Katella Grounds Canyon Running Game

Katella’s defense provided the Knights with an instant lead, then made it stand the rest of the way in a 16-7 nonleague victory over Canyon Thursday at Glover Stadium.

The defense also limited Canyon to 24 yards rushing, blocked a field goal and gave up only four plays for more than 10 yards.

Katella Coach Dominik Unger liked the way his unit played but wanted to reserve final judgment until he studied the game closer.

“For the most part we really played well on defense,” he said, “but I’ll have to wait until we watch the film.”

Katella’s senior standout Francis Johnson also had a big game, gaining 163 yards in 22 carries. His biggest run of the game came on a simple pitch play to the left.

He slid by an attempted tackle near the line of scrimmage and picked up two strong blocks that allowed him to turn the corner and sprint 60 yards for a 13-0 Katella lead with 44 seconds left in the first quarter. He also had a 34-yard run in the second half.

Katella’s first touchdown came on the second play from scrimmage. It started with Canyon quarterback Jarod Bauer throwing a short pass into the flat and ended with Knight defensive back Brandon Jordan picking up a fumble and running nine yards for a score with 10 minutes 44 seconds left in the first quarter.

In between, the pass was caught by Canyon’s Nick Stanovich, who then fumbled as he was hit hard by linebacker Brandon Vasquez, who closed quickly on the play.

Katella’s Bobby Nita blocked a field-goal attempt as Canyon was trying to cut the Knights’ lead to three points late in the third quarter. Nita came around the end and was nearly parallel to the ground with his arm out when he stopped the kick.

Katella (3-2) then drove 39 yards for a 30-yard field goal by Juan Martinez that put the Knights up, 16-7, on the first play of the fourth quarter. The drive was helped by a personal foul because of a late hit that gave Katella a first down on the Canyon 26.

Katella’s Edi Chanes, a senior defensive end, had three sacks for minus 25 yards.

“We had to get pumped up tonight,” Chanes said. “We had to get in there and pressure the quarterback. We made a couple of mistakes but we got the job done.”