By Sports Editor Jacob Chavira
The Fighting Irish imposed their will with a 34-19 victory over the Valencia Tigers on Oct. 4 in the first league game of the season at Handel Stadium in the highly anticipated homecoming game for Kennedy High. The Irish earned a total of 218 combined passing yards and 116 combined rushing yards. With a 27-0 lead at the end of halftime Kennedy High set the tone for the other half of the game.
The Irish received the ball to start the game, they fought their way through eight minutes and 40 seconds of offense and with just three minutes and 20 seconds left in the first quarter quarterback Devin Almazan ran in a 5-yard touchdown to bring the score to 7-0.
“I would say it was actually a fairly calming feeling. Of course I was excited that we had scored but being able to put points on the board first is always a quick way to set the tone for the rest of the night and set any nerves at ease,” Devin Almazan said.
The defense started off strong with a tackle from linebacker Riley Schow and defensive tackle Nick Husges, as well as great coverage from cornerback Mahseiah Banks and Husges with a blocked pass. With the Irish holding the Tigers to a fourth down they chose the safest option and punted, giving the ball back to the Fighting Irish. Unfortunately for the Irish, the Tigers produced a similar outcome forcing the Irish to punt.
Valencia started the second quarter off on the opposite 33-yard line, while scoring chances seemed low. with smart run plays the Tigers soon moved the line of scrimmage to the 20-yard line. With the threat of the Tigers scoring, Kennedy High's defense locked in and held them to a field goal. The kick was up but was immediately blocked by cornerback Makhell Beatty. Valencia now on defense held the Irish to punt the ball to the opposite 42-yard line. The tigers fought their way down to the 30-yard line where the Irish held them there. On third-and-ten linebacker Rocco Street with a late blitz sacked the Tigers quarterback putting the Tigers on the 36-yard line and forcing them to punt the ball away.
“Mentally it felt good because I knew I got my job done and did my part on keeping Valencia out of the end zone and that was the whole plan going into the game just create turnovers and that's what I did,” Beatty said.
With the ball on the opposite 15-yard line for the Irish and with under 2 minutes to go until the end of the quarter, the Irish decided to pass. With great blocking from the offensive line quarterback Derek Almazan passes the ball to wide receiver Mahseiah Banks, Banks secured the catch on the 50-yard line and ran it in for an 85-yard touchdown pass making the score 13-0 but also achieving the fifth-longest pass in the state of California from the weekend of Oct. 4.
“I felt great after the touchdown, knowing that I was able to help our team get the win and all of the work we put in at practice is paying off is a great feeling,” Banks said.
With one minute and 43 seconds left in the quarter, the Tigers get another shot at scoring. However, with pressure from the defensive line, a sack from defensive end Moa Moimoi, and a tackle for loss from linebacker Cole Norris. The Tigers were forced to punt, giving the Fighting Irish the ball. With under a minute left Devin Almazan passed the ball to running back Isaac Talamantes and ran it in for a 67-yard touchdown.
The Irish kicked it off to the Tigers once more but the Tigers fumbled the kickoff giving the ball back to the Irish on their very own 9-yard line. With 29 seconds left in the half, Derek Almazan passed the ball to Talamantes who ran it in for a touchdown. The Irish went for two points with Derek Almazan passing to Street making the two points and adding to the score 27-0.
“We missed 2 opportunities the previous plays so I knew we had to get something there so I did my best to keep the play alive and find my guy open,” Derek Almazan said.
In the opening of the second half the Tigers received the ball on the opposite 27-yard line. Valencia moved down the field to the 30-yard line but not without facing adversity from the Irish defense with defensive end Gio Santos, defensive tackle Steven Aldapa, and safety Deon Bynum getting tackles against the Tigers. With a false start on the offense, the ball ends up on the 29-yard line, the Tigers decide to run it but it is met with an impressive hit from Street forcing a turnover. Three plays after the Irish got the ball back, Devin Almazan handed the ball off to Talamantes to score a 70-yard touchdown increasing the score to 34-0.
“During the homecoming game I had a great night with a great decision by my coaches. Putting me on offense where I see green grass and play my hardest,” Talamantes said. “I felt good but I also worked hard and worked for this so I expect more.”
Valencia High received the ball on the opposite 28-yard line. The Tigers ran the ball but experienced some trouble with tackles being made by Santos, Street, Aldapa, and defensive end Maxwell Kim. Unfortunately for the Irish, that wasn't enough, the Tigers with one minute and two seconds left in the quarter were able to score their first touchdown when quarterback Adrian Hurtado ran in for a 3-yard touchdown making the score 34-6.
The final quarter began with the Irish on the opposite 41-yard line with Devin Almazan passing the ball impressively and Talamantes running the ball leading the Irish down the field to the 15-yard line. With the Tigers defense holding the Irish offense to the 15-yard line, The Fighting Irish went for a field goal but missed the kick giving the Tigers the ball back. The Tigers were able to move the ball down the field but were faced with many tackles from linebacker Brett Dolman, defensive end Dylan Edds, and safety Cody Herrera. Hurtado handed off the ball to running back Louis Galvan to score a touchdown making the score 34-13.
“I just love to go out there and make as many plays as possible whenever | get called on, there really isn't any other feeling like it out there,” Dolman said.
The Tigers then performed an onside kick where they recovered the ball and we're back on offense once again. With one minute and 43 seconds left in the game The Tigers ran the ball but faced the Irish defense with pressure from the defensive line and tackles made by Herrera and Dolman.
Hurtado handed off the ball to running back Alex Buchanon to score another touchdown late in the fourth quarter bringing the score to 34-19. With 42 seconds left in the game, the Irish got the ball back but were unable to put any more points on the board. But with the win secured everyone rooting for the Fighting Irish were happy.
The fighting Irish became triumphant in their efforts against Valencia High with a 34-19 final with an impressive win for the Irish in their homecoming game. The Irish then successfully went up against the Fullerton Indians where the Irish took the win in a crushing 28-0 victory. The Irish battled against the Beckman Patriots last week at Tustin High where the Irish fell to the patriots 14-20 in overtime. The Irish (5-3) go against the Marina Vikings (8-0) this Thursday, Oct. 24 at Handel Stadium.
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