GARDEN VALLEY — After two straight road losses, Golden Sierra High's football team returned to the Griz Dome Friday and with the home crowd at its back, did what it has done best on the home turf — win. Behind a resurgent ground game, the Grizzlies held on for a 17-6 Sierra Delta League victory over the Vacaville Christian Falcons.

"The kids really wanted it tonight," Golden Sierra head coach John Hilton said. "We needed a win and I'm so happy for them."

Going with a brand-new shotgun offense, Jim Hansen ran for a game-high 147 yards while quarterback Mike Aplanalp hit on 6-of-12 passes to give the Golden Sierra offense balance.

"It was our first time running the shotgun in a live situation," Hilton said. "I thought they did a great job considering we only put this in three days ago. We just decided as a staff we need to change things and also get some sort of passing game developed."

The Grizzlies' new-look offense struck pay dirt first as Hansen led a six-play, 33-yard drive. Shedding two tacklers, Hansen broke free and scored from 17 yards out. Bryson Campbell's point-after try made it 7-0.

"The last two games we've been back playing on our heals ... waiting," Hilton said. "Tonight we came out and scored first and it really gave us that boost of confidence. It was a physical game and the guys really took control."

Vacaville Christian found the end zone early in the second quarter after an interception by Tyler Allen. Two plays later, Alec Gregorich hit Peyton Osbourne on a 61-yard catch-and-run to trim the lead to 7-6.

"This was a classic smash mouth game," Vacaville Christian head coach Chris Smith said. "We matched up pretty well tonight. We just didn't take advantage of some opportunities and we hurt ourselves with the penalties and turnovers."

Two possessions later, the Grizzlies turned a fumble recovery by Sean Evans into points as Hansen's 35 yards rushing helped Golden Sierra move to the Falcon 21-yard line. The drive stalled but Campbell's 38-yard field goal upped the lead to 10-6 as the halftime horn sounded.

"I thought the field goal at the end of the half was huge," Hilton said. "Looking at how they (Vacaville) looked when it went through, I told the guys we have the game. We just gotta come out and take it."

On their first drive of the second half, the Grizzlies turned the ball over. The Falcons drove to the Golden Sierra 13 with a chance to take the lead but the Grizzly pass defense tightened and Gregorich missed on three straight passes, giving the ball back to the home team.

"Our defense really stepped it up on that drive," Hilton said. "Defensively I can't say enough about how they played tonight. When we needed a stop or a turnover they got one."

Behind the passing of Aplanalp, Golden Sierra went 17 plays and 87 yards with Hansen scoring from a yard out. On the drive, Aplanalp completed three passes for 56 yards — including a 12-yarder to Campbell on fourth down and a nifty, diving 29-yarder to Shawn Alexander. The senior quarterback also ran for 36 of the yards.

"That drive was all about the hard work Mike (Aplanalp) and our receivers have been doing to open up our passing game," Hilton said. "We knew we had to open up our offense and give it some balance. That drive was a game-changer and who knows how this game ends if we don't make that and score."

A scoreless fourth quarter wrapped up the Grizzlies (3-2) third win of the season. Homecoming this week features a tough Bradshaw Christian team coming to town.

"We'll enjoy this win over the weekend but come Monday, it's back to work,"  Hilton said. "We have to work on eliminating the penalties and turnovers. Tonight we were able to overcome those. It was a good win for us — just what we needed with next week and Homecoming."

Aplanalp had 86 yards rushing for the Grizzlies and passed for 67. Alexander had a team-high 47 yards on two catches while Hansen added three grabs for 18. The defense forced three turnovers: two on interceptions by Campbell and one from Hansen. Alexander and Nate Duvall added quarterback sacks.