The Los Alamitos High football team wants to run their offense in a rhythm. Up tempo. While the Griffins struggled find that tempo in the first half against Lynwood last week, they certainly found it in the second half. The Griffins scored 35 second-half points en route to a 48-7 win over the Knights at Veteran’s Stadium.
The Griffins used their run game to finally find their pace. Richie Molina returned from an injury to lead the way with 167 rushing yards and a touchdown, and quarterback Cody Marshall added 40 rushing yards and another rushing touchdown.
“We just got into a better pace, a lot less penalties in the second half, and we moved a lot more efficiently. Our line did a great job too,” Marshall said.
The Griffins seemed to find their rhythm right from the start of the second half. The Griffins (3-1) took the second half kickoff and went 75 yards on six plays to push their lead to 20-0. Molina ran on five of the six plays, including a 26-yard touchdown around the left side to cap the drive.
After holding the Knight to a punt on the ensuing possession, the Griffins put together a 68-yard, eight-play drive that ended with Kendall Brownlow going around the right side and cutting up field for a nine-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 27-0. The Griffins have been hampered by injuries, particularly on defense, which head coach John Barnes said has slowed their ability to gel as a team.
“I think we’re still finding ourselves, we’ve had so many injuries,” Barnes said.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Griffins extended their lead to 41-7 when Marshall hit Nick Helms for a 23-yard touchdown pass. While the Griffins offense was slow to get going, their defense and special teams helped out in the first half. James Stea, another veteran player who had missed most the previous three games, returned to get a first half interception and blocked punt that set up the Griffins’ first two touchdowns and led to a 13-0 halftime lead. All the injuries had forced younger players to step into more prominent roles, which could benefit the Griffins when Sunset League play starts.
“I’m proud of all the kids who have contributed, because they’ve done a tremendous job,” Barnes said.
The Griffins will host Damien of La Verne on Friday at 7 p.m. at Veteran’s Stadium.