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Montclair Prep Struggles in Alpha Opener

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Montclair Prep Coach Pat Blackburn’s venture Saturday night into the Alpha League was not quite the walk in the park he expected.

Blackburn had said league play would be a “vacation” compared to his team’s tough preleague schedule. Instead the Mounties, behind Mike Jones’ three touchdown runs, struggled to a 21-14 victory over L. A. Baptist in a league opener at Valley College.

Lee Szabo blocked a Montclair Prep punt late in the fourth period and scored on an eight-yard touchdown run with 4:45 to play to make the game close.

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The Mounties (3-3) managed to run out the clock, thanks mostly to a 31-yard pass by quarterback Keyaan Cook to Tom Kilby.

Blackburn, as expected, was surprised by the nail-biter.

“No, I didn’t expect the blocked punt,” Blackburn said. “They’re a good, tough team, but we’d have won by two touchdowns if we didn’t have the blocked punt.”

The Knights (3-2) struck first, with Szabo capping a 55-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run. Mike Vanderhorst’s kick gave L. A. Baptist a 7-0 lead with 5:59 left in the first period.

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Montclair Prep reversed the momentum on the final play of the first quarter when Kilby blocked Szabo’s punt and fell on the ball at the Knights’ 16-yard line.

Three plays later, Jones scored the first of his two first-half touchdowns on a 14-yard run. Adam Fishman’s kick tied the score, 7-7, with 10:40 left in the half.

Jones scored again on a one-yard run late in the period as the Mounties took a 14-7 lead at intermission.

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Other than two touchdown runs, L. A. Baptist held Jones in check in the first half, limiting him to two yards on six carries.

A Szabo fumble gave the Mounties the ball at the Knights’ 41-yard line early in the third period, and Jones scored his third touchdown on a 17-yard run with 8:25 left in the quarter. Fishman’s kick put Montclair Prep ahead, 21-7.

It stayed that way, with both teams exchanging punts, until Szabo broke through the Mounties’ line and blocked Fishman’s punt in the fourth period.

Jones, a sophomore who has gained 432 yards on 80 carries, finished with just 19 yards on nine carries.

Kilby caught five passes for 94 yards, blocked a punt and recovered a fumble for the Mounties.

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