Del Oro wields the Shield, honoring officer in rivalry football win over Rocklin

Jason Adams and Josh Parry could save the Knute Rockne speeches for another week. The head coaches of the Rocklin Thunder and Del Oro Golden Eagles, respectively, didn’t need to motivate their players this week.

It’s another Sierra Foothill League slugfest between fierce rivals.

But the real reason for the extra juice was the effort to secure the Battle of the Shield in honor of Matt Redding, a Del Oro graduate who later became a Rocklin police officer. Redding was killed by a drunk driver in 2005 along Highway 65. The year before his death, Redding was presented with an award by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for making the most DUI arrests in Placer County.

So Friday night in Rocklin was “win one for Redding.” The teenagers won’t know who the Gipper was, or care. But they certainly cared about winning the Battle of the Shield and honoring the memory of a fallen officer who will be forever connected to both communities. The shield is a perpetual trophy given to the victor each year.

Bee-ranked No. 5 Del Oro got the Shield back with a 15-14 victory over No. 6 Rocklin, their Sierra Foothill and area rivals Friday night in Rocklin. It was the 15th anniversary of the first Battle of the Shield. Del Oro now leads the Shield rivalry 8-7.

Rocklin was leading 14-0 early in the fourth quarter and was in control. The Thunder defense had stymied the Golden Eagles run game until Brock Sherman got loose for 52- and 34-yard touchdown runs on consecutive possessions. The runs bracketed a crucial Rocklin fumble.

After Sherman’s 52-yard score, Parry decided to go for two points and Nolan Sauve hit 6-foot-6 tight end Luke Galer in the back of the endzone to cut the lead to 14-8.

Rocklin quarterback Reeve Slone responded with runs of 11 and 13 yards, but as he tried to avoid pressure in the backfield, the ball popped loose. Three plays later Sherman marched his way through Rocklin for the game winner.

“I trusted my teammates, I trusted the lineman,” Sherman said of his late heroics. “They blocked perfect for me on those two runs. I’m really proud of them. They stepped up. The game was pretty close, came down to the final eight minutes. We just kept grinding, kept pushing through, and we came out with the win.”

Ashton Greenhalgh intercepted Slone at Rocklin’s 39-yard line and three kneeldowns later the Battle of the Shield was over.

John Redding, Matt Redding’s father, addressed both teams at midfield. He thanked them for their effort and reminded them that drinking and driving can destroy lives.

“We’ve talked about (Redding) a bunch with our boys and the impact he made in the community when he was a student athlete at Del Oro and as a police officer in Rocklin,” Adams said before the game Friday. “The importance of the community service said all of our law enforcement and first aid responders, all that stuff, it all kind of goes in there. We talk about it a bunch.

“But you know, Matt Redding, we try to make him as real and tangible as possible so guys get a feel for him and what he meant to both communities. We have three former Rocklin (football players Tyler Geide, Dylan Dugger and Jake Trickett) in Rocklin’s (police) department.”

Adams said then-Del Oro coach Casey Taylor, now at Oak Ridge, reached out to Rocklin High after Redding’s death and suggested they memorialize Redding’s service with the Shield game. The award is just seven years younger than the perpetual Quarry Bowl granite trophy that goes to the winner of the rivalry game between Rocklin and Whitney High.

“We are hoping that we were developing community service members within our program, people who want to make everything better in our classrooms, our hallways, and our practice fields, our community,” Adams said. “So, Matt’s situation, as tragic as it is, really allowed us to reach more people, I believe.”

Parry was his usual demonstrative self after the game. The former NFL fullback was fired up with his team on a two-game SFL winning streak after beating Jesuit last week 29-16. But before the game, Parry knew what this game meant, not just for his team and the Thunder, but for both communities.

“We talked about the service that people provide, that we may take for granted,” Parry said of his team’s extra mental and emotional preparation for Friday’s game. “So, we recognize that. We recognize that as a big part of the team, those roles that step in front and say, ‘Hey, here’s how we need to act. Here’s how we need to behave. Here’s how we protect each other.’ And we celebrate that. You know, it’s a lot bigger game than it is out there on the field. John Redding came by before the game and said hi to the guys. That just really hits home, man.

“There’s a bigger picture. And we’re so thankful to have the opportunities to play, and we just want to remind them to be thankful, be appreciative, be gracious. Do things the right way.”