California high school football team eyes state title without completing a pass all season
Granada Hills Charter (Calif.) has its sights set on a state football title but the Highlanders have a different formula for winning than any of their other competitors.
In finishing the regular season 11-2, the Granada Hills offense broke 40 points in 10 games, including a 44-7 victory in the CIF LA City Section Div. I championship, exceeded 50 points in six games, and scored more than 60 points twice.
It did all of this without completing a pass all season long.
Senior Dijon Stanley went 0-for-2 on throws this season. Freshman Isaac Delgado went 0-for-5. That was it.
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Instead, the offense took to the ground, with Stanley leading the way. In his 12 games, he rushed for 2,397 yards on 188 carries, good for 12.8 yards per pop and 199.8 rushing yards per game. He reached the end zone 32 times on offense.
Delgado had 284 yards on 37 carries, good for 7.7 yards per carry and five touchdowns. He looks like he'll be able to pick up the mantle from Stanley just fine after the senior's graduation.
The run game also ran through sophomore Darrell Stanley, who had 1,181 yards and 19 touchdowns on 123 carries.
In total, Granada Hills rushed for 5,412 yards, an average of 416.3 per game, and 75 touchdowns.
The defense and special teams also hit pay dirt often. The Stanleys both scored in all three facets of the game, with Dijon recording a pick-six, punt return touchdown, kickoff return touchdown and 11 successful two-point conversions, while Darrell had two pick-sixes and a punt return for touchdown.
But there's still more work to be done. The Highlanders are now competing in the Div. 4-A CIF State Football Championship Bowl Game, with a semifinal game Saturday against 11-3 Laguna Beach. The state championship game will take place the week after.
Granada Hills may need to start throwing some passes, but hey — don't fix what isn't broken. Rushing for 400 yards a game is certainly not broken.