Southwest Sputters in 21-7 Victory Over Rio Hondo
There were no surprises Saturday afternoon during L.A. Southwest’s football opener against Rio Hondo at Southwest. It turned into a rather boring and sloppy game with little scoring and few exciting plays.
But Southwest was overjoyed with its 21-7 victory nonetheless.
“I’m just glad we got through this,” Southwest Coach Henry Washington said. “We’re going to be a lot better football team down the line.’
Washington also believes that sophomore quarterback Craig Manigo, who led Southwest to its first postseason bowl last year, will perform a lot better in the future.
“I think Craig was a little nervous,” he said. “I expect him to do a lot better later on.”
The 5-foot-9, 150-pound Manigo completed 10 of 19 passes for 101 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. His 12-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Michael Stephens started the scoring with 11 minutes 38 seconds left in the second quarter.
The pass completed a five-play, 39-yard drive. Freshman Angel Andrade’s extra point put the Cougars ahead, 7-0.
Rio Hondo, third in the Foothill Conference last season, scored its only touchdown with 2:46 remaining in the second quarter after linebacker Gus Flores intercepted a Manigo pass that was intended for Stephens.
The Roadrunners went 46 yards on four plays to tie the score. Quarterback Albert Solarzano passed to Gabe Cotero for a 25-yard touchdown.
The Cougars drove 66 yards in six plays on their next possession, with Manigo passing 27 yards to freshman tight end Michael Scott for the score and a 13-7 lead at halftime.
The Cougars scored their last touchdown with 9:40 remaining. After driving 43 yards in eight plays, Southwest punted only to regain possession and 15 yards after a Rio Hondo penalty on the kick.
Freshman running back Larry Edmonds ran five yards on first down, and Manigo hit Stephens for a 12-yard touchdown pass and a 19-7 lead.
Manigo connected with Stephens for the two-point conversion to account for the final score.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.