That's Del Oro, and the 'D' stands for defense in SFL-opening victory over Granite Bay

Football games lacking in points oftentimes are referred to – incorrectly – as a defensive struggle. There was no scoring – zilch – in the second half of Friday night's Sierra Foothill League opener between unbeaten rivals Del Oro and Granite Bay high schools, but the defenses didn't struggle, they were the show. The Golden Eagles' defense dominated in a 21-10 victory, limiting an offense that came in averaging more than 40 points per game to 126 total yards. Granite Bay (5-1 overall, 0-1 SFL) totaled 32 yards and one first down in the second half. "Big win, big win," said big Del Oro senior lineman Akio Martinson. "We prepared really hard. We were ready for it. We came out here and dominated. Our defense was really good. We have a great coaching staff that put us in the best position possible and told us our job. We just dominated our job. That's all we do." The Eagles' total haul for the night was, well, golden: three fumble recoveries, an interception, a sack and a turnover on downs inside their 5-yard line with the game still undecided. Granite Bay punted five times. The Grizzlies performed well enough on defense to win on most other nights, holding Del Oro (6-0, 1-0) to 202 total yards. Eagles running back Kainoa Acia needed 20 carries to gain 61 yards. The difference on the scoreboard was Del Oro taking advantage of two opportunities, each set up by the Eagles' defense with an assist by Granite Bay on the first. Del Oro pinned the Grizzlies inside their 10-yard line, and a 24-yard punt set up Del Oro with a short field at the Granite Bay 33. The Eagles cashed on quarterback Caden Pinnick's 21-yard scramble through a wide-open middle of the field to the end zone one minute into the second quarter. Sam Murray's sack of McCade Long – which earned him the Tackle of the Game award on Tackle for a Cure night – forced another Granite Bay punt, which Thomas Graham returned 58 yards for a touchdown and 14-3 lead with 7:42 left in the second quarter. Graham turned and took a step back after receiving the punt, set his feet and bolted through the teeth of the Grizzlies' punt team to the end zone, aided by several blocks. Granite Bay sophomore Carter Jackson returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards to the Del Oro 10, and C.J. Herring bulled into the end zone on the next play to pull the Grizzlies within 14-10. The game turned with under a minute left in the first half after Granite Bay's Stryder Munoz sacked Pinnick, forcing a Del Oro punt. The Grizzlies had a short field, timeouts and an opportunity to further cut their deficit or take the lead. But Long fumbled the snap on Granite Bay's first play, Del Oro's Brandon Hill recovered, and the Eagles had 34 seconds to go 43 yards. They used every second. Pinnick recorded three of his eight completions for 37 of his 89 yards passing on the drive, including a 15-yard touchdown to Jagger French on the final play of the first half where Pinnick seemed to scramble forever before finding French open. And that was it for the scoring, as the defenses continued to dominate. Del Oro's Robert Garcia intercepted Long midway through the third quarter, and the Grizzlies' Sam Fisher intercepted Pinnick on the next play, returning the ball to the Del Oro 13. The Eagles stuffed Herring at the 4 on fourth down. With Granite Bay in long-ball mode – and rocket-armed 6-foot-5 sophomore Nick Harris relieving Long, Del Oro recovered two Granite Bay fumbles in the fourth quarter, the last by Marcel Urquhart during a punt return, putting the Eagles in victory formation. "I saw the ball get popped out. I was like, 'I gotta get there,' went to the ground, got the ball and just held on until they let me go and then I showed the ball to the ref. That was it," Urquhart said. "We were just rearing to go. We had a job to do. We were just excited to go out there and do well. Everyone's so excited." There were more big plays from the Del Oro D, including a Graham hit that prevented Grizzlies receiver Frank Cusano from making a stretching, finger-tip grab of a Long pass in the end zone on the game's opening possession. Granite Bay settled for a field goal. Graham later deflected another pass at the goal line on the other side of the same end zone. Del Oro next faces Rocklin (5-1, 1-0) in its final home of the regular season; the Eagles play their last three on the road. The Thunder nipped rival Whitney 13-10 on Friday night. Said Martinson, "We'll prepare well for them, get another dub."