After Pacifica rallied from a 14-0 deficit to close the gap to 14-13 at halftime, Kennedy clamped down on the Mariners and rolled to a 35-13 win in the season-opener for both teams. Fighting Irish senior quarterback Derek Almazan threw for 170 yards and four touchdowns, all to senior Mahseiah Banks, who finished with 145 receiving yards and returned a fumble recovery in the end zone the length of the field for another touchdown.
Almazan connected with Banks early in the fourth quarter for a touchdown pass that extended the lead to 21-13. Later, he flipped a shovel pass to Banks on an end around and Banks followed his blockers and got around the end for a touchdown that extended the lead to 28-13.
The Fighting Irish defense held the Mariners down after they had cut the lead to 14-13 early in the third quarter.
Rocco Street rushed for 54 yards and led the defense with 14 tackles, 13 of which were solo tackles. He also had a sack. Senior Steve Aldapa and sophomore Jacob Pineda each had nine tackles, while senior Dylan Edds added six tackles.
Pacifica was game in the early going and were poised to score first with the ball at the Irish one yard line. But an attempted quarterback sneak was thwarted with a fumble that saw the ball squirt into the end zone. Banks scooped it up and took it around the left side. He was assisted with blockers down field and returned the ball to the end zone for a 7-0 Kennedy lead.
Mariner quarterback James Anema connected with Max Salas in the flat and Salas wove his way through the defense for the Mariners first score. Salas also had an interception on defense.
This Week in Prep Football
Thursday
Los Alamitos (2-0) vs Narbonne (0-1), 7 p.m. at Narbonne High School
The Griffins improved to 2-0 with a 34-31 road win at Kapolei High in Hawaii. The Griffins’ Lenny Ibarra kicked two field goals in the final minute to get the win, over the No. 6 team in Hawaii, according to MaxPreps rankings. Narbonne is coming off a 42-6 loss to Los Osos, after falling behind 28-0 in the first quarter. But the Gauchos were expected to be one of the top-ranked teams in the LA City Section, coming off a Marine League championship last year. The Griffins have to avoid a let-down after a long trip to the islands.
Friday
Cypress (1-0) vs Brea Olinda (1-0), 7 p.m. at Cypress High School
The Centurions play the first ever varsity football game on their own campus, as the school and district celebrate the opening of the rebuilt field and track. The Centurions are coming off a 17-14 win over Cerritos in their season opener. Junior quarterback Xavier Guerrero completed nine passes for 75 yards and a touchdown and senior running back Bryson Busbee rushed for 38 yards.
Kennedy (1-0) vs Woodbridge (0-1), 7 p.m. at University High School
The Fighting Irish travel to Ir