Grace Brethren rolls to big win over Oak Park

Any letdown, any rustiness Grace Brethren High might have had after its win over Westlake two weeks ago didn’t last long after its bye week.

Nick Juels passed for 239 yards and three touchdowns and Canaan Chandler rushed for 124 yards and four touchdowns as host Grace Brethren rolled over Oak Park 53-7 Friday night at Moorpark College.

It was Grace Brethren’s first win over Oak Park in eight meetings and the first time the two schools had played each other since 2010.

“I think our guys were inspired,” Grace Brethren coach Josh Henderson said. “We were coming home. I really do believe the Westlake victory was kind of pivotal for us. Our goal is to continue to get better and strive for excellence.”

Grace Brethren (6-1) is ineligible for the playoffs this season after using an ineligible player during the postseason last year. The Lancers have used the sanction they believe was unfair as motivation this year.

“I’m so proud of our team because in spite of the reality that we face, we will continue to build brick by brick. That’s our theme,” Henderson said. “And I believe with all my heart they’ll continue to get better until the very last play of the last game.”

Juels, who was 11 for 15, with all but one pass of which came in the first half, said the Lancers have incentive to burn.

“I think the biggest motivation at this point is just the gigantic chip on our shoulder,” the senior quarterback said. “It’s actually bigger than a chip. We feel like everyone’s trying to take these things away from us for whatever reason and we’re just not going to let that happen. We’re going to make the most out of whatever we can and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Grace Brethren begins Tri-Valley League play next week at home against Santa Paula while Oak Park (5-2) starts the Canyon League schedule next week at Simi Valley.

Oak Park scored the game’s first points, putting together a 75-yard drive at the start with running back Bryce Hardy scoring from 3 yards out.

But Grace scored on each of its next two drives in the first quarter, first on a 2-yard run by Tyrese Gholar and then on a 5-yard run by Chandler. The Lancers then went on a scoring spree in the second quarter, scoring four touchdowns, two by Chandler for 37 and 1 yards and two more on TD passes by Juels to Noah Bean for 4 yards and to Aaron Morris for 34 yards.

When Grace Brethren took the second-half kickoff, already leading 40-7, Juels connected with Bean after four plays on a 9-yard touchdown pass and the rest of the game was played with a running clock. Chandler rounded out the scoring with a fourth-quarter, 23-yard run.

“I know the scoreboard says what it is,” Oak Park coach Casey Webb said, “but that first quarter, we really played what Oak Park football’s all about. We ran the ball, we threw the ball, scored on that first drive, and from there it just kind of went downhill as far as execution. ... It was a great quarter of football and it just kind of spiraled from there.”

Quarterback Vincenzo Granatelli completed 12 of 33 passes for 101 yards with two interceptions, including one by Jauqine Johnson as the Grace Brethren 1-yard line. Granatelli also carried the ball 16 times for 34 yards.

“What I told the guys was the first part of the season’s over,” Webb said. “We could’ve been 7-0, 5-2, 0-7, it doesn’t matter. If we don’t compete and win a couple of games in league, it doesn’t matter what you do in these first seven games. So our message was let’s forget this; we’ll take away the good, we’ll learn from the bad, and let’s get ready for Simi because these games matter now.”