SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : Division III : Gragnano Runs Los Alamitos to Victory, 19-3

The airways were crowded, so Todd Gragnano decided to take an alternate route to the end zone Friday night, running for 2 touchdowns to lead Los Alamitos High School to a 19-3 victory over El Modena in the semifinals of the Southern Section Division III playoffs in Orange’s Fred Kelly Stadium.

Gragnano completed only 4 of 17 passes for 75 yards but scored twice in the first quarter to lead Los Alamitos (12-0-1) into the championship game for the second consecutive year. El Modena finished the season 7-6.

Gragnano, a junior left-hander, scored on runs of 5 and 20 yards in the first quarter as the Griffins opened a 12-0 lead in the opening 10 minutes.

Defensive back Dave Haub set up Gragnano’s first touchdown by recovering his first of 2 fumbles in the quarter.

El Modena running back Marcus Esposito fumbled at his 38-yard line on El Modena’s second play of the game. Gragnano teamed with wide receiver Ron Monninger on a 33-yard pass play to give the Griffins a first and goal at El Modena’s 5-yard line and Gragnano followed with his first score.

Gragnano directed Los Alamitos on its only long drive of the night on its next possession, moving 80 yards in 12 plays. Running backs Chris Stewart and Eric Caesar took turns piling up yardage before Gragnano took over.

Gragnano rolled to his left out of the passing pocket and raced down the left sideline for a nifty 20-yard run with 2:57 remaining in the quarter and a 12-0 lead that El Modena never came close to matching.

El Modena’s only moment in the one-sided game came with 1:51 remaining in the first quarter. Tim Hatcher kicked a 27-yard field goal, tying Art Sorce’s Orange County and Southern Section record of 16 field goals in a season set in 1974.

Hatcher had an opportunity for another field goal, but his 52-yard attempt late in the third quarter was about a yard short and wide to the right.

El Modena attempted to rally in the second half, but Los Alamitos intercepted quarterback Adam Garcia twice. Mike McEntee sealed the victory for Los Alamitos when he returned Garcia’s errant pass 29 yards for a touchdown with 6:20 remaining and Chris Park’s conversion kick finished the scoring.

John Barnes, Los Alamitos coach, said he was surprised his team was returning to the title game.

“With only three returning starters and then getting off to a lousy start, I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “Right now, we’re a good team, and we earned our way to the championship.”

El Modena had been the surprise team of the division, scoring upsets over Capistrano Valley and Dominguez en route to the semifinals. Bill Backstrom, El Modena coach, said his team’s failure to contain Gragnano was a big reason the Vanguards will be turning in their equipment on Monday.

“We had trouble getting to him, and when we did, he went outside on us,” Backstrom said. “I thought we had a pretty good game plan, but they played a smart game and that bad start with those early mistakes hurt us.”