First flexibility, then flex: Granite Bay topples Christian Brothers on short notice

It pays to be adaptable these days. Just about 24 hours before Saturday's 1 p.m. kickoff at Christian Brothers High School, the Granite Bay football team was prepared to host longtime Sierra Foothill League rival Del Oro on Friday night. But COVID-19 is still a formidable foe that does not care about anyone's plans. The season-opener between Granite Bay and Del Oro was scratched after positive COVID tests were reported from the Golden Eagles' program. Roseville, which was originally scheduled to play Christian Brothers Saturday, had the same issue with a member of its varsity team. Fortunately, the Grizzlies are adaptable. They slid into Roseville's place at Peter Bollinger Stadium on less than a day's notice and carried out their Friday-night intentions on Saturday afternoon instead. Behind three touchdowns apiece from seniors Cole Roth and Christian Perry, Granite Bay beat Christian Brothers 40-22. "There's been so many ups and downs with this whole thing, so we were prepared for anything to happen," Granite Bay coach Jeff Evans said. "Our guys have been flexible throughout this thing. We said we're not playing tonight. We're walking through and we're playing Christian Brothers. We don't know what they're going to run. Doesn't matter. We're just gonna focus on ourselves." The focus for the Grizzlies has been on playing for each other, especially the group of 21 seniors, most of which have played together since they were 8 years old. On Saturday, that group's efforts went through Perry and Roth, which sort of has the sound of a future law firm. Roth runs like a truck at 5-foot-11, 207 pounds. He drove for rushing scores of 17, 1 and 4 yards in the first half, totaling 194 rushing yards for the game. Perry, normally known for his ball-hawking skills in the defensive secondary, took over in the second half with rushing scores of 9 and 4 yards on his only two attempts. He then had a 23-yard catch-and-run TD from quarterback Nick Poulos. "The seniors are playing for one another," Evans said. "They've stuck it out through the ups and downs. The core unit of our senior group has been together for a long time, and you can tell that they're talented and special." Perry's first touchdown run came with less than two minutes gone by in the third quarter and capped 26 straight points for Granite Bay after the Falcons' initial score. Granite Bay also had solid defensive contributions from Perry in the secondary along with Cole Christoffersen, Talsen Smith, Caymen Stevens and Stryder Munoz, a sophomore who made some big plays for the Grizzlies. "We're playing for each other," Roth said. "That's the only thing we can play for now. We play because we love the game and because we love each other. That's just how we do it. That's Granite Bay football in a nutshell." The Grizzlies plan to stay flexible in what has already proven to be an unpredictable spring season. The important thing for Granite Bay is that they have a chance to compete after so much time was lost during the pandemic. "Our part in this whole pandemic is to be patient and keep on working," Evans said. "That's a small price to pay compared to what others have had to do. We're just happy to have a chance, and we're going to take every advantage. "It is kind of a relief not to worry about rankings and who we have to play in three weeks. It's just the love of the game. These guys are here because they love it, and I think you saw that today."