The Dublin High Varsity Football team waged a competitive battle in front of a raucous home crowd against the No. 7 team in the Bay Area News Group rankings California High School before ultimately falling to the Grizzlies 30-20 on October 1.
California jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter before Dublin’s first touchdown came at the outset of the second quarter when Brandon Burns returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown. After Cal responded with a touchdown drive to push their lead to 20-7, Dublin replied with a 75-yard drive of its own, ending on a two-yard scoring run by Gary Cabida, as the Gaels entered halftime trailing by just six points (20-14).
After halftime, the Grizzlies (5-0) stopped Dublin twice on fourth-down plays inside their own territory. The second one occurred inside Cal’s 10-yard-line when a controversial spot placed the Gaels just short of what appeared to be an apparent first down at the Grizzlies’ 4-yard line. Following a field goal that increased Cal’s advantage to 30-14, Dublin went on a 61-yard scoring drive capped by an 8-yard run by Burns with 5:55 left to pull within 10 (30-20). The Gaels’ offense never got the ball back though, as the Grizzlies retained possession for the remainder of the game.
The Gaels’ Jayden Petrus rushed for a team-high 96 yards, while quarterback Anthony Armendariz completed 12 of his 17 pass attempts for 143 yards.
With the loss, Dublin finished the non-league portion of its season with a mark of 4-2 overall. The Gaels open up play in the East Bay Athletic League’s Valley Division as they travel to face Granada this Friday, October 8th (kickoff at 7:00 p.m.). After a bye, Dublin will return to Gaels Stadium for its Homecoming Game against Foothill on October 22nd.
