Kennedy Trips Up El Dorado

Kennedy received some bad news before the opening kickoff, but the Fighting Irish responded to give their ailing starting quarterback a get-well present.

Kennedy Coach Mitch Olson informed his team that Gabriel Roman would not play after being hospitalized with dehydration from the flu, and his team promptly went out and posted a 22-14 victory over El Dorado in an Empire League football game Friday at Valencia High to take the inside track to the league’s championship.

Junior quarterback Mark Cook, who normally plays linebacker, completed 10 of 24 passes for 191 yards, no interceptions, and a 67-yard touchdown pass to Jack Tucker. Running back Joe Magallanes gained 112 yards and scored a touchdown in 23 carries behind a dominant offensive line.

Kennedy (6-3, 3-1 in league) controls its destiny now after consecutive victories over El Dorado (7-1, 3-1) and Loara (6-3, 3-1). Kennedy can clinch a share of the league title and the league’s top seeding for the playoffs with a victory next week against Century. El Dorado plays Loara at Glover Stadium Friday.

Olson was beaming after Friday’s victory.

“I knew we were in good shape because when I told the guys Gabe wasn’t playing, no one put their head down,” Olson said. “The seniors just looked at each other and said ‘OK, it’s time for the rest of us to just step it up tonight.’ ”

Cook and Magallanes weren’t the only ones who picked up the slack.

Receiver/defensive back/kicker Aaron Lewis kicked field goals of 32, 22 and 34 yards. He had made only one heading into the game, Olson said.

Senior defensive back Jordan Reed made a key interception at the goal line with 6 minutes 51 seconds remaining and Kennedy clinging to its 22-14 lead.

Senior linebacker Neal Hannifin had two sacks and spearheaded a pass rush that harassed El Dorado’s Mitch Nord into an off night as he completed only nine of 30 passes for 123 yards.

Although Nord tossed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Carlos Rasch with two seconds remaining in the third quarter to make it 22-14, the Golden Hawks’ two fourth-quarter possessions ended with Reed’s interception and four consecutive incomplete passes with 3:40 remaining.