ANAHEIM – Kennedy used a pair of time-consuming drives and took advantage of a botched punt snap to build a three-touchdown lead by halftime and cruised to a 35-6 nonleague victory over Anaheim district rival Magnolia on Friday night at Western High.
The Fighting Irish (2-2) rolled up 358 yards of offense in their home opener, while holding the Sentinels (2-2) to just 39 yards, including 12 in the opening half.
Kennedy’s first possession of the night started at its 11, but seven minutes and 14 plays later, Louie Aldapa scored the first of his two touchdowns on a 7-yard run.
An errant Magnolia snap in punt formation gave Kennedy the ball at the Sentinels’ 18-yard line, and a few moments later Aldapa raced to the end zone from 3 yards out for a 14-0 lead.
Kennedy, which finished with 12 penalties for 134 yards, struggled on its other lengthy march of the first half. The Irish were called for three significant infractions that resulted in a first-and-42 situation.
Jordan Jackson kept the drive alive with a 40-yard pass to Christian Rodriguez on third-and-36. The 68-yard, 15-play drive concluded with a 1-yard touchdown run by Anthony Johar with 3:44 left in the first half.
Johar added another 1-yard scoring run midway through the third quarter as Kennedy extended the lead to 28-0. The Fighting Irish completed their scoring with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to a wide-open Dillon Paningsoro on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Magnolia avoided its second shutout of the season late in the contest when David Nguyen completed a 32-yard pass to the Kennedy 1. He then ran it in from there.
Jackson finished 9 of 15 for 191 yards, while Aldapa rushed for 70 yards on 12 carries and Johar added 53 yards.