Kennedy Finds Motivation to Smear Granada Hills

Motivation is where you find it.

For Kennedy High linebacker Alex Sawatzke, it came in the form of a photograph.

Sawatzke heard earlier in the week that Granada Hills players were spitting on a photograph of him that they had clipped out of a newspaper.

Then there were the buttons that were passed around the Granada Hills campus that pictured a Highlander player intimidating several smaller Kennedy players. Kennedy Coach Bob Francola managed to procure one of the buttons and bring it to practice during the week before the game.

It all added up to a streak-busting level of emotion for Kennedy, which defeated cross-town rival Granada Hills, 14-12, Friday night in a North Valley League game at Granada Hills.

It was Kennedy’s first victory over Granada Hills in the past nine tries.

“I heard they were spitting on my picture,” Sawatzke said. “It hurts my pride, my manhood, everything. It’s a disgraceful thing to do.”

Granada Hills co-Coach Tom Harp denied any such deed took place.

“We didn’t spit on any pictures--not to my knowledge,” Harp said. “It might have been a lie just to fire them up.”

Whatever it was, it worked. Kennedy (6-1, 4-0 in league play) limited Granada Hills (3-3, 2-2) to 17 yards rushing in the second half.

Kennedy’s Elijah Raphael rushed for 194 yards and a touchdown in 37 carries as the Golden Cougars ran for 237 yards.

Even so, Granada Hills had a chance to win at the end when it trailed, 14-10. The Highlanders stopped Kennedy with 2 minutes 11 seconds to play and took over at their 40.

Quarterback Edgar Vasquez (seven of 16 for 143 yards) completed a 45-yard pass to put the ball at the Kennedy 15 and a run by Raheem Kyle put the ball at the 14 with less than two minutes left.

Vazquez threw two incomplete passes, then had Kyle open in the end zone and lofted the ball over defender Anthony Jones. Kyle, however, thought the pass was intended for John Moss, and the players let the ball drop between them.

Kennedy’s Tavarus Logie took a safety to end the game.

“The ball was there. All he had to do was catch it and we win,” Granada Hills co-Coach Darryl Stroh said.

Kennedy, which was held to zero passing yards, erased a 10-7 halftime deficit on Viliami Langi’s one-yard touchdown run.

Both teams rolled out the trick plays in the first half.

Raphael attempted an option pass that Moss batted away from Eric Davis, and Kyle overthrew Moss in the end zone on an option pass.

The Highlanders also ran three “fumblerooski” plays in which Vasquez took the snap and placed the ball on the ground for pulling guard Joe Gurganus, who gained 57 yards on the three carries.