Football: Balanced Attack Propels Grizzlies to 45-14 Win Over Castro Valley

California 45, Castro Valley 14

The Star: Two players would share this distinction. Quarterback Drew Reil accounted for four touchdowns (three passing and one rushing); senior running back Kyle Alvarez exploded for 207 all-purpose yards and caught a touchdown.

Turning Point: Down 35-7 at halftime, the Castro Valley Trojans had no chance of a comeback. The Cal High offense started fast and never let up. It took the Grizzlies 1:46 of the first quarter to score their first touchdown, and would cash in on all five of their first-half possessions.

The Quote: "I think the (bye week) is at a perfect time. Anytime you can have an extra week to study for a team like Monte Vista is huge because they're really good." — Cal quarterback Drew Reil.

What's Next: The Grizzles have a bye week and will play host to Monte Vista on Oct. 1 in the East Bay Athletic League opener for both teams.

The Bottom Line: It didn't take long for the Grizzlies to assert their dominance over host Castro Valley on Friday night.

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Whether it was a run or pass, Castro Valley's defense had no answer. The California High offense did what it wanted, when it wanted.

Quarterback Drew Reil and running back Kyle Alvarez shined, leading the Grizzlies to a 45-14 victory.  

"We got off to a good start and kept it going," Alvarez said. "We're trying to be more balanced. It's improving."

Part of the improvement is the performance of Reil this season. He completed 9-of-12 passes for 112 yards, throwing for two touchdowns and runnings in another.

Alvarez, who rushed for 143 yards on 10 carries, admitted he was unsure of what to expect from his unproven quarterback. Reil said his emotions have affected his performance in the past, but feels like he's learning to harness it.

"We were scared to have him at first," said Alvarez of Reil. "But he's getting better and that's important (in becoming balanced)."

Head coach Eric Billeci believes execution has been the key to their overall success.

"I think we're doing a better job of executing more than anything," he said. "We want to depend on different guys and that's also part of becoming more balanced."

It took four plays for Cal to score on its opening drive. Two runs of 18 and 36 yards by Alvarez put the Grizzles on the Castro Valley 11-yard line. After another short run, Reil found receiver John Sarmenta wide open for a touchdown.

After the defense forced a Trojan punt, it didn't take long for Cal to strike again. Runs by Brian Krause and Armani Washington set up another easy score. This time Reil found Trevor Taft for his second touchdown.

Aside from one 65-yard scoring drive — aided by two penalties — the Cal defense was stout. It held the Trojans to 100 yards passing, with most of Castro Valley's 149 yards on the ground accumulated against Cal's second-string.

Cal quickly answered Castro Valley's touchdown with two of its own to close out the second quarter. The scores put Cal up 35-7, effectively ending what little chance of hope the Trojans may have had.

The Grizzlies will use the upcoming bye week to rest and prepare for what should be an exciting game against Monte Vista on Oct 1.

Reil may not be able to wait..

"EBAL ball is a competitive league, hard-hitting," he critiqued. "Every game matters, and it would set the tone for the rest of the season.

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California 45, Castro Valley 14

California 14 21 7 3 – 45

Castro Valley 0 7 0 7 -14

Scoring Summary

10:06, 1^st; Cal – Sarmenta 7 pass from Reil (Kick Rivas)

2:18, 1^st; Cal –Taft 14 pass from Reil (Kick Rivas)

9:32, 2^nd; Cal –Spalliero 1 run (Kick Rivas)

5:09, 2^nd; CV –Marsh 10 pass from Chavez (Kick Goulart)

2:20, 2^nd; Cal – Alvarez 10 pass from Reil (Kick Rivas)

0:29, 2^nd; Cal Reil 4 rush (Kick Rivas)

4:45, 3^rd; Cal –Krause 5 rush (Kick Rivas)

5:20. 4^th; CV – Rosby 2 rush (Kick Goulart)

1:45, 4^th; Cal Rivas Field Goal

Individual Statistics

Rushing (Car-yards) Cal- Alvarez 8-143, Krause 6-58, Washington 3-30, Spalliero 2-2, Reil 2-10, Dunn 2-21, Cellarelli 4-20, Pang 1-2, Ezaburio 5-23; CV- Rosby 16-88, Valladares 2-10, Sellers 5-25, Zuluaga 3-17, Chavez 2-1

Passing (Comp-att-yds-int) Cal- Reil 9-12-112, Williamson 1-1-2, Farely 2-2-33; CV- Chavez- 10-20-100

Receiving (Rec-yds) Cal- Sarmenta 4-45, Taft 3-59, Alvarez 2-18, Leimbach 2-33, #40 1-2; CV- Marsh 4-30, Valladares 3-34, Afschar 1-17, Garrick 2-19

Team Offense (rush-pass-total)

California- 309-157-468

Castro Valley 149-100-249

Fumbles/lost Cal- 0/0 CV 2/1

Records Cal 3-0

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