By Nicholas Ibarra | OBSERVER Staff Writer
MISSION VIEJO – The Grant High School Pacers once again lived up to their billing as cardiac kids, letting a 21-point halftime lead slip away late in last Friday night’s California Interscholastic Federation Division 2-AA state championship football game against Pacifica of Oxnard at Saddleback College.
But as was the case the previous two weeks in the Sac-Joaquin Section and Northern California regional championships, the Pacers hit their stride in the closing minutes. They beat the Tritons 35-28 for their second state title in three seasons.
With less than four minutes to play and the game knotted at 28-28, Grant (12-3) began its final drive at its 23-yard line. Quarterback Luke Alexander completed a pass to Tyson Griffin into Triton territory. Then Alexander hit star receiver Koby “Cheese” Shabazz with an 18-yard pass that Shabazz turned into a touchdown.
The Tritons (11-4) had three minutes to respond, but the Pacers’ defense stifled them.
“This journey has been up and down,” said senior running back Brandon Lambert, who caught a nine-yard pass for a score and later rushed for a six-yard touchdown. “It was crazy, I just knew I needed to get into the end zone.
“We’ve been grinding since January, getting after it in the weight room and outside conditioning. We put a lot of work in. Everybody wanted it.”
Grant co-Head Coach Carl Reed, who took over a losing program in 2021, told The OBSERVER after the stunning turn of events, “This is for the ‘G.’ This is for the community. They absolutely showed out and this team showed out for them.”
Reed reflected on the Pacers’ improbable run to the title, which featured two last-minute drives that snatched victory from defeat. “These kids showed heart the last four weeks. That takes something special,” he said. “They made this community proud. Pacers for life.”
Reed called his coaching staff – which includes co-Head Coach Syd Thompson – the best in Northern California and perhaps the state. “Having these kids prepared, when you have a young team, you have to readjust and have them ready for anything. These young men played their hearts out.”
Heart-pounding finishes were the norm for Grant during the playoffs. In the section championship, Grant trailed Rocklin late before Alexander hit Zo Edwards for a 24-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left, capping a 98-yard drive for a 30-28 victory. Against Saint Francis of Mountain View in the state semifinal, Jose Romero’s field goal with 5.6 seconds remaining gave the Pacers a 32-30 win. Grant began its winning drive with less than 90 seconds left.
“Just keep working, no matter how tough things get or how you’re feeling,” Lambert said, when asked what he was going to take away from the experience. “Pacer pride and Pacer nation is about family. We’re a family. Look at everyone that came out to support us. That’s what it’s about.”
This was the Pacers’ third straight state championship game. They beat San Jacinto in 2022 and lost to La Serna in 2023.
Grant Pacers vs. Pacifica Tritons | 2024 CIF 2-AA State Championship
Support for this Sacramento OBSERVER article was provided to Word In Black (WIB) by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. WIB is a collaborative of 10 Black-owned media that includes print and digital partners.