Alemany Spells It for Hueneme, 46-21

An hour before Hueneme High hosted Alemany on Friday, the Hueneme spirit squad practiced its formations in the school’s courtyard. At one point, the confused squad spelled “EUMENEH” as the band played a rousing march.

Shortly after, the Viking football team appeared similarly befuddled, falling to Alemany, 46-21, in a nonleague opener in which Alemany quarterback Casey Clausen put on a show.

Clausen, who last year transferred to Alemany from La Canada, completed 18 of 28 passes for 318 yards and five touchdowns. Teammate Reggie Kinlaw, a recent transfer from San Fernando, caught five passes for 86 yards and three touchdowns, and tailback Deandre Scott rushed 19 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns.

The game was not as close as the score might indicate; Alemany led, 46-7, with 10:00 to play.

Hueneme, projected by many to be one of the region’s best teams, was overwhelmed.

The Vikings’ wing-T offense produced 93 yards rushing and Jeff Garcia completed six of 16 passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. He had a pass intercepted.

Meanwhile, the Viking defense was confounded by Alemany’s crossing patterns, slants and fades, and Scott’s elusive running. Hueneme had 55 yards in penalties.

The lone bright spot for Hueneme was the kickoff returns of Donald Thompson, who returned seven kicks for 218 yards, breaking off a 95-yarder for a touchdown to tie the score, 7-7, in the first quarter.

Alemany struck for the game’s first points on its second possession, helped by a pass interference penalty.

The Indians drove 73 yards in 10 plays and scored when Kinlaw caught a four-yard pass from Clausen, who bootlegged right and broke off a tackle attempt by Tiloi Tuitama.

After Hueneme pulled even on Thompson’s kickoff return, Alemany began an onslaught of 39 unanswered points with a 74-yard, seven-play drive capped when Clausen hit Deon Scott on a crossing route for a 41-yard touchdown. The drive was aided by a roughing-the-passer penalty against Hueneme.

Three minutes later, with 7:35 to play in the half, Clausen threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Kinlaw. He completed 13 of 20 passes in the half for 214 yards and three touchdowns. Garcia completed one of seven attempts for eight yards and had a pass intercepted in the first half.

Alemany’s Bryson Atkins caught five passes for 93 yards and scored a 36-yard touchdown.

Hueneme was led by Leslie Lee, who rushed for 42 yards in seven carries and Thompson, who rushed for 21 yards in eight carries.