The Los Alamitos High football team needed a fourth-quarter rally to defeat Paramount, 29-26, in the season opener for the Griffins on Friday at Paramount.
The Los Alamitos High football team needed a fourth-quarter rally to defeat Paramount, 29-26, in the season opener for the Griffins on Friday at Paramount.
The Griffins entered the final quarter, trailing 20-15, after Paramount returned two Griffin fumbles for touchdowns.
Los Alamitos quarterback Cody Marshall led the Griffins back by rushing for three touchdowns and throwing for another. Marshall finished with 83 passing yards and 48 yards on the ground. His 29-yard touchdown run late in the game gave the Griffins their final margin of victory.
But Paramount threatened, as they moved the ball to the Griffin 30 yard line in the closing minutes. However, the Griffins recovered a Paramount fumble to seal the game.
Ricardo Molina led the Griffins rushing attack with 77 yards rushing before leaving the game with an ankle injury. Kendall Brownlow added 48 yards rushing. Marshall’s 83 passing yards were spread out among six receivers. Luke Pastell led the receiving corp with 27 yards and Dashawn Gordon added 20.
The victory was the 296th of Head Coach John Barnes career. Barnes called the game weird afterward. The Griffins got a boost from their special teams in the third quarter that helped them regain momentum after the two turnovers gave Paramount the lead.
Sophomore punter Blake Johnson pinned Paramount at their own two yard line with a 70-yard punt.
The Griffin defense held to maintain the field-position advantage, and a few plays later, Marshall ran in a three-yard touchdown run that got the Griffins back on the scoreboard.
The Griffins will return home on Friday to host Charter Oak at 7 p.m. at Veteran’s Stadium in Long Beach. The Griffins will follow that with another home game against University of Los Angeles on Sept. 13, at 7 p.m.
