Inches and seconds: Granite Bay survives Del Oro in slugfest

Football is a game of inches but sometimes, it's a game of seconds as well. Both distance and time proved crucial in Friday night's Sierra Foothill League rivalry between Granite Bay and Del Oro, a 48-minute slugfest from start to finish. Trailing 14-13, Del Oro forced a turnover on downs at its 6-yard line and had just 56 seconds to march into field-goal range. Del Oro quarterback Nolen Sauve led a late charge, guiding his team across midfield in the final seconds. But it appeared time had expired after a first-down completion to the Granite Bay 44-yard line. As the Grizzlies celebrated what they thought was the clinching stop, officials put 0.1 seconds back on the clock. The chaos and confusion allowed Del Oro to send out kicker Reid Elam for a potential game-winning 60-yard field-goal attempt. Elam earlier missed wide left by inches and had an extra point blocked, but this was his shot at redemption. Instead, the clock expired before the snap, sealing Granite Bay's 14-13 victory. "That was really gritty, which has been our identity all year defensively," said Granite Bay coach Joe Cattolico. "We've given up a lot of yards, but not necessarily a lot of points. Hopefully, we can try to clean up some things but try to keep it that way as much as possible." "It's a long game, it's a grind and it's a slugfest in this league. But that's what we signed up for," said Del Oro coach Josh Parry, noting the Golden Eagles are a combined five points from being 6-0. "We all love it. We love the challenge, we love the opportunity and we're close. We're going to be better. We're going to try to find new ways to flip that script. We just made too many mistakes tonight and hurt ourselves offensively. We just couldn't get ahead of the sticks and that hurt us." Granite Bay's defense was dominant in the first half, holding Del Oro to 81 yards, but it was asked to do much more in the second half, as the Golden Eagles moved the ball well. Time and time again, the Grizzlies stood tall, forcing a missed field goal in the third quarter that left the Golden Eagles empty handed following a nine-play, 75-yard drive. After turning over the ball and allowing a touchdown, Granite Bay's Julio Ene-Basquez came flying off the edge to block a point-after attempt that proved to be the difference in the game. The Grizzlies were led offensively by bruising running back Isaiah Ene, who punished the Del Oro defensive front for 198 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries, oftentimes carrying multiple defenders into a rugby maul to fight for extra yards. Ene had 161 yards in the first half, including an 85-yard scoring dash in the second quarter that put the Grizzlies on top. He also nabbed an interception in the end zone late in the second quarter to keep Del Oro off the board. "He is a great football player. I've been doing this for a long time and I've coached a lot of really, really good players, and Isaiah is right there in that mix with all those guys," said Cattolico. "He carries a load for us and does a really good job." Parry noted how difficult it was to scheme for a player of Ene's caliber but said the defensive pursuit did a good job containing him in the second half and giving the Golden Eagles a chance to stay in the game. "He runs the ball the way you teach. His shoulder pads are down low, strong legs, high knees. You've got to gang tackle a guy like that. You got to get hats to the ball," Parry said of Ene. "I thought we responded to that challenge. I was proud of our guys for giving ourselves a chance." Del Oro's offense found its legs in the second half, as Sauve made plays with his arm and legs. He had a 21-yard scoring scamper late in the third quarter to move within one and completed 14 of 24 passes for 168 yards to compliment his 41 yards rushing. Luke Galer had five catches for 103 yards for Del Oro. The Golden Eagles shut out the Grizzlies in the second half. Jamison French had a 52-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown in the first quarter, and Chase Carmazzi had an interception in the third. "Our defense was right there, they battled man," said Parry. "We let that one long run go that hurt us, but that happens in this game. It's all how you respond. I'm proud of them and how they responded." Del Oro (4-2, 1-2 SFL) faces another tough test next week when Folsom (5-1, 2-0) visits Loomis, but Parry's message remains the same: Stay the course and keep grinding. Granite Bay (5-2, 2-1) visits Whitney (2-4, 0-2) in Rocklin. GRANITE BAY 14, DEL ORO 13 Del Oro 7 0 6 0 - 13 Granite Bay 0 14 0 0 - 14 DO - Jamison French 52 fumble return (Reid Elam kick) GB - Brody Walker 1 run (Jimmy Deslaurier kick) GB - Isaiah Ene 85 run (Deslaurier kick) DO - Nolen Sauve 21 run (kick blocked)