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RESEDA – The Granada Hills Charter soccer team received their jerseys just hours before the first game of the season, a matchup against Cleveland on an 80-degree March day due to delays due to COVID-19 concerns.
There was no argument about jersey numbers. Even sophomores like Dijon Stanley have made their first choice.
“Man, it took a long time,” said Stanley. “You know, sometimes the underclassmen don’t get the number they want and it’s fine, but they let me get my number here, let me get number one, you know it’s a blessing. A blessing.”
Stanley said he chose “1” to wear it because it stood out. But he could have worn any shirt and stood out, which led Granada Hills to a 32:20 win over Cleveland on Friday night.
Final: Granada Hills 32, Cleveland 20 pic.twitter.com/YNzv25MwLk
– Haley Sawyer (@haleymsawyer) April 10, 2021
The Highlanders (1-0) had a one-two hit in Stanley and Sam Aberduro, which the Cavaliers found difficult to contain. Stanley finished the game with 226 yards and two touchdowns on 31 runs, while Aberduro recorded 174 yards and one touchdown on 26 runs.
“It’s really rewarding to see that they have the opportunity to play and play really, really well,” said Highlanders manager Bucky Brooks. “I think we should be really excited about where we are and where we might be going.”
Aberduro put Granada Hills on the board at 4:50 in the first quarter, then Stanley completed the two-point move to put the Highlanders 8-0 ahead. The Highlanders scored two points after each touchdown.
Cleveland (0-1) dented the scoreboard early in the second quarter in a 2-yard run by Caleb McCarty. After a blocked PAT, the Cavaliers still followed.
McCarty added two more touchdowns over the course of the game as Cleveland continued to adjust to its new proliferation offense, which was only installed this season.
“He brings leadership and all of those things,” said McCarty’s Cleveland coach Peter Gunny. “He’s been in this position before, he knows the game at a high level and he drives the rest of the team. He is a kind of engine for our offense. ”
The Granada Hills rewind tandem was both fast and tough, breaking off runs that stretched halfway down the field but didn’t flinch from a stiff arm when the situation called for it.
“We’re a running team, of course,” said Aberduro, a senior. “We love our runners, our blockers are good … I like how we have a brotherhood. We are all together, we help each other. We are tough, strong together as one. It’s not just a person doing a thing. We are all stronger together. ”
The Highlanders and also the Cavaliers have waited for togetherness and spent the last year at home or socially distant. Now the football season that almost never happened continues for Los Angeles City Section football.
