Searching for its first win of the football season, Grace Academy made it happen in a convincing 38-0 homecoming victory over winless Sale Creek on Friday night.
The teams traded possessions after the opening kick, but the Golden Eagles capitalized on their second possession, scoring on a 27-yard strike from Jared Thompson to Jared Roberts. Rain during the day made for poor field conditions in the evening, and both teams struggled to move the ball downfield throughout the first quarter.
Grace Academy reached the end zone again in the second period, this time on a 21-yard pass from Thompson to Austin Walls, who made a leaping grab. The extra point and a field goal capped the first-half scoring, and the Golden Eagles headed to the locker room up 17-0.
"It's always great when you get a win," Grace coach Bob Ateca said. "Everyone seems to practice harder -- be a little healthier on Monday -- and we have a big regional game next week."
The lead meant shifting from a steady air assault to a relentless ground attack in the second half for the Golden Eagles. They accumulated nearly 200 yards rushing in the half.
"We challenged our kids to go out and run the ball and control the clock," Ateca said. "I think we did a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage."
James Rowell emerged as Grace's biggest weapon, scoring three touchdowns in the final half, including one for 81 yards. He totaled 166 yards for the game.
"The line did what they were supposed to do, so it made it easy for me," Rowell said. "All I had to do was run."
Two of his scores came in the third quarter to give the home team a 31-0 advantage, and his fourth-quarter touchdown run swelled the lead to its final margin.
The young Sale Creek team is still waiting on its first win, but coach Ron Cox said he saw good things out of his defense.
"They played well in the first half," he said. "They scored 17 on us, but our guy was inches from having what could have been a pick-six on one of those, and you just have to go for that. But you have to play for 48 minutes, not 24.
"On offense, we just couldn't move the ball, and if you can't move the ball you can't score. If you can't score, you can't win. We're young at running back, young at quarterback, and we just have to go back to work on Monday."
Contact Idris Garcia at sports@timesfreepress.com.