Football Recap: University Prep Starts Season with Defeat on the Road + How To Watch

By Team Reports Sep 1, 2025, 12:34am

Football Recap: University Prep Panthers vs. Gridley Bulldogs

HOW TO WATCH: This game will be replayed on the NFHS Network, the official streaming partner of the CA Interscholastic Federation (CIF) & Gridley High School. Watch Full Replay

Suggested Video

University Prep kicked off their season on the road on Friday and hit a couple of potholes. They received a blow as they fell 24-6 to the Gridley Bulldogs. The Panthers were down 24-0 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.

Talis Payne threw for 188 yards on 17 of 32 attempts. Jackson Kersten was his top target, picking up 68 receiving yards.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Gridley to victory, but perhaps none more so than Eli Punzo, who rushed for 90 yards on only 12 carries, and also threw for 37 yards and two touchdowns. Another player making a difference was Riley Engleman, who picked up 37 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. University Prep will square off against Corning at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. As for Gridley, they will get to enjoy the win for a while: their next game is against Winters at 7:30 p.m. on the 12th.

Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps