Following a tough loss on the road last week to Hart, the Golden Valley Grizzlies rebounded at home with a win over Castaic.
The Grizzlies defeated the Coyotes, 35-7, and secured their second Foothill League win of the year.
Despite the win, Grizzlies head coach Dan Kelley stated that although the game is a win in the record books, the second half wasn’t football he was proud of.
“You score 21 points in the first quarter, and you’re going into halftime, and you can’t score because of penalties and just terrible decision making, protection and blocking, that’s what I’m upset about,” Kelley said. “We work too hard to prepare as coaches, and we work too hard throughout the week to come out here in the second half, offensively, and not put the ball in the end zone.”
In the first quarter, the Grizzlies’ offense came out firing thanks to opportunities set up from their defense.
On the first drive of the game, Castaic quarterback Aiden Mojica was picked off by Golden Valley defender Zeelan Shatswell.
With possession in Coyotes territory, Golden Valley quarterback Jayce Johnson connected with receiver Ace Frias for the first score of the game.
And on the following offensive drive for the Grizzlies, Johnson scrambled into the end zone for a rushing touchdown.
With two minutes left to go in the first quarter, Johnson threw his second passing touchdown of the game with a connection to Ian Henriquez as Golden Valley extended its lead, 21-0.
In the second quarter, Castaic’s defense was able to force a three-and-out for a turnover on downs.
But the Coyotes were unable to capitalize on the opportunity.
With 16 seconds left to go in the first half, Johnson scored his second rushing touchdown of the night in what would be the final offensive scoring drive for Golden Valley.
After the game, Kelley gave credit to his defense for its performance all game but especially in the first half, as it was one area he was proud of that executed in the game.
“I’m happy with our defense,” Kelley said. “They put us in great field position, but offense didn’t take advantage of that position.”
In the second half, Castaic forced another turnover on downs from the Golden Valley offense.
With possession on their 24-yard line, Castaic quarterback Jack Mackler connected with Andrew Amaya for a 50-yard play.
And on the next play with the ball in Golden Valley territory, Mackler threw a pass that was intended for Vicente Davalos but was picked off by Frias.
But again, Golden Valley’s offense was unable to move the ball downfield and committed another turnover on downs.
On the following drive, Shatswell had his name called again as he picked off Mackler for his second interception of the night.
“Shatswell is a great player,” Kelley said. “He’s a junior, he’s coming back next year, he’s done a lot of great things on defense. He had a pick last week against Hart and he’s all around the ball and plays aggressive.”
In the final minutes of the game, Lance Harper returned an interception for a touchdown for a pick-six and extended the Grizzlies’ lead, 35-0.
With less than 30 seconds left in the game, Mackler threw a last-second touchdown pass to Takai Bogan and avoided the shutout.
The scoring play for Castaic would be the first points the Coyotes scored since August in a loss to Calabasas.
In the end, Golden Valley came out on top at home, but Kelley sees the game as evidence his team needs to work as they go into their bye next week.
“The score is great, but I’m not happy with the way we played in the second half,” Kelley said. “We’re going to watch film and find out where there’s some missed blocks and mismanagement of the football when we were in the red zone. So, we’re going to watch those things and it’s kind of too late in the season if you’re making those type of mistakes, but we got a bye week to fix those things.”
Golden Valley plays again in two weeks at home, hosting the Valencia Vikings.
As for Castaic, the Coyotes are on the road next week at Cougar Stadium with a matchup against the Hart Hawks.
