Naliielua Keys Sunny Hills’ Victory

Sunny Hills quarterback Brad Knyal threw only four passes and didn’t complete any. But when your special teams block a punt, your defense intercepts two passes and recovers a fumble, and your halfback has the game of his life, what’s to worry about?

Sunny Hills never had a worry as it jumped on Fullerton in the first minute and went on to 30-12 victory Friday night at Fullerton High in a Freeway League opener.

Fullerton (3-3, 0-1) dropped its 11th consecutive Freeway League game. Sunny Hills improved to 3-3 and 1-0.

Sunny Hills’ Brett Ackerman stormed in with two rushers and blocked Keith Ginter’s punt on Fullerton’s fourth play from scrimmage. The Lancers recovered on Fullerton’s three, and before the Indians knew what was happening, Sunny Hills had a 7-0 lead.

“I’ll have to see the films,” Fullerton Coach Julian Smilowitz said. “We don’t practice getting kicks blocked.”

Henry Naliielua’s three-yard touchdown run with 10 minutes 16 seconds left in the first quarter was his first of many big runs. Naliielua, who finished with 200 yards and three touchdowns in 15 carries, was in the end zone again nine minutes later on a 22-yard run, set up by a Craig Bosari interception of a Chris Young pass.

Sean Pelphrey’s 35-yard field goal extended the lead to 17-0 with 9:20 left in the half. Fullerton scored on a 17-yard pass play from Young to Ryan Schatz with 6:11 left in the half, but the two-point conversion failed when Young missed Ryan Gregory in the end zone.

Naliielua quickly ended Fullerton’s hopes for a second-half comeback, when he busted loose again on a 54-yard touchdown on the second play of the third quarter. Naliielua, whose previous best game was 95 yards, ran right on a sweep then cut back across the grain and sprinted untouched down the right sideline.

“My coaches just told me to run to daylight,” Naliielua said. “I just saw the daylight and went. We had been in a slump and we wanted to come out and do something good tonight.”

Ginter, Fullerton’s all-purpose back, caught a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Young, but he was contained throughout much of the game.

“He’s a targeted guy now,” Smilowitz said. “He gave it all he had.”

Ginter still caught 11 passes for 98 yards and rushed twice on reverses for 67 yards. However, the Fullerton offense never got untracked against the quick Sunny Hills defense. Young was sacked four times and had two passes intercepted.

The game was delayed for 40 minutes in the fourth quarter when Fullerton defensive back Matt De Salle suffered a neck injury. He was taken to St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton. The hospital did not release his condition.