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Sunny Hills Easily Powers Its Way Past Kennedy, 28-0

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

Sunny Hills, the top-seeded team in the Southern Section Division VI football playoffs, played dominating defense and showed some offensive versatility in a 28-0 victory over Kennedy in first-round action in front of 1,800 at Buena Park High School Friday night.

The Lancers (11-0) will play Tustin, a 31-12 winner over Norwalk.

Sunny Hills’ defense recorded its fifth shutout of the season. The Lancers sacked Kennedy quarterback Russ Clark five times for 44 yards and tackled the Fighting Irish for losses on four other occasions.

Kennedy (5-6) managed only 161 yards of offense, 73 of it rushing. Much of that yardage came in the fourth quarter after Sunny Hills sent in its substitutes. At halftime, Sunny Hills had limited Kennedy to 12 yards rushing and only 39 yards of offense.

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That was to be expected from a Lancer defense that had given up only 45 points coming into the game. The surprise was on offense, where Sunny Hills, a ball-control team that features the talents of three running backs, took to the air.

“That’s what opened it up,” Sunny Hills Coach Tim Devaney said. “If they are going to play with 11 men up on the line like that, you’ve got to do something. Fortunately our kid did a really good job of throwing the ball.”

Sunny Hills quarterback Hakeim McKenzie completed seven of 11 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns.

Kennedy did a good job of controlling Sunny Hills’ running attack through a scoreless first quarter.

“We were doing a great job and we knew that sooner or later they were going to put the ball in the air,” Kennedy Coach Mitch Olson said. “We put as many kids up on the line as we could and they went to the pass. They got the 14 quick points. That kind of takes the air out of you.”

Sunny Hills had back-to-back 14-point efforts in the second and third quarters. It scored first on a 16-play, 89-yard drive that used seven and a half minutes of the second quarter. Kenny Overby (30 yards, nine carries) converted twice on third-down situations to keep the drive alive. He eventually scored on a three-yard run and Sunny Hills led, 7-0, after Matt Young’s kick.

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Kennedy had the ball only three very brief times in the third quarter and was unable to gain a first down. After its first touchdown, Sunny Hills’ Dominic Carnesi returned a Keith Sewell punt 33 yards to the Kennedy 37 to set up Brian Pizula’s one-yard touchdown run and Sunny Hills led at the half, 14-0. Pizula ended the game with 109 yards in 18 carries.

The Lancers picked up where they left off to start the third quarter. On the second play from scrimmage, McKenzie found Mike Sullivan with a 44-yard touchdown reception, the first of two for Sullivan.

On Sunny Hills’ next possession, McKenzie again found Sullivan all alone behind the Kennedy secondary for 35 yards and the Lancers’ final touchdown.

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