Grant (Sacramento) took down Central East 42-26 in a battle of one of NorCal's top teams versus Central California's top dog.
The Pacers looked like a new team after getting blown out by Folsom on ESPN a week ago, led by a renewed effort from sophomore QB Shiren Crump. It helped that they weren't playing an arguable top-25 team in the country, but this was a far better game from Grant nonetheless. They surged out to a 28-0 early in the second quarter before Central East found its footing, and Central East never got closer than two scores.
Crump announced his presence right away with a game-opening highlight 25-yard touchdown pass to Rahzario "Zo" Edwards. The Pacers got the ball back despite a promising first drive from Central East when Afulu Siona intercepted a deflected pass.
By early in the second quarter, Grant was up 21-0 after rushing touchdowns from Tyson Griffin and Thorne Watson. Crump found Koby Shabazz who outraced Central East's secondary for a touchdown to make it 28-0, and it looked like the Bengals were on the verge of getting destroyed.
But from there, Central East managed to make it competitive.
The Bengals got on the board in the middle of the second quarter when Bayon Harris caught a 35-yard touchdown from Jelani Dippel. Grant missed a field goal after a successful Central East red zone stand on the next drive, and on the very next play, Brandon Smith ran 80 yards for a touchdown to make it 28-14. However, Grant added one more score in the final minute of the half on another Watson rushing touchdown to add padding and preserve some momentum.
Still, Central East wasn't done. Harris had another impressive touchdown catch from Dippel to cut the lead to 35-20 early in the third quarter. And after Grant made it back to the red zone, freshman Zachary Goodwin recorded a momentous end zone interception.
But the Bengals couldn't score again until the final play of the game, a touchdown pass from freshman backup QB Kitiona Lafaele to Titus Thomas, at which point the outcome had long been decided. That made the final score 42-26. Grant had upped its lead to 42-20 in the final minute of the third quarter on Watson's third touchdown of the night.
For Grant Union, this was not only a big win but a stock-raiser across the board. Shiren Crump showed he has what it takes to lead them to yet more dominance, the offensive line showed why its considered one of NorCal's absolute best, and the Watson/Griffin running back tandem showed its meddle. Of course, Grant's elite receiving unit did what it always does. And the Pacers' defense made a statement by holding high-powered Central East to three scores.
Scroll down for a pregame overview of the game followed by results from kickoff to postgame.
Pregame
Time for one of California high school football's most highly-anticipated intersectional games of 2025.
Reigning Sac-Joaquin Section D2 champion Grant Union hosts reigning Central Section I-AA champion Central East in a battle featuring several of the state's top receivers and defensive backs, including Central East all-state RB/DB Brandon Smith (Arizona).
Statewide No. 11 Central East is the favorite on the road against No. 16 Grant thanks to last week's results, in which Grant got shellacked by Folsom while the Bengals cruised past a tough Inglewood squad. But Grant does have its own advantage for having already dealt with a world-beater this fall. Some of the state's top receivers and defensive backs will be going at each other in this one, including Grant WR/DB Koby Shabazz (Sacramento State) and TE Rahzario "Zo" Edwards versus Central East wideouts EJ Morgan (Cal) and Bayon Harris.
Grant Union vs. Central East live updates, results
Grant Union wins 42-26.
FOURTH QUARTER:
Grant 42, Central East 26: Freshman QB Kitiona Lafaele hits Titus Thomas for a touchdown on the final play of the game.
1:47: Edwards exits the game with an injury as Central East turns Grant over on downs.
4th Quarter: Smith is back in the game.
4th Quarter: Lonzo Jenkins gets Central East the ball back with an interception with about nine minutes left in the game.
THIRD QUARTER:
0:44 – Grant 42, Central East 20: Thorne Watson has his third touchdown of the night, this time a short run off an inside handoff through a tremendous hole from Grant's O-line.
3rd Quarter: After the Pacers' defense recovers a fumble, Crump throws an absolute gem downfield to Edwards who makes a fantastic catch and picks up a few more yards after contact. Grant is around Central East's 11-yard line.
3rd Quarter: Arizona-bound RB/DB Brandon Smith hobbles off the field on his own power. If he's out even for a short amount of time, that's a massive blow for Central East.
3rd Quarter: The tides might be turning on a tough break for Grant. Shabazz uncharacteristically mishandles a pass in the end zone which takes an odd bounce upwards and is intercepted by freshman Zachary Goodwin.
3rd Quarter: Edwards makes a tough catch in coverage to convert on 4th-and-long.
3rd Quarter – Grant 35, Central East 20: More Bayon Harris, and Central East is back in it once again. After getting the ball to midfield on a third down tunnel screen, Harris outraces the Grant defense to the house for a long touchdown with help from strong downfield blocking.
Grant leads 35-14 at halftime.
SECOND QUARTER:
0:22 – Grant 35, Central East 14: Grant has no intention of letting the Bengals back into the game, and scores yet another touchdown in the final minute of the half on a Watson run.
2nd Quarter – Grant 28, Central East 14: On the next play from scrimmage, Brandon Smith outruns Grant's entire defense on a handoff and goes 80 yards for a touchdown.
2nd Quarter: Central East's defense holds in the red zone, and Grant misses a field goal.
2nd Quarter – Grant 28, Central East 7: Bayon Harris leads Central East back into the game (perhaps) with two big catches, the second of which was a 35-yard touchdown from QB Jelani Dippel.
2nd Quarter – Grant 28, Central East 0: Crump is having a coming out party. He buys time with his legs and finds Koby Shabazz, who breaks multiple tackles and gives Grant a four-score lead.
2nd Quarter – Grant 21, Central East 0: The Pacers have blown the game open early in the second quarter with their third touchdown, coming from RB Thorne Watson.
FIRST QUARTER:
1st Quarter: Grant's first quarter run continues with an interception by Julian Dominguez.
1st Quarter – Grant 14, Central East 0: Tyson Griffin finishes the drive with a one-yard rushing score.
1st Quarter: Crump rolls out to his right behind some solid blocking and finds Koby Shabazz at the one-yard line.
1st Quarter: Grant ends a furious Bengals drive with an interception deflected into the hands of Afulu Siona.
1st Quarter – Grant 7, Central East 0: Grant scores on the game's opening drive on a highlight 25-yard touchdown strike from Shiren Crump to Rahzario "Zo" Edwards.
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