Week 3 prep football rankings: Bullard still No. 3 after close loss to state power Grant

When Bullard High pushed the envelope and agreed to play at state-ranked Grant-Sacramento on Saturday in a feature intersectional football game originally scheduled for McLane Stadium on Friday, the Knights risked experiencing all the little things that could go bad in the scenario.

And they did, just enough to cost Bullard in a game it led 14-0 at halftime only to lose 21-14 to a Sac-Joaquin Section power that remains No. 8 in Cal-Hi Sports state rankings this week.

How did they? Count the ways.

▪ Ten minutes into the charter bus ride, the air conditioning malfunctioned, not to return.

▪ On the Knights’ opening drive, they had a touchdown run by Natrone Todd nullified by an illegal block that Bullard coaches say film does not support, and yet another run by Charles Williams not credited for a score on a play the same coaches insist he crossed the plane of the end zone.

▪ The Knights misfired on two potential TD passes.

▪ Grant, coming off a 14-1 and Sac-Joaquin Section Division I runner-up season, twice stuffed Bullard on fourth-and-goal.

Knights coach Donnie Arax is reaching for the positive, but it’s difficult in a game shifted to the north because of poor air quality in Fresno: “I’m proud of our kids and, maybe, in a funny way, it will help us in the end. But it’s disappointing. Had we played here, we would have fed off our crowd and I’m pretty certain we would have won. Too bad it went down like that.

“It was a big game for us, I felt we would win and I certainly didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to play them, even up there. They were a big, massive team, and we hung with them physically. It was a good experience for us. If we stay healthy, we’ll be pretty damn good.”

Grant running backs Deshawn Collins and Mike Green, who had averaged a combined 346 yards rushing while scoring 10 touchdowns in the Pacers’ first two games, were held to 167 total yards by a Bullard defense led by 2014 Bee All-Star inside linebacker Ben Baker and 6-1, 340-pound nose guard Rene Garcia.

Williams rushed for 124 yards and a TD, and tight end/linebacker Cameron Lamanuzzi delivered another big two-way game for the Knights (2-1).

They remain No. 3 in The Bee’s Central Section rankings entering a nonleague game Friday against Central (0-2) at Koligian Stadium.

This story was originally published September 14, 2015 at 5:59 PM with the headline "Week 3 prep football rankings: Bullard still No. 3 after close loss to state power Grant."