Grizzlies lead late, but Cents come back

 

Saugus’ Kevin Venger (32) pulls in a short pass against Golden Valley at College of the Canyons on Friday as the Centurions earned a 32-22 victory. Signal photo by Dan Watson.

Saugus’ Kevin Venger (32) pulls in a short pass against Golden Valley at College of the Canyons on Friday as the Centurions earned a 32-22 victory. Signal photo by Dan Watson.

It was clear from the outpouring of emotion after the game that this one meant a lot for the Saugus Centurions.

In a season marred with injuries and close losses, the Centurions got to go out on a strong note with a 32-22 comeback victory over the Golden Valley Grizzlies on Friday night’s regular season finale at College of the Canyons.

While Saugus (3-7 overall, 2-3 Foothill League) finished fourth in the final league standings and will likely miss the playoffs, the significance of the win was not lost on Centurions senior Zach Gragas.

“It was about finishing our season and trying to do what we set out to accomplish,” said Gragas, who had eight tackles as linebacker and also caught a key touchdown pass late in the game.

Golden Valley (3-7, 0-5) led its second straight league game into the fourth quarter after an Anthony Perez 8-yard touchdown run made it a 22-17 Grizzlies lead with 11:14 to play.

But on the ensuing drive, Saugus re-took the lead when quarterback Louis Eusebi found a wide open Gragas on a 23-yard scoring pass on pivotal fourth-and-4 play. After a two-point conversion, the Centurions led 25-22.

“I got off the line and no one was around me other than the ref,” said Gragas of his first touchdown of the season. “I thought the ball was going to hit the ref before it was going to get to me.”

Later in the fourth quarter, Saugus running back Troy Williams capped off a six-play, 43-yard drive with a 12-yard run into the end zone to seal the victory and set the final score at 32-22.

Williams gained 172 rushing yards on 25 carries and also caught a 5-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to put his season total 1,514 yards on the ground and 22 total touchdowns.

Saugus’ David Aubrey (45) fights off a tackle by Golden Valley’s Dominic Fernandez (3) and goes in for Saugus’ first touchdown at College of the Canyons on Friday. Signal photo by Dan Watson.

Saugus’ David Aubrey (45) fights off a tackle by Golden Valley’s Dominic Fernandez (3) and goes in for Saugus’ first touchdown at College of the Canyons on Friday. Signal photo by Dan Watson.

“It’s nice to come out on top and give this class of seniors an end to their frustration,” said Saugus head coach Jason Bornn.

Meanwhile, the frustration continues for the Grizzlies after yet another winless season in Foothill play. Last week, Golden Valley led late in the game against West Ranch before eventually losing 26-23 in overtime.

And once again on Friday, Golden Valley trailed early in the game and went into halftime down 14-7 before mounting a second-half rally.

“Golden Valley football is competitive,” said Grizzlies head coach Dan Kelley. “At the beginning of the year, when we were down, we were out. Now, we were down and we fought.”