Gridley rolls over Lindhurst

Kegan Waite scored one touchdown on the ground and another through the air Friday night, as Gridley High’s football team buried visiting Lindhurst, 29-15, at the Bulldogs’ Boneyard.

“The win was huge,” Gridley coach Tim Cox said, adding hopefully it will serve as some momentum for the Bulldogs (1-2).

A year ago Gridley won its first 11 games before falling in the Northern Section Div. II final.

“It was a combination of things,” Lindhurst coach Mike Mason said of the Blazers’ loss. “We didn’t execute very well.”

The Blazers (1-1) dropped several passes, including one in the end zone on their opening drive. They also committed a number of penalties at critical times.

In the first quarter, Lindhurst was flagged six times for 37 1/2 yards. In the third period, the Blazers were flagged three times for 39 yards.

“Lindhurst has a lot of talent and speed,” Cox said.

Waite had his own brand of speed. Waite finished the game with 18 carries for 130 yards, including a 57-yard scamper around left end and down the sideline. He was finally dragged down at the 1-yard line, setting up the Bulldogs’ insurance touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“Kegan’s got good breakaway speed,” Cox said. “But he also showed tonight that he’s got some power. He broke a lot of tackles.”

Waite had 59 yards at halftime, with a lot of that coming off runs up the middle.

“I was trying to look for the hole in the first half,” Waite said. “At halftime, coach told me, ‘use you speed kid.’”

Waite’s first touchdown came through the air, as he gathered in a screen pass from quarterback Scott Peck and bolted 29 yards for the score. It capped a seven-play, 98-yard drive that began after the Gridley defense had stopped the Blazers on Lindhurst’s opening drive two yards shy of the goal line.

Waite also scored the two-point conversion, as the Bulldogs went up, 8-0, with 5:05 remaining in the first period.

Lindhurst tied the game, 8-8, with 6:59 left in the first half when quarterback Rick Davis hit Joey Villasenor with a pass over the middle. Villasenor caught the ball at the 40 over the top of a Bulldog defender and raced the rest of the way into the end zone for a 75-yard scoring toss. It capped a four-play, 89-yard drive. Mike Bush added the two-point conversion to knot the score.

Gridley came right back on its next possession to take a 14-8 lead. Peck hit Jacob MacFarlane in the end zone with a 33-yard touchdown pass after stepping up in the pocket to avoid a blitzing rush. It capped a seven-play, 82-yard drive.

The Bulldogs made it a 21-8 game with 1:58 left before intermission when Waite bowled ahead from seven yards out for the score. The two-play drive began with a 54-yard pass from Peck to Nick Wilson. The score was set up by Spencer Anderson’s interception of a Davis pass.

Lindhurst answered that score with one of its own with 12 seconds left in the first half to close the Blazers to 21-15 at intermission. Davis threw a 10-yard spiral to Eric Arroyo for the touchdown to cap the 55-yard, eight-play drive that took just 1:46.

Gridley’s defense stepped up in the second half, shutting out the Blazers. The Bulldogs added an insurance touchdown with 6:52 remaining, when Peck crashed into the end zone from one yard out, following Waite’s long jaunt.

“Scott Peck had a big game,” Cox said of his quarterback, who transferred to Gridley from Biggs.

Peck completed 9-of-15 passes for two touchdowns and 210 yards, with MacFarlane catching three passes for 91 yards. Gridley added 197 yards on the ground.

After its ground game stalled a week earlier against Live Oak, Lindhurst rolled up 168 yards on the ground against Gridley. Bush carried the ball 25 times for 145 yards. Davis completed 11-of-30 passes for 236 yards. Villasenor had four receptions for 140 yards.

Gridley won the junior varsity game, 28-0.