Los Alamitos Annihilates Norwalk, 70-14

Los Alamitos had little trouble in their football season opener.

The Griffins scored on their first five possessions and rolled to a 70-14 nonleague victory over Norwalk Friday night at Excelsior Adult School.

Senior running back Cody Paul ran for 137 yards and three touchdowns and senior quarterback Dylan Lagarde threw for 180 yards and three more touchdowns to lead the Griffins.

The Lancers finally cracked the scoreboard with a touchdown run by junior quarterback Bobby Favela in the second quarter to cut their deficit to 35-6, but the Griffins answered right back. Senior wide receiver Kendall Holmes returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards across the field and up the right sideline for a touchdown that put the Griffins up 42-6.

By the second half the Griffins were substituting for many of their starters, but they continued to make some big plays. Senior receiver James Belarde moved into the backfield and broke a 25-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. Senior defensive back Darryl Mitchell returned a fumble 67 yards to cap the Griffins’ scoring in the fourth quarter.

While the win got the Griffins’ season started on a positive note, coach John Barnes knows they have a long way to go before they can meet the high expectations they set for themselves each season. A telling two weeks for the Griffins will be when they close nonleague play against Santa Margarita on Sept. 29 and open Sunset League play on Oct. 13 against Edison.

“We need to get games under our belts and try to correct mistakes and see where we go,” Barnes said.   

However, the Griffins did not seem to look past Norwalk in any way. They came out ready and scored on their opening drive in only four plays. Paul highlighted the drive with a 24-yard run to the Lancers' one-yard line and finished the drive with a one-yard plunge for a 7-0 lead.

Three plays and a botched long snap on the punt attempt by Norwalk gave the Griffins possession at the Lancers' 30-yard line. Paul capped a three-play drive with a 17-yard touchdown run that put the Griffins up 14-0.

Lagarde said it was nice to see the offensive line, which boasts five new starters, work so well together. “Cody is a great running back and the lineman, they blocked it up good,” Lagarde said.    

On the Lancers’ next possession, senior defensive back Terrance Brown (Northwestern commit) intercepted a pass that set the Griffins up at the Lancers' 32-yard line. This time, Lagarde went right up top and hit senior receiver Kyle Roberts down the right sideline for a 32-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead.

Senior defensive lineman Jeff Hostetler recovered a fumble and junior linebacker Cody Marshall had two interceptions. The Griffins will next play at Mayfair High on Friday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m