Granite Bay blows out Antelope in second half, wins 51-14

After losing two straight games to strong teams from outside the Sacramento area, Granite Bay had a local team on the schedule last week and turned things around with a convincing 51-14 win against Antelope. The win evened the Grizzlies' record to 2-2 and got the train back on the right track as they head back outside the Sacramento area to Vacaville on Friday. "It was nice to get a win after losing a couple in a row," Granite Bay coach Joe Cattolico said. "The big thing for us in this game is that we came out in the second half, in the third quarter, in particular, we've been struggling; and by and large we played much better in the third quarter against Antelope." The Grizzlies held a 16-14 lead at halftime before scoring 35 unanswered points in the second half, 28 coming in the third quarter. Carter Jackson started the scoring with an eight-yard run before three straight touchdowns by Isaiah Ene, one on a seven-yard run and two more on interception returns from 28 and 60 yards. "It was something we had talked about earlier in the week," Cattolico said. "We hadn't been creating many turnovers, but those we're two big plays." Granite Bay's final score came on a 59-yard run by Jackson in the fourth quarter. Jackson finished with 130 yards rushing on 20 carries, while Ene gained 80 yards on 10 carries. Kai Randall picked up 56 yards on only two carries. Jackson scored Granite Bay's first touchdown while Jack Marek had the second on a 95-yard kickoff return. Santino Andrade tacked on a safety. "We just played better in the second half," Cattolico said. "I don't know if it was anything earth shattering, but I just think we blocked and tackled better and when we had the opportunity to make plays, we made them." Granite Bay is still trying to get healthier. Four starters did not play against Antelope and Cattolico hopes to get a few of those back this week. "Vacaville is a good program that's had a lot of success," Cattolico said. "They're coming off a bye and will be fresh and ready to go and it will be a tough one on the road. Hopefully, this win over Antelope gives us some momentum."