Los Alamitos Takes to the Air to Outscore Esperanza, 42-28

The news was less than encouraging for the home team, Los Alamitos High School, going into its Empire League showdown with Esperanza.

Thursday, a pre-game coin flip determined that if Esperanza beat Los Alamitos Friday, and created a three-way tie for first place, Loara would enter the playoffs as the league’s No. 1 representative, Esperanza No. 2 and Los Alamitos No. 3.

Friday, it was determined that Erik Mitchell, the Griffins’ exceptional running back, would only be able to play in an emergency because of an ankle sprain suffered last week against El Dorado.

And to give matters that eerie feel, a Los Alamitos male cheerleader broke his arm before the game, practicing back flips.

Can you say, bad omen?

It’s times like this when a team can be grateful it has one of the best high school quarterbacks in Southern California and that he’s throwing to two exceptional receivers.

Quarterback Todd Gragnano and receivers Chad Millan and Tyler Cashman pulled Los Alamitos past Esperanza, 42-28, overcoming the pregame bad news and a sluggish start.

The victory was the 20th consecutive Empire League victory for Los Alamitos, and clinched this season’s league championship.

Gragnano completed 17 of 28 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown and a two-point conversion.

Cashman and Millan each caught eight passes. Cashman’s receptions went for 169 yards and a touchdown, Millan gained 94 yards and also made a touchdown catch.

Esperanza (6-4, 3-2) began the game by driving to the Los Alamitos one. Running back Lance Brown sparked the drive with 71 yards of rushing, but Brown fumbled on the one and Los Alamitos recovered.

Still, Esperanza came back on its next possession to score on Brown’s 13-yard run.

But Los Alamitos scored 21 unanswered points. The first drive started at its five and was highlighted by four Cashman receptions for 83 yards. Gragnano capped the drive with a seven-yard run.

Los Alamitos’ second touchdown, set up by an Esperanza fumble on its 27, came on a great leaping catch by Cashman on a 27-yard pass.

Millan would later follow with a great catch of his own, cutting a rout short to come back for a short pass, for a nine-yard touchdown pass.

A 73-yard touchdown pass from Esperanza quarterback Keith McDonald to Reid Pullen made the score, 21-14, at the half.

But Los Alamitos went on another scoring binge in the second half, scoring 21 consecutive points, again.

All three were set up by passes to Millan or Cashman. Two touchdowns were scored by Hart Brown, better known as a defensive lineman, who twice bulled over from the three-yard line.

La Quan Beckton turned a short pass into a 24-yard touchdown for Los Alamitos.

Esperanza scored twice in the fourth quarter to make the score respectable, each score coming on passes from McDonald to Pullen.