# 1 Grant vs. # 2 Folsom on ESPN2 Tonight!

Defensive linemen Vei Moala (left) & Puka Lopa (right) helped Grant set a state record with 78 sacks last season.

This Friday, the Grant Union Pacers will invade Folsom high school to take on the Bulldogs to kick-off the 2010 season in a nationally televised sold-out game that will air on ESPN2 at 7:00 p.m. ESPN's broadcast will be a first for Sacramento area high school sports and this matchup promises to give viewers everywhere a reason to tune in.

The Grant Union Pacers will enter the 2010 football season as the No. 1 ranked team in the Sac-Joaquin Section, according the News10-HighSchoolSports.net Massey Ratings and fourth in the nation in some polls, due in large part to their potent defense.

Headlining the sizable defensive unit for Grant are Vei Moala, Puka Lopa, and Darryl Paulo, who combine for 825 lbs. and are looking to disrupt Folsom's high power offense captained by QB Dano Graves.

"We've got to shut him down," Moala said. "We're going to mess up his snap a little bit and hopefully get up in his face and disrupt his pass. It's a great matchup to finally face a great offense like Folsom's."

Graves headlines the offensive firepower of the Folsom Bulldogs, who rank fourth in the Massey ratings.

Graves, who last season threw for 66 touchdowns and over 5,000 yards as a junior while anchoring one of California's most prolific offenses, said facing Grant will prepare them for better things to come.

"We're really excited," Graves said. "Grant's a great team and it will be a great opportunity for us and it'll prepare us for the league and the playoffs"

Folsom's head coach Kris Richardson knows the sizable challenge his team faces in Grant's defense, but feels his talented offense is ready to shine.

"I don't know if anyone is ever going to be ready for Grant," Richardson admitted. "But, we've been one of the offenses in the section every year and Dano Graves is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation."
Richardson was well aware of the hype heading into this game when he signed his team up for it back in April and knew the hype and attention surrounding this game would be unlike anything the Sacramento area has ever seen.

"I knew it would be a tremendous challenge for these guys," Richardson said. "(Grant) is one of the best defenses in the country and the hype around (the game) with ESPN, it's going to be fun."

For Grant, hype also brings forth distractions, like national television and hungry opponents, like Folsom.

"We told our guys we have a bullseye on our back," coach Alberghini admitted. "Folsom is a very talented team and well coached team that has a lot of experience returning and they've had a long time to prepare for this game."

Although they respect the talents and the challenge of the Folsom Bulldogs, there is a swagger that comes along with being a former state champion and being No. 1-rated in the section. Friday, Alberghini said it is the expectation of the Grant Pacers to beat Folsom.

"We're ready," defensive coordinator and Athletic Director Reggie Harris said. "We're going to give our community what they want to see, and that's a win."

Full Article

Vei Moala, Total Domination!

When you size up Vei Moala, you have to stand back a few feet for the full view. He's that immense.

Grant High School's 6-foot-3, 330-pound lineman has size 16 feet and hands the size of "shovels," according to Pacers coach Mike Alberghini.

Wide shoulders, massive thighs, but no overhanging gut. He also has an engaging smile and a personality that belies his ferocious play.

Moala, who also was a force blocking up front on offense, had three sacks when Grant beat Bellevue, Wash., and also had three sacks in a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoff game. In another playoff game, Moala blocked one punt and on a different blocked punt he grabbed it out of the air and scored.

After first making a name for himself by plugging the middle and helping to stuff the Long Beach Poly running game during Grant's memorable win in the 2008 CIF Open Division state bowl game, Moala figures to be one of the very best college prospects in the nation next season.

And he's only a junior, meaning more to come. More sacks, more stops, more charisma for the popular Polynesian with a shock of curly hair.

"He's the total package," Alberghini said. "A leader, a good person, a good student, a great player. He's everything."

Moala, all of 16 years old, is a national recruit. One college head coach said, "He's the top defensive lineman prospect in the country right now."

Moala receives recruiting mail weekly from powerhouse programs such as Florida, Alabama, USC and others.

He was an impact player for Grant's defense despite every scheme thrown his way, including blockers diving at his ankles or knees in an attempt to slow him down.

At just 16 years old, the so-called monster in the middle recorded 104 tackles and 15 sacks as the Pacers' defense combined to set a state record for sacks in a season with 77. The Pacers' defense on the year also recorded eight shutouts and allowed an average of under six points per game despite at times resting Moala in the second half of blowout victories.

"I have to think about how teams block me because I see everything, and I still have to make a play," Moala said.

"I don't worry about it. Football is still fun."

Full Article