Last-second touchdown lifts Placer over Roseville

The Thursday night lights were shining bright at LeFebvre Stadium in Auburn, as two of the oldest schools in the area, Placer and Roseville, squared off. Offensive power and athleticism reigned supreme, as the Hillmen escaped with a 30-27 victory. Placer (2-0) stormed out of the gate, taking a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter on touchdown runs by Jaden Suggs and Kosta Aleksic. Roseville (1-1) got one back in the final seconds of the quarter, as quarterback Brandon Graydon took it 54 yards to the house to close the gap to 14-7. The Hillmen marched back down the field and punched it in with a one-yard run by sophomore sensation Baylor Kelly, but Roseville took momentum into the half. Graydon found the end zone again with a nine-yard run before an interception and long return by Brady Ranallo put the Tigers in position to kick a field goal before halftime. Roseville came out of the break strong, shutting out the Placer offense in the third quarter and inching closer with another field goal to cut the deficit to one. The Hillmen kicked a field goal to make it a 24-20 game, but Graydon marched his Tigers down the field and gave them the lead with a Johnny Manziel-like scramble with 2:32 to play. For the second time in two games, Placer found itself in need of late heroics. Junior quarterback Josh Craycraft led an impressive 80-yard touchdown drive, 35 of which came through the air. "He has supreme confidence and he trusts his teammates. He just continues to get better and better," Placer coach Joey Montoya said about his quarterback. "I just had to trust the plays, and I have to trust my line," Craycraft said about the final drive. "They've given me the time and I had all the weapons I needed." Placer faced fourth and two with less than a minute left but rather than kick the field goal, Montoya gambled and went for it. The decision paid off, as Suggs rumbled forward for seven yards. A few plays later, Aleksic found paydirt for the second time in the game on an eight-yard run with 10 seconds remaining to give Placer a victory. "I trusted my teammates the whole game," Aleksic said about his number being called at the end. "I knew we're gonna win, I knew that we were gonna go to me there, and I knew everybody was gonna get their job done." Montoya offered praise for his squad in their resilience that has led to two comeback victories to open the season, stating, "I love their resiliency, love their lack of panic in tough situations. That's going to bode well for us in the future." Aleksic rushed for 120 yards on just nine carries, while Kelly and Suggs added 76 and 74 yards. Tight end Josh Maxwell had a big night with 69 yards receiving. On defense, Isaiah Hanley snagged his third interception of the season, and Maxwell had a sack. It was the Graydon show for Roseville, as the elusive quarterback ran for 111 yards and three touchdowns while adding 147 yards passing. His favorite target was Christopher O'Neal, who had seven catches for 109 yards. "The best part about Brandon was not in between the lines. It's after the game with his leadership," Roseville coach Adam Reinking said. "The kids look up to him, and it wasn't so much the plays that he made on the field but his message to the team after the game. That's the type of leadership we need from a quarterback, and that's hopefully going to continue to grow and get better as the season goes on." The Hillmen will travel to the Bay Area next week to take on Silver Creek of San Jose, while the Tigers head down to Elk Grove to face Laguna Creek. Roseville 7 10 3 7 - 27 Placer 14 7 0 9 - 30 Placer - Jaden Suggs 8 run (Jaxon Ramirez kick) Placer - Kosta Aleksic 44 run (Ramirez kick) Roseville - Brandon Graydon 54 run (Joel Bradley kick) Placer - Baylor Kelly 1 run (Ramirez kick) Roseville - Graydon 9 run (Bradley kick) Roseville - Bradley 31 field goal Roseville - Bradley 34 field goal Placer - Ramirez 22 field goal Roseville - Graydon 12 run (Bradley kick) Placer - Aleksic 8 run (kick blocked)