ANAHEIM – Despite the absence of the county’s leading rusher for the final three quarters, Kennedy put together an effective ground attack that resulted in 305 yards and a 33-18 non-league victory over district rival Magnolia on Friday night at Western High.
Joey Ortega, usually a wide receive in the Irish offense, filled the void of T.J. Williams by gaining 154 yards on 15 carries and scoring three touchdowns. Quarterback Adrian Quezada added 75 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown of his own as Kennedy (3-1) finished with 399 yards in total offense.
Williams did manage 46 yards on eight attempts before illness and a bad toe led to his taking the rest of the night off. Irish coach Britt Johnson was looking beyond the results of this game.
“When you’re a hard runner like T.J. is, he is going to get banged up,” Johnson said. “We felt it was the right decision to have him on the bench and the goal is to get him healthy for our game next week.”
Magnolia (2-2) got on the scoreboard first when Quan Pleas intercepted a Quezada pass and returned it 99 yards for a 6-0 lead with 5:20 remaining in the first quarter. But the Irish would score 19 consecutive points during the remainder of the half, including two touchdowns in an 11-second span.
Ortega tied the score at 6-6 on a 4-yard run with 30 seconds left in the quarter. Two plays after Magnolia regained possession, Sentinel quarterback Fernando Garcia fumbled in the backfield. The scramble for the ball ended when Kennedy linebacker Armando Palacios scampered 13 yards to the end zone untouched.
A second fumble recovery by Palacios led to a 1-yard quarterback sneak TD by Quezada on the final play of the first half.
Magnolia cut the Irish lead to 19-12 with just over five minutes left in the third quarter on a 50-yard pass completion from Garcia to Mekhi Pelzer. Two minutes later, Kennedy responded with a 6-yard touchdown run by Ortega, set up by a 27-yard rush by Ortega on the previous play.
The Sentinels, who collected 185 yards on offense, put together a most impressive drive, starting at their own 18-yard line. Twenty plays and 82 yards later, Erick Nuno completed the march with a 6-yard touchdown run, as Magnolia was within eight points at 26-18.
The drive, though, erased 9:33 off the clock. Kennedy proceeded to focus again on the ground, going 63 yards in sevcen plays before Ortega raced into the end zone from 36 yards away.
Magnolia had one last chance on offense, but another fumble fell into the hands of the Irish, with Anthony Johar picking up the loose ball and Kennedu running out the game’s final two minutes.
