IRVINE — Portola got pounded in its first game last season, then went on to win its first CIF Southern Section football title.
Well, so far, so good.
The Bulldogs took it on the chin again, falling for the second opener in a row to Long Beach Wilson, 35-0, in a game that featured teams that reached their respective Southern Section finals.
Portola went on to win a championship last season, while Wilson went on to lose. But the Bruins looked good on Friday at Portola High.
Kori Scott rushed 21 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Bruins, but it was a 52-yard interception return by Jemel Grigsby that made it 14-0 at 10 minutes 5 seconds of the second quarter that was the game’s biggest play.
“The opportunity presented itself and I took it,” said Grigsby, who caught a ball after it was tipped in the air. “(The outcome) didn’t exceed our expectations, it was expected. We’ve been training for this all summer. Everybody came out and did their job like they should have.”
Grigsby said he’s very clear about the ceiling for the Bruins season. “When we play like this, we should be No. 1,” he said. “That’s all we’re aiming for. That’s the standard. One is the standard, nothing less.”
The long night for Portola began with a first quarter fumble at midfield. Wilson took advantage of the opportunity as Scott scored from two yards to make it 7-0 with 1:38 left in the first quarter.
After the interception return by Grigsby, a three-and-out set up the next Bruins’ scoring drive, which covered 47 yards. Seven plays in, Rick’quan Thompson scored from four yards for a 21-0 lead, though quarterback Mack Cooper completed passes of 13 and 29 yards to Thomas Jones during the drive.
With 30 seconds left in the half, Cooper’s 20-yard pass to tight end Jagger Kohagura made it 28-0 with the addition of Jayson Pimentel’s PAT.
When Scott scored from two yards with 33 seconds left in the third quarter, it created a running clock scenario in the fourth.
It was an extraordinary opening game performance for first-year coach Raudric Curtis.
“We started off sluggish, went back and forth, they held tight early,” said Curtis, who won a section title with Mayfair of Lakewood two seasons ago. “I knew they would play inspired on their home field. It took a big play from (Grigsby) on defense to spark us. We fed off of that, which was good. … Making those mistakes early is not something we can afford to do consistently. Not to harp on them, but there were a lot of mistakes.”
Wilson certainly appears to be in a good position, but titles aren’t won after one game, something that Portola knows very well. The Bulldogs lost all five of their nonleague games last season before winning nine of their next 11.
For Portola coach Peter Abe, the losses are opportunities to grow.
“I think, no matter who the opponent is, we expect to play Bulldog football … and do our job. If and when those things don’t happen, [this is] what happens,” Abe said of the one-sided outcome.
“We started off well, but once you compound mistakes – they weren’t mistakes that I think weren’t unfixable. The effort was fine but the execution and cleanliness of it needs to be crisper, cleaner. Hey, we’ve been here before. And we got it done. Let’s go.”
Timothy Grettenberg, a bruising running back for the Bulldogs, was ticked off by the performance, but also tried to maintain some perspective.
“We got really complacent this week in practice, got too comfortable,” he said. “I think we’ll learn from these mistakes now that we’ve seen it. It’s a rough one. I like to say all cursings are blessings. It’s just about how we respond next week.”
And the succeeding 12 weeks after that.