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’s players were ecstatic after the 21-7 victory in which they committed numerous penalties and four turnovers.

“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 11:38 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 League 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 on six plays on their next possession. Manigo passed 27 yards to freshman tight end Michael Scott for 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 19-7 lead.

Manigo connected with Stephens for the two-point conversion and 21-7 lead.

The Cougars are off next week. They will open Western State Conference play at Harbor College on Sept. 22.