In a game that looked so promising that it was chosen to be televised live on Bally’s Sports Network, things could not have gone much worse for the Los Alamitos High football team. The Griffins, ranked No. 15 in the state, were hosting Serra of Gardena, ranked No. 19 in the state in a Homecoming showdown that looked like Clash of Titans.
But the Serra Cavaliers took control early and ran away with a 42-7 win over the Griffins that had Los Al Head Coach Ray Fenton at a loss for words about what went wrong.
“We’ll look at the film tomorrow and try to figure it out,” Fenton said.
Serra, a small private school, has built up a top-level team over the years, winning CIF-SS championships as recently as Division 3 title in 2021. In the matchup against the Griffins, the game started somewhat routine, with each team punting after their first possession. But thing turned quickly as the Cavaliers struck on the first play of their second possession. Quarterback Jimmy Butler hit Malachi Holt for a 67-yard touchdown that put the Cavaliers up 7-0.
On the Griffins ensuing possession, the Cavaliers’ Marcellous Ryan intercepted a pass and returned in for a touchdown that extended the lead to 14-0 with 6:34 left in the first quarter. The Cavaliers extended the lead with another touchdown drive and a second pick six by Tre Harrison that gave Serra a 28-0 lead.
The Griffins began to move the ball on the ground, with Lenny Ibarra breaking off a few solid runs. But the Griffins still trailed 35-0 at halftime, thanks to another big pass touchdown by Serra. The Griffins opened the second half with their only scoring drive, sparked by a big run by Ibarra, after which he punched it in on a short run to cut the lead to 35-7.
The Griffins will try to rebound with another tough test as they travel to Lincoln High of San Diego on Saturday for a 1 p.m. game. The Hornets (3-2) are coming off a 49-19 win over Grant High and are ranked No. 16 in the MaxPreps State rankings. The Griffins (4-2) dropped three spots to No. 18. The Griffins open Alpha League play on Oct. 18 against Edison at Huntington Beach High.
Kennedy, Cypress football open league play
The Kennedy High football team heads into Lambda League with a 3-2 record, after falling to Irvine High, 28-14 on Friday. The Fighting Irish open the new league with a familiar foe in Valencia High, which moved from the Empire League along with Kennedy.
The Tigers also come into Lambda League play with a 3-2 record. The Fighting Irish defeated the Tigers 42-17 in last years league game. The Fighting Irish had rushing touchdowns by Derek Almazan and Isaac Talamantes, but could not overtake Irvine, despite leading them in all-purpose yards, 329-238. Deon Bynum had 136 yards on kick returns to spark the Irish, but the Irish offense was limited as the Vaqueros intercepted two passes and had a fumble recovery.
Kennedy hosts Valencia on Friday at Handel Stadium at 7 p.m.
Cypress High enters Delta League play on Friday, also with a familiar foe, as the Centurions will take on the Tustin Tillers, who moved from the Empire League to the Delta League. Both teams are coming off a bye week, with the Centurions (2-3) suffering a 42-7 loss to Tesoro High, and the Tillers (4-1) finishing non-league with a 35-31 loss to Yorba Linda High. The 31 points in the loss are the lowest amount of points the Tillers have scored this season. The two teams will kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday at Tustin High.
