Grant’s gritty Pacers do it again with a late drive, winning CIF State title. ‘For the G!’
Needing a score in the waning moments, on the road against a formidable foe and the pressure mounting?
That’s ideal stuff for the gritty Grant Pacers, the pride of Del Paso Heights, the pride of Sacramento and a champion for every city-school program in the state.
Behind poised senior quarterback Luke Alexander, the young Pacers drove 73 yards against a battle-tested powerhouse from the Southern Section, and then delivered with 22 seconds left on Friday night in Orange County to win the CIF State Division 2-AA championship against Pacifica of Oxnard, 35-28. In doing so, the Pacers add another chapter to their remarkable, decades-long legacy.
Alexander found Koby Shabazz for an 18-yard touchdown strike at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, the Pacers made one final stand, and the celebration was on.
That’s four straight weeks in which Grant won or sealed a game in the closing seconds — 28-21 at St. Mary’s of Stockton in the driving rain; 30-28 at Hughes Stadium with a 98-yard drive to stun Rocklin in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II final; and last week in Mountain View, where a 75-yard drive was capped in the closing seconds when a field goal from Jose Romero produced a 32-30 triumph of Saint Francis to capture the Northern California trophy.
It took a six-play, 72-yard drive that consumed 3:26 to finish off Pacifica.
“We’ve been here before in this kind of situation — down with two minutes to go with this feeling, ‘we got this!’” Grant coach Carl Reed said amid myriad emotions.
Football means a great deal in Del Paso Heights and at Grant, especially since the Pacers rose to power in the early 1990s. The Pacers won the 2008 CIF State Open championship, the only public school to do so, and they have added three consecutive NorCal banners and two state titles in the last three years.
Grant fans are so passionate and loyal that a group of them hung their own banner at Saddleback College that showcased the 2008 state team. At Grant, players, coaches and community members talk about being a “Pacer4Life” and to represent “The G” as in Grant. The visiting stands were full of Pacers fans young and old, cheering their guys in gold helmets and white uniforms.
“This was for the G,” Reed said. “They came, they showed out, and our team showed out for them. Our kids have absolute heart. That takes something special to do this.”
Pacifica fans, players curse Grant
Grant led 28-7 at the half and then hung on, the Pacers’ best second-half drive coming on the final drive of the season.
It’s a credit to Pacifica to charge back behind fourth-year starting quarterback Dominic Duran, who passed for 293 yards and three touchdowns, each scoring pass going to Alijah Royster.
The effort of the Tritons is to be applauded but not the constant complaining by coaches throughout the game about officiating, and certainly not the postgame scene that nearly escalated from ugly to serious. A Pacifica coach cursed Grant coaches, a Pacifica player hurled a water bottle at Grant players, and it took CIF officials and level-headed coaches a moment to separate everyone.
“Hate to see it,” Reed said. “Both teams fought their hearts out. It got chippy.”
Some Grant players engaged in the war of words after the game, because Pacers don’t back down to anyone, but most of them decided to just wave goodbye to Pacifica players and coaches and the fans in the stands who booed Grant players who got hurt, convinced they were dogging it to slow down the Tritons.
Alexander shines again
The winners were all cheers. Alexander sparkled in his Pacers finale, passing for 303 yards and three scores.
A year ago in this same title game at the same venue, Alexander suffered a concussion late in the half against La Serna of Whittier. Grant lost by a point.
Last season, Alexander led a veteran group with a lot of senior skills players. This season, he directed the youngest group of Pacers to win a section championship.
Shabazz, who caught the winner, is a sophomore who goes by “Cheese” for his happy demeanor. Zo Edwards is a fast-rising national recruit 6-foot-6 sophomore receiver, who had a 26-yard TD from Alexander to give Grant a 14-7 lead. Edwards caught the winner in the closing seconds of the section title game to beat Rocklin.
Grant’s leading rusher this season was senior Brandon Lambert, who caught a touchdown pass and ran for a 6-yard score. He missed much of the second half with an injury, however, but the Pacers turned to freshman tailback Tyson Griffin. He rushed 12 times for 73 yards and he had seven receptions for 81 yards.
The young Pacers played beyond their years in the playoffs, winning all five of those games to cap a 12-3 season.
When Mike Alberghini coached Grant from 1992-2020, winning seven section titles and a regional-record 282 games, he once said, “Nothing beats high school varsity experience. Senior-dominated teams win the championships.”
Yes, mostly. Grant is thin on seniors but showed that championship moxie.
“We were so young entering the season that we weren’t sure how well we’d do,” said Grant assistant coach Devan Cunningham, a former Pacers star lineman. “Even when we got into the playoffs, we didn’t know how we’d do in tight games. We did fine!”
Added Reed: “We talk about growing up, growing up. Now we’re full-fledged adults.”
Jeremiah Tuiileila led the Grant defense as he has for the last two seasons. The San Diego State-bound senior defensive end had two first-half sacks and four for the game, including one Pacifica’s last-gasp effort. Grant’s defense also included a big play from Gary Tia. The junior returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown for a 21-7 Pacers lead.
Pacifica fans midway through the fourth quarter of a tie game booed him heartily when he was on his back, banged up, suggesting they thought he was faking it to stall Pacifica’s drive. He had to be helped off the field, sat for a few moments and willed himself back to make a stop.
Coach’s father beams
As Grant players and coaches celebrated on the field, Lynn Reed stood and watched. The father of the Grant head coach had tears in his eyes. He’s a Pacer4Life, having retired a few years ago after a 32-year teaching and coaching career at Grant, his alma mater. Carl Reed got into teaching and coaching at his alma mater because of the influence of his father.
Lynn Reed was moved by the effort of the Pacers and the coaching excellence of his son, who received his share of boos when Grant went winless in his first season as coach in replacing his mentor Alberghini. Coach Reed has responded with three section banners, three NorCal trophies and two CIF state rings. How’s that for good living?
“I told Carl when he took over that he has to do it his way,” Lynn Reed said. “You can’t do it like coach Al did. You have to be you. It’s hard to replace a coach like Al. So proud of him.”
The proud pop added, “I told Carl that he’s taking years off my life with all these close games, and told him, ‘That’s not right, man!’ Four weeks of this. I’m glad the season is over.”
So is the bearded Reed. Told about his father’s anguish in sweating out the last month, the son said while pointing at his own mug, “See this face? We’ve been through the ringer. The whole team and community has. Good Lord!”
This story was originally published December 13, 2024 at 8:52 PM.