Los Alamitos Starts Quickly, Then Hangs On to Beat Riverside Poly

Overwhelming.

That’s the only apt description of Los Alamitos’ first-quarter mauling of Riverside Poly Thursday at Veterans Stadium. Less than 10 minutes into the game, the third-ranked Griffins had a 22-point lead and had gained 141 yards--which was 142 more than Poly.

Good thing, because Los Alamitos needed most of that lead to hold off the Bears, 43-28, in a nonleague game in front of about 1,500.

“We’ve got a young team and the kids felt they couldn’t play with them,” Poly Coach Shane Wiley said. “By the time they figured out they could, we were down by 22.”

Los Alamitos quarterback Sean Stein rolled up huge numbers (251 yards passing) in the first half, but Poly’s three-play, 69-yard scoring drive that ended with quarterback Zimbalist Carter’s 20-yard run cut the Griffins’ lead to 29-21 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the half.

Barnes, who admitted he was scared at that point, said the game was like last year’s 37-34 playoff loss to Loyola, “where it seemed like you had to score every time you had the ball.”

The Griffins (5-0) answered, though, with a six-play, 45-yard drive and Stein’s six-yard touchdown pass to Roy Roberts (his third touchdown) for a 36-21 lead with 49 seconds left in the half.

Poly (1-4) nearly scored before the half. Leroy Huntley’s 83-yard kickoff return gave the Bears possession at the 13 that ended with Josiah Doby, Mike Buksa and Ryan Slaney engulfing Carter for a three-yard loss on fourth down.

Carter (16 carries, 114 yards, two touchdowns) is being recruited by Nebraska to run its offense. He ran 30 yards late in the game, then pitched the ball to Huntley, who carried the final 45 for the Bears’ final touchdown with 2:58 left.

“They’ve got players who play hard, they’ve got good athletes who make plays,” Barnes said, “but we make plays, too.”

Like Stein, who completed 21 of 36 passes for 358 yards and four touchdowns--two to Roberts of seven and six yards, and one to Chris Millard (39 yards for a 43-21 lead) and Ryan Dunbar (three yards). Like Dunbar, who caught seven passes for 92 yards, and Ryan Godfrey, who caught five for 126. Like Ife Ohalete, whose sixth interception set up the touchdown that helped Los Alamitos take that important 22-0 lead.