All the Golden Valley Grizzlies football team needed was a little home cooking.
Hosting the South Pasadena Tigers on Friday at Canyon High School, the Grizzlies earned their first win of the 2025 campaign, 34-13, thanks to the dynamic duo of senior quarterback Jayce Johnson and junior running back Aaron McCormick.
McCormick ran for three scores and 124 yards. Johnson ran for 136 and two touchdowns, adding 97 yards on 7-of-10 passing.
It was the first game at home for Golden Valley (1-3) after three road trips to start the season.
“It was great,” Johnson said. “Energy was there. Intensity was there. And I think that’s all we needed to get this win today.”
The Golden Valley defense showed up in a big way with five turnovers, including two interceptions. Sophomore Ian Henriquez nabbed one in the end zone as the Tigers (1-3) were driving to end the first half before junior Zeelen Shatswell got his in the fourth quarter on another red zone drive.
“Our defense played tough when their backs were against the ball,” said Golden Valley head coach Dan Kelley. “We made plays when we had to.”
McCormick got the scoring started early with a 49-yard run down the left side less than three minutes into the game. He doubled the Golden Valley lead on the first play of the second quarter, finishing off a long drive with a 3-yard run.
“Just the momentum,” McCormick said of the offense’s fast start. “Once we scored, we gained momentum, and we just kept scoring and scoring, passed it on to our defense, and they kept it up for us.”
Johnson made it a three-possession game with a lightning burst down the left sideline, taking it 87 yards to the house. He displayed his athleticism and dual-threat ability multiple times throughout Friday’s contest, scrambling out of the pocket to escape the pouncing Tigers before unleashing the ball downfield.
“I wish we threw the ball a little bit better than we did, but we did complete some passes,” Kelley said. “But he’s also a guy back there that can help you when things break down and get yards with his legs. He did a good job of managing the offense tonight. He ran the ball really well, and also the offensive line blocked better.”
McCormick completed his hat trick with a 34-yard run late in the third quarter.
Both South Pasadena touchdowns came in the fourth quarter when the result already had been all but decided.
Kelley credited his team for battling through a tough three-game slate to start the season, against teams — Westlake, Crespi and Lancaster — that had a combined one loss entering Friday’s contests.
“Our kids were ready for this,” Kelley said. “They were pumped up. I think the speed of those teams got us ready for tonight, and we didn’t lose a competitive edge and we just kept working hard.”
The Grizzlies held the Tigers to 117 yards of offense in the first half and stopped them on both of their third-down attempts, as well as one on fourth down.
South Pasadena junior Lorcan Swift had an interception in the second quarter.
While it was a night to celebrate for Golden Valley, Kelley pointed to the team’s 12 penalties and over 100 penalty yards as things to improve on heading into the start of Foothill League play next week.
“We had too many penalties, put us in bad positions,” Kelley said. “We had a kickoff return called back for a penalty. We need to clean that up. Those type of things will hurt you in a tight game.”
Golden Valley needed just 10 first downs on offense to get the job done Friday. The Grizzlies scored on both of their red zone drives and turned the ball over just one time. Seniors Oscar Longo and Jevin Smith each had one sack. Henriquez had two catches for 40 yards to go along with his interception.
Golden Valley is slated to host Canyon next week at Canyon High School for the start of the Foothill League campaign. Johnson, a transfer from Canyon, said he’s excited to show what the Grizzlies can do now that they have a win under their belt.
“It really proves that we’re that good of a team, and I think we’re ready,” Johnson said.
South Pasadena has a home game against Franklin next Friday.
