California looks ready for EBAL “meat-grinder” after it overwhelms Granada in dominant second half

SAN RAMON — It took four minutes and four seconds for California to turn what was a competitive homecoming game against Granada into an eventual 41-17 victory. 

Upon receiving the opening kickoff with a 21-10 lead that could have been much smaller had the visitors not squandered opportunities, California marched downfield on a five-play drive that ended with quarterback Jayden Macedo finding Chase McGill for the tight end’s seventh touchdown of the season. 

After a Granada three-and-out took a minute off the clock, a long punt return set up Sayyidi Addul-Kareem’s second rushing touchdown of the night with 7:56 on the scoreboard. 

Granada never recovered from the third-quarter blitz, one in which Grizzlies pass-rushers got into the backfield at will, and receivers ran open and running backs roughshod. 

The game displayed the disparity in talent between a competitive team from the East Bay Athletic League’s lower Valley Division such as Granada, and a good team from the upper Mountain Division.  

“They’re a physical team, and we tried to bring it, too,” Granada coach Marc Moses said. “My hat’s off to them … this shows where we need to go.”

Cal quarterback Jayden Macedo completed his first eight passes, throwing for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Devan Love had 131 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, and the team rolled up 182 yards on the ground and four touchdowns. 

Love also picked off a Granada pass on the Livermore school’s first drive, which set up a two-play California drive Macedo punctuated with a 17-yard TD pass to top target Nick Fox two minutes into the game. 

Granada’s Quinn Boyd entered Friday night owning a sterling 16-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, with the senior dividing his attention between receivers Christian Clauser, Peyton Richards and younger brother Mikey Boyd. 

The 6-foot-4 Boyd passed for 170 yards and showed off his speed by rushing for 40 yards. His scrambles helped Granada march downfield for a 10-play TD drive running back Clouser capped with a three-yard run into the end zone. 

California answered with a four-minute drive that Abdul-Kareem finished with his first rushing touchdown, 40 seconds left in the first quarter and with Cal leading 14-7. 

“Tonight we really wanted to stay focused, since we had homecoming and everything going on around us,” Abdul-Kareem said. 

The Grizzlies looked focused after taking a two-touchdown lead with 8:38 left in the first half, when Love handled an option pitch from Macedo and ran down the left sideline for a 15-yard touchdown.

The only other points Granada could muster was a 39-yard Brandon Niemeyer field goal to make the halftime score 21-10, despite moving the ball somewhat well.

“A few things go a little better for us, and I feel like we have a better shot,” Boyd said. 

After California’s student section selected its homecoming court, the Grizzlies that took the field after halftime looked like the team that has shot up the Bay Area News Group’s rankings. 

Its 3-2 record belied the Grizzlies’ talent, the San Ramon school’s two losses being to San Juan Hills from Orange County and a 38-35 defeat at No. 4-ranked Pittsburg.

Coming off a 48-6 rout of previously undefeated Milpitas, history indicated the Grizzlies would have no issues putting away Granada. California had won the previous nine meetings, triumphing by double-digits in seven of those games.  

Three second-half touchdowns made it 10 in a row, the lone Granada touchdown being a 52-yard bomb from Boyd to Richards early in the fourth quarter. 

The quarterback spent much of his night under duress from Cal’s pass rush, with frenetic defensive end Ethan Cullen totaling three of Cal’s five sacks. 

“Ethan has a great motor,” California coach Danny Calcagno said. “He’s undersized, but he plays with great technique and he’s got a lot of heart.”

Granada will play host to Dublin next Friday. California, which improved to 4-2, has a bye next week and then will start its EBAL Mountain schedule at Monte Vista on Oct. 13. 

The battle-tested Grizzlies believe they have what it takes to compete with the powerhouses of the league.

“It’s a meat grinder, but we’re ready for it,” Calcagno said.