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San Pedro Knocks Down Kennedy’s Hope

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

In the end, Kennedy High went to Aaron Lewis once too often.

The Golden Cougar wide receiver made his share of leaping grabs and one-handed catches, but even he couldn’t snare a fourth-down pass that killed Kennedy’s last-ditch drive.

San Pedro was able to add an insurance touchdown and seal a 33-20 victory over the Golden Cougars in a City Section 4-A quarterfinal game Wednesday night at Daniels Field.

But not before Kennedy gave the top-seeded Pirates their toughest test of the season. San Pedro (12-0), ranked No. 14 by The Times, will play Garfield in the semifinals a week from Friday.

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San Pedro’s Cory Smith broke a 20-20 tie with just over seven minutes remaining with a one-yard touchdown run.

Kennedy (8-4), relying on the passing combination of Calvin Zinck and Lewis, drove to the San Pedro 40 with just over three minutes left.

On fourth down, Zinck avoided two tacklers and fired the ball toward Lewis in the middle of three Pirate defenders.

Anthony Banks knocked the ball down while keeping a hand on Lewis.

“It was a good defensive play,” Lewis said.

Lewis had caught four of Zinck’s five previous passes and finished with 11 receptions for 147 yards.

“If there’s a better wide receiver in the City, I would like to see him,” Kennedy Coach Bob Francola said.

Zinck completed 15 of 29 passes for 176 yards and two interceptions.

Kennedy had a 13-7 lead at the half, but San Pedro came roaring back behind quarterback Melvin Yarbrough, with two third quarter touchdowns.

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On a fourth-down play, Yarbrough found Antonio Bojorquez for a 22-yard touchdown and a 14-13 lead. After an interception by Steve Smith, San Pedro drove 89 yards in six plays, culminating in a six-yard run by Cory Smith and a 20-13 lead.

Yarbrough completed 11 of 18 passes for 179 yards and two interceptions.

Kennedy safety Tommy Gales, who had an interception, had chest pains after the game and was taken to San Pedro Peninsula Hospital.

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