Graydon looks to lead Tigers to yet another winning season

The Roseville Tigers are coming off their second football season in a row with a playoff victory and are hoping to build off of a 7-5 record to reach success once again in 2022. "Since I took over, the X's and O's were never the problem, it was the difference in strength between us and the top teams in our league," coach Adam Reinking said. "That was a point of emphasis this spring. Our players had a great spring and our numbers in the weight room show the change in culture that's taking place at Roseville High School." The Tigers had a rough start to their 2021 campaign at 2-3 but won five of their last seven games, including a big Capital Valley Conference victory against Inderkum and a playoff win against Grace M. Davis High of Modesto. One of the biggest strengths of last year's team was offense as they averaged nearly 28 points and 350 yards per game. Two of their main contributors from last season have graduated: quarterback Ryan Graydon and running back Ricky Bastianelli. Bastianelli ran for 924 yards with 13 touchdowns and was named All-Conference. The positive thing is the Tigers have a star returning that can be a dual threat in both passing and rushing with senior quarterback Brandon Graydon, who played under his older brother in 2021. "I think I've improved on my aggression and mentality going into the game itself and I look at practice as another day to get better," Graydon said. "I also feel I've improved physically and mentally in a way to help me on and off the field. I want to lead the league in all-purpose yards, have over 30 touchdowns and want to go undefeated in league while making an impressive playoff run." Roseville High has two senior receivers and a tight end that got plenty of experience last season. Liam Crow, Ethan Okelberry and Nick Macaluso combined for 445 yards and five touchdowns in 2021 and are expected to make a big impact this season. They have also added Joel Bradley at wide receiver who went to the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters meet for the 200-yard dash in track and field and will be difficult to defend. Ryker Davis will be leading both the offensive and defensive lines. On defense, the Tigers are returning defensive end Xavier Garcia, who totaled 36 tackles, two sacks and two fumble recoveries last season. "I feel I've improved on my pass rushing and footwork, working with the coaches on defensive line moves and tactics against an offensive tackle," Garcia said. "My short- term goals are to be the best version out there representing our Roseville pride and long-term, hopefully take it all the way and win a championship." Other players returning include Joey Bagley and Jaden Keirsey, who made big impacts down the stretch along with CJ O'Neal, who is a transfer from Laguna Creek and will be helping out in the secondary with Brady Ranallo. The Tigers begin the season at home against Oakmont on Aug. 19, a team that Roseville defeated last season, before traveling up to Placer on Aug. 26. They also face Laguna Creek and Lincoln in non-league competition before starting Capital Valley Conference action away at Antelope on Sept. 16. "Our short-term goals are to win each week. That starts with Oakmont," Reinking said. "We need to worry about ourselves and do our job and if that happens, we will be in each game we play. We think we will be playing meaningful games in October and will be in the hunt to win a league championship. Ultimately, we played two of the top four teams in the Division III playoff bracket last season and we feel like as a program, we have closed the gap on those teams from last year. The goal is to win the league and go on a deep run into the playoffs."