Los Alamitos High football fans are hoping for a lot of big plays this year between quarterback Malachi Nelson and receiver Makai Lemon. So the Oklahoma bound duo decided to give them one right off the bat. The first play from scrimmage in the Griffins’ season-opener against Bakersfield was a 68-yard connection that set up a touchdown two plays later, as the Griffins rolled to a 65-18 win over the Drillers on Friday at Los Alamitos High.
Brian Jurado punched in the two-yard touchdown run to give Los Al a 7-0 lead. Big plays highlighted the night as the Griffins kept Bakersfield at a distance each time the Drillers tried to close the gap. Bakersfield answered the opening score with a drive that resulted in a field goal to cut the lead to 7-3.
But the ensuing kickoff ended up in the hands of Makai and he promptly returned it for a touchdown to push the lead back to 14-3. The Drillers slowed the Griffins at times. They snagged a couple of interceptions to thwart drives, although one was at the one yard line. The Griffin defense was able to tackle a receiver in the end zone after a screen attempt for a safety and Los Al took a 23-3 lead.
Bakersfield’s Tybo Rogers showed a lot of skill in leading the Drillers, as he broke a few big plays and scored a touchdown after the safety that cut the lead to 23-9. But the Drillers could not keep pace with the Griffin offense.
Nelson connected with Deandre Moore for a touchdown pass and just before half he again found Lemon as the Griffins took a 37-9 lead into halftime. An interception in the second half set up a short field for the Griffins and Nelson and Moore again connected for a touchdown that made the score 44-9.
When Bakersfield added another field goal, Kevin Longstreet returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown that gave the Griffins a 51-12 lead. Los Alamitos will host Lincoln High out of San Diego this week. The Hornets are also 1-0 and will be at Los Alamitos High on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The game is scheduled to be broadcast on Bally Sports So Cal. Check with you service provider for availability and channel information.