A dominant overall team performance led to Golden Valley football hitting 2-0 for the first time in five seasons.
The Grizzlies won the road game, 35-6, behind the passing attack and defensive pass rush that coach Dan Kelley was hoping to see.
Golden Valley quarterback Brandon Contreras spread the ball around and threw four touchdowns on the night. Two passing touchdowns went to senior Jamison Torres, who also added a score on the ground and an interception on defense.
“(Contreras) did a pretty good job of managing the game,” Kelley said in a phone interview. “Not being able to do that last week as much as I wanted to, I felt like we needed to do that this week. So once we were able to establish the run a little bit and get points on the board, we started working the passing game.”
Golden Valley never trailed in the non-league contest as the defense gave up nothing. The Grizzlies totaled 12 tackles for a loss and allowed zero points as the Antelopes’ one score came on special teams later in the game.
Grizzlies receivers Jessen Rodriguez and Jordan Flores also played well and each finished with a touchdown reception.
The Golden Valley defense has allowed just 10 points per game to start the season. Kelley credits his players’ overall quickness.
“I think it’s our total team speed on defense,” Kelley said. “Our defensive line sets the tone, and our defensive backfield does a pretty good job of covering the deep ball and rallying to the football as well.”
Golden Valley will now get an extra day to prepare for week three’s Friday battle with the Lancaster Eagles. Kelley still has plenty for the team to work on in hopes of getting his guys ready for Foothill League battle in just two weeks’ time.
“Even though it’s a victory, we still have a lot of stuff to work on both sides of the ball,” Kelley said. “We’ve got to keep climbing that ladder, and we can’t level off. If we level off, we’re not going to get better. I felt watching the film from last week to this week, we got better. The kids are listening to the coaches, when it comes to fixing things. We want to see if we can get better from week, and get as close to perfect as possible, which is almost impossible. Then you become a better football team.”
The Grizzlies have also not been 3-0 in five years and get the chance for the feat when the team returns home on Friday to host the Lancaster Eagles at 7 p.m. at Canyon High School.
