Anaheim’s Diaz Rushes for 138 Yards

Brian Diaz rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown as Anaheim stayed unbeaten with a 15-0 nonleague victory over Kennedy Friday night at Western High.

Diaz, a senior, gave the Colonists (3-0) a 6-0 lead with a four-yard touchdown run on the last play of the first quarter. The run capped a seven-play, 31-yard drive. The extra point was missed.

After a scoreless second quarter, Kennedy (2-1) threatened to take the lead on its first possession of the second half. Quarterback John Guthrie drove the Irish to the Anaheim three-yard line, but the drive stalled.

On fourth down, Kennedy Coach Mitch Olson elected to go for a field goal. But Anaheim nose tackle Joaquin Arredondo blocked Chris Clark’s 20-yard attempt and the Colonists recovered at their own 20-yard line with 3 minutes 32 seconds left in the third quarter. Kennedy came no closer to scoring the rest of the game.

Anaheim put the game out of reach on its next possession when quarterback Phil Covarrubias found Steve Lopez for a three-yard touchdown pass, making it 13-0 with 8:47 to play. Covarrubias led the Colonists on a 12-play, 73-yard drive that was aided by personal foul and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

The Colonist defensive unit, which limited Kennedy to 99 net yards, sacked Guthrie five times and intercepted two passes. The defense also closed out the scoring with 6:30 to play by recording a safety. Under a heavy rush, Guthrie was forced to pass from his end zone to an ineligible receiver. The penalty resulted in a safety.