Grizzlies’ offense soars, Hawks grounded, 30-0

Mariposa County High School celebrated homecoming with another commanding defensive performance Friday night, shutting out Delhi 30-0 in a Southern League football game at Mariposa County High School.

The Grizzlies improved to 5-1 overall with the Oct. 9 victory and remained unbeaten in league play. Delhi fell to 0-6 overall and 0-3 in the Southern League. It was Mariposa’s fourth victory by at least 31 points and its third shutout of the season.

Quarterback Austin Battles supplied the big-play passing attack, completing 7 of 14 attempts for 143 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore John Ogilby caught four passes for 121 yards and all three scores, accounting for nearly 85 percent of Mariposa’s receiving yardage.

Senior running back Rusty Bull carried 15 times for 135 yards, an average of 9 yards per attempt, as the Grizzlies controlled the game on the ground. Mariposa finished with 229 rushing yards and 143 passing yards for 372 yards of offense.

The defense made the scoring stand up by keeping Delhi off the scoreboard in every quarter. The shutout continued a dominant run for Mariposa, which has allowed only 41 points through six games while scoring 236.

Mariposa opened the season with consecutive shutouts, defeating Sierra 42-0 and Bret Harte 49-0. The Grizzlies’ only loss came Sept. 18 in a 29-28 decision at Amador. They responded by overwhelming Gustine 50-6 and Modesto Christian 37-6 before dispatching Delhi.

The victory set up a major Southern League road test against Denair on Friday, Oct. 16, at 7:15 p.m. Denair also enters the matchup 5-1 after beating Le Grand 49-28. Delhi returns home the same night to face Modesto Christian.