What a great Grizzly weekend
Monday, 31 October 2011 16:15
SportsBy Fernando Gonzalez and Ismael Ruiz
Who would have thought that the game on Friday, Oct. 28 would turn out to be a nail biter to the very last second of the game?
The Granite Hills Grizzlies were able to achieve something that had not been done on the varsity level in the past couple of years.
Both teams were hurting before the game had even begun due to the fact both teams had player who had to sit the game out because of violation of school policy; so even though not all people will agree, that leveled the playing field.
The Grizzlies already suffered from a numbers problem which made it difficult for them because they had to make last minute arrangements. The Grizzlies had several players playing out of position while Porterville with its 50+ players just simply had to put the backups in.
Even with players missing, the Grizzlies weren’t going to let up. It was actually the complete opposite; the Grizzlies came out fast and stunned the Panthers right off the bat. The Grizzly forced an Interception on the Panthers first offensive possesion. Mark Bernal, who made the interception, gave the Grizzlies great field possession at the Panthers own 35 yard line.
The Porterville turnover turned out to be very costly as the Grizzly offense was able to plunge the ball down the field. Naserdine “Big NAZ” Abdulha finished off the drive with a 15 yard touchdown to give the Grizzlies a 6-0 lead.
The panthers seemed to be giving up turnover after turnover when they could have had big time game changing plays. The panthers had a total of six turnovers during the game, which was clearly an advantage for the Grizzlies.
Both Jairo Madrigal and Jorge Huanaco had touchdown saving forced fumbles to keep the momentum on the Grizzly side and the Panther offense out of the end zone. However, because of the Panthers big play ability; they were able to score right before the end of the first half to give them a 21-14 lead going into halftime.
“I saw that we were only down by a touchdown at the half and I had some hope for our Grizzlies because they almost tied the score at half” said JV football player Juan Jaimez.
In the second half the Grizzlies came out fast and determined to win the game. The Grizzly were able to easily move the ball on the Panther defense into their own territory, but came up short on almost every drive.
The Grizzly defense was able to keep the Panthers to a scoreless second half to help keep the Grizzlies in the game and give them a chance to do what nobody thought they could do. The panthers not being able to score in the second half ultimately played a huge role in the outcome of the game.
On the Grizzlies last offensive drive they gave it everything they had and were able to move the ball down the field both on the ground and in the air. With 1 minute and 46 seconds left to go in the game, running back, Brandon Avalos, boomed his way into the end zone to make the score 21-20.
The Grizzlies made an incredibly risky decision to go for 2 points to win the game instead of tieing and going to overtime. But the decision turned out to be the best decision all night from either team as wide receiver, Dante Cunningham, came down with the leaping catch to give the Grizzly a 22-21 lead with 1 minute and 40 seconds left to go in the game.
“It was amazing beating them,” stated Avalos. “Losing to Monache was tough, but beating Porterville was the best; it was the win that I have wanted all season and we got it.”
The crowd went completely insane and the Panthers were left stunned. The Panther offense came out on the field in their last attempt to try to win the game, but the solid Grizzly defense held them back once again. This forced Panther quarterback Cody Henwood to throw an interception to the Grizzly safety, Mark Bernal (his second interception of the night), to seal the victory for the Grizzlies with less than a minute to go in the game.
“This win was very huge,” stated Head Coach David Coldiron. “We had a lot of players who really showed dedication. This win is good for our football program overall. Larger than that, it is good for our school, teachers, students, and kids. This win shows that we can compete and we can beat those guys.”
Once the scoreboard hit 0.0, Grizzly fans came rushing onto the field overjoyed to congratulate their Grizzly Varsity Football team on their amazing win. The Grizzlies showed that they do belong with the rest of the great teams in the EYL and they also showed why they are great contenders for the Division 5 Valley Championship.
“Sometimes the situation isn’t always in our favor because we play in a tough league, but we managed to pull out a win,” stated Coldiron. “Winning this game shows all of the young people that hard work does pay off as long as you work and stick with it.”
The Grizzlies travel this week to Tulare to take on the Tulare Western Mustangs in hopes to gain an even higher seed in the Division Five playoffs and hopefully earn themselves a home playoff game.
Above Photo: Mark Bernal pummels through a crowd of panthers in hopes of reaching the in end-zone.(Photo by Sheng Lor)Gazette Supporters
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Porterville, CA 93257
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