It’s Business as Usual for Los Alamitos

Looking for an upset? How about Katella 17, Los Alamitos 0. Just kidding.

Nope, no surprises Friday night at Glover Stadium.

Los Alamitos, top-ranked in every poll and nearly every statistical category imaginable, tuned up for the Southern Section Division II playoffs by pounding unranked Katella, 35-0, in an Empire League game.

There was certainly no letdown for Los Alamitos after its 49-0 thrashing of league rival Esperanza last week. The Griffins (10-0, 5-0) extended their unbeaten streak to 31 games, which included a 14-14 tie with Esperanza in last season’s Division II championship game.

More important, the Griffins clinched their second consecutive league title and are expected to be top-seeded when the playoff pairings are released Sunday. Katella ends the season 3-4-3 and 0-3-2.

Quarterback Mike Good led the Griffins, completing 16 of 23 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns and running one yard for another score, all in a little more than a half.

Tailback Enrico Bozman rushed for 72 yards and scored two touchdowns before leaving with a sore shin just before halftime. His replacement, junior Phil Cruz, cruised 71 yards for a touchdown on Los Alamitos’ first play from scrimmage in the second half and finished with 107 yards in only five carries.

“Bozman will be all right,” Los Alamitos Coach John Barnes said. “He just got kicked in the shin. There was no reason to play him in the second half.”

Not with Los Alamitos’ defense.

The Griffins outscored league opponents 217-8 this season, and Katella became their seventh shutout victim. They held Katella to 26 yards total offense and sacked Jaret Wright four times for 51 yards, including a 26-yard sack by defensive end Brandon Hart.

Is this Barnes’ best defense?

“I don’t know,” he said. “Our ’87 defense was pretty good, and they had seven shutouts. But this team is more athletic than any team I’ve had. These guys can run.”

He pointed to Robert Torres, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound defensive tackle and a three-year starter.

“We’re not very physical looking,” Barnes said. “Torres isn’t even 210 pounds, but he’s as hard as that building over there.”

The Griffin offense was its usual explosive self, scoring on four consecutive first-half possessions to lead, 28-0, at halftime.

The first score was a screen pass from Good to Bozman, who raced 61 yards for the touchdown. Bozman broke two tackles and used a sweet cutback move at the Katella 15-yard line to freeze Knight defensive back Brian Christopherson and open a path to the end zone.