Granite Bay, Manteca face off in SJS Division II championship rematch

MANTECA – Among the hottest tickets in the county sold Friday night were those at Manteca’s Guss Schmiedt Stadium for the much-anticipated rematch of last year’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship game between the Buffaloes and Granite Bay.

Yet nobody expected these two explosive offenses — who combined for a 51-48 Manteca victory in that title game — to end Friday night with a stunning 15-0 shutout by the hometown Buffaloes. Granite Bay, ranked No. 5 by MaxPreps largely due to rostering two Division-I running back prospects and a Washington State-bound linebacker, was vigorously outplayed by the No. 8-ranked Manteca defense.

“We drove past a lot of high schools to get here,” third-year Granite Bay coach Joe Cattolico said before the game. “What’s motivating to us is we get to come down here and play what has been one of the top programs in our section for some time now.”

Cattolico shared with me some concern that his injured starting quarterback would have to miss the game, but his backup, senior Lucas Gruia, was steady in his team’s 27-13 victory over Elk Grove a week earlier. During practice last week, avenging last year’s championship loss was all the Grizzlies could think about plus the two-hour bus ride down from northeast Sacramento.

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Gruia was sacked three times against Manteca, coughed up a fumble, and was intercepted once on a key drive. At halftime, Granite Bay had a sizeable advantage in total offensive yards, 97-34, over Manteca.

Manteca fans had reason to worry considering word had spread like wildfire throughout the packed home-side stands that lead running back Bryson Davis was out with an arm injury. Yes, that Bryson Davis, who rushed for a whopping 342 yards on just 36 carries in Manteca’s opening-week 42-35 victory at Vista del Lago.

“I hyper-extended it in the second quarter,” said Davis, watching his team warm up behind the stadium. “I kept playing, so that might have made it worse. I had an MRI on Wednesday, and the doctor told me it was a torn UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament). He said six to eight weeks, but I’m going to get a second opinion next week and hopefully get some weeks cut off.”

Understandably, it’s a difficult diagnosis for the soft-spoken team leader on both sides of the ball. Against Granite Bay, he watched his teammates begin to wear down Granite Bay’s defense in the second half. An impressive 18-play drive, capped by a 1-yard touchdown plunge by quarterback Garrison Reis, was followed by a 2-point conversion run by Ruben Moreno.

Manteca coach Mark Varnum celebrated the back-breaking drive which featured seven runs by Davis’s replacement, sophomore Jhadis Luckey. Luckey finished with 110 yards and a 6-yard touchdown run of his own.

“Getting to run behind a great line like I did, and run the rock behind them, is just a blessing,” Luckey said. “(Washington State-bound Frank Cusano) went out (due to injury) so that was one less body on the field we had to worry about. We stepped it up out there, got great blocks and we were able to push it through the hole.”

At halftime, Varnum voiced his concerns to offensive coordinator Brian Rhohles about the stagnant offense that, to that point, had accrued just 35 rushing yards and one pass completion — for a loss of one yard.

“Offensively, I talked to Brian and I said, ‘Let’s be us. I know Bryson is out, but we’re still Manteca. Let’s get nasty, let’s get down and go after these guys,’" Varnum said. "We absolutely pounded them in the second half and wore them out.”

Granite Bay had no response in the second half, managing just 32 total yards of offense. Defensive coordinator Rick James, whom Varnum called the best in the business, was visibly elated over the collective effort of his punishing tacklers.

“Granite Bay has some wonderful athletes, and we knew the task at hand was going to be tough,” James said. “I tell you, our guys played so wonderfully well, I’m so proud of them and their defensive effort. I know their starter got hurt, but so did ours. Injuries are a part of this game.”

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James tagged utility defender Daniel Bernal to start at linebacker for Davis, an all-Valley Oak League selection last season. Bernal got the start largely by collecting two sacks against Vista del Lago after coming off the bench. James hoped Bernal would respond to being named a starter in the biggest game of his life.

“Bernal is an energy guy, not even really a starter,” James said. “He’s a hustle kid, a guy who gets in the mix because he’s too good to keep off the field.”

Bernal added two more sacks Friday.

“I got my shot, and I made the most of it,” Bernal said. “I enjoyed it. I’ve been practicing hard because this means a lot to me. I just like hitting people; the harder the better.”

Manteca totaled 177 yards, including 143 rushing yards in the second half.

Pass or Fail

Manteca defensive backs coach Paul Camara, who treats his players to breakfast every Friday, is aware some area coaches believe the best way to beat the Buffaloes, winners of nine section championships, is to pass the ball. The law enforcement professional by trade is aware of the spotlight.

After all, in Week 0 it gave up 363 passing yards to Vista del Lago, including touchdown passes of 25, 35, 60, 70, and 75 yards. It was a rough beginning to the season for a secondary that starts two sophomores and two juniors.

“I love the challenge, and I hope teams show up thinking they can pass on us,” said Camara, who played on Manteca’s 2005 championship team. “I have a talented group, and I’m excited about what we can do. We want to show that we’re not the weakest link.”

Against Granite Bay, his secondary allowed 61 total passing yards, including just one 19-yard completion in the second half.

Buffalo stampede

Bursting through a large banner is a tradition that has become a routine at most high schools, but things didn’t go as planned Friday as Manteca’s players tore through their sign to enter the field. A couple of players at the front of the herd lost their footing and were subsequently stampeded by multiple players behind them. They also began to topple over into what was nothing short of a buffalo-pile.

All business

Twenty-two-year veteran educator Debbie Hill, on hand to supervise the sale of Manteca Buffalo swag, teaches business classes on campus. She admits to not following football as closely as others but contains her hidden empathy when her student-athletes lose.

“If they lose a game, I tell them ‘This is a business class, so let’s get back to business,’” Hill said. “Sports teaches you about life; you win some, you lose some.”

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Granite Bay, Manteca face off in SJS Division II championship rematch