Gridley senior quarterback Eli Punzo (5) raises the Northern Section D-III plaque on Saturday, Nov. 29 in the Bulldogs’ 18-15 victory over Orland. Photo by Chris Pedigo

GRIDLEY, CA (YSBC) - The Gridley Bulldogs football team’s magical season continued on Saturday, Nov. 29 as they beat the Orland Trojans 18-15 and claimed their first Northern Section title since 1989.

The “Boneyard” at Gridley was standing-room only as both sides packed the stands and forced overflow fans to the track, which electrified the play on the field for the Northern Section Division III Championship.

The first quarter went scoreless and the Bulldogs and Orland traded field position with  one another like a game of chess. 

In the first meeting of the year on Oct. 10 during Westside League play, Gridley and the Trojans went down to the wire as the Bulldogs hung on for a three-point victory. 

Gridley head coach Daniel Zumwalt chats up his players on the sideline on Saturday, Nov. 29 in the Bulldogs’ 18-15 victory over Orland. Photo by Steven Bryla

The game on Saturday was expected to be the exact same and all fans got their money’s worth for the title on the line.

Gridley junior running back Marcus Duncan lit up the scoreboard in the second quarter with seven minutes and 15 seconds to go when he rushed to the end zone for a 56-yard touchdown rush and a Bulldogs 6-0 lead.

Duncan led Gridley with 120 yards on the ground and 14 carries in the win. 

Duncan expressed to Yuba Sutter Butte Colusa Sports that he played for all of his brothers next to him and he couldn’t be prouder than to be a helping hand on giving the senior class a championship.

Bulldogs junior tight end Jace Griggs one upped Duncan on the next Gridley drive as he ran up the left sideline just inside three minutes to go in the first half for a 57-yard rushing touchdown and extended the Bulldogs lead 12-0.

Gridley junior wide receiver Rafael Franco (12) pitches the ball during the Bulldogs’ 18-15 win on Saturday, Nov. 29 versus Orland. Photo by Steven Bryla

Griggs ended the night with 74 yards rushing and two touchdowns, including a big bang later in the game.

Orland got on the scoreboard shortly after as they completed a 44-yard touchdown pass and cut the Gridley deficit to five. The Bulldogs took the 12-7 lead at the half.

The third quarter was more of a chess match as both sides started a punting battle or forced the other into making field position a necessity for the fourth quarter.

The Trojans took a 15-12 lead with a little more than eight minutes after Orland junior running back Trent McDonald powered his way in from one. Trojans senior quarterback Luke Schager added the two-point conversion to take a three-point lead. 

Schager rushed for 104 yards and completed four passes for 125 yards in the loss to Gridley.

Gridley senior quarterback Eli Punzo (5) rushes the ball on Saturday, Nov. 29 in the Bulldogs' 18-15 win against Orland. Photo by Steven Bryla

As the Bulldogs trailed by three with eight minutes to go in the game, they rushed the ball with multiple attempts between Duncan, Griggs and senior quarterback Eli Punzo, which ate a ton of time off the clock.

The Gridley offense converted a third and long near midfield when Punzo tossed the ball to junior wide receiver Rafael Franco a couple yards down the left side of the field and Franco pitched the ball back to senior wide receiver Riley Englemann for the hook and ladder and Englemann converted the first down.

Punzo finished with 84 combined offensive yards in the win and told YSBC that the effort his teammates bring in on a daily basis to pump him up.

“I don’t want to let them down, I want to be the leader they can count on,” Punzo said.

The Gridley Bulldogs celebrate their 2025 Northern Section Division III title victory on Saturday, Nov. 29 in an 18-15 win over Orland. Photo by Steven Bryla

That conversion lit a fire and excited the entire Bulldogs sideline as they marched down the field and faced a third-and-goal on the Orland 12 with less than 90 seconds remaining in the game.

Griggs took the handoff from Punzo and went up the middle and powered his way into the end zone for Gridley to take an 18-15 lead. 

Griggs was on the varsity squad in 2024 and suffered the Butte View League championship loss to Orlsand and had their season ended up in Lassen during a tight game in the semifinals.

“I don’t like to lose and I didn't want to feel that again,” Griggs said.

The Bulldogs drew two penalties from the Trojans and elected to go for the two-point conversion on the half-yard line, but the Orland defense held strong and negated the score to keep the game at 18-15 in favor of Gridley. 

Gridley junior running back Marcus Duncan (6) rushes to the end zone for a 56-yard touchdown during the Bulldogs’ 18-15 win on Saturday, Nov. 29 against Orland. Photo by Chris Pedigo

Schager did his best with the final 75 seconds to get anything offensively flowing to get in striking distance to tie the game, but the Bulldogs defense held their own and clinched their first section title in over 35 years.

Gridley head coach Daniel Zumwalt told YSBC that Section Champions sounded and felt great but there were so many factors that paved the way for a great season so far.

Zumwalt said the preseason schedule helped them prepare for the gauntlet postseason run. 

For the second time in the playoffs, the Gridley had to face an opponent they’ve already seen in 2025 and the Bulldogs expected the same fight from Orland as they had in the first meeting in.

“Beating a team the second time around is tough, but I’m so happy we were able to accomplish that and keep our run going,” Zumwalt said.

Gridley head coach Daniel Zumwalt gets the victory ice bath after the Bulldogs’ best Orland 18-15 on Saturday, Nov. 29. Photo by Steven Bryla

Zumwalt added that he expected another battle and both teams brought the punch and packed a lot of physicality in the championship.

Gridley will play its first ever CIF NorCal Regional State Playoff game as they travel down to San Jose on Friday night.

The Bulldogs will take on the Lincoln Lions in the CIF 6-AA game, where the winner will play for a state title on Dec. 12 or 13 in the Los Angeles area. 

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