 28-21 in a thrilling semifinal.
So there you have it: three SFL teams and the Grant Pacers to highlight the highest divisions. The Pacers take a backseat to no program, certainly, with their share of scholarship football players, NFL talents and a legacy of success.
Grant, Rocklin improved after losses
Adams said his Rocklin team improved after suffering setbacks to Folsom and Oak Ridge, a double wake-up call. The Thunder have impressed in the playoffs in devouring Elk Grove 49-14 and nine-time section champion Manteca 30-7 in a rainy semifinal, using offensive balance and defensive clout.
Grant’s losses this season are to out-of-section powers Clovis East of Fresno, Lincoln of San Diego and De La Salle of Concord, teams that are a combined 22-2. The Pacers were a young team that beat Rocklin last season and they remain a young team, including star sophomore receivers Koby Shabazz and Zo Edwards and freshman linebacker Julian Bruno. Grant seeks its 10th section crown in 11 tries. The Pacers won section D-III titles in 2022 and 2023, and moved up in division per the section’s “sustained success model.”
“It’s great to see what our guys are doing,” Grant co-coach and one-time Pacers star Syd Thompson said. “As coaches, we love to see it.”
Rocklin is led by senior running back/linebacker Derek Keeley; senior receiver/defensive back Mikey Cunningham; senior defensive back Mavrik Collins; and senior linemen Henry Hatada and the shadow-casting, field-tilting 6-7, 315-pound Garrison Blank, who is headed to UCLA to block on scholarship.
Rocklin seeks a section repeat and third overall in six finals appearances.
“We’re playing our best ball and we’re better than we were earlier this season,” Adams said. “We’re going against a helluva program. It’s going to be a great game.”
CIF Sac-Joaquin Section finals schedule
at Sacramento City College
Friday
▪ 11 a.m., Division VI: Bradshaw Christian (12-0) vs. Sonora (10-2)
▪ 3 p.m., Division V: Twelve Bridges (12-0) vs. Patterson (7-5)
▪ 7 p.m., Division II: Rocklin (10-2) vs. Grant (9-3)
Saturday
▪ 11 a.m., Division V: Hughson (12-0) vs. Sutter (11-1)
▪ 3 p.m., Division III: Vanden (10-2) vs. Oakdale (9-3)
▪ 7 p.m., Division I: Folsom (11-1) vs. Oak Ridge (8-4)
For the NFHS livestream links for all title games through ABC JAM Productions, go here.
For complete brackets and ticket information, click here.
This story was originally published November 26, 2024 at 11:41 AM.