No. 1 Los Alamitos Makes Believers Out of Esperanza

Los Alamitos administered an old-fashioned whipping Friday night.

Nothing new there. The Griffins are the No. 1-ranked team in Orange County. They have buried many an opponent this season.

But this time it was Empire League-rival Esperanza, ranked fifth in the county and the one teams people thought could make the Griffins sweat a little.

Los Alamitos’ 49-0 victory will make people think again. A crowd of 5,000 at Cerritos Gahr High School was almost silent at times. Even the Griffins’ coach seemed taken aback.

“I tell you, I’m a little shocked,” Coach John Barnes said. “This team even surprises me some weeks.”

Not everyone was caught completely off guard.

“People have been saying Los Alamitos hasn’t played anybody this season,” said quarterback Mike Good, who threw for 234 yards and a touchdown. “That was the fifth-ranked team in the county out there.

“Of course, if some one would have told me it was going to be 49-0, I would have said they were crazy. The Griffins are for real.”

All too real, as far as Esperanza is concerned.

The Aztecs (6-3, 3-1) have held their own against the Griffins the last two seasons. The two teams have played four times, twice for Southern Section titles. Los Alamitos had a 2-1-1 record in those games, but the two programs were generally considered equal.

They even tied, 14-14, for the Division II championship last season. It was a minute blemish on the Griffins unbeaten streak, which is at 30 games. One they wanted to expunge.

“This one was special,” defensive lineman Steve Trammell said. “This was a little revenge for last season.”

It was never close. Los Alamitos (9-0, 4-0) was up 35-0 by halftime.

The Griffins scored the first three times they had the ball. Good, who ran for two touchdowns, hit nine of his first 10 passes. Running back Enrico Bozman, who gained 117 yards and scored two touchdowns, ran through gapping holes, then plowed under defensive backs.

“You’re either going to pay with the pass or the run,” Good said.

The Aztecs paid with both. Los Alamitos gained 381 yards.

“(Esperanza) didn’t know what to do,” Good said. “This is the best offense in the state.”

And it was the offense, which lost all-section quarterback Tim Carey (Stanford), that was suppose to be the Griffins’ weakness. Some weakness. Los Alamitos is averaging nearly 45 points per game.

But the success is mainly due to a defense that has budged little. The Griffins picked up their sixth shutout Friday and have given up only 34 points this season.

Teams have averaged only 35 yards rushing per game against Los Alamitos. Esperanza’s wing-T offense played right into that strength. The Aztecs’ first three running plays lost six yards. They had only six yards rushing at halftime and their only first down came on a penalty.

Esperanza finished with 101 total yards. Los Alamitos also intercepted two passes, both of which set up touchdowns.

In the end, there was nothing left to say except the understated.

Said Barnes: “This just might be one of those special teams.”