by John Sexton, sports editor
There is nothing more beautiful than a quarterback running over a safety in the open field.
Senior Kevin Farley sealed a narrow Grizzly victory last Friday night over a scrappy Foothill team by doing just that.
With Cal clinging to a 22-17 lead in the game’s final minute, Kevin bowled over Foothill’s safety on a keeper up the middle to give the Grizzlies a first down and allow them to run out the clock.
Despite improving to 4-0, 1-0 in EBAL, Cal allowed the game to stay much closer than it should have been by some sloppy play. The Grizzlies missed two extra points and fumbled on their own 20-yard-line.
Pass interference penalties also continue to be a problem for the Grizzly secondary, as they struggled to cover slippery Foothill receivers.
On a positive note, seniors Armani Washington and Timmy Mertes both had drive-ending interceptions . Armani also had a 53-yard TD catch.
Senior running back Jerrell Dunn had over 100 yards and two TDs against a stout Foothill run defense.
The Grizzlies face Monte Vista tonight at Monte Vista. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
Tonight’s game will be a tough test for the Grizzlies.Monte Vista (1-0 EBAL, 2-2 overall) beat Granada last week by one point and recently lost a close game to Pittsburg.
But pre-league blowout wins over Washington, College Park and Castro Valley proved Cal has picked up right where it left off last season.
The Grizzy ground game has been quite formidable behind a trio of tailbacks in Jerrell, Armani and junior Karris Johnson.
Also providing key yardage is senior fullback Brian Krause, who has been a constant threat to gain big yards out of the backfield.
Starting behind center for the first time, Kevin has done a good job replacing Drew Reil, throwing three TDs in each of the first three games.
Also getting snaps this season will be sophomore Cameron Owen.
“Cameron runs very well,” said senior cornerback David Pray. “Once he learns the offense completely, he’ll be really good.”
Cal wrapped up the non-league portion of its schedule on Sept. 16 with a 45-14 trouncing of Castro Valley.
Kevin got in a rhythm early and accounted for three touchdown passes.
In a rare Saturday night game on Sept. 10, the Grizzlies defeated College Park 52-14 at Diablo Valley College.
David and Timmy pitched in with interceptions on the way to the win.
Senior defensive tackle Jose Rosado started off the season with a bang in the season opener on Sept. 2 at home against Washington.
Defensive linemen rarely take the spotlight, which made Jose’s strip of the Husky quarterback so spectacular.
Jose grabbed the ball and ran for 40 yards before being brought down. The play stopped a scoring chance for Washington and was a key moment in Cal’s 43-20 victory.
In the game, Jerrell rushed for 90 yards on 16 carries and Karris scored a TD.
Armani had his fingerprints all over the game as well with two rushing scores and one TD reception.
This year, the Grizzlies participated in a scrimmage at Pittsburgh High, where they tested their mettle against Pittsburg, James Logan, and De La Salle. The scrimmage pitted the top four teams in the Bay Area against each other. The Grizzlies did well in these scrimmages, unofficially beating Pittsburg and holding its own against Logan and De La Salle.
