PREP FOOTBALL / Saturday Pullout : Los Alamitos Suffers Loss in Winning : High schools: Griffins’ winning streak continues, but quarterback injured in victory over Kennedy.

That long-running action-adventure extravaganza known as the Los Alamitos High football team opened its season in front of another packed, pleased crowd Friday night.

And while this edition’s debut was a smash, the group’s enthusiasm was tempered by the loss of its leading man.

The Griffins defeated Kennedy, 24-14, in a nonleague game at Western High. The victory ran their unbeaten streak to 36 games, which was good news to many in the crowd of approximately 4,800. But Los Alamitos fans, a bunch definitely unaccustomed to bad news, got a big disappointment: Starting quarterback Kevin Feterik suffered a broken bone in his throwing hand in the first half and is expected to miss at least two to three weeks.

“Our doctor told me it’s definitely broken,” Los Alamitos Coach John Barnes said. “I’m not sure how bad it is, he left the game to go get X-rays, but it doesn’t look too good.”

Feterik, a left-handed junior making his first start, suffered the injury on the Griffins’ second-to-last possession before halftime when he was knocked to the ground by a Fighting Irish defender following a completion. Still, Feterik (6 feet 1, 176 pounds) managed to complete a touchdown pass on the series, which typified his otherwise standout coming-out party.

“It was really weird,” senior receiver Brad Melsby said of Feterik’s injury. “I remember coming back to the huddle and him saying, ‘My hand kind of hurts.’ But he kept playing. He really hung in there and we got another score.”

He completed 18 of 20 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns before halftime. Sophomore quarterback Sean Stein (6-1, 183) took the Griffins’ final snap of the half and started in the second half. He completed three of five passes for 12 yards.

“I was really nervous when I first came in,” Stein said. “But my teammates helped me and I started to get my confidence. Hopefully, I’ll be better next week.”

Melsby combined with Feterik on eight completions for 125 yards and two touchdowns in the game’s opening 24 minutes. Melsby finished with 10 catches for 132 yards, and junior receiver Tony Hartley caught eight passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.

Neither team scored after halftime. Los Alamitos relied on a ball-control attack in the second half to minimize Stein’s decision-making. Senior running back Phil Cruz carried 24 times for 124 yards, most of which came in the second half. Kennedy senior quarterback Jason Myles completed nine of 14 passes for 115 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

“Losing Feterik is tough, but Stein came in and did a good job,” Barnes said. “He’ll run with the first-team offense this week and he’ll get more comfortable.

“I think this gave everyone a little taste that Los Alamitos can still play.”