The high school football season opens for most schools today. Los Alamitos heads to Hawaii after comeback win in their opener, while Kennedy looks to repeat their league championship.
Friday
Kennedy vs Pacifica, 7 p.m. at Handel Stadium at Western High
A season opening matchup of league champions looks potentially like a competitive showdown. Kennedy finished in a three-way tie for the Lambda League title with Beckman and Marina High. Pacifica won the Omicron League title with a 5-0 league record, but are looking to improve upon an 0-5 non-league slate.
The Mariners have some senior leadership, especially on offense with QB James Anema, WR David Carlsson, and RB Ma’kai Brown. Kennedy will be led by seniors Derek Almazan, at QB, and Rocco Street WR.
Cypress vs Cerritos, 7 p.m. at Rants Stadium at Gahr High
Cypress travels to Garh High to take on Cerritos in the season opener for both teams. Cypress is coming off an injury-riddled season that ended with a 2-8 record and 0-5 in the Delta League. Cerritos went 8-2 last year and won the 605 League, going 3-0 in league play.
The Centurions return some key players, including senior running back Bryson Busbee, but faces a tough league race with several Delta League teams ranked in the top 50 of the section power rankings, led by Tustin High at No. 30.
Los Alamitos (1-0) vs Kapolei (2-0), 7 p.m. at Kapolei, Hawaii
The Griffins opened the season with a 20-12 win over Inglewood High on Friday. After falling behind 12-0, the Griffins responded with 20 unanswered points to get the win. Senior tight end Beckham Hofland hauled in a touchdown pass from senior Colin Creason just before halftime to cut the lead to 12-7. Junior running back Kamden Tillis extended the lead to 13-12 with a 15-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and a blocked punt in the fourth quarter set up a two -yard touchdown run by senior running back Lenny Ibarra for the final score.
Head coach Ray Fenton said the team showed a lot of integrity when the first half started shaky for them. “The team unity and offseason commitment is what carried us through the second half to win,” Fenton said.
The Griffins head to Hawaii to take on a Kapolei Hurricanes team that is two games into their season and have scored a combined 98 points in their two wins.