PITTSBURG – The Pittsburg High School football team showed off its trademark quick-strike capability but also a bit of inexperience in its season-opening game against Granite Bay on Friday night.

The Pirates had a 21-point lead at halftime but needed fourth-quarter touchdowns from wide receiver Kenneth Ward and running back Jari Alexander to help seal a 42-36 nonleague victory over the hard-nosed Grizzlies.

After Granite Bay scored touchdowns on two consecutive possessions in the second half to cut Pittsburg’s lead to 28-22, Ward scored on a dazzling 40-yard catch and run for his third receiving TD to restore the Pirates’ double-digit advantage.

Granite Bay once again came back to make it a one-possession game on a 35-yard touchdown catch from senior running back Isaiah Ene. But Alexand

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