Alemany Dethrones Granada Hills on Lobos’ Kick, 17-14

A sign has been hanging in the Granada Hills High locker room this week, a green-and-white banner placed of the wall by senior running back Jamal Farmer. It is succinct, though not particularly subtle. It asks, “Is Granada No. 1?”

The query was placed for all on the Highlander team to see, because some, including Coach Darryl Stroh, weren’t quite sure how to color the team as it entered Friday night’s game with Alemany, the Highlanders’ first of the season.

You can color them red.

Alemany’s Chris Lobos kicked a 31-yard field goal with 1:14 remaining in the game as the Indians shocked Granada Hills, 17-14, at Alemany. Granada Hills had been rated No. 1 in the Valley by The Times.

“We’ve got a bunch of guys who read the newspapers,” Granada Hills Coach Darryl Stroh grumbled. “I hate reading newspapers.”

Uh, maybe they should have read the sign.

Alemany, ranked No. 10, took possession with the score tied, 14-14, and 3:54 left in the game when a 28-yard punt by Granada Hills’ Charles Fowlks gave the Indians the ball on the Alemany 34.

Sophomore quarterback Joey Rosselli, who entered the game in the second quarter and took the Indians on an 87-yard touchdown drive, took Alemany to the Granada Hills’ 33-yard line with a completion to receiver Mark Scott, who had two key catches in the drive and finished with 120 yards on eight catches.

One play later, Rosselli hit Scott with a 17-yard pass to the Granada Hills’ 13. Two running plays and an incomplete pass later, Lobos threaded the needle for the winning margin.

“I was just thinking about what I do in practice,” said Lobos, a senior. “I missed one last week that I should have made.”

Lobos, who also scored on a one-yard run with in the third quarter, kicked a 41-yard field goal with two seconds in a 25-25 tie in the Alemany (2-0-1) opener against Los Banos.

Rosselli finished with 159 yards on 11 of 16 passing, which in the end out-dueled Granada Hills’ ace Jeremy Leach, who passed for 271 yards and completed a near-perfect 26 of 31.

“We beat the number one team in the Valley,” a bubbling Rosselli said. “I think that makes us the king of the hill.”

Make that the kings of Granada and Mission Hills, where Alemany is located.

Granada Hills took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when Leach hit wide receiver Kyle Jan with a 13-yard touchdown pass. Alemany, meanwhile was sputtering along--the Indians had four turnovers in the game.

Rosselli took over midway through the second quarter for starter Ray Campuzano, who was intercepted twice. Alemany immediately went into a hurry-up offense, trying to out-muscle the Highlanders.

“We figured that they would be getting tired since it was there first game,” Alemany Coach Rick Lopez said. “We’ve been lifting weights all year. We were stronger than they were.”

Granada Hills took a 14-7 lead on a 69-yard run by Farmer with 5:28 left in the third.

Alemany answered with 53-yard drive in the fourth, that was capped by Lobos’ run with 6:30 left.

Granada Hills rushed for only 104 yards, which meant that with Farmer’s 114 yard performance, the Highlanders’ were hurting on the ground with the pass.

Alemany, on the other hand, was as well-rounded as it gets. Ray Campuzano rushed for 106 yards and Lobos added 23 more, which coupled with the Indians’ overall passing yardage, gave Alemany a 340-yard night on offense against Granada Hills.

“They beat us in every phase of the game,” Stroh said.

And the sophomore Rosselli ended up besting Leach, the top passer among Valley-area City teams last year.

“I’m trying to bring Joey along slowly,’ Lopez said. “We’re working in him into the offense. he needs a little more work on the weights, but he’s getting there.”

With the strong-arm job Alemany did against Leach and Granada Hills, Rosselli and the team may be all the way there.