14U Titans pose for a team photo after their win in West Valley on Oct. 5. Photo by Kayla Cornell

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - The Gridley Titans 14U just sent out a message to their division! On Saturday, Oct. 5, the Titans made their way up to West Valley to face the 14U Eagles who had a record of 6-0.

This was a rematch of last year’s championship game. The game started off tight with each defense doing their jobs not allowing much movement on offense. The Eagles finally scored right before the half but had their extra point blocked by Talon Sannar which pumped up the Titans. As the Eagles kicked off after scoring Elijah Broughton returned the kick 50 yards to put the Titans at the Eagle 20-yard line with a chance to score. With 20 seconds left in the half, Alec Luquin threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Hudson Oakley. The Titans missed the extra point kick, which brought the game score to 6-6 at halftime.

The Titans players and coaches conferred at halftime on a second half strategy. The halftime coaching seemed to pump up the Titans and ultimately led to the Titans shutting out the Eagles in the second half. The defense was on fire led by Benny Zumwalt, causing havoc to the Eagle offense so much so that Isaiah Juarez had two interceptions while Hudson Oakley had one interception which he returned for a touchdown. The game ended with a score of 28-6, which puts the Titans in 1st place. On Saturday, Oct. 5, the Titans play at home against Willows, after being on the road for four straight weeks.