Alemany Runs Away From Pius X Behind 93 Yards by Mason

With a passing attack that had averaged 164 yards a game in its 3-0 start, Alemany High figured to air it out again Friday night when it invaded the Downey campus of tiny, but tough, Pius X High.

But it didn’t take Indian football Coach Enrique Lopez much time to change his game plan after he watched quarterback Sean Casey go 0 for 5 in the opening minutes.

Fortunately, he had an option. Lopez turned to senior tailback Dennis Mason, who responded with 93 yards on 23 carries to lead the Indians on a 28-0 win over the previously unbeaten Warriors (3-1).

The necessity for the change was as surprising to Lopez as the loss was frustrating to the 2,000 or so partisan Pius X spectators, who came to support a team that is off to its best start since 1980.

“It just developed that way,” Lopez said of the switch in thinking. “We thought we could come in here and throw the ball. But our quarterback (Casey) was getting too much pressure. He couldn’t stay in the pocket, so we decided to let Mason run with the ball. We’re very proud of the way our running game developed (tonight).”

But Pius X did not give up without a fight. The teams locked up in a first-half defensive struggle that was broken only by the Indians’ second to last drive of the first 24 minutes, which ended with 2:37 left to go in the second quarter on a three-yard scoring toss from Casey to Scoop Augustis.

The 69-yard, 15-play drive came after a strong defensive effort by the Indians’ line, which forced Pius X running back Andre Pitts to fumble at the Alemany 30 on his first carry of the night.

Although the fumble may have been the turning point in the game, Lopez was hesitant to call it that way.

“If I knew what the turning point was each time, I’d do it again each week,” he said.

Travis Bargeman made the score 14-0 on only the fourth play of the third quarter when he took a 41-yard punt from Rory Ewing and returned it up the Pius sideline 78 yards with barely two minutes gone.

A shirt-and-collar tackle by Indians linebacker Larry Muir on fourth down and two at the Alemany 43 with 8:23 left to go in the final quarter stopped a Pius X drive that seemed to be gaining some steam. That set up 12-play, 56-yard drive that culminated six minutes later when Casey hit Bargeman with a swing pass for 18 yards and another score.

The Indians added a final score with 1:11 to go in the game when Warrior quarterback Eddie Nevarez was sacked at his three by defensive end David Cassilas and fumbled into the end zone. Dean Cipperley recovered for the score.

Nevarez was sacked six times but managed to hit 9 of 17 pass attempts for 76 yards. He entered the game weith a completion rate of 69%.

The Indian defense, which had averaged only 121 yards allowed per game, gave up 98 net yards in the first half, then responded in the final 24 minutes, allowing Pius X to net just 62 in the second half, including a net gain of ony six yards on the ground.

Casey, who had thrown for 492 yards and three touchdowns entering the game, completed just five passes--two for touchdowns--for 67 yards.