Grayson Brantley Is Just “Too Cool For School”

Grayson Brantley posing (Luke Trudeau / The Puma Prensa)

By Luke Trudeau, Staff Writer

Who cares about homework, curfew, or pop quiz conundrums – for the wise-cracking, flannel-wearing sauce master at Maria Carrillo High School, life is a wild ride. Just don’t get on his bad side.

Now, everyone is obviously aware of Maria Carrillo’s campus-hopping, hardheaded, touchdown-scoring football team – they’ve been covered on Carrillo Live multiple times, along with weekly announcements, spirit days, and upcoming gatherings to keep an eye out for. 

Despite being a friend to many, the day still seems somewhat off when a journalist gets the opportunity to sit down and converse with a Puma and ramble on about Ukiah – they quite literally slaughtered the entire team during that home game last year, and it’s bound to happen again when football season starts up again next year, if the Wildcats are done licking their wounds and are both hungry and delusional enough to face off against them again. 

This man is one of those aggressors.

Now that graduation is just around the corner, an event which will see the departure of many iconic names and characters, it only seems natural to corner the metal-loving, charismatic senior Grayson Brantley to talk about football, charm points, and the stuff that only happens behind closed doors.

How are you doing today, Grayson?

I’m doing very well. Thank you for asking. How are you doing?

I’m doing pretty well myself. Thank you.

Of course.

For the students at Carrillo who aren’t already familiar with you, would you mind introducing yourself?

Hi, my name is Grayson Brantley, and I’m a senior…I also go by “Big Ounce” and “The Sauce.”

What is one thing you feel a lot of people don’t know about you?

I’m a big metalhead. I mean, I like rap music too, but, metal holds a special place in my heart.

What is the most exciting thing to happen to you recently?

Probably knowing that spring break’s this weekend.

Even if many students don’t know your name, surely plenty of people have gotten the chance to see you playing on the field as part of the Maria Carrillo football team. Has being an athlete at Maria Carrillo been everything you hoped it would be?

And more! It was a great experience being part of the Maria Carrillo football team, and I’ve met a lot of great people from that.

We understand that you are close friends with fellow athlete Dylan “Tarzan” Olsen, who is perhaps best known for his satirical humor, as well as his status as a football player and amateur wrestler. Did you expect that he would become a friend when you first met?

Ha ha ha! That he would become my friend?

No, that you two would become friends.

Ha ha ha! No, but Dylan’s a great guy. He’s really cool and funny.

How are you going to celebrate graduating from high school this year?

Probably by going out to dinner with my family and maybe doing something with my friends.

What kind of insights into your own mind has being a student at Maria Carrillo given you?

It’s really put me with, like, an extremely diverse group of friends that I have learned so much from…from each and every one of them.

Does the idea of life after high school scare you at all?

Slightly. But I feel like life is a roller coaster, and you just gotta go with it.

Were you born in Santa Rosa?

I was born in Santa Rosa.

What school would you be attending if you weren’t a Carrillo student?

Either Montgomery High School or Piner High School.

Who or what would you say is your biggest influence at this school?

All my friends. All my friends and peers.

What made you want to join the football team at Maria Carrillo?

I wanted to meet new people, work on myself, and get a lot of girls.

Would you say there’s a difference between the Grayson that we see when he’s at school and the Grayson we see when he comes back home after a long day?

I would say, slightly…yeah, yeah, there is. I’m more outgoing while I’m at school, but I’m actually kind of an introvert. I’m more reserved when I’m at home.

What would you say is your biggest “charm point”?

Charm point? Like my best feature? I guess I have a really good sense of humor.

Anybody who does know you knows that you are quite the dapper dresser when it comes to wearing clothes. Have you always dressed like this, or did it come in the form of some kind of shift?

It definitely came in a shift. It started off in middle school, where I didn’t care at all about what I dressed like, and over time, I guess I kinda started putting more thought and effort into what I was wearing every day.

What is one thing you would like to say to some of the newer faces at Maria Carrillo before you graduate?

Work hard. Do your best. Meet new people. It’ll be fun.

I’d say that’s the best part of the high school experience, isn’t it?

Oh, absolutely. It definitely is.

Thanks for agreeing to do this interview, Grayson. It’s been great talking to you.

Thanks for having me. It’s been a pleasure talking to you too. daps me up