Del Oro defense, quarterback shine in homecoming win over Menlo-Atherton

Two unbeatens met on the gridiron Friday night in Loomis, as Del Oro High School hosted Menlo-Atherton in a battle of Northern California powerhouses. The iron-clad defense of Del Oro stood tall again, shutting down a high-powered Bear offense in a 42-13 homecoming victory. The Golden Eagle faithful have always been regarded as one of the best crowds in the region, but they are a whole different beast on homecoming. "It's very hard to come into Del Oro, especially with the homecoming crowd," Golden Eagle coach Mike Maben said. "Our kids have been grinding all week doing amazing things both on the field and in the classroom. It's a hard place to come in and have a great game so I think our kids fed off that energy of the community and performed very well." Menlo-Atherton (2-1) was no ordinary cakewalk of an opponent one would expect from a homecoming game. The Bears came into Friday's contest with one of the top recruits in the nation, five-star wideout Jurrion Dickey. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Oregon commit is ranked as the No. 2 receiver in the nation, according to 247 sports. Tasked with defending Dickey for the majority of the night was Thomas Graham II, who had a 3-inch and 45-pound deficit to overcome. Graham held Dickey to 43 yards on four catches. "I came into it thinking that he's just another guy. We eat the same, we breathe the same, he's just another opponent just like every other game," Graham said. "I just played him the same way I would any other receiver. I try to live up to that moment every single time and I feed off of that energy. I just want to ball out every game." Aided by a ruthless pass rush, Graham and the Del Oro secondary held Menlo-Atherton quarterback Billy Johnson to 12 completions on 33 attempts. Aaron Dabney Unfried, Beaux Sauve and Brandon Hill each had an interception. On offense, one of the most impressive performances of the night came from Del Oro quarterback Caden Pinnick. The junior began the season platooning under center but has moved into the starting role. Pinnick passed for 249 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 completions and added 46 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Two of Pinnick's touchdowns were reeled in by Tommy Poe, who totaled 80 yards receiving. "The pass game really opened up because we have a strong-enough running back core," Pinnick said. "We can run it down their throats, but then when we want to take a shot when we need to. My receivers, they're just all weapons. Everything worked for us." "Pinnick gets better every single time that he gets his hands on the ball," Maben said. "Hopefully, he continues to progress and progress. He's not only getting better as an individual, he inspires his teammates as a leader and he's kind of solidifying himself in that position." On the ground, Kai Acia was the bell cow for the Golden Eagles with 51 yards on 17 carries. Acia's biggest play came when he caught a pass near midfield and bowled over the Menlo-Atherton defense for a 74-yard touchdown. Del Oro's leading rusher was sophomore Marcel Urquhart with 57 yards on nine carries. Del Oro (5-0) is idle next week and enters Sierra Foothill League play unbeaten for the first time since 2018, the last time the Golden Eagles made it to a state championship. The Golden Eagles open SFL play at home Sept. 30 against Granite Bay (5-0). "Every week we're trying to get a win. We can't get complacent," Pinnick said. "We're not going to let up, and we know we have to grind it out in a league like the SFL." "This is a team with a lot of confidence right now," Maben said. "I hope our momentum could withstand a bye week because things only get tougher in a league like ours." Menlo-Atherton 6 0 7 0 - 13 Del Oro 14 7 14 7 - 42 MA - Sherrod Smith 23 run (kick failed) DO - Tommy Poe 39 pass from Caden Pinnick (Cameron Smith kick) DO - Kai Acia 74 pass from Pinnick (Smith kick) DO - Thomas Graham II 22 pass from Pinnick (Smith kick) DO - Poe 31 pass from Pinnick (Smith kick) MA - Smith 80 run (Dash Franklin kick) DO - Sam Murray recovered blocked punt in end zone (Smith kick) DO - Pinnick 25 run (Smith kick)