Gragnano, No. 1 Los Al Throw Marina for Loss

It didn’t take long for Los Alamitos High School quarterback Todd Gragnano to get his left arm loose Thursday night.

On the first play from scrimmage in the Griffins’ season opener against Marina at Gahr High, Gragnano threw to wide receiver Chad Milan for a 55-yard gain.

Seventeen passes later, Gragnano had amassed a total of 280 yards passing and three touchdowns to lead Los Alamitos to a 42-22 victory.

The loss extended Marina’s losing streak to 16 games, dating to the 1987 season.

Gragnano, a senior, threw touchdown passes of seven and 21 yards to Milan, and 83 yards to Tyler Cashman. He also ran 35 yards for another score.

It was a night of big plays for Los Alamitos, the top-ranked team in Orange County. Erik Mitchell, a transfer running back from Mayfair, returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. He was not quite as impressive as a running back, gaining only 29 yards in 13 carries. But on this night it didn’t matter. Gragnano provided enough offense.

“We did a lot wrong, but we did a lot right,” Gragnano said. “Last year I started slow, but this was a little different.”

The Griffins, tied 28-28 by Kennedy in last season’s opener, moved swiftly in the first quarter. Gragnano threw a seven-yard scoring pass to Milan, who had six catches for 132 yards, on the third play of the game.

On the next series, Gragnano scrambled away from Marina pressure, broke into the clear and raced 35 yards for a score.

Marina then scored on a three-yard run by fullback Todd Lewis.

But Mitchell took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 90 yards for a score and Marina was never in contention after that.

“I suppose if the offense had played the whole game they would have looked better,” said John Barnes, Los Alamitos coach, who subbed freely beginning in the third quarter. “We threw it and caught it well.”

Lewis and quarterback David Schultz were bright spots for Marina. Lewis rushed for a game-high 143 yards in 22 carries. Schultz completed 12 of 24 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. He also ran one yard for a fourth-quarter score.