Grizzlies crush Gustine, 50-6, in Southern League opener

Mariposa County High School opened Southern League play in emphatic fashion last Friday night, rolling past Gustine, 50-6, on Alumni Night and improving to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in league play.

The Grizzlies used a balanced night of production and a dominant defensive effort to put away the Reds, who fell to 0-4 overall. Mariposa County finished with 223 rushing yards and 70 passing yards, while the defense held Gustine to a single touchdown in the league match-up.

The victory continued a strong early-season run for Mariposa County, which has outscored opponents 169-35 through four games. The Grizzlies opened the season with back-to-back shutouts, winning 42-0 at Sierra on Sept. 3 and 49-0 at Bret Harte on Sept. 11. Their only loss came Sept. 18 at Amador, a one-point heartbreaker, 29-28, before Friday’s bounce-back win over Gustine.

Mariposa County entered the week looking to establish itself early in the league race, and the Grizzlies did just that by controlling the game from start to finish. The win also gave Mariposa a 1-0 start in Southern League competition and kept the team at the top of the standings heading into October.

Through the first four games, Mariposa County has shown the ability to win in different ways: with opening-night defense, explosive scoring, and late-game resilience. The Grizzlies’ 50-point effort against Gustine was their highest scoring total of the season.

Mariposa will remain on the road-to-league-title path next Friday, Oct. 2, when it travels to face Modesto Christian at 7:15 p.m. The Grizzlies then return home Oct. 9 to host Delhi before a key league road game at Denair on Oct. 16.

With a 3-1 record, a plus-134 scoring margin and a league-opening win already in hand, MCHS heads into the Modesto Christian game with momentum and a chance to strengthen its position in the Southern League standings.