Los Alamitos High’s football team overcame a shaky start and rallied for a 33-20 win over San Clemente in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship on Saturday at San Clemente High. San Clemente had handed the Griffins their first loss of the season in an Alpha League game in October.
After a fumble and interception in the first quarter, it looked like it might be another long night for the Griffins. But when the offense began to put points on the board, the defense clamped down on the Tritons and the Griffins were able to overcome a 17-3 deficit. Griffin Head Coach Ray Fenton said his team has been battling all season, and finding ways to win, so overcoming a rough start was no surprise.
“Our guys are good, we’ve got a good football team and that’s a good football team as well, but nobody panics on our squad, we just keep after it,” Fenton said.
It was the sixth CIF-SS championship for the program and first since 2002. Los Al was able to rally for two touchdowns in the final 4:44 of the second quarter to tie the game at 17-17 going into the half. A big run and pass reception by Lenny Ibarra, helped get the Griffins into Triton territory and Kamden Tillis broke around the edge for a 31-yard touchdown down the right sideline that cut the lead to 17-10.
Kamden Tillis breaks through the line on a run.
After the defense forced a punt to get the ball back with 2:41 left in the half, the offense again moved the ball into scoring range. This time, quarterback Colin Creason found Beckham Holland down the middle for a touchdown to tie the game 17-17, with 39.5 left in the half.
The Tritons were able to drive for a field goal to open the third quarter, but the Griffin offense continued its effectiveness and answered with another touchdown. They drove to the Triton 12 yard line to set up a shovel pass to Hofland. He broke through the line and collided with a defender. The ball popped loose and was kicked backward by an oncoming defender.
Junior lineman Luke Wehner scooped it up behind the line of scrimmage and rumbled to the end zone, plowing over a defender at the goal line to give the Griffins a 24-20 lead. It was his first high school touchdown, but there was a reason he looked comfortable running with the ball.
“I’ve never scored a touchdown before, but I play rugby, so I’m used to [running the ball],” Wehner said.
On the Tritons’ ensuing possession, the Griffins forced a fumble that was recovered by Hunter Eligon at the Triton 35 yard line. That would lead to Tillis’ second touchdown run, a 22-yard blast that extended the Griffin lead to 30-20.
Early in the fourth quarter, with the Tritons back in their own territory, the quarterback was chased out of the pocket. Rolling to his right, he threw across his body to his receiver. Ibarra, who was spying the receiver, stepped in front of the pass for an interception. That set up Hofland for his second field goal to push the lead to 33-20.
With about 4 minutes remaining, the Tritons drove into Los Al territory, looking to make a late-game rally. But Koa Marasco intercepted a pass at the Griffin 35 yard line to end the threat. The Griffin offense was able to run out the clock from there.
The Griffins have advanced to the CIF State Championships, where they will host the South Region championship game on Friday. The Griffins (12-2) will host Cathedral Catholic (10-2), of San Diego, at Veterans Stadium, Long Beach at 7:30 p.m. The winner will face the north winner between Archbishop Riodan of San Francisco and Folsom on Dec. 12/13 TBD. Friday’s regional game is scheduled to be broadcast on Spectrum News and Spectrum SportsNet.