Golden Valley (3-4, 2-1) breezed past Castaic (0-6) on Thursday night to improve to 2-1 in the Foothill League.

The Grizzlies got going early, starting with an interception by Zeelen Shatswell, who ended the game with two.

“Shatswell is a great player,” said Golden Valley Head Coach Dan Kelley. “He’s done a lot of great things on defense… he’s around the ball, plays aggressively; sometimes too much and gets a penalty here and there, but he’s a great athlete.”

Following the interception, running back Joseph Lewis broke loose for a 40-plus-yard run that flipped the field.

From five yards out, quarterback Jayce Johnson found Ace Frias in the back of the end zone for a touchdown, giving Golden Valley an early 7-0 lead over Castaic.

Jayce Johnson finds Ace Frias in the back of the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown, giving Golden Valley a quick 7-0 lead over Castaic. pic.twitter.com/0c4jQCmYAM

— KHTS Sports (@KHTSSports) October 3, 2025

A few minutes later, Johnson scrambled in from one yard out to extend the Grizzlies’ lead to 14-0 with 5:31 left in the first quarter.

Johnson scrambles from 1-yard out to extend the Grizzlies lead to 14-0 with 5:31 left in the first. pic.twitter.com/54d4UNfsEg

— KHTS Sports (@KHTSSports) October 3, 2025

Golden Valley wasn’t done yet. Johnson later connected with Ian Henriquez for an 18-yard touchdown, pushing the lead to 21-0 before the quarter ended.

Johnson connects with Ian Henriquez for an 18-yard touchdown. Golden Valley now holds a 21-0 lead over Castaic with 2:34 left in the first quarter. pic.twitter.com/VuGsJqkAHw

— KHTS Sports (@KHTSSports) October 3, 2025

In the second quarter, Golden Valley’s offense began to slow down as Castaic’s defense started to gain momentum.

It wasn’t until the final minute of the half that the Grizzlies found the end zone again. Lining up in a power formation on fourth down, they pushed Johnson into the end zone from a yard out.

Just before halftime, Golden Valley lines up in a power formation on fourth down and pushes Johnson into the end zone from a yard out. Golden Valley leads 28-0. pic.twitter.com/xVjciGqnLV

— KHTS Sports (@KHTSSports) October 3, 2025

Just as the offense stalled in the second quarter, it sputtered again in the second half — particularly on scoring opportunities.

“You score 21 points in the first quarter and you go in at halftime and you can’t score in the second half because of penalties and poor decision making,” said Kelley. “We work too hard throughout the week to come out in the second half offensively and not put the ball in the endzone.”

Despite the offense’s struggles, Kelley was pleased with the defense, stating they consistently gave the offense great field position — though it wasn’t capitalized on.

While the offense failed to find the end zone in the second half, the defense delivered. Lance Harper snagged an interception and returned it for a pick-six, extending Golden Valley’s lead to 35-0.

Golden Valley’s Lance Harper gets an interception and takes it the other way for a pick-six.

With the score Golden Valley extends their lead to 35-0. pic.twitter.com/EC2SEp4Sfx

— KHTS Sports (@KHTSSports) October 3, 2025

Although the defense starred, Kelley emphasized the importance of executing in all three phases of the game.

“We’ve got to play more solid on all aspects [of] the game,” said Kelley. “At the end, there I called a squib kick and the kicker kicks an onside kick. That makes me look like I’m running the score up and I made the kicker go apologize to the [Castaic] coach.”

Despite their own miscues, Kelley credited Castaic’s defense for making big plays in the second half, highlighting linebacker Andres Corretier-Molina.

Another impact player for Castaic was Takai Bogan, who scored in the final 30 seconds to spoil Golden Valley’s shutout and bring the final score to 35-7.

Looking ahead, Castaic will face Hart at College of the Canyons on Friday at 7 p.m.

Golden Valley enters a bye week before returning to action on October 16 to take on Valencia in a Thursday night matchup at Canyon High School.

For the Grizzlies, the bye comes at a perfect time, offering a chance to regroup, get sharper on the field, and recover from injuries.

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