Kennedy Foiled By PAT Miss : High school football: Granada Hills turns back City rival on key block and fourth-quarter touchdown.

Down a point to arch-rival Granada Hills High with three-and-a-half minutes to go, Kennedy quarterback Dan McMullen wore an anguished expression as he stared at the field.

“Get me the ball, just get me the ball,” McMullen pleaded in a whisper. But the Highlanders had no intention of giving McMullen another shot.

Embarking on a 10-play drive that ate up the game’s final five minutes, Granada Hills and quarterback Brian MacLean hung on to defeat the Golden Cougars, 7-6, in a Northwest Valley Conference opener Friday night.

Kennedy (2-2) scored the game’s first points on a 16-yard pass from McMullen to Aaron Lewis with five minutes to play in the third quarter, but Robert Cervantes’ extra-point attempt was blocked.

Not that it was all Cervantes’ fault. The exchange between center and holder was slow and a slew of Highlander defenders swarmed in, engulfing the ball.

Six minutes later, facing third and 10 from the Kennedy 32, MacLean faked a handoff, drifted right, and lofted a floating touchdown pass down the middle of the field to tight end Jason Ascencio.

“It was only supposed to be a five-yard route, but (Ascencio) was covered and I thought if I rolled out, he’d get open,” MacLean said. “Right when I threw it I knew it was a TD.”

Jordan De Jong’s extra-point try sailed over the bar for the winning margin with 11 minutes to play.

The Cougars gave Cervantes a chance at redemption by driving to the Granada Hills six-yard line with five minutes to play, but the kicker’s 22-yard attempt was wide right.

The Highlanders (2-2) ran out the clock by running four quarterback sneaks in their final 10 plays.

“The defense knew I was coming,” MacLean said. “But I thought we had the game in the bag as long as I held on to the ball every time.”

MacLean completed 10 of 20 passes for 165 yards and the Highlander touchdown. Ascencio had four receptions for 76 yards.

Tailback Eric Richardson paced the ground attack with 55 yards in 10 carries.

For Kennedy, McMullen completed 11 of 22 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown with an interception.

Kennedy tailback Antwane Smith rushed for 125 yards in 31 carries.