HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL : Southern Section Sprints Past City, 36-7

Pete Reyna of Glenn High returned a kickoff 67 yards for a score early in the second half to highlight the Southern Section’s 36-7 rout over the City in the first Los Amigos all-star football game at East Los Angeles College Saturday night.

Before an estimated crowd of 3,700, the Southern Section capitalized on four City turnovers and a safety to win the game, which is part of the weeklong Hollenbeck-Alatorre Inner-City Games.

The Southern Section overmatched the City behind the play of quarterbacks Zach Zertuche of La Puente Bishop Amat and Jay Macias of Montebello Schurr, who each passed for touchdowns.

“We weren’t sure, but we expected it to be really close,” Macias said. “They did not come out strong and our defense really did a great job shutting them down.”

On its first possession, the Southern Section drove 42 yards to take a 6-0 lead on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Zertuche to Alfred Alvarado of Schurr.

The City gained a brief 7-6 lead late in the first quarter thanks to the play of wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson of Dorsey. Johnson keyed the City’s 46-yard scoring drive with a 26-yard reception while also causing two pass-interference penalties against the Southern Section. Quarterback David Castillo of Garfield finished the drive with a one-yard run.

In the second quarter, the Southern Section went ahead, 14-7, on a 34-yard pass from Macais of Schurr to Jesse Castillo of Alhambra that was recovered in the end zone by Jesse Rafana of Bell Gardens. The Southern Section then stretched its lead to 20-7 before halftime when Henry Jauregui of Bell Gardens returned an interception 13 yards for a score.

The Southern Section opened the second half by tackling City quarterback Gaspar Ortega of Lincoln in the end zone for a safety. On the ensuing kickoff, Reyna ran down the sideline to give the Southern Section a 29-7 lead.

“They just seemed to be more disciplined,” Johnson said. “(Reyna’s) return was like a broken play but it summed up the game.”