Pacifica Holds Off Kennedy With Pivotal Plays

Pacifica High School didn’t have much to show on offense, gaining only four first downs, but the Mariners used three big plays and tough defense near the goal line to defeat Kennedy, 21-13, in front of 1,500 at Bolsa Grande High School on Thursday.

Pacifica running back Chris Shockley needed only 48 yards to move into 10th place among Orange County’s career rushing leaders, and for the better part of the game it appeared he would not get it. But with less than three minutes remaining, he broke a 37-yard run, finishing with 87 yards in 14 carries.

Pacifica Coach Bill Craven was not satisfied with his team’s performance.

“I thought we tackled very poorly,” he said. “We had some very inconsistent efforts. If it wasn’t for those three big plays, we wouldn’t have been in the ball game.”

Pacifica (5-2-1 overall, 5-0 in league) made its first big play on the opening series, when Chris Maroney recovered a fumble by Kennedy’s Craig Roah and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown.

Kennedy scored on a Vince Church one-yard run to cap a four-play, 54-yard drive that included a 32-yard completion from Russ Clark to James Chun.

Late in the second quarter, Pacifica quarterback Bobby Anderson found Jim Lochner on a short pattern across the middle. Lochner broke outside and took it up the sideline for an 89-yard touchdown to put Pacifica ahead, 14-7.

Kennedy had nine first downs to Pacifica’s two and outgained Pacifica 171 to 137 yards in the first half, but the Fighting Irish had trouble putting the ball in the end zone.

One Kennedy first-half drive stalled on fourth and goal from the three, and another ended in when Lochner intercepted Clark at the Pacifica 39.

In the second half, Pacifica picked up where it left off--with a big play. On the second play of the half, Anderson found Ryan Bremer for a 59-yard touchdown pass.

Kennedy (3-5, 2-3) finally put together a scoring drive, taking nine minutes to score and cut the lead to 21-13 early in the fourth.

Pacifica fumbled a kickoff and Kennedy recovered at the Mariner 34. The Fighting Irish had the ball on the eight and goal to go but the Pacifica defense stiffened and four plays later the score remained, 21-13.